Who doesnt want to look fit and perfect, right? I mean, almost all of us have been running in this...
On the one hand offering to help bring a settlement on Yemen, on the other feeding prospects of a new wave of sectarianism, Iran remains a dangerous lynchpin to many regional problems

Iran is sending conflicting messages on the Yemeni crisis as it struggles to offset the pressures it is facing with respect to the Syrian question and the nuclear deal issue.

On the one hand, on 3 May, during talks on regional issues in Rome with Italy, Germany, France and Britain, it offered to play an effective and active role in resolving the Yemeni crisis.

More recently, in an escalatory bid, its regional allies Hizbullah in Lebanon and the Martyrs of Sayed Brigades in Iraq offered to transfer their combat expertise from Syria to Yemen in order to come to the rescue of the Houthis who are on the retreat in the face of the advance of the Yemeni national army and the resistance factions backed by the Saudi-led Arab Coalition to restore the legitimate government in Yemen.

An immediate reading of these conflict messages suggests that they are mutually exclusive: if invited to enact its peace-making initiative it will abandon the escalatory bid.

However, the record of Iranian experiences offers a different reading: it will try to keep both options going at the same time in order to retain the greatest possible manoeuvrability on all fronts and to use them tactically in order to augment its gains in one arena and/or compensate for its losses in another.

With regard to the diplomatic message, it was voiced by Hussein Jaberi Ansari, head of the Iranian delegation to talks in Rome on developments in the Middle East.

Ansari, a senior assistant to the Iranian foreign minister, expressed his governments readiness to bring the Houthis to the negotiating table. This was not the first time Iran mentioned such an offer.

Irans chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi spoke of it in an interview on the Iranian television: The nuclear agreement is not connected with regional issues Iran will not enter into talks over its influence in the region except in connection with Yemen due to the humanitarian situation there.

Such initiatives and statements are revealing in a number of respects.

Firstly, the use of the Yemeni question in a way that vaunts Irans influence over the Houthis is a confession of its active role in the Yemeni civil war which Tehran had persistently denied.

It had continually claimed that it acted as no more than an adviser, despite abundant evidence that it furnished Houthi forces with military and logistic support since the Yemeni Revolution in February 2011 and increasingly after the Houthi coup in September 2014.

Iran supported Houthi missile capacities, above all, in the framework of its drive to strengthen its proxies throughout the region.

Secondly, in addition to heading the Iranian delegation in meetings with the European quartet, Hussein Ansari also headed the Iranian delegation at the Astana talks to promote the Russian-sponsored dialogue with a portion of the Syrian opposition.

What this signifies is that, contrary to Araghchis claim, Iran is linking other regional issues to Yemen and not just the nuclear deal.

Thirdly, Araghchis justification for linking Yemen to the nuclear deal on the grounds of the humanitarian plight of the Yemeni people compel us to consider the role played by Martin Griffiths, UN special envoy for Yemen.

Griffiths hopes to stop the war to make way for a political settlement and make it possible to focus on the humanitarian dimension of the Yemeni crisis.

The Houthis are obstructing that effort as a means to buy time for themselves and for Irans devices.

Fourthly, the timing of Ansaris offer to bring the Houthis to the negotiating table is also significant. It coincided with Israeli strikes against Iranian military infrastructure in Syria.

It was simultaneously informed by Russian moves to regulate and redefine the limits of the Iranian presence in Syria as well as by the fallout of Washingtons withdrawal from the nuclear agreement.

With regard to the escalatory messages, it is equally important to look at the deliverer.

The first came from Hizbullah General Secretary Hassan Nasrallah who, in a recent speech, expressed his sorrow for not being able to fight alongside combatants in the battles on the western coast of Yemen.

I wish I could be there with you and every brother from the resistance feels the same, he said, addressing the Houthis.

Ansar Allah leader Abdel-Malek Al-Houthi responded, expressing his gratitude for Nasrallahs heartfelt solidarity and support for the downtrodden.

The second, which was essentially the same in substance, came from Abu Alaa Al-Walai, secretary general of the Martyrs of Sayed Brigades, which is part of the Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Units (PMU). Al-Walai declared that he was prepared to fight in Yemen under the command of Abdel-Malek Al-Houthi.

These escalatory messages, like the diplomatic ones, are significant on many levels.

Firstly, they also point to Iranian linkages between regional issues and, given their timing, between these and the nuclear issue.

Secondly, they menace a sectarianisation of the Yemeni crisis along the lines of the Syrian crisis. The Martyrs of Sayed Brigades boasts that its main role in Syria is to defend and protect Shia tombs and shrines.

More significantly, Al-Walai, known for his ardent loyalty to Iran, issued his offer to fight in Yemen during a conference expressly held to promote solidarity with the Houthi movement and in which there were visible sectarian banners and slogans.

Thirdly, the Shia militia march to Yemen would generate an environment conducive to the resurgence of extremist mobilisation on the other side, namely Al-Qaeda, which has been driven back in Yemen, and ISIS, which is looking for new places to set up operations after the defeats it suffered in Iraq and Syria.

Fourthly, Al-Walais message reignites concerns over the PMU and their next destination after the Syrian conflict ends. This will present a challenge to the forthcoming Iraqi government due to the fears that led to the assimilation of the PMU into the armed forces.

It is crucial to heed the underlying significances of Irans conflicting messages on Yemen in order to pre-empt its attempts to add a new dimension to the conflict that would aggravate and prolong it.

This, in turn, compels the Yemeni government and the coalition that supports it to re-evaluate their management of the crisis militarily and diplomatically, as well as in terms of UN methods in handling the crisis, which some fear may divert the solution process from the aims and intents of international resolutions on Yemen and, specifically, UN Security Council Resolution 2016.

At the same time, it is important to expose the nature of Iranian manoeuvres, especially in terms of its dealings with Europe in the context of the nuclear deal.

Compensating Iran for the losses accrued from the US withdrawal from the nuclear agreement, without obtaining serious guarantees from Iran that it will refrain from fuelling regional conflicts, will have dangerous consequences.

It will increase Irans conflict funding capacities that US sanctions are intended to limit and it will give Iran greater scope to strengthen its escalatory instruments to the detriment of prospects for a diplomatic settlement to the Yemeni crisis.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 19 July 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Irans double message

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Lawmakers from both parties on Sunday expressed opposition to President Trumps plans to host Vladimir Putin in Washington later this year, with even some of the administrations Republican allies conceding that last weeks encounter with the Russian president did not go well.

Trump, for his part, plunged ahead on Twitter with efforts to portray the Helsinki summit as a triumph, and to impugn the motives and methods of U.S. law enforcement agencies looking into links between his 2016 presidential campaign and Russia as it worked to subvert the election in his favor.

And the president was back to calling the Russia matter all a big hoax after repeatedly clarifying last week  under pressure from advisors and leading Republicans  that he does believe the U.S. intelligence agencies findings of Russian interference. Trump ignited a firestorm of bipartisan fury after last Mondays summit by accepting Putins denials of interference during their news conference in Helsinki, Finland.

His series of combative tweets began early Sunday, when the president declared that the summit with Putin had been GREAT. He also asserted, without evidence, that his campaign had been illegally spied upon by the FBI. Late in the day, as he returned to Washington from a weekend at his Bedminster, N.J., golf club, Trump tweeted his complaint that the Russia reports were a Democratic hoax.

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On Sundays television talk shows, the closest thing to a staunch defense of Trumps meeting with Putin came from a former aide, Tom Bossert, who had been an advisor for homeland security. Yet even as Bossert called the talks productive, he pushed back at Russias emerging narrative that the two leaders had privately made agreements that would run counter to previously stated U.S. policy.

They didnt agree on anything, unlike whats been reported by, apparently by, the Russian government in a way to mislead us, Bossert said in an interview on ABCs This Week.

Bossert conditioned his assessment on the fact that the White House has failed to offer an accounting, even to senior U.S. intelligence officials, of what occurred in the closed-door meeting between the two leaders. That is a highly unusual decision that has drawn broad expressions of concern, as did Trumps insistence on meeting alone with Putin in the first place, without the usual senior advisors and note-takers. Critics had warned that the format risked allowing Russia to put its own spin on the session.

Several senior Democrats said Trumps public show of skepticism of U.S. intelligence conclusions about Russian election interference  while he stood side-by-side with Putin  suggested that the Russian leader, a onetime spymaster, had some kind of hold over him.

Trump grudgingly walked back one of those remarks after returning to Washington, but then muddied the waters again  first by suggesting unspecified others might have interfered in the U.S. election as well, an assertion unsupported by intelligence, and then by answering no when he was asked the next day if Russia is continuing to target the United States generally.

The White House then said that, too, was a misunderstanding.

For whatever reason, this president acts like hes compromised, Rep. Adam B. Schiff of Burbank, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said on ABC. There is simply no other way to explain why he would side with this Kremlin, former KGB officer, rather than his own intelligence agencies.

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said on Fox News Sunday that Trump seems to want to be chummy with Putin rather than to defend U.S. interests. That, he said, boded ill for another high-profile meeting with the Russian leader.

Now were going to give him a red-carpet treatment and invite him to Washington, said Menendez. To me, thats beyond comprehension.

Some Republicans chimed in with similar criticism, even including Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, who has championed Trumps cause in criticizing the wide-ranging investigation by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.

Gowdy, also on Fox, suggested that Trumps invitation to Putin  which caught even senior administration figures like Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, unawares  was unwise.

The fact that we have to talk to you [Russia] about Syria or other matters is very different from issuing an invitation, said Gowdy, who heads the House Oversight Committee. Those should be reserved for, I think, our allies.

A fellow South Carolina Republican, Sen. Lindsey Graham, also said Trump had not done enough to stand up to Putin, and warned that such acquiescence would invite stepped-up Russian aggression.

Just have sanctions that can fall on Russia like a hammer, Graham said on CBS Face the Nation.

Do you meet with this guy from a position of weakness? asked Graham, as if directly addressing Trump about the Russian leader. If you were really tough with Putin, he would not be doing what he is doing.

Despite such publicly aired misgivings about Trumps dealings with Putin, Republicans largely continued to support, or at least condone, the presidents insistence that the Mueller probe is a witch hunt.

Putin acknowledged in Helsinki that he had wanted Trump to win, but again denied any interference had taken place  a denial that Trump seemed to accept, over unanimous U.S. intelligence findings to the contrary.

Gowdy, who has spearheaded an effort among House Republicans to discredit elements of the Mueller probe, said heavily redacted documents released late Saturday by the Justice Department  which described the FBIs suspicions and evidence that former Trump campaign advisor Carter Page might have been collaborating with Moscow --- demonstrated government overreach and bad faith.

But another Republican, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, interviewed on CNNs State of the Union, said he believed the warrants to monitor Page were justified.

Rubio also took issue with Trumps Sunday tweet claiming his campaign was illicitly surveilled at the behest of Democrats. Trump had written on Twitter: Looking more & more like the Trump Campaign for President was illegally being spied upon. He said, referring to Hillary Clinton: Ask her how that worked out.

I dont believe that them looking into Carter Page means they were spying on the campaign, Rubio said. For U.S. intelligence officials, he said, Page was a guy that was on their screen even before the campaign.

Page, interviewed on the same program, offered contradictory accounts of his entanglements with Russian officials.

Ive never been an agent of a foreign power, by any stretch of the imagination, he said. But pressed by interviewer Jake Tapper, he admitted he had worked as an informal advisor to the Russian government  part of a pattern of activity that attracted the attention of the FBI.

laura.king@latimes.com

@laurakingLAT

UPDATES:

4:40 p.m.: This article was updated to reflect later Trump tweet.

This article was originally published at 2:05 p.m.
California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra has emerged as a leading national figure in what Democrats call their resistance to the Trump administration, filing a flurry of 38 lawsuits against the federal government in just the last year and a half.

The states legal challenges have attacked federal actions on issues including immigration, the environment, the U.S. census, education, the internet, the rights of transgender people and healthcare.

Californias lawsuits allege Trump administration actions conflict with existing federal law, are overreaching of executive authority, fail to follow procedures for public input on rule changes or are based on whim without proper rationale.

So far, Becerra has won 12 key court rulings in the lawsuits he filed and lost on three. In other cases, the federal government reversed the policy challenged in lawsuits before a court could decide. Most of the legal cases are still awaiting a final determination by the courts.

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Heres a rundown of the 38 legal actions filed by the state attorney general.

Immigration

California is home to an estimated quarter of the 11.1 million immigrants in the country illegally. Becerra, who describes himself as the proud son of immigrants, has targeted many of his lawsuits  nine so far  to challenge Trumps get-tough policy on immigration enforcement

Becerra sued over Trumps proposal to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, alleging it failed to comply with federal and state environmental laws, but a judge ruled against the state. More recently, he went to court to challenge the federal policy of separating immigrants who enter the country illegally from their children, alleging it violates the due process rights of parents. That case is pending, although courts have ruled in other cases that children must be reunited with parents.

California also led a lawsuit against the Trump administrations decision to end a program that protects immigrants brought to the country illegally as children from deportation. The lawsuit argued canceling the program violates the Constitution, and the courts issued a preliminary injunction.

One of Becerras first lawsuits was over a Trump administration travel ban on immigrants from six countries with predominantly Muslim populations, alleging the order represented unconstitutional religious discrimination. Judges in other cases put a freeze on the order. When Trump issued a revised travel ban, Becerra joined other states in suing again. The Supreme Court last month upheld Trumps latest version of travel restrictions.

Becerra has also gone to court to oppose the Trump administrations attempt to place immigration enforcement conditions on certain public safety grants for law enforcement in cities that adopted so-called sanctuary laws that restrict cooperation with immigration agents. A request for a preliminary injunction was denied.

Other pending lawsuits sought to compel federal agencies to provide documents showing the rationale behind decisions to put conditions on grants to sanctuary cities, and to toughen enforcement of immigration laws.

When the Trump administration proposed adding a question on citizenship to the 2020 U.S. census, Beccerra sued, alleging the action was arbitrary and capricious, and lacking proper rationale.

Healthcare

With three lawsuits, California led the effort to combat efforts by the Trump administration and others to roll back provisions of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.

Becerra won a preliminary injunction to block federal rules that allowed employers to deny women cost-free birth control that the state argued was guaranteed under the Affordable Care Act.

The state was not successful in suing the Trump administration over it stopping cost-sharing reduction payments that states argued are required by the federal Affordable Care Act. A judge denied a request for an emergency injunction, but the state is seeking a summary judgment on the merits of its claims.

Becerra also led a coalition of 16 attorneys general in winning a court decision allowing them to be part of the opposition to an application by Texas and other states that are seeking to halt operation of the Affordable Care Act nationwide.

Education

As the first person in his family to graduate from college, Becerra has said education is an important issue for him, and he has filed a trio of lawsuits to press his case. He sued the U.S. Department of Education challenging its decision to refrain from helping students obtain forgiveness of their loans in cases where they went to universities that engaged in fraud.

California filed a lawsuit against the Education Department alleging it failed to process debt-relief claims submitted by students who took out federal loans to attend for-profit colleges. In addition, Becerra went to court to ask that federal officials require for-profit schools to meet a standard of preparing students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation.

Environment

With California leading the move from coal and oil to cleaner energy sources, it is no surprise that the most lawsuits filed by the attorney general  21 so far  have challenged Trump administration proposals to roll back environmental protections.

In May, Becerra led a coalition of 17 states in suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency alleging it violated the federal Clean Air Act in rolling back a requirement that cars average nearly 55 miles per gallon by 2025. The case is still pending.

Just this Thursday, Becerra led a coalition of 16 states in suing the EPA to challenge its suspension of a mandate that most rebuilt diesel engines installed in heavy-duty trucks meet the same emissions standards applied to new engines.

California previously sued the EPA for delaying other rules aimed at reducing air pollution, winning a case that said the agency improperly failed to identify parts of the country that have not achieved smog reduction goals. The state also won an injunction after the agency balked at regulating methane created by oil and gas operations on public lands.

Becerra is still awaiting a judgment on a lawsuit that challenged the Trump administration over the repeal of restrictions on hydraulic fracturing oil extraction, known as fracking, on federal lands. A decision also has not been made yet on a state lawsuit that argued the EPA violated the federal Clean Air Act by repealing a requirement that major sources of air pollutants, including petroleum refineries, install equipment to minimize pollution.

The state also sued twice over delay in a federal rule requiring companies that extract oil, gas and coal to pay royalties to states. A judge has ruled in favor of the states claim in one of the cases.

Coverage of California politics 

Becerra also went to court with other states to force the EPA to reverse its suspension of safeguards for agricultural workers, alleging that if workers are not given training and education on pesticides, they risk being harmed. The EPA later backed down and implemented the training.

The agency also reversed course when hit with a California lawsuit alleging it improperly delayed enforcement of an energy-efficiency standard for ceiling fans, while a court sided with Becerra in a lawsuit alleging the federal government had failed to enact energy standards for portable air conditioners and walk-in freezers.

Last month, Becerra sued the EPA, alleging it acted improperly in allowing companies to manufacture products with hydrofluorocarbons  a refrigerant that is a potent greenhouse gas. The case is pending.

Another legal challenge was filed against the EPA over its suspension of the 2015 Clean Water Rule aimed at protecting lakes and streams from pollutants. The court has not yet ruled in that case.

Before EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt resigned in scandal, Becerra sued to force the release of documents the state believed would shed light on Pruitts alleged conflicts of interest.

And when the U.S. Department of the Interior proposed to restart federal leases for coal mining, California sued, and is still awaiting a ruling.

California and other states went to court and won a challenge to the decision by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to delay increased penalties for automakers whose vehicles fail to comply with fuel-efficiency standards.

LGBTQ rights, net neutrality

Becerra joined transgender service members in suing to challenge Trumps ban on transgender people serving in the military. A preliminary injunction was granted that could impact a subsequent executive order limiting service.

He also took the Federal Communications Commission to court, challenging its action to repeal net-neutrality rules, arguing its action was overreach. The case is pending.

patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com

Twitter: @mcgreevy99
As the governors pick to lead the states political watchdog panel, veteran Democratic activist Alice Germond takes over an agency that has been mired in turmoil for months following a dispute between commissioners over the sharing of power.

But the new chairwoman of the state Fair Political Practices Commission said she has talked to the other commissioners and believes the panel can put the past behind them to focus on enforcing campaign finance laws ahead of the midterm elections in November.

I think that there is a general feeling that that was then and this is now and weve got work to do, Germond said in an interview with The Times. Were not going to spend a lot of time pointing fingers at what may or may not have happened in the past, because that is all history and it appears that all of that has not changed the good work that the FPPC does.

The commission was created by voters to include four part-time commissioners and one full-time chairperson who acts as an executive for the agency. A power struggle in recent months pitted some part-time commissioners against the chairwoman at the time, Jodi Remke, who they felt left them out of key decisions on budgets, personnel, legal issues and policy changes.

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Over Remkes objection, the other four commissioners approved a new structure, creating committees that exclude the chairperson to make recommendations on important issues. At the same time, the agency has been considering a proposal to make the chairperson a part-time commissioner without the executive powers provided when the FPPC was set up.

Remke and rival Commissioner Maria Audero recently resigned to take other jobs.

Germond, who attended her first commission meeting Thursday, said that it would be premature to take away the chairpersons full-time status before the new committee system is given a chance to demonstrate whether it is better.

Lets see how this works before we make any more changes, Germond said. As a very new chair, I have not yet gotten a sense that this is something you can do part time. My gut says there is an awful lot of work to do, and the more people doing as much as they can, including a full-time chair, may be a good thing.

Germond, whose annual salary as chairwoman is $152,473, noted that any change probably would not affect her, because whoever is elected governor in the November election will have the option of choosing a new chairperson for the panel.

Germond, a 75-year-old West Hollywood resident, said one of her top goals is to combat what she sees as the distrust the public has in politics and government by enforcing state laws to make sure there is a level playing field.

I think that distrust has grown over the last number of years perhaps because of the lack of civil discourse, perhaps because of the 24-hour news cycle, where it seems to be endemic to fill the air, she said.

Coverage of California politics 

She plans to hold some FPPC meetings outside of Sacramento to help voters understand what the agency does so that they have faith when they go to the election booth that their vote is not bought and that the playing field is level and that the basic part of democracy is working for them, she said. Im not convinced right now that a lot of citizens both in California and around our country believe that, and thats the beginning of the end of a democracy.

By enforcing campaign finance laws against violators, Germond thinks the panel can provide a needed assurance to voters.

I think there is a misperception that they are all a bunch of crooks, she said of politicians. My experience is most people are in this for the right reasons, because they really care, and I want our electorate to know the FPPC is enforcing that so they have faith in it.

Germond said she did not want to venture into partisan territory when she was asked about the effect that President Trump has had on the political process.

I think stirring peoples anger and disenchantment with the process is not a good thing for the process. I would like to see people involved, Germond said. On the other hand, perhaps his stirring of that has created a balance where there is maybe more involvement on both sides on the aisle.

Germond comes to the panel after spending decades in the political trenches. She was deputy campaign manager for Browns gubernatorial campaign in 1978. She also was the national vice-chair for Browns failed presidential campaign in 1980, and has played leading roles in the campaigns of Democratic presidential candidates Bill Clinton, Gary Hart and Michael Dukakis.

She was the Democratic National Committees national secretary from 2002 to 2013.

Germond said she will abide by the rules that prevent commissioners from actively supporting candidates.

But the former party activist said she believed the state Democratic Party should have stayed neutral in the Democrat-on-Democrat contest pitting state Sen. Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) against incumbent Dianne Feinstein in the November contest for Feinsteins U.S. Senate seat.

Last Saturday, state party leaders endorsed De Leon for the seat.

Let the voters speak, Germond said. When you have two Democrats, to me it can become problematic for the party to choose one over another, particularly when the voters have already voted in a primary in perhaps a different way than the 300 activists in a meeting may be feeling.

patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com

Twitter: @mcgreevy99
Christopher Bell has cracked the Cup supremacy in Xfinity.

The 23-year-old Bell held off hard-charging 2012 Cup champion Brad Keselowski over the final 18 laps at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to win his second straight Xfinity Series race.

Bell pulled off the towering achievement of winning two straight Xfinity races against former champs from NASCARs top-tier series who moonlight on Saturdays. Bell topped 2015 Cup champion Kyle Busch to win last weeks race at Kentucky Speedway and he followed up Saturday in the No. 20 Toyota by keeping Keselowski at bay down the stretch for his third win this season.

You hope to race those guys at one point, so Im thankful that I get the opportunity here in the Xfinity Series to race with them and proud that Im able to compete with them, let alone beat them, Bell said.

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Keselowski had won the pole Saturday but was dropped to the rear of the field because he was late to the mandatory drivers meeting. It proved to be nothing more than a mild inconvenience for Keselowski in the No. 22 Ford. He stormed past the second-tier regulars and had his fourth straight Xfinity win in sight.

Bell, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, had the fresh tires that Keselowski needed and that was enough to ring in a victory lane celebration. Bell gave his checkered flag to a young fan in the stands.

I hope it means a lot more to that kid than it is to me, he said. You know, we get trophies, we get all sorts of trophies, so hopefully it means a lot to that kid.

JGR fields cars for Busch and Bell, one reason its continued to have success in Xfinity.

Theyve won before me, theyre going to win after me, Bell said. Its my job to make sure they win with me.

Ryan Preece, John Hunter Nemechek and Matt Tift completed the top five to complete a solid showing for the Xfinity regulars.

You see all this crap going around the Internet that Cup guys shouldnt be allowed in Xfinity, Bell said. Why?

Because Xfinity is supposed to be the series where the stars of NASCARs future are discovered. Instead, they spent this season looking up at Cup regulars Busch, Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Austin Dillon as race winners.

But Bell said he wanted them in Xfinity so he could race against the best drivers in NASCAR.

Busch led more than 100 laps last week at Kentucky before he faded late and Bell took advantage for the win. At New Hampshire, Bell was aided by four fresh tires down the stretch that helped make the difference.

Keselowski nipped at Bells bumper over the final three laps but could never reel him in for the decisive pass.

I didnt have any rear left tire, Keselowski said. I think we would have won today on four (tires) but thats not the way it played out.

Bell, the 2017 Truck Series champion, is certainly talented enough to find himself in a Cup ride the next few years. Its just a matter of where hell fit in a series where top rides are scarce.

Bell said hes just getting started in Xfinity.

Whenever you come to here, you step in this equipment at Joe Gibbs Racing, youre expected to win, he said. Pressures on for you to deliver and thankfully Ive been able to deliver, at least some of the time.
Shirah Dedman burst into tears when she saw her great-grandfathers name on a coffin-sized box and a jar of soil.

Since childhood, the Los Angeles native had heard about a relative who had been lynched. Eventually, she learned that he had been arrested in 1912 in Shreveport, La., for passing a letter to a white woman.

When the case was dismissed for lack of evidence, a crowd grabbed him at the courthouse and strung him from a tree where he was shot repeatedly. When she saw the dirt recovered from the site, his murder finally become real.

There were so many emotions looking at that, she said. It was so hurtful. I was crying. I felt a lot of anger. I felt frustration. I wanted to talk. I wanted to be quiet.

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Dedman, who lives in Oakland, is one of many who have been drawn to the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice, which opened this spring in Montgomery, a former capital of the Confederacy.

The site has sparked a countrywide conversation about lynching. It has also attracted crowds to what has been called the nations most notable monument since Maya Lins Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which opened in 1982 in Washington, D.C.

Only a few months earlier, neighboring Mississippi, the state with the most documented lynchings, also opened a new institution devoted to racial struggle.

The new Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson recounts the history of protests, murders and martyrs in a region that a half-century ago was the front line in the struggle for equality.

Exhibits explore the eras flashpoints, from the race riot that followed the integration of the University of Mississippi; to the Freedom Summer murders of civil rights workers James Chaney, Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman, addressed in the film Mississippi Burning; to the assassination of civil rights activist Medgar Evers.

The $90-million state-funded museum complex, which includes a separate wing on Mississippi history, is the more comprehensive; the Montgomery site is designed to pack an emotional punch and make a political point. Together, the two sites, about 250 miles apart, complement and build on each other, providing a modern, clear-eyed view of some of the countrys darkest moments.

Alabama

The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration, opened to the public on April 26, 2018, in Montgomery, Ala. The 11,000-square-foot museum is built on the site of a former warehouse where enslaved black people were imprisoned. (Equal Justice Initiative / Human Pictures)

The Montgomery project is largely the creation of attorney Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, which has worked to exonerate falsely convicted death-row prisoners.

The six-acre outdoor memorial features 800 weathered rectangular steel boxes hanging beneath an open canopy. Each box represents a county or jurisdiction with a documented lynching between 1877 and 1950 and lists the names of largely forgotten victims in each county, such as Henry Smith of Lamar County, Texas, who was accused of killing a white girl, and then tortured with hot irons and set on fire in front of a crowd of 10,000 in 1893.

Theres also Elizabeth Lawrence, lynched in Jefferson County, Ala., in 1933 after scolding children for throwing rocks. And thousands more.

The information comes from the EJIs multiyear study that documented more than 4,000 lynchings, which the researchers call racial terror killings.

In most cases, the victims were grabbed by a mob and killed in public, usually by hanging, but also by gunshot or drowning. Sometimes it occurred in public squares, where vendors sold refreshments.

Gawkers claimed pieces of clothing or body parts as souvenirs. Occasionally, commemorative postcards were printed.

The memorial recounts these details on brief information panels, but its visual impact is visceral. At first, the markers hang at eye level, but as visitors proceed through the monument, the wooden floor slopes down.

Soon monuments are suspended above, forcing you to look up. Eventually, the memorial presents a vista of hundreds of rusted slabs hanging overhead like bodies. The visitor becomes the spectator, bearing witness to brutality.

Every marker has a replica that lies in a field outside the canopy. Each jurisdiction is invited to claim its monument to bring home for public display.

The intent is clear. Our memorial will become a report card about which communities have owned up to their history and which havent, Stevenson said.

A half-a-mile away, the EJIs small Legacy Museum, which is built in a former slave warehouse, aims to put the memorial in context. Beginning with hologram exhibits on slavery, it argues that lynchings took place to control and terrorize African Americans after emancipation.

That legacy evolved into Jim Crow laws legalizing segregation and continues today in what Stevenson called the mass incarceration of African Americans.

Exhibits recount forgotten chapters of history, including the Red Summer of 1919, when race riots erupted across the country and more than 100 people were lynched.

One moving display features a jailhouse interview with Anthony Ray Hinton, who was exonerated in 2015 after 28 years on death row. Oprah Winfrey last month selected his autobiography for her book club.

Mississippi

Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, gallery Four: A Closed Society, The Lynching of Emmett Till. (Tom Beck / MDAH)

Winfrey, a Mississippi native, was involved with that states civil rights museum. In the Jackson museum, she narrates a short film about the 1955 killing of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old boy visiting from Chicago who was accused of flirting with a white grocery store clerk.

A few days later, he was kidnapped, and his barbed wire-wrapped body was soon found in the Tallahatchie River.

The Justice Department recently reopened its investigation of the crime, based upon the discovery of new information, a Los Angeles Times article said.

The department did not elaborate, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation, the article said.

After Tills death, his mother gave him an open-casket funeral, and the shocking images of his maimed body were printed in Jet magazine, launching the modern civil rights movement. The museum displays the original magazine pages, along with the doors of the Bryants Grocery & Meat Market.

Elsewhere, Klan robes, Confederate flags and government documents methodically and dispassionately recount the states combative racial history.

But the museum is hardly a collection of dusty memorabilia. It uses historic footage, interactive displays and innovative exhibits to convey its story.

One section addresses the assassination of Evers, who was shot in the back by a white supremacist. The father of three staggered to the door of his home, where his family found him bleeding to death.

The museum also celebrates the movement that ultimately eliminated legal segregation. One gallery, lined with hundreds of mugshots, honors the Freedom Riders, who arrived in Jackson by bus, train and plane to challenge the Souths segregated transportation facilities.

Other areas detail the sit-ins, read-ins, wade-ins and other protests that integrated lunch counters, libraries and public beaches.

A family explores Mississippis Freedom Struggle, the introductory gallery of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. (Mississippi Department of Archiv / Mississippi Department of Archiv)

Indeed, the sound of hope flows through the galleries. At the heart of the museum, a 40-foot light sculpture called This Little Light of Mine pulsates every half hour in sync with gospel-inspired songs that provided a soundtrack to protests. As more people enter the central gallery, the music plays more loudly.

Evers widow, Myrlie Evers-Williams, who spoke at the museums opening, said the symbolism is clear. You hear the sounds of horror, but you hear the sounds of coming together, she said.

Likewise, Stevenson said he hoped visitors would leave the Montgomery sites with a sense of optimism, not depression.

We want everybody to understand this history. Were not defined by it, were not doomed by it, but we cant ignore it, he said. Theres a better America still waiting. But we cant achieve it if we dont tell the truth about our past.

If you go

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, 417 Caroline St., Montgomery, Ala. The memorial is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily except Tuesdays. Tickets cost $5; children 6 and younger are admitted free.

The Legacy Museum, 115 Coosa St., Montgomery, Ala.; (334) 386-9100. The museum is open 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m. daily except Tuesdays, closing at 6 p.m. Sundays. Tickets cost $8 for adults, and $5 for students and seniors. Children 6 and younger are admitted free.

A combination ticket for the two is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and students. Children 6 and younger are admitted free.

The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, 222 North St., Suite 2205, Jackson, Miss.; (601) 576-6800. Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 1-5 p.m. Sundays. Closed Mondays. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors 60 and older, $4 for youth 4-18. Children 3 and younger rare admitted free.

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravel
Dance, surf, search for fairies, listen to music and eat pizza. You have a busy weekend ahead.

Santa Barbara

Music Academy of the Wests 71st Summer School and Festival takes place for eight weeks on the Music Academys campus and throughout the city. Coming up: piano, strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion concerts. Theres also a picnic concert at 7:30 p.m. July 27. Check website for times and locations.

When: July 23-28

Cost, info: Adults from $10, children 17 and younger free with paid adult. Recommended for kids 7 and older. Only service dogs permitted. (805) 969-4726

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Los Angeles

The Faery Hunt Show at the Fern Dell in Griffith Park is an hourlong interactive musical search for fairies in the forest and a hunt for the Mermaid Princess tail. A separate Fairy Birthday Party offers dancing, face-painting, games and food. Trails are stroller-friendly.

When: Show 10:30 a.m., party 11:30 a.m. July 28

Cost, info: $15 show or party, $25 for both. Well-behaved leashed dogs are welcome. (818) 324-6802

Hollywood

The Kim Kung Hwa Korean Dance Company performs traditional Korean dances for children and families at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre. Before the show, children can make kaleidoscopes and look at mammals, birds of prey, amphibians and reptiles, courtesy of the countys Department of Parks and Recreation.

When: Pre-show 9 a.m., performance 10 a.m. July 28

Cost, info: Adults $5, children 12 and younger free. Only service animals permitted. (323) 461-3673

Oxnard

Heat things up as you dance salsa, watch salsa dancers and sample salsa-enhanced foods at the Oxnard Salsa Festival downtown in Plaza Park. Six bands will play. The kids area has tortilla art painting, face-painting and rides.

When: 11 a.m. July 28 and 29

Cost, info: Festival entrance fee, but concert venue and salsa taste testing tent $5 each. Family-friendly. No dogs permitted. (805) 535-4060

Los Angeles

Are you a pizzaiolo or pizzaiola  a person who makes pizza? Or maybe just a pizza fan? You can sample pizzas made by some of the best pizzaiolos at the Pizza Festival at Los Angeles Center Studios. Noted chefs will come from as far away as Italy.

When: Noon July 28

Cost, info: Adults from $45, children 4-10 years from $20, children 3 and younger free. Only service animals permitted. (323) 486-5819

Huntington Beach

Billed as the worlds largest surf competition and lifestyle festival, the nine-day Vans U.S. Open of Surfing takes place south of the Huntington Beach Pier. Activities include demonstrations, practice sessions and trials. The event also includes skateboarding and BMX bike competitions and movie premieres.

When: July 28-Aug. 5

Cost, info: Free to watch. Dogs on leash OK.

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravel
The quiet announcement came like a bolt out of the blue. While planning a family vacation to Greece, my 12-year-old daughter, Kailas, who hates hiking and whose constant complaints make her older brother, my husband and me miserable whenever we take her along, had just declared she wanted to climb Mt. Olympus, the countrys tallest peak.

Parents of adolescents know its nearly impossible to coax them into doing what the rest of the family enjoys, especially on vacation. To keep the peace, I had long abandoned my hope of trekking through northern Greeces rugged mountains.

I hadnt counted on the mystical pull of mythology or the mystifying ability of adolescents to abruptly change their minds.

My daughter, a fan of Rick Riordans young-adult books, was enthralled by the myth-inspired stories of Percy Jackson and his hair-raising encounters with the Olympian gods. After rereading one, she decided she wanted to see for herself the deities legendary meeting place  even if it meant hiking.

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Heaven on Earth

I parked our pint-sized rental car in a dusty lot in Prionia, the starting point for our odyssey last July. A stone cafe and a squeaky pump marked the end of a winding road connecting the beach town of Litohoro to the popular Prionia trailhead into Olympus National Park.

We quickly topped off our water bottles, shouldered our packs and began walking along the signposted trail. As we climbed steadily through the sun-dappled forest, fistfuls of dried apricots and crunchy almonds, plus tantalizing glimpses of Mt. Olympus upper slopes, helped distract my daughter from the exercise.

The quaint village of Litohoro serves as the staging point for the two-to-three-day ascent of Greeces highest peak. (Terri Cook and Lon Abbott)

Four hours later, we arrived at a metal-roofed trekkers hut on a rocky ledge halfway to the 9,573-foot summit.

We sat at a weather-beaten table on the large terrace and sipped steaming mugs of cocoa and glasses of peppery red wine while drinking in the view of the Mediterranean far below.

Later, we savored hearty bowls of bean soup and heaping plates of pasta by a crackling fire before crawling into our bunks for a deep sleep marred only by our crack-of-dawn alarm. After a mountaineers breakfast of crusty bread, jam and tea, we continued our ascent in the brisk morning air.

The well-trod trail climbed steeply, so I anxiously watched my daughter for signs of a meltdown. But she seemed genuinely excited; instead of complaining, she quizzed me about Greek mythology.

After zigzagging up several sharp switchbacks, we reached a bench with views of jagged peaks rising above billowing clouds. The trail then angled up rocky inclines to the top of Skala, a subsidiary peak, where the route forked.

Here we had to choose between two summit options: ascending Mytikas, the true summit, which involves scrambling up a series of exposed slopes, or veering west to scale Skolio, which is 170 feet lower and safer when hiking with children.

As we debated, dark clouds began to shroud both peaks.

Hut hiking

Hiking with kids is particularly appealing in Europe, where networks of trekkers huts offer an opportunity to explore the region without having to lug heavy tents, sleeping bags, stoves or large stores of food.

(Lou Spirito For The Times)

The amenities at each hut vary, as do their operating seasons. Of the nine on Mt. Olympus, the largest and most popular is the Spilios Agapitos Refuge, which has 110 dorm beds, two dining rooms and an unheated bathroom block with flush toilets and cold-water showers.

This refuge is along a heavily used section of the E4 Trail that runs from Cyprus to Spain. Many people who climb Mt. Olympus sleep at this refuge the night before their ascent, then summit and return to Prionia in one long day.

To maximize our chances of getting to the top while minimizing adolescent drama, we had booked our beds for two nights.

After you arrive at a hut, its customary to remove your boots and stow them near the entryway. Although its a good idea to bring slippers or flip-flops for inside, most huts offer footwear in case youve forgotten yours.

The huts also provide blankets and a pillow, but youll need to bring a towel, toiletries and a sheet or sleeping-bag liner.

Inspired by nature

Mt. Olympus has had profound cultural significance for millenniums as the source of inspiration for countless myths. Much of this celebrity undoubtedly stems from its landscape, which is best appreciated while slowly walking through it.

While you are climbing Olympus, its easy to see that, unlike nearby peaks, the gods mountain doesnt host an orderly succession of vegetation as the elevation increases. Thanks to the massifs rugged and elevated terrain, high precipitation, proximity to the sea and extended winter snow cover, it features an unusual patchwork of microclimates where different types of vegetation can thrive near one another.

Olympus distinctive characteristics contribute not only to its stunning scenery but also to its remarkable biodiversity, for which its been designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

The mountain hosts 1,700 kinds of plants, which represent a quarter of all Greek flora. These include groves of ancient beech trees as well as large stands of towering black pines. At loftier elevations, including around Spilios Agapitos, stately Bosnian pines, which thrive in dry, rocky conditions, dominate the slopes.

Fragile alpine tundra carpets Mount Olympus windswept slopes above about 8,200 feet elevation. (Terri Cook and Lon Abbott)

As you ascend the E4 Trail from the hut, the trees become increasingly stunted. Above the tree line (about 8,200 feet), Olympus uppermost slopes are blanketed with fragile alpine tundra. Despite the harsh, windswept environment, for a brief time each summer the tundra bursts with tiny wildflowers, providing a colorful spectacle for hikers and important resources for the hardy animals, such as the Balkan chamois, a goat, that venture here.

Storied slopes

In Greek mythology, Greeces highest peak was the home of the Olympian gods. But this hadnt always been the case, my daughter informed me during our ascent.

The Titans, an older generation of immortals, once ruled the cosmos. Kronos, their leader, married Rhea, who gave birth to the first Olympians. But Kronos feared a prophecy that predicted his child would one day overthrow him, so he ate each of his kids in turn. Overcome with grief, Rhea hid their next son, Zeus, in a cave.

Years later, Zeus tricked Kronos into vomiting up his siblings, who joined forces to battle the Titans. During this fierce war, the Olympians based themselves on Mt. Olympus; the Titans fought from a higher peak.

After the younger generation triumphed, Zeus shattered the Titans summit, elevating Mt. Olympus to Greeces highest peak.

As thoughts of Zeus and great battles swirled in my head during our hike, storm clouds drew my thoughts back to Earth. My husband, an experienced mountaineer, swiftly clambered up Mytikas exposed slopes, while the kids and I walked up Skolio, where we signed the register and snapped photos of my daughter proudly posing on the summit.

Just as my husband joined us, a single clap of thunder echoed across its slopes  a sign, my daughter was certain, that Zeus himself approved of her change of heart.

If you go

THE BEST WAY TO THESSALONIKI, GREECE

From LAX, Swiss, Lufthansa, Turkish, Air France, Austrian, KLM, Scandinavian, Aeroflot, El Al and Alitalia offer connecting service (change of planes) to Thessaloniki. Restricted round-trip airfare from $1,046, including taxes and fees.

Drive to the trailhead from Thessaloniki following the E90 and E75 highways south for 75 miles to Litohoro, then 15 miles to Prionia. Vehicles can be rented at the Thessaloniki Airport from Budget, Hertz and Sixt.

TELEPHONES

To call the numbers below from the U.S., dial 011 (the international dialing code), 30 (the country code for Greece) and the local number.

WHERE TO STAY

Spilios Agapitos Refuge (Refuge A), 235-208-1800. Basic mountain hut with several dormitories accommodating as many as 110 hikers. $16 per bed. Open mid-May to late October. Book ahead, especially for weekends.

Guesthouse to Palio Litohoro, 35 Agiou Dionisiou, Litohoro; 235-208-4059. Wood-and-timber boutique hotel with eight cozy rooms. Doubles from $90 with breakfast.

Xenios Dias, 2 Enippeos, Litohoro; 235-208-1234. Stylish guesthouse in the villages central square. Doubles from $70 with breakfast.

WHERE TO EAT

Spilios Agapitos Refuge (Refuge A), 235-208-1800. Limited menu for all three meals, plus drinks and snacks. Lunch for two from $16.

Mykonian Fish Tavern, Olympos Beach, Plaka; 235-202-2111. Simple tavern serving fresh seafood, Greek salads and other traditional fare in a peaceful setting by the sea. Dinner for two from $24.

Meze Meze, 40 Agiou Nikolaou, Litohoro; 235-208-2271. Popular tavern with Mediterranean cuisine made with fresh, local ingredients. Lunch for two from $14.

TO LEARN MORE

Climbing routes on Greek mountains

Olympus National Park

Greek Tourism Assn.

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravel
Great article on Red Rocks [A Rocking Good Time in Thin Air, by Christopher Reynolds, July 15]. Im a native Angeleno who has seen Widespread Panic there year after year since the late 90s.

Its the mecca of concert venues!

Aiman Shawaf

Mar Vista

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::

I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the article on Red Rocks. I had no idea about the park there or its construction. Nor did I know about the vibe felt by the musicians playing there.

I was lucky enough to catch Jimi Hendrix at the show Reynolds mentioned. It was Sept. 1, 1968. I was 17. The emphasis was on the show, and I knew nothing about the venue itself. I headed back to Southern California for my senior year of high school and really didnt give it a second thought.

Thanks again for enlightening me about it.

Peter Smith

Lake Arrowhead

Music memories

I loved Andrew Benders story about the Sound of Music tours [Sounds Like an Austrian Idyll, July 8]. It brought back memories of studying at the University of Vienna summer school at Strobl am Wolfgangsee cq in the summer of 1964.

I was on the same lake where they were filming parts of this iconic film. I have always felt a great connection to this movie because of having experienced that landscape, along with trips to Salzburg at the time of its filming.

I loved the writers use of all the lyrics from the show in his article. Of course, like many, I know them all. Thanks for the memory!

Bill Bowersock

Los Angeles

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravel
With Syrian government forces closing in on the oppositions last redoubts bordering the Golan Heights, hundreds of volunteer rescue workers from the group known as the White Helmets and their family members have been evacuated through the Israeli-held territory and transported to Jordan.

The daring rescue operation, which took place under cover of darkness starting late Saturday, was carried out at the request of the U.S. government and Western allies, according to Israeli and Jordanian officials. The 422 evacuees, more than half of whom are children, are expected to be resettled in Canada and Europe in the coming weeks.

Officially called the Syria Civil Defense, but known as the White Helmets because of its hard hats, the group of first-responders has been lauded in the United States and elsewhere for rushing to the scene of airstrikes to pull victims from the rubble. It is credited with saving tens of thousands of lives since it was founded in 2013.

But President Bashar Assads government and its Russian allies have labeled the group a terrorist organization because it operates in areas controlled by the armed opposition and have accused it of staging attacks to blame on Syrian authorities. Their forces frequently target the volunteers, more than 230 of whom have been killed.

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The evacuation took place as government forces, backed by Russian air power, have been making sweeping gains in southwestern Syria, a strategic region bordering Jordan and Israel that has been in rebel hands for years. Over the last month, the fighting has sent hundreds of thousands of people fleeing toward the sealed borders.

As in previous campaigns, the government has offered fighters and their families who dont want to live under its authority the option to be bused to rebel-held territory in the northern province of Idlib. But pro-government forces have been known to pull members of the White Helmets from such convoys and detain them.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said President Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and others contacted him several days ago to ask for assistance getting the rescue workers and their families out of Syria.

These are people who have saved lives and whose lives were in danger, Netanyahu said in a statement Sunday. Therefore, I approved their passage through Israel to additional countries, as an important humanitarian gesture.

Jordans foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, said the kingdom agreed to the transfer  which was coordinated by the United Nations  after receiving assurances from Britain, Germany and Canada that the Syrians would be resettled within three months. The initial request was to receive 800 people, but only 422 made the trip Sunday, he said in a tweet.

Safadi did not provide a reason. But a source familiar with the operation told the Reuters news agency that an initial plan to get out more people was hampered by Syrian government checkpoints and the presence of forces loyal to the extremist group Islamic State.

An Israeli aid official also familiar with the plan said that everyone who was supposed to leave Sunday did so. No one was left behind, said Gal Lusky, founder of Israeli Flying Aid, a nonprofit that has been instrumental in getting humanitarian assistance from Israel into Syria.

Some White Helmets decided to continue working in Syria but wanted to know that their wives and children would be safe, she said without providing further details.

A member of the group reached in Syria confirmed that some volunteers had opted to remain in the southwestern provinces of Dara and Quneitra while others planned to evacuate to Idlib. He asked not to be identified for safety reasons.

The Israeli military called the evacuation of the White Helmets an exceptional humanitarian gesture, which it said was approved due to an immediate threat to their lives. The military released video showing men, women and children filing across the border on foot and boarding buses, where Israeli soldiers passed out cups of water.

The Syrian rescue group receives financial and other support from the United States and was the subject of a film, The White Helmets, that won last years Academy Award for best short documentary.

The Trump administration expressed gratitude Sunday to Israel and Jordan, as well as to the countries offering permanent homes to the evacuees.

We are glad that these brave volunteers, who have saved thousands of lives, are now out of harms way, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

The sentiment was echoed by British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who tweeted, The [White Helmets] are the bravest of the brave and in a desperate situation this is at least one ray of hope.

Fantastic news that we - UK and friends - have secured evacuation of White Helmets and their families - thank you Israel and Jordan for acting so quickly on our request. The WH are the bravest of the brave and in a desperate situation this is at least one ray of hope  Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) July 22, 2018

Assads government has vowed to recapture all regions that have fallen from its control, including Idlib, now home to more than 2 million people, many of them displaced from other parts of the country.

The bus trip there can be a harrowing experience, despite the governments promises of safe passage. On Sunday, pro-government fighters outside the city of Homs held up a convoy from Quneitra for hours  sometimes at gunpoint, according to images panicked passengers shared on social media.

Its not the army. It looks like they are all militias, Huda Dairi, an activist who has been documenting the conflict, said when reached in the convoy through a cellphone messaging application. I swear the situation is terrible. We have been held up for over five hours. There are so many women and children, some in need of medical assistance.

The convoy was eventually allowed to continue on its way, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition monitoring group based in Britain.

Dairi did not respond to subsequent messages.

Times staff writer Zavis reported from Beirut and special correspondent Tarnopolsky from Jerusalem. Special correspondent Kareem Chehayeb contributed to this report from Beirut.

Times staff writer Zavis reported from Beirut and special correspondent Tarnopolsky from Jerusalem. Special correspondent Kareem Chehayeb contributed to this report from Beirut.

UPDATES:

5:50 p.m.: This article was updated throughout with staff reporting.

This article was originally published at 7:08 a.m.
Last week, after security forces moved against demonstrators following months of anti-government protests, President Daniel Ortega publicly declared victory against an opposition determined to end his more than decade-long tenure as leader of this Central American nation.

They thought we were defeated, simply because we had patience, Ortega told a crowd on July 19, the 39th anniversary of the Sandinista revolution that overthrew the U.S.-backed Somoza family dictatorship. But a moment arrived when we said . This is enough! We have to reestablish order in our country!

About 300 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Nicaragua since large-scale protests erupted in April, according to human rights groups and opposition leaders. Ortega, in turn, accused the opposition of killing dozens of police officers and government supporters.

Ortega blamed an armed conspiracy financed by outside forces  a reference to Washington  as being behind the demonstrations. Activists and the State Department have rejected the accusation and condemned government violence against protesters.

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And, while police this month evicted opponents who occupied the national university here and other sites, protesters were again on the march in Managua on Saturday  demanding Ortegas resignation and denouncing what they called brutal tactics by security personnel.

The imposing presence of heavily armed, plainclothes security men  known as paramilitaries and often donning ski masks  has not stopped the opposition from taking to the streets, though Saturdays protest was small compared with past mass mobilizations.

Huge crowds of demonstrators take to the streets of Managua on July 21, 2018, to protest the government of President Daniel Ortega. (Marvin Recinos / AFP/Getty Images)

Ortega said the opposition is defeated  that is a lie, said Suyen Barahona Cuan, who was among several hundred marching and is leader of the opposition Sandinista Renovation Movement. His governments brutality, its repression, has only made us stronger.

As the demonstrators proceeded up a broad boulevard, there was no sign of police or paramilitaries. The marchers hoisted signs demanding justice and the end of Ortegas rule.

Reconciliation efforts have so far failed to end the crisis gripping Nicaragua. After Roman Catholic leaders sought to mediate the dispute, Ortega denounced them as coup backers.

Some anti-government marchers this weekend wore masks or handkerchiefs on their faces, asserting that they were on the run from security forces  who, the opposition says, have been systemically hunting down protest leaders. A few carried homemade mortars.

Participants vowed that they will continue to demand the exit of Ortega, who is serving his third consecutive term as president.

Opponents accuse the president and his Sandinista allies of sidelining the opposition and promulgating an autocratic, dynastic government in conjunction with his wife, Rosario Murillo, who serves as vice president. Various Ortega family members control businesses and pro-government news outlets.

This government is worse than that of Somoza, said Carlos Maturana, 52, a notary public who was among the anti-government marchers, referring to the right-wing family dictatorship overthrown in the 1979 Sandinista triumph. We need a new government, a plebiscite, whatever it takes to effect a real change.

The march proceeded despite a new anti-terrorism law, passed by the National Assembly this month, that critics say could be used to jail anti-government activists.

We are all terrorists now, according to this government, said Diego Delgadillo, 58, a businessman who was among the marchers.

The protesters say they represent a majority of opinion, but the nation appears deeply divided.

Despite the widespread recent protests, the president and his Sandinista party retain considerable support among many Nicaraguans. Ortega was reelected in 2016 in a landslide victory amid a boycott by the opposition, which termed the election a farce.

Under Ortegas rule, Nicaragua has maintained steady economic growth, and, though the country remains one of the poorest nations in the Americas, government-backed programs have helped reduce poverty. Nicaragua also is notably less crime-ridden than neighboring nations of Honduras and El Salvador, which have among the worlds highest homicide rates.

Ortega, a one-time Marxist guerrilla and a commander during the Sandinista uprising, forged alliances with business groups as president and has generally moderated his criticism of the United States.

Ortega supporters have taken to the streets as well, and the latest in a series of pro-government rallies also unfolded here Saturday. Marchers hoisted photographs of police officers and others who they said were killed by the opposition during recent protests.

Meanwhile, on the grounds of the Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral, dozens of women awaited word on the fate of husbands, sons and other loved ones arrested in recent government roundups.

Betsayda Guzman says her husband was arrested in a government crackdown. (Patrick J. McDonnell / Los Angeles Times)

Among the women was Betsayda Guzman, 39, a mother of three who said her husband, Oscar Danilo Mendoza, 31, was arrested on June 30 in the city of Sebaco.

Mendoza, a former soldier, refused a government demand that he return to duty as a paramilitary, his wife said. He was wounded in a police assault on a refuge where he and others were hiding out from government forces, she said, and is now being held in Managua with others deemed political prisoners by the opposition.

My husband vowed that he would not shed a drop of blood of fellow Nicaraguans, Guzman said outside the cathedral. That was an honorable stance. He should be back home, safe.

patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com

Twitter: @PmcdonnellLAT
The proposed creation of a new canal between Qatar and Saudi Arabia will likely lead to Qatars semi-permanent isolation in the region

According to reports in national media outlets, the Saudi government is considering an ambitious and controversial plan to construct a canal across its 60 km border with Qatar. If the project is realised, Qatar will effectively be made into an island cut off from the rest of the Arabian Peninsula.

There are already tentative plans to develop the proposed waterway for a variety of uses.

Predominantly Saudi and Emirati private investors are hoping to transform the area into an important economic zone, with the construction of marinas and resorts to build up tourism and two sea ports to divert marine traffic away from Qatar.

With Saudi forces having already seized control of the Salwa border crossing in April, there are also plans to set up a new military base on the island that is currently shared between the two countries.

However, the suggestion of the use of part of the banks of the canal as a site for the dumping of nuclear waste from a proposed nearby nuclear reactor is arguably the most controversial element of the role the canal could play.

The project, dubbed the Salwa Channel, gained traction last month with the invitation of five construction companies to compete for the enticing contract, reportedly amounting to $745 million.

The successful bid will be announced within three months and the chosen company is expected to complete construction within a year.

If given the go-ahead by the Saudi authorities it is expected that Egyptian companies with experience of canal digging in Suez will play a key role in the undertaking.

However, political analysts have been quick to point out that the idea might be being used by Riyadh to add to Qatars regional isolation and to put further pressure on its leadership.

Director of the Arabia Foundation, a think tank in Washington DC, Ali Shihabi was quick to dismiss the project as an attempt at psychological warfare.

Thomas Lippman, a Gulf expert at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, a think tank, told Al-Ahram Weekly that he thought it unlikely that a canal would be constructed because Saudi Arabia had little to gain from it.

Not only was there no need for a new maritime passage, he said, but it would also have no impact on Saudi security as the border with Qatar was already closed.

Nevertheless, comments by high-ranking members of Saudi Arabias and the UAEs political elite give the reports a certain credibility.

Following the international invitation for bidding for the project, Saud Al-Qahtani, an adviser to Saudi Crown-Prince Mohamed bin Salman, congratulated the Saudi people on this wonderful project that will transform the small terrorist state of Qatar into an island.

When reports of the Salwa Channel first began to circulate in April, Anwar Gargash, the UAEs minister of foreign affairs, tweeted that the silence of Doha about the announcement of the canal project reflects fear and confusion. He went on to call upon Qatari leader Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to end the crisis.

Although the UAE minister is right about there not yet being an official announcement, the Al-Araby news agency, owned by Qatar, reacted to the news by saying that the canal project would appear to be an attempt to further tighten the blockade on Qatar.

It follows in the wake of a serious deterioration of relations between Qatar and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a regional group dominated by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

When the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain, exasperated at what they said was Qatars financing of terrorism and sponsorship of destabilising regional political movements, presented Sheikh Tamim with 13 demands in June 2017, he refused to act upon them.

This led to these four countries, since dubbed the Arab Quartet, to cut off diplomatic relations and stage a boycott of Qatari goods.

Despite the initial chaos as Qataris flocked to stock up in supermarkets as imports dropped by 40 per cent and a collapse in the countrys stock market, Qatar has been largely successful in averting a larger political and economic crisis.

Turkey and Iran acted quickly to stabilise the situation by helping realign Qatars trade and in the case of Turkey sending in soldiers to bolster its security.

Since the beginning of the blockade rather than strive for reconciliation with his neighbours Sheikh Tamim has turned increasingly to Iran as the solution to his countrys isolation.

After Qatar restored full diplomatic relations with Tehran, trade between the two countries grew by 117.5 per cent, and with the signing of new treaties and the creation of a joint chamber of commerce bilateral economic cooperation strengthened.

With Qatar now indebted to Tehran for shipping routes and use of airspace, it could be argued that the country is dependent on Iranian support.

Central to its perseverence has been Qatars continued strong ties with the West.

The countrys elites have been able through their extensive foreign financial investments and significant spending on public relations to maintain an influential political presence in the US and Western Europe.

In the face of Qatars growing cooperation with Iran and refusal to capitulate to the Quartet, it may be that the construction of the Salwa Channel will act as a potent gesture to Sheikh Tamim and a stark reminder of Qatars precarious and unsustainable position.

Regardless of whether the Channel ever comes to fruition, the proposal of the plan marks the latest and potentially most dramatic stage in the ever-deepening rift between the Gulf countries.

Many believe that if work on the canal does begin in September, it will mark an effectively irreconcilable division of Qatar from its most powerful neighbours.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 19 July 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Further isolation of Qatar

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Pure Life. Thats what Pura Vida means and it is the unofficial slogan of this magnificent country. Perhaps the most peaceful country in all of Central America, Costa Rica is the biggest hotspot for tourists to visit because of its untethered-ness from the worries of the world and all that it offers. And if you are someone who is looking for a trip abroad with your family, Costa Rica will offer you a taste of beauty and adventure without burning a hole in your pocket. You can get rental homes in Costa Rica in all categories, from luxury resorts that offer you the royal treatment or hotel rooms that come quite cheap if you book them early.

Its a small country but it has more places to see than one would assume. So, just in case you are planning a visit, here is a list of places you should definitely visit if youre taking a trip to one of the best places to visit in Central America.

Puerto Viejo

Lush tropical rainforests, exquisite white sand beaches and a lively town. This is the most famous spot for backpackers and youngsters because of the great beaches, surfing options and a very happening atmosphere. For people looking for some calm, there are also many quiet beach hotels and resorts they can stay in. With its vibrant culture, rich marine life, and some of the best seafood out there, it is really no wonder that Puerto Viejo often appears at the very top of the lists of everyone travelling to Costa Rica.

Tortuguero

Costa Ricas Amazon rainforest, Tortuguero, is one of those places where you can find pretty much find it all. From enthralling adventure activities like forest trailing, canal cruises, hiking to the more peaceful things like bird watching and safaris, Tortuguero offers et all. And that is the very reason this has become one of the biggest tourist attractions in Costa Rica. But while the activities are fun to engage in, it is the turtles who come to nest along the shorelines of the series of canals and rivers that run across this whole place that serve as the biggest attraction. After all, this is one of the most important breeding grounds for the endangered species.

Arenal

While this is just one of the many volcanoes in this country, Arenal still takes the cake because of its recent history as an active volcano. In 2010, Arenal erupted in all its glory but has been calmer since. But, if you are lucky, you might just spot lava streaming down in orange rivulets along its side. Along the way, there are hot-springs that you can take your time enjoying. But that is not all. You may hike from the National Park to quietly explore the very many hot-springs and then sit and enjoy the sunset by a lake. But do make sure you fit in the exquisite beauty of the La Fortuna waterfall into your day because that is a sight you cannot afford to miss.

Corcovado

Corcovado is one of the quietest places in Costa Rica because of how difficult getting to the place is. This also makes it one of the best places to visit because of the privacy and the serenity it offers. Your efforts to reach here will be greatly rewarded as this place offers radiant deserted beaches along the peninsula, rich marine life and coastal reefs, tons of wildlife and very good hiking and camping sites. If youre willing to make the effort, this place will repay you with emerald wilderness, golden bonfires at the quiet beaches and vibrant waves flush with life.

Cahuita

This is one of the smaller places where one may go to relax. A small town situated just an hour north of Puerto Viejo, this place is visited by people who just wish to have a quiet, relaxing time. The town has but one bar but it is always quite lively with conversation and drinks and stories that the locals exchange with the hikers, campers, surfers and animal spotters who gather here.

Poas Volcano

One of the other volcanoes in the country, this one is famous for its sulphur lakes and the great view it provides. The waters in the lakes are so still that your reflection looks like its painted on to the gorgeous backdrop. While you may travel here at any point of the day, early mornings hikes along the trails have special treats to offer, with breath-taking views that are undisturbed by wandering clouds.

Manuel Antonio

One of the most famous beach destinations in the country, Manuel Antonio is known for its white sand beaches and warm, glittering blue waters. A lot of secluded beaches here offer you quiet time with a book and a drink or with your family, undisturbed by the chaos of the surroundings. Manuel Antonio also does boast of a beautiful national park that is flush with wildlife, including the native monkeys, of which there are three kinds.

Santa Teresa

You will find this place at the bottom of the Nicoya Coast. This is a hippie town with a road that runs down the length of a beach and is lined by yoga centres, surf shops, eateries and hostels. The mood here inspires quiet reflection and simple living. People here get up early and go surf the sparkling waves. Or they spend the lazing and absorbing the warmth of the sun on the beach. It is this seemingly slow and relaxing life that attracts people to Santa Teresa. And while this might seem monotonous at first, many visitors actually end up staying here for weeks and months here.

As you can see, there is really no limit to things you can do and places you can see in Costa Rica. The only thing that can possibly limit your list is the dreaded return date. The costs here are cheap, the places accessible and a rental home in Costa Rica is available all year round. So, pack your bags, get the bookings out of the way and get ready to experience the exquisite charm of the land of Costa Rica.
Key players from the power industry and civil society collectively recognized local government units for their undertakings and initiative in pushing for renewable energy (RE) and rejecting coal projects in their respective areas. The Power for People Coalition (P4P), in cooperation with the Center for Energy, Ecology and Development (CEED), Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), Sanlakas, Greenpeace and the World Wild Fund Philippines (WWF), organized the Convergence for 100% Renewable Energy in the Philippines. LGUs, RE developers, and representatives of host communities and civil society gathered in this forum to tackle challenges in shifting to renewable energy in the Philippines. The event culminated in the awarding of the Gawad REsponsableng Lokal na Pamahalaan to the local governments of Ozamiz City, Quezon City, Cebu City and the provincial government of South Cotabato, for their active promotion of clean, affordable, renewable energy in their territories. The events Keynote Speaker, Senator Loren Legarda, emphasized the importance of the active participation and collaboration among sectors in realizing our climate commitments and protecting the environment through renewable energy. Having laid down the state of RE development in our country, I hope that this symposium will help surface issues that has brought us to the situation we are in now. We cannot claim energy independence for as long as we rely on imported fuel. Unless we are willing to embrace the reality that RE is a global phenomenon that is beginning to replace coal and fossil fuels as a cheaper fuel source, Legarda said. Today, we recognize the efforts of the local government units who, despite the challenges posed by the national government policy and pro-coal stance, have taken initiatives to pursue renewable energy systems and challenge the coal industry, said Gerry Arances, Executive Director of Center for Energy, Ecology and Development (CEED). Despite the availability of the renewable technologies, more than a billion of our people are still under energy poverty and most of our communities are suffering from different impacts of coal and high electricity prices. Advocating for clean and affordable renewable energy is caring for our people, caring for our environment and promoting equal access to electricity, Arances added.Trends show that most of the global energy financiers are already investing and offering innovative and affordable RE solutions, the CEED chief said. In fact, a bid of P2.99/kWh has already been made to compete with the existing P3.50/kWh. Just this week, Meralco has increased its rate by P0.35/kwh because of an increase in the cost of generation. This increase in our electric bills is basically owed to the rising cost of coal in the global market, said P4P Convenor and Sanlakas Secretary-General Atty. Aaron Pedrosa. A policy of coal dependence is a policy of continuing power hikes. The rising cost of electricity exacerbates the difficulties faced by the poorest Filipinos from the rising cost of other basic goods, Pedrosa said. If the national government is serious in alleviating the lives of Filipinos from poverty, it will stop believing in the myth of cheap coal and start supporting initiatives for community-based, people-centered renewable energy instead, he added. Local and international banks have been also divesting because of the increasing number of cases and complaints from the coal operations. The Philippines joins now with the global movement of governments declaring coal free in their pursuit of development and industrialization and this is the Powering Past Coal Alliance, a movement composed of more than 20 countries led by UK and Canada, said Ian Rivera, National Coordinator of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice. These 8 local government units typify these alliance in the Philippines. They have realized coal have already reached its limits and it is not the energy for today and the future and that new responsive development have to be radically embraced for the people and the planet, added Rivera.
A non-government organization has asked the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to bar Kuwait social media influencer and celebrity make-up artist Sondos al-Qattan from hiring a domestic worker from the Philippines. This after Al-Qattan posted a video on Instagram where she questioned why Filipino domestic helpers enjoy a day off every week and are allowed to bring their passports with them as part of a new labor agreement between the Philippines and Kuwait. How can you have a servant at home who keeps their own passport with them? Honestly, with this new contract, I just wouldnt get a Filipino maid. Shed only work six days a week and get four days off a month, she said in her now deleted post. Susan Ople, head of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center, said the blogger, who has 2.3-million Instagram followers and over 100,000 Twitter fans, personifies the ugly face of modern-day slavery and should be included in the POEAs blacklist of abusive and undesirable foreign employers. By her words, publicly uttered and shared through social media, her undesirability as a foreign employer cannot be denied. She is not worthy to be even in the same room as our valiant and hardworking OFWs, Ople said.POEA Administrator Bernard Olalia agreed to the NGOs request. The bilateral labor agreement that the Philippines recently signed with Kuwait and the guidelines issued by the POEA very clearly states that the passport should be in the possession of the domestic worker and that she is entitled to a weekly day off. Kuwaiti employers who refuse to follow these provisions shall be immediately blacklisted, Olalia said. Ople also urged other countries that send domestic workers to Kuwait to include Al-Qattan in their list of undesirable employers. We call on all labor-sending countries especially those that deploy domestic workers to Kuwait to emulate the Philippine government in banning Sondos al-Qattan as a potential employer of Filipino domestic workers. She is a disgrace not just to her country but also to her gender and the rest of humanity, Ople said.
Russia's military said it had shot down two unidentified drones that attacked its Syrian air base at Hmeimim on Saturday and Sunday, Russian agencies reported.

The attacks caused no casualties or damage and the Hmeimim air base is operating as normal, Interfax said.

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JOSIES AFTERMATH. Motorists in Quezon City brave a near zero-visibility while others plod through knee-high floods in Bacoor City and other areas amid monsoon rains brought about by Tropical Depression Josie. Manny Palmero and Norman Cruz

THE local government units of Dagupan City, San Carlos City, Sta. Barbara, Bugallon, Mangatarem and Calasiao in Pangasinan have declared a state of calamity due to flooding. Avenix Arenas, spokesman of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office in Pangasinan, said Sunday the whole of Calasiao had been flooded since Saturday while Dagupan Citys central business district and other villages were also flooded. In other developments:  Balanga City and the municipality of Dinalupihan in Bataan were placed under a state of calamity on Sunday after floods hit many villages. In a Facebook post, the Philippine Information Agency said village officials in Balanga City were being mobilized to help in the possible evacuation of residents.  Six municipalities in three provinces in Central Luzon are now under a state of calamity due to the continuing rain brought on by the enhanced southwest monsoon and high tide in the coastal areas.

FLOODS EVERYWHERE. (Above) Motorists brave the road in Quezon City despite the zero visibility caused by by tropical depression Josie. (Below) The old Tumana bridge in Marikina is submerged in floodwaters on Sunday. Manny Palmero

The Sunday update of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in Central Luzon said the areas under a state of calamity were the towns of Ramos, La Paz and Victoria in Tarlac, Marilao and Paombong in Bulacan and Masantol in Pampanga. Dagupan City was the first to declare a state of calamity and it did so on Saturday. A total of 1,291 families or 5,067 individuals all over the province have temporarily evacuated their homes due to severe flooding, Arenas said.Flooding might continue depending on the weather. If it continues to rain in the uplands like in Benguet, then we expect more water she said and added that the San Roque Dam had not yet released water. As of 10 am Sunday, the water level at the San Roque Dam was at 263.95 meters above sea level against its 280 spilling level with no gates opened.

The national roads from San Carlos to Aguilar and Camiling to Bayambang remained impassable to all types of vehicles, while the national roads in Sta. Barbara to Dagupan City, Calasiao to Dagupan City, San Carlos to Urbiztondo, and Aguilar to Bugallon were impassable to light vehicles, officials said. Meanwhile, the PDRRMO led by Gov. Amado Espino III, which is on red alert since Saturday morning, continues to conduct rescue operations and close monitoring of the situations in various areas. We target zero casualties as mandated by Governor Espino. We advised our fellow Pangasinenses to be on watch and follow the authorities in case there is the need for evacuation, Arenas said. Espino, in a radio interview Saturday, said they were still gathering data and assessing if there was a need to declare a state of calamity in the whole province. The provincial government also asked Pangasinenses to pray.
"Come, lend us your expertise, and lets get this solution going."

Helena city leaders want to hear from the public on their concerns about "undesirable and unlawful behavior" in the downtown area.

Mayor Wilmot Collins and the Helena City Commission will host a community conversation on the issues, at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the Helena Civic Center ballroom.

Earlier this year, a number of downtown business owners sent the city a letter. They said they have seen a growing number of incidents involving homeless people or transients, especially around the 400 block of Last Chance Gulch. They said the incidents have made employees and customers uncomfortable and brought negative effects for their businesses.

http://www.kxlh.com/story/38698796/helena-city-commission-will-host-community-meeting-about-downtown-issues
University of Wyoming psychologists found that more than one in four students experienced at least one instance of sexual assault during their time at the university.

The findings come from a wide-ranging survey conducted during the spring 2018 semester of student experiences and perceptions.

https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/survey-says-in-university-of-wyoming-students-experience-sexual-assault/article_46632c35-b280-5b74-8593-14ae65de0964.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1
The second edition of the ATU Africa Innovation Challenge was today launched by the African Telecommunications Union (ATU). ATU made the announcement in Nairobi-Kenya, in a virtual ceremony hosted with competition partner-the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

Announcing the initiative, Secretary-General of the ATU, Mr John OMO said: This initiative will be instrumental in supporting institutional solutions that will boost innovation in Africa and address some of the challenges facing the African community.

The ATU Africa Innovation Challenge is a programme that seeks to provide both short and long-term solutions and opportunities to the African Youth. This years competition, themed, Best ecosystem practices in Africa enabling youth ICT innovation, will run from 15th June to 28th September 2021.

The competition, sponsored by Huawei (title sponsor) and Intel Corporation, is open to all ecosystem stakeholders such as regulatory authorities, entrepreneurial support organizations, incubators, accelerators, or institutions such as colleges or universities from Africa.

African organizations and institutions that have created an enabling environment for youth ICT innovations to thrive are eligible to participate. The winning entity will be awarded USD 10, 000 aside which will make the former gain recognition as the best ecosystem practice in Africa, enabling youth ICT innovation.

I want to thank our sponsors especially the headline sponsor Huawei for once again demonstrating their commitment to promote innovation and the wider ecosystem in Africa, said John OMO.

Honourable Dr. Peya MUSHELENGA, Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Namibia who was the chief guest for the event, applauded the two organizations for the initiative and acknowledged the significance of public-private partnerships in promoting development. The collaboration between ATU, Huawei, and other partners is a tool delivered to our hands. Let us use it to generate sustained economic growth in Africa, he said.

ITU is proud and pleased to partner with ATU for this particular Challenge as it aligns with our vision for inclusion of youth in digital transformation. Youth innovators are centrally placed to ensure sustainability of innovation in Africa, and they need an enabling environment that fosters and nurtures innovation for them to thrive, said Mr. Stephen BEREAUX from ITU, a specialized United Nations agency responsible for all matters related to information and communication technologies.

The inaugural ATU Africa Innovation Challenge that took place in 2020 recognized and awarded 11 finalists across Africa who had developed mobile applications helpful in benefiting Africas fight against COVID-19 and its effects. Egypts Mai Nagy topped the competition, followed by Mr. Abdinoor Yerrow from Kenya and Ms. Bequerelle Matemtsap Mbou from Cameroon. Other countries that made it to the top 11 were Zimbabwe, Senegal, Lesotho, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Benin, and Tanzania.

Reflecting on the first Innovation Challenge and the anticipated benefits of the second innovation Challenge, the title sponsor for the Challenge for two years in a row, Mr Samuel Chen, Vice President for Huawei Southern Africa Region highlighted the strong partnership with ATU and noted that: Huawei is committed to developing innovations that bring the benefits of technology to all alongside supporting and enabling innovation and digital ecosystem development in Africa by Africans through training and partnerships alongside infrastructure and digital services.

Participants will be required to submit (via the ATU website, www.atuuat.africa) a unique practice that has created an enabling environment for youth ICT innovation to thrive together with success stories of two innovators that are beneficiaries of the practice. The practice must be an original idea/concept developed by the ecosystem stakeholder and must have been successfully implemented (and running) for a minimum of one year. It can be in the form of a policy, an initiative, or a programme.

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed on Sunday his concern over the escalation between Hamas and Israel in Gaza on Saturday.

"I am gravely concerned over the dangerous escalation of violence in Gaza and southern Israel, said Guterres in a statement.

I deeply regret the loss of life. It is imperative that all sides urgently step back from the brink of another devastating conflict, he added.

Weekly clashes at the Israel-Gaza border have kept tensions high for months. At least 149 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli occupation forces during protests at the frontier held every week since March.

The surge in violence comes as Palestinian hopes for an independent state have dwindled and peace talks remain stalled. Gaza, which home to 2 million people, most of whom depend on foreign aid, has been under Israeli economic sanctions for 12 years.

On Friday, Palestinian gunmen killed an Israeli soldier and the Israeli military launched dozens of strikes that killed three Hamas fighters, according to media reports. A fourth Palestinian was killed by Israeli gunfire during a protest near the border.

In the statement, Guterres called on Hamas and other Palestinian militants in Gaza to cease the launching of rockets and incendiary kites along the enclaves border fence. He also said Israel must exercise restraint to avoid further inflaming the situation.

Any further escalation will endanger the lives of Palestinians and Israelis alike, deepen the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and undermine current efforts to improve livelihoods and support the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza, he said.

The secretary-general also encouraged all parties to engage with the UN, and particularly his Special Coordinator Nickolay Mladenov and work to find a way out of this dangerous situation.

Palestinians in Gaza have for months been demonstrating against Israel's decade-long blockade of the territory and in support of their right to return to lands they fled or were driven from during the war surrounding the creation of Israel in 1948.

In the wake of the Great March of Return demonstrations, which started on 30 March, Gazas already overstretched health sector has been struggling to cope with the mass influx of Palestinian casualties.

The blockade is worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza, which human rights advocates have described as collective punishment of the Palestinians living in the strip.

The Gaza Strip faces an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, caused by over 10 years of Israeli blockade, alongside an internal Palestinian divide, which worsened in 2017, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

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KABUL  Afghan and Pakistani Delegates, headed by the two countries Deputy Foreign Ministers, met today to inaugurate and functionalize the working groups of Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace And Solidarity (APAPPS).

Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai in his opening remarks welcomed the Pakistani delegates and expressed hope for the desired outcomes of the working groups sessions. He reiterated Afghanistans commitment to cooperating with Pakistan in achieving peace in Afghanistan and the region.

Pakistans Deputy Foreign Minister Ms. Tahmina Janjua also addressed the opening session, conveying her countrys strong commitment to APAAPS; noting that she is attending this important meeting while her country is only two days away from the elections.

The opening sessions were followed by the sessions of five working groups, namely: Politico Diplomatic Working Group; Military  Military Working Group; Intelligence Working Group; Economic Working Group; and Refugees Working Group.

The working groups sessions will last till late afternoon today.
July 22, 2018 'Progressives Are Putin Stooges' - How Centrist Democrats Help To Reelect Trump Updated Below

--- Blaming 'Russian meddling' for their loss of the 2016 elections allowed the democratic establishment to avoid any discussion about their unelectable candidate and their bad centrist policies. Meanwhile the party base has moved on. Progressives candidates continue to win in primaries. The centrist party establishment will now use their genius invention of 'Russian meddling' to defeat them. Lambert Strether at Naked Capitalism links several recent pieces about the democrats and notes: Suddenly a lot of stories about centrists. Somebody must have gotten funding. The centrists and their big money sources feal endangered. They try to find strategies to defeat calls for 'medicare for all', demands to 'abolish ICE' and other progressive aims: The gathering here was just that  an effort to offer an attractive alternative to the rising Sanders-style populist left in the upcoming presidential race. Where progressives see a rare opportunity to capitalize on an energized Democratic base, moderates see a better chance to win over Republicans turned off by Trump. The fact that a billionaire real estate developer, Winston Fisher, co-hosted the event and addressed attendees twice underscored that this group is not interested in the class warfare vilifying the "millionaires and billionaires" found in Sanders' stump speech.

...

The invitation-only gathering brought together about 250 Democratic insiders from key swing states. Third Way unveiled the results of focus groups and polling that it says shows Americans are more receptive to an economic message built on "opportunity" rather than the left's message about inequality. "Once again, the time has come to mend, but not end, capitalism for a new era," said Third Way President Jon Cowan. McClatchy's lede about the meeting is on point: Leading moderate Democrats forcefully argued this week that the party can embrace a robust agenda of change while still praising capitalism and downplaying income inequality. In other words, everything the empowered liberal base has spent a year and a half mobilizing against. The 2016 elections have shown that people no longer buy the Third Way nonsense. The republican electorate moved to the more radical candidate Trump. The democratic electorate is now well underway to mirror that move: [T]rends within the Democratic Party itself could take the Washington-based establishment by surprise, just as the Republican national security community found itself out of sync with the broad base of GOP voters as demonstrated in the 2016 election. The muscular interventionism championed by almost all of the Republican partys standard-bearers was rejected in favor of an America First message which resonated with primary and general election voters. Similarly, the rise and growing prominence of a more unabashedly progressive wing of the Democratic Party has similar implications, because the activists critique of the status quo does not end at the waters edge. The Democratic foreign policy establishment may find it difficult to forge a stable marriage with a mobilized voter base and the candidates it is putting forward. The republican establishment has now bought into the 'Russian meddling' meme to suppress the insurgency within its party. It is trying to limit the space for Trump to achieve more radical measures, especially in foreign policies. The democratic establishment is using the very same trick. 'Russian meddling' must be responsible for the insurgency within their own party. Progressive candidates are Putin marionettes. A few days ago Doug Henwood warned of this: It seems that Democrats are now incapable of talking about anything but Russian interference in our sacred elections.

...

Were seeing Dem pundits even accusing Bernie Sanders and other insurgents within their party of being Russian agents, witting or unwitting. Their indictments of Trump for treason make them sound like demented right-wingers at the height of the Cold War. This obsession does relieve mainstream Democrats of concocting an attractive agenda that might win an election or two, but to do that theyd have to tack left, and Goldman Sachs wouldnt like that. This Russia obsessions a win win for the establishment though  subdue Trump and the domestic left insurgency all at once. A few days later Henwood points to a Facebook post by Columbia Law lecturer and Harpers author Scott Horton which accuses progressive Democrats of being Putin's agents. Horton comments on a New York Times piece that discussed the wave of progressive candidates in democratic primaries:

bigger Horton claims to have talked with 'European intelligence analysts' who allegedly told him that Putin authorized an 'active measure campaign' to split the Democratic party to let Trump and the Republicans win again: The Russian operation will also aim, in the classic fashion, to pick Democratic candidates in the primary period who, for whatever reasons, are seen as likely not electable. Some evidence for this is clearly at play now. The key thing to look for is not positive messaging supporting any particular policy program, but negative messaging attacking other Democrats. To point out what Democratic candidates Putin will pick Horton adds a picture from the NYT piece which shows a 'progressives' candidate with an 'Abolish ICE' t-shirt. Political scientist and author Corey Robin notes: In other words, we should look at these [progressive] candidates as tainted by a "Russian operation". Based on nothing other than the word of an individual who cites no facts but alleged conversations with "European intelligence analysts". Robin points to historic similarities with McCarthyism. He adds: If this thing catches on, if it becomes something that now gets reported in the paper, everything single candidate from the left, who is running in a Democratic primary, will be tainted by the suspicion that they are somehow or other a Putin operation. Tainting leftish candidates as Putin stooges is the ideal tool for Democratic centrist to defeat them. Tuition free colleges, single-payer health care and $15 minimum wage are obviously Russian conspiracies designed to destroy the United States. This scheme is effective and will therefore be widely used by the centrists during all primaries and the next federal elections. It also guarantees that Trump and the Republicans continue to win. During the Obama years the Democrats lost over 1,000 positions in state and federal elections. Centrist policies have been tried and they failed to win votes. More of the same will not lead to different results. To move even further to the right to catch a few conservative votes from republican voters disgruntled with Trump will not help to win. The further the party moves to the right the more people on the left will abstain from voting for it. These are the decisive few percent that cost the Democrats the presidency and the majorities in Congress and in various states. These centrists are the ones who are really helping Trump. Aren't they the real 'Russian agents'? ---

Update - July 23 10:30 UTC A long time Republican prosecutor, former FBI chief and hedge fund millionaire recently said that he would vote for Democrats to oppose Trump. That made him the new 'hero' of the centrist 'resistance'. A few days later, he is already giving his new party some terrible advice: James Comey @Comey - 20:37 UTC - 22 Jul 2018 Democrats, please, please dont lose your minds and rush to the socialist left. This president and his Republican Party are counting on you to do exactly that. Americas great middle wants sensible, balanced, ethical leadership. How much is Putin paying him? More of the centrist same won't work. The people will not vote for a 'Democratic' Comey-Kristol ticket against a president with such a high approval: NBC/WSJ POLL: Donald Trumps approval rating has risen to 45%, with disapproval at 52%. Among Republicans, 88% approve. Thats the highest intra-party rating of any president at this stage since the dawn of modern polling, except Bush post-9/11. The Democrats need a more radical message. They will have to either move left or sink into the same permanent minority status as many of the Social-Democratic parties in Europe have done. Posted by b on July 22, 2018 at 16:53 UTC | Permalink Comments
Syrian state television said on Sunday an Israeli air strike had hit a military post in the city of Misyaf in Syria's Hama province but caused only material damage.

The newsflash did not elaborate on what exactly had been targeted. An intelligence source said a major military research centre for chemical arms production was located near the city.

Last week, Syrian state media said Israeli rockets had struck a Syrian military position near Nairab airport on the outskirts of the city of Aleppo.

Opposition sources said several Iranians were killed at a logistics site used by Iran's Revolutionary Guards near the airport.

Some of Iran's military bases in Syria are next to Syrian military compounds, according to the intelligence source.

Israel, concerned that Iran's growing presence in Syria poses a threat to its security, has escalated in recent months its strikes on suspected Iranian and Iran-backed positions in Syria.

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Arshad Khan By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: For the past few years, one in every two cars sold in India is a Maruti Suzuki. Going by Maruti Suzuki India Ltds (MSIL) current performance and future plans, one can easily say that its domination in the countrys passenger vehicle (PV) market is only expected to grow.

In the April-June period of FY9, MSIL sold 4,58,967 PV units against 3,67,386 units in the year-ago period, registering a growth of 24.93 per cent. Its market share during the first quarter increased to 52.54 per cent, up from 50.43 per cent a year ago.

We grew at 25 per cent in Q1, while the industry grew at 20 per cent. When I say Q1, take it with a pinch of salt and take into account last years market disruption on account of GST, said RS Kalsi, MSILs senior executive director of marketing & sales. If you talk about long-term, the anticipation is that the market will grow at 7-8 per cent; we are targeting a double-digit growth. We are on track of achieving it, he said.

Asked if the company expects its market share to touch 55 per cent by the end of this fiscal, Kalsi said that MSIL targets growth. As long as growth is happening in line with our plans, I think we are happy with that. Market share is determined not only by our efforts, but also by the competition, he said.

While MSILs market share in Q1 has gone up, its nearest competitor Hyundai, Mahindra & Mahindra and Honda Cars recorded a fall.

One of the most important reasons why MSIL is having such a smooth run in the Indian PV market goes to demand generated for its newly launched cars. From the premium hatchback Baleno to the recently launched Swift, MSIL cars dominate the monthly top-10 lists so much so that in June, the top five spots were filled by Maruti models. Its ongoing capacity expansion and network expansion plans further make it difficult for rival players to compete with Maruti. In the product line-up too, Maruti has been increasing its presence in every segment.

The companys next launch is the facelift of Ciaz, which would come with a more powerful engine and will be available for buyers from mid-August. Apart from Ciaz, MSIL also has plans to increase its presence in the fast-growing SUV and volume-generating entry-level segments. Its collaboration with Toyota will further enhance its presence in the premium segment. To ready itself for Electric Vehicle shift and stay ahead, the carmaker is already conducting a mass research.

We are doing a market research across the country to understand what the customers feel about EV, availability of personal charging infrastructure and its feasibility. We are trying to get a number of insights and once we get that study, we will proceed with our plans, Kalsi said, confirming that the company will roll out its first EV in 2020.
By PTI

MUMBAI: An arbitration tribunal has rejected the Rs 1,323-crore damages claim from Spicejet and a bid to take control of the airline by its previous owner Kalanithi Maran and his company Kal Airways, after a bitter share transfer dispute.

The Delhi-based low-cost carrier has informed the exchanges that on July 20, an arbitration tribunal rejected Maran's claim of damages of Rs 1,323 crore for not issuing convertible warrants and preference shares to him and Kal Airways.

The case dates back to January 2015, when Singh, who owned the airline earlier bought it back from Maran after being grounded for months.

The tribunal consisted of three retired judges from the Supreme Court, Arijit Pasayat, Hemant Laxman Gokhale and KSP Radhakrishnan.

The arbitration proceedings were concluded in April 2018 and the arbitral award was unanimous.

While the tribunal asked Maran to pay Singh and the airline Rs 29 crore in penal interest, Singh was asked to refund Rs 579 crore plus interest to Maran.

The tribunal, created in end-2016 on the orders of the Delhi High Court to adjudicate the share transfer dispute, held that there was no breach of a share sale and purchase agreement reached between Maran and current promoter Ajay Singh in late January 2015.

While Maran could not be contacted for comments, Spicejet today said there is no monetary impact from the verdict as most of the refund of Rs 370 crore already deposited in an escrow account created by the Delhi HC.

Additionally, the tribunal has allowed a counterclaim of Rs 29 crore.

On the dispute related to issue of convertible warrants and preferential shares, the airline said, "the tribunal has held that the claimants were to bring in Rs 100 crore required for issuance of CRPS aggregating to Rs 370 crore, and the same has not been deposited by them in the manner provided under the agreement".

"The tribunal has advised the parties to explore the possibility of issuance of warrants and in the event such efforts do not fortify in two months' time, the company is required to thereafter refund the amount of about Rs 270 crore (after adjusting the counterclaim of Rs 100 crore which has been allowed)".

On Friday, the tribunal rejected Maran's claim of damages of Rs 1,323 crore for not issuing warrants to him and Kal Airways, but awarded him a refund of Rs 579 crore plus 12 per cent interest.

"No further warrants or shares are required to be issued by the company to Maran and Kal Airways", Spicelet said quoting the award.

In February 2015, Maran of Sun Network and Kal Airways, his investment vehicle, had transferred their 58.46 per cent in Spicejet, to Singh for Rs 2 along with Rs 1,500 crore of debt after the airline was grounded due to a severe cash crunch.

Singh was the first co-founder of the airline and now the chairman and managing director.

As part of the agreement, Maran and Kal Airways had claimed to have paid Spicejet Rs 679 crore for issuing warrants Rs 18.91 crore at a conversion price of Rs 16.30and preference shares.

But Maran said neither the convertible warrants nor preference shares were issued nor money returned, claiming to have cost him over Rs 1300 crore, forcing him to move the Delhi High Court.

"If there is no compensation coming," Maran argued that "he should be allowed to regain Spicejet ownership".

The warrants, if converted into equity, would have given Maran and Kal Airways 24 per cent ownership in the airline.

Singh and his family currently hold over 60 per cent in the airline, against under 2 per cent before Maran exited the airline.

An airline official said the verdict clearly establishes that Singh is the principal promoter and shareholder of the airline and there won't be any dilution of a stake.

"In so far as the matter of issuance of warrants was concerned, the tribunal has held that there was no breach by the company in pursuing the approval from relevant authority and since the same was not received for reasons not attributable to the company, and the company cannot be held to be in breach or be made liable for damages," the award said.

The tribunal has, however, held that since the warrants/shares cannot be issued any longer, the amount of about Rs 308 crore earlier received by the company as advance towards subscription of warrants is to be refunded to the claimants along with interest of 12 per cent for a period of 30 months, which works out to be over Rs 579 crore.
By PTI

HYDERABAD: FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and industry) Ladies Organisation (FLO), today hailed the exemption of sanitary napkins and Rakhi's from Goods and Services Tax (GST).

FLO also welcomed the reduction of GST on household items including refrigerators, storage water heaters, washing machines and television sets by the GST Council.

FLO termed it a concentrated effort by the government to achieve the goal of women empowerment as well as special emphasis on gender development, according to a release issued here.

"Exemption of GST on sanitary napkins is welcome as it is a great step towards empowering women as sanitary napkins are necessary for female hygiene."

"This is a big step towards encouraging menstrual hygiene among young girls and women as scrapping of GST from sanitary napkins will make napkins more affordable and more women will be able to use them. Exempting Rakhi's from GST is a great move just before coming Rakhi festival," President of FLO, Pinky Reddy said.

FLO, a division of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), is the all India body for the women.

@GST_Councils decisions will facilitate the ease of doing business, FICCI President @rasheshshah on the councils announcement yesterday. pic.twitter.com/qhim56MKuq

While the goods and services tax on sanitary pads was cut from 12 per cent to zero, rakhis were also exempted from the tax by the GST Council yesterday. GST on 17 items used by the middle-class viz refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, storage water heaters, TVs up to 68 cm was reduced
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: The city police on Saturday detained 107 African nationals on charges of staying beyond the expiry of their visa after conducting a raid around the area. Of the them, two were found with drugs and one of the two is a habitual offender.

Police has recommended deportation of all of them.The drive comes after Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara recently said that he would not allow the state to become another Udta Punjab and had also blamed people from other countries for being involved in the drug trade.

Abdul Ahad, DCP Whitefield, said that based on information given by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), six special teams were formed to raid the houses in Whitefield division (25), East Division (32) and North-East Division (50) where the African students have been overstaying, despite having expired visas.

They were taken into custody for interrogation. As many as 120 policemen began searching the houses from 6 am and it went on till evening. We are looking for some others who are absconding.

During the raid, police found drugs possessed by Stanley Chima (27), a Nigerian, who was residing at TC Palya and he was handed over to CCB police as he was also caught earlier for drug peddling. Regional Foreign officers have been informed about the details and we are proceeding applications for deporting all of them back to their nations, a police officer said.

According to police, all the detainees allegedly threatened the police with physical harm if they were arrested. They also told the police that they did not have the right to enter their premises for searches.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the owners who rented the house to these African nationals did not follow the norms and guidelines given by the police department. Thus, we have decided to take action against house owners to file cases.

The owners did not bother to take basic details of the accused, the police officer added.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: A Hyderabadi woman stranded in Saudi Arabia for the past one year is all set to return to her home in Asif Nagar in a few days, following the intervention from Ministry of External Affairs.

On June 2, 2017, Safora Begum, went to Riyadh in search of job for supporting her children. She was sent by two travel agents, Syed Shanawaz Jameel and Moosa who promised her a job as the lab technician in the capital city.

However, when she went there, her kafeel forced her to work as a housemaid to which she objected. She was threatened and thus, she started working out of fear, said Mohammed Ghouse, her brother. With time, the situation worsened and Begum was forced to make a video appeal to Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj which later went viral. In the video, Begum said, My kafeel is torturing me, not giving me food. I am making this video with great difficulty. Please help me, my kafeel does not let me sleep, hits me.Safora will be returning to Hyderabad on July 23.
By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: A majority of private school managements in Vijayawada city are not taking any concrete measures to stop autorickshaws from carrying students beyond the seating capacity of the vehicle. In fact, the education department has given clear instructions to all schools to take the details of autos, check the licence of drivers and ensure that no autorickshaw is crammed with children. But almost all the schools in the city seem to have given up their responsibility in this regard.

Brazen violation of this safety rule came to light on Saturday when the transport department of Krishna district seized 16 autos, registered 56 cases during inspections.For the safety of schoolchildren, we have made it mandatory for schools to maintain a record of the details of drivers, their licences and vehicles ferrying students. They are supposed to keep ID and residential proof of drivers. The safety of children is the responsibility of schools and parents. School management should have mobile numbers and other details of drivers of autos. Similarly, parents should ensure that vehicles carrying their children are not crammed, said K Ravi Kumar, Deputy DEO of Krishna district.

Across Krishna district, there are hundreds of private schools but none of them has appointed a safety and vigilance official. Though the academic year started in June, schools do not seem to have thought it fit to take down the details of auto drivers. Speaking to TNIE, N Madhusudan, principal of a private school in the city, said, It is absolutely important to keep a watch on vehicles carrying schoolchildren. For this purpose, we need at least 2-3 safety officials. Soon we will initiate steps in this direction though we have started the process of recording the details of students commuting by autos and other vehicles.

T Yashoda, whose children travel to school by auto, says, Everyday, I worry a lot about the safety of my children as the auto is crowded and the driver tends to drive in a rash manner. But I have no other optio, since the school bus doesnt cover our area. I have frequent fights with the auto driver over this but to no avail.

As per rules, an auto should carry only six students and five-in-all three-wheeler can ferry up to eight. But in most cases, auto drivers carry more than 10 children and adding to the weight are bags, which are left to hang from two sides of the vehicle. Today we conducted inspected autos and instructed school managements to comply with the instructions we gave them. We found 16 autos crowded with children and registered 56 cases, said an RTA official.
By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: The TDP government is likely to file a petition or a batch of writ petitions in the High Court against the Centre on the denial of Special Category Status (SCS) to the state as well as the various unkept promises made in the Andhra Pradesh State Reorganisation Act.

Sources indicated to TNIE that it could be as early as next week and also suggested that the government may file a petition each on the unfulfilled promises. Already, some leaders and activists like former Minister Konathala Ramakrishna have moved the Court on the Visakhapatnam railway zone issue.

The move is in line with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidus strategy of taking the fight to the Centre.

Now that the issue of injustice to AP has been debated in the Lok Sabha, legal battle seems to be his next logical step. In fact, Naidu had on several occasions said that his government would wage a legal battle, if necessary in the Supreme Court, to ensure that Andhra Pradesh gets its due.

When contacted, Rajya Sabha MP and TDP legal cell head Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar neither confirmed nor denied the legal option but said it was under consideration. The Cabinet has to pass a resolution and we will accordingly file a petition, he said. Asked when it might be, he replied that was yet to be decided.

With opposition YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy calling for a bandh on Tuesday and Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan also announcing that he would be continuing his `Porata Yatra from Sunday, the TDP will have to come up with counter strategy in the ongoing political battle. By bringing a No Confidence Motion in Lok Sabha, it has gained an upper hand but going forward it will have to come up with a new strategy, which could well be the legal battle against the Centre.

TDP sources said that the legal battle will be complementary to the ongoing Dharma Porata Deeksha. When the Parliament resumes on Monday, the TDP will highlight APs demands in the Rajya Sabha during the short time debate. A section of the party leadership believes the MPs ought to stall the proceedings since nothing more could be expected from the Centre after the Prime Ministers reply in the LS.

However, a senior leader told TNIE on condition of anonymity that there was no use installing the proceedings. It will send a wrong signal to the nation that the TDP is attending the Parliament with the aim of disrupting proceedings. It is time for the TDP to participate in debates whenever issues pertaining to the state come up in the House. We can send a message to people that by continuing as MPs, we got the opportunity to raise the issues pertaining to the state, he opined.
By PTI

LOS ANGELES: Actor Ryan Reynolds has expressed his desire to explore Deadpool and his alter-ego Wade Wilson's pansexual side in the future projects.

During a panel at the 2018 Comic-Con International: San Diego, the actor said he hopes the Deadpool universe can feature more LGBTQ characters.

"I certainly think that this universe needs to represent and reflect the world in very real ways," Reynolds said when asked by a bisexual fan if future Deadpool movies will feature more gay or bi characters.

"The great thing about Deadpool is that we're allowed to do things that other superhero movies don't necessarily do.

It's something that I'd love to see more of, certainly through Wade, certainly through this universe because it's something that we're building out more," he added.

"Deadpool 2" featured one gay character.

Negasonic Teenage Warhead, who is depicted in the film as happily in a relationship with another woman.

Brianna Hildebrand, who essays the role, said she want producers of the movie to make sure that they depicted her same-sex relationship "the way it is and not be a big deal."
By AFP

SAN DIEGO: Warner Bros. closed the final full day of the Comic-Con International fanfest on Saturday as the belle of the ball, bringing its roster of superheroes to take a bow in San Diego.

The studio took over the 6,500-seat main arena at the world's largest celebration of fan culture for two star-studded hours, serving up tantalizing teasers for its DC Extended Universe series of comic-book movies.

With Disney-owned Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm both bowing out this year, it was Warner's chance to shine and the studio obliged with a line-up of the world's biggest stars, including Johnny Depp, Chris Pratt, Jude Law, Elizabeth Banks and Eddie Redmayne.

One of the most eagerly-awaited presentations of the week, it was a chance for WB to show it is back on track after poor reviews for its DC Extended Universe movies "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice," "Suicide Squad" and "Justice League."

The studio set out its stall with extensive looks at James Wan's upcoming "Aquaman" and "Wonder Woman: 1984," a follow-up to 2017's "Wonder Woman," the DCEU's only unqualified success.

"The way we look at this is not a sequel, it's a new chapter, it's a new story," said Israeli actress Gal Gadot, who was shown as Wonder Woman saving a young girl from gunmen in rough early footage.

Director Patty Jenkins described the era of the sequel -- out in November next year -- as "mankind at its best and worst."

"We're aware of things now that we weren't in the 1980s," she told the crowd. "There were some incredible and beautiful things in the 80s but at the same time... it's us at our most extreme."

The presentation also unveiled the first trailer for "Shazam!" -- an altogether more light-hearted entry in the DC universe starring Zachary Levi that is due out in April next year.

But the undoubted star of the show was "Aquaman," which raised the roof as a shirtless Jason Momoa appeared onscreen in a new trailer as half-human, half-Atlantean hero Arthur Curry.

"You're in armor or you're half-naked in tattoos and it was a bad choice looking back to wear denim," Momoa recalled of the production, which required him to be wet most days.

"They look like leather pants, but they're not."

There was a second preview for the Christmas release that unveiled Aquaman's nemesis, Black Manta, as well as more underwater action, a rooftop chase and a final view of the Momoa in his superhero threads.

Warner's first exclusive of the session gave Harry Potter fans a look at the legendary battle between Professor Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald in "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald," which hits theaters on November 16.

Troubled star Johnny Depp was a surprise appearance onstage, missing "Aquaman" actress Amber Heard, his wife before last year's acrimonious divorce, by less than an hour.

Depp plays Gellert Grindelwald, a casting that irked many since the actor has been dogged by controversy in his private life, including allegations of domestic abuse.

The mustachioed, platinum-haired A-lister didn't take questions but came onstage in costume after the Q&A to rapturous applause, alongside Redmayne and newcomer Jude Law, making his Harry Potter debut as a young Albus Dumbledore.

Up next was "Lego Movie 2" with sit-com support actor turned in-demand megastar Chris Pratt, who plays Star-Lord in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies.

The actor laughed that he first accepted the role of Lego construction worker and planet-saver Emmet Brickowski in the 2014 original when he was still Andy on comedy series "Parks & Recreation."

By the time he'd finished recording his voice part he was a Hollywood star and a Marvel superhero.

"It was one of those moments when I thought, 'Oh, I'm living in a computer simulation -- this is the Matrix," he joked.

If it's not superheroes and wizards, it's skyscraper-sized lizards, and a trailer from "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" drew loud gasps from the Comic-Conners.

Led by 14-year-old "Stranger Things" star Millie Bobby Brown, the footage showed a city collapsing as Godzilla and fellow giants King Ghidora, a three-headed dragon, the insect Mothra and the winged beast Rodan do battle.

Michael Dougherty's movie is part of WB's "MonsterVerse," which launched with Gareth Edwards's 2014 "Godzilla" and last year's "Kong: Skull Island."

"I'm still a kid playing with Godzilla toys. They're just bigger more expensive Godzilla toys," he said.
Germany says it will take in eight Syrian rescue workers known as White Helmets, who were evacuated from southern Syria by the Israeli military.

The German government said in a statement Sunday that preparations are underway to bring the volunteers and an unspecified number of family members to Germany.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was quoted as saying that "the efforts of the White Helmets deserve admiration and respect." Maas noted that the group has saved more than 100,000 lives since the start of the Syrian conflict.

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said giving the rescue workers shelter "is a humanitarian obligation. More than 250 White Helmets have been killed in the war since 2013.

Germany has provided the group with 12 million euros ($14 million) in funding since 2016.

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Jaideep Pandey By

Express News Service

The Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster franchise has been a successful one since its first release in 2011. Tigmanshu Dhulia, who had helmed the first two parts, is back with the third part of the romantic thriller drama, Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3. Set to hit the silver screen on July 27, the film will have Jimmy Shergill and Mahie Gillwho have been a part of the film since the beginningin the lead roles.

Though Soha Ali Khan will be seen playing a smaller part this time, the film also marks the entry of

Chitrangada Singh and Sanjay Dutt as gangsters.

Shergill, who had featured in the lead role in Dhulias directorial debut Haasil in 2003, says, It has always been amazing working with him. Mazaa aa jata hai (Its fun). When you already have a good rapport with your director and are doing the sixth film with him, theres an understanding of the directors view of character and things become very easy. Adding more on his comfort level with the director, the actor says: Especially when someone like Tigmanshu narrates something to me, I know where its coming from, and I know what he wants me do with the character.

About the upcoming film, Shergill, who made his Bollywood debut with Maachis in 1996, says, The sequences and scenes were quite interesting but not very straight. But the way scenes were written, it is very interesting for an actor to perform. Recently seen in multi-starrer Phamous, Mahie had also been a prominent face in Dhulias projects, including Paan Singh Tomar.

Revealing her experience of being back on the sets again, Mahie says, I have enjoyed being part of the franchise from the very first day. Theres always been a growth in my character. In the first part, Biwi was madly in love with her husband but she wont get his attention, so she would do wrong things. In the second part, she grows into a politician. But this time shes become really bad, and what shes not done in the other two parts, shell be doing in this one.

A National School of Drama graduate, Dhulia says, In the film, Saheb and Biwi are the permanent

characters, while the gangsters keep changing in every part. But the most difficult part among all three of them is actually of the gangster, as all the conflicts and motives of Saheb and Biwi are almost the same.

Dhulia, who has also written the story, met Sanjay Dutt even before casting him, and wrote his part keeping Sanjays personality in mind.

He says, Sanjus character is not ruthless but is full of pain all through his journey in the film; he likes someone a lot and then chahat aapse kya karati hai, kis level par lekar jaati hai (love can make you do things, you will normally never do). He is not a black gangster at all.

Known for his iconic role of Raja Awasthi, Shergill says, Basically, the film is about the struggle of the power for each and every character this time, adding, If I could manage, I would do at least two-three films with Tigmanshu every year.

Moreover, the film will see Shergill working with Dutt for the fourth time together. He says, It was great to see him back, and work with him. We used to talk in Punjabi ever since we first shot for Munna Bhai MBBS.

Speaking of how easy or difficult it is to relive a character, Jimmy says, As far as Saheb is concerned, its pretty much in my blood now. So, tomorrow if they say they are making the fourth part, I will be ready to shoot.

Affirming that audiences will get to see a stronger and more politically motivated Biwi this time, Mahie

says, Shes has become more scheming, very mean and she can go to any extent to do anything. oreover, she has become very big as a politician too. Speaking of his idea about the third part, Dhulia says, When you make a sequel, you are already in a safe zone because you have an audience who will go to cinemas, and a new audience also comes in. The peculiarity of the film is that here the same story is moving ahead. The story is about the world of royalty and palace politics.

On the work front, Jimmys next release is Happy Phir Bhag Jayegi with talented names such as Diana Penty, Sonakshi Sinha, and Piyush Mishra, while Mahie will soon be spotted in Lucknow for her next B-Town film. Besides, Dhulia will also make a comeback into acting with SRK-starrer Zero.
Sukshma Ramakrishnan By

Online Desk

Congress President Rahul Gandhi in his recent Lok Sabha speech during the debate on the No-Confidence Motion against the Modi government, attacked Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for the umpteenth time over the Rafale fighter jet deal with France.

In his latest jibe, Rahul accused Sitharaman of lying to the nation over the Rafale deals secrecy, while the Defence Minister has outrightly denied the claim.

Since the Rafale deal was signed in 2016, Congress and BJP have been at loggerheads. Heres a comprehensive look at the twists and turns in what the two parties have said on the issue over the last three years.

September 23, 2016

An Inter-Governmental Agreement was signed between the governments of India and France for supply of 36 Rafale aircrafts, initial consignment of weapons, long-term maintenance support through performance-based logistics, simulators with annual maintenance and associated equipment.

Media reports stated that India had agreed to pay approximately 7.8 billion euros (Rs 58,000 crore) for the jets. The delivery of the jets was scheduled to begin from September 2019.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande had agreed to scale back an original plan to buy 126 Rafale planes to just 36 in fly-away condition to meet the Indian Air Force's urgent needs as it tries to modernise and face an assertive China and long-time foe Pakistan.

February 5, 2017

In reply to an RTI query , details regarding supply of 36 Rafale aircraft cannot be disclosed as they are confidential in nature, the Air Force said.

The information sought is confidential in nature and public revelation of the same may lead to its subsequent availability to our adversaries, the reply said.

November 14, 2017

The Congress slammed the Modi government for compromising national security and alleged that a huge scam was brewing in the procurement of Rafale fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force.

The Congress said that the Modi government signed the Rafale deal on September 23, 2016, for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft from Dassault for approximately Rs 58,000 crore and on October 3, Reliance Defence Limited, owned by Anil Ambani, tied up with the French company for a Joint venture for defence production in India.

The Congress cited a Reliance document to point out that off-sets in the deal, which are half the cost of 36 aircraft, work out to the tune of Rs 30,000 crore.

That means the deal is worth Rs 60,000 crore, said Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, adding the government did not part with any information related to the deal despite several attempts by his party.

Non-transparency in the deal also denied the transfer of technology to the public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the Congress further said.

November 15, 2017

French diplomatic sources asserted that the Rafale fighter aircraft deal was in India's interest, a day after the Congress alleged that the BJP government was buying 36 aircraft from the French firm at a highly inflated price.

The sources said the military jet was selected for its "outstanding performance" and "competitive price", while refusing to directly counter the Congress' allegation, terming it a "domestic political issue".

November 16, 2017

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted , Self "Reliance" is obviously a critical aspect of "Make in India. Can you explain "Reliance" on someone with nil experience in aerospace for Rafale deal?

Meanwhile, the IAF Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa said that there was "no overpricing" in the Rafale purchase as the government had "negotiated a very good" deal for the French fighter aircraft.

November 17, 2017

Responding to Congress, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that allegations relating to the procurement deal for 36 Rafale fighter jet were "shameful" and that such bickering was a "disservice" to the armed forces.

November 18, 2017

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi hit back at Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over the Rafale deal, claiming it was "shameful" that her boss was "silencing" her.

"Dear RM, what's shameful is your boss silencing you.

Please tell us:

1. Final price of each Rafale jet?

2. Did PM take CCS permission before announcing purchase in Paris?

3. Why PM bypassed experienced HAL and gave the deal to AA rated businessman with no defence experience?" Rahul tweeted.

Reacting to him, Sitharaman slammed the previous UPA government for not taking a decision on the Rafale fighter jet deal for about 10 years and said she could not spell out in detail what happened due to the delay as it involved the nation's security.

The minister said that the procurement order was placed "properly" and "by not slipping away" from any procedures. She further said that the Cabinet Committee on Security approved the deal and all formalities were complied with.

November 25, 2017

Rahul Gandhi, at a poll rally in Gujarat said , "I would ask Modiji three questions (on the Rafale deal). First, is there a difference in the cost of planes in the first and the second contract (signed with a French firm) and did India pay more or less money as per the second contract? And, has the industrialist (whose company has formed a joint venture with the French firm), who was given the contract, ever manufactured planes?"

Further, he said, And a more important question, did you follow the due government procedure? Why the (then) defence minister (Manohar Parrikar) was seen catching fish in Goa? And, was an approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security taken (for the mega deal)?

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley hit back at Rahul , saying unlike during Congress regimes when middlemen ruled the roost, there was no Quattrocchi" in the contract for the Rafale fighter jet.

Jaitley was referring to Ottavio Quattrocchi, the Italian businessman believed to be involved in the Bofors scam which came to light when Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister.

December 1, 2017

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari asked the government to make public the details of the re-negotiated deal for the public to draw a comparison on whether the deal negotiated now is better that the one done during the UPA rule.

Tewari alleged that a shortlisted company along with Rafale had also written to the government offering the price of its aircraft at Rs 444 crore less than the purported rate at which the renegotiated Rafale deal was struck.

December 9, 2017

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar accused former Defence Minister A K Antony of creating a "logjam" over the Rafale fighter jet deal.

Parrikar said for two and a half years the file dealing with Rafale purchase was doing rounds in circle, and that BJP broke the circle by deciding to go for a different approach.

December 18, 2017

Replying to a question on the Rafale issue in the Rajya Sabha, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that there cannot be any comparison between the cost of the 36 Rafale fighter jets it inked with France and the price negotiated by the previous UPA regime for the original 126-fighter aircraft deal as the deliverables were different.

Meanwhile, the Gujarat High Court issued a notice to Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi in a Rs 5,000 crore defamation suit filed by Anil Ambani-led Reliance Naval and Engineering Limited over the Rafale deal.

The Reliance Group firm has maintained that the joint venture between Reliance Aerostructure Ltd and Dassault Aviation was a bilateral agreement between two private companies and had nothing to do with the government.

December 20, 2017

In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said all the provisions of Defence Procurement Procedure have been followed and the inter-governmental agreement on the Rafale deal was signed only after the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Security.

She also termed the controversy over the Rafale deal as motivated" and "baseless".

February 6, 2018

Congress President Rahul Gandhi tweeted,

Top Secret (Not for Distribution).

RM says the price negotiated for each RAFALE jet by the PM and his reliable buddy is a state secret.

Action Points: 1.Informing Parliament about the price is a national security threat, 2.Brand all who ask, Anti National.

February 7, 2018

Congress president Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of protecting those behind alleged corruption in the Rafale deal.

He noted that it is for the first time that the Defence Minister is saying "we will not tell the country".

"This is the biggest deal for the backbone of the Air Force, but Defence Minister says we will not tell the country as it is a secret, under a deal struck in Paris".

Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma also alleged there was a big scam in the Rafale deal as the price at which the planes were negotiated were four times higher and benefitted private firms.

The Centre then came out with a detailed statement rebutting Congress allegations. The Modi administration said the current deal is better in terms of capability, price, equipment, delivery, maintenance, training, etc than that notionally negotiated by the then government (UPA II) in a process it could not conclude in ten years.

February 8, 2018

Referring to PM Modi's speeches in Parliament the previous day, Congress President Rahul Gandhi told reporters that it was clear that the Prime Minister was not interested in answering "fundamental questions".

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, he said, had first announced that she would inform the nation about the cost of purchasing Rafale aircraft but was now saying she could not do so as it was a state secret.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley then hit back at the Congress, accusing it of "seriously compromising" country's security by seeking details of armaments purchased along with the Rafale aircraft. He also advised the Congress chief to "learn" from former defence minister Pranab Mukherjee "lessons on national security."

February 9, 2018

Congress President Rahul Gandhi posed a question on the Rafale deal in a tweet and followed it with choices.

Q. Why did the Raksha Mantri change her stance from: I will reveal the price of the RAFALE planes in Nov 2017 to the price is a state secret in Feb 2018

A. Corruption

B. To protect Modiji

C. To protect Modiji's friend

D. All of above

Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala also cited instances during the previous UPA government when details of every defence deal were made public and placed before Parliament.

Rahul Gandhi meanwhile hit back at Arun Jaitleys remarks the previous day, Dear Mr Jaitlie, You said the UPA never released prices of Defence purchases? To nail your lie, here are 3 Parliamentary replies by the UPA with full transparency on pricing. Now do ask our Raksha Mantri to tell India how much each RAFALE jet cost, he tweeted.

February 10, 2018

BJP chief Amit Shah backed Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitleys comments on the Rafale deal.

At a BJP Parliamentary Party meeting, he told MPs that sharing all details of the deal such as expenditure incurred on its weaponry and the technological know-how will only alert India's enemies and harm the country's interests.

On the other hand, defence ministry sources claimed that the original deal to procure 126 Rafale fighter jets could not go through during the UPA rule despite reaching the final stage as the then Defence Minister A K Antony felt there was something wrong in the process and asked for a review.

At a Karnataka election rally, Rahul Gandhi however, intensifying his attack on the Centre over the Rafale fighter jet deal, alleged it was the biggest issue of corruption in the country and asked the prime minister to reply why he took the contract from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and gave it to a "friend".

February 11, 2018

Congress Working Committee member and former Defence Minister A K Antony said the Centre should explain the reasons for overlooking the defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in favour of a private company.

How are purchase price and national security interconnected? he asked.

February 21, 2018

Congress President Rahul Gandhi tweeted yet again,

Modi ji, last month you ignored my suggestions for your Mann Ki Baat monologue. Why ask for ideas when in your heart you know what every Indian wants to hear you speak about?

1. Nirav Modis 22,000 cr. Loot & Scoot.

2. The 58,000 cr. RAFALE scam.

I look forward to your sermon.

March 3, 2018

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asserted there can be no comparison between the scam-hit Bofors gun deal and the procurement of the Rafale fighter aircraft.

March 9, 2018

The Congress accused Modi of compromising national security by purchasing 36 aircraft at three times the price agreed upon during the previous UPA government. Citing the 2016 annual report of French manufacturer Dassault Aviation, the Congress said that while the price of 48 aircraft (24 each to Egypt and Qatar) was shown as Euro 7.9 billion, the cost of 36 aircraft sold to India was mentioned as Euro 7.5 billion.

On the same day, French President Emmanuel Macron, who was on a visit to India, said the Rafale deal with India was a win-win approach and its details could not be revealed for commercial reasons.

March 12, 2018

Congress President Rahul Gandhi met French President Emmanuel Macron . However, he did not raise the Rafale fighter jet deal issue, said party sources.

On the same day, details provided by the government in Parliament revealed that the Cabinet Committee on Security had cleared the Rs 58,000 crore Rafale deal in August, 2016, nearly 16 months after the announcement of its procurement was made by Prime Minister Modi during his visit to France in April 2015.

March 14, 2018

The Union government ruled out any plan to issue a White Paper on the Rafale fighter jet deal with France.

March 16, 2018

Congress president Rahul Gandhi again trained his guns on the Modi government over the Rafale deal, alleging that it had caused a loss of Rs 36,000 crore to the state exchequer even as the Army "begs" for more money.

March 28, 2018

Minister of State for Defence, Subhash Bhamre said that an agreement on protecting classified data was signed by India and France on March 10, 2018, replacing an earlier agreement signed in 2008.

The Minister's statement was significant because the NDA government has been sticking to its stand that it cannot reveal the price of the fighter jets in the interest of national security and because of a confidentiality agreement signed by the two countries in 2008 under the UPA government.

March 29, 2018

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asserted again that she cannot reveal the price of the Rafale fighter jets in the interest of national security.

April 7 2018

Issuing a Modi Scam Alert!, Congress President Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "USD 15 billion fighter jet deal re-tendered. Prime Minister's friends race to tie up strategic partners. RAFALE, (Rs) 40,000 crore loss to exchequer was "Sayonara" (Good bye in Japanese) money to French, so Prime Minister could re-tender contract and favour friends."

Rahul's comment came in the wake of a news report which stated that India is looking to buy more than 100 new fighter jets which were eventually expected to cost upwards of Rs 100,000 crore or about USD 15 billion.

April 30, 2018

The Congress demanded a judicial probe into the BJP-led NDA government's decision to procure 36 Rafale fighter jets from France at an "inflated" price.

June 5, 2018

Without naming the Congress, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, "false comparisons" were made between the price at which India was procuring the jets and the price being negotiated by some other countries.

June 8, 2018

Nirmala Sitharaman reiterated disclosure of specifics about the deal could reveal the aircraft's capabilities to the country's rivals.

July 20, 2018

Congress President Rahul Gandhi, in his Lok Sabha speech during the debate on the No-Confidence Motion against the Modi government, accused Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of lying to the nation over the Rafale deals secrecy.

He said that French President Emmanuel Macron told him that there was no binding secrecy clause in the Rafale deal.

Sitharaman however, hit back at the Congress chief and termed as "absolutely wrong" Rahul's claim and said the initial agreement was signed when the UPA was in power in 2008.

France too issued a statement saying that a security agreement it concluded with India in 2008 legally binds the two countries to protect the classified information relating to operational capabilities of defence equipment, although pricing was not explicitly mentioned.

The BJP later moved a privilege motion against Rahul for levelling "baseless allegations" against the government over the Rafale deal.

July 21, 2018

Accusing Rahul Gandhi of "concocting" a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron over the Rafale deal, Union Minister Arun Jaitley said the Congress President has seriously hurt the image of an Indian politician before the world at large.

July 22, 2018

Congress President Rahul Gandhi resumed his attack on the Modi government. He tweeted,

"Our Defence Minister said she would, but now she wont.

She flip flops between its-not-a-secret & its-a-BIG-secret.

The PM squirms when asked about the price of RAFALE and refuses to look me in the eye.

Sure smells like a scam. #RAFALEscam"

July 24, 2018

The Congress moved breach of privilege motions against Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for misleading the Lok Sabha on the price of the Rafale jet deal.

Further, Congress President Rahul Gandhi said India has had "four revolving" defence ministers since 2014 and alleged that it gave the Prime Minister "space to personally re-negotiate" the Rafale deal with France.

July 25, 2018

Congress President Rahul Gandhi mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rafale deal on Twitter. His tweet said,

"Mr 56 does love (heart emoji) someone after all.

1. Must wear a suit

2. Must have Rs 45,000 Crore debt

3. Must have a TEN day old company.

4. Must never have made an aircraft in his life.

Rewards of up to USD 4 billion in 'offset' contracts if you fulfil said criteria."

July 27, 2018

The Congress said that PM Modi should tell the nation why the Rs 30,000-cr offset contract was given to a company without any licence for manufacture of aircraft and in absence of a land and building.

"Reliance Defence Ltd did not have the licence to manufacture fighter aircraft. Intriguingly, Reliance Aerostructure Ltd. was given the licence to manufacture fighter aircraft by the Defence Ministry but it did not own any land or building on the date of the licence, which is 22nd February, 2016," said Congress leader Randeep Surjewala.

July 28, 2018

Congress president Rahul Gandhi steps up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter. He posted a tweet, attaching a presentation. The tweet read,

"Over the next 50 years, Indian Tax Payers will pay Mr 56's friend's JV, Rs 100,000 Crore to maintain 36 #RafaleScam jets, India is buying.

Raksha Mantri will address a Press CON to deny this, as usual.

But the truth is in the presentation Im attaching."

(With inputs from Express News Service and Agencies)
Sandip Hor By

Express News Service

Life still spins here with the same level of energy as it did centuries ago, any djinn would say about the teeming streets of old Bhopal that exude a medieval Islamic air with its ancient gateways, arches and turrets set against an assembly of antique buildings and monuments conjuring up the gilded age of ancient queens.

The djinn is experiencing an 18th century moment. The domain was the hub of a powerful Muslim dynasty steered by Afghan general, Dost Mohammed Khan. The jewels of its 200-year reign were the four women rulers of the land, better known as Begums of Bhopal. During their time from 1817 to 1926, they shaped Bhopal into one of the most beautiful cities in India, inviting grudging praise from the Mughal emperors in Delhi.

Moti Mahal

The queens not only fashioned the citys lakefront landscape with palaces, noble houses, mosques, marketplaces and eye-catching monuments, but also gave the settlement its essential civil amenities like waterworks, railways, postal system and a municipality.

Surviving Central Indias heat and dust, most of their architectural makings still exist to exhibit touches of outstanding regal grandness and amazing mixture of architectural styles. The first Begums palace, Gohar Mahal, represents a fusion of Mughal and Rajasthani influences, while Shaukat Mahal blends Islamic design with post renaissance and gothic idioms.

A gateway joins Shaukat Mahal with Moti Mahal, another architectural marvel of the time. Unfortunately, they are all in very dilapidated stage and require urgent restoration, otherwise Bhopal will lose some of its treasures which perhaps cant be rebuilt. The only edifice I notice receiving kindness is the once opulent Sadar Manzil, which was used by the Begums as a hall of public audience.

The chowk is at the heart of old Bhopal with soaring pinnacles, convex silhouttes of domes and intimidatingly defensive walls. The thoroughfares are lined with shops and old houses., thronged by people and vehicles as they were centuries ago, perhaps the only difference being horse-drawn carriages, push-carts and palanquins have been replaced by cars, vans, scooters and autorickshaws. A muzzein calls for prayer from a nearby mosque, asking the faithful to gather.

Mosques are jewels of Bhopal. Taj-ul-Masajidsaid to be the largest Islamic place of worship in Indiaranks at the top. Its colossal setting with lavish pink walls, white domes and towering minarets command awe. Bhopals third female ruler Shah Jehan Begum commissioned its building at the end of the 19th century but construction was halted afte her death until work resumed in the late 20th century. The other two mosques that draw attention are the Jama Masjid, renowned for its gold-sheathed domes, and Moti Masjid, which architecturally resembles Delhis Jama Masjidthe Begums have left a splendid architectural lagacy behind.

Treading the mosque-path leads to supposedly the worlds smallest mosque. It is perched atop a ruined stone turret, once part of an old fortress, on the grounds of which now stands a modern hospital. Legend says it was built by an early ruler of the Khan regime for the fortress guards to pray in during duty hours. Getting inside the shrine requires tackling two big steps and one relatively smaller step, thats why it is locally known as the Mosque of Two and a Half Steps.

The Islamic heritage here has place for both piety and indulgence. In Kamala Park is the spa to rival all luxury hotel spas; the 18th century Qadimi hammam that is being run by the same family for over two centuries offers oil massages and steam baths in the classical style. The recipes for the massage oils and fragrances are a family secret handed down through generations. Only women are alowed during the day, while men use it at night. But it opens only after Diwali and shuts on Holi. In mall-lined modern Bhopal, the contrast of time is not lost on a hunter of the past, forever seeking the sorcery of history.

Factfile

Getting There: Bhopal is well connected to major cities by air, rail and road.

Accommodation: Stay at Jehan Numa Palace Hotel (www.jehannuma.com), a former royal residence, to experience some flavours of the bygone era.

More info: Log on to www.mptourism.com
ENS By

By Arunkumar Sekhar, Gopinath Rajendran, Sharadhaa A, Murali Krishna CH & Sajin Srijith

The exposure of an international prostitution ring involving South Indian actresses, models and TV anchors, and the controversial appointment of a Malayalam actor accused of abducting a female colleague have brought the spotlight back on the sexual predators lurking in the underbelly of the southern film world

These are excerpts from phone messages between Chicago-based event manager coupleKishan Modugumudi and Chandrakalaand a client seeking the sexual services of a Telugu actress in America, retrieved by US Federal agents monitoring an international prostitution racket. They found that South Indian actresses, models and TV anchors brought by unscrupulous Telugu event organisers to Illinois on B1 and B2 visitor visas were being sent out for sex with customers for $2,000-3,000. Popular actress Madhavi Heart Latha, who has performed at events organised by the Modugumudis for Telugu organisations in the US, says, They would send bogus invitations and sponsor fake visas for artistes in the name of performing at cultural programmes.

They have worked closely with many top names in the industry, as well as newcomers. Any event manager can invite an actress to perform at cultural shows and will be paid high fees if she agrees to meet clients demands. With rising woman power and social media might, organisations such as FIRE (Film Industry for Rights and Equality) have come up to protect actresses from sexploitation. Founder and actor Chetan, who is working to make the Kannada film industry safe for women, says: When invited abroad for shows, the girls dont have a support system. Hence, they are pushed into a prostitution ring or a casting couch situation.

Under the glitz and glamour of celluloid, away from the romance, spotlights and exotic locales, lies a world of sleaze, corruption and blackmail where predators stalk young pulchritudinous hopefuls with promises of stardom. The casting couch is alive and well in tinsel town, and willing actresses are available for the right price at home and abroad. The most common reasons young girls take the sordid path are ambition, poverty and blackmail. In June, Chennai Police arrested Tamil actress Sangeetha Balan for running a prostitution racket at a private seaside resort. Cops have made numerous such arrests over the years. Some like Divya Sri and Sravani ran sex rackets themselves, peddling models and actresses. In the make-believe world of movies, illusion rulesin real life, the hero is a villain, the virgin has a sleazy past and the vamp has a heart of gold.

The Adjustment Trap

Hidden by the sheen and sparkle of filmdom, lies a script of pretences. Adjustment is the euphemism for sexual favours in the film industry. Says Latha, Casting managers and agents of event managers entice actors who do not get sufficient work, with the promise of big money in exchange for sex. They claim to have launched many top actresses and pretend to be producers, citing adjustment as the norm for a role. Many of the girls agree, to survive in the industry. Activist-actress Sri Reddy reveals how the Modugumudis operated. They worked closely with local managers in Hyderabad to coordinate with celebrities recommended by some producers and directors, for whom fake documents would be arranged for procuring US visas. Should any of these actors refuse to budge some filmmakers here would step in to ensure their compliance.

Reddy, who has alleged sexual exploitation in Tollywood and Kollywood by prominent film personalities, draws a frightening picture of the helpless girls at the mercy of the touts abroad. Their passports are confiscated. They are confined and not even given a car to travel around and told that they are in the US on a three-month contract. Since events happen only during weekends, they are coerced to sleep with four to five persons a day during weekdays.

If a girl starts an argument, she doesnt get paid, she says. The Modugumudis modus operandi could have come straight from a film script. Once the girls landed, they would arrange meetings with potential customers at the shows itself. A wink or a nudge would indicate a valuable customer. Otherwise, its just a simple hi to a new client. Revealing photos of the actors in sleazy outfits would be circulated on WhatsApp to chosen clients in the Telugu diaspora. Once, an A-list female actor was asked to send her semi-nude photograph to a client and she obliged. The agents commission was between 30-50 percent.

Actor-politician Khushboo says the girls were fully aware of what was expected from them. Veteran actor Rohini agrees. I dont think anyone forced them into the racket, if at all such forcinghappens. At the end of the day, its their choice.The internet, where fake news thrives, has proved to be a promoting factor for sleaze. Arvind, a casting director associated with Vijay TV and who has worked in Tamil films such as Dora and Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada, alleges that fraudulent casting directors create fake pages on Facebook to lure ambitious starlets. Anyone can upload photos of over 1,000 models and create a portfolio claiming to be their manager or agent. One Instagram post seeking models for an unknown film could get over a hundred responses.

Horror Scripts

The casting couch has been a contentious issue in the industry for decades. Sireesha, a junior Telugu actress, has many horror stories to tell. Since childhood, I was fascinated by acting and entered films 13 years ago. I was noticed by an artiste coordinator, who asked me to visit him under the pretext of giving me an opportunity to act. He spiked my soft drink, and raped me along with three of his friends. They took my pictures on their mobiles and blackmailed me for sex.

This went on for almost two years and I slowly began to get a few small roles. I also started getting a bad reputation and since then, many executive producers, including some of my fathers age and some renowned actors, have shared my bed. She exposes them as voyeurs. Some of them order me to make WhatsApp video calls on which I have to strip. Her Telugu colleague Supriyas story is equally abject. An actor, who ruled the roost in the early 90s and now plays character roles, is known to harass junior artistes. He gets drunk and abuses us sexually and flies into a rage when we refuse his advances. Directors and producers are aware of his conduct, but choose not to intervene. He exploits his co-stars and brazenly taunts them with obscene jokes. He calls us his bit***s. When my daughter came to see me on the sets he touched her inappropriately.

Some women in the film industry are also involved in entrapment. Renowned lyricist Shreshta recounts an aspiring female director inviting her to a party in Goa. She sensed something fishy and refused. A popular actor hinted that she wanted me to sleep with some industry personalities. Its a vicious circle, in which once someone gets snared, its difficult to get out, says Shreshta.

Well-known Malayalam film actress Parvathy has exposed the casting couch in her field, exposing men who ask women to sleep with them in order to get a role. Actress Sruthi Hariharan exposed a Tamil producer for saying she would be shared with five other producers if he gave her a roleshe was ostracised when she refused. Members of the Kannada industry recount aspiring actresses are often sexually snared with promises of fame by unscrupulous producers, directors and agents. A small-time female actor, who wished to be anonymous, says, I was driven by the hope of getting a role. After a few times of yielding to promises, I realised I was just being offered a dream, which would never become a reality. In the process, I was branded sleazy.

An independent Malayalam film producer, who also wanted to remain unnamedmost industry people on record preferred to be anonymousaffirms that the dreaded casting couch is alive and well, and the pursuers are perversely innovative in their approach. Some directors ask an actress to act out a love scene with them first before the actual shoot, he says. A prominent fellow-actor laments that its the girls who have little education or economic stability, who mostly fall into the sex trap. He says, Dont expect girls who are breadwinners to come forward. They compromise but remain tight-lipped, since they have to protect their careers. Some need an alternate source of income. Perhaps theyll come forward years later, when they reach a position to do so. Says Arvind, Im a casting director and get about 100-120 profiles on average each day.

There are at least two to three women who express willingness to do anything for a role. I discovered they were asked to do adjustments by agents who had received their profiles. The perception among some young girls that a single film is enough to instantly turn an actress into a heroine and a celebrity encourages such accommodation. He believes that millennials are driven to seek such short-cuts. I had gone to attend a college fashion show in Coimbatore and was impressed by the fabulous production values as well as the looks of the models. Many such girls enter the highly competitive modelling world and may get roles in ads first, then TV serials and finally cinema. By the time they finish college, they have tasted fame and want more, and some of them are willing to do anything for it. Actor Rohini believes sex in cinema is more about money than just fame. In acting, no certificates are necessary. The kind of money in acting vis-a-vis other careers where skills are needed is the main attraction. Fame is only an additional factor.

Name and shame

Actresses find it daunting to take on the male-dominated establishment. Recently, actor Dileep who is accused of abducting a famous actress was reinstated in the Association of Malayalam Movie Actors, attracting condemnation from political leaders and female actors. According to a Malayalam star, real change will happen only when harassed women name and shame sexual predators. The Dileep incident has rattled many cages, but can we really compare him to Harvey Weinstein? A real #MeToo movement will happen here only once names are called out. And there is no point in saying that you were part of the casting couch syndrome after youve made a name for yourself and got everything you wanted. Are they afraid someone is going to reveal they had consented many years ago? At the height of #MeToo, a few leading female actors in Malayalam cinema lent their support by revealing their experiences, but did not offer names either. Kavitha Lankesh, film director and vice-president of FIRE, says, Unless women put their foot down and demand respect, sexual harassment will not end. And if anybody complains, they become outcasts. While heroines have said that the Kannada film industry is safer, I am not sure to what extent it is safer.

A well-known Malayalam actor says by not revealing the names of the tormentors, the women are doing a great disservice not only to their colleagues but also to young upcoming actresses. Anyone who thinks that the casting couch doesnt exist is living in la-la land. Women have to be strong enough to say no. Then, the same man will not behave in the same way with other women. What were seeing right now is a lot of noise, and not much in the way of action. The public is finding it hard to buy the sob stories of some victims because they are unwilling to reveal names. Recently, a friend of mine joked that he is finding it tough to get a bride because he is from the film industry. Such is our reputation, he says. Veteran actor Khushboo believes the #MeToo movement here started too late. Everyone keeps quoting incidents of the past. Be here and in the now. Every single time the problem happens, be strong enough to speak out.

Lights, Safe and Sound

Casting director Arvind says aspiring actors need to educate themselves on industry pitfalls. Using casting directors is standard practice in Hollywood and Bollywood. But it is new in Tamil cinema. There are a lot of agents around. Girls must inform themselves about the real role of casting directors, and approach people like us who know exactly the options available in each film, instead of going to multiple production houses and submitting their profiles. Rohini asks aspiring actors to participate in acting workshops to improve their skills, so that their talent endures in the long run. Chetan says the newcomers are common targets. They dont have the credibility to accuse a senior industry figure. Only organisational strength will add credibility claims, he asserts and argues for a self-regulatory mechanism in the field. Actor Dhananjayan feels newcomers in the industry now have someone to protect them. The South Indian Film Womens Association has been set up to safeguard all women in cinema, not just actors.

He lauds the power of social media in countering sexual intimidation. There is no stigma of physically approaching the police. Harassers are exposed and such matters escalate very quickly on social media. A popular female actor had posted about a TV producer asking her to meet up after work. Though she didnt name him, imagine how scared he mustve been. It is not easy for anyone to do anything and get away anymore. Khushboo lauds the work of organisations such as Nadigar Sangam. They are on point of giving young girls and women confidence through counselling so that they can report any abuse to the Sangam. Rohini is not approving of media reporting on the lives of stars. Apart from the worry of having a short-lived career, actors fear what can be written about them the most. It scares the families of many girls entering the industry. Some random journalist, for the sake of hype, creates fake news that can affect an actors life. Journalists do not speculate about the personal lives of doctors or lawyers; so what gives them the right to talk about a stars personal life? We are hurt more by the press than people inside the film industry.

In the world of cinema, international or Indian, serial sexual harassers are protected by the establishments power to make or break stars. When Sri Reddy stripped to protest against the casting couch, the media and the industry initially dismissed her as a publicity stunt. She was banned by the local artistes association. However, Reddys courage led the National Human Rights Commission to act, following which a sexual harassment committee is being set up to monitor the Telugu film industry. Deviants exist in all fields, but in the film world, both in India and abroad, it is the predators who are being now hunted. Slowly, but surely.

How the Girls were Trapped

Filmdoms predators stalk young hopefuls with promises of stardom and big money
Diana Sahu By

Charulata Biswal, a marginal paddy farmer of Lodhani village in Dhenkanal district of Odisha, uses an interesting solution to save her aromatic rice from pests and maggots. The village experiences humid climate and untimely rain throughout the year often leading to pest attacks. However, in place of expensive pesticides, Charulata uses puffed rice to keep pests away. As insects and pests feast on puffed rice because of its soft texture, she places two kg of it on the top of a bagful of harvested aromatic rice and seals it. Months later when she opens the bag, her aromatic rice is intact as pests have feasted on the puffed rice. The technique is a hit with other farmers in the area.

Biswal, 70, is a student of Pathe PathshalaThe Peoples University on Move, a unique moving institution that is bringing about a change in the lives of farmers through such inexpensive innovations. Brainchild of an Odia veterinary doctor, Balaram Sahu, the institution has been training small farmers to adopt natural resources for sustainable livestock farming, fishery and crop husbandry, and that too, free of cost.

The 58-year-old, who believes that in a sector like agriculture, small innovations have big impact, started the initiative on November 17, 2008 with a motive to take knowledge to farmers at the grassroots in their local parlance and at a time convenient to them. Now, a decade later, he has a dedicated group of farmers, both men and women, in every district of the state who attend his classes. He conducts five to 10 classes a month across the state.

The journey started when during his course work, he began interacting with farmers. I observed that the main hurdle was lack of knowledge and skills in crop husbandry, livestock disease healing and control. Farmers and livestock keepers, who are called to cities to be trained in sustainable farming, are reluctant participants because they have to lose their wages during the period of training; women farmers have to leave their children behind. Belonging to the farming community, I thought to reach out to them through moving classes and this is why Pathe Pathshala was initiated, says Sahu, who received the National Award for Pathe Pathshala from the Department of Science and Technology in 2011.

These days, he is educating women in tribal areas about low input-based skills in herbal healing of cattle, goats, sheep and poultry. These skills are sustainable, climate-resilient, low-cost and easy to practice. The lessons are imparted in storytelling and poetry format which attracts rural people, he says. This month, his class was held at Thakurmunda village in Mayurbhanj district where he taught tribal women on ways to prepare nutritious cattle fodder from leftover food items.

His solutions are simple. Small farmers cant afford expensive plant growth formulations, so I teach them about preparing their own pesticides and fodder from materials that are available in their surroundings. For example, plants such as brinjal and ladys finger grow well if diluted curd water is sprayed on them once a week. Similarly, sometimes plants such as beans, and peas do not bear flowers and fruits even though they seem healthy. If sprayed with ajwain (carom seeds) water once a week, their fruit-bearing capacity increases. There are many inexpensive solutions that can be used for fishery and livestock, he says. Sahu has been promoting the use of Panchakavya (a solution of cow dung, cow urine, cow milk, cow curd, cow ghee and water) for cultivation among farmers.

He faced many hurdles initially, starting from getting people at one place and at one time. But when the idea was spread through the word of mouth, people accepted the concept, and it became a hit soon.

Being a science writer, he publishes a weekly Odia magazine, Ama Akhapakha, which provides information on innovations in farming and livestock keeping. People in margins are not marginal minds. To harvest their potential, knowledge must reach them. Each individual from the Pathe Pathshala can be a change maker, he says.
Pushpesh Pant By

Much has happened in the last few days to distract us from things that should have caused serious concern. Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has cast himself in the role of Neelkanth aka Lord Shiva after swallowing Halahala, the lethal poisonread Congress, in this case. He should better ask himself that what stops him from spitting out the corrosive substance? Then there is the Niti Aayog chief who has challenged Amartya Sen to debate on the real state of Indian economy without realising that there is a limit to punching above ones weight. Sen may have totally lost touch with India due to his extended sojourns abroad cloistered in Ivory Towers but his comments still carry greater credibility for Western audiences and can burnish or tarnish Indias image much more than the bravado of a person elevated from anonymity to eminence.

Similar gauntlets have been thrown by many for RaGa to pick up. Shashi Tharoor, true to form, has courted controversy making statements about Hindu-Pakistan. (Though some have snidely suggested that this is not a faux pas to embarrass the INC High Command but a short-sighted strategy to deflect adverse publicity likely to be engendered by charges being framed in the controversial Sunanda Pushkar case.)

Ex-chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti keep warning us all that how heavens are going to fall if the Government of India doesnt stop interfering with the peace process initiated by self-appointed interlocutors and sundry busybodies with their own axes to grind. Now that FIFA spectacle is over and the hype over Sanju Babas biopic has died down, one can find some time and media space for bloodshed on the streets.

Lynchings continue unabated. Those targeted arent only beef eaters or child lifters. Those suspected of an iota of anti-national sentiment can be dealt with similarly. The states, whose responsibility it is to maintain law and order, have completely failed to protect the lives of innocent citizens. And when the Home Ministry flexes its atrophied muscles, its accused of subverting the federal structure of our polity. If the Chief of the Army Staff sternly warns terrorists to desist, he is accused of shooting his mouth out of turn and reminded that in a democracy the military is subordinate to the civilian authorityelected representatives of the people.

Its difficult to deny that the number of persons who can talk courageously to those in power has shrunk in the past months. No one is willing to risk ones neck or job expressing dissent or protesting against gross abuse of power. There are exceptions like Justice Gogoinext in line of succession to the post of CJIwho speak out their mind, but they are exceptions.

It isnt just the domestic scene that is disturbing. In the international arena the shockwaves sent out by Brexit continue to destabilise Europe. Disruptive Donald hasnt stopped behaving as if the US owns the planet. His words are loaded with racial slurs, gender bias and his belief in his own destiny remains unshaken. His summits with Kim Jong-un of Korea to Vladimir Putin of Russia are full of bluster, lacking any substance. But this bumbling man is the POTUS and when he rides roughshod over advisers and saner counsel, declaration of trade war against China and stringent sanctions against Iran threaten to wreck the entire World Order painstakingly put in place brick by brick in the past decades. The raging bull in the proverbial china shop doesnt care what legacy he leaves behind. As long as the scared spectators yield the way to the hoove-stomping and snorting terrifying creature, his self-assigned purpose is served.

No one in India has had time to speculate about how these changes are going to impact us. Will China now be constrained to deal with us realistically and accommodate our legitimate interests in South and South East Asia? Or, will Russia and China forge an alliance to block an aggressive US? What about Europe? Can its fragile unity bear multiple stresses? Are our relations with Iran going to improve or deteriorate due to our proximity with the US?

We rejoice that Mukesh bhai has dethroned the founder of Ali Baba Corp as the richest man in Asia, but are tongue-tied about asking how this achievement has improved the lives of his compatriots living below the poverty line. We are also happy celebrating the inauguration of largest smartphone factory in the world, conveniently forgetting that we are far behind much smaller Asian nations in the field of IT. We can at best hope to assemble what others have invented or innovated. We should be grateful for the jobs created by such ventures, but shouldnt we ponder on our chronic inability to demonstrate our prowess? How long do we have to wait before performance matches the promise?

Pushpesh Pant, former professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University

pushpeshpant@gmail.com
G Parthasarathy By

India has invited US President Donald Trump to be its Chief Guest for the 2019 Republic Day Parade. One needs to be prepared for all sorts of contingencies in hosting Trump. He has little time or respect for diplomatic niceties and has not hesitated to embarrass and even humiliate hosts. During his recent visit to the UK, Trump was critical of British Prime Minister Theresa May, when she was facing mounting pressures, criticism and even revolt in her party.

Just a few days earlier, at a Summit meet of NATO allies, Trump rained criticism on European leaders, for not spending enough on defence. He lashed out at German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He noted the inconsistencies in her calls for greater pressures on Russia, just when Germany itself was set to import large quantities of Russian natural gas, through an undersea pipeline. Merkel hit back, reminding Trump that NATO members had contributed troops in Afghanistan, to join American forces there, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Trumps behaviour in Vancouver at a G7 Summit meeting was no different. He was critical of his host, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Just before the meeting, he placed additional duties on US imports of aluminium and steel, enraging European leaders, who threatened retaliation.India, which exports both aluminium and steel, to the US, hit back by taking up its complaints on US trade restrictions, with the WTO and levying additional duties, primarily on US exports to India. Trump complained of high duties placed by India on the Harley Davidson motorcycles.

Trump appears to be fond of authoritarian rulers like President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, Xi Jinping of China and above all Russias Vladimir Putin, who is disliked by virtually the entire American foreign and security policy establishment, apart from politicians on both sides of the American political divide. They have been bent on eroding Russias influence in the world, even as they sought to undermine its traditional influence across its borders, with neighbours like Ukraine and Georgia.

They also refused to accept that there was a historical rationale in Russias takeover of Crimea, whose majority population is Russian. These propensities and prejudices in the American diplomatic and intelligence establishments have led to American efforts to undermine Russian security and economic interests.

The wide-ranging Trump-Putin joint press conference in Helsinki, where Trump averred that he was determined to build bridges in areas ranging from nuclear arms control to developments in Syria, was really sensational. Putin, in turn, ridiculed American allegations of Russian interference in US Presidential elections and hinted at American interference in Russias internal affairs.

Trump has no animosity towards India and appears to regard India as a growing market for American goods and services. He understands that India plays a useful role in complementing American policies in Afghanistan, though his administration is evidently seeking to persuade Pakistan to end its assistance for Taliban and facilitate an intra-Afghan dialogue. It remains to be seen if he will take advantage of Pakistans growing need for western financing to bail it out from its looming foreign exchange crisis, by turning the screws on Pakistan, through institutions like the IMF.

Trump listens to his professional aides on a promoting cooperation with India, to balance growing Chinese power and influence across the Indian Ocean. But, at the same time he would not be averse to conceding strategic space to Russia and China, if he gets business deals and some meaningful moves on North Korea, which he can furnish to fellow Americans as a major achievement.

G Parthasarathy, former diplomat

dadpartha@gmail.com
By PTI

LUDHIANA: Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Manish Tewari today claimed that 60,000 Indian youth, a substantial number of them from Punjab, were detained at the detention camps along the US-Mexico border.

He said he had personally visited the border area during his recent US visit and was alarmed by the situation there.

Addressing a party workers' meeting organised by Punjab Congress secretary Satwinder Jawaddi here, Tewari said that he was told during his visit that 60,000 Indians, who had tried to sneak illegally into the US through Mexico, had been detained by the US authorities.

"Of these, over ninety per cent are Punjabis," he added.

Expressing concern over the plight of these stranded youth, Tewari said their release has to be dealt at the level of the Ministry External Affairs and he had already raised the matter.

He added that Punjab also needed to create job avenues for the youth.

Speaking about the Congress' prospects for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the former Ludhiana MP said that the "countdown" of the NDA government had started.

ALSO READ | Immigrant children describe cold and hunger in US detention centers

"Their despair and frustration were revealed during the Prime Minister's speech in the Parliament during the no-confidence motion," he said.

"The NDA may have won the confidence of the House, but it has actually lost the confidence of people across India," he added Tewari asserted that after the general elections next year, a "progressive and secular" government will be in power at the Centre.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR : Militants on Saturday killed a policeman they had abducted from his home in south Kashmirs Kulgam district, while Army and CRPF patrol parties came under attack by militants.

A police officer said the body of policeman Mohammad Saleem Shah was recovered from an orchard in Qaimoh area of Kulgam district on Saturday afternoon.He said the body bore bullet wounds and marks of violence and torture.It is apparent that the policeman was killed after being tortured by the militants, the officer said.

The policeman was abducted by militants from his home at village Mutalhama in Kulgam on Friday evening. Saleem was recently promoted as constable from Special Police Officer (SPO) rank and was undergoing training at the police training centre in Kathua in Jammu province. The police officer said Saleem was on leave and had returned home some days ago. He said the police had launched a manhunt to identify and track down the killers of the policeman.No militant group has claimed responsibility of the attack so far.

This is the second incident this month of a policeman being abducted and killed by militants. On July 6, militants had shot dead policeman Javaid Ahmad Dar after abducting him near his residence in Vigil village of south Kashmirs Shopian district. Dar was Personal Security Officer of former SSP Shopian Shailendra Mishra and had participated in anti-militancy operations in the volatile south Kashmir.

On June 14, Army man Aurangzeb was abducted by militants from Shopian village. His bullet ridden body was recovered next day.
Amit Agnihotri By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Days after losing the no-trust vote against Modi government, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will chair a brainstorming session with senior leaders from across the country to chalk out strategy for the 2019 national polls.

Coinciding with the first meeting of the Congress Working Committee on July 22, Rahul has also called all AICC general secretaries and secretaries, state unit chiefs, legislative party leaders and parliamentarians for the brainstorming session.

The CWC, a blend of youth and experience, was reconstituted on July 17, seven months after Rahul became the Congress chief. In its first meeting, the CWC is likely to take a hard look at key political challenges including forging alliances with like-minded parties, addressing gaps in party organization, reviewing the four years of the Modi government and presenting an alternative vision for the country. Sources said flowing from what Rahul said during the no-trust motion debate in the Lok Sabha on Friday, the stress would be on presenting the Congress as party of inclusive development with love and compassion as central themes to counter Modi's divisive politics.

Besides, firming up the party's views on key issues like the farm crisis, sliding economy, joblessness and foreign policy with special emphasis on troubled Jammu and Kashmir will also be discussed at the strategy session, the sources said.

Leaders who work closely with Rahul said the party chief wants greater team work among the new AICC office bearers, many of whom have a Youth Congress background, and the seniors who have been close aides of former party chief Sonia Gandhi and are trying to get in sync with Rahul's style of functioning. "The whole nation has gone into poll mode including PM Modi. We need to have a plan ready and rolling," said a party insider, adding that "short of achievements to showcase, the PM would increasingly resort to mix religion with politics to polarize the voters."

Party managers acknowledged the Congress always focused on its inclusive agenda which catered to all sections of society but got painted in the negative light by the BJP's propaganda machinery.

"We have been able to counter them on social media but need to take our message effectively across the length and breadth of the country," said a senior CWC member. Further, as the strategy meet comes two days after the opposition lost the no-trust vote, the Congress managers would debate ways to counter and aggressive BJP for the remaining part of the monsoon session.
Learner drivers in Austria will no longer be able to take their theory test in Turkish, the transport ministry announced on Saturday, blaming the cost of translating the exam.

Of the nearly 300,000 theory tests taken last year, only 3,631 were conducted in Turkish -- or 1.2 percent of the total.

The ministry, which in Austria's new coalition government belongs to the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), said it was too expensive to maintain a test taken by a relatively small percentage of learners.

There are around 360,000 people of Turkish origin in Austria, including 117,000 Turkish nationals.

"Each additional language for training costs the state a five-figure sum that isn't justifiable," said transport minister Norbert Hofer.

Exams will however continue to be available in English, Croatian and Slovenian, he said.

"It's naturally a question of costs but also for me it's essential to clearly establish which languages it is sensible to have the exam in," he said, adding that the scrapping of Turkish was "encouragement to learn German."

The FPOe, which ran on an anti-immigration platform and which was founded by former Nazis, has several ministers in Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's government.

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By PTI

NEW DELHI: The extended CWC today authorised Congress president Rahul Gandhi to forge an alliance with like-minded parties for the 2019 Lok Sabha election to take on the BJP.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the newly-constituted Congress Working Committee (CWC), Pradesh Congress Committee chiefs and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) members from various states.

The party also authorised Gandhi to constitute a committee to work out alliances with various national and regional parties to form a grand national alliance.

Thirty-five to 40 leaders spoke at today's meeting where they all stressed that the Congress should play a lead role in forging an anti-BJP front.

Some leaders said Gandhi being the leader of the principal opposition party should be the face of the national alliance.

Asked about party leaders wanting Gandhi to be the face of the alliance, senior Congress leader Ambika Soni said, "Naturally, he is the leader of the main national (opposition) party and we would want our leader to be the face of the opposition alliance."

Senior party leader and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram gave a detailed presentation on how the party could be strengthened with the help of allies in various states.

Sources said that Chidambaram highlighted that the Congress is strong in 12 states and with the help of its allies, it can forge a formidable front for the next general election.

The committee, which was announced last week after Gandhi deliberated on its composition for close to seven months, took stock of the current political, economic and internal and external security situation of the country besides discussing party strategy for the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament.

We believe that Congress party is the one which can fight against thinking of BJP. If RSS has ever lost to someone then it's the thinking of Congress. We should keep this in mind&take everyone ahead with those thoughts, which is to save Constitution: Raj Babbar, UP Congress Chief pic.twitter.com/r8DEN11bDn  ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2018

Gandhi has set the tone for the Congress strategy by going forward and hugging Prime Minister Modi during the no-confidence motion discussions in Lok Sabha and by proclaiming that he will counter the BJP's "hatred and anger" with Congress' "love and compassion."

Rahul ji has been authorised to form election campaign committee and take decisions on pre-poll and post-poll alliance: Ashok Gehlot, AICC General Secretary pic.twitter.com/H7qlye4fU5  ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2018

Among those present at today's meeting included former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, top Congress leaders AK Antony, Motilal Vora, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge and Ashok Gehlot among others.

#WATCH: Congress President Rahul Gandhi says 'We are setting up a group that is going to do that (alliance)' on being asked on alliance for 2019 Lok Sabha election. pic.twitter.com/qCFANusupJ  ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2018

This is the meeting of extended CWC which also consists of all state party chiefs and legislature party leaders apart from the regular CWC members, permanent and special invitees to the committee.

Gandhi's CWC has 23 regular members instead of 25 allowed by the party constitution. It has 18 permanent and eight special invitees.
Harpreet Bajwa By

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: Hinting at the rift in the Aam Aadmi Partys (AAPs) top leadership, Leader of Opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Friday alleged that he is a victim of partys internal conspiracy to remove him from his post.In a video that has gone viral in the social media, the senior party leader hit back at the state co-president of the party Balbir Singh, who had alleged that Khaira had taken cash from party workers at a function in Patiala recently.

Recently, I had visited the Punjabi University in Patiala after which I went to the house of a party worker to have tea  in the presence of over 80 supporters. Three days back, a few party leaders and workers from Shatrana went to meet Balbir Singh for some work and Balbir told them that Khaira had taken money from party workers in Patiala to which one party worker objected and told him that he was present there and nothing of this sort had happened, said Khaira.

He (Balbir) should retract his allegations and tender an apology to me or get an impartial inquiry done into these allegations, he added. Khaira alleged that there is deep rooted conspiracy within the party to create a rift between him AAP National Convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Deputy Manish Sisodia, who is in-charge of party affairs in Punjab to get him removed from the post of leader of opposition in the state assembly.



Terming these allegations baseless and bogus, Balbir Singh said, I have high regard for him (Khaira). Nothing of this sort happened. The person who is being quoted has made an utterly baseless claim. I dont know that person, he said. Last week, 16 party leaders, including some district chiefs, quit their posts to register their protest against state co-president Balbir Singhs arbitrary decisions in the state.
Siddhanta Mishra By

Express News Service

ALWAR: Harvansh Singh, is distraught, his middle son Paramjeet is behind bars for allegedly beating Kolgaon man to death. Lalawandi and Kolgaon two villages hardly 30 kilometres away from each other are two ends of the story.

Rajasthan police present the two men arrested in connection with Alwar lynching | Parveen Negi

"We have never raised our children to be murderers, I talked to him a day before this happened and till this day I have not visited the spot. We were informed on Saturday morning that something like this has taken place in our village and since then I have not stepped out of the house. My child is innocent, he did not do this" said the 55-year-old father.

ALSO READ: Is lynching becoming a trend, ask villagers after man killed in Rajasthan's Alwar

Paramjeet along with his wife Neha, mother Kuldeep Kaur and his father live in the house at the near end of Lalawandi village. Two tractors seven cows can be seen in front of the house right after fields of the family start. "On Friday I called my husband, he said he coming soon then a few hours later he called me saying that I should have dinner as he would be late, later I called Paramjeet he said I should go to sleep as he is in some trouble and won't be coming soon. That is when I informed my other two brothers-in-laws. We got married in February this year" said Neha while tears are rolling down her eyes.

House, has murals of religious Sikh text and pictures of Guru Gobind on the walls, the family has been living in the Sikh community dominated village Partition of India. "I talked to Paramjeet on Friday evening, as I went to Gurgaon to visit other brothers. I enquired about the food cooked at home and the medicines that his father is supposed to take. But my heart says that my child is being framed, what happened is absolutely wrong but what is happening to us is worse, we are being made a victim of something that my child has not done" said Kaur who can't stop crying since she got listen about her son.

The villagers in this part mostly do the farming of cotton "This village has become a regular route for cow smugglers, we even complained to the district administration, police but none took interest. We experience a huge loss because when cattles move through farms, eating, destroying the fields when police and administration fail, then only people take law into their own hands" said a young Akhilesh who is doing Bachelors from Alwar.
Harpreet Bajwa By

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Capt. Amarinder Singh on Sunday backed party chief Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the joint Opposition front in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections but remained mum on an alliance with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab.

Reiterating his earlier stand, Amarinder said that Rahul was fully competent to lead the country and will surely prove to be a successful prime minister. He said the Congress should explore all alliance possibilities for next years Parliamentary elections and Rahul should lead the joint front of the opposition parties to boot the divisive BJP-led NDA out of power.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) session in Delhi, Amarinder said alliances for the Lok Sabha polls would be worked out by the party at the national level, with the state units following suit.

The alignments will have to happen at the national level. Whatever they decide will apply to the states, he said, adding that the alliances will be dependent on the central leadership, and wherever it takes us, we will go.

Asked if this meant he was open to an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which the Congress had routed in Punjab during 2016 state assembly elections, Amarinder told journalists to refrain from trying to put words in his mouth.

Congress in charge of Punjab Asha Kumari and state party chief Sunil Jakhar had said earlier there was no question of allying with AAP in Punjab.

Amarinder said he supported former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, who told the CWC that the Congress would have to enter broad-based alliances to win the 2019 elections.

I endorse what Chidambaram has saidI think he said a very good thing  that we should bring as many people in the Opposition together as possible, he added.

All the like-minded parties who wanted to restore Indias glorious secular and harmonious character should get together in their collective interest, and more importantly in the interest of the country, said Amarinder.

To a question on the peoples mood in Punjab ahead of the parliamentary elections, he said it was entirely in favour of the Congress. Pointing out that the Congress had won Gurdaspur and Shahkot with record margins in recent months, he expressed the confidence that the party would win hands down in the Parliamentary elections next year.

I have promised them (the high command) Punjab, and will give it to them, he said, adding that he had also told them that if you want to use us elsewhere too, we are there. Replying to another question, he said the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was their main opponent in the state.

Amarinder in response to a question said there was no harm in bringing the new Vice-Chancellor of Panjab University in Chandigarh from the Benaras Hindu University.

Top academicians can be from any state and there is nothing wrong in appointing them to universities in the other states, he added, when asked about the appointment of Prof Raj Kumar, Dean and Head of Institute of Management Studies, BHU, as Panjab University V-C.
By PTI

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today accused the BJP of trying to create an "atmosphere of Talibani Hinduism and Talibani communalism" in the country and gave a call for ouster of the saffron party in the next Lok Sabha polls.

The Trinamool Congress chief's comments came in the backdrop of the alleged lynching of 28-year-old Akbar Khan in Rajasthan's Alwar district today by a group of people on the suspicion that he was smuggling cows.

Also Read: Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee should stop dreaming about being PM in 2019: BJP

Banerjee, a strident critic of the BJP, said the saffron party was trying to create "an atmosphere of Talbani communalism, Talibani violence and of lynching and hatred".

Addressing the 25th annual Martyrs' Day rally at Esplanade in the heart of the city, she said, "We (TMC) do not believe in their concept of Talibani Hinduism and Hinduism with weapons.

"We believe in Hinduism preached by Swami Vivekananda and Sri Ramkrishna Pramahansa. Those who now rule the country have bloodstains on their hands.

" Giving the call of 'BJP hatao, desh bachao' at the massive rally, she claimed that her party would win all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Attacking the BJP, Banerjee said, "Everyday people are being lynched.

Today too one person was lynched. They (BJP) have unleashed religious terrorism. Before lecturing the states to take steps against those involved in lynching, they should ask their own leaders to behave.

" The TMC supremo said that she respected the BJP-RSS old timers as they were not into "playing dirty games" but not its present leaders and would organise a federal front to remove the saffron party from power at the Centre.

She said the TMC would hold a mega rally at the Brigade Parade ground here on January 19 to sound the poll bugle to capture power in Delhi in the next Lok Sabha election and opposition party leaders from across the country would be invited for it.

Hitting back, the BJP said that Banerjee should "stop dreaming" of becoming the next prime minister as her ambition will never be fulfilled.

BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha told reporters here, "There are doubts whether she would be able to retain the Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal and she is dreaming of Delhi.

" The BJP will also hold a rally at the same venue on January 23 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address it, he said.

Referring to the outcome of the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha yesterday, the BJP leader said, "We had seen the result of opposition unity.

The people of the country stood besides Modi and his policies.

" Claiming that West Bengal would show the way to the country after the 2019 general election, a combative Banerjee said, "We will win all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

It is our pledge. We will oust the BJP to save the country.

" She also claimed, "We do not bother about the chair. We only bother about the people and the country," The chief minister said that during the no-trust motion yesterday, the NDA got 325 votes as the AIADMK supported it.

"Had Jayalalithaa been alive, the BJP would have never got the AIADMK vote," she said.

She claimed, "The BJP is losing its allies. Chandrababu Naidu, who was their friend, had moved the no-confidence motion.

The Shiv Sena did not vote and the BJD too is no longer with them. The BJP and the NDA have started to disintegrate.

" The BJP is outnumbered outside Parliament and in the next Lok Sabha polls, its strength will come down to barely 150 seats, she said.

"They (BJP) are talking about 2024. Let them first cross 2019," she said in an apparent reference to Modi yesterday asking Congress chief Rahul Gandhi to prepare for moving a no-trust motion in 2024.

She also claimed that the number of the Lok Sabha seats held by the BJP would come down in states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal.

"Hundreds of people have been killed in the name of encounters and more than 12,000 farmers are committing suicide every year," she said, announcing a series of party programmes to take on the BJP.

Describing demonetisation as the "biggest scam" in the country, she said her party is not afraid of the Central Bureau of Investigation or the Enforcement Directorate "which have been used by the Centre time and again to pursue political vendetta".

Referring to the collapse of a makeshift tent during Modi's rally at Midnapore, she said, "They cannot even build a pandal.

How can they build the country? Our political fight against the BJP will continue.

" Former Rajya Sabha member of the BJP, Chandan Mitra, four Congress MLAs and former CPI(M) MP Moinul Hassan joined the TMC in her presence at the rally.

Mitra had resigned from the BJP a few days back. The Congress MLAs who joined the TMC are Samar Mukherjee, Abu Taher, Sabina Yasmin and Akhruzzman.

Accusing the Congress, the BJP and the CPI(M) of joining hands in West Bengal against her party, Banerjee asked the Congress to make clear its stand.

"In Delhi, they (Congress) seek our support to oppose the BJP but here they are opposing us. They should not adopt double standards," she said.

On the criticism over the TMC winning several seats uncontested in the May panchayat polls in the state, she said no one raised questions when seats went uncontested in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Sikkim.

"But we are being questioned even though we have won 90 per cent of the seats.
Siddhanta Mishra By

Express News Service

KOLGAON ( HARYANA)/ALWAR(RAJASTHAN): As one enters Kolgaon village in Haryanas Mewat region, heavy police deployment can be seen. The village majorly housed Muslim families who are either cattle traders, ran dairy business or are farmers.

Thirty-year-old Akbar alias Rakbar from this village was beaten to death on Friday evening, allegedly by some men from the same village who suspected him of smuggling cows. Rakbars distraught widow Asmeena, 28, lay on a cot in front of their house, mostly in a state of unconsciousness. Sahira, 10, the eldest of the couples seven children, sat near her. At intervals, Asmeena would sit up in the cot, howl her husbands name, before fainting again.

We want justice. Rakbar was the sole breadwinner of our family. He has seven children, none of them old enough to work. Who will feed them? asked Kareeman, Rakbars mother-in-law. Locals are mostly intrigued by the heavy police and continuous media presence. Many visited the house of the deceased, inquired about him, and went away. Local MLA Nasim Khan and head of the areas Muslim community Sher Mohammad too had met the family, expressing solidarity.

Rajasthan police present the two men arrested in connection with the

lynching | Parveen Negi

This is quite an unfortunate event. The entire family is ruined, who will take care of their kids? Its the second such incident, this is becoming a trend. Elders in the village advised us not to protest with the dead body on the main road, but this has to stop. Peace and harmony is important, but at what cost? fumed Abid Hussain, a youth pursuing LLB from a college in Alwar, Rajasthan.

Akbar Khan

A hut in front of the house has been quarantined. Rakbars body was being cleaned and prepared for final rights here. The room teemed with people trying to get a last glimpse of the deceased.

A passerby remarked that Kolgaon is never going to be same. The incident has entered the name of this place in history now, he said.

The family has a total of four cows, explained Rakbars brother Mohammad Tariq. Tariq had met Rakbar in the market on Friday evening, when Rakbar promised him to go fetch the cattle at night. The cow was hesitant to get into the pick-up truck they had arranged and hence, they had decided to walk it for some distance, Tariq rued.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Days before the National Register of Citizens (NRC) publication, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday assured the people that no harassment would take place during the exercise. Singh said the central government wants to make it clear that the NRC, which will be published on July 30, is only a draft. After draft publication, adequate opportunity for claims and objections will be available, he said. There is no reason for panic or fear.

No person will be allowed to be harassed. We will ensure that every individual gets justice and is treated in a humane manner, Singh said in an official statement. Singh said the NRC exercise was being carried out in a totally impartial, transparent and meticulous manner and would remain so. The NRC is being updated in accordance with the Assam Accord signed on August 15, 1985.

The exercise is being carried out as per the directions of the Supreme Court, which is constantly monitoring the process. All individuals will have sufficient opportunity for all remedies available under the law. At every stage of the process, adequate opportunity is given to all persons to be heard. Singh said the entire process is being conducted according to law and the due procedure is being followed. All claims and objections will be duly examined.

Adequate opportunity of being heard will be given before disposal of claims and objections. Only thereafter, the final NRC will be published. The Citizenship Rules provide that any person who is not satisfied with the outcome of claims and objections can appeal in the Foreigners Tribunal, he said.

Therefore, there is no question of anyone being put in a detention centre after the publication of NRC. Singh said the Assam government was told to ensure that law and order was maintained and no one was allowed to take law into their hands.

Singh said the Assam government has been asked to ensure that law and order is maintained and no one is allowed to take law into their hands, and all possible arrangements are made to ensure safety and security for all.

"The central government will provide all necessary help to the state government of Assam in this regard," he said.

The first draft of the NRC, a list of the state's citizens, was published on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1 last where names of 1.9 crore people out of the 3.29 crore applicants were incorporated.

The massive exercise aimed at identifying illegal immigrants in the state that borders Bangladesh is being carried out following a decision in 2005 after a series of meetings between the central and state governments and the influential All Assam Students' Union (AASU).

Assam, which faced an influx of people from Bangladesh since the early 20th century, is the only state having an NRC, first prepared in 1951.

The current exercise started in 2005 under the then Congress regime, got a major push after the BJP came to power in the state with illegal immigration from Bangladesh as a poll plank.

When the NRC was first prepared in Assam way back in 1951, the state had 80 lakh citizens then.

The process of identification of illegal immigrants in Assam has been debated and become a contentious issue in the state's politics.

A six-year agitation demanding identification and deportation of illegal immigrants was launched by the AASU in 1979.

It culminated with the signing of the Assam Accord on August 15, 1985, in the presence of the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

(With PTI inputs)
Anand ST Das By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: University adopts three villages

Residents of three villages in Gaya district are enthused to see students of Central University of South Bihar (CUSB) visiting them and offering knowledge on education and agriculture. As part of its community development programme, CUSB adopted Nepa, Tepa and Mahmadpur villages that are close to the varsitys upcoming 300-acre campus at Panchanpur. A CUSB team that visited these villages recently distributed paddy seeds developed by ICAR among the villagers. These seeds are of the hybrid variety that yields higher production. This new variety also requires less water, said CUSB PR officer Mohammed Mudassir Alam.

Modern artwork to adorn walls of buildings

Public and private buildings in Patnas main thoroughfares are set to have a livelier look by the year-end. The district administration plans to cover the walls with a wide range of modern paintings, including 3D murals. The move, a part of the Smart City project, has already got support of the citys intelligentsia. Divisional commissioner-cum-chairperson of Patna Smart City Limited Anand Kishor said consent would be taken from owners of the private buildings. The project may cover at least 50 buildings, of which 21 are identified for 3D wall painting. Hotel Maurya, the GPO building, Sone Bhavan, Mona Cinema and Ashok Cinema are among the selected buildings.

Six lakh LED bulbs to illuminate roads

By March next year, roads in Patna and several other towns in Bihar are set to get six lakh LED street lights under a national scheme. The LED lights will both save energy and improve visibility. As many as 73,000 street lights will be installed in Patna and the rest in 143 urban local bodies, including nagar panchayats and nagar parishads. Patna, Muzaffarpur, Ara, Bhagalpur, Biharsharif and Hajipur has already started work. Real-time details about the functioning of the lights would be provided by a command control and monitoring system. An MoU was signed between EESL and Bihars urban local bodies earlier this month.

Foreign languages find many takers

Youngsters in Patna appear increasingly interested in learning foreign languages. A few private tutorials offering courses in German, French, Spanish and Russian are encouraged by the rising enrolment numbers. Certificate courses in German, French and Spanish are also offered at Patna Womens College and Magadh Mahila College. The demand for foreign language courses is constantly rising in Patna. Youngsters studying in colleges and those already in jobs are interested alike, said Archana Rani, who runs a German language centre. The trend has filled Bihars industrialists with hope about the states partnership with other countries. It is going to help the state in future. People proficient with Indian languages and foreign languages will be in great demand, said Bihar Industries Association president KPS Keshri.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Congress President Rahul Gandhi today described the revamped Congress Working Committee (CWC) as a bridge between the past, present and future and asked party men to rise and fight for India's oppressed.

Chairing the first meeting of the revamped CWC after becoming president of the party in December last, he said it was an institution comprising experience and energy.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in his address, assured Rahul Gandhi that he and all other Congressmen will help him in the onerous task of restoring India's social harmony and economic development.

"I assure Rahul Gandhiji that we will fully support him in his onerous task of restoring India's social harmony and economic development," he said, rejecting the culture of constant self-praise and jumlas" (gimmicks), as against solid policy framework for driving the engine of growth.

Singh said the claim of doubling farm income by 2022 will require an agricultural growth rate of 14 per cent, which is nowhere in sight.

"The new CWC is an institution comprising experience and energy and will act as a bridge between the past, present and the future," Rahul Gandhi said as he called upon Congressmen and women to rise and fight for India's oppressed.

The Congress president also reminded the role of the Congress as the voice of India as also its responsibility of present and future, charging that the BJP attacks institutions, Dalits, tribals, backwards, minorities and the poor.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry is set to move a proposal before the Cabinet this week for enhanced punishment in cases of sexual assault of male children, a senior official said.

The Law Ministry has cleared the proposal to amend the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, for enhancing punishment in cases of sexual assault against young boys, officials said.

The POCSO Act deals with sexual offences against those below 18 years of age.

"Amendments to the POCSO Act for enhanced punishment for sexual assaults of young boys have been approved by the Law Ministry. It will be sent to the Cabinet in two-three days," the WCD Ministry official said, without elaborating on the details of the proposal.

Sources said that the ministry was working on the proposal to amend the Act to make rape committed against any child below 12 punishable with the death penalty.

The move is being seen to bring in a gender-neutral law while dealing with cases of sexual assaults.

Earlier, WCD Minister Maneka Gandhi supported a petition on Change.org by film-maker-activist Insia Dariwala, who said, "male child sexual abuse is an ignored reality in India".

Change.org stated that Gandhi, to whom the petition was addressed, had replied to the plea through "Decision Maker" response.

"Child sexual abuse is gender neutral. Boys who are sexually abused as children spend a lifetime of silence because of the stigma and shame attached to male survivors speaking out. It is a serious problem and needs to be addressed," she had said in April.

The Union Cabinet last week decided to introduce a bill that provides stringent punishment, including the death penalty, for those convicted of raping girls below the age of 12 years.

In 2007, the ministry had sampled 12,447 children in families, schools, at work and living on the street.

It had found that more than half had faced sexual abuse, and 53 per cent of victims were boys.

For Delhi, the figure was 60 per cent.
Islamic State (IS) militant said on Sunday a suicide bomber targeted the Afghan vice president near Kabul airport, the group's Amaq news agency reported without providing evidence.

It said the bomber detonated his suicide jacket at a celebration held to receive the vice president, Abdul Rashid Dostum, but gave no further details.

Dostum narrowly escaped a suicide bomb attack at Kabul airport as he returned home on Sunday from more than a year in exile in Turkey over allegations of torturing and abusing a political rival.

*This story has been edited by Ahram Online

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By PTI

NEW DELHI: The chief of the Congress women's wing has said the party would support the instant Triple Talaq Bill if the Centre includes a provision of alimony.

All India Mahila Congress president Sushmita Dev alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party government was trying to strike a quid pro quo with the passing of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill and the Women's Reservation Bill.

"We were never against the instant Triple Talaq Bill. But the Bill, in its present form, would be harmful to the interests of the Muslim women. It should have a provision of alimony for the victim," Dev told PTI.

"I tabled an amendment in the Lok Sabha for the provision of alimony in the Bill, but it did not get passed. If the amendment is accepted, then we would definitely support the Bill," she said.

Dev said the aim of the Bill was to ensure justice for the Muslim women and end the practice of instant Triple Talaq.

"But what will happen to the livelihood of the women if their husbands go to jail?" she asked, adding that this aspect should be kept in mind. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017, was passed in the Lok Sabha but is pending in the Rajya Sabha.

Last Monday, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him to ensure the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

A day later, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad responded to the letter with a "new deal" of equality and adequate representation by joining hands to pass the bills on Women's Reservation, instant Triple Talaq and Nikah Halala.

"The government is indulging in dealings. Did they say in their manifesto that they would pass both the bills together? We didn't have the majority. But they have clear majority. If the Congress and BJP both support the women's reservation bill, then it can be passed," Dev added.
By Express News Service

BHOPAL: Juvenile convicts cannot be handed down capital punishment in every case pertaining to heinous crimes such as rape and murder, said Justice Madan B Lokur, the chairman of the Supreme Court Juvenile Justice Committee.

He said judgment in such cases had to be delivered on the basis of evidence. It is not that for every murder, for every rape, the only penalty is death. I mean, we are not savages in this country.

Just because the person happens to be 17 years old or close to 18 years old, commits a heinous crime - therefore he must get the death penalty, it cannot be like that, Justice Lokur said at the Fourth Western Regional Consultation on Effective Implementation of Juvenile Justice Act. On Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) courts, Justice Lokur

said studies reveal that perhaps these courts were not functioning as well as they should.

Are the POCSO courts functioning well? Are they not functioning well? You know, studies have been done (which) indicate that perhaps the POCSO courts are not functioning as well as they should. What are the reasons? What are the challenges?

Justice Lokur said that the Child Rights Protection Commission, states and the Centre should work together to tackle the huge number of cases of missing children as well as those related to child labour and child trafficking.
Ravi Shankar By

On November 11, 1931, London was greeted by an unusual sight. Of a dark, frail bespectacled Indian, wearing nothing but a voluminous white shawl against the cold and a dhoti, going to meet the head of the British Empire, King George V; at Buckingham Palace. The invitation reluctantly given to Gandhi and all Indian delegates to the Round Table Conference irked Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who noted contemptuously, It is alarming and also nauseating to see Mr Gandhi, a seditious middle-temple lawyer, now posing as a fakir striding half-naked up the steps of the Viceregal palace to parley on equal terms with the representative of the King-emperor.

Decades later, the head of another former British Colony flouted British royal etiquette by refusing to bow to Queen Elizabeth on his visit to her palace, shook hands with her against protocol and walked ahead of her, disregarding custom. Then he posed for pictures sitting in Churchills favourite armchair. The incensed British public and press went ballistic. How Dare You! ran the front page headline in one newspaper, with a full page photo of a smirking, seated Trump.

Donald Trump is a bully, a coarse amateur politician infamous for his unpresidential tweets and politically incorrect, bigoted behaviour. His conduct towards the Queen is typical of his graceless naturepushing aside other world leaders at a NATO meet, keeping G7 leaders waiting for a photo optacky and immature. However, his absence of decorum and unconventional behaviour towards Americas closest ally sent out an unintentional message to decolonised nations; the Empires legacy has been significantly eroded by multiculturalism and the immigration wave. Gandhi would have chuckled at this karma backlash.

Trump is no Gandhi. He does not match the Mahatmas gentle sarcasm (His Majesty wore enough for both of us), his compassion, moral fibre and grand vision. Being no Anglophile, Trump shares many racist characteristics with Churchill (who favoured using poisoned gas against uncivilised tribes) though he lacks the leadership qualities of the British premier. Yet contradictions unite the imperialist and the Anglophobe: Churchill, who vanquished the Nazis, had famously declared that the United Kingdoms Aryan stock is bound to triumph.

Just as Trump is unapologetic about the brutal treatment of immigrants, Churchill mocked the victims of the Bengal Famine of 1943, calling it culling a population that bred like rabbits. At the core of both the British Empire and the Nazis was racism. Now, it is the pacemaker of Trumps America. History is a graveyard of empires. Racism is the kryptonite of empires.

It is nationalism that fuels growing nations with the ambition to become global powers on the back of prejudice and stolen resources until history completes the cycle, overthrowing the conquerors with hostile nationalism. Mahatma Gandhi was a product of Indian nationalism, a prodigal son of the Raj who returned as an unexpected avenger armed with moral resources. Trump did inadvertently write the Britannias obituary. But the legacy of hatred he will leave behind will create a new Martin Luther King. The Mahatmas comment on Western civilisation was: I think it would be a good idea. For all civilisations, being civilised is the next best idea.

Ravi Shankar

ravi@newindianexpress.com
Prabhu Chawla By

Express News Service

Change is the father of new opportunities. Stagnancy of thought and action are harbingers of annihilation. If the latest developments in the 132-year-old Congress Party are an indication, a churning process has begun within that could intensify into massive change.

The Grand Old Party, which ruled India for over five decades and controlled two-thirds of the state governments, is on the verge of becoming an extinct political species. With just two and a half states under the Hands thumb and fewer than 10 per cent of the Lok Sabha seats, its ideological identity and geographical influence were fading in the twilight of Modi Season.

The Congress even lacked a face with pan-Indian credibility and acceptability. More alarming was the near-rejection of the Gandhi tag, which was once the boarding pass for power. The party has been languishing in the desert of banality without even a winning slogan. Though it ruled during the early 1990s and between 2004 and 2014, the GOP hasnt enjoyed a majority on its own since 1984, when it crossed the 400 MPs mark under Rajiv Gandhis leadership. Now, thirty three years later, his son Rahul has embarked on changing the partys feel, look and posture. His new social media hashtag is #IAMCongress.

After 14 years of political internship, has he discovered that time is running out for him and his party? Like it did with every other Gandhi in the past, the buck would stop with him. Indira trounced the Syndicate in 1969 and created a new Congress. Rajiv generated a thunderous tsunami in 1984. Sonia brought the party back to power for a decade in 2004. Can a fourth generation Gandhi haul the GOP out of its turbulent mess in 2019? Ever since he took over as the 17th Congress president after Independence and 87th since the partys inception in 1885, RaGa has been criss-crossing the country, confabulating with party leaders and opinion makers to fashion a new mass identity from the ashes of a preponderous past.

Rahuls moment came while displaying unexpected oratorical and strategic skills in the Lok Sabha on July 20 during a no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi governmentthe 27th in parliamentary history. Rahul did not come across either as a secularist or a palpitating Pappu. He spoke extempore, without stumbling for the right word, adjective or phrase. In a 40-minute wordathon, he ignored the niceties and conventions of parliamentary debate. His primary target was not the government but the Prime Minister. Satire was Rahuls veritable weapon against Modi, whom he labelled a bhagidar (partner) and not chowkidar (guard).

Repetition was his tested tactic, as he echoed previous charges of corruption. He kept challenging the PM on multiple issues; once even daring him to meet his eyes. Rahul has invented the politics of Hoot and Hug instead of Shoot and Scoot. After various vicious volleys against Modi, Rahul walked across and hugged himan action never before witnessed in Indian parliamentary history. This dramatic denouement came after the Congress boss accused the BJP of spreading hatred and dividing communities. If grabbing Modi was to grab headlines, the gimmick worked. Rahul reminded the treasury benches that he was aware they hated him and contemptuously called him Pappu, but he was going to change their mindset by triggering their love beneath their angerthe doctrine of the New Congress.

For the past few months, Rahul Gandhi has been striving to define himself and the role of the Congress in national politics, where the Opposition has been marginalized by Modis climactic charisma. In the past, there was Lohia to counter Nehru. Indira Gandhi faced powerful adversaries like Atal Behari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani and Chandrashekar. But Modi doesnt have a credible Opposition party or leader for a foil. Most politicos on the other side are either tainted or confined to their own regional fiefdoms, looking to the prime minister for crumbs and favours.

While Sonia could stitch together a viable non-BJP Alliance in 2004, her son is unable to convince Opposition parties that he is the most acceptable commander to lead the charge next year. It is still left to her to coordinate strategy with allies. Barring Lalu-led Rashtriya Janata Dal, no other anti-BJP organisation has shown faith in the Gandhi scions leadership capabilities. Rahul has not held a single one-to-one meeting with any Opposition stalwart; not even with Akhilesh Yadav, his ally during the last UP elections.

Congress insiders believe that their chief is setting his own house in order before reaching out to like-minded parties. He has rejigged the organisation by retaining the Old Guard in the all-powerful Congress Working Committee, while at the same time inducting GenNext as special and permanent invitees. His speeches and actions indicate his desire to regain the GOPs lost constituency of Dalits, the poor, farmers, youth and women. Significantly, Rahul is refraining from the habitually excessive invocation of secularism that differentiates the Congress from the BJP. He has cleverly identified the RSS as his main bugbear to retain his Muslim vote bank.

At a recent nukkad meeting, he defined the new Congress philosophy with: I stand with the last person in the line. The exploited, marginalised and the persecuted. Their religion, caste or beliefs matter little to me. I seek out those in pain and embrace them. I erase hatred and fear. I love all living beings. I am the Congress. This assertion was widely endorsed and discussed on Twitter, with 41,000 likes, 8,000 replies and 13,000 re-tweets. It was further fine-tuned with another tweet from another Congress luminary Im a Nationalist. I want to keep India united. I dont discriminate people on the basis of class, caste, creed, religion or region. I dont instigate Indians to fight against each other for power, like Britishers. I love my country and its people. #IAmCongress.

Its for the first time that the Congress is staking its claim on nationalism. For Gods sake and his own, Rahul has resurrected his grandmothers practice of visiting temples and Hindu shrines. Clearly, the RaGa Congress is bereft of dubious dogmas and ineffective ideologies. Rahul is convinced that the only way to defeat Modi and his legions is to forge out of the chaos of self-discovery an ambitiously aggressive, confrontationist yet inclusive version of saffron. However, though not a novice anymore, he has miles to go before he leaps and reformulates the new Congress as a new BJP and challenges the Mighty Modi.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: A day after the trust vote in Lok Sabha, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu Saturday said that the no-confidence motion moved by TDP was a battle of majority versus the morality and that he was pained by Prime Minister Narendra Modi comparing him with corrupt politicians.

Naidu said that 5 crore people of the state have been betrayed by the government despite promises made by the PM and now the whole nation knows about the injustice done to our State by the NDA government.

The chief minister said that the PM should not have talked about petty things during his speech in parliament on no-confidence motion. The Prime Minister during his reply said that when the TDP decided to pull out of the government, he spoke to Naidu and told him that he was falling in a trap of his rival YSR Congress.

ALSO READ | No-confidence vote HIGHLIGHTS: Motion defeated in Lok Sabha

He said you are falling in the trap of YSR Congress. I told him as far as I am doing right things, nothing can happen to me and my party. I also asked him how can he compare me with tainted people. YSRCPs leader is going to court every week. We are in Parliament and such statements are not expected from a prime minister, Naidu told reporters.

On the partys future course of action, Naidu said that the party will continue to take up the matter strongly at all possible platforms. He expressed anguish over Modi describing the states demand for a special category status as the partys internal fight with YSR Congress.

He contested Modis statement in parliament that a special category status cannot be granted to the state as one of the members of the 14th Finance Commission had said that they have no role to play in it. Nowhere in the report it was said that special category status cannot be extended to a state by the Centre, he pointed out.

The no-confidence motion was moved by Chandrababu Naidus Telugu Desam Party (TDP) which, until recently, was an NDA constituent but pulled out of the grouping to demand special category status for Andhra Pradesh that was bifurcated and Telangana carved out of it in 2014.

The bifurcation is said to have caused huge financial and resource losses to Andhra, as capital Hyderabad and IT city Cyberabad went to Telangana.
G Ramesh Babu By

Express News Service

SRIKAKULAM: For almost 24 hours, Barri Masena and three other fishermen of Pusapatirega mandal of Vizianagaram district, clung onto a rod in the cabin of the boat they were travelling in when it capsized in rough waters off Ummilada on Friday night.

Oil from the engine dripped onto their heads and into the sea, forcing them to drink the contaminated water to stay alive. But they were lucky.

We could only save four of the five who were trapped inside the boat. Another fisherman, Mailapalli Sreenu, is missing. We are still looking for him, district collector Dhananjaya Reddy said.

The four who survived had held one anothers hands the entire night waiting for help, but with each passing hour, they started losing hope. It was then that they heard sounds of the boat being cut to pieces with blunt instruments. After a few minutes, a hand emerged from the cut made on the boat and Masena clung on to it to indicate that there were survivors inside the boat. Once they understood that people were trapped inside, the gap was widened and we were brought out safely, Masena told Express.

The boat ventured into the sea from Visakhapatnam harbour on July 9 and reached Paradip on July 13. While returning, the sea turned rough with high tides. The accident occurred around 11 pm near Ummilada village of Santabommali mandal while the boat was being anchored, Masena said. When the boat capsized, three of the eight fishermen onboard jumped off and swam for one and half kilometres at midnight to reach the coast where they sought help from locals. Upon being alerted, the district collector directed officials to take up rescue measures immediately.

The three fishermen  Barri Ammoru, Barri Yerrayya and Ganagalla Tatayya  were rushed to a hospital. The locals, other fishermen and officials cut open the boat with sharp instruments that they could find, suspecting that a few commuters may have been trapped under the vessel.

When I saw a hand through the gap made by the cut, I grabbed it to indicate that there were survivors inside and within minutes, Barri Tatayya, Govinda Appanna, Vasupalli Narasimhulu and I were pulled out safely, Masena said.
By Express News Service

SHIVAMOGGA: Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa condemned the state government of not doing anything for the development of Karnataka.

He alleged that the previous Siddaramaiah government and the present Kumaraswamy-led coalition government only burdened citizens with an uninvited loan of `40,000 crore and more.

Describing the states economy as one that had deteriorated, BSY said: With a grant amount of around `500 crore, our government completed a number of developmental works in and around Shivamogga. I made sure the city got a number of double roads.

We achieved an important milestone after connecting the city railway station with KEB Circle by double roads. Moreover, an 82-km railway track was laid between Thalaguppa and Honnavar. Contrary to these developments, the Siddaramaiah government in its five-year-tenure borrowed loans of `2,86,479 crore, which has now gone up to `2,92,000 crore, since the coalition government came to power.

BSY also said that while there were many co-operative banks under the state limits, the current government seeks aid from nationalised banks to waive off loans in four stages. I fail to understand how Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allows this, and I am eager to see the results, he said.

He expressed anguish over the involvement of nationalised banks for the farmer loan waiver. A delegation of nationalised banks headed by Chief Minister Kumaraswamy has met twice, but the RBI chose to stay away from both the meetings.

I have been raising concerns over the involvement of nationalised banks for the farmer loan waiver since the beginning, but the CM and his aides have not heeded to any of my concerns, he said.

If I had a chance to relieve farmers of their loans, I would have approached the Center in the 24-hour time limit given to me by Supreme Court, to prove majority on the floor, BSY mentioned as he claimed that the chief ministerial candidates of the three parties  the BJP, JD(S) and Congress had a discussion over the loan waiver of farmers prior to the Assembly election. We decided that reliving farmers of their loans is the first task to undertake, he said.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Saturday ruled out the free bus pass scheme stating that there was no money available to implement the same. He told reporters that he had never spoken about free bus passes at all.

This comes even as students who are on a strike, threatened to intensify the bandh call by several student organisations which led to reduced attendance across schools and colleges in the city.

Lecturers at government colleges across the state, faced with a paltry turnout of students, were forced to cut short classes.

However, according to Ajay Kamath, Bengaluru District Secretary of the All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO), classes in around 150 colleges were boycotted by students.

Across Karnataka, around 500 colleges saw negligible attendance by students as over 10,000 students stayed away from classes to support the demand for free bus passes.

However, despite the boycott, some colleges decided to conduct classes even though only few students had turned up. But, later the lecturers were forced to let off the students after a few hours as there very few students.

In Maharanis College for Women in Bengaluru, the student attendance was 25%. While the demand for the free bus pass scheme is growing, sources said that the Education department and the Transport Department were willing to shell out 25% each of the costs for providing these passes if the state government would bear the remaining 50%.

But with Kumaraswamys refusal, this plan is also unlikely to be accepted. The free bus passes for students were announced by previous CM Siddaramaiah in his budget presentation earlier this year. Siddaramaiah had earmarked `836 crore for the scheme in his budget.

However, the issue did not find mention in H D Kumaraswamys budget that was presented recently leading to the massive agitation by students.
By Express News Service

KOTTAYAM: Union MoS (Home) Kiren Rijiju said the state and Central governments would work together to provide relief to the people affected by the rain and ensuing floods. He was speaking to media persons after visiting the flood-hit areas in Kumarakom grama panchayat here on Saturday.

He added the Union Home Ministry would constitute an inter-ministerial team within 10 days to take a detailed report on the quantum of damages in Kerala.

The team to be headed by a joint secretary-level officer in Union Home Ministry, will consist of representatives from all the departments concerned, including Finance, Health, Agriculture, Roads Transport and Highways, and Niti Aayog, he said.

Rijiju said the kith and kin of the deceased people will be provided `4 lakh as relief.

He added `80 crore has been sanctioned to the state as immediate relief and long-term plans will be discussed with the state government later.

This is a situation in which the Centre and state must come together. Natural disasters are unfortunate and a large number of people have been affected because of heavy rain. If any other things are required, we will discuss it, he said.

Union MoState (Tourism) Alphons Kannamthanam and state Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar, Chief Secretary Tom Jose and additional chief secretary P H Kurien also accompanied Rijiju, who visited a relief camp in Chengalam and water-logged areas near Attamangalam church as well.

The Union minister also discussed rain-related havoc with Jose K Mani MP, MLAs K Suresh Kurup, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, District Collector B S Thirumeni and other officials, who were present on the spot.
Unnikrishnan S By

Express News Service

KOLLAM: The journey against the odds came to a happy conclusion after the High Court on Saturday ruled against college which refused to let them continue their course citing the institutions reputation. The ruling came exactly two years after the court let down a live-in couple from another college in Chadayamangalam by approving the managements decision to dismiss the girl.

The young couple met at the CHMM College when she joined there for BBA in 2016. Vyshak was a year senior to her and they became friends following a ragging incident.When a group of seniors started ragging me, Vyshak came to my rescue. And we became friends, said Malavika.

She had initially turned down his proposal and even told her mother about it. She did not have much friends as the family was based in Saudi Arabia till she completed Plus-Two. But his love finally won her heart and it bloomed when she entered the second semester. The couple now aged 20 and 21, vouched the stubborn attitude of the college authorities prompted them to marry early.

Our plan was to get married after completing post-graduation. But the head of the department pressurised my parents to marry me off to someone else, said Malavika. The couple registered their marriage at Veliyam, two months after eloping.

They managed to establish their right before a court at Paravur when the families filed police cases. But the college authorities refused to let them in, forcing them to pursue a legal battle for their rights. Both of them joined for a computer accounting course at Attingal to make up for their lost year. Vyshak took up odd jobs at a bike showroom and private bank.

Meanwhile, the families patched up and the couple now share their time with both the families. Armed with the court order, Malavika is set to join third semester at the same college and Vyshak his fifth semester at a different institution.

Judge declines to accept earlier order

While recognising the freedom to have a choice, Justice A Muhammed Mustaque declined to accept the earlier order of HC passed in 2016. The court had upheld the decision of a college expelling a girl student for eloping with her classmate and for living together.

Justice Mustaque said he was not able to follow the judgment for the simple reason that the judgment had rendered without adverting to the fundamental right of right to privacy. In view of the declaration of the right to privacy on a fundamental right in Puttaswamys case, that judgment lost its significance as binding precedent.
The IFC finance will focus on the renewable energy field through 2019

The World Bank's International Finance Corporation (IFC) will provide finance for the Egyptian private sector to the amount of $2 billion, Egypt's Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation announced Sunday.

According to a ministry statement, the IFC finance will focus on the renewable energy field through 2019, as part of the partnership between Egypt and the World Bank.

The statement came after a meeting between Egyptian Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr and IFC CEO Philippe Le Houerou in Washington during the former's visit to the US.

The statement said that Nasr and Le Houerou discussed cooperation between Egypt and the IFC and the latest economic reforms adopted by Egypt.

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By Express News Service

KOCHI: Describing love as a blind and an innate humane instinct, the Kerala High Court quashed the decision of a college in the state to oust a boy and girl student for love affair and eloping.

The court issued the order on the petition filed by BBA student Malavika Babu, 20, at Varkala CHMM College for Advanced Studies and her senior Vyshak, 21, challenging the decision of the college.

The court said the college authorities failed to understand the intimate personal relationship is the matter of privacy of individuals upon which it has no authority to interfere.

In the absence of evidence that it had affected the classes conducted by the college or the congenial environment for learning, no action can be taken on the ground of indiscipline.

Love is all about the individuals and their freedom. In this case, the college authorities as well as their parents objected to the affair. Finding them as barriers, Malavika eloped with Vyshak.

Malavikas mother lodged a man-missing complaint following which the police produced them before the magistrate. However, the court set her free as she was not wrongfully detained. Malavikas parents retracted from the opposition and supported their marriage.

Now the pair are husband and wife. However, the colleges approach was indifferent and it decided to expel them citing their act amounts to gross indiscipline.

The petitioners counsel Syam J Sam submitted Malavika wanted to continue her degree course in the college while Vyshak decided to discontinue the course and sought for the return of his academic records retained by the college.

The court said the right of management to administer an educational institution would also include the power to impose discipline among pupil to secure the objective standards of education. But that doesnt mean the authority can assume the role to impose moral paternalism upon students notwithstanding their disagreement to such values of the authority.

The educational institutions campus must be a place of neutral value, leaving moral choice to the discretion of students to uphold freedom of the latter and overcome personal biases.

The course of personal life and choice of partners are left to the individual autonomy, that is the essence of the right to privacy, stated in the verdict. The court directed KU to readmit Malavika within two weeks and directed college to return Vyshaks records.
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Taking on right-wing Hindutva activists, CPM politburo member M A Baby on Sunday said they were killing people in the name of religion. Baby was speaking at the protest meet organised by the Federation of Film Societies of India - Kerala to express solidarity with novelist S Hareesh who was threatened for having objectionable contents in his novel Meesha. The other day, the novelist was forced to withdraw the novel serialised in the Mathrubhumi weekly following threats from Sangh Parivar outfits.

Baby said Sangh Parivar criminals used filthy language and threatening messages to silence creative freedom.

Our state has a great tradition of protecting freedom of expression. But incidents which have taken place in the past few years are a serious matter of concern. Our right to express our creativity is in the hands of illiterate and semi-literate right-wing protesters. I happened to read the so-called objectionable lines in the novel. I didnt find anything objectionable, Baby said.

He pointed out a few major creative works of literary giants, including M T Vasudevan Nair, which could have triggered intolerance had they been written in the present social and political circumstances. In MTs famed film Nirmalyam, the lead character donned by P J Antony spat blood on a temple deity. Imagine the consequences if the film releases now. Hence, we have to defend our freedom of expression, he said.

Kavitha Lankesh expresses solidarity with Hareesh

Veteran documentary filmmaker Kavitha Lankesh, the younger sister of slain journalist Gouri Lankesh, echoed the opinion of Shashi Tharoor MP that India will become the homeland of Hindu Talibanism.

The level of intolerance has gone up in the past few years which led to the killing of many creative artists, including my sister. Many people including Gireesh Karnad and Prakash Raj also figured in the hit-list of the right-wing group. When my father, P Lankesh, wrote many journals, no one opposed it. But the present circumstances differ. Hence, I express my solidarity with Hareesh, Kavitha said. Documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan urged Hareesh not to stop writing due to the threats made by the right-wing group.

VS call to defeat hate politics

CPM veteran and Administrative Reforms Commission chairman V S Achuthanandan has urged progressive and democratic forces to join the efforts to fight the politics of hatred. He called upon writer S Hareesh to have a rethink on his decision to withdraw the novel Meesha. The writer and the magazine(Mathrubhumi Weekly) should be ready to publish the remaining parts. If they succumb to Sangh Parivar threat, it will lead to the revival of some anti-social ideas which were once defeated, VS said.

A blot on Kerala society: Chennithala

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala termed the move to pull out Harishs novel Meesha an insult to the enlightened Kerala society. The Sangh Parivar will never shy away from silencing those who write against them and even try to eliminate such persons. It is disturbing to find such forces gaining ground in Kerala. Those who are trying to finish off a person for his writing is leading the state into darkness, he said.
By Express News Service

RAYAGADA: Train services between Rayagada and Koraput (KR line) were disrupted as the railway tracks were submerged in flood water on Saturday. Water was also flowing over the tracks in Bhalumaska and Tumbitarai as a result of which, Jagdalpur-Howrah Samleswari Express, Koraput-Visakhapatnam DMU, Koraput-Visakhapatnam Intercity and Bhubaneswar-Jagdalpur Hirakhand Express were delayed by four hours

In another incident, a man and his wife died and their son was injured when a wall of their thatched house collapsed in Sulipadar village under Kalyansinghpur block of Rayagada district on Saturday.The deceased are Madhaba Loya (60) and Jasoda Loya (55). They were sitting near the wall when it caved in, killing the two at the spot and injuring their son Panchanan. Although locals rushed them to Kalyansinghpur CHC, doctors declared them brought dead. Panchanan sustained minor injuries. Due to incessant rains, the walls of the house had become wet and weak.

As rains continued to lash the district for the third day on Saturday, water level of rivers rose. Bansadhara was flowing close to the warning level of 83 metres while the danger level is 84 metres. Almost all the rivers flowing through the district are in spate. Collector Guha Poonam Tapas Kumar formed a monitoring team and deputed the members to flooded area to look into relief and rescue operations.
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: As several parts of the Smart City Bhubaneswar were flooded due to heavy rains twice during the last seven days, the Congress and BJP came down heavily on the State Government for its failure to come to the rescue of citizens.

And there were also rumblings of discontentment in the ruling BJD with a minister criticising vested interests for the situation. Some vested interest individuals and groups are responsible for this situation. Natural flow of storm water has been deliberately obstructed at several places. Even in old town area some officials are not allowing construction of drains, the Minister said.

However, the BJP has strongly criticised the Minister for trying to wriggle out of the situation by blaming the officials only. BJP spokesperson Golak Prasad Mohapatra said the ministers statement has proved that local corporators and officials of the BMC are responsible for the sorry state of affairs.

Alleging that the situation in the city is completely man-made, Mohapatra alleged that illegal constructions have choked rain water release and created a man-made flood.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wrote to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari when the NH-16 in front of ISKCON temple was under storm water, Mohapatra said and asked whom will he now write when the Kedar Gouri temple is under water.

President of OPCC Niranjan Patnaik said the Chief Minister is busy in reviewing the situation when the common man continues to suffer. The result of the sloppiness and negligence of BJD is on full display in Bhubaneswar since the last few days and it doesnt look very smart, he said.

Eight trains cancelled

Altogether eight trains were cancelled, six short-terminated and 42 others regulated on different routes due to waterlogging at Khurda Road and Bhubaneswar railway stations and Puri yard on Saturday following incessant rains in the last 24 hours.

Bhubaneswar-Jagdalpur Hirakhand Express got stuck about one hour near Bhalumaska Station in Rayagada district as rail tracks were submerged in rainwater. It later brought back to the station and halted for three hours. An official said railway engineers immediately attended that site and gave safety clearance following which the train left at 11.30 am.

There was no damage to tracks. The train slowly followed two brave trackmen who gave safety clearance after checking the tracks, he said.

Two of three lines between Khurda Road and Bhubaneswar were suspended after rain water touched the demarcated mark at a small bridge near Retang railway station. Trains services were allowed only on the UP line leading to delay of several trains.

Sources at East Coast Railway said all Rath Yatra special trains between Khurda Road-Puri-Khurda Road and Khurda Road-Nayagarh-Khurda Road were cancelled along with Cuttack-Paradip-Cuttack Passenger train and Bhubaneswar-Puri-Bhubaneswar Rath Yatra special passenger train.
T Muruganandham By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: A section of AIADMK MPs were caught in a dilemma to vote or to abstain from voting during the opposition-sponsored no-confidence motion against the BJP government on Friday.

All AIADMK MPs voted in favour of BJP-led NDA government at the Centre - i.e., they voted against the motion. Now, it has come to the light that ahead of voting, MPs indeed wanted to abstain from the voting instead of taking part in it which in turn was tantamount to supporting the government.

Explaining what had happened on Friday, party sources said Some of the AIADMK MPs were reluctant to support the BJP government. They felt that abstaining from voting would be a safer stance for the party since even Shiv Sena, an NDA partner had decided to abstain. But, top leaders of the party insisted that all MPs should vote against the no-confidence motion. The directive of the top leaders was conveyed to MPs by Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha M Thambidurai and AIADMK parliamentary party leader P Venugopal.

ALSO READ | No-confidence vote HIGHLIGHTS: Motion defeated in Lok Sabha

The sources also said to avoid any last minute confusion, a two-line whip - to be present in the House and to vote against the no confidence motion - was issued in morning ahead of beginning of discussion on the motion and the signatures of all AIADMK MPs were obtained.

The sources also underscored the fact that indeed, the AIADMK MPs were convinced by the fact that supporting the no-confidence motion would be against the interests of Tamil Nadu. On reports that a few AIADMK MPs had voted against the government, a senior MP denied it. In the case of Theni MP R Parthiban, the voting button did not work properly. So, he had recorded his vote in writing. All other MPs of AIADMK voted against the no trust motion, he said.

Stalin hits out at AIADMK for backing BJP

Chennai: The AIADMK support to BJP government during the no-confidence motion on Friday is a treachery of people of Tamil Nadu as the national party had not allocated funds for welfare measures of Tamil Nadu, DMK working president MK Stalin has said. In a statement, he said the AIADMK had been exposed of being a benami of BJP.

He slammed the Chief Minister for supporting BJP and said the Union government had not earmarked any funds for important State government projects. On Friday night, Stalin had tweeted, Support for Modi Govt in #NoConfidence despite NEET, 15th Finance Commission, GST, Hindi imposition and communal politics is further proof of the quid-pro-quo arrangement between AIADMK and BJP. IT raids of CMs family achieved their objective.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy said the stand taken by the TRS during the debate held on the no-trust motion in Lok Sabha against the Narendra Modi government on Friday had exposed the fact that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was an agent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP.

TRS abstaining from no-trust vote exposed that they are hand in glove with BJP. They have wasted a good opportunity to take the Union government to task. PM Modis praise of TRS government despite its failures reaffirms what we have been repeatedly saying - TRS is the BJPs B-Team. The secret friendship between KCR and Modi has been uncovered now, Uttam commented.

Interacting with media persons here on Saturday, accompanied by A Revanth Reddy, the TPCC chief claimed that TRS MPs had completely failed to question the Central government about the unfulfilled promises made to the State during bifurcation of the erstwhile united state. CM KCR has supported all decisions so far taken by PM Modi, right from demonetisation of big currency notes. KCRs tacit friendship with the BJP continued even during the debate on the no-trust motion in Lok Sabha, Uttam criticised.

Why have the TRS members in Lok Sabha not voted for the no-trust motion against Modi government? What happened to the open threats earlier issued by KCR to the Centre that if the Union government doesnt enhance quota of reservations to Muslims, the TRS will wage a war against it? The way TRS preferred to go soft against the Modi government during the debate in Lok Sabha clearly proves the point that KCR is very much afraid of Modi, the TPCC chief attacked.

Uttam praises TDP

Further indicating that Congress party and TDP were coming closer to each other with each passing day in the run-up to the next general polls, Uttam asked the people of Andhra Pradesh to try to know which political party was working against their interests.KCR should learn lessons from the TDP, which moved no-trust motion against Modi government in order to get its pound of flesh from Delhi. While TDP questioned Modi vociferously, TRS has wholeheartedly backed the Central government during the debate in Lok Sabha. Why has TRS MP K Kavitha, who had earlier several times openly sought special category status to AP, not backed the same demand in the Lok Sabha on Friday? he questioned.

In another press meet, Congress leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir wanted to know why the TRS did not take an aggressive posture against the NDA government in Lok Sabha during debate on non-fulfilment of bifurcation promises. TRS has missed a chance to corner the Modi government, he said.

Hugging the PM shows Rahuls simplicity: Uttam

Commenting on AICC president Rahul Gandhis act of hugging PM Modi and winking in the Lok Sabha during debate on no-trust vote, IT Minister KT Rama Rao tweeted, Looks like I missed watching some major drama; Hugs, winks, rhetoric etc. Replying to this, TPCC chief Uttam said, The PM may have won the Trust Vote, but our dear Congress President has won the love, admiration & trust of millions of Indians with his grace, humility & an extremely sharp rebuttal of the govts policies which have endangered the very idea of India. Rahul hugging the PM only shows the AICC presidents simplicity.
Biju E Paul By

ALAPPUZHA: The agriculture sector has suffered a huge loss, thanks to flood in Kuttanad during the incessant rains Kerala has witnessed. Ninety per cent of paddy fields in which Kharif farming was done is underwater in Kuttanad, known as Keralas rice bowl. The paddy production in the state is expected to diminish by 50,000 tonnes in the coming harvesting season. The second-term farming was carried out in 9,907 hectares in the district and around 90 per cent of the cultivation is under water, said Beena Natesh, principal agriculture officer.

Paddy has resistance to flooding up to a maximum of five days, but this time, entire paddy polders are flooded for the past three days. Farming was carried out in 145 polders and around 140 are underwater. Out of which 41 have been destroyed after the collapse of bunds. The department has calculated a preliminary loss of Rs 5 crore. However, the amount is likely to increase. So the exact loss could be calculated after the flood water recedes, Beena said. The expected production of rice in Kharif season is 50,000 tonnes, but it will become zero due to the flood, Beena said.

Mini S Nair, assistant director, Agriculture Department, Ramankari, said the entire cultivation in Ramankari and Chambakulam area covering more than 10 panchayats were destroyed in the flood. Almost all the paddy polders are under water. Out of 5,650 hectares of paddy fields, 5,500 are underwater. Many paddy polders in the area were destroyed after the breaching of bunds and it will take more time to drain out water, Mini said.

Joseph, a farmer from Pulinkunnu, said the loss is above the calculations of the department. The department has calculated only two-thirds of the original loss. Many farmers carried out farming after taking land for lease. The lease amount and our hard work will not be included in the loss. Very few farmers have insured their crop, so the intervention of the government is a must for the revival of cultivation, he said.

Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar said the government will consider the demand to allot more relief to the farmers who suffered loss due to flood. The government will examine the possibility for allotting extra relief. The expenditure for reconstructing bunds will be allotted from the government fund, the minister said. The water level in the low-lying areas of Alappuzha district still remains high although the strength of the rain is on the wane.

A 71-year-old man died in Thalavadi due to a rain-related mishap earlier this week. Varghese Eapan, Karukapallil house, of Thalavadi panchayat died when he was being shifted to a relief camp in a country boat from his flooded house by rescue operators. The body was shifted to the Government Hospital, Edathua.

Crop loss in Thrissur district

The crop loss in Thrissur district due to the heavy rain has been put at Rs 7.41 crore, according to a statement from the district administration. Lashing showers accompanied by high-velocity gusts damaged crops in 174.16 hectares.

Farming hit in Palakkad

Water-logging due to incessant rain have also affected paddy crops in Chittur and Alathur taluks of Palakkad district in the state. In Alathur and Chittur taluks, many saplings have been washed away and the farmers need to replant them. Unfortunately, the farmers do not have seeds to prepare the seed beds all over again. Therefore, the government should initiate efforts to supply seeds through Krishi Bhavans in rain-affected areas, said Desiya Karshaka Samajam general secretary Muthalmthode Mani.
Express News Service By

BENGALURU / KOLAR: Bengalurus infamous froth has now reached Lakshmisagar village in Kolar district, thanks to the Koramangala-Challaghatta (KC) Valley project. The project was meant to recharge groundwater in the depleted aquifers of Kolar, but the froth being spewed out over the past two days at the discharge point near Lakshmisagar lake and further downstream has only confirmed the worst fears of villagers.

The quality of water flowing into the lakes of Kolar, within the first two months of the launch of the project, has the villagers and activists worried about groundwater contamination. They fear that seepage of heavy metals and other chemicals could enter the food chain and have catastrophic consequences.

READ| National Green Tribunal forms panel to inspect Bengaluru lakes

R Anjaneya Reddy, president of Shashvatha Neeravari Horata Samiti, Chikkaballapur, said frothing near Lakshmisagar lake was reminiscent of Bellandur and other frothing lakes of Bengaluru. It is clear the water treatment has not worked. This is what we had feared. The region is said to be the food bowl of Bengaluru as a large number of vegetables go from there. Continuous discharge of such water could contaminate the scarce groundwater resources here, he said.

Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, however, refuted the allegations and said water supply up to the metering point, which is its responsibility, was of a quality conforming to the state pollution control board standards. Beyond this point, the Minor Irrigation Department is responsible for the quality of water, an official said.

Shankar A, a resident of Lakshmisagar village, said the situation has only worsened after the scheme was inaugurated. Earlier there was just a faint odour of detergent, with little froth. Now, both odour and froth has intensified in the village lakes, he said. Lakshmisagar has two tanks, one upstream named after the village and another downstream. Both tanks are being filled under the project. Krishnappa, a resident of Lakshmisagar, said that villagers were afraid that all crops irrigated with this water would not survive. Another farmer, Prabhakar rued that all lakes in the district, which were full of rainwater this year, would now be polluted by the sewage water of Bengaluru.

A BWSSB official countered that an external agency tests the water at supply point every day. We have records to show that the quality of water till our supply point is as per the standards in place, he said, adding the quality of water beyond this point was the responsibility of the Minor Irrigation Department. On Monday, officials of the Minor Irrigation Department also noticed the froth and stopped pumping it, the official said.

A N Yellappa Reddy, environmentalist and former Lok Adalat member said that the froth  an aerosol suspension  contains both bacteria and virus and is a mini chemical and biological bomb. Though locals may not be affected immediately, there will be a long-term impact from it, he said. He said there are methods to tackle this which the government should adopt. Subha Kalyan, in-charge deputy commissioner, Kolar, said a team has been deputed to disinfect water in the tanks.
Fayaz Wani By

SRI NAGAR: As the Legislative Assemblys fate hangs in the balance with J&K Governor NN Vohra choosing not to dissolve it, the State might get its first chief minister from Jammu or the first Shia CM or even a CM from a party with only two MLAs. Ever since the BJP withdrew support to Mehbooba Mufti on June 19, the PDP is plagued with rebellion.

Political scientist Adil Ahmad ruled out any alliance between the PDP, which has 28 members, and Congress (12), or between the NC (15) and the BJP (25). He said the possibility now was the BJP forming the government on its own with the support of dissident PDP members, its Sajad Gani Lone-led ally Peoples Conference which has two MLAs, and some independent legislators.

In such an equation, there are three possibilities  one being the Muslim-majority state getting the first CM from Jammu where the BJP has all its 25 seats.As BJP draws its strength from Jammu, the party will, for the first time, try to have a CM from Jammu so that it is able to draw benefit from the move in the next elections, Ahmad said. Another possibility is the State getting a first Shia chief minister in Imran Raza Ansari, who has broken away from PDP along with four other MLAs.

Majid Nazir, a keen Kashmir watcher, said if Imran is able to get 14 more PDP legislators and ally with BJP, then they can manage the anti-defection law as the Speaker belongs to the BJP. However, he said in doing so, the BJP would be playing with the sensitive fault lines of the state, and bring out in the open differences between Sunnis and Shia, that could become disastrous for the security situation. Unlike the rest of the Muslim world, the Shia-Sunni divide is not as wide in J&K and the two communities live in comparative peace. But promoting a Shia as the CM against the majority Sunnis could boomerang not only for BJP but also for the central government in the long run.

Yet another equation, which at the moment seems more plausible, is BJP promoting Sajad Gani Lone as the chief ministerial candidate. Lone has been loyal to the BJP ever since he entered into an alliance with it after meeting his elder brother Narendra Modi before the 2014 polls. Recently BJPs national general secretary Ram Madhav met him and discussed government formation possibilities.

What could come in Lones way is his partys meagre strength, and if Ansari is able to woo more legislators, then he would certainly ask for a better deal than what Sajad would get. However, sources say former finance minister Haseeb Drabu, could also steal the limelight. Drabu, who played a key role in the formation of PDP-BJP government, is said to enjoy personal relations with Madhav, BJPs pointsman on Kashmir.
Anuraag Singh By

BHOPAL: Dynasty politics has deep roots in Indian politics and Madhya Pradesh is no exception. With Assembly elections approaching, many sons are waiting to rise on the horizon of state of state politics. So are daughters, nephews, nieces and other relatives of politicians from various parties. Children of several senior leaders of both the BJP and the Congress are in the race for getting tickets to contest the November-December polls. Among them are BJP national general secretary and former MP minister Kailash Vijayvargiyas son Akash Vijayvargiya and eight-time Indore MP and Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajans son Mandhar Mahajan.

While Mandhars name is doing the rounds in party circles for Indore-3 seat, presently represented by BJPs Usha Thakur, Akash is being seen as a major contender from one of three seats  Indore-2, Rau or Mhow, a seat currently held by his father. Akash had played a key role in campaigning for Kailash Vijayvargiya in 2013 polls, which he had won by a narrow margin.Also doing the rounds of BJP circles is the name of Eklavya Gaur, son of sitting Indore-4 MLA and city mayor Malini Gaur, who is said to be not so keen on contesting the next Assembly polls.

Senior Congress leader Mahesh Joshis son Deepak Pintu Joshi could be the partys choice from Indore-3 seat. In Jhabua and Alirajpur district, those vying for Congress tickets include Ratlam-Jhabua MP and former Union minister Kantilal Bhurias son Dr Vikrant Bhuria and niece Kalawati Bhuria. Vikrant, a doctor, had carried out Adivasi Chetna Yatra a few months ago to boost his poll prospects and eyeing to contest from Jhabua or Thandla seat, while Kalawati, presently the district panchayat chairperson, is eyeing to contest either from Jhabua or Petlawad seat of Jhabua district or Jobat seat of Alirajpur district.

In adjoining Ratlam district, contenders for Congress ticket from Alot include former Ujjain MP Premchand Guddus son Ajit Borasi, who had lost to Union minister Thawarhchand Gehlots son Jitendra Gehlot in 2013. According to BJP sources, sons of other senior leaders, including Sudhir Yadav (Sagar MP Laxminarayan Yadavs son) and Mudit Shejwar (MP minister Gaurishankar Shejwar son) are in the race for Banda seat of Sagar district and Sanchi seat of Raisen district, respectively. Son of MPs minister of state Harsh Singh is also said to be in the running from one of the seats in Satna.

Sources added that Union minister Narendra Singh Tomars son Devendra Singh Tomar could be a possible candidate from a Tomar-dominated constituency of Morena or Gwalior district. Agriculture minister Gourishanker Bisen is believed to be lobbying for party ticket for his daughter from Balaghat, in case he is denied ticket.

When contacted by The Sunday Standard, state BJPs chief spokesperson Deepak Vijayvargiya said the decision on finalising candidates on all 230 seats would be taken by the party keeping in mind the winnability criterion. Being a senior leaders son or daughter neither boosts nor hampers anyones chances to contest on party ticket, he maintained. State Congress spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi said being the son or daughter of a politician wasnt a handicap, but it would be the chances of winning that would decide who contests from a particular seat on the party ticket.
Russia appears to be consolidating its Middle East influence, balancing Iran and Israel while the United States watches in the background

Five days before the first American-Russian summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu flew to Moscow to meet Putin on Wednesday, 11 July. It was his third visit to the Russian capital this year, and his eleventh since Russia had begun its military intervention in Syria in September 2015.

The main topic between the two leaders on 11 July was the future Iranian role and military presence in Syria and how far Moscow could have an impact on future Iranian behaviour in Syria after the war comes to an end, which could happen sooner rather than later depending on which directions the political winds go in light of the American-Russian summit.

In all probability, the war in Syria is winding down, particularly after the Syrian Army entered the southern city of Daraa and hoisted the Syrian flag on government buildings.

It was a highly significant as well as symbolic move in the context of the eight-year long war that has raged across Syria, a war that has seen Irans role and military presence grow by leaps and bounds.

And if by sheer coincidence, another guest was in town during Netanyahus stay in Moscow.

The guest was no one else but Ali Akbar Vilayati, a senior adviser to Irans Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Vilayati stressed in the Russian capital that his countrys relationship with Russia is strategic.

Prior to his departure for Moscow, the Israeli prime minister talked about Israels priorities in Syria for years to come.

The first one is that Iranian and Hizbullah forces be distanced from the border with Israel.

The second relates to the removal of Iranian long-range missiles from Syria (it was the first time that Netanyahu speaks publicly about such Iranian weapon systems in Syria).

The third priority was a bit unexpected from the Israelis who have been deliberately massacring the Palestinians, be it in Gaza or in the West Bank since Israel has come into being. Netanyahu said that Israel does not want people being slaughtered  his term  in the buffer zone between Syria and Israel.

The Israeli leader said that the Russians have distanced Iran dozens of kilometres from the Israeli border with Syria. It should be noted that there were no Iranian advisers or units from pro-Iranian militias operating in Syria or advancing with Syrian troops in the south of Syria.

The Iranians are very shrewd people when it comes to their political moves across the regional chessboard.

Of all things, I doubt that they are in a situation where they could afford a military confrontation with Israel, that is fully backed by the Trump administration when it comes to dealing with Iran.

The presence of a senior foreign policy adviser to Irans Supreme Leader in Moscow at the same time Netanyahu was visiting the Russian capital, could not be a coincidence.

The two main Middle Eastern enemies present in the same capital city, simultaneously, could only be the result of advance preparations and coordination by the Russians, with the full knowledge of both parties.

Surely, Russia has proven that it is the only power that has the diplomatic clout and the trust of the Iranians and the Israelis, a position that enabled Russian diplomacy to bring the Iranians to heel while keeping the Israelis calm and assured of the future policies of Iran in Syria.

Needless to say, the high stakes meetings in Moscow last Wednesday, 11 July, clarified the positions of Israel and Iran as to their respective red lines in Syria, and was an opportunity for Russia to exercise its influence on the Middle East.

In fact, if there has been a constant in Syria in the last three years, it is the fact that Russia has been a buffer between all the regional powers elbowing each other for influence in Syria. This sheer fact would be an important card to play at the Helsinki summit.

Strangely and unexpectedly enough, US Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican, South Carolina) and a leading member on the Senate Armed Services Committee tweeted the following friendly warning to the Israelis one day after Netanyahu had met with President Putin in Moscow: To our friends in Israel  be very careful making agreements with Russia re Syria that affect US interests.

I dont trust Russia to police Iran or anyone else in Syria. US must maintain presence in Syria to ensure ISIS doesnt come back and to counter Russia/Iran influence.

The tweet was a gentle American reminder to the Israelis that the United States expects Israel to coordinate its moves in the Middle East with Washington and not at the expense of American interests in the medium and long-term, particularly in Syria.

The Israeli reassuring answer was not late in coming. On the same day of the senators tweet, Netanyahu told news reporters that Israel is completely coordinating with the United States regarding the situation in Syria.

The Helsinki summit will definitely shed more light on the positions of the two superpowers regarding Syria.

The diplomatic coincidence in Moscow on Wednesday, 11 July, was in anticipation of this summit, that could be a determining factor in the way things will go in the Middle East for decades to come, and the roles and red lines assigned to the allies and strategic partners of both the United States and Russia in the region, including Syria.

The beneficiaries could be, against all odds, Iran and Israel. And the Arabs are conspicuous with their absence in this respect. They were not invited to Moscow on 11 July.

The writer is former assistant foreign minister.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 19 July 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Diplomatic coincidence?

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Namita Bajpai By

LUCKNOW: With her party in talks for pre-poll alliances in at least five states, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawatis prime ministerial ambitions are on the ascendance. While she is negotiating a package deal with the Congress for a tie-up in three states  Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh  her talks with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav for alliance in Uttar Pradesh are in final stage, according to reliable sources. She is also likely to contest Lok Sabha elections after 14 years  a plan that will not only galvanise her cadre to walk an extra mile to ensure the partys win but will also give a fillip to her acceptability at the national level if the Opposition succeeds in the stopping BJP juggernaut.

Earlier this week, while she sacked her party vice-president J P Singh for making uncharitable remarks against Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, she was mum on Singhs call to make her the PM. Ruling BJPs consecutive defeats in Assembly and parliamentary by-polls after assuming power in UP has renewed her confidence to resist the saffron juggernaut with full might. The Karnataka elections have, in fact, proved the much-needed morlae-booster for the BSP chief just the year before the big battle of 2019.

After having forged a tie-up with the JD(S) in the southern state, she was instrumental in making the Congress join the front and foiled the BJPs bid to form the government despite emerging as the largest party. After the elections, Mayawati managed to get a ministerial berth for her lone MLA in the state. In pursuance of her bigger goal and chasing her dream, the BSP leader is now playing her cards carefully. Two consecutive defeats in 2014 and 2017 had many political pundits write her off. But in a paradigm shift in strategy, the BSP extended support to SP candidates in Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha bypolls, which saw the ruling BJP in the state bite the dust. A stunned BJP couldnt have imagined the two arch rivals would join hands, but the pattern was repeated in the Kairna and Noorpur bypolls, consolidating the SP-BSP ties.

The Mayawati-Sonia Gandhi bonhomie, evident at the swearing-in of Karnataka CM H D Kumaraswamy two months ago, was an indication enough for the political pundits to gauge Mayawatis indispensability in propelling any prospective political combination at the national level to take on the BJP.In case of regional alliances, her partys vote share can help the ally to sail through in a close contest.

Though in constant talks with regional forces, Mayawati, who has been nurturing PM dreams for long, knows fully well that they can be realised only with the Congress on her side. Thats why she was prompt in sacking J P Singh for making incendiary remarks against Rahul. Moreover, she has reoriented herself in the recent past expecting a bigger role she may have to play at the national level. She is believed to have spelt out the number of seats her party will contest in politically crucial UP to ally Akhilesh, who is more than willing to make compromises in order to defeat the BJP.

Preparations for electoral battle

 The BSP is negotiating a package deal with the Congress for a tie-up in three states  Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh

 Mayawati is also said to be planning to contest Lok Sabha elections after 14 years so that she emerges as combined Oppositions PM choice should they succeed in stopping BJP juggernaut
By PTI

BERLIN: Germany has lifted economic sanctions on Turkey and relaxed its travel advice to the country, Berlin said today, after Ankara ended its two-year state of emergency.

A 1.5 billion-euro (USD 1.7 billion) limit on export guarantees to Turkey would not be renewed this year, Germany's economy ministry told AFP, confirming an earlier report by the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

The measure was imposed in July 2017 as a way to pressure Ankara after the detention of a German human right campaigner and five other activists, including the head of Amnesty International in Turkey.

Opposition parties in Germany have accused the 1.5 billion-euro limit of being too timid, given that the value of export guarantees increased from 1.1 billion euros in 2016 to 1.46 billion euros the following year.

Germany's foreign ministry also removed a warning on its website about its nationals facing a high risk of arrest when visiting Turkey.

Turkey's state of emergency, which was imposed after a failed 2016 coup and saw the biggest purge of officials in the country's modern history, came to an end on Thursday.

However the country's opposition has accused the government of moving to permanently formalise some of the measure's harshest aspects.

Yesterday, Turkey and the Netherlands ended months of enmity and agreed to restore diplomatic ties after two Turkish ministers were barred from a Rotterdam rally.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: The US Defence Department said it would give USD 200 million to Ukraine to help the war-torn nation bolster its military's defensive capabilities.

The amount is part of a series of Pentagon payments now totalling more than USD 1 billion to Ukraine since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea.

Ukraine is fighting a separatist insurgency in its Russian-speaking eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk.

All of the military aid, which comes from the Pentagon's security cooperation funds, will be non-lethal in nature.

"The added funds will provide equipment to support ongoing training programs and operational needs, including capabilities to enhance Ukraine's command and control, situational awareness systems, secure communications, military mobility, night vision, and military medical treatment," the Pentagon said in a statement.

The announcement came days after US President Donald Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin sparked outrage at home, where even some Republicans said the US leader had been far too conciliatory to his counterpart.

More than 10,000 people have been killed since the Moscow-backed insurgency broke out in April 2014 following Russia's annexation of Crimea.

Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Russia of funneling troops and arms to the pro-Moscow rebels across the border.

Moscow denies the allegations.

The conflict has become a focal point of stresses in the Washington-Moscow relationship, with the US hitting Russia with stiff economic sanctions.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: American officials are meeting former Afghan Taliban leaders amid intensifying efforts by the Trump administration to seek a negotiated settlement of the country's longest war, according to a media report.

The talks have occurred at undisclosed locations in Qatar, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, the NBC News claimed, citing Taliban sources.

Quoting one negotiator, it said Taliban delegations had been joined by "never more than five" Americans for a series of meetings in hotel suites in Doha, Qatar.

The gatherings were "very friendly" with "tea and cookies" being served, the report said, Quoting the "Doha meeting participant".

The negotiator said security is "very tight in and outside," with hotel staff not allowed to enter.

According to the report, the Taliban often use a "network of former commanders and political leaders" as interlocutors.

Some of those used as interlocutors have previously been imprisoned by the US or Afghanistan and no longer have active roles.

The Taliban delegates are taking steps to not be identified by the intelligence services of Russia, China and Arab countries.

"We don't go to the hotel together," the negotiator said.

"We never go to the meeting place first. Once they (the Americans) reach the meeting place, then we go there one by one. We use the elevator for some of the floors and then take the stairs out of security considerations."

The source said hotels were chosen because the Taliban and US officials initially "didn't trust each other.

" Quoting an Afghanistan-based Taliban commander, the report said that another gathering happened earlier this month in the United Arab Emirates.

"Americans are meeting with our former members in the UAE and Kabul," he said.

"Those former Taliban then convey to us their messages from the talks with multiple options."

"Our stance is quite clear and that's the same old one," he said.

"The US would need to withdraw its military forces from Afghanistan and exchange prisoners and let the Afghan people decide their issues as per their culture and traditions," the Taliban commander said.

US officials were taking an "unprecedented" interest in the peace process in recent months, the commander added.

A State Department spokesperson did not confirm that any meetings had taken place, but did say the Trump administration was eager to resolve the conflict.

"The US is exploring all avenues to advance a peace process in close consultation with the Afghan government," the spokesperson said.

The US has lost more than 2,400 soldiers in Afghanistan since late 2001, when it invaded the country after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

President Donald Trump is keen to withdraw the approximately 14,000 American troops who remain in Afghanistan, a promise he made on the campaign trail.

Last month, Pompeo said the US was ready to "support, facilitate and participate" in discussions with the Taliban over the role of international forces in Afghanistan but that the peace process would be Afghan-led.
By ANI

RAWALPINDI: The Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) received a fresh jolt when its leader Hanif Abbasi was on Saturday sentenced to life imprisonment in ephedrine quota case.

An anti-narcotics court sentenced Abbasi, who was facing charges of allegedly misusing 500kg of the controlled chemical ephedrine, which he got for his pharmaceutical company, Gray Pharmaceutical in 2010, Geo TV reported.

In the ruling, the court stated that nearly 363kg of ephedrine was rightly used and added that Abbasi did not provide evidence on the usage of the remaining quantity of ephedrine. Seven others accused in the case were acquitted by the court, giving them the benefit of doubt.

On Tuesday, the Pakistan Supreme Court rejected Abbasi's plea to delay the trial's deadline. A day before the verdict, anti-narcotics court judge Mohammad Akram Khan also dismissed the PML-N leader's petition, as per the report.

In June 2012, Abbasi and his associates were booked by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) under different sections of the Control of Narcotics Substances (CNS) Act.

ANF officials had alleged that Abbasi sold ephedrine drug to narcotics smugglers, who used to make "party drugs."

A CNS court had indicted Abbasi and his brother, among other accused in 2014.

Abbasi was to contest from NA-60 seat in Rawalpindi and was pitted against Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed, who was backed by Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Reacting to the verdict, Shehbaz hit out at its timing saying it "clearly showed a discriminatory attitude towards [the] PML-N."

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that justice was not served and that the verdict had made the upcoming general elections "controversial".

Meanwhile, PTI chairman Imran Khan welcomed the verdict, saying "one more PML-N member was going to Adiala jail in Rawalpindi."
By PTI

JOHANNESBURG: South African police say gunmen have opened fire on a minibus carrying members of a taxi drivers' association, killing 11 people and critically wounding four others.

Police Brig. Jay Naicker says the victims of yesterday's night attack had attended the funeral of a colleague and were returning home when the ambush occurred.

He says the attack happened between the towns of Colenso and Weenen in KwaZulu-Natal province and the victims were from Gauteng province.

Police are investigating possible motives. Tensions between groups of taxi drivers vying for the same routes sometimes spill into deadly violence in South Africa.

South African media reported the deaths of 10 people in violence related to rivalries among minibus taxi drivers in Cape Town over one weekend in May.
By AFP

JERUSALEM: Israel evacuated 800 White Helmets rescuers and their families from Syria to Jordan overnight at the request of the United States and European countries, army radio said on Sunday.

The request came as the volunteer rescuers were threatened by advancing forces of the Syrian regime in the south of the war-ravaged country, the radio station reported.

Jordan said it would transfer the Syrians to Britain, Canada and Germany.

Founded in 2013, the Syria Civil Defence, or White Helmets, are a network of first responders who rescue wounded in the aftermath of air strikes, shelling or blasts in rebel-held territory.

"Following an Israeli government directive and at the request of the United States and additional European countries, the IDF recently completed a humanitarian effort to rescue members of a Syrian civil organisation and their families," said the Israel Defence Forces.

"The civilians were evacuated from the war zone in southern Syria due to an immediate threat to their lives," the IDF said on its Twitter account, describing the move as "an exceptional humanitarian gesture".

"The civilians were subsequently transferred to a neighbouring country," it said without elaborating.

"Israel continues to maintain a non-intervention policy regarding the Syrian conflict and continues to hold the Syrian regime accountable for all activities in Syrian territory."

Israel has been sending medical aid to civilians who have fled fighting in the Syrian-controlled part of the Golan Heights.

Israel seized 1,200 square kilometres (460 square miles) of the Golan area from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it, in a move never recognised internationally.
By PTI

KARACHI: The suicide bomber who recently killed nearly 150 people at an election meeting in Pakistan's troubled Balochistan province had studied at a religious seminary in Karachi before tarvelling to Afghanistan for militant training, police confirmed today.

Hafeez Abbasi struck at an election meeting of the Baluchistan Awami party in Mastung on July 13, killing nearly 150 people and injuring some 200 others in one of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan's history.

Nawab Siraj Raisani, a candidate from PB-35 (Mastung), was among those killed in the attack, claimed by the Islamic State terror group.

"We uncovered the identity of the bomber and his details by matching finger prints of an unclaimed body in the Mastung bomb blast," an official in the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Sindh Police said.

"We matched it with the record available with the National Database and Registration Authority.

It was confirmed that the alleged suicide bomber was a resident of Gharibabad Mohalla in Dhabeji, Thatta," he said.

"A special CTD team went to Thatta and was told by the bomber's father that Hafeez had been shifted to the Spin Boldak area of Afghanistan," he added.

Another official said the bomber's father Muhammad Nawaz had revealed that not only his son, but his wife and two other sons and three daughters had also gone to Afghanistan.

"According to the father his son studied at a seminary in Shah Faisal Colony in Karachi where he was put on the path to militancy," the official said.

The official said it was confirmed that the three sisters of the suicide bomber were religious scholars in Afghanistan and had married ISIS militants there.
By PTI

PESHAWAR: A former provincial minister and senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was today killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up near his car in the troubled Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, police said.

Ikramullah Gandapur, a candidate for the provincial assembly seat from PK-99 constituency, was on his way to an election meeting when the bomber targeted his vehicle in Dera Ismail Khan district.

His driver was also killed in the attack while three bodyguards were badly injured, Dera Ismail Khan DPO Manzoor Afridi said.

Gandapur had sustained critical wounds in the suicide blast this morning and was rushed to a Peshawar hospital by helicopter, however he succumbed to his injuries during treatment after fighting for his life for over four hours.

Gandapur had served as the provincial agricultural minister in the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

He was elected through a by-election on the Dera Ismail Khan PK-67 seat, after it was vacated following the death of his brother and law minister Israrullah Gandapur in a suicide attack.

Afridi said Gandapur was returning after attending a corner meeting in Kulachi tehsil when the suicide bomber blew himself up close to his vehicle in a narrow muddy street.

Soon after the blast the police and officials of the security forces cordoned off the area and started search operation.

Around the same time that Gandapur came under attack, Jamiat-Ulema-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Akram Khan Durrani, a former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, also survived a second assassination attempt in less than 10 days.

Durrani was to address a political convention when his vehicle was ambushed by unknown gunmen in his home district Bannu, bordering North Waziristan district.

The gunmen opened indiscriminate fire on Durrani's vehicle from the front.

However, he remained unhurt in the attack.

Durrani is contesting for NA-35 under the Muttahida Majlise-e-Amal (MMA) banner against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan.

This is the third attack on election candidates in Bannu district and second on Durrani ahead of the July 25 general election.

On July 13, an attack targeting JUI-F's central general secretary killed four persons and wounded as many as 39.

Durrani, however, remained unhurt in the attack.

On the same day, 149 people, including a top nationalist leader, were killed and over 200 others injured in a powerful suicide blast in Mastung area in the troubled Balochistan province.

The security situation in Pakistan has deteriorated ahead of polls.

The campaigning for the general election has been hit hard by terrorist attacks claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and ISIS outfits.
By PTI

MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his US counterpart Mike Pompeo today that the arrest of a Russian gun rights enthusiast on espionage charges in the United States was "unacceptable", his ministry said.

US prosecutors say Maria Butina, 29, exploited her close links with the powerful NRA gun lobby while posing as a visiting graduate student to endear herself with senior Republicans, guided by one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's major political supporters, Alexander Torshin.

She was charged this week in Washington of acting illegally as an unregistered agent for the Russian government while she lived in Washington over the past three years with her boyfriend, a veteran Republican operative.

In a telephone call with Pompeo, Lavrov "stressed that the actions of American authorities who arrested the Russian citizen Butina based on false accusations is totally unacceptable," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Lavrov said Butina must be released "as soon as possible," according to the statement.

The two diplomats also "exchanged views on ways to develop the relationship between our countries with the objective of normalising them".

Butina's arrest on Sunday added to the political turmoil in Washington over Moscow's meddling in the 2016 presidential election and allegations that President Donald Trump's campaign collaborated with the Russians.

The arrest was announced Monday hours after Trump finished a summit and a press conference with Putin in Helsinki, Finland, where the US leader rejected the US intelligence community's verdict that the Russians interfered to support him over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 race.

Trump reversed that stance a day later under heavy attack from US politicians of both parties.
By PTI

PESHAWAR: A former provincial minister and senior leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) today survived an assassination bid when a suicide bomber blew himself near his car, injuring him and killing his driver and guard in Pakistan's troubled Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, police said.

Ikramullah Gandapur, a candidate for the provincial assembly seat from PK-99 constituency, was on his way to an election meeting when the suicide bomber targeted his vehicle in Dera Ismail Khan.

His guard and driver were killed in the attack while he is said to be in a critical condition at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Dera Ismail Khan DPO Manzoor Afridi told reporters.

Gandapur served as the provincial agricultural minister in the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

He was elected through a by-election on the Dera Ismail Khan PK-67 seat, after it was vacated following the death of his brother Law Minister Israrulah Gandapur in a suicide attack.

Around the same time that Gandapur came under attack, Jamiat-Ulema-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Akram Khan Durrani, a former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, survived a second assassination attempt in less than 10 days.

Durrani was going to address a political convention when his vehicle was ambushed by unknown gunmen in his home district Bannu, bordering North Waziristan district.

The gunmen opened indiscriminate fire on Durrani's vehicle from the frontal side.

However, he remained unhurt in the attack.

Durrani is contesting for NA-35 under the Muttahida Majlise-e-Amal (MMA) banner against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan.

This is the third attack on election candidates in Bannu district and second on Durrani ahead of July 25 polling.

On July 13, a attack targeting JUI-F's central general secretary killed four persons with wounded as many as 39.

Durrani, however, remained unhurt in the attack.

On the same day, 149 people, including a top nationalist leader, were killed and over 200 others injured in a powerful suicide blast in Mastung area in the troubled Balochistan province.

The security situation in Pakistan has deteriorated ahead of polls.

The campaigning to the general elections has been hit hard by terrorist attacks claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban and ISIS outfits.
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan today held their first Working Groups' meeting in Kabul under a comprehensive mechanism to sort out their differences and build stronger ties.

Pakistan Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua led a 28-member delegation for inaugural meetings of the five Working Groups (WGs) under the Afghanistan and Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) in Kabul, said Foreign Office in a statement.

The Afghan delegation was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai in the talks.

The high-level Pakistan delegation included officials from foreign and interior ministries, commerce, railway, communications, among others.

Personnel of intelligence agencies and Pakistan armed forces were also part of the delegation.

The delegation comprised officials of five Working Groups on politico-diplomatic, military, intelligence, economic & trade and refugees issues.

Afghan deputy foreign minister and foreign secretary of Pakistan led their respective sides in the politico-diplomatic WG meeting besides co-chairing the opening and closing sessions of the APAPPS.

In the inaugural joint meeting of the WGs, the Afghan and Pakistani side assessed prospects for the APAPPS forum that covers all areas of mutual interest including counter-terrorism and security, peace and reconciliation, bilateral trade and transit, connectivity, Afghan refugees' repatriation and promoting people to people contacts.

Following the APAPPS inaugural session, five WGs held their respective group meetings at the level of relevant ministries and departments.

The WGs, besides discussing important issues in each area, also deliberated on the TORs for a future course of action and the agenda items for their next round of meetings to be held in Islamabad at mutually agreed dates.

The concluding session noted the great importance of APAPPS to deliver on the commitments made under this forum within the mutually agreed time frame.

The APAPPS framework instituted in February provides for a comprehensive and structured mechanism to enhance engagement between counterpart institutions of the two countries.
Reporter

Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk).
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Will the Western alliance crumble as the Eastern one collapsed at the end of the Cold War? Whatever is the answer, deep changes are happening

The victors in World War II split into two camps, one in the East led by the Soviet Union at the head of the Warsaw Pact, and the other in the West led by the US at the head of NATO.

By the end of the 1940s, the two sides began to face off in the Cold War which only heated up in those remote Third World countries that won their independence in the 1950s and 1960s and then were unsure what to do with it, such as whether they should attach themselves to the Western camp or to the Eastern camp or play both ends against the middle beneath the banner of nonalignment.

The planet was thus divided into three quarters, the Eastern and Western quarters in the north and the Southern quarter.

Each of these neighbourhoods had its own traditions, cultures and forms of government. The nuclear arms race kept the two northern quarters from making war against each other.But their rivalry remained intense, on the knife edge of the balance of nuclear terror.

Then came the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the collapse of the Warsaw Pact whose member countries turned westward and began to join NATO and the EU.

Even the Soviet Union split apart into 15 republics, most of which also joined NATO in the Western quarter which had expanded so much that some proclaimed the end of history. Indeed, the world seemed essentially divisible into two: The West and The Rest.

Of course, history had not ended, neither literally or dialectically. China stepped in to furnish an antithesis with a different model for governance, development and economic growth.

Just a quarter of a century after the collapse of the Eastern quarter and the end of the Cold War it was possible to speak of a superpower with an authoritarian political system and a capitalist economic system on its way to gaining ascendancy over the US.

Meanwhile, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which was basically meant to keep the monopoly over nuclear weapons security in the hands of the two northern camps, began to face a challenge.

India and Pakistan became nuclear powers. So, too, did Israel, even if it refused to acknowledge this publicly. Iraq tried, but failed, and Iran is still trying.

As for Russia, which emerged from the Cold War with its honour bruised, it began to recover. It intervened in Georgia militarily, annexed the Crimea, intervened in Ukraine with weapons and in Syria with military forces.

In sum, the Western quarter is facing a huge and multifaceted challenge, and it is no longer possible to speak of a Pax Americana.

But the pressures on the Western quarter are not just coming from outside. It is beginning to crack from within, as though to mirror what led to the collapse of the Soviet camp before. But history never really repeats itself. Each era comes with its own circumstances, variables and balances.

For example, analysts and observers agree that Western liberal democratic philosophy no longer exists in three NATO members: Turkey, Poland and Hungary.

The political systems there have come to blend ultranationalist ideology with political authoritarianism, economic insularism and social xenophobia. That is one crack.

An extension is to be found in the fact that the types of parties and movements that have caused the changes in the three aforementioned countries are on the march to power in other countries and are pressing for legislation aimed at achieving similar types of changes. Another fissure has opened within the most important Western invention in international political engineering: the EU.

Brexit turned out to be about more than just leaving the EU. Even a soft exit stirred the ire of certain segments of the British people and triggered the resignation of Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and EU Negotiations Minister David Davies. They do not want separation; they want total and final divorce.

Another major fault line in the Western quarter has arisen because the neighbourhood boss and chief sponsor of NATO has lost heart in leadership.

The election of Donald Trump inaugurated the US school that teaches that Americas allies cheat and get security without paying a fair price for it and get access to US markets without reciprocating.

In last weeks NATO summit, Trump voiced his amazement at how Germany paid less than two per cent of its GDP on NATO while paying billions to Russia for natural gas, enriching the very source of threat that the Americans had come to Europe to ward off.

The result is nearly daily friction between the two sides of the Atlantic. If last weeks wrangling was about security, a previous set-to revolved around trade and Trumps decision to heap tariffs not just on products from China in the East, but also products from US allies in the West.

At the time of writing, Trump had not yet set off for Helsinki to meet with his Russian counterpart on 16 July.

However, whatever the direct results of that summit may be, its indirect fallout has already begun to be felt by throwing into relief the huge confidence deficit between allies and fellow NATO members.

Washingtons lack of confidence in its allies stems from the feeling that political liberalism has spoilt European states and societies, rendering them too stingy and lax when it comes to defending the higher interests of the alliance, too soft on immigration and amnesty, too indulgent towards Third World countries because of post-colonialist guilt complexes and other such sentiments and behaviours that have no place in international politics today.

The distrust is reciprocated. To the USs allies in NATO, Trump epitomises everything that is antithetical and hostile to the Western liberal heritage. Meanwhile, everything in the US media about the Trump-Putin connection adds fuel to the flames in the Western quarter.

What does all this mean? Will all these cracks cause the Western alliance to crumble as the Eastern one had collapsed a few decades ago? Or are we looking at a hiccup caused by Trumps entry into the Oval Office and the changes in a number of European countries, after which things will return to normal? Or could it be that the world has changed, that there is no such thing as Eastern, Western and Southern quarters anymore, and that we now have to wait and see until the new international equations coalesce?

In all events, what is certain is that world is changing very fast. The Cold War order lasted four decades. The USs sole hegemony over the West and the Rest lasted only a quarter of a century. Whatever the next phase holds in store, it is bound to be shorter!

The writer is chairman of the board, CEO and director of the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 19 July 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Cracks in the Western quarter

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(Newser)  Before dying by car bomb last October, Maltese journalist Daphne Galizia was swamped with online threats. She even hesitated to keep reporting on issues like government corruption and the Panama Papers. "The dehumanization by the time she was killed around that period was complete," says her son Paul. It turns out that Galizia, like many reporters and activists worldwide, was targeted by a government-backed troll army designed to intimidate and discredit her in a cyber-world with few enforceable boundaries, Bloomberg reports. A new report by a global research group shows how countries are using such trolls to squelch dissent, often via fake social-media accounts, using various kinds of laborlike party youth groups, volunteer armies, government workers, or paid contractors who specialize in trolling.

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In India, Prime Minister Modi's BJP Party apparently had a troll farm threatening opponents with "slaughter" during the 2014 election. In Turkey, President Erdogan's party lured critics into downloading software that secretly monitored their communications and movements, per AccessNow. Similar online horrors have cropped up in Ecuador, Venezuela, andwith Russian trolling against Hillary Clinton during the 2016 electionthe US as well. Which raises the question: Why now? Evidence suggests that countries are sharing information and learning how to cover their tracks. "That's the genius of these types of attacks," says an author of the global report by the Institute for the Future. "It's hard to distinguish between what's being manufactured on purpose and what is a popular uprising of opinion against the target." (See how a text message ended Galizia's life.)
(Newser)  The Israeli military evacuated hundreds of members of the White Helmets, a Syrian volunteer organization, from the volatile frontier area on the Golan Heights and transported them to Jordan, reports the AP. It was the first such Israeli intervention in Syria's lengthy civil war, now in its eighth year. Jordan confirmed 800 Syrians entered its territory to be resettled in Western countries. The White Helmets and their families had been stranded along the frontier with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights following a government offensive. The Israeli military said the overnight operation was an "exceptional humanitarian gesture" done at the request of the United States and its European allies due to "an immediate threat to the (Syrians') lives." The military said its actions did not reflect a change to Israel's non-intervention policy in Syria's war, where all the warring parties are considered hostile.

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The Syrians will remain in Jordan for three months before moving on to Britain, Germany, and Canada, a Jordanian Foreign Ministry rep said. "The request was approved based on pure humanitarian reasons." Raed Saleh, head of the White Helmets, said a number of volunteers and their families were evacuated from a dangerous, besieged area. Officials said the White Helmets were likely to be targeted by Syrian forces retaking control of the southwest. Evacuation plans were accelerated after last week's NATO summit. The White Helmets typically operate in opposition-held areas where government services are almost non-existent, voluntarily risking their lives to save hundreds of civilian lives during relentless government airstrikes. Syrian state TV Al-Ikhbariya reported the Israeli evacuation of the White Helmets, calling it a "scandal" and saying "terrorist groups" now have "zero options."

(Read more Syria stories.)
(Newser)  An Ohio police department's entry in a lip sync challenge sweeping the nation has gotten rave reviewsincluding from the country music group whose song is featured, the AP reports. Middletown police Chief Rodney Muterspaw says he's "overwhelmed" by the response to a video his department created as part of a national lip sync challenge among police departments. The Hamilton-Middletown Journal-News reports that one fan of the video is the band Lady Antebellum, which tweeted that the police department's cover of its song "Need You Now" is "amazing."

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Since its posting on Wednesday the video has been viewed more than 2 million times. Muterspaw says it took about an hour to shoot the video, which is focused on the theme of police donuts. Some officers were reluctant at first but everyone seemed to enjoy the experience: "If we brought out some smiles, then we did our job," says Muterspaw.

(Read more country music stories.)
(Newser)  John Kerry took a hard line Sunday in describing President Trump's meeting with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki this week, Politico reports. Appearing on CBS' Face the Nation, Kerry called the private, unrecorded sit-down "one of the most disgraceful, remarkable moments of kowtowing to a foreign leader by an American president that anyone has ever witnessed." The former Secretary of State went on to explain "why it's dangerous: because it sends a message to President Putin and to the rest of the world that the president of the United States, the leader of the free world, really doesn't have a handle on what he's doing." Kerry added about Trump: "I don't buy his walkback for one second." For other reactions:



"Not good": Sen. Marco Rubio called Trump's Helsinki meeting with Putin "not a good moment" on Face the Nation. "I think it's an important thing that we engage [Putin]," Rubio says, per the Hill. "I just think it's important that any conversation we have with Vladimir Putin is with the person who he really is."

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"Compromised" : "I certainly think he's acting like someone who's compromised, and it may very well be that he is compromised or it may very well be that he believes that hes compromised, that the Russians have information on him," Rep. Adam Schiff said of Trump on ABC's This Week, per the Hill.

: "I certainly think he's acting like someone who's compromised, and it may very well be that he is compromised or it may very well be that he believes that hes compromised, that the Russians have information on him," Rep. Adam Schiff said of Trump on ABC's This Week, per the Hill. "Spin" : Carter Page rejected accusations that he was a Russian agent as "literally a complete joke" and a "ridiculous smear campaign" after the FBI's FISA warrant applications were released Saturday, per Politico. He did admit in a 2013 letter to being an "informal adviser" to Russia, but said Sunday on CNN's State of the Union that "I've never been an agent of [a] foreign power by any stretch of the imagination."

: Carter Page rejected accusations that he was a Russian agent as "literally a complete joke" and a "ridiculous smear campaign" after the FBI's FISA warrant applications were released Saturday, per Politico. He did admit in a 2013 letter to being an "informal adviser" to Russia, but said Sunday on CNN's State of the Union that "I've never been an agent of [a] foreign power by any stretch of the imagination." "Garbage" : Sen. Lindsey Graham dismissed the FISA warrant applications as a "bunch of garbage" on Face the Nation, per the Hill. "If the dossier is the reason you issued the warrant, it was a bunch of garbage." But Rubio defended the applications on State of the Union, saying Page "was a guy that was on [the FBI's] screen even before the campaign."

: Sen. Lindsey Graham dismissed the FISA warrant applications as a "bunch of garbage" on Face the Nation, per the Hill. "If the dossier is the reason you issued the warrant, it was a bunch of garbage." But Rubio defended the applications on State of the Union, saying Page "was a guy that was on [the FBI's] screen even before the campaign." "Civil war" : "The possibility of a civil war in Nicaragua is real," says Rubio on State of the Union. He went on, per Politico: "The message to the Nicaraguan regime under [President Daniel] Ortega was very clear, and that is: You call early elections, you allow legitimate elections, and this thing can move forward and everyones going to be fine. But if you soak your hands in blood, all of thats off the table. They decided to soak their hands in blood."

: "The possibility of a civil war in Nicaragua is real," says Rubio on State of the Union. He went on, per Politico: "The message to the Nicaraguan regime under [President Daniel] Ortega was very clear, and that is: You call early elections, you allow legitimate elections, and this thing can move forward and everyones going to be fine. But if you soak your hands in blood, all of thats off the table. They decided to soak their hands in blood." "Relevant": Bernie Sanders offered a little praise for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 28, who stunned the Democratic establishment with a primary victory over incumbent Rep. Joseph Crowley last month, the Hill reports. "She ran an extraordinary campaign," says Sanders on Face the Nation. "And the reason that she won is she ran on ideas that were relevant to the working people in her district." Sitting beside him, Cortez dismissed Crowley's suggestion that she won because she's a woman: "We won across demographics. We wonwe expanded the electorate ourselves."

Read more about the apparent rise of Democratic Socialists or the release of FISA warrant applications to wiretap Carter Page . (Read more Sunday morning talk shows stories.)
(Newser)  The CEO of Fiat Chrysler has stepped down after a company statement says he suffered serious complications following a surgery. Sergio Marchionne was replaced after leading the charge to completely turn around two flagging automobile brands. Per the New York Times, the 66-year-old has become gravely ill since the July 5 surgery. Marchionne has been replaced effective immediately by Mike Manley, who was previously the company's head of North America operations. "Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. communicates with profound sorrow that during the course of this week unexpected complications arose while Mr. Marchionne was recovering," the the official statement read. "These have worsened significantly in recent hours."

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CNBC has a letter sent out by company president John Elkann to employees breaking the news, one he calls "without a doubt the most difficult" he's ever written. "Sergio has been the best CEO that anyone could ask for and, to me personally, a true mentor, partner and close friend," read the thoroughly praiseful note. In addition to his apparent personal magnetism, Marchionne was a measurable phenom. Under his guidance, Fiat's market value grew from $7.5 billion to about $71.5 billion. That massive growth was helped along by Fiat's daring 2009 merger with flagging American automaker Chrysler. Marchionne is credited with revitalizing both companies and his legacy is one Elkann says should be admired across the corporate world. "Sergios definition of a leader is truer today than ever," he wrote. "What really matters is the kind of culture he leaves behind." (Read more Fiat stories.)
New Delhi:

In a tragic incident, seven people were injured while several others were feared to be trappedA under the debris after a five-storey under-construction building collapsed in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad on Sunday, said District Magistrate Ritu Maheshwari.

Rescue teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), fire department and UP police were rushed to the spot to carry out rescue and search operation.A A

All the injured, including two children and as many women, were admitted to a nearby hospital for medical assistance.

Eyewitnesses said that the under-construction building, which was located in the dense Missal Gadi area of Ghaziabad, collapsed suddenly and labourers were working inside when the incident took place.

Labourers working at the building said that they were forced to work despite a crack in the column of the building on Sunday morning. They informed the builder about the crack but he asked them to full the cracks with cement.

Labourers working at the building collapsed in Ghaziabad say'A crack appeared in the column of the building this morning,Builder told us to fill the cracks with cement & forced us to continue. We were working on the upper floor, the column must have collapsed at the ground floor' pic.twitter.com/fwZTq1XQpX a ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 22, 2018

This was the second such incident in less than a week in Uttar Pradesh. Earlier, a six-storey under-construction building had collapsed on another five-storey building in Greater Noida. The twin-building collapse in Shahberi village had claimed nine lives, including that of a toddler and two women.

Highlights:

#06:10 PM:A UP CM Yogi Adityanath directs DM & SSP Ghaziabad to visit the site of building collapse in Ghaziabad, to take immediate action for rescue operations along with NDRF and lodge an FIR and take action against those guilty.

#05:41 PM:A Ghaziabad: NDRF team and dog squad are present at the site where a five-storey building collapsed in Missal Gadi. Search and rescue operation are underway. Seven people have been rescued so far.A

Ghaziabad: NDRF team and dog squad are present at the site where a five-storey building collapsed in Missal Gadi. Search and rescue operation are underway. Seven people have been rescued so far. pic.twitter.com/R0kWEp4Y0j a ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 22, 2018

#05:30 PM: Prima facie, there seems to be issues with quality of the building. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered. 7 people have been rescued and sent to hospital. There is no casualty as of now. Rescue ops are underway: Ritu Maheshwari, Ghaziabad DM on building collapse in Missal Gadi

#05:10 PM: Spot Visuals:A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team has rescued a person from the site of a five-storey building collapse in Ghaziabad's Missal Gadi. One body has also been recovered by the team.

#UPDATE: National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team has rescued a person from the site of a five-storey building collapse in Ghaziabad's Missal Gadi. One body has also been recovered by the team. pic.twitter.com/wJMUmsY8O4 a ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 22, 2018

#04:50 PM: Five-storey under-construction building collapses in Ghaziabad's Missal Gadi area. Several construction workers feared trapped under the debris. UP Police, NDRF teams on spot. Rescue operation underway.
New Delhi:

A day after Mamata Banerjee's mega rally in Kolkata, BJP MP from Asansol, Babul Supriyo on Sunday took a pot-shot at the West Bengal chief minister, saying that the TMC chief is now looking like a disheartened and frustrated leader with her own people not applauding her anymore.

"Now even her own people are not applauding her at rallies, she is now looking like a disheartened and frustrated leader," ANI quoted Supriyo as saying.

Supriyo's statement came a day after Banerjee on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the BJP and vowed to eject PM Narendra Modi's party to save the nation. She also made a prediction for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, saying that the Saffron party will get a "big blow" in the 2019 general elections and end up with less than 100 seats in parliament.

"Bengal will show the path," the chief minister said during the TMC rally in Esplanade to commemorate the '1993 firing' outside Victoria House that left 13 youth Congress workers dead.

"We will win all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state. It is our pledge. We will oust the BJP to save the country. We will organise a big rally here in January and invite all the (opposition) leaders," Banerjee added while addressing the annual rally in Kolkata.

Read | Mamata Banerjee vows to oust BJP in 2019 to save the nation

Talking about Friday's no-confidence motion, the TMC chief said, the Saffron party won the trust vote in the Parliament but its tally will come down to 100 in the upcoming general elections, scheduled to take place in 2019.

Now even her own people are not applauding her at rallies, she is now looking like a disheartened and frustrated leader: Babul Supriyo, Union Minister on Mamata Banerjee pic.twitter.com/RchTlhLh32  ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2018

Read | Trinamool Congress in complete support of no-confidence motion says Mamata Banerjee

Earlier in June, Babul Supriyo and the Mamata government were at loggerheads after the BJP MP got into an altercation with the district magistrate of West Bengals Purulia while visiting the public rally of party president Amit Shah.

Launching a fierce attack on the TMC, Supriyo described the Mamata Banerjee administration as a "goons government" and denied to accept any from the state anymore.

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New Delhi:

The Congress Working Committee (CWC), which on July 17, was reconstituted by party president Rahul Gandhi,A met for the first time on Sunday.

The extended CWC on Sunday authorised Congress president Rahul Gandhi to forge an alliance with like-minded parties for the 2019 Lok Sabha election to take on the BJP.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the newly-constituted Congress Working Committee (CWC), Pradesh Congress Committee chiefs and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) members from various states.

The party also authorised Gandhi to constitute a committee to work out alliances with various national and regional parties to form a grand national alliance.

Thirty-five to 40 leaders spoke at todayas meeting where they all stressed that the Congress should play a lead role in forging an anti-BJP front.

On July 17, Gandhi reconstituted the partyas highest decision-making body with a blend of experienced and next-generation leaders. Of the 51 members, 23 are in the main panel, followed by 18 permanent invitees and 10 special invitees.

Congress Working Committee meeting: As it happened

# 04:26 pm:A I am fighting bigger fights. Everyone has the right to speak in party forum but if a party leader gives a wrong statement and weakens this fight, I will not hesitate to take an action, says Rahul Gandhi.

# 04:01 pm:A Congress President Rahul Gandhi has been authorised by Congress Working Committee (CWC) to take decisions on pre-poll and post-poll alliance.

# 03:31 pm:A Expansion of our party vote base is one of our biggest tasks. In each constituency, we have to find people who have not voted for us and develop a strategy to reach out to them and win back their trust, says Rahul Gandhi.

Expansion of our party vote base is one of our biggest tasks. In each constituency, we have to find people who have not voted for us and develop a strategy to reach out to them and win back their trust: Congress President Rahul Gandhi during Congress Working Committee meeting pic.twitter.com/kVoWRsJSG5 a ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2018

# 01:51 pm:A Senior Congress leaders Janardan Dwivedi and Digvijay Singh are not attending Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting. They were invited to attend the CWC meeting. Party president Rahul Gandhi had dropped both the leaders from CWC earlier.

# 01:41 pm:A Congress President Rahul Gandhi addresses Extended Congress Working Committee meeting in Delhi.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi addresses Extended Congress Working Committee meeting in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/gWSC5aeMev a ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2018

# 01:37 pm:A Congress leaders Sachin Pilot, Shakti Singh Gohil, Ramesh Chennithala in the CWC meeting said we should do a strategic alliance but the Party should remain at the centre of alliance and Rahul Gandhi should be the face of the alliance.

# 01:28 pm:A I am saying that alliances will be dependent on where the national leadership takes us and wherever it takes us we will go. People are expressing confidence in Congress now, saysA Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh.

# 01:06 pm:A The Party was strong in 12 states, we can boost our number by three times to bring it to 150 seats. In the rest of the states, alliance with regional parties important: P Chidambaram.

# 12:56 pm: To counter RSS's organisational might and financial power, the opposition has to get together in strategic alliances and that personal ambitions should be kept aside: Sonia Gandhi.

# 12:37 pm:A We will support Rahul Gandhi in his "onerous" task of restoring India's social harmony, economic development, says Manmohan Singh.

# 12:34 pm:A We are committed to make the alliance work and we are with the Congress president in this endeavour: Sonia Gandhi at CWC.

# 12:32 pm:A We have to rescue our people from a dangerous regime that is compromising with the democracy of India: Sonia Gandhi.

# 11:31 am: Sonia Gandhi cautions about the reign of despair and fear heaped upon Indiaas deprived and poor. Points out that rhetoric of PM Modi shows his desperation reflecting that reverse countdown of Modi Govt has begun, says Surjewala.

# 11:30 am:A Dr Manmohan Singh rejects the culture of constant self-praise and Jumlas of PM Modi as against solid policy framework for driving engine of growth. Points out the claim of doubling farm income by 2022 will require an Agriculture Growth Rate of 14%, which is nowhere in sight: RS Surjewala.

# 11:25 am:A Rahul Gandhi calls the newly constituted Congress Working Committee (CWC) as an institution comprising of experience and energy, as a bridge between the past, present and the future. Calls upon Congressmen/women to rise and fight for Indiaas oppressed, says RS Surjewala, Congress.

# 11:04 am:A Rahul Gandhi reminds qua the role of Congress as the voice of India as also its responsibility of present and future, as BJP attacks institutions, Dalits, tribals, backwards, minorities and poor: RS Surjewala.

# 10:58 am:A Delhi: Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting chaired by Rahul Gandhi underway at Parliament Annexe.

Delhi: Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting chaired by Rahul Gandhi underway at Parliament Annexe. pic.twitter.com/EpYVCKGXgK a ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2018

# 10:47 am:A Delhi: Former PM Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi arrive at Parliament Annexe for Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, which will be chaired by Rahul Gandhi.

# 10:33 am:A Delhi: Leaders arrive at Parliament Annexe for Congress Working Committee(CWC) meeting, it will be chaired by Rahul Gandhi.

Besides the state chiefs and legislature party leaders, the meeting marked attendance of All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretaries, joint secretaries, heads of departments and cells, office bearers of the Congress Parliamentary Party and members of the central election committee, a panel that finalises the candidates for any state or Lok Sabha polls.

The CWC meet came seven months after Rahul Gandhi in December 2017, was elected unopposed as president of the Indian National Congress and replaced his mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

(With inputs from PTI)

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New Delhi:

Three militants, including a Pakistani, involved in the abduction and killing of a police constable were killed by security forces in an encounter in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, the police said.

Constable Mohammad Saleem Shah, who was on leave, was abducted by militants from his residence in Mutalhama area of Kulgam in south Kashmir on Friday. His body was recovered from a nursery near village Redwani Payeen on Saturday.

The body bore severe torture marks indicating that he was brutally tortured to death? by the militants, a police spokesman said.

The encounter broke out between the security forces and militants in Khudwani area of Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district at the wee hours of Sunday. The gun battle ended with the killing of three militants.

Earlier, following the inputs about the presence of militants in the area, additional troops of the army and the state police were also rushed to the spot. While some people have started throwing stones at the security forces.

As it happened:

# 12:03 pm: Out of the three terrorists, one was associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) while two others were locals: SP Vaid, DGP Jammu and Kashmir.

# 08:18 am: Kulgam encounter: Three terrorists have been gunned down by security forces. Three weapons also recovered.

Kulgam encounter: Three terrorists have been gunned down by security forces. Three weapons also recovered. #JammuAndKashmir (visuals deferred) pic.twitter.com/S9T8GWrWhL  ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2018

# 08:06 am: One terrorist has been killed in an encounter with security forces in Kulgam's Khudwani. The terrorists trapped are the ones who had killed policeman Mohammad Salim. Operation continues.

# 06:30 am: As per reports, three-four terrorists have been trapped by the security forces and the encounter is still on.

# 06:24 am: Encounter underway between security forces and terrorists in Wani mohalla locality in Khudwani area of Kulgam district.

The encounter came a day after Jammu and Kashmir policeman Salem Ahmed Shah was found dead in Kulgam. Shah was abducted by the terrorists from his home in Kulgam on Friday night. Read Full Story Here

Earlier on Thursday, a Lashkar-e-Taiba militant was gunned down in an encounter between security forces and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara. The cordon and search operation by security forces turned into a gunfight after the terrorists fired upon security forces who retaliated. Click Here to Read More

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New Delhi:

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting held in New Delhi on Sunday and mocked him saying that his ajumlasa canat replace policymaking.

aPM Modias claims of doubling farmeras income by 2022 will require the agriculture sector to grow at the rate of 14 per cent but this is nowhere in sight,a Singh said during his speech at the CWC meeting.

Singh, the former prime minister and a noted economist, assured full support to Congress president Rahul Gandhi in his aonerous taska of restoring Indiaas economic development and social harmony.

aI assure Shri Rahul Gandhi ji that we will fully support him on his onerous task of restoring Indiaas social harmony & economic development,a he said.

Also Read | Congress says will support triple talaq bill if alimony provision added

aReverse countdowna of Modi government has begun: Sonia Gandhi

Apart from Singh, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi also hit out at the Modi saying his rhetoric showed his adesperationa and reflected that the areverse countdowna of his government has started.

Sonia cautioned people about the areign of despair and feara and accused the adangerousa NDA regime of compromising with the democracy of India.

aWe have to rescue our people from a dangerous regime that is compromising with the democracy of India,a the UPA chairperson said.

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New Delhi:

Upping the ante against Narendra Modi government, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday smelled a scam in Rafale fighter aircraft deal with France, accusing Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of doing flip-flops on secrecy close.

Our Defence Minister said she would, but now she wont. She flip flops between its-not-a-secret & its-a-BIG-secret. The PM squirms when asked about the price of RAFALE and refuses to look me in the eye. Sure smells like a scam, Gandhi tweeted.

The claims of a scam in the Rafale deal with France came two days after he launched a scathing attack on the Modi government and Sitharaman over the deal.

On Friday, the Congress president in his speech during the no-confidence motion debate had accused the defence minister of lying to the people of the country and claimed that French President Emmanuel Macron had told him that no secrecy pact was stopping her from revealing the Rafale aircraft pricing.

Hours after his claim, government of France issued an official statement saying that the 2008 security agreement between India and France was applicable in the Rafale deal. However, the statement didnt mention the Congress presidents claimed conversation with Macron.

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New Delhi:

After nearly a year of protests and nationwide outcry, sanitary napkins were finally exempted from Goods and Services Tax (GST) on Saturday.

aSanitary napkins will be exempted from Goods & Services Tax," Finance Minister Piyush Goyal told reporters following the GST council meet in New Delhi on Saturday.

Twitterati reacted to the decision and praised the government and gave it and applauding welcome ahuga.

Here is how the Netizens reacted to the exemption of sanitary napkins from GST:

0% tax...WoW Y

Quite a discernible step taken by government towards women empowerment.

Sanitary pads being exempted from GST.

Now, every woman in india will have her right to hygeine.

Thank you to Honourable @narendramodi Ji and also thank you @PiyushGoyal Ji #NO_GST_ON_PADS pic.twitter.com/b3ubsu1noJ a Apurva Singh (@iSinghApurva) July 21, 2018

Finally sanitary napkins exempted from GST! Great step forward for promoting menstrual hygiene a sunitha krishnan (@sunita_krishnan) July 21, 2018

Finally! Govt is able to understand that #Sanitary napkins are not a luxury item, but a necessity.



It took 1 year to understand this. But guess, better late than never.



I welcome the move!Y#GSTCouncilMeet a Sachin Pilot (@SachinPilot) July 21, 2018

One of those days when a news brings tears of joy as a cause close to ur heart gets fulfilled.Thank you, #GSTCouncil,for understanding the need for menstrual hygiene & exempting sanitary pads from tax. I'm sure crores of women in our country are silently sending gratitude ur way a Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) July 21, 2018

Major step in ensuring good health and hygiene for women!

Thank you Union Minister @PiyushGoyal ji for reducing GST on sanitary napkins to 0% (100% exemption) in todayas #GSTCouncilMeet !

GoM had been constantly follow up with GoI for this demand ! a Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) July 21, 2018

Committed to women empowerment: In the 28th #GSTCouncilMeet it has been decided to EXEMPT #SanitaryNapkins from GST. This will increase access of women, especially rural women, to affordable sanitary pads, & go a long way in improving health & hygiene of women. #GoodandSimpleGST pic.twitter.com/A0Gb5ulHnh a Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) July 21, 2018

Thank you Hon. PM Shri @narendramodi ji for standing by your promise to abolish GST on sanitary napkins. a Poonam Mahajan (@poonam_mahajan) July 21, 2018

Sanitary Napkins & Rakhi to now be exempt from #GST



I welcome this positive move and thank the PM Modi led Govt for granting the demands of Indians, especially us Women for whom Sanitary Napkins are essential to maintain Health & Hygiene.#Sanitarynapkins #Rakhi#GSTCouncilMeet a Jagrati Shukla (@JagratiShukla29) July 21, 2018

Sanitary Napkins exempted from GST. Congratulations to all those who fought for this. a Vasu (@vasudevan_k) July 21, 2018

Now this is good news... worth the wait & the efforts .... Sanitary Napkins have been exempted from GST ... no more 12% Tax on them !!! ...

Cheaper hygeine for the women of the country !! YYYYYY a Girish Johar (@girishjohar) July 21, 2018

GST relief to sanitary napkins a welcome step. Essential items of life should never be taxed. Women menstrual hygiene is a big issue amongst tribals & poor !! #sanitarypads a Vivek Tankha (@VTankha) July 22, 2018

After a year-long campaign GST on sanitary napkins has finally been abolished! Feminine hygiene is now tax free in India! Lives will be saved a Dr.ANAND RAI (@anandrai177) July 21, 2018

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New Delhi:

Few gunmen on Saturday night opened fire on a minibus with members of a taxi drivers association on board, killing 11 people and critically injuring four others, South African police said.

The victims of Saturday nights attack were returning home after attending the funeral of a colleague when the ambush happened, said Police Brig. Jay Naicker.

He further said the attack happened between towns of Colenso and Weenen in Kwazulu-Natal province and the victims were from Gauteng province.

Police are investigating the reason behind the attack.

In South Africa, tensions between group of taxi drivers wanting the same routes turn into deadly violence.

South African media reported the deaths of 10 people in violence related to rivalries among minibus taxi drivers in Cape Town over one weekend in May.

(With inputs from PTI)

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New Delhi:

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said that if his party gets re-elected, it would create an environment for Kashmir to join Pakistan.

Shehbaz, who is the PML-N's prime ministerial candidate, made the vicious remarks during an interview with Geo TV when asked about his policy on Kashmir if his party is voted to power.

I believe that it will be like the Berlin Wall being pulled down. It was the prosperity in West Germany that united the two parts, he said.

The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) West and East Germany respectively united on October 3 in 1990.

Shehbaz, attacked India for inhumane treatment of Kashmiris and said, Kashmir would become part of Pakistan through peace and development.

Also Read | PML(N) raises 'ISI Murdabad' slogans outside Pakistan Army headquarters

Earlier on Saturday, while addressing a rally in Sargodha district of Pakistan's Punjab province, he pledged to take Pakistan ahead of India after coming to power and said that people can change his name to whatever they like he failed to do so.

They (Indians) will come to Wahga Border and call Pakistanis their master, the 65-year-old leader said.

The former Punjab chief minister said that he would develop Pakistan in line with Malaysia and Turkey.

"I will meet Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to learn from them and make Pakistan a great nation again, he added.

(With inputs from PTI)

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New Delhi:

In a shocking incident, a man suspected of shooting his grandmother and girlfriend has been taken into police custogy after he crashed his car into a pole following a chase with the police authorities. After the crash, he ran straight inside a busy supermarket as police officers shattered the front door with the bullets.

The suspect surrendered after keeping hostages in the supermarket for three hours.

#UPDATE: Los Angeles police say a gunman is in custody after taking hostages inside a busy supermarket: AP #USA a ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2018

One woman was killed inside the store, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

Police officers packed with riot gears, rifles, stood along the side of Trader Joeas in the Silver Lake area on Saturday and took the help of mirrors to look inside the supermarket as hostages came out in regular intervals with hands raised.

At least one person was injured but is expected to survive, a police officer said.

The suspect walked out of the store along with four hostages following which the police surrounded and searched him. He was carried to a waiting ambulance as he had blood on his left arm.

Investigators think the suspect, whose name has been kept secret till now had shot his girlfriend and grandmother in South Los Angeles and then fled in a 2015 Toyota Camry, Sgt. Barry Montgomery, a Los Angeles police spokesperson, said.

Officers spotted the suspectas car near Hollywood and tried to pull him over, but the man refused to stop and led officers on a pursuit, he said. During the chase, the suspect shot amultiple roundsa at officers, though no officers were struck by the gunfire, he said.

At least one officer is believed to have returned fire, Montgomery said.

One woman, who got injured in the incident has been taken to the hospital, according to a fire department spokesperson, though it was unclear how she got injured.

Officials said that they had 100 firefighters and 19 ambulances at the scene.

(With inputs from agencies)

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New Delhi:

In an unprecedented move, scores of PML(N) supporters, Pakistan's mainstream political party on Sunday raised anti-ISI slogans outside General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.

A large number of supporters from PML(N) and other political parties gathered outside the Pakistan Army headquarters and shouted slogans like "ISI Murdabad" and "Yeh jo Deshsad Gardi Hai Uske Peche Wardi Hi".

Meanwhile, a video showcasing the angry Nawaz Sharif supporters shouting outside the Army headquarters has gone viral on social networking sites.

The crowd was reportedly protesting against the Controls of Narcotics Substances (CNS) Court's verdict in Ephedrine smuggling case on July 21, wherein party's leader Hanif Abbasi was awarded life imprisonment.

#WATCH 'ISI Murdabad' slogans raised outside Pakistan Army Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi yesterday pic.twitter.com/jdWn0fVTnc  ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2018

Read | Clashes between police and PML-N workers in Pakistan after Nawaz Sharifs arrest

The PML(N) also alleged that Pakistan's General Elections to be held on July 25 were fixed and rigged by the country's spy agency, the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence).

Taking to Twitter, Baloch National Movement president Zaffar Baloch wrote, "Public chanting slogans death to ISI openly on the streets of Pakistan. Unprecedented outpour of frustration against Pakistan Army and its spy agency ISI in the history of this country".

Earlier on July 14, Islamabad High Court criticised the ISI for controlling the judiciary and media. Speaking at the Rawalpindi Bar Association, Justice Shaukat Siddiqui accused ISI of pressuring the Chief Justice and other judges to get favourable verdicts in different cases, including Nawaz Sharif's corruption case.

Read | Boycott Pakistan elections: Protests outside White House over atrocities against refugees by ISI

For the uninitiated, Nawaz and his daughter Maryam Sharif are serving 10 and seven-year jail terms, respectively, in Adiala jail in Rawalpindi in connection to the Avenfield corruption case.

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As many as 243 nationals of the Philippines embraced Islam last year while 50 convert every month on an average in the Kingdom, thanks to the efforts of a Bahraini centre specialised in the teaching of Islam, which recently expanded its Daawah (proselytising) activities to include social media networks and other digital platforms.

Islam Awareness Centre (IAC) was established in 1978 and began as an idea by a group of ambitious Bahraini youth back then, says Tariq Al Wazzan, the president of the centre.

After forty years, the IAC is today one of the most active Daawah centres in Bahrain and the region, as it organises numerous activities and conducts different programmes to suit the different expatriate communities living in the Kingdom.

While speaking to Tribune, Mr Al Wazzan elaborated more on the activities of the centre and how it successfully helped around 1,500 new Muslims from 16 different nationalities to live their lives in accordance with the teachings of their new religion.

Explaining the goals, vision and mission of IAC, Mr Al Wazzan said, Our goal is to spread awareness of Islam to non-Muslims, caring for the needs of new Muslims, teaching Arabic to non-native speakers and educating expatriate Muslim communities. We always strive to achieve excellence in spreading awareness of Islam with wisdom and good teaching, using modern tools and in partnership with the other Islamic awareness organisations.
All eyes were on Bahrain as the Diplomat Business Club organised a unique and highly prestigious seminar at the British Parliament Committee Room titled Bahrain Opportunities Forum 2018.

The first-of-its-kind event was organised by the President of Diplomat Business Club, Javed Malik who previously served as Pakistans Ambassador to the Kingdom and now presides the UK-based Diplomat Business Club.

The guests at the high profile forum included British MPs, Lords and senior businessmen including Andrew Rosindell MP, Lord Roberton, as well as Sir Anwar Pervez OBE, who is the owner of Bestway group and the most affluent and successful British Muslim businessman.

Speaking on the event, Mr Malik said that it was a huge success with the venue filled to capacity which indicates the we were able to generate positive interest about Bahrain
Qatar has been behind a handful of controversial cases stirred up in Bahrain through the different social platforms during the past few weeks, Interior Ministry confirmed in a statement yesterday.

The ministry affirmed that a number of sensitive matters raised on social media, mainly Twitter and Instagram, jeopardises the Kingdoms interests and harms its social unity.

This includes the naturalisation of citizens, the Bahraini-Saudi relations, the municipal and parliamentary elections, the new pensions law and other domestic issues of Bahrain.

The monitoring of recent social media posts has shown a systematic targeting of Bahrain to compromise its national interests by influencing public opinion on various issues, including naturalisation, the ministrys statement read.

The ministry stressed in its statement that the posts are aimed at damaging the close and special Bahrain-Saudi relations and hit the economy by circulating false information through fake accounts run from Qatar and by the wanted fugitives facing justice.
A frozen food product is being recalled from the market over worries about it being contaminated with deadly Listeria bacteria.

The Listeria outbreak concern has come in the form of a frozen corn product imported from Europe.

Although a total of 43 different products by a number of different companies are believed to have been contaminated, Bahrain has only received shipments of one product which is believed to have a possibility of being contaminated, according to sources.

The product in question is frozen sweetcorn product by the brand Penguin.

The Ministry of Health released a statement yesterday warning customers against purchasing or consuming the product and urging sellers to remove it from the market.

The Ministry received a notification from The International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) of the World Health Organisation with regards to concerns about frozen products by the Penguin brand. In its notification, the organization informed about the Listeria outbreak and the withdrawal of the products from markets of a number of European Union countries. the ministry stated.

Authorities have already informed the sellers and relevant companies to remove the products from the brand which were packed between August 13, 2016 and 20 June, 2018.
What a racist society we are. Yes, I know Bahrain is celebrated for its harmony and its freedom of religion and cultural identity. Its a quirk of human nature that these admirable traits can exist easily cheek-by-jowl with casual racism that would never pass muster in countries that boast of a high happiness index. I am speaking about the views expressed by Bahraini fishermen to our Tribune reporters, which placed the blame of rising fish prices (quite seasonal in high summer) squarely on expatriate fishermen. Really? Rules in Bahrain are very strict about restricting the operating of fishing vessels to Bahraini owners.

It is quite another matter that the Bahraini fishing fleet owners employ expats from other cheap labour nations to man the boats and they work under very difficult conditions. These are the expat fishermen that Bahrainis are blaming, quite overlooking the fact that they are not independent operators but merely employees of Bahraini fishermen. What are the conditions at sea for fishermen? Firstly, despite the mechanised trawlers, it is a tough life, exposed to the elements, the salty air and spray and the blazing sun. Even if the fleet goes out at night, there will be stinging sea waves and always, the risk of straying into non-Bahraini waters and facing arrest and imprisonment.

There is no guarantee of a boatload of catch  it is a profession of chance. It is a job that requires patience, nerves and muscles of steel, the focus of a fighter and the ability to withstand the disappointment of poor catches and fluctuating of prices. In Bahrain, because the sea is a bay and the waters are not ocean-deep, fishing boats are of medium size. Still, the problem of over-fishing persists even in our territorial waters. Reclamation has bitten huge chunks into our coastline and our waters and boats are having to travel further and further inland to seek fish. Moreover, in their rush to meet market demand, fishermen are fishing indiscriminately  so much so, that classic Bahraini fish such as Hamour and Safi are being pushed to scarcity.

Even now, during these months of the shrimping ban to allow stocks to replenish during the breeding season, violators are being caught daily. What can we, the chair-bound advisors in air-conditioned offices and homes, do to make this situation better? Firstly, we need to watch what we are eating and eat seasonally available food. That means, no shrimp biryani during summer months. Sometime back, top class restaurants in Dubai started a Say No to Hamour movement to encourage guests to explore other fish options and reduce the pressure in the market for the endangered fist. Why can we not do this in Bahrain? Start a Say No to Shrimp movement and refuse to buy the illegal catch. If we choke off demand, supply will automatically dwindle. Fishing methods need to be reorganised.

Countries like Bahrain are still closer to sustainable fishing methods. But in the big seas, we have fishing factories in the high seas which, the FAO says, account for discarded fish and sea life that accounts for 8 per cent of the total weight of the worlds captures, or more than 7.3 million tonnes of fish. We can reduce our use of single-use plastic and microplastics which end up causing damage to the marine environment. You know how you spot a fresh fish catch? By its clear eyes. Similarly, we have to spot our fisheries problems with clear eyes and not get diverted by cloudy judgement that blames expats and other non-existent causes.
Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd), has expressed serious concerns over the security situation in the country, saying that th...

Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd), has expressed serious concerns over the security situation in the country, saying that the situation if not immediately addressed, could lead to a religious war.Gowon spoke on Saturday at the Benue Peoples House, Makurdi, when he visited Governor Samuel Ortom to commiserate with the government and the people of the state over the wanton killings and destruction of properties in the state.He particularly expressed worry over the killings of innocent and unarmed villagers by armed herdsmen, which had yet to be stopped by appropriate authorities.Gowon, who said he was disappointed at the handling of the security situation in the country, said, Security agencies should invite and question the leadership of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore who had threatened to unleash violence on Benue State and later justified the killings and their roles.The former Head of State who said he was out of the country when two priests and 17 worshipers were killed in a church in the state during morning mass, expressed the condolences of his group, Nigeria Prays to the governor.He said, I am sad and worried at the religious dimension the killings are assuming.It is worrisome to see innocent people being killed. Government should make more efforts to tackle the insecurity situation in the country before it descends into a full religious war.Gowon commended Ortom and the Benue State government for the way they had so far handled the issues of killings and devastation of communities.He said, For us to survive as a nation; we must learn to live together as one regardless of ethnicity or religionOrtom, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Benson Abounu, thanked Gowon for commiserating with the people of the state as well as lending his voice to the call on the Federal Government to take decisive actions to end the orgy of violence.
Nigerian banks on Saturday engaged in a social media battle, throwing banters at each other on their Twitter handles. Some seem to be ...

Nigerian banks on Saturday engaged in a social media battle, throwing banters at each other on their Twitter handles. Some seem to be winning and others are at the receiving end.

The picture that started the Twitter fight

pic.twitter.com/Jt7M5AkSSb Shoot for the moon, become a star - it's the least you deserve. Welcome to #SterlingBank July 20, 2018

#YouFirst What an elder sees while sitting, a child cannot see even if he travels to the moon. #RespectYourElders July 21, 2018

#TakeTomorrow #KnowYourElders pic.twitter.com/pBGuW8JaLo We will travel on an imaginary rocket too, if we were a one-customer Microfinance Bank; but with ten million customers and counting, we rather bring the galaxy to you! #YouAreWorthIt July 21, 2018

pic.twitter.com/LGSRSsOPtw There's no coming back after "Ether" or "Story of Adidon"...settle down now, take a deep breath. Back to counting this Naira, Dollars and Pounds... #SimplerSmarterSAFERBank July 21, 2018





So who is the winner of this bank fight on social media in your opinion?

Five major banks so far involved in the battle of wits are Sterling Bank, Access Bank, First Bank, FCMB and Union Bank.The beef apparently started when Sterling bank took to its twitter handle @Sterling_Banking to post a picture with the inscription: In shooting for the moon men become starsThey had below the picture, logos or illustrations that clearly depicted some other Nigerian banks.First from the left was a man rocking a boat that had the colours used by Access Bank and having symbols contained in Access Bank logo. The next icon was an orange coloured brick (GTB uses orange as its main colour): then a man riding an elephant which is majorly used by First Bank, then another man on a rocket coloured in Sterling Banks primary colours, heading to a red moon (Sterling banks logo): this was then followed by a man riding a white Horse (Horse is the main logo of Union Bank).Below the picture, another inscription read: Choose a partner that takes you higher.The post by Sterling Bank didnt quite go down well with some of the banks whose logos or signature animals were depicted as most of them tweeted their clapbacks at the post by Sterling Bank.First Bank took to its twitter handle @FirstBankngr to tweet a clapback: What an elder sees while sitting, a child cannot see even if he travels to the moon. #RespectYourElders #YouFirstStill not satisfied with the comeback, First Bank again tweeted, this time a GIF image of a rocket crashing right from the skies. The GIF had the inscription: Mr Burns Groaning.Access Bank also followed suit with a comeback punch line when it took to its twitter handle, @myaccessbank to write: We will travel on an imaginary rocket too, if we were a one-customer Microfinance Bank; but with ten million customers and counting, we rather bring the galaxy to you!.Union Bank on its part took to its twitter handle @UNIONBANK_NG to take multiple jabs. First it wrote: Heading to the moon without a spacesuitjourney mercies.It went on to tweet another jab where it wrote: When the elders speak #SimplerSmarterSAFERBank with a picture of a dog holding using its paws to close the mouth of another dog.As if it was not enough, Union Bank went on to tweet: Theres no coming back after Ether or Story of Adidonsettle down now, take a deep breath. Back to counting this Naira, Dollars and PoundsEther was the title of one of the best ever dis tracks, where American Rap artists Nas dissed another rap artist Jay-Z, a track which many rap analysts said there was no coming back from.A twitter user who sought to know who was the elder among the banks that spoke of themselves as elders also got a punchline response from First Bank which wrote: Even fathers have fathers; they are called forefathers. #Babababawon #YouFirst.FCMB (First City Monument Bank) on their own part were glad to observe the 'social media bank war' as a spectator since they were not dragged into it yet.GTB (Guaranty Trust Bank), although were dragged into the social media fight have chosen to ignore the banter by Sterling bank so far.The Fight may not be over as of yet as some of the banks that were depicted in the original post are yet to respond to the tweet as at the time of this report.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seems to be in a hurry to get its deal with members of the Reformed -All Progressives Congress (R-APC)...

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seems to be in a hurry to get its deal with members of the Reformed -All Progressives Congress (R-APC) done and sealed.The two sides have been locked in intense talks and negotiations over the last few weeks for the aggrieved members of the APC to switch camps ahead of next years elections.But President Muhammadu Buhari and the new national chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, have also launched peace talks of their own to persuade such APC members to reconsider their plan to dump the party.With no defection of note happening as expected by the PDP, the party has given Senate President Bukola Saraki, House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara and others a two-week deadline to make up their minds and rejoin it.Also being wooed by the PDP are : Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto); Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara); Governor Samuel Ortom (Benue); ex-Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, many Senators and members of the House of Representatives mostly in the Reformed-All Progressives Congress(R-APC) and other willing defectors.It was gathered that the Senate President who met with Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday, has summoned an emergency meeting of his associates, loyalists and strategists to take a final decision on whether or not to defect.The meeting, which may hold anytime this week with tomorrow said to be the target date, if all those concerned could make it to Abuja.It was learnt that Saraki has been in Lagos and Ilorin on whistle stops over the last few days for last minute consultations with his allies.Sources revealed that a committee empanelled by Saraki has recommended that defection is appropriate and popular among his loyalists.Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the two week deadline was conveyed to Saraki in Ilorin by Governor Nyesom Wike on Wednesday during a closed door session that took place after the Fidau for Hajiya Aishat Baraje, mother of a former National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Kawu Baraje.Baraje, who was also chairman of the New PDP (nPDP), is one of the key promoters of R-APC.A top source familiar with the development said: there is no doubt that the PDP delegation came for the Fidau and to mount pressure on Saraki to hasten action on the proposal to accommodate likely defectors from APC to PDP.Wike, who led the team, asked Saraki to wrap up decision on the defection within the next one week or two weeks in order to enable PDP adjust its structures ahead of primaries for various elective posts in 2019.Do not forget that the defection might alter the party structure at the state level and the power sharing formula. The PDP has clearly stated that it will give equal rights and a sense of belonging to all defectors.This deadline applies to Saraki, Dogara, Tambuwal, Kwankwaso, other governors, Senators, members of the House of Representatives, Speakers and members of the State Houses of Assembly; and other party chieftains.The conduct of primaries by all parties is expected to begin on August 18. Any serious defector, technically, has less than three weeks to do so in order to be able to integrate with the structure of the party.And the National Assembly will soon go on break to enable the lawmakers participate in the primaries.Responding to a question, the source said: I think Wike, who is a key facilitator in strengthening PDP ahead of 2019 poll, is working on a deadline to prevent undue pressure on the APC bigwigs which might make them change their decision.No timeframe for defection, says OlogbondiyanHowever, the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan said last night that there is no timeframe for defection.There is no timeframe for defection. Our constitution says those who are coming to our party can contest election within one month to the conduct of any elective post. And even that one month can still be waived, he said when contacted by newsmenContinuing, the PDP spokesman said: I am not aware of the two-week deadline given to those who are defecting and it could not have been true.It is natural for those defecting, who want to contest for elective offices in 2019, to join PDP before the primaries.The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in January released the guidelines and schedule of activities for the 2019 poll.According to the guidelines, all political parties are expected to collect forms for all elections latest by August 24, 2018.The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu said the notice of election would be communicated on August 17, 2018 in line with Section 30(1) of the Electoral 2010 which provides that the notice of election be made not later than 90 days before the election.He said the conduct of party primaries and resolution of disputes from the exercise will hold between August 18 and October 7, 2018.Saraki summons meeting with associatesSources said Saraki is currently on the last lap of his consultations with his associates on whether to defect or not.A final decision is expected to be taken at the meeting which will take place anytime this week.Although it was reliably learnt that the session might take place on Monday, it could not be officially confirmed as at the time of going to the press.There is pressure from the two main parties on the President of the Senate. I can tell you that Saraki is on the last lap of consultation on whether to remain in APC or defect to PDP, a well placed source said last night.You can see that even the President, Vice President and some governors met with him at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday.A committee, set up to consult widely in all the zones and local government areas in Kwara State, has strongly recommended that he should defect. Left to members of the immediate family of Saraki, they do not want him to stay a day longer in APC because of his ordeal in the last three years.As a leader, the president of the Senate will hold a session with his associates, loyalists and strategists on whether to defect or not. The meeting will hold this week with Monday tentatively in mind. It is a moment he did not expect will come so soon after joining others to form a coalition which led to the birth of APC.The source added: The greatest concern of Saraki and his loyalists borders on whether President Buhari and APC leaders will keep faith if he remains in APC. No one has trust in the presidency and the APC leaders.If APC returns to power in 2018, the Buhari administration will be going through its constitutionally acceptable second term in which there will not be anything at stake. Are you sure Saraki will be safe enough?
AIG Adamu Ibrahim, in charge of Zone 2 Command, has approved the dismissal of four policemen attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (...

AIG Adamu Ibrahim, in charge of Zone 2 Command, has approved the dismissal of four policemen attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, Lagos State, over alleged robbery and other crimes.CSP Dolapo Badmus, the Zones spokesperson, confirmed the dismissal on Sunday in Lagos.According to Badmus, the dismissed officers are Sgt. Adeoye Adekunle; Sgt. Adekitan Adebowale; Sgt. Agbi Lucky and Sgt. Odighe Hehosa.She said that the four policemen were dismissed and subsequently charged to court for armed robbery, kidnapping, unlawful detention, intimidation and threatening violence.Badmus said that the panel recommended them for dismissal based on the report of the investigation carried out on a petition against them.She said that a petition was written against them by Mr Chukwudi Godwin Odionye, popularly referred to as Bishop on May 2, 2018.The petitioner stated that on June 4, 2017, he was in his house around Alagbado area of the state when four armed men stormed his house to effect his arrest on the allegation of performing FAKE miracles.He stated that after his arrest, he was taken to one hotel at Agege where he was detained and threatened to be killed if he fails to cooperate.He explained further that the following day, June 5, 2017, he was taken to the bank where he was made to transfer N7 million to the account of one of the operatives.On receipt of the petition, the AIG ordered investigation into the case.On the strength of investigation, it was revealed that no proper police procedure for investigation was followed in Mr Chukwudis arrest.The four SARS operatives actually abducted the man from his house and unlawfully detained him in the hotel under the guard of the suspects for personal gain, Badmus said.She reiterated the AIGs directive that the force would not tolerate any act of misconduct, which undermines the value of international best practices of the police.
Workers in Ekiti State have issued a fourteen-day ultimatum to Governor Ayo Fayose to pay all arrears of salaries and pensions of retiree...

Workers in Ekiti State have issued a fourteen-day ultimatum to Governor Ayo Fayose to pay all arrears of salaries and pensions of retirees.Acting under the aegis of Ekiti State Organized Labour, the workers said the Fayose government must clear all arrears of workers entitlements before a new government takes office on October 16. The workers demands were contained in a bulletin issued on Saturday.Their demands also include payment of over seven months deduction, payment nine month arrears to local government workers and primary school teachers.They also advocated for payment of eleven months and six months pensions to local government pensioners and state government pensioners respectively.The bulletin reads: Workers in the public service of Ekiti State have been suffering over the years with nobody to rescue them in relation to payment of salaries, pensions and other benefits.The import of this is that the condition of service of an average worker in Ekiti is deplorable or poor despite the huge funds allocated to Ekiti State from the Federation Account between 2014 to date.In view of the present development in the state occasioned by the result of the governorship election, it has become necessary to assess the implication on welfare of workers vis-a-vis the arrears of unpaid salaries.In order to avoid a situation whereby the incoming government may wish to foot drag on the payment of the arrears of salaries on the premise that the organized labour was inept to the payment of same by the outgoing government thus amounting t a huge financial burden on the new government.The state government is hereby given a 14-day ultimatum to meet these demands.
Controversial NYC Rapper 6ix 9ine Kidnapped & Robbed in Brooklyn Dimas Sanfiorenzo Dimas Sanfiorenzo is the Managing Editor for Okayplayer. He specializes

A post shared by 6 I X 9 I N E (@6ix9ine_) on Jul 9, 2018 at 12:01pm PDT

6ix 9ine is currently in the hospital

Controversial up-and-coming rapper Tekashi69, aka 6ix 9ine, was allegedly kidnapped, assaulted, then robbed in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York.

According to TMZ, who talked to sources close to the Gummorapper, 6ix 9ine was shooting a music video in Brooklyn early Sunday morning (July 22). As he was heading home, at around 4 oclock in the morning, a car pulled up and blocked his driveway and three people with hoods, holding guns, grabbed the Brooklyn rapper, pistol whipped him and dragged him into their car.

Allegedly, the kidnappers threatened to kill him if he didnt give up jewelry and cash. Two of the gunmen headed into the house, while 6ix 9ines daughter and baby mother were in the house.

TMZ says around $750k in jewelry and thousands of dollars was stolen.

The goons drove off with 6ix 9ine in the backseat, and, according to TMZ, the rapper was able to open the back door and jump out of the car.

Tekashi69 Pistol Whipped, Kidnapped, Robbed and Hospitalized https://t.co/uPey2ZmCdI  TMZ (@TMZ) July 22, 2018

6ix 9ine was able to jump in someone elses car and that person dialed 911. The rapper was taken to the hospital. This comes hours after the rapper released a song with Nicki Minaj called Fefe.

Source: TMZ
While this was a rather slow summer news week, there were still a few highlights worth noting. There were a number of stories on Apple's intellectual property front; a few interesting Apple stories like iPhone photo winners announced and the App Store dominating in profits; and some interesting industry news like Google getting fined billions over Android breaching EU laws. Lastly, Apple wants to show a little love for HomePod fans this coming week by holding a special event.

Apple IP & Legal News of the Week

01 : Like a Science Fiction Novel, Apple reveals how Your Personal Driving Profile will Control your Autonomous Car

02 : Apple Granted 40 Patents Today Covering Stretchable Displays for iDevices and Smart Clothing, Gaze Controls & more

03 : Apple Granted Two Major Apple Pencil Patents for iPad Pro

04 : Apple Sued for allegedly using a Company's Patented 'Lead-Free Solders' Technology in all of their Major Products





This Week Apple added new coverage for 'iWork' in China and the U.S. and for icons related to Podcast (#304605688) and iOS 'Pages' in China (#304600089).

Apple had quietly updated their Pages icon in late March of this year from a writing pen to Apple Pencil as shown above.

Apple filed for their new iOS 'Pages' icon under International Class 9 which covers "computer software for use in word processing, electronic mail, desktop publishing, image editing, graphics creation and editing, drawing, computer aided design and drafting; Computers; computer hardware; handheld computers; tablet computers; telecommunications apparatus and instruments; telephones; mobile telephones; smartphones; wireless communication devices for the transmission of voice, data " and more.

Is Apple legally preparing to use Apple Pencil with iOS Pages on an iPhone in the future? Yes, though at this time it's unknown if Apple will actually follow through with this feature. However, patents such as this one would strongly suggest that Apple is definitely working on making this happen at some point in the future.

Apple's iWork was certified as a registered trademark in 2008 (#3,392,787) which was protected under International Class 09 with this verbiage: "Office suite computer software, namely, software for creating spreadshetts, tables, graphs, and charts, and for organizing and analyzing data; computer sofware for creation and display of presentations including text and graphics.

This week Apple filed for iWork adding International Class 042 that carries the following verbiage:

"application service provider (ASP) services featuring computer software to enable uploading, posting, showing, displaying, sharing, editing, or otherwise providing electronic media, data, or information over the Internet or other communications network; software as a service (SAAS) featuring computer software to enable uploading, posting, showing, displaying, sharing, editing, or otherwise providing electronic media, data, or information over the Internet or other communications network; providing temporary use of on-line non-downloadable software for viewing, annotating, storing, editing, downloading and distributing electronic files, images, audio, video, data, and documents, and for communication and collaboration via computer networks."

In 2017 Apple filed for the 'Apple Podcast' trademark (#87635699) and covered it under the single International Class 41. Apple's trademark filing in China this week for the Podcast Icon, as noted below, now extends coverage to Classes 9 (for all manner of hardware) and Class 38 covering telecommunications and broadcasting including pay-per-view broadcasting.





Some of the more Popular Reports this Week

While this was a slow summer news week for meaty Apple news, there were a few interesting Apple and general industry news stories worth noting.

01: Apple's App Store Double's Google Play's Profits with Less than Half as many Downloads

02: At the End of the Day: Corning Introduces Gorilla Glass 6, Intel Turns 50 & Samsung Foolishly Mocks iPhone X

03: Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter Bang the Drum in Unison for the Data Transfer Project that Nears Completion

04: The iPhone Photography Awards (IPPAWARDS) Announced

05: Google was hit with a 4.34 billion Fine for 'Android' OS Breaching EU Antitrust Rules

And lastly, Apple announced that it's holding a special HomePod event as noted below as first spotted by MacRumors.

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Activists Note Serious Failings by Iranian Organization Tasked With Supporting People With Disabilities

07/21/18

Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran

As Iran's State Welfare Organization (SWO) marked its 38th birthday, several people with disabilitiesbased in the country told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) that the organization must undergo fundamental reform in order to carry out its mission.

Pouya, a disability rights activist who requested anonymity for security reasons, said: "The welfare organization does not have a sufficient budget or the human resources to handle a mountain of responsibilities. Destitute women, child laborers and street workers, drug addicts, victims of violence among women and children, the elderly and persons with disabilities have all been entrusted to the welfare organization even though each of these groups requires specialized expertise and equipment."

The names of the people who provided testimony to CHRI for this report have been changed due to the sensitivities in Iran around speaking to foreign media outlets.

"Putting people with disabilities in the same basket as victims of social problems or trying to prevent disabilities at the same time as stopping girls from running away from home, or confronting addiction or divorce reflects the belief in a medical perspective on disabilities that is not compatible with the convention and must be changed."

Iran ratified the UN's Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2009 but its domestic laws and practices are still not compliant with the treaty's recommended standards.

People with disabilities in Iran are denied adequate access to transportation, public spaces, facilities, and buildings, as well as effective access to governmental services, education and legal protections in the justice system. They also face severe employment discrimination.

In his message on the occasion of Iran's "Welfare Week" (July 12-19, 2018), the deputy director of the SWO, Anoushirvan Mohseni Bandpey, described the organization as the most important caregiver in the country.

In order to live an independent and dignified life within society, persons with disabilities should have access to individualized means and services including, for example, assistive equipment and technologies, comprehensive habilitation and rehabilitation services, personal assistance services, as well as adequate disability pensions, if needed. However, research by CHRI and Human Rights Watch has uncovered serious shortcomings on the part of the SWO in providing these services.

The report documents abusive treatment towards persons with disabilities in Iran and their families, lack of sufficient and useful information regarding available services, problems with accessing rehabilitation services and support equipment, and an inadequate disability pension system.

Among all the problems, the inappropriate and sometimes insulting behavior of social workers towards people with disabilities is one of the most important challenges facing the organization.

For example, when "Narges" went to an SWO office in Tehran to order a new hearing aid for her hearing-impaired daughter, she was mistreated by a social worker.

"The social worker became angry and said it was not his problem that my daughter could not hear and said that I have to wait as long as necessary," Narges told CHRI.

In another incident, 24-year-old "Arash," who cannot use a manual wheelchair because of muscle weakness, asked for an electric wheelchair but the social worker in charge responded that one should not expect the government to provide "luxury items."

"I felt very disappointed and humiliated," he said. "I think these people have no understanding of disability and what it really means."

The lack of proper standards for hiring social workers, inadequate training, and lack of supervision are some reasons why the SWO is failing Iranian people with disabilities.

"Hamed" is a 25-year-old blind man. Here's how he described his experience with the SWO: "The problem is that individuals who work as social workers are mostly unsuitable for this profession. Many of them do not have university education or they have studied unrelated subjects such as history or literature. Moreover, people seeking jobs as social workers are not evaluated for their psychological condition or personality."

A shortage of social workers at the SWO and piling cases assigned to overextended staff has resulted in a severe drop in the quality of services the SWO provides to people with disabilities.

In many areas in Iran, there are insufficient numbers of SWO social workers. Although national standards dictate that each social worker should have no more than 150 cases, in practice many social workers have much heavier caseloads.

For example, in the southern part of Kerman province, each social worker has around 1,500 cases. In Ghazvin province, there are fewer than 20 social workers for approximately 20,000 persons with disabilities.

The low number of social workers has a direct impact on the quality of social work service.

The State Welfare Organization of Iran was established on July 15, 1980, with the merger of 15 different agencies and organizations to provide solutions for social ailments, offer support and rehabilitation services to people with disabilities, and meet the basic needs of low-income individuals.

At the time, the decision to combine so many agencies with varied missions came under criticism. Opponents of the merger pointed out that the quality of service to persons with disabilities would suffer due to stretched and inadequate resources.

When Iran joined the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2009, the SWO was put in charge of its implementation along with the Martyrs and Veterans Affairs Foundation, an organization operating under the supreme leader.

This placed more responsibilities on the SWO's already sagging shoulders and created a need for an upgrade to its services for people with disabilities that has gone unmet.

According to Pouya, "The welfare organization does not have the necessary administrative structure or financial and human resources to carry out its international obligations. For that reason, the UN has criticized Iran's treatment of people with disabilities in almost every aspect."

Kayvan Davatgaran, the director of the SWO's rehabilitation center for people with disabilities, told the state-run Iranian Republic News Agency in November 2016, "The welfare organization's volume of work is more than four ministries combined and its budget, human resources, and structure are not consistent with expectations."
Pompeo Reaches Out To Iranian-Americans Amid Hard-Line On Iran

07/21/18

By Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE/RL

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will reach out to a divided Iranian-American community -- some of whom are dismayed by Washington's withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and the reimposition of sanctions as well as a travel ban that prevents many Iranians from entering the United States -- in a July 22 speech near Los Angeles.



Illusions of a newy arrived Politician

Source: Iran daily

The speech -- which will highlight issues such as "corruption of the regime," "brutal repression at home," and "religious persecution," according to a senior State Department official -- comes amid a renewed hard-line by Washington toward the Islamic republic first made public in May with Pompeo's 12 demands for Tehran, which have been interpreted as regime-change policy despite denials by U.S. officials who say Washington only wants to change Iran's behavior.

The State Department has not issued a list of invitees to the speech in Simi Valley.

Some members of Congress, including House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (Republican-California) and Senator Tom Cotton (Republican-Arkansas), who has specifically called for regime change in Tehran, will also be attending the speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, the State Department said.

"If the [Trump] administration really cared about the human rights of Iranians, it would lift the travel ban," one Iranian-American invited to a speech Sunday with @SecPompeo says.https://t.co/zwU2hsoXne  Nahal Toosi (@nahaltoosi) July 19, 2018

Other activists and intellectuals have spoken against the increased U.S pressure that they believe is likely to strengthen the hard-liners within the Iranian establishment and hurt those pushing for gradual change in the country.

"Democracy will come to Iran when the people of Iran have their reckoning with their ruthless and incompetent rulers. Tragically, the new Trump strategy delays that reckoning," Iranian-American author and historian Abbas Milani wrote in The Washington Post on May 30 in a piece co-authored with Michael McFaul.

attn @SecPompeo: your #Iran speech will fall flat as long as Travel Ban Punishes Iranian Scholars and Undermines US Economy https://t.co/udJUqoOvEW  Barbara Slavin (@barbaraslavin1) July 19, 2018

Former student leader Ali Afshari, who was jailed and tortured in Iran, has not been invited to the speech, and he says he wouldn't attend the event even if he was invited.

"I think this is more like a propaganda move than an attempt at bringing the two nations close," Afshari told RFE/RL.

"Currently the U.S. administration has a tough line, which has affected not only the establishment but also the people. In addition, the travel limitations imposed by the administration have created problems for the Iranian-American community," Afshari added.

Afshari, an analyst and commentator on Iranian affairs, says those attending "are likely to be suspected of being supported by the U.S. as an alternative to the current Iranian establishment."

Ali Vaez, the director of Iran Project at the International Crisis Group (ICG), says Pompeo's outreach effort is "an exercise in futility."

"Iranian opposition in exile is too fractured, too disconnected from the country's realities, and basically beyond repair. Any alternative to the Islamic republic should be homegrown, not engineered in the Golden State (California)," Vaez said in an e-mail to RFE/RL.

"If the Trump administration had a smidgen of goodwill, it would abolish the travel ban against the people of Iran who have never engaged in any acts of terrorism on U.S. soil," Vaez added.

#Pompeo to give a speech in California to "support the Iranian people" on Sunday but is yet to answer this most basic Q: If he/Trump, care about Iranian people why did they ban them from entering US? The response below from an admin. official to this Q is utter nonsense. pic.twitter.com/XrnUCDxP6a  Bahman Kalbasi (@BahmanKalbasi) July 20, 2018

The National Iranian-American Council (NIAC), which actively supported the nuclear deal with Iran, accused Washington of trying "to exploit Iranian Americans and co-opt the Iranian people to provide legitimacy for the Trump Administration's Iraq War redux for Iran."

"Just as the [George W.] Bush administration cultivated a few Iraqi exiles and talked about human rights to provide legitimacy for a disastrous invasion of Iraq, the Trump Administration appears intent on using Iranian exiles to advance dangerous policies that will leave the Iranian people as its primary victims," the NIAC said in a statement posted on its website.

Pompeo plans to speak on "Supporting Iranian Voices" next week, but it should be clear that he is no friend to the Iranian people. As Iranian Americans, we must speak up about the U.S. govt's efforts regarding our ancestral homeland, #Iran. https://t.co/JKDWQkbn7u  NIAC (@NIACouncil) July 16, 2018

It is not clear if the opposition Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO), which was removed from the State Department list of terrorist groups in 2012, has been invited. Some of President Donald Trump's aides and allies have been regular speakers at the group's events, including White House national security adviser John Bolton and legal adviser Rudy Giuliani.

The group is despised by many Iranians for collaborating with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein during the bloody 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War.

"I don't know the answer to that. I don't believe that they are," a senior State Department official said at a July 19 conference call focused on Pompeo's speech in response to a question about whether the MKO is among the invitees to the speech.

Just as GW Bush paraded Iraqi-Americans on TV begging the US to bomb Iraq, Pompeo will use his Sunday address to Iranian-Americans to give the impression that they back Trump's belligerent Iran policy.



It's a page straight out of the Iraq-war playbook.https://t.co/UYCrCkCovX  Trita Parsi (@tparsi) July 20, 2018

In past months, the Iranian establishment has faced a range of challenges, including the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear accord under which Tehran has limited its sensitive nuclear work in exchange for relief from economic sanctions; protests over the worsening economy, water scarcity, and pollution; and unprecedented public protests by women against forced veiling.

Pompeo has expressed support for the protesters on several occasions, including in a June 21 tweet.

Suggestions @SecPompeo

1.Ask how #TravelBan is impacting #Iranian families.

2.Ask how majority of #Iranians feel about former terrorist, cult group MEK.

3.Ask if #Iranians want democracy or bygone monarchy of a deposed Prince.

4.Clarify if US wants regime change or a grand deal? https://t.co/VWdqTywGGH  Farnaz Fassihi (@farnazfassihi) July 20, 2018

And now I shall go on one of my famous rants. This time about Mike Pompeo's upcoming speech on "Supporting Iranian Voices." This is going to be long. Find your favorite comfy chair. Put on some cozy attire - sweatpants, perhaps. Pop some popcorn. Pour yourself an adult beverage.  Reza Marashi (@rezamarashi) July 20, 2018



About the author:



Golnaz Esfandiari is a senior correspondent with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. She can be reached at esfandiarig@rferl.org
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr John Peter Amewu, has given the assurance that, the government would engage in responsible, sustainable and friendly environmental practices in mining bauxite in the Atewa Forest.



The comments follow protest by some residents of Atewa in the Eastern Region against the governments move to mine bauxite in the Atewa Forest.



Mr Amewu, who spoke to journalists in Tarkwa-Nsuta in the Western Region after he led a delegation to the Ghana Manganese Company on Friday, said the government would take a cue from international best practices regarding responsible mining to safeguard the environment and health of the people.



He made reference to Australia, which mined natural resources without endangering the environment, and noted that, the Africa Centre for Energy Policy, a policy think tank, had conducted a base survey in the area that would guide mining of bauxite in the Atewa Forest.



The Minister gave the assurance that Government would engage in extensive stakeholders consultation with the people, to solicit their inputs in order to address their concerns before commencement of work.



Mr Amewu noted that, the Akufo-Addo-led government was committed to ensuring sustainable mining, and asked stakeholders in the extractive industry to support the governments efforts.



Touching on some observations made at the GMC, Mr Amewu expressed his displeasure over the Companys non-involvement of government in pricing manganese ore sold to a sister company in China.



He said the government had 10 per cent stake in GMC, and any affiliate transaction it engaged with any foreign firm, its consent must be sought.



Mr Amewu, therefore, asked the management of the GMC to furnish the Minerals Commission on details about the prices the ore was being sold to the Chinese firm.



He expressed unhappiness about the performance of the firm regarding complying with the countrys local content laws and the Contract Agreement it signed with the government.



He asked the management of the GMC to employ more local people in its operations and undertake more Corporate Social Responsibility within its operational areas.



The Minister said the Ministry would soon conduct an operational audit of all mining firms in the country to ensure that, government received its fair share of taxes and royalties paid by the multi-national firms from the exploitation of natural resources.

Source: GNA









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The family of embattled Lance Corporal, Frederick Amanor is pleading with Ghanaians to forgive the officer for violently beating a woman up at Midland Savings and Loans company on Thursday.



In a statement, the family said it had known Frederick Amanor as an amiable person, very caring and considerate, hence his behavior as captured in the viral video was unusual of him.



A horrific video that circulated on social media on Friday showed a middle-aged nursing mother being severely physically assaulted by a uniformed and armed police officer.



The officer, Frederick Amanor , hit the woman's head several times with an umbrella before landing many blows on her head and face.



He also dragged her across the floor as the woman tried to resist and fight back.



Reports say the incident occurred when the woman insisted on receiving her GH270, saved with the financial institution on Thursday.



An official of the company is said to have told the woman said they could not give her the money because their system was down but the woman, who had reportedly been chasing her cash since Monday refused to leave.



According to her, the staff of the company ordered the police officer to throw her out when she refused to leave.



Many Ghanaians took to social media to express outrage over the matter, demanding justice for the woman and the arrest of the officer.



The Police in a statement said it had begun investigations into the matter and will ensure justice for the victim and the perpetrator sanctioned.



The management of Midland Savings and Loans has since condemned the assault.



But the family of the beleaguered Police has also issued a statement appealing to the Inspector General of the Police, and the victim, Patience Osafo to forgive the officer for the dastardly act.



While admitting that L/Cpl Frederick Amanor's act was barbaric and inhumane, the family said, human as we are, offending one another is inevitable.



It, however, urged Ghanaians to pray for the officer to remember our son in their prayers for the good Lord to reform his twisted mind and steer him on a decent and humane path.



Read the statement below:



The family of L/Cpl Frederick Amanor wishes to render an unqualified apology to the President, the IGP, Ms Patience Osafo, the victim and the good people of Ghana for the untold embarrassment our son has brought unto us and the nation.



The conduct of our son was barbaric, inhumane and antithesis to the professional training in the police.



We have known Skalla as an amiable person, very caring and considerate and his conduct as captured on the tape is very unusual of him.



That notwithstanding, we are pleading with the good people of Ghana to find that forgiving heart deep down within to forgive our son.



No amount of money, words or expressions can restore the violations Ms Osafo Patience suffered. However, human as we are, offending one another is inevitable.



We are therefore pleading with Ghanaians to join us to apologize to Ms Osafo Patience for the savage beatings she suffered at the hands of our son.



We are deeply sorry and pray that the Good Lord heals n consoles her. We are passionately pleading with Ghanaians to remember our son in their prayers for the good Lord to reform his twisted mind and steer him on a decent n humane path.



We are grateful that notwithstanding the sad images this video lives in your memory, you will not dwell on the negative but help us to pray to reform such characters in the service



Thank you









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The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has revealed that construction for an improved water system for Nalerigu, Gambaga and Walewale, all in Mamprugu, would commence in September.



Speaking at a durbar held in his honour at Nalerigu by the overlord of Mamprugu, the Nayiri, Naa Bohogu Abdulai Mahami Sheriga, on Saturday, 21st July, 2018, President Akufo-Addo stated that the commencement of construction of the water system is in fulfilment of the pledge he made to the people last year.



It will be recalled that, in his tour, last year, of the Northern Region, President Akufo-Addo told the Nayiri and the people of Mamprugu that his government was in the process of procuring a $45 million facility from the World Bank to provide water in rural areas for six (6) regions, of which Mamprugu was to be a beneficiary.



So, I am here today to inform you that the improved water system in Nalerigu, Gambaga and Walewale will start in September this year, two months from now. 35,000 gallons each will be added to the system in each and every town, and also new boreholes are going to be drilled to add more water, the President said.



He assured that all the pipelines are going to be replaced, so that we can bring water to all households. And, with the beginning of the work in September, Mamprugu will definitely get an improved water system.



Additionally, the President stated that the community toilet project, which is being rolled out by the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives, will provide some 5,000 household toilets nationwide this year.



We are determined to fulfil the 1-toilet-1-household commitment that we made, and the Mamprugu area is going to receive about 300 toilets each, from Nalerigu, Gambaga and Walewale, and a total of 1,000 household toilets are going to be constructed in this area to improve sanitation, he said.



The President was confident that by the grace of the Almighty and our hard work, open defecation in Ghana is going to be a thing of the past.



On the erratic nature of power supply in the area, the President noted that the transmission line that serves Nalerigu from Yendi is too long, and results in problems that interrupt power supply.



The decision has been taken to remove the line from Nalerigu to Garu, and as things will have it, poles were brought yesterday (Friday) to begin the work. Very soon, I think that erratic power supply will be a thing of the past, he assured.



Again, with reference to the ongoing electrification projects in the Northern Region, the President indicated that out of the 434 projects, East Mamprusi is going to receive 80 of such projects.



Touching on seismic exploration being carried out in the Voltaian Basin by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, which is affecting areas in the Northern Region including Nanton, West Mamprusi, Central Gonja and Mion districts, President Akufo-Addo explained that its purpose is to unearth the hydrocarbon potential of the basin.



It is disturbing and I know it will disturb some people in some communities. It may even go through some farms, but I am imploring you, and all the citizenry of Mamprugu, to co-operate with these activities, he said.



The President continued, They are not meant to disturb you, they are meant to help all of us at the end. So, when they come, and they (geologists) are doing their work, support them, allow them to do their work because, at the end of the day, you are going to be the principal beneficiaries. We are finding important deposits of oil in the area.





Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Another Video Of A Woman Being Assaulted By A Security Officer, This Time At Papaye in Osu/Abeka Lapaz? hits The Web.



Whilst outrage washes over the nation following the assault of a woman with a baby in her arms by a police office at Midlands Savings and Loans, another video of a similar assault has hit the web.



Ghana is quietly becoming a banana republic.



After the assault on the woman at Midlands and all the developments that has followed another video shows a woman also being assaulted.



The video shows a man in uniform, probably a security guard, pushing a lady violently away from the premises. Its not clear what happened before but his shoves end up with her on the ground and once again people stand around and film rather than stop the assault.



It seems now even the small respect accorded ladies by Ghanaian men in that they shouldnt be physically assaulted has now evaporated.



Watch

- VIDEO

Source: ghanacelebrities.com









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Afua Adoko, a fishmonger, who was involved in selling a 14-year old boy for a fee of GH100.00 has been sentenced to five years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court.



This was after the court presided over by Mrs Abena Oppong Adjin Doku has found her guilty at the end of her trial.



Afua was facing charges of conspiracy to commit crime and preparation to commit crime to wit human trafficking.



The court on January, 17, last year, sentenced her accomplices namely Ama Adomah, a 30 year old, nursing mother and Kweku Acquah to five years imprisonment each.



The facts as narrated by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Clemence K Abadamlora was that the complainant is a trader residing at Adabraka, Accra.



DSP Abadamlora said Afua is also a fishmonger and she was married to Acquah, a fisherman that Afua and Acquah travelled from Winneba to Yeji, a fishing community in the Brong Ahafo Region.



On November 20, 2016, Afua and Acquah approached Adomah to give them the victim to assist them to go fishing at Yeji.



Prosecution said Adomah agreed to offer her son to the two for a fee of GH100.00.



Adomah, Afua and Acquah agreed to travel to Accra with the victim and later to Yeji.



Prosecution said three days later at the Adabraka Market, Adomah handed the victim to Afua and Acquah.



The victim began crying and resisted being taken to Yeji.



This attracted the attention of the complainant and she reported the matter to the Police at Adabraka, who arrested Afua together with the victim.



Prosecution said the matter was later referred to Anti-Human Trafficking Unit where Acquah and Adomah were arrested.

Source: GNA









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Park Geun-hye, the South Korean former President who was jailed for 24 years for corruption, has been slammed with an additional eight-year jail term for receiving bribe from the countrys National Intelligence Service (NIS).



A Seoul Central District Court gave the verdict on Friday after a separate trial on the allegation that she received bribe from the NIS and unlawfully intervened in 2016 selection of a parliamentary candidate for her party.



Geun-Hye was sentenced to six years for taking ?3.3billion ($2.9 million) from NIS, and two years for the electoral offence. The terms are to be served consecutively. On April 6, she was sentenced to 24 years imprisonment for abuse of power, bribery and coercion.



This implies that the ex-President will now be serving 32 years in jail. "The accused received some ?3billion over three years from the three NIS chiefs," the presiding judge said. "Through this crime, the accused incurred a considerable amount of loss to the state treasury.



Three former NIS chiefs testified they had funnelled the funds to Park on her orders, the court said. The judge rebuked Park, who denied the charges, for being uncooperative throughout the court hearing and for questioning by prosecutors. Geun-hye is the first female President of South Korea. She was impeached in 2017 after huge street protests over a sprawling scandal.













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Police in Delaware County have captured what they think is an alligator found in a Prospect Park creek.

The department sent out a reminder on Facebook Sunday, warning residents that while recovering and releasing reptiles into a creek may seem like the most humane thing to do, it's not.

The reptile was captured in the 400 block of Nassau Boulevard. Police are looking to determine whether it's an alligator and not a crocodile, a police spokesperson said. No further details have been provided.

The reptile will be released to a rescue organization, police said.

This is not the first time local authorities have captured an invasive reptile in the Philadelphia region. In 2016 Collegeville police captured an alligator. In 2017, an alligator was found and captured during a drug raid in Atlantic City.

Pennsylvania's Fish & Boat Commission's bureau of law enforcement has been called to investigate how this reptile was released.

While residents may believe that capturing and releasing animals into the wild is humane and helpful, it can be dangerous to the ecosystem, as any species that is non-native to an ecosystem is labeled as invasive and could have devastating consequences to their surroundings, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

It's also illegal to release non-native species into the wild in Pennsylvania too, according to Pennsylvania's Fish and Boat Commission.

Alligators, found in fresh water, inhabit parts of the United States and China. Crocodiles, which live in saltwater habitats, may be found in the Americas, as well as Africa, Asia, and Australia. American alligators are most commonly found in the southern United States, such as in Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Texas. Crocodiles may be found in coastal areas of Florida.
Question for Pa. Dept. of Health: What the hack?(Dreamstime/TNS) Read more

OK, this might be nothing. Might be something. But it's, at least, a little odd. Details of a hacked Pennsylvania Department of Health website are being closely held by the Wolf administration and raising questions at a time of worldwide jitters over cybersecurity.

Republican lawmakers have asked the state attorney general to investigate. And the incident has stirred ongoing concerns over backlogs in meeting citizen requests for birth and death certificates.

A mixed bag, I know. What the hack's going on?

Well, the Associated Press reports that somebody got into the Health Department's vital statistics website, prompting a six-day shutdown last month to search for data breaches.

State says none were found. "No records were viewed, altered, created or deleted," according to Office of Administration spokesperson Dan Egan.

What caught my eye in the AP reporting was the state's initial response to questions about potential hacking: the system had merely been taken offline for "emergency maintenance due to performance issues."

But the next day came an admission that law enforcement was involved because of an unauthorized entry to the site. Someone made "cosmetic modifications."

Eagan declined to discuss details with me other than to say, "We're working with law enforcement;" and later, by email, "The activity was traced to a computer in India."

Great, so now it's an international case? Or we were pranked by a bored call-center worker?

At any rate, turns out the "cosmetic" modification was the type of modification unruly juveniles used to make to a neighbor's front stoop with a flaming bag of dog poop. Not pretty, definitely jejune and more than a bit embarrassing.

"My understanding is the phrase `Department of Health' was changed to something else," State Rep. John Lawrence (R., Chester), told WHYY, "I don't think you can print the word."

Let's try.

Separate sources familiar with the event say "Department of Health" was changed to "Department of Aholes." The intruder did not use dashes.

Now, many of us, at some point, likely feel the need to refer to some government agency as some version of that. But you can see how state officials might object to having it on a government website.

And just the fact that a hack took place riled GOP lawmakers. Republican heads of four House committees that oversee programs often dealing with vital statistics  Health, Commerce, Labor and Industry, and Transportation  fired off a letter to state Attorney General Josh Shapiro seeking a "full independent investigation to ensure there was not a breach of Pennsylvanians' vital personal information."

Again, the administration claims there was not.

But House GOP spokesperson Stephen Miskin says the administration never informed the public of the hack, told two versions of its system shutdown (first maintenance, then unauthorized entry), "and now wants us all to believe them when they say nothing nefarious happened."

Philadelphia Republican Rep. John Taylor, Transportation Committee chair, one of the Shapiro letter-signers, says, "If there's something going on there we should know about it."

A statement from Shapiro's office says talks with the administration are underway "to determine what occurred and to determine appropriate next steps."

This all swirls amid angst over long delays in getting copies of birth and death certificates due to chronic backlogs, an issue of growing concern since federally-required REAL ID is to take effect October 2020.

(Taylor teases that whoever was tech-savvy enough to rename the agency should maybe be tasked with ending its backlog.)

The legislature and the department are pressing for improvements. The House recently passed legislation sponsored by Rep. Lawrence to overhaul the process of issuing birth certificates. The bill sits in the Senate.

So, even if the hack is no big deal (disgruntled employee or contractor?), it comes at a time the department doesn't need distractions.

REAL ID driver's licenses will be necessary for most people to fly commercially or enter a secure federal facility. One requirement to get such a license is an original or certified copy of a birth certificate.

And if the Health Department isn't cranking those babies out as needed, it might just earn "cosmetic modifications" to its name  on a lot more websites than its own.
Ruth Rovner has dinner on South Street with a group of older beneficiaries of her scholarships at Community College of Philadelphia. Most went on to earn post graduate degrees, and the students who get her scholarship also get her time, as Rovner has done more than write a check. She has kept in touch with them. Read more

When Ruth Rovner retired from Community College of Philadelphia after 23 years of teaching, she missed the students.

Wouldn't it be nice, she thought, if she could provide scholarship help, particularly to high achievers, often in their 30s, 40s, or 50s, who overcame obstacles.

She didn't have vast financial resources  she drives a 17-year-old Honda Civic. That's OK, a college gift officer assured her: "You don't have to be Bill Gates to do this."

So she began in 2011 awarding a few $400 scholarships each year to deserving students for things like books and supplies. While the money helped, it was what Rovner did next that really made a difference.

She offered her friendship.

"I want to support you and I want to befriend you," Rovner, 81, of Philadelphia, tells her recipients  17 in all over the last six years.

She takes those who accept to dinner and plays, attends their graduation award ceremonies, aids in their job searches, and maintains contact even after they graduate.

"This is my academic mother," said Rhonda Davis, 60, who prominently displays a picture of Rovner and herself in her dining room.

Davis studied creative writing, English, and theater at CCP after raising children and running a day care. She did so well that she got a full scholarship to Cheyney University's honors program and is on target to get a bachelor's in graphic design and fine arts next May.

Several recipients, including Davis, meet with Rovner regularly for dinner, as they did recently to celebrate the 60th birthday of Deborah Fine, who just got her bachelor's in social work from West Chester University.

"I want to make a toast to these outstanding late bloomers," Rovner said, raising a glass at Pietro's in South Philadelphia. "They're going to change the world!"

At the table  in addition to Davis and Fine  were:

* Dawn Joyner, 51, who enrolled at community college in her early 40s after more than half a dozen jobs, from pizza-shop server to associate manager at Wawa. She met Rovner, got her associate's, then got a full scholarship to Bryn Mawr College for her bachelor's in sociology. She has since received her master's there.

* Victoria Phraner, 36, of Deptford, the youngster that evening, who went to CCP to help rebuild her life after a prison sentence and has since gotten her bachelor's and master's and is employed as a social worker.

They were delighted to talk about the deliberate donor, a diminutive woman with penetrating questions and an effervescent smile, who has a place in their hearts.

"You validated the importance of my journey by saying, 'Here, let me help you with that,' " Joyner told Rovner.

It's unusual for scholarship donors to get involved in their recipients' lives, said Patti Conroy, director of scholarship programs at CCP. The college would like to see more.

Applicants for the Rovner scholarship must have completed at least one semester at CCP, earning a 3.5 GPA or higher, and overcome obstacles. College personnel screen and narrow the pool, with Rovner reading the essays and assisting in final selection.

Born in Philadelphia, the daughter of a lawyer and a homemaker, Rovner attended Overbrook High, then majored in English at the University of Pennsylvania and became a schoolteacher, first in Ithaca, N.Y., and later in the Philadelphia area. After getting her master's plus 30 credits at New York University, she got a teaching job at CCP, where she worked until she retired at 65.

She had been donating to the college's foundation for years, then decided she wanted to get to know her beneficiaries. Some recipients were skeptical.

But, "as soon as I met her, it was like bam," Davis said. "Her smile, everything about her was so in your face. She was really concerned about us."

Rovner took Davis to about half a dozen plays, including Macbeth at the Arden Theatre and Hamlet at the Wilma. At each, Rovner, a freelance writer, handed Davis her press kit and later hooked her up with the Broad Street Review magazine, for which she wrote reviews.

"I got paid for my writing for the first time in my life," Davis said. "It opened up so many more doors."

At Cheyney, she fell in love with painting and plans to go for her master's in fine arts.

"All of this because I took the initiative to sign up for a scholarship, and it gave me a friend for life," she said.

Phraner also found Rovner's friendship "quite refreshing."

As a child, Phraner excelled in school but started getting in trouble her senior year. After getting her GED, she served seven years in federal prison on a conspiracy charge involving drugs.

She was 28 when she got out.

"At that point, I had to work really hard to reestablish my life," she said.

She worked at a telemarketing company, then a diner, and eventually got a job at a drug and alcohol treatment center. In 2011, she enrolled in the behavioral health and human services program at CCP. There she met Rovner, who took her to her first live theater performance.

At CCP, Phraner excelled, qualifying for a full tuition scholarship to West Chester for its social-work program. Rovner attended her senior recognition dinner.

In 2017, she earned her master's at Rutgers, and this month, she got her license in social work. Because of her time in prison, she needed letters of recommendation, validating her transformation. Rovner wrote one.

The friendship from Rovner and the other recipients was just the support Fine needed as she began her educational quest at over 50.

"It was something I could look forward to," she said of the social gatherings.

After high school, Fine went to Israel for a year on a work-study program, then tried East Stroudsburg University. "It wasn't the right time," she said.

So she became a hot dog vendor, then a hospital technician. After losing her mother and her 30-plus-year job, she enrolled at CCP and got her associate's in behavioral health and human services, then went on for her bachelor's, qualifying for the same scholarship to West Chester that Phraner received.

"I feel really proud and grateful that I could get my degree at this age," she said. "When it's your time, it's your time."

At a Bryn Mawr scholars ceremony in 2014, Joyner, who now works as a mental-health therapist, thanked Rovner publicly for helping her achieve her goals.

"Ruth is one of the few people who convinces me that it's worth the effort to keep trying," she said, "because there are kind people in the world."
Robert Reif, right, Director of The Last Stop recovery house talks about the recent outbreak of drug overdoses in the Kensington neighborhood. Sunday, July 22, 2018. Read more

On Friday night, Miguel Carino listened from his home on Weymouth Street as sirens screamed down the block.

"It was ambulance, ambulance, ambulance, every 15 minutes," he said. Carino is accustomed to the ambulance sirens. His block in Kensington, across the street from the McPherson Square library, where last summer librarians revived overdose victims on the wide lawn, is at the epicenter of Philadelphia's overdose crisis. But Friday night, he said, was something different.

"It was unexplainable. It was out of control. These people need help," he said.

Within 24 hours, health officials said, about 100 people had sought help in emergency rooms around the city for an overdose or adverse drug reaction  levels not seen in months.

Many victims came from Kensington. Health officials said they'd initially received reports that the cluster was centered on a specific spot in that neighborhood, but it was unclear whether the batch of drugs behind the overdoses was limited to that area.

Health Commissioner Tom Farley said the cluster was the largest he had seen in his two years at the head of the city's health department.

Seven people died of apparent overdoses between Friday night and Sunday morning, which is about the typical overdose death rate, Farley said.

But the number of non-fatal apparent overdoses was unusually high around the city, officials said. It was unclear whether victims were overdosing on heroin, fentanyl, or some other opiate or having a bad reaction to some other substance cut into their drug, Farley said.

Farley couldn't say what had been in the drugs driving the cluster. Health officials are still waiting for laboratory testing of bags found in the hands of patients who arrived at emergency rooms around the city.

"We have a large number of adverse drug reactions so far, but no evidence of increase in fatalities," he said. "That's the the good sign."

Victims likely believed they had been buying heroin. The drugs were packaged in typical street heroin bags labeled "Santa Muerte"  Holy Death  and "Perfect 10," officials said. Farley said one emergency room reported a patient who suffered symptoms similar to those of anticholinergic intoxication  caused by an adverse reaction to a type of drug found in muscle relaxants and some antihistamines such as Benadryl.

Because of their unpleasant side effects, anticholinergics are also used as an abuse deterrent in some opioid pills, Farley said.

"What might have happened here is that someone sold some drug mixed with an anticholinergic, and a lot of people got it in a hurry," he said. "That would explain a lot of bad reactions but a very small number of fatalities."

But health officials won't know for sure until the bags are tested, he said.

On Friday afternoon, police in Kensington reported six apparent overdoses in the space of a few minutes, an unusually high spike, Farley said. The health department alerted hospital emergency rooms, outreach teams, and community organizations, he said, to warn drug users to avoid the Santa Muerte and Perfect 10 bags and to ask hospitals to keep an eye out for a rush of patients.

Joseph D'Orazio, the director of the Division of Medical Toxicology in the emergency department at Temple University's Lewis Katz School of Medicine, said Episcopal Hospital and Temple's emergency rooms have seen about 85 overdose patients since Friday morning  more than usual.

"I think people were really scared," he said. He'd fielded calls from emergency rooms across the city as more patients began showing up, he said. And some patients were reacting differently when they were revived with Narcan, he said  acting agitated and confused, which led doctors to believe the heroin they took had been cut with something else.

Outreach workers told the health department the situation was more or less back to normal by Saturday evening, Farley said, but police were still reporting a spike in overdose calls through Saturday night. And many victims decided not to go to an emergency room after they were revived, police said.

On the ground, outreach workers and drug users alike were rattled. They broadcast warnings on social media and cautioned people not to use drugs alone, lest they overdose without someone nearby to revive them.

On a bench in McPherson Square, Roberto Cruz, 49, sipped from a water bottle and wearily closed his eyes. He said he had overdosed on two bags of Santa Muerte on Friday night. At first, he didn't notice anything different, he said  he just felt high. Then he woke up in an ambulance. He said he didn't think the Santa Muerte was the source of the symptoms. "I felt like it was my fault," he said, because he had smoked synthetic marijuana beforehand and thought it might have caused his overdose.

A few blocks down on Somerset Street, near the El stop, Robert Reif pointed to the opposite corner, down the street, to the sidewalk in front of him. "There was a person there, a person there, a person who fell out there," he said. "Probably a dozen people fell out." Reif, who directs the Last Stop, an outreach organization, said he and other staffers had walked the streets after that, warning others there was a bad batch going around.

The city last reported an overdose spike in West Philadelphia last month, when 20 people overdosed on what officials suspected was the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl, sold as crack cocaine. Two people died.

In December 2016, 35 people died in a rash of overdoses over five days; 13 victims overdosed on fentanyl and another 13 on a combination of heroin and fentanyl.

Farley said the health department was continuing to investigate Friday night's cluster and hoped to have more information over the next few days. He said such overdose clusters were "one example of why we need a comprehensive user engagement site," or a safe-injection site, a place where people in addiction can use drugs under medical supervision, be revived if they overdose, and access treatment.

"If this happens in the future [at a safe-injection site], we would have medical staff to quickly figure out what's going on and spread the word to others," he said.
Republican Senator Pat Toomey and Democrat Senator Bob Casey rarely agree, but this week, they both condemned President Trump for his performance at a press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a statement, Toomey called "Trump's blindness" to Putin's "hostile acts  very troubling." Casey tweeted that Trump's behavior was "dangerous and reckless."

Their concerns were echoed by people around the country, in op-eds, tweets, social media comments and media appearances. We're here to remind you that there's another way to have your voice heard: Call your representative in Congress.

We've consulted a variety of sources to help you make the most of these calls.

Most importantly, you should be clear about what you're asking for and why you're asking for it. State your name, where you live, the name of your representative, why you are calling, what action would you like your representative to take, and why the action is important.

To make it easier, we've designed this easy-to-customize script. Feel free to use our menu of choices or your own. The numbers for Pennsylvania and New Jersey representatives are below.

Revising the script? Let us know what you said when you called your representative by emailing Inquirer.Letters@phillynews.com.

Why I am calling

President Trump's performance in Russia and his alignment with Putin worry me.

I am concerned about the lack of disclosure about President Trump's financial dealings.

I fear that the Mueller investigation is in danger.

Congress is not performing its function as a check on the presidency.

I'm worried about America's standing in the world.

What action Im asking for

Introduce a resolution to censure President Trump.

Work to obtain President Trump's tax return.

Promote legislation that protects special counsel Mueller from being fired by the president.

Call on President Trump to testify under oath.

Oppose the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh until after the midterm election.

Introduce a resolution to impeach President Trump.

Why this action is important

Congress needs to be reminded that they can act, as an equal branch of government.

The midterm election will be a referendum on President Trump's behavior.

We can't know why President Trump acts the way he is without having that information.

The Mueller investigation is critical for the future of our democracy.

I don't believe President Trump should be in office.

Phone numbers for Pennsylvania Congressional representatives

Senator Bob Casey Jr (D), (202)-224-6324

Senator Pat Toomey (R), (202)-224-4254

Rep. Bob Brady (D), (202)-225-4731

Rep. Dwight Evans (D), (202)-225-4001

Rep. Mike Kelly (R), (202)-225-5406

Rep. Scott Perry (R), (202)-225-5836

Rep. Glenn Thompson (R), (202)-225-5121

Rep. Ryan A. Costello (R), (202)-225-4315

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R), (202)-225-4276

Rep. Bill Shuster (R), (202)-225-2431

Rep. Tom Marino (R), (202)-255-3731

Rep. Lou Barletta (R), (202)-225-6511

Rep. Keith Rothfus (R), (202)-225-2065

Rep. Brendan Boyle (D), (202)-225-6111

Rep. Michael Doyle (D), (202)-225-2135

Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R), (202)-225-2411

Rep. Matt Cartwright (D), (202)-225-5546

Rep. Conor Lamb (D), (202)-225 2301

Phone numbers for New Jersey Congressional representatives

Senator Robert Menendez (D), (202)-224-4744

Senator Cory A. Booker (D), (202)-224-3224

Rep. Donald Norcross (D), (202)-225-6501

Rep. Frank A. LoBiondo (R), (202)-225-6572

Rep. Thomas MacArthur (R), (202)-225-4765

Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R), (202)-225-3765

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D), (202)-225-4465

Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D), (202)-225-4671

Rep. Leonard Lance (R), (202)-225-5361

Rep. Albio Sires (D), (202)-225-7919

Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D), (202)-225-5751

Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D), (202)-225-3436

Rep. Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (R), (202)-225-5034

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D), (202)-225-5801

Not sure who your representative is? Click here to search for your House representative by zip-code.
Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corp. says it has bought a majority stake in Insomnia Cookies, the University City-based "leading cookie delivery company in the United States."

The companies wouldn't say what the Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Krispy Kreme paid. CNBC reported the sides had agreed on a price of under $500 million for the cookie chain, which has 135 stores, many in college towns and yuppie neighborhoods where young people studying or partying want to indulge in fatty warm snacks.

"We are delighted to add Insomnia Cookies," said Krispy Kreme chief executive Mike Tattersfield in a statement. He said the companies would operate independently.

Reached by email, Insomnia founder Seth Berkowitz called the sale "a dream come true." Berkowitz started the business in 2003 when he was a student at the University of Pennsylvania. He said he has in the last 15 years built Insomnia into "a mainstay in college campuses."

The chain has expanded beyond area schools including Penn, Temple University, and University of Delaware into one or more college neighborhoods in most of the continental United States, and added stores in nearby office and residential neighborhoods, where young professionals whose resident advisers brought cookies into final-exam dorm study sessions are now ordering bags of Insomnia cookies for software and accounting team breaks.

Berkowitz also said the companies are "exploring opportunities" to expand sales. For example, "we are launching La Colombe canned draft latte in our Philadelphia stores next week."

The companies said Berkowitz will stay in charge of Insomnia after the scheduled close of the sale later this year. (Acquirers typically say they are going to keep founders around in their deal announcements, though many leave after a deal is concluded. A Krispy Kreme spokesperson declined to talk about how Insomnia fits into the company's strategy beyond what's in the news release.)

Krispy Kreme, founded in 1937, has 1,400 retail shops in the U.S. and more than 30 other countries in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the South Pacific. Krispy Kreme doughnuts are also sold by grocery chains and convenience stores.

Formerly a public company, Krispy Kreme was bought by JAB Beech, a branch of the German investment firm JAB Holding that also owns Panera Bread, Keurig Dr Pepper, Calvin Klein, and other feeding, clothing, and cleaning brands, for $1.35 billion in 2016.
Timothy Welbeck, the civil rights attorney at Philadelphia's Council on Islamic-American Relations, sits in his office on the morning of Friday, July 20, 2018. Reports of anti-Muslim bullying to his office have increased since 2014. Read more

In June, a Muslim family in Northeast Philadelphia filed a federal lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and St. Dominic Catholic School, alleging their son endured months of discrimination.

Similarly last month, an 11-year-old girl had her khimar, an Islamic headscarf, abruptly removed by a classmate. And in a separate incident, a student alleged his teacher persistently harassed him because he was Muslim, according to Philadelphia's Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Officials at CAIR-Philadelphia said these acts represent a pattern of anti-Muslim bullying in schools that has been on the rise since 2014.

Since August, the organization has received more than a dozen complaints of anti-Muslim bullying targeted at 15 to 20 students in 13 schools and colleges in the region, said Timothy Welbeck, the civil rights attorney for CAIR-Philadelphia. By comparison, there was one complaint of bullying for 2014, two for 2015, and nine for 2016.

Nationally, CAIR recorded a 17 percent increase in all types of anti-Muslim bias incidents from 2016 to 2017, according to its 2018 Civil Rights Report. It reported 2,599 bias incidents in 2017, compared with 2,213 for 2016 and 1,409 the year prior. Reports range from harassment to hate crimes and incidents of being unnecessarily targeted by the FBI or Customs and Border Patrol.

In 2017, Welbeck said he noticed a "significant uptick" in all types of complaints to the Philadelphia office, adding that they often coincided with "[President Trump] making Islamophobic remarks and inflammatory statements."

"Ultimately, right now, our social and political climate is creating feelings of not being safe or being supported for a lot of Muslim students," said Anisa Goforth, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Montana who has researched the psychological adjustment for Arab American children. "Fostering support for students who are ethnic and religious minorities is incredibly important."

CAIR, established in 1994, is an advocacy group for American Muslims that handles discrimination cases, organizes lobbying efforts, and works with media organizations to promote an accurate and positive image of Muslims in the United States. It has 32 chapters.

Last month, Naimah Leach reported to CAIR-Philadelphia that her daughter's khimar had been removed, and the Naqvi family filed a federal lawsuit alleging racial discrimination against their son, Syed, at school two years ago. Parents for both students said they were shocked to learn of their children's experiences in school.

Mustreen Naqvi said students began calling Syed, then 12, "ISIS" after the December 2015 San Bernadino mass shooting, in which the gunman was also named Syed and was of Pakistani descent. Later, the former principal of St. Dominic allegedly reported her son to the FBI after reviewing his class project that included "action scenes," like explosions, which the family believes were wrongly perceived as threats, according to court documents filed last month.

Leach got a call from a teacher last month telling her another student ripped off her daughter's khimar. The student later said it was "a joke."

"I was really shocked because that didn't happen to her before," she said. "How could you say that you were joking about something like this? This is serious."

Goforth said "being perceived as 'the other' " can make a child feel lonely, isolated, and not part of a group, which has a "significant impact" on the child's well being.

Ahmet Tekelioglu, CAIR-Philadelphia's education and outreach director, and Welbeck emphasized that Muslim students, especially young children, are reluctant to speak up about their experiences with anti-Muslim incidents or contact their office.

Welbeck noted in an email that he and Tekelioglu conducted an anti-bullying workshop for roughly 50 Muslim children in Bensalem, at which a third of them said they had experienced bullying, but "only a fraction" said they reported the incidents.

Leach said it took hours for her daughter to open up about what had happened at school. Syed Naqvi said that he was reluctant to tell his parents about getting in trouble at school, which his family believes occurred because of their son's national origin and religion.

Goforth said members of school communities should support Muslim students by being political and social advocates for them."Their experience is real and authentic," she said. "Children are diverse, not all Muslim students are the same.  Provide them that support."

But both families said they still worry their children could be harassed in the future.

"I'm just afraid that this [incident] opened up the doors for the other girls [to] just grab her khimar off her head," Leach said.

Syed Naqvi's father, also named Syed, said he fears for his five children, who have since been removed from St. Dominic and sent to a new school.

"I have to watch all the time.  All the time, you're scared," he said.
A 15-year-old boy was injured in a shooting in the early hours of Saturday morning in the Hartranft section of North Philadelphia, police said.

Police said the boy was shot once in the lower back and once in the right hip, in the 1100 block of West Cumberland Street at around 12:40 a.m.

Officers arriving on the scene rushed him to Temple University Hospital, where he was in stable condition Saturday.

No one had been arrested in the shooting, and no weapon was found.
The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court gather for an official group portrait to include new Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, top row, far right, at the Supreme Court Building in Washington, Thursday. June 1, 2017. Seated in bottom row are, from left, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, and Associate Justice Stephen Breyer. Standing in top row are, from left, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Samuel Alito Jr., Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch. Read more

Before nominating 53-year-old Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, President Trump expressed a hope that his pick would serve for 40 to 45 years. That was wishful thinking: The longest-serving justice in history, William O. Douglas, lasted over 36 years but was so obviously incompetent toward the end that his colleagues conspired to decide no closely contested cases until he stepped down.

Still, Kavanaugh is likely to serve a long time by our standards, and a very long time by the standards prevailing when the Constitution was framed. For most of American history, justices left the court at an average age of below 70. Today it's about 80. They used to serve about 15 years, but now average more than 28 years. (For scale, consider that 28 years ago, about 38 percent of the current U.S. population had not been born.) As much as justices appear to enjoy these extended careers, their unlimited terms are dysfunctional for the judicial system, the court itself, the presidency, and Congress. We need term limits for the court.

Right now, justices race against senility, physical decrepitude, and death itself in order to hand the power to appoint their successor to a specific party. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy was appointed by a Republican, and to few people's genuine surprise, retired with a Republican in the White House. That's how it usually works. In a 2010 article, we calculated that the odds of a justice's retiring rise 168 percent during the first two years of the term of a president of the same party. Justices also tend to avoid retirement when the sitting president is not of the same party  a delay that triples their odds of dying in office.

These distorting effects add up. While it might seem that things would average out over time, that doesn't happen. From Dwight Eisenhower's presidency through Barack Obama's, six presidents were Republicans and five were Democrats, but that didn't lead to similar numbers of appointments for each party. Rather, Democrats appointed eight justices while Republicans appointed 17. Much of the imbalance comes from Eisenhower and Richard Nixon, who appointed nine justices between them  more than the five Democratic presidents combined in spite of Nixon's premature departure from office.

Long tenures on the court also provoke a fear, reasonable or not, that an ill-considered appointment could damage the nation for a long time. That fear worsens already acrimonious confirmation hearings, often marked more by exaggerated claims and character assassinations than with evidence of the quality of jurisprudence that a nominee would bring to the court.

Term limits of 18 or 24 years for Supreme Court justices would fix many of these problems. Under staggered 18-year term limits, for example, one of the nine seats could be filled every odd year. If any justice died or retired before the term was up, a replacement would fill only the remainder of that term. Thus, there would be no partisan advantage in retiring early because doing so would not change the schedule of regular appointments.

After completing an 18-year term, justices could still serve on lower courts, thus technically preserving their life tenure as a federal judge, though not all of it would be on the Supreme Court. Such a fundamental change in the meaning of life tenure would probably require a constitutional amendment, although not everyone thinks so.

Adding court term limits to the Constitution stands a better chance than some might think. A constitutional amendment requires ratification by three-quarters of the states, and judicial term limits are well established in the states. Term limits or maximum judicial ages are used by 49 of 50 state supreme courts, as well as the high courts of other highly developed countries.

If there is an impediment, it's Congress. Senators and representatives might, in the abstract, favor term limits for justices, but might not want to encourage anyone to start thinking about term limits for the legislative branch.

James Lindgren is a professor at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. Ross M. Stolzenberg is a professor of sociology at the University of Chicago.
Blanca Pacheco, the assistant director of the New Sanctuary Movement, left, is embraced by Maggie Trotzky, during an immigration protest outside of the United States Custom House on 200 Chestnut St, in Philadelphia. Read more

On a hot and steamy Sunday, blocks from where tourists had lined up to see the Liberty Bell and under the eyes of police, more than 150 demonstrators gathered by the U.S. Custom House in Philadelphia to take issue with the country's policies on immigration.

"We are not going to be silent," said Rabbi Joshua Waxman, from Or Hadash Congregation in Fort Washington, who helped lead the protest.

Waxman said President Trump's rhetoric and his restriction on immigration violate the principles upon which the county was founded and have turned people against each other. The protest, he said, gave voice to those who have tried to cross the border and now sit in detention. "Jewish people know what it is to be a despised minority," Waxman said.

The event occurred on the Jewish holiday Tisha b'Av, which commemorates a series of tragic events in Jewish history. Part demonstration, part remembrance and part prayer service, the protest saw participants chant from the Book of Lamentations, which describes the sorrow after the fall of Jerusalem.

>READ MORE: Police clash with protesters outside Philly ICE office, arresting 29

The group included young families with children. Participants stood in silence for most of the event, occasionally joining in song. They carried handmade signs that read "I am here because of immigrants," "End racism against refugees," and "Indivisible with Liberty and Justice for all: No exceptions."

"We've been here before," Rabbi Avi Winokur, from the Society Hill Synagogue. He recounted the story of the ship St. Louis, a German ocean liner that came to the United States in 1939 with more than 900 refugees who were denied entry,

"We are reenacting what we once did so terribly," Winokur said, referring to the current treatment of immigrants.

"The immigration system is broken," said Blanca Pacheco, of the New Sanctuary Movement in Philadelphia. For years, she said, the U.S. has sold immigrants a dream to come to the county for a good life. Once here, she said, they find the path to citizenship blocked.

"I'm just appalled about what is going on," said Cathryn Miller-Wilson, the executive director of HIAS Pennsylvania, a nonprofit that provides legal services for immigrants and refugees.

Miller-Wilson said she also saw similarities between what happened to Jews in Germany during the 1930s and what immigrants now face. First, the immigrants are portrayed as the "other." Then a climate of fear about the immigrants is created. Finally, she said, "anti-other" policies are imposed.

"Fear," she said, "is one of the strongest weapons out there."
A Chinook helicopter fills up with water to release on the Lake Christine Fire, Saturday, July 7, 2018 in Basalt, Colo. Read more

The Philadelphia area's pride and commitment to America's armed forces is unquestionable. Some of us earned that pride serving in the military where we got an up-close look at the rotorcraft Boeing builds at its Ridley Park campus outside Philadelphia.

After I left the Marine Corps, I spent 40 years of my life either on the Chinook production line in Ridley Park or building jet engines to support military aerospace. The Chinook is a multimission helicopter with heavy-lift capabilities that frequently transports troops and cargo in combat areas behind enemy lines. That often means taking the fight to the enemy far from U.S. military support operations. In those cases, military aircraft like the Chinook, military fighter jets, and even those massive bombers must rely on a fleet of refueling tankers to keep them flying.

>>READ MORE: Trump can save Philadelphia's refineries | Opinion

Unfortunately, the Air Force's tanker fleet of KC-10s and KC-135s is decades old, with the majority dating back to President Dwight Eisenhower. But with strong support from our area's congressional delegation, aerospace suppliers across the region are working hard to deliver the next-generation KC-46 refueling tanker to the military.

Refueling tankers like the KC-46 are military-grade flying gas stations that extend the operational range of America's military jets, rotorcraft, and transport aircraft. Boeing is building the new KC-46 using their highly successful 767 commercial jet platform.

But this is no ordinary passenger jet.

>READ MORE: With dearth of orders, Philly Shipyard's future is at risk

In a first for a refueling tanker, the KC-46 will feature two dynamic refueling systems capable of servicing multiple aircraft during the same tanker flight and eliminating the need for time-consuming reconfiguring on the ground. On top of these state-of-the-art refueling capabilities, the KC-46 features advanced defensive systems that allow the tanker to operate in higher-threat environments than legacy tankers.

Together, those assets extend the range of nearly every U.S. military aircraft around the world. The KC-46 can also double as a troop transporter, ship cargo, and even evacuate wounded soldiers.

>>READ MORE: Buying American can help keep the Philly shipyard afloat | Opinion

Boeing will deliver its first tanker to the Air Force later this year. Among the bases selected to receive a fleet of KC-46 tankers is nearby Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. This long-term employment guarantee will protect thousands of jobs in the region. That's as critical to the Delaware Valley as the combined $34 million in economic impact the tanker program delivers to New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

And just as important for the U.S. military, with the first delivery of the new KC-46, active and retired aerospace workers at Boeing's Ridley Park plant can continue rolling Chinooks off the line knowing they can operate practically anywhere on the globe.

Sean Stratton is a retired U.S. Marine. He spent 40 years building and maintaining aircraft. He helped build the civilian model of the Chinook and later worked on all facets of the Chinook as an assembler, mechanic, and then lead mechanic.
Vice President Mike Pence addresses the crowd at the America First Policies event in Rosemont, Ill. Read more

When I visit Philadelphia on Monday, I will deliver an important message to the hardworking men and women of the Keystone State: Our agenda is delivering real results  and we're just getting started.

>>READ MORE: VP Mike Pence to visit Philly Monday to promote GOP's Lou Barletta, tax cuts

Simply look at the historic tax cuts that President Trump signed last December. With the strong support of every Pennsylvania Republican in Congress, we enacted the largest tax cuts and reform in American history.

Under our tax cuts, the first $24,000 of income for a married couple is now 100 percent income-tax free, nearly double what it was before. We also increased the child tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000. And we cut out the core of ObamaCare by eliminating the individual mandate tax, so Pennsylvanians will no longer be forced to buy government-mandated health insurance you don't want and can't afford.

All told, the typical family of four in the Philadelphia area will save nearly $2,500 on their taxes every single year. This is a win for working families. It means a down payment on a car, a new refrigerator, or saving a little bit more for your kids' education.

We also cut taxes on job creators of all sizes. Businesses across the Keystone State and around the nation have already responded with renewed investment in their workers.

Nationwide, more than 6 million Americans  including at least 73,000 Pennsylvanians  have received bigger pay raises, better benefits, and cash bonuses because of our tax cuts.

But this is just the beginning. As businesses continue to invest their tax-cut savings in their workers, we estimate that annual wages for Pennsylvania families will rise by more than $4,200 in the years ahead.

The Keystone State is represented by strong Republican leaders in our nation's capital who helped pass our tax cuts, including Congressman Lou Barletta. Rep. Barletta and his Republican colleagues stood with President Trump to put more money in the pockets of working families and job creators, and they deserve Pennsylvania's thanks.

The same can't be said of Sen. Bob Casey. Sen. Casey voted against cutting your taxes  and time and again, he votes against the policies that Pennsylvania's working families need.

The evidence is clear: Our tax cuts are working for Pennsylvania, and so is the rest of our agenda.

>>READ MORE: Trump support a 'double-edged sword' for Barletta's Senate run

Working with the Keystone State's conservatives in Congress, President Trump has signed more laws rolling back federal red tape than any president in American history. Our administration has eliminated 22 federal regulations for every new rule put on the books.

We've also unleashed affordable American energy to power our factories, farms, and homes. We're standing up to predatory trade practices from countries, such as China, and we're fighting tirelessly to break down trade barriers, so Pennsylvania farmers and manufacturers have new opportunities to expand and export and create more jobs right here in Philadelphia.

The results have been extraordinary.

Since the Keystone State voted to send President Trump to the White House, America's job creators have added nearly 3.7 million new jobs. More than 115,000 have been created in Pennsylvania alone including more than 10,000 manufacturing jobs. And the unemployment rate in the Philadelphia metro area is now at its lowest level ever recorded.

But for all we've done, there's still more work to do. The good people of Pennsylvania can be assured that we will continue to keep our promises to you.

President Trump made that clear once again when he nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to be the next justice on the Supreme Court. Like all the principled jurists who we've put on the federal courts, Judge Kavanaugh will uphold all the God-given liberties enshrined in the Constitution of the United States.

Under President Trump, the forgotten men and women of America are forgotten no more. In the days ahead, with the continued support of the hardworking men and women of Pennsylvania, we'll finish what we've started, and we will Make America Great Again.

Mike Pence is Vice President of the United States of America.
Fly to Tokyo with Malaysia Airlines A380 for RM 1299 All Inclusive

There is a special promo fares with Malaysia Airlines. Fly with Malaysia Airlines A380 to three destinations; Sydney, Tokyo and London from KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) Kuala Lumpur.







If you never fly with A380, this is your chance to do so. The double- decker plane features First Class, Business Class and Economy Class cabins. We flew to London with Malaysia Airlines A380 a few years ago and you can read it at MH 002 Kuala Lumpur to Heathrow London UK Experience.

For this promotion from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo, it is RM 1,299 all inclusive of airport tax and all other charges. This is one of their cheapest fares to Tokyo by Malaysia Airlines for economy class.

For business class, it is RM 3,799 all inclusive and it is still cheaper than its usual fares.

Read how you can upgrade with MHUpgrade How to Upgrade to Business Class Cheap

Book your flights by 25 Jul 2018 and travel from 21  22 Jul 2018, 26  27 Jul 2018 and 6 Aug  26 Oct 2018.

July is still summer in Tokyo but August to October is Autumn and it will be nice weather to visit Tokyo.







Do remember that Malaysia Airlines fly to Narita International Airport and NOT Haneda International Airport. Dont worry, there are shuttle busses from the airport to Tokyo or you can always take the JR Pass. If you have not buy a JR Pass, you can get it cheapest at Klook.com

We also checked some of the departure dates on Malaysia Airlines website and there are still many seats available for Tokyo! Dont say we bojio, book now at www.MalaysiaAirlines.com.my







Please take note of the terms & conditions by Malaysia Airlines as below:

Flights on the A380 may be subject to schedule changes and last minute substitution of aircraft due to operational requirements. A380 fares quoted may be subject to change without notice, are not redeemable with Cash/Travel Vouchers and not applicable during peak periods, and are subject to seat availability. Other terms and conditions apply.

Wilson Ng A Father and traveler who enjoys to eat, shop, travel and taking pictures with Samsung S21 Ultra. Im a full time blogger, youtuber and father for two.

I travel around 17 International trips per year. Remember to follow us at www.instagram.com/placesandfoods and www.youtube.com/placesandfoods. For ads or features, contact me at [email protected] See author's posts
SHEEMA  Opposition leader Dr.Kizza Besigye has said the NRM candidate for Sheema Municipality parliamentary seat, Dr Elioda Tumwesigye, is only in NRM because of money and lacks the inner love for the party.

While campaigning for FDC candidate Plan Virginia Mugyenyi in Kashozi Division, Sheema Municipality, on Saturday, Dr Besigye said he was the soul and life of NRM before President Museveni spoilt everything.

There is nobody in this country who can love President Museveni and NRM party to my extent. I left my fatty job in 1980 and I surrendered the whole of my life because of Museveni and remember he had nothing to give me at that time because he was poor. But these Eliodas and his friends who put on yellow are after money and jobs but not inner love. Thats why they are loud speakers of Mr Museveni, Dr Besigye told a mammoth crowd.

The four-time presidential candidate also ridiculed the achievements of NRM, saying the ruling party no longer has any agenda for the country.

The NRM government works under the oppositions pressure. Last time I had Mr Museveni lying to you that he no longer thinks about people of Buhweju District because they voted Hon.Mwijukye Francis of FDC, he even intimidated you that if you dont vote NRM members you wont get services. Now hear this, when Mwijukye bought an Ambulance for his people, the Government quickly bought two Ambulances for Buhweju. Since 1986 Mr Museveni has never appointed a resident District Commissioner (RDC) for Buhweju, but in the last reshuffle Buhweju produced two RDCs. He lied to you that he (Museveni) is relaxed but in actual sense he spends sleepless nights because of opposition in Buhweju, Dr Besigye told the cheering supporters.

Recently when Plan Virginia revealed that she will clear all municipality roads, last week the government brought tractors and cleared Migyina, Karera and Kihunda roads. So since they work under our pressure, vote Virginia Mugyenyi and you obtain more services in a short time, he added.

Seven candidates in the race for the election that will take place on July 27. They are Ms Mugyenyi (FDC), Dr Tumwesigye (NRM), and Independents Mesarch Katusiime, Ambrose Mwesigye, Jonas Tumwine, Raymond Akankwasa and Ben Ruyombya.

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SHEEMA  Buhweju County MP Francis Mwijukye has said he has done more for Buhweju in his two years as MP than the NRM government has done for the district in the last 32 years.

Mr Mwijukye, who is the only FDC MP from Ankole, was reacting to President Musevenis criticism of his work in the district.

While campaigning for the NRM candidate in the Sheema Municipality MP election on Thursday, the President said the residents should not be like the neighboring Buhweju District, which voted for the FDC MP Francis Mwijukye, who is only making noise in Parliament.

Buhweju had a hardworking MP called Biraro. He was pestering me a lot for services in his area but they voted a person called (Francis) Mwijukye. I have never seen him and I even deleted Buhweju from the map, the President, who is also the NRM party chairman, said.

However, Mr Mwijukye, who has camped in the area as he campaigns for the party candidate Virginia Plan Mugyenyi, hit back at Museveni, saying the ruling party has not helped his district to develop.

Yesterday [Thursday], the President said that I am nothing, then I ask myself that if he calls me nothing yet Im the Member of Parliament, what do you think he calls you voters who vote us? he said at a rally in Rushozi Ward, Sheema Municipality Saturday.

That I dont know where services are delivered from because Im not a member of NRM caucus, but even me I dont want to go there, because its where our suffering comes from, its where unnecessary amendments come from, its where they fix and raise taxes from because all members there are puppets, Mwijukye added.

He advised the FDC youths to form groups of ten members each group and start monitoring different parts of municipality to curb the rigging of votes.

They hired Bright Rwamirama and Rweyeshera because they know how to beat, let us leave them to beat us using sticks and we punish them with votes to win them. Make groups of ten members each group and you go together that in case you find someone bribing voters, we do it for her or him because we are seriously tired of NRM humiliation, advised Mwijukye.

FDCs Virginia promised to offer employment opportunities to NRM members who were defeated in their party primaries especially Kamukama and Mwebesa once she wins the elections.

Opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye, while campaigning in the area on Saturday, also ridiculed the achievements of NRM, saying the ruling party no longer has any agenda for the country.

The NRM government works under the oppositions pressure. Last time I had Mr Museveni lying to you that he no longer thinks about people of Buhweju District because they voted Hon.Mwijukye Francis of FDC, he even intimidated you that if you dont vote NRM members you wont get services. Now hear this, when Mwijukye bought an Ambulance for his people, the Government quickly bought two Ambulances for Buhweju. Since 1986 Mr Museveni has never appointed a resident District Commissioner (RDC) for Buhweju, but in the last reshuffle Buhweju produced two RDCs. He lied to you that he (Museveni) is relaxed but in actual sense he spends sleepless nights because of opposition in Buhweju, Dr Besigye told the cheering supporters in Kashozi Division, Sheema Municipality.

The FDC top leadership on Saturday spent the day in Kashozi Division campaigning for Ms Mugyenyi.

FDC president Patrick Amuriat, Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Winnie Kizza, MPs Mwijukye, Roland Kaginda and Betty Muzanira, FDC Secretary for Mobilization Ingrid Turinawe, former MPs Oddo Tayebwa and Vincent Mujuni Kyamadidi and Martin Byomuhangi combed villages of Kanekye, Rwanyamukinya, Karera B and others, mobilising support for the candidate.

Mbarara FDC chairman Stanley Katembeya, DP Vice President Imam Makumbi and lawyer David Kamukama, who lost to NRM candidate Elioda Tumwesigye in the party primaries, all were present at the rallies.

Speaker after speaker sought to reassure the voters to overcome fear, confront those who intimidate them and ensure they demonstrably show their disgust to NRM misrule by voting for Virginia Plan.

They also appealed to voters to resist bribery and other freebies distributed by Dr Tumwesigye.

Seven candidates in the race for the election that will take place on July 27. They are Ms Mugyenyi (FDC), Dr Tumwesigye (NRM), and Independents Mesarch Katusiime, Ambrose Mwesigye, Jonas Tumwine, Raymond Akankwasa and Ben Ruyombya.

Related
KOTIDO  The ruling NRM National Chairman President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni will campaign in the new Municipality of Kotido this Sunday afternoon.

According to NRM Communications chief, Rogers Mulindwa, Mr Museveni will campaign for the party flag bearers at different levels of leadership that include the Member of Parliament and the Mayor among others.

He is expected here midday but there is already visible excitement down town in anticipation of his arrival. Cultural songs and dances were staged in all the four Divisions throughout the night, Mr Mulindwa said on Sunday morning.

Senior Administrator from the NRM Secretariat in Kampala Lawrence Mayambala who has been camped in Kotido for two weeks says Mr. Museveni will address one rally at Lomukura Primary School play ground in the Central Division.

Thorough ground mobilisation has been well done under the overall supervision of a CEC Member Hon Simon Aleper, Mr Mulindwa said.

NRM Secretary General Justine Kasule Lumumba also camped in Kotudo for two days to kick start the exercise before she travelled to Bugiri. Others cadres on the ground include Paak Peter Pex.



The team spent the best part of yesterday conducting mobilisation meetings with various groups. They had fruitful engagements with the NRM branch women leaders of the 21 villages in the central Division and flagged them off to intensify door to door campaigns. They also met with informal groups such as the market vendors and boda boda cyclists, Mr Mulindwa said.

Mr. Ismail Muhammad Lomwar is the Flag Bearer for Municipal Mayor and Hon Loki Peter Abrahams for Parliament.

Kotido Municipality has 37 Polling Stations, 04 Divisions,106 Villages/Cells and close to 20,000 voters.

Related
Nicholas Frankovich at NRO writes:

Foreign-policy veterans of past Republican administrations figure disproportionately in the ranks of prominent conservatives who have checked out of the GOP since 2016. Some have concluded in good faith that the foreign-policy instincts of the Democratic party are less incompatible [than President Trumps] with Americas best interest. To Republicans who chide them for party disloyalty, they answer that loyalty to country takes precedence.

Republican foreign policy veterans who prefer the Democrats foreign policy instincts to President Trumps may have, in most cases, reached their conclusion in good faith. But the conclusion is untenable. These veterans are to be chided not for party disloyalty, but for terrible judgment and/or bad memory.

Whataboutism  the tendency to answer criticism of President Trump by pointing to President Obamas follies and asking what about them  is a poor defense of Trump. But it is the proper response to any claim that the Democratic partys foreign policy instincts are more compatible with American interests than those of the current president.

What part of Obamas Russia policy was compatible with American interests? Doing Putins bidding on missile defense systems for Poland and the Czech Republic? Ceding control of the Syrian skies to Russia? Farming out to Putin enforcement of the so-called red line on Assad using chemical weapons? Ridiculing Mitt Romney for saying that Russia is a major geo-political threat (words matter, as Trumps critics remind us)? Doing precious little to help Ukraine fend off Russian aggression?

For that matter, what about President Obamas reaction to Russian interference in the election? He says he told Putin to knock it off. That, apparently, was it.

Moving beyond the subject of Russia, if thats still permitted, what about Obamas Iran policy. Did it serve our interests to enrich an enemy regime bent on dominating the Middle East? What did we get in exchange? Promises, breakable at any time, that Iran wont develop nukes for about a decade?

What about Israel? Obama was openly hostile towards our best friend in the region. Mistakenly assuming, probably for ideological reasons, that Israel was mainly to blame for the lack of a peace agreement, he tried to coerce our ally into making major concessions in exchange for virtually nothing. His instincts were terrible.

What about Iraq? Obamas pullout paved the way for ISIS, which he dismissed as the jayvee, and the horror and terrorism that ensued.

What about defense spending? Democrats live to cut the Department of Defense budget, thereby weakening our military and our country. Trump has boosted defense spending significantly, thereby strengthening our military and making America more capable of thwarting our enemies and promoting peace.

Against Obamas horrendous record, of which the above recitation is only a part, what can the GOP foreign establishment cite to support the view that Democratic foreign policy instincts are better than Trumps? The fact that Obama got along well with Angela Merkel? Its easy to get along with the leader of an ally when you wink at her failure to meet her countrys obligations to NATO, thus weakening the alliances ability to counter. . .Russia.

In this post, I have equated Obamas foreign policy with the foreign policy of the Democrats. Thats not an unreasonable approach, but it may be too charitable to the Dems. The Democratic party has moved leftward since the end of the Obama presidency.

Well see whom the Democrats nominate for president in two years. It might be Joe Biden  hardly the worst case scenario  who stood behind Obama on all foreign policy issues and would not be able, given the partys base, to adopt more centrist positions in the unlikely event that he wanted to.

Biden has been wrong about almost every important foreign policy issue  and Russia/the Soviet Union in particular  for as long as anyone can remember. Talk about terrible instincts!

More likely the nominee will be a hard leftist, someone like Kamala Harris, who would make Obama look like a centrist on foreign, as well as domestic, policy.

Would foreign policy veterans of past Republican administrations support such a candidate? If so, Trump derangement syndrome will be the correct diagnosis.
The Trump administration has just released a heavily redacted version of the FISA application on Carter Page to the New York Times and other news organization that sought it under the Freedom of Information Act. The Times reports on the release in this breaking news article by Charlie Savage. I have embedded the file as posted by the Times below via Scribd.

This application targets Carter Page, the application states. The F.B.I. believes Page has been the subject of targeted recruitment by the Russian government. Savage reports:

Visible portions showed that the F.B.I. in stark terms had told the intelligence court that Mr. Page has established relationships with Russian government officials, including Russian intelligence officers; that the bureau believed the Russian governments efforts are being coordinated with Page and perhaps other individuals associated with Mr. Trumps campaign; and that Mr. Page has been collaborating and conspiring with the Russian government. * * * * * The fight over the surveillance of Mr. Page centered on the fact that the F.B.I., in making the case to judges that he might be a Russian agent, had used some claims drawn from a notorious Democratic-funded dossier compiled by Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence agent. The application cited claims from the dossier about a meeting Mr. Page purportedly attended with a person close to the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, while Mr. Page was on a trip to Moscow in July 2016, two months before leaving the Trump campaign. Republicans portrayed the Steele dossier  which also contained salacious claims about Mr. Trump not included in the wiretap application  as dubious, and blasted the F.B.I. for using material from it while not telling the court that the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign had funded the research. But Democrats noted that the application also contained evidence against Mr. Page unrelated to the dossier, and that it did tell the court that the researchs sponsor had the political motive of wanting to discredit Mr. Trumps campaign. They argued that it was normal not to specifically name Americans and American organizations in such materials. The application shows that the F.B.I. told the court it believed that the person who hired Mr. Steele was looking for dirt to discredit Mr. Trump. But it added that based on his previous reporting history with the F.B.I., in which he had provided reliable information, the bureau believed his information cited in the application to be credible. It did not use their names.

Critical parts of the FISA application have been redacted. On first pass, however, the Times story seems to me an unintentionally damning account of a damning document whose use of the Steele Dossier on the quoted terms cannot pass muster. I will just add at this point that the Times offers no explanation for the Saturday afternoon timing of the document dump.

CarterPageFISAfile by Scott Johnson on Scribd
Given that most of the application that Barack Obamas Department of Justice submitted to the FISA court to obtain a surveillance order on Carter Page has been redacted, what we can say about the application is limited. Still, a few things stand out.

First, the FISA application expresses confidence that Page was an agent of the Russian government, and engaged in criminal activity:

But Page has never been charged with anything. Accordingly, the least we can say is that Obamas FBI and DOJ were wrong.

Second, the applications description of Christopher Steele and the provenance of his dossier was misleading at best:

The identified U.S. person is Glenn Simpson, the head of Fusion GPS. Source #1 is Christopher Steele. The DOJs statement that the FBI speculates that the identified U.S person [Simpson] was likely looking for information that could be used to discredit Candidate #1s [Trumps] campaign could only have been an intentional effort to deceive the FISA judge. The FBI was perfectly well aware that the Hillary Clinton campaign and the DNC hired Simpson through their lawyers, and the purpose of doing so was to attack candidate Donald Trump. References to speculation about likely motives are entirely dishonest.

Third, the application relies to an astonishing degree on anti-Trump news stories published in the Democratic Party press. Does the FBI really get surveillance warrants on the basis of partisan press accounts? Apparently so. For example:

Notwithstanding such speculation in the Democratic Party press, the Trump administration has, in fact, agreed to send a $200 million military aid package to Ukraine. So the Carter Page warrant was obtained, at least in part, on the basis of groundless speculation in anti-Trump newspapers.

Amazingly, the FISA application relies on speculation in U.S. media for the proposition that Russia was behind the phishing of DNC emails:

This is truly pitiful.

Fourth, we still dont know who at the FBI assembled the FISA application, since that persons signature is redacted. But we do know who approved ithyper-partisans James Comey and Sally Yates:

That probably tells us all we need to know about the veracity of the FISA application. Perhaps one day we will learn that Peter Strzok was the Democratic Party activist who prepared the application.

What I really want to know is the identity of the judge who signed off on the surveillance of Carter Page, based on such flimsy grounds. Some are speculating that he must be from Hawaii.
( Read 7422 Times)

Source :

Udaipur. Shakti Pumps India Limited is well known in the industry and manufacturing pumping solutions for different sectors such as agriculture, industrial, domestic and horticulture. The company plans to diversify its product portfolio through this new facility. All main solar integrators of India and leading professors from top five IITs attended the function to strengthen the confidence of Shakti in power industry. The new facility will manufacture and assemble solar variable frequency drives (VFDs), hybrid inverters, motor starters and other power electronics products. The plant has a total manufacturing capacity of 1 lakh VFDs and inverters per annum. The company plans to use around 10% of the capacity in the first year, by producing 10,000 VFDs in this current financial year.Our plant is unique as we have research and development facility and the new manufacturing facility at the same place, unlike other key players who run their design facility (R&D) and manufacturing facilities from different places, said Mr. Dinesh Patidar, Managing Director, Shakti Pumps (India) Limited.Shakti Pumps R&D facility is recognized by Government of India, Ministry of Science & Technology, and Department of Scientific & Industrial Research.The new plant will also create employment opportunities in the field of electronics and power electronics in central India and will give way to a skilled workforce in the region, added Patidar. The company will manufacture three different product lines from this new facility: electric motor drive (VFD) (1-10HP)- is a universal drive series for different type of motors, electronic motor starters (1-100HP)- soft starter and other digital starters, and hybrid Inverters (1-10kVA).The drive will find application in the solar pumping industry, process industry and textiles and wherever speed control is required such as conveyors, extruders, pumps, fans, compressors etc. The global variable frequency drive market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.94% from 2016 to 2021. By 2021, the market will be worth $ 24.8 billion.
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Tata Cha cafes hope to create a feel of a roadside tea cart, casual college canteens, old Irani cafes and even the chai joints encountered on journeys through the Indian countryside.

A variety of warm snacks are on the menu at Tata Cha outlets. Photograph: Courtesy Tata Chai/Facebook.

As the countrys fledgling business of tea cafes finally gets a fillip from its tea drinking masses, one of the oldest groups in the business has jumped into the fray.

Tata Global Beverages, with four cafes in Bengaluru and plans to expand into other metros, is taking the fight to newly-minted chai entrepreneurs such as Chaayos and Chai Point and to smaller retail ventures by the big companies: Hindustan Unilever and the Wagh Bakri group.



Experts believe that the timing is right for TGB, which controls almost 21 per cent of the tea market in the country, to exploit its long-standing experience in the business, given that more tea drinkers are now willing to step into a cafe.

Nostalgia is the main theme at the Tata-launched chai shops. Photograph: Courtesy Tata Chai/Facebook.

But Tata Cha needs more than an understanding of the brew and real estate to compete with the young entrepreneurs. The brand must define an identity that is distinct from the rest and also walk the line between price and value to keep young cafe goers coming back for more.



The way to do that, the company believes, is to make the brand stand for something that the young can easily identify with -- a desire to recreate the good old days. To that end TGB says that it is crafting its brand strategy around nostalgia.





Tata plays up hygiene while offering typical roadside chai fare. Photograph: Courtesy Tata Chai/Facebook.

Tata Cha wants to bring back memories of growing up, warm mornings and a taste of home-made tea says Sushant Dash, regional president, India and Middle East, TGB. We have been very clear on our branding plan to evoke a sense of nostalgia that would take the consumers back to their childhood days. At Tata Cha, the essence of our offerings is rooted in being authentically Indian and yet, modern and contemporary, creating a space that pays homage to the warmth of tapri chai, said Dash.



This is not the groups first foray into tea cafes. Nearly a decade ago, the group had experimented with the idea with Chai Unchai. They were meant to replicate the experience of the roadside vendor, albeit in a clean and hygienic environment.





Tata says that at Tata Cha, the essence of their offering is rooted in being authentically Indian and yet, modern and contemporary, creating a space that pays homage to the warmth of tapri chai. Photograph: Courtesy Tata Chai/Facebook.

Experts say that the idea was before its time and hastily implemented and also people never really saw the benefit of paying more for a cup of tea. Indians have always preferred to drink their tea at home or unceremoniously gulp it down off the street.

Dash says, At that point the pilot was successful but we decided to work on the global markets. Hence, the decision was to rather concentrate on ambient products.



Tata Cha cafes have been envisaged as a place where people come in for a chat, a cup of tea and to grab a quick bite.

The accent: Affordable, youthful and homely. Photograph: Courtesy Tata Chai/Facebook.

It is not just a clean and hygienic alternative to the chaiwallah. The brand is not being pitched as a budget chain, but the idea is to make consumers feel at home and yet surprise them with differentiated menus. On the list are masala rusk and cinnamon rusk starting at Rs 25 per piece and the kadak chai starting at Rs 30. This makes it affordable, youthful, homely -- and yet out of home, says Dash.





It helps that restaurants are booming in the country. According to the India Food Services Report by Technopak and National Restaurant Association of India, 36 per cent of Indian consumers see eating out as an opportunity to get together with family and friends. TGB has set its sights on the young office going metro dweller, the same target audience that start-ups such as Chai Point and Chaayos have identified.

Simple but clean. Photograph: Courtesy Tata Chai/Facebook.

Tata Cha cafes are designed to create a feel of a roadside tea cart, casual college canteens, old Irani cafes and even the chai joints encountered on journeys through the Indian countryside.





Tea is a Rs 23,000 crore market and according to the TGB research team, Bengaluru consumes more cups of tea per day as compared to coffee, so they see a significant opportunity here. The city is quite a favourite for tea and coffee chains of every shade and hue and with Tata Cha in the fray, expect these brands to reinvent their offering and put up a stiff fight on prices, say experts.





Tata Chai tea parlours recall simpler times. Photograph: Courtesy Tata Chai/Facebook.

The company feels it has an edge over its rivals, since it has far more experience in the business of tea which spans over five decades. However, the tea market is huge and theres opportunity for all to scale up says Dash.

Chai Point, founded by Amuleek Bijral, which is currently Indias largest chain of organised tea stores, recently opened its hundredth store in Bengaluru.





A Chaayos outlet. Photograph: Courtesy Chaayas/Facebook.

What could help Tata Cha stand out in the crowd of branded tea shops is of course its experience, but also the food it puts on the table says Ambi Parameswaran, CEO, Brand-Building.com. Tatas will not just replicate what is available at Starbucks but figure out a different playbook. May be more ethnic flavours, not just the standard chai. Also more interesting things to eat, not the standard sandwiches, he says.





Chai Point has 104 outlets across India. Photograph: Courtesy Chai Point/Facebook.

TGB says it is positioning itself distinctly from Starbucks, a joint venture between TGB and Starbucks Corporation. At Tata Cha, the essence is Indian with a contemporary twist. And the core proposition is freshly-boiled tea made one cup at a time without compromising on consistency and taste.




Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Shehbaz Sharif has said that people can change his name if he does not take Pakistan ahead of India after coming into power, according to a media report today.

Sharif, the PML-N prime ministerial candidate, made the remarks while addressing a rally in Sargodha district in Punjab province on Saturday.

He said that people can change his name if he does not take Pakistan ahead of India after coming into power, The Express Tribune reported.

They (Indians) will come to Wagah Border and call Pakistanis their master, 65-year-old Sharif was quoted as saying by the paper.

The former Punjab chief minister said that he would bring Pakistan at par with Malaysia and Turkey. He added that he would visit Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to learn from them and make Pakistan a great nation again.

He said that Pakistan cannot become a great nation by voting leaders like Imran Khan who have made false promises to our nation.

The U-turn signs should be removed from roads and should be replaced by the picture of Imran Khan, he said, adding that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chiefs politics is based on baseless allegations and false promises.

Khan alleged corruption against the Punjab government but not a single penny has been proved against me, the PML-N president said.

He was the chief minister of Punjab province from June 2013 to June 2018. He was elected as PML-N president in March after his elder brother Nawaz Sharif was disqualified as the party president following a Supreme Court verdict in the Elections Act 2017 case.

The PML-N chief said Nawaz Sharif came back to Pakistan leaving his ailing wife in London but Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz were arrested at the airport.

Nawaz Sharif was not even allowed to meet his mother, he added.

Both Sharif and Maryam have been sentenced by a court to 10 and seven years in prison, respectively, for corruption charges. Maryams husband Muhammad Safdar was jailed for one year.

Photograph: Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images
China's President Xi Jinping pledged during a visit to Senegal on Saturday to strengthen economic ties with Africa, a continent already awash with cheap

Chinese loans in exchange for minerals and huge construction projects.

Xi arrived in Senegal on Saturday for a two-day visit to sign bilateral deals, the first leg of an Africa tour that will also take him to Rwanda and South Africa, the latter for a summit of BRICS countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

China now does more trade with Africa than any other nation does, and its consistent overtures to the continent contrast sharply with the United States, whose President Donald Trump has shown little interest in it.

The visit was Xi's first trip to West Africa as president, but his fourth to Africa, he told a joint news conference with Senegalese President Macky Sall after their meeting, the third one they've had.

"Every time I come to Africa, I have seen the dynamism of the continent and the aspirations of its people for development," Xi said. "I am very confident in the future of Sino-African relations."

Earlier, Xi was greeted by a brass band and hundreds of people waving Chinese and Senegalese flags and wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the two leaders' faces.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday chaired his first meeting of the newly constituted Congress Working Committee two days after the no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha which the Opposition lost.

IMAGE: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi with mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI Photo

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday chaired his first meeting of the newly constituted Congress Working Committee after taking over as party chief in December last year.

The crucial meeting of the revamped CWC held in Parliament House Annexe comes two days after the no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha which the Opposition lost.

The committee, which was announced last week after Gandhi deliberated on its composition for close to seven months, took stock of the current political, economic and internal and external security situation of the country besides discussing party strategy for the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament.

Gandhi has set the tone for the Congress strategy by going forward and hugging Prime Minister Modi during the no confidence motion discussions in Lok Sabha and by proclaiming that he will counter the BJP's hatred and anger with Congress' love and compassion.

IMAGE: Congress President Rahul Gandhi and former president Sonia Gandhi at the Extended Congress Working Committee meeting. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI Photo

Among those present at Sundays meeting include former prime minister Manmohan Singh, United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, top Congress leaders AK Antony, Motilal Vora, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge and Ashok Gehlot among others.

This is the meeting of extended CWC which also consists of all state party chiefs and legislature party leaders apart from the regular CWC members, permanent and special invitees to the committee.

Gandhis CWC has 23 regular members instead of 25 allowed by the party constitution. It has 18 permanent and eight special invitees.

IMAGE: At the meeting, Rahul Gandhi slammed the BJP, saying it attacks institutions, Dalits, tribals, backwards, minorities and the poor. Photograph: @INCIndia/Twitter

Congress president Rahul Gandhi described the revamped Congress Working Committee as a bridge between the past, present and future and asked party men to rise and fight for India's oppressed.

Chairing the first meeting of the revamped CWC, he said it was an institution comprising experience and energy.

The new CWC is an institution comprising experience and energy and will act as a bridge between the past, present and the future, Rahul Gandhi said as he called upon Congressmen and women to rise and fight for the India's oppressed.

The Congress president also reminded the role of the Congress as the voice of India as also its responsibility of present and future, charging that the BJP attacks institutions, Dalits, tribals, backwards, minorities and the poor.

The extended CWC on Sunday authorised Congress president Rahul Gandhi to forge an alliance with like-minded parties for the 2019 Lok Sabha election to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The party also authorised Gandhi to constitute a committee to work out alliances with various national and regional parties to form a grand national alliance.

Thirty-five to 40 leaders spoke at Sundays meeting where they all stressed that the Congress should play a lead role in forging an anti-BJP front.

Some leaders said Gandhi being the leader of the principle opposition party should be the face of the national alliance.

Asked about party leaders wanting Gandhi to be the face of the alliance, senior Congress leader Ambika Soni said, Naturally, he is the leader of the main national (opposition) party and we would want our leader to be the face of the opposition alliance.

Senior party leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram gave a detailed presentation on how the party could be strengthened with the help of allies in various states.

Sources said that Chidambaram highlighted that the Congress is strong in 12 states and with the help of its allies, it can forge a formidable front for the next general election.

Sonia attacks Modi govt, says dangerous regime compromising democracy

IMAGE: Along with Rahul, his mother, Sonia Gandhi and former PM Manmohan Singh were also present. Photograph: @INCIndia/Twitter

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi lashed out at the Narendra Modi government, saying the people of the country have to be rescued from a dangerous regime that is compromising with Indias democracy.

In her address to the newly-constituted Congress Working Committee, she also cautioned the people about the reign of despair and fear heaped upon Indias deprived and poor.

She said the rhetoric of Prime Minister Narendra Modi shows his desperation reflecting that the reverse countdown of the Modi government has begun.

We are committed to make alliances work and we are all with Congress President Rahul Gandhi in this endeavour.

We have to rescue our people from a dangerous regime that is compromising with the democracy of India, she said.

Manmohan Singh rejects culture of constant self praise and jumlas

IMAGE: Congress leaders Sachin Pilot, Sushilkumar Shinde, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitendra Singh and KC Venugopal at the meet. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI Photo

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, in his address assured Rahul Gandhi that he and all other Congressmen will help him in the onerous task of restoring Indias social harmony and economic development.

I assure Rahul Gandhiji that we will fully support him in his onerous task of restoring Indias social harmony and economic development, he said, rejecting the culture of constant self praise and jumlas (gimmicks), as against solid policy framework for driving the engine of growth.

Singh said the claim of doubling farm income by 2022 will require an agricultural growth rate of 14 per cent, which is nowhere in sight.
Mamata Banerjee predicts the BJP-led NDA will not get more than 150 seats in the next Lok Sabha election.

Avishek Rakshit and Ishita Ayan Dutt report.

IMAGE: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addresses the annual Martyrs Day rally in Kolkata, July 21, 2018. Photograph: PTI Photo

Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of West Bengal, has vowed to overthrow the Bhatratiya Janata Party's rule at the Centre in 2019, predicting the latter would get no more than 150 seats during the next election to the Lok Sabha.

The BJP hatao, desh bachao (remove BJP, save the country) campaign will be launched on August 15 and a mega rally for the same has been planned for January 19, Banerjee said, addressing a rally in Kolkata.

She predicted the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam would lose the next election in Tamil Nadu (it had voted for the BJP in the Lok Sabha during Friday's no-confidence motion), and noted the Shiv Sena, one of the BJP's oldest allies, had abstained from voting.

The BJP's seats in Uttar Pradesh would reduce substantially in the general election and those in Madhya Pradesh be reduced to a fourth of the current number, she added.

It would also get no more than five in Rajasthan and suffer big defeats in Gujarat, Bihar, Odisha, Punjab and Bengal (where she said her party would take all 42 seats.)

"Their tally (of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance) of 350 seats now will come down to 150 at the maximum."

Banerjee, however, also cautioned the Congress party, with which it is in talks for a possible alliance in the fight for Delhi.

In Bengal, she alleged, the Congress was aligning with the BJP.

Opposition parties in Bengal had got together against the TMC in the run-up to the recent panchayat polls.

"On January 19, from the Brigade Parade grounds, we will launch a campaign to overthrow the BJP. Several political leaders from other states and parties will be present for it. West Bengal will show the way to the Parliament," she said.

Preparations for the rally would start from November.

Taking a dig at a recent incident in Midnapore when a pandal collapsed during Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi's address and injured several, the CM said, "Those who can't even make a pandal properly are running the country."

Banerjee asked her supporters to stay vigilant and monitor movement of 'outsiders', who she said, were entering the state to spread communal violence and anarchy.

Banerjee also used the event to showcase members from other parties who had joined the TMC. Four Congress MLAs and former BJP MP Chandan Mitra have joined the party.

At Saturday's rally, Banerjee also dared the BJP to try another round of investigations by central agencies against her people.

The Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate have been probing ponzi scams where a number of TMC leaders' names are linked.
In a shocking incident, a woman reached the police station with a five-month-old foetus in a bag to file a rape complaint on Saturday.

The police have registered a complaint of rape and abortion, and the woman has been taken for medical investigation.

The woman alleged that she was raped six months back and forcefully given contraceptive pills after she got pregnant.

The police informed that the woman and the accused were in a relationship, but the boy allegedly forced her to abort the pregnancy to avoid marriage.

They were in a relationship and to avoid marriage the boy made her abort the pregnancy, station house officer of Hasanpur DK Sharma told media.
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The house was popular when it went up for sale, so I assume Ferris Buellers Ferrari not be short of admirers as it goes up for auction.

In fact, Im not sure what or who was the biggest star of the cult 1986 teen flick, the 1950s modernist house in Illinois, Ferris himself or this particular Ferrari. Which wasnt actually a Ferrari, would you believe and wasnt dropped from a great height.

The car was said to be a rare 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California (which was produced in a run of just 100), but the reality was a replica, created by Modena Design and Development. In fact, three replicas were produced for the John Hughes film, one of which was sold off back in 2010. Im guessing the second was the one that had the nasty ending.

This one is model number 0003, an impressive replica that incorporated a number of Ferrari-style elements, such as the windshield, turn signals, grille, hood scoops, fender vents and a custom fibreglass body. The end result was a close profile to the original Ferrari.

In fact, it took around nine months of updating and tweaking to get this car looking like one of those rare Ferraris and as a result of appearing in the evergreen movie, this copy is almost as sought after as the original 1960s Ferrari.

It is powered by a 5.0L V-8 engine with black crinkle-finished valve coves and finished with retina-searing red paint, with an interior very much of its original era with rich tan upholstery, stylish gauges, inspiring switchgear, a period-looking radio and wooden steering wheel.

It comes with a Certificate of Authenticity from Modena Design and as you might expect, there is some Ferris Buellers movie memorabilia included as part of the deal. Oh yes, the deal.

You can bid for this at the Monterey car auction, which takes place between August 23rd  25th 2018. There are some amazing cars in that auction and all are worth a look if you like your classic cars.

But what isnt shown for any is a guide price of estimate. Im taking that as none of the cars coming cheap, not least this one. When the 2010 auction took place, the estimate for that one was 30,000  40,000. My guess is that the current one is priced somewhere above that figure. Possibly well above. If you have movie car money, you can always drop the auctioneer a line.

Find out more at the Mecum Auctions website
All major newspapers published from Kathmandu Valley on Sunday, Nepali and English alike, have given the top priority to recent developments about the fast-unto-death being staged by medical education reform activist, Dr Govinda KC. Hundreds of members of the civil society and public on Saturday staged a demonstration in his support whereas the governments repeated call for the talks have not materialised yet. Therefore the gap between the government and the protesting side has not been narrowed yet, making the issue the most discussed one in the Kathmandu press.

There are few other stories from sociocultural, political and economic sectors that have been featured on the front pages of major newspapers today.

Important

Dr KCs supporters announce more protest programmes

Lead stories of most newspapers have informed with photographs that some well known faces of Nepali civil society including former chief justice Sushila Karki, Krishna Pahadi, Khagendra Sangraula, Manisha Koirala and Kedar Bhakta Mathema joined the protest yesterday. Likewise, Naya Shakti Partys Baburam Bhattarai, Bibeksheel Sajha Partys Rabindra Mishra and Nepali Congress Gagan Thapa also backed the protest.

Meanwhile, Nepal Samacharpatra and The Himalayan Times have reported that some supporters of the activist have announced that they will also stage a hunger strike in solidarity of Dr KC. Quoting one of the front supporters, advocate Om Prakash Aryal, THT lead story says more than 200 supporters will stage the strike today at Basantapur. If the demands are not met, the strike will continue indefinitely from Monday, warns Aryal.

Kantipur says the strike for Sunday has been scheduled from 10 am to 5 pm.

On the other hand, the government has called Dr KC and his supporters to stop the protest and resolve the issue through unconditional talks, according to The Kathmandu Post.

Four killed in Bajhang landslide

Annapurna Post, Rajdhani and Nepal Samacharpatra report that four persons of a single family died in a landslide in Bayanagaun, Khaptad Chhanna Rural Municipality-6 of Bajhang district on Saturday.

Two persons have sustained serious injuries as the landslide hit people resting under the tree shed and walking past the tree, according to Rajdhani. The injured have been sent to the district headquarters for further treatment after providing with the first aid at a local health post.

Meanwhile, the incident has left the villagers mourning and the village has worn a deserted look, adds Nepal Samacharpatra.

Kapilbastu paddy field inundated

Due to the Mahalisagar dam constructed by India on the border, around 700 hectares of paddy field have been inundated in Bhagawanpur village of Nawalparasi district, according to front pages stories of Rajdhani and Nagarik.

Farmers of Bhagawanpur, Bhaisahiya, Loharauni and Mudila village have been mostly affected, according to Rajdhani.

Meanwhile, Nagarik comments that this part of the district gets inundated almost every year, but no government authorities have taken concrete initiatives to find a longterm solution to the problem. Rajdhani, however, quotes Yasodhara Rural Municipality Chief Girijesh Kumar Pandey that his government is in conversation with provincial and federal governments to solve the issue.

Ignored

Govt positive about nationalising medical colleges

Naya Patrika reports that the government has said it can be ready to nationalise all medical colleges in the country so as to give an end to all fraudulent and deceiving activities they are involved in. As Dr Govinca KC has launched a strike against the commercialisation of medical education sector in the country, some people have demanded that all private colleges be nationalized. In this context, Foreign Affairs Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali has said the government is positive about the demand, according to the report.

New law will punish errant law enforcers for enforced disappearance

The six-column anchor story of The Himalayan Times says the new Muluki Criminal Code Act 2017, which will come into force on August 17 this year, will make law enforcers face the criminal charge of enforced disappearance if they do not produce an arrested person before a competent authority within the stipulated time.

The report adds that this is the first time a law has been enacted defining the illegal detention as crime.

Interesting

Finally, Nepali vehicles get equal status on Indian roads

Naya Patrika and The Kathmandu Post report that India has agreed to let Nepali vehicles enter India and ply its roads freely as Indian vehicles get the same treatment on Nepali roads.

During a joint secretary level meeting held in New Delhi recently, the Indian side expressed readiness to provide hassle free entry to the Nepali vehicles on a reciprocal basis, according to the reports.
Yemeni Coordinating Club with BRICS Countries praises President's communication with China, Russia [22/July/2018]



SANAA, July 22 (Saba) - Yemeni Coordinating Club with BRICS Countries on Sunday praised the recent steps of President of the Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, to reopen channels of communication with China and Russia.



Chairman of the club, Ali Ishaq, pointed in a statement, to the importance of the letters send by the president al-Mashat to the presidents of China and Russia aiming at opening new horizons for bilateral cooperation, and working on stopping the aggression and lifting the siege imposed on Yemen for nearly four years.



Ishaq urged the government side to exert further efforts to strengthen the diplomatic and economic relations with China and Russia, especially with regard to reconstruction and investment in transport, energy and industry sectors.



He expressed his hope that the friendly Republic of China would accept Yemen's participation in the Maritime Silk Road Initiative (The 'One-Belt-One-Road' initiative), especially after the Foreign Ministry previously requested that.



BA

Saba
Press release - Samoas geospatial and vehicle tracking company Skyeye Ltd has expanded its presence to the Kingdom of Tonga.

Skyeye Tonga is headed by managing director Kisione Tupou with the support of two local staff when it opened its doors. The launch was held at the Tanoa Hotel in Nukualofa and was well attended by leaders of the business community and representatives from government ministries.

There has been a lot of interest in the services of Skyeye with the new office fielding queries for services to track company and personal assets such as cars, boats and bulldozers.

C.E.O. of Skyeye Ltd, Faasootauloa Sam Saili, said they were excited to see the level of interest at their newly opened office.

Were excited to see Tongas uptake because we built the system to help our clients with their businesses and service delivery to their clients. Tonga has really come on board to see how the system can serve them, he said in a statement.

The companys expansion to Tonga was made easier with Talofa Airways providing direct flights to Tonga twice a week for half the price of a Fiji Airways ticket, and only a third of the travelling time.

Faasootauloa and local staff Christian Taaseu travelled to Tonga to assist with establishing the operations and lead the companys engagement, with not just the business community but the civil society community including the Tonga Youth Congress.

Early this month another local staff, Aaron Solofa, returned from Vanuatu after a month in secondment to train Skyeye Vanuatu staff on vehicle tracking and drone operation/piloting. The opening of the office in Tonga and its presence in Vanuatu means the local company is on track to establish Samoa as the regions geospatial hub.

We want to train our people and develop solutions that are applicable across the region, and then send out our people to train others to apply and appropriate for their benefit. Or vice versa, have other pacific islands send in their human resource, to be trained from Samoa and return home armed with skills and knowledge  to help the development of their economies whether it be at the grass-root or at the national level, the company stated in a statement.

The company also operates in the Solomon Islnd
Samoa and China have signed the agreements for the construction of the China-Samoa Friendship Park and the Arts and Culture Centre.

The signing took place at the Office of the Prime Minister on Friday.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi and Chinas Ambassador to Samoa, Wang Xuefeng, signed the agreements.

The funding of these projects is from grant aid assistance provided by Huizhou city, Guangdong Province, China.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa acknowledged Chinas assistance.

This is what he said at the ceremony:

Mr Wang Xuefeng, Your Excellency, Ambassador for China

We come together once again with our Senior Government officials to sign the Framework Agreement for the Arts and Culture Centre and the Friendship Park.

In May this year a groundbreaking ceremony was conducted for both projects, and I am pleased that finally we are now signing the Agreement to formalize the Project and I look forward to witnessing commencement of works as soon as possible.

Samoa continues to benefit significantly from the development cooperation assistance provided by the Government of China in addressing its needs, particularly in improving its infrastructure.

We look forward to the construction of a State of art facility in the form of the Arts and Culture centre at Malifa, likewise the Friendship Park at the Eleele fou which no doubt will provide a central setting in Apia, boasting a range of facilities for the public to enjoy outdoor leisure activities that are also environmentally friendly.

I thank you once again Ambassador, and look forward to continuing the close relations we share with the Government and People of China. Ia soifua.
More than 200 women attended the inaugural forum for Samoas women farmers, flower growers and agri-business entrepreneurs on Thursday and Friday this week.

The two-day event at Orator Hotel was organized by Samoa Farmers Association (S.F.A.) with the support of the Pacific Island Farmers Organizations Network (P.I.F.O.N.).

It was part of P.I.F.O.Ns region wide programme to highlight and support the role of women in agriculture development in the Pacific.

It is also part of a series of activities by farmer organizations that will lead on to the start of the Decade for Family Farming in 2019. Empowering women for a more vibrant agriculture sector in Samoa was the forums guiding light or theme.

In conjunction with the Pacific Week of Agriculture in Port Villa Vanuatu last year, the farmer organizations of the Pacific Island Farmer Organizations Network (P.I.F.O.N.) conducted an inaugural forum for Pacific Island women farmers and women agricultural entrepreneurs.

More than 50 women farmer groups representatives attended the week-long event and among other things agreed on the content of a Pacific Women in Agriculture Declaration which set out the leading issues on the contribution of Pacific women to agriculture development in the region, and more importantly, how the proven potential of that contribution may be unleashed for development.

The Declaration starts off with the reminder that women farmers and women entrepreneurs are the backbone of the rural economy in most Pacific countries.

That women and the work they do are an example of the complex links between agriculture, food, energy, health and nutrition, and water and sanitation. Also that it is work that is poorly recognized, under-valued, with womens voices hardly ever heard in the decision making process both at national and regional levels.

Women plant trees and cultivate crops. They raise animals and process farm produce for food both for their families and for markets.

They manage the family unit and the health of its members through the maintenance of its water resources and through healthful living and nutrition. They give birth to new babies and are the first educators, and the first doctors and nurses.

And for all these reasons and many more, meeting women farmers needs and finding solutions to the challenges they face in performing these tasks is a development imperative.

Accordingly, the Declaration calls on Pacific governments, on donor organizations and agencies and on all stakeholders with an interest in development and in poverty eradication to in the first instance place value on the role of women farmers and women entrepreneurs in national development, and secondly to put in place the enabling environment for women to realize their full potential.

Just as in industry and commerce, the private sector operators are the drivers of growth, so it is in the primary sector also. It is the individual farmers and individual entrepreneurs and their associations and groups that are the producers of wealth and who put into action governments plans for development.

Agriculture everywhere is largely affected and influence by environmental factors such as climate and weather and soils and water. And in the best of conditions, these elements still pose challenges in the form of too much rain or not enough rain, too much sun or not enough sun, which in turn influence soil conditions and soil health not to mention the severity of pests and diseases that are part and parcel of the natural environment.

New technology, knowledge and expertise are essential today to overcome the limitations of depending only on the normal regenerative and restorative cycles of nature to deal with these issues. They are also necessities if production is to rise substantially above mere subsistence levels. Climate change is also real in spite of the few crack pots that believe otherwise. It has added to an already challenging situation for farmers.

Yet, farmers capacities to deal with these issues are severely limited. It only stands to reason that they must depend in large measure on governments and their development partners to resolve these issues and create more congenial enabling environment.

The same applies to many other missing essential elements in making Pacific farming more competitive such access to finance, availability of supportive infrastructure, accessible and reliable marketing systems, and pro-agriculture government policies on prices, import duties, and local processing.

The forum this week provided the first such opportunity for Samoas women farmers and women entrepreneurs to among other things discuss and go over these issues as a group. And they will have drawn strength and encouragement already from the support provided by the attendance at the forum of government leaders and members of the donor community and other stakeholders.

The event was officially opened by Prime Minister Tuilaepa L.S Malielegaoi and attended by several Cabinet ministers including Faimalotoa K Stowers of the M.W.C.S.D., and Lopaoo T Mua of M.A.F.

The Australian High Commissioner, Sara Moriarty also spoke about the role of women in agriculture in Australia. Members of Parliament Gatoloaifaaana A Gidlow, Aliimalemanu Alofa Tuuau and Faaulusau Losa also lent support to the womens effort as did a number of government ministries including the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Samoa Tourism Authority.

At the wish of the participants, the event will now become a regular feature of the national agenda for empowering women farmers and other primary producers in Samoa.
Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi has hailed the inaugural National Forum for Women in Agriculture, Floriculture and Agri-Business as a step in the right direction.

Tuilaepa addressed the Forum held on Thursday and Friday at the Orator Hotel.

It is widely known in our country, that the sustainable developments that are well-planned and competently implemented are usually led by the Women. E au le inailau a Tina, Tuilaepa said.

This is a wonderful occasion where the new branch of the Samoa Farmers Association is recognized with the launching of the National Forum for Women in Agriculture, Floriculture and Agri-business today.

The establishment of this new Association acknowledges the availability of opportunities for women in agribusiness or floriculture, and promotes opportunities for young women to learn from those who are leading in agriculture.

I encourage our Women Associations to maximize the use of this forum as a learning experience to flourish new networks, share your experiences and successes, and raise issues to the forefront that will allow your efforts to be continually supported in your respective fields, stated the Prime Minister.

Tuilaepa reiterated that farming networks exist in the Pacific and the world, and that this forum will allow women to attract the attention of the world as they showcase their unique Samoan style and approach to agriculture, floriculture and agri-business.
For the first time in more than twenty years, green bananas from Samoa will return to retail and supermarket shelves in New Zealand by the end of the year.

By then the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (M.A.F.) is optimistic that the first harvest of scientifically developed Israeli banana suckers from South Africa will have matured and ready for the initial export shipment bound for the land of the long white cloud.

Its an achievement which the Minister of M.A.F., Lopaoo Nataielu Mua, has aggressively pursued since taking up office less than a year ago.

It started with a consignment of 200,000 banana suckers funded by the World Bank through the Samoa Agriculture Competitiveness Enhancement Project.

That initial shipment was distributed to members of the Samoa Banana Growers Association with the target to export to New Zealand by September this year. However, the plan was disrupted by Cyclone Gita earlier in the year which destroyed over 40% of the banana farms in the country.

But M.A.F. has bounced back with a Cyclone Gita Banana Recovery Programme.

The Cyclone recovery action play is in line with the arrival of thirty thousand imported banana suckers scientifically developed in Israel and commercialised by a company in South Africa.

The consignment is being distributed evenly with 15-thousand for Upolu farmers and the rest for Savaii banana growers, the Minister said.

The latest shipment is funded by Pacific Horticultural, Agricultural Market Access Programme (P.H.A.M.A.).

Funded by Australia, P.H.A.M.A. works with the public and private sectors to promote Pacific exports of primary and value added produce by helping exporters to meet trading partners regulatory requirements and quality standards

Prior to launching the Banana Export Strategy, Lopaoo has been flexing his political muscles urging New Zealand officials to re-open banana exports for Samoa.

And the Israeli banana variety which has a proven track record as one of the best in the world, provided leverage that help convinced New Zealand to grant the green light for banana exports from Samoa.

The main reason for Israel doing so well in agriculture is that almost 90 per cent of their technologies targets not only targets food security but disease resistant, said Lopaoo. The Israeli bananas are also field-oriented and aimed at helping farmers earn more.

To capitalise on the new export door, the Cyclone Gita recovery programme is concentrating on banana growers with the resources to meet the requirements that M.A.F. and authorities and the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries have agreed upon.

The breakthrough for local banana growers comes after a long hiatus since Samoa stopped exporting fresh bananas to New Zealand because of issues concerning pests and diseases as well as inconsistencies with supplies.

In the past two years, M.A.F. have been in discussions with the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries through its bilateral Quarantine Agreement meetings with an outcome that will see Samoas banana exports developing and growing again, but under strict import bio security requirements from New Zealand.

One requirement is for New Zealand officials from the Ministry of Primary Industries to conduct audit visits of both pathways and will work closely with the M.A.F. as part of the Bilateral Quarantine Agreement within one and a half years of trade commencement.

The banana market in New Zealand is huge and our Ministry will support our banana growers and exporters to penetrate it and ensure sustainability of quality and supply, and most of all ensure compliance to New Zealands biosecurity requirements, said M.A.Fs Chief Executive Officer, Tilafono David Hunter.

With our strong support provided to our recently established banana association of 35 registered members, which may expand subject to interest shown for this market opportunity, our Quarantine Services will be stringent in the monitoring of the compliance by our banana growers and exporters as per our agreed production, postharvest handling, packaging, and labelling with New Zealand M.P.I.

It is important for all our farmers and exporters to remember that New Zealand Biosecurity is not negotiable, period, he said.

And when we are given their blessings in terms of market access for our agricultural produce/products after long periods of negotiations, everyone has to play their respective roles to ensure that we dont destroy it. Not just our Ministry.

In short, if some of our banana growers and exporters dont comply then our Quarantine Services will not issue relevant biosecurity export documentations, said Tilafono. But our Minister and Ministry are confident that we will succeed, given the skills and experience of the highly distinguished members of the banana association and we will be on standby to play our role and support them as per our mandate.

Through the re-commencement of export bananas and plantains in New Zealand, Samoa is the first country in the Pacific to have a Commodity Export Plan approved under the Ministry of Primary Industries update Import Health Standards system.
Electric Power Corporation (E.P.C.) Chief Executive Officer, Tologata Tile Tuimalealiifano has cleared the air on why some passengers of Samoa Airways were locked out at the Faleolo International airport terminal.

Tologata said the container truck that ran into the concrete power pole at Tuanaimato caused a power outage within the Siusega and Vaitele vicinities last week Wednesday, knocking out the power supply in the western side, including the airport.

And because of this Samoa Airways passengers, who arrived at Faleolo International Airport from New Zealand on the afternoon of the same day, were locked out of the new arrival area.

The airport has the stand by generators, and their standby generators it should automatically kick in when the power supply from EPC main line is off. But unfortunately the automatic system did not work, Tologata told Samoa Observer.

He said the installation of computerized systems in Fiaga would improve the circulation of power supply.

Well E.P.C. is now investing in new technologies. Part of the programme today (last Friday) in the project is the smart grid controller, and that is a system where we use the computerised system to ensure automatically operate and ensure and minimise any power outage for the consumers so E.P.C. is investing in technologies that can address those issues.

That is the whole purpose of doing this project, you also heard that the representative of Solar city from the United States is the main contractor of this project, they can monitor and see the status of the batteries all the way from the United States.

The new system can take about 13,000 unit of electricity.

That electricity is stored there when there is a need for its use it can be easily released there.

As you can see that when clouds block the batteries, the electricity supply drops, or when a generator or engine is damaged then the batteries serve to is a quick reply in terms of the power needed, Tologata said.
Kathmandu, July 22

Nepal has received as much as Rs 61 billion foreign investment in the recently concluded fiscal year 2017/2018. This amount is three times the amount of foreign investment Nepal had received in the previous year, fiscal year 2016/17.

According to the chief of Foreign Investment Division at the Department of Industry, Khagendra Bahadur Basnet, Nepal received 61.094 billion in one year. It is 193 per cent more than the amount of last year, which was just Rs 20.853 billion, according to him.

Hydropower and energy, mines, forest and agriculture, information and communication technology and tourism have become major attractions for foreigners to invest in Nepal.

So far, foreigners have invested Rs 268 billion in 4,475 projects of Nepali industries, informs Basnet. Nepals immediate neighboursIndia and Chinaare in the first and second positions of foreign investment respectively on the basis of amount.

India has invested more than Rs 87 billion whereas China has investment around Rs 76 billion.

On the basis of number of projects, however, China is ahead of India (around 1,400 against around 800) in overall.

The state of foreign investment was hopeless in Nepal due to the armed conflict and the political stability that followed, he claims, But, the investment has significantly increased in 2017/18.

We hope it will increase further in the next year.
During the last week of Semester One, 110 students of Year 4 from 17 Primary Schools around Samoa enjoyed a fun day of word games at the National University of Samoa (N.U.S.) gymnasium.

The Literacy Programme was organised by one of the classes at the Faculty of Education, HTE200: Teaching Literacy at Primary School which consisted of 41 in-service teachers and 24 pre-service teacher trainees. The theme for this years program was, The world of books is fun!

The extraordinary displays around the N.U.S. gymnasium that day depicted a variety of reading series developed as a major assignment in this class.

The beautiful and original big books within each series were designed by the N.U.S. students themselves, and targeted students in Year 4. Each big book had 10 interactive word activities based on it. Most of these were used at the 20 game booths where the visiting students played at to earn instant prizes.

Only four games were selected as inter-house games where the visitors participated in four teams to win some team prizes. The children certainly enjoyed reading the marvelous books and participating in the many word games and collecting the many prizes on offer.

There were two additional displays by the Science and Social Studies classes. The display by the Science class, HTE151, showcased some very creative recycle projects which made use of every day waste materials such as plastic spoons and forks, soda cans, pieces of colourful cloth, coconut husks, and many more.

The Social Studies class, HTE131, displayed their major projects of 3-dimensional models to teach one of the strands in the Curriculum, Place and Environment.

The programme known simply as the Literacy Day was initiated in 2010 as a learning experience for the teacher trainees to showcase some of the teaching methodologies they learn in their English class, as well as some of the teaching resources they develop as part of their assessment. Last year, with the inclusion of other pedagogy courses such as Science, Social Studies, Samoan, H.P.E., and Music, the in-service teachers were involved for the first time.

This year, the in-service teachers were not just involved, they were the major organisers of the whole program. Through them, a variety of prizes were available as token rewards for all the children that participated on the day.

Children in Year 4 were brought from primary schools such as: Apia, Apolima, Falefitu, Falelatai, Faleula, Fasitoo Uta, Fasitoo Tai, Leulumoega Tuai, Lotopue, Lufilufi, Magiagi, Manumalo, Saina & Toamua, Satapuala, Tanugamanono, Tuanai, and Vaovai. This was the first time a large number of schools were able to participate due to the commitment of students, especially the in-service teachers, who volunteered to bring children from their own schools at their own cost.

The provision of prizes was made possible through the generosity of businesses such as B.S.L., S.S.A.B., A.B.M., and MAXKAR. Refreshments were financed through the students fundraisings.
A 76-year-old man has been recognised for being the oldest advocate of the Nofotane Project.

Faumuina Tauatamaniulaita Tuaaitoa Aviata was among the 20 star earners honoured during the closing ceremony of the Nofotane Project in front of the government building on Friday.

This programme was introduced in the beginning of this year. I participated and listened to the message they were expressing and became an advocate to help raise awareness with support from villages and churches.

The reason behind my participation was all for the main purpose of being a government representative and it is part of my job description as a village mayor. I must uphold responsibilities that were given with this role.

The father of six from Papa Palauli, Savaii lost his wife in 2003 and this was another reason for him to join in order to honor her memory.

A mothers sole role is very significant in any family, to have her presence no longer felt anymore is truly heart aching. They say a mother is the heart of any family well mine is incomplete without her here but I have tried to live through it with every passing day.

This workshop through the Samoa Victim Support Group (S.V.S.G.) is also a way to honour all mothers and not only nofotane women.

At the moment, we depend on our plantations as a way of providing sustainability in our everyday life. I now live with my eldest daughter and so I am also in their care.

Faumuina said he was unaware of the award only that he had received an invitation to be part of the closing ceremony.

I have witnessed so many changes that have come from this particular project. Mothers have used their handy work to be blessed with financial assistance in their earnings.

I was content with the work women underwent, but most importantly the end results, lives changed for the better and happier smiles on each participant.

My role is important to uphold key aspects so that the village and its people will prosper and not be succumbed to poverty, he added.

The Samoan word nofotane is a term given to a married woman who lives with her husbands family.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP)  The world's top financial officials meeting in Argentina's capital on Sunday called for more dialogue on trade disputes that threaten global economic growth with one official warning that differences remain and tensions could escalate further.

The two-day gathering of G-20 finance ministers and central bankers in Buenos Aires took place as the United States and China are engaged in a full-blown trade war with both nations imposing tariffs on billions of dollars of each other's goods.

A final communique from the meeting said that although the global economy remains strong, growth is becoming "less synchronized" and risks over the short and medium terms have increased.

"These include rising financial vulnerabilities, heightened trade and geopolitical tensions, global imbalances, inequality and structurally weak growth, particularly in some advanced economies," the communique said. "We ... recognize the need to step up dialogue and actions to mitigate risks and enhance confidence."

On Friday, President Donald Trump renewed his threat to ultimately slap tariffs on a total of $500 billion of imports from China  roughly equal to all the goods Beijing ships annually to the U.S. The White House has also itemized $200 billion of additional Chinese imports that it said may be subject to tariffs.

The U.S. has also imposed tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum, including from Europe. China, the EU, Canada, Mexico and Turkey have counterpunched with taxes on U.S. exports.

As the Group of 20 gathering wound up Sunday, European financial affairs commissioner Pierre Moscovici said that differences of position remained despite the talks.

"These meetings have been taking place in an international context which is very challenging," Moscovici told reporters. "Trade tensions remain high and they threaten to escalate further."

But Moscovici said the summit that began Saturday had not been "tense," and that countries must remain "cool-headed and maintain a proper sense of perspective."

Representing the U.S. at the meetings is Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who on Saturday said the overall U.S. economy has not been harmed by the trade battles set off by Trump's get-tough policies. But he acknowledged that some individual sectors have been hurt and said U.S. officials are looking at ways to help them.

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde has warned that a wave of tariffs could significantly harm the global economy, lowering growth by about 0.5 percent "in the worst-case scenario."

"Protectionism, I want to insist on that, is good for no one," Moscovici said. "Trade wars are not easy ... they create no winners, only casualties."

But Moscovici said that the EU remains open to dialogue.

"That's why EU President Jean-Claude Juncker and EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom will meet with Trump" in Washington D.C. next week, he said. "We hope this meeting will be productive and successful."

So far, global markets have remained generally calm despite the U.S.-China trade war and the other conflicts ignited by Trump.

But analysts say they expect Trump will impose more tariffs on China and potentially other key U.S. trading partners. With those nations almost certain to retaliate, the result could be higher prices for Americans, diminished export sales and a weaker U.S. economy by next year.

The Group of 20 nations is composed of traditional economic powers such as the United States, Japan and Germany and emerging economic powers including China, Brazil, India and Argentina.

Officials in Buenos Aires also discussed issues including the future of work and infrastructure for development, the international tax system and financial inclusion. It is the third of five meetings by finance ministers and central bankers scheduled in advance of a main G-20 meeting in Argentina that will be held Nov. 30-Dec 1.
PARIS (AP)  A French judge handed preliminary charges Sunday to one of President Emmanuel Macron's top security aides after video surfaced that showed him beating a protester at a May Day demonstration.

The initial charges against Alexandre Benalla came the same day French authorities opened a judicial investigation of the assault. The multiple alleged offenses included violence, interfering in the exercise of public office and the unauthorized public display of official insignia.

The video made public by Le Monde newspaper on Wednesday has sparked the first major political crisis for Macron since he took office last year. Lawmakers and the president's political opponents have questioned why Benalla was not fired and referred for prosecution when presidential officials learned about the beating months ago.

The recording shows Benalla, who is not a police officer, wearing a police helmet at the May 1 protest. Surrounded by riot police, he brutally dragged a woman from the crowd and then repeatedly beat a young male protester on the ground.

The man was heard begging Benalla to stop. The officers did not intervene.

Four others were also charged Sunday night: Vincent Crase, who worked for Macron's party and was with Benalla on the day of the protest, and three police officers who were suspected of illegally passing footage from the event to Benalla.

Crase was handed preliminary charges of violence and prohibited possession of a weapon.

Benalla, 26, handled Macron's campaign security and remained close to France's youngest president after his election. The presidential palace initiated proceedings to fire Benalla Friday and investigators raided his house Saturday.

Macron's office has said Benalla only was supposed to be accompanying officers to the May protest as an observer.

However, the president's office has been heavily criticized since it revealed that it knew about the assault before last week. Macron pledged as a candidate to restore integrity and transparency to the presidency.

Lawmakers were aghast to learn that Benalla initially received only a two-week suspension and still had an office in the presidential palace 2 months after the beating.

Suspicion about a possible cover-up surfaced after what appeared to be inconsistent answers from Macron's office. It said last week that since May, Benalla had been working in an administrative role instead of security. But Benalla was photographed by the president's side as his bodyguard during France's July 14 national holiday.

Macron's political adversaries have seized the opportunity. Les Republicans party leader Laurent Wauquiez said the government was "trying to conceal a matter of state".

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen tweeted: "If Macron doesn't explain himself, the Benalla affair will become the Macron affair."

Macron has remained silent about the behavior captured on video. Lawmakers plan to question Interior Minister Gerard Collomb this week.
BEIRUT (AP)  The Israeli military in coordination with its U.S. and European allies evacuated hundreds of Syrian rescue workers known as the White Helmets from near its volatile frontier with Syria, in a complex and first-of-a-kind operation.

The evacuees, who were hemmed in from one side by advancing hostile Syrian troops and from another by militants affiliated with the Islamic State group, were transported to Jordan, from where they are expected to be resettled in Europe and Canada in the coming weeks.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said 422 White Helmets volunteers were evacuated, instead of the initial 800 cleared for the operation. Israel's military said the overnight operation was "an exceptional humanitarian gesture" at the request of the United States and European allies due to an "immediate threat to the (Syrians) lives." It posted a video online showing its soldiers handing out water bottles to the evacuees.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a separate video statement, said U.S. President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and others had asked him to help evacuate the group's members.

"These are people who saved lives and whose lives are now in danger. I authorized bringing them through Israel to other countries as an important humanitarian gesture," Netanyahu said.

Britain said the operation was possible due to the joint diplomatic efforts, hailing the efforts of the White Helmets volunteers to save lives in opposition areas.

Jeremy Hunt, U.K's foreign secretary, called the successful evacuation "fantastic news," and thanked Israel and Jordan in a tweet for acting quickly following the request. The White Helmets, he said, "are the bravest of the brave and in a desperate situation this is at least one ray of hope."

The members of the White Helmets and their families had been stranded along the frontier with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights following the Syrian government offensive in southwestern Syria which began in June.

Raed Saleh, head of the White Helmets which are also known as the Syrian Civil Defense, said a number of volunteers and their families were evacuated from a dangerous, besieged area. He did not provide exact figures.

This was the first such Israeli intervention in Syria's lengthy civil war, now in its eighth year. Although it has sent aid into Syria and has provided medical treatment to thousands of Syrians who reached the Golan Heights frontier, the Israeli military said its actions did not reflect a change to Israel's non-intervention policy in Syria's war, where all the warring parties are considered hostile.

It was an unprecedented operation to provide protection and asylum to allies of Western nations in Syria's complex battlefield.

The White Helmets have enjoyed backing and received finances and training from the United States and other Western nations for years.

Because of their work in opposition areas, where they were almost exclusively the only ones to offer rescue services in the face of the government military advances, they were considered public enemy number one by the Syrian government.

They offered services where state institutions and services are non-existent. Their facilities were targeted, and their volunteers hit in what became known as "double tap" attacks that drew the volunteers to areas of bombings only to hit them once on site.

The Syrian government, and its ally Russia, have called the White Helmets "terrorists," accused them of being foreign powers "agents," and of cooperating with radical insurgent groups. Both Moscow and Damascus have accused the White Helmets of staging rescue missions and chemical attacks to blame on the government.

On Sunday, state media kept up its campaign against the group, pointing out that Israel, with which Syria is formally at war, which facilitated the evacuation, citing it as evidence that the group was collaborating with an enemy power. Syrian state TV al-Ikhbariya called the evacuation a "scandal." The State News Agency SANA said "the secret" of the group had been revealed and their "role as an agent ended."

Syrian lawmaker Khaled Abboud said that "foreign powers are pulling their agents out of the battlefield" because of the Syrian military victories that have quashed the "aggression" against Syria.

In a quick offensive, Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air forces, have been advancing from the east on areas held by the opposition in the strategic southwestern region that straddles the Jordanian border and the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel in 1967. They first seized the border with Jordan, squeezing the opposition in the center and progressively chipping away at areas the rebels held for years. For the first time since the war began in 2011, government forces regained positions along the disengagement line following a cease-fire deal with Israel in 1974.

This left the rebels and the White Helmets besieged by the government from one side, the sealed frontier with Israel, and by the group affiliated with the Islamic State group from the south.

Surrender deals were reached with the armed groups, allowing thousands to evacuate to the northern province of Idlib, where the opposition still holds sway.

But one civil defense official, refusing to be identified by name for his safety, said the Russians allies of the Syrian government and who were mediating the surrender deals  refused to allow the White Helmets to be evacuated to the north.

The Associated Press first reported on Friday that U.S. officials were finalizing plans to evacuate several hundred Syrian civil defense workers and their families from southwest Syria as Russian-backed government forces closed in on the area along the Golan Heights frontier.

Evacuation plans were accelerated after last week's NATO summit in Brussels.

On Sunday, the British International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt and Foreign Secretary Hunt said the volunteers and their family "have been able to leave Syria for safety" following a joint diplomatic effort by Britain and its international partners. They said due to the risk the volunteers faced and their high profile, necessary steps were taken to afford protection to "as many volunteers and their families" as possible.

The evacuees are being assisted by the U.N. Refugee agency in Jordan pending international resettlement, the secretaries said.

Jordanian Foreign Ministry's spokesman Mohammed al-Kayed said the Syrians would remain in a closed area in Jordan for three months. Safadi, Jordan's foreign minister, said in a tweet that his government approved the evacuation after a pledge from Britain, Germany and Canada that the evacuees will be resettled in three months.

It is not clear if the White Helmets who have been previously evacuated to Idlib from other parts of Syria will receive similar treatment.

Since the offensive began, Jordan said it will not open its borders to the newly displaced Syrians. Jordan hosts at least 650,000 registered Syrian refugees, according to the U.N., but Amman says a similar number of undocumented Syrians are also in the kingdom.

Some 300,000 have been displaced by the fighting, with only a few thousands opting for evacuation to Idlib, which is expected to be the target of the next government offensive.

Aron Lund, a Syria expert with the Century Foundation, said after funding and promoting the White Helmets for years, the evacuation should not be a surprise.

"It seems like simple moral math to me that when the uprising fails, they should try to get their guys out alive, with their families," he told The Associated Press in an email. "Had the international community done this much earlier and also offered safe haven to the rebel leaders they've been backing, they could have helped get irreconcilables out of the equation and reduce the amount of killing and destruction."

"All sides benefit from giving the losing team a safe exit," he said.

Separately Sunday, al-Ikhbariya TV quoted a military official as saying that a military post in the town of Masyaf in Hama province was hit by an Israeli airstrike. The area houses several defense ministry facilities.
Approval of a life-restoring makeover for the Buena Vista Lagoon, first scheduled for a decision in January, has been postponed again until the end of the year.

San Diego Countys only freshwater lagoon covers more than 200 acres at the border of Carlsbad and Oceanside. A low weir, or dam, near the mouth has kept out seawater since the 1940s, holding back the Buena Vista Creek, stormwater, and irrigation run-off.

The San Diego Association of Governments, the regions planning agency, released the final environmental impact report on the project in October, and concluded that the best way to restore the lagoon to a healthier and more natural state would be to remove the weir and let the ocean flow in.

Various studies show that whats often called the saltwater alternative would have the most environmental benefits. Two other restoration options were examined  cleaning out the freshwater lagoon and leaving the weir where it is, or moving the weir to the middle of the lagoon for a hybrid alternative that would make it half saltwater and half freshwater.

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SANDAGs decision to pursue the saltwater alternative launched a flood of new comment letters that the agency says it continues to review. The agency initially postponed its boards hearing on the issue to February, then until summer, and now until late 2018.

This is outrageous that the SANDAG board continues to delay a decision, Natalie Shapiro, president of the Buena Vista Audubon Society, said by email this week.

They have had ample time to review information, and the conclusion remains the same: the saltwater alternative is the only viable alternative, Shapiro said. Meanwhile, the lagoon is dying and soon all we will have is a wet meadow.

Opinions have long been divided over the best way to restore the lagoon.

A nonprofit group of property owners on or near the lagoon, the Save the Freshwater Buena Vista Lagoon Association, hired an attorney in January to oppose the saltwater alternative.

An eight-page demand letter filed by the group in January claimed that the environmental documents prepared for the project were legally inadequate and that more studies were needed of things such as mosquitoes, pollutants and the economic results of opening the lagoon to the sea.

The groups representative, Jim Petronella, declined to comment Friday on the delay.

Opponents of the saltwater alternative often say the lagoon outlet at the beach would be a safety hazard, that it would expose unsightly and smelly mud flats at low tide, and that it would cause property values around the lagoon to go down.

The saltwater restoration is supported by a number of nonprofits, including the Sierra Club, the Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation, the League of Women Voters, Preserve Calavera, and the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation.

The Carlsbad City Council, the only city to formally take a position on the issue, voted to support the saltwater alternative, and the California Coastal Commission is on record in support.

The most recent official estimates of the costs of the project range from $43 million to $62 million in 2014 dollars. Money could be available for the work to be done as an environmental mitigation project along with the planned widening of Interstate 5 and the railroad bridge across the lagoon.

However, as time passes, so does the opportunity for that money. Regional transportation improvements already are funding a similar environmental restoration project now underway at the San Elijo Lagoon on the border of Encinitas and Solana Beach.

A study funded by the California State Coastal Conservancy in 2004 found that if no dredging occurs, the Buena Vista Lagoon will fill completely with silt in the next 10 or 20 years.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife, then known as the Department of Fish and Game, initially took the lead on the restoration effort. But the state agency dropped the project in 2011 after years of work, stating publicly that a lack of cooperation from beachfront property owners had blocked the effort.

SANDAG took over the effort in 2012, but has faced the same uphill battle against conflicting opinions on what should be done.

SANDAG is making every effort to provide as much time for individuals to review the material provided in an open and transparent manner, said Jessica Gonzalez, an associate public information officer for the agency, in an emailed response Friday to questions about issues that may remain unresolved.

SANDAG officials have said they are required by law to address every comment received on the projects environmental documents, even those submitted after the deadline has passed.

Copies of 83 comment letters from January through June 13, and the SANDAG staffs responses to them, are posted on the agencys website at www.keepsandiegomoving.com.

philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @phildiehl
As an elementary school teacher, Marta Arroyo used to journal about her desire to write childrens books. Shed imagine short stories about her own family, especially her late mother Concha, and was inspired by the part of her job where she edited book reports. After retiring from teaching in 2006, her dream of becoming an author was realized with the publication of two bilingual childrens books. And last fall, her latest book (Jorge and the Lost Cookie Jar) was published and has since been named a finalist in the 2018 International Latino Book Awards competition.

(My husband) Juan and I read articles about ILBA and attended the festivals in San Diego years ago. I always wanted to be a participant as an author, she says. Im thrilled to be a part of this years event  its a place to learn about Latinos and have their literary contributions recognized.

Arroyo, 66, is also a member of the San Diego chapter of the Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators, where she continues to work on her craft and receive feedback and helpful critiques of her work. She lives in Oceanside with her husband, and they have three children and five grandchildren. She took some time to talk about her most recent book and having her work named as a finalist in this competition.

Q: You spent 30 years teaching elementary school? What led you to writing?

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A: Being a grade-school teacher, I have always been inspired by the written word. It was inspiring to edit childrens book reports and stories in the classroom and help them learn the writing process. My own sixth-grade teacher, many years ago, inspired me to excel in spelling and language. I imagine mini stories about my family, especially my (late) mother Concha. My book about my mother, The Story of Senora Tamales, was completed before she passed away in 1994.

Q: Your latest book is Jorge and the Lost Cookie Jar. Where did Jorge come from? What inspired the story of his search for the cookie jar?

A: Jorge is a fictional character who represents a young student I taught in kindergarten many years ago. Although the name is not the same, his personality is much like my little friends. Hes smart and curious. The idea of the lost cookie jar came when, in the early drafts, Jorge thought someone had hidden the cookie jar. Later, we changed the title and created the familys move to a new, bigger home in the neighborhood.

Q: What did you want to say with this story?

A: I wanted to share bits of my own multi-cultural family. In addition, I wanted to share a multi-generational family growing together and living in harmony. Its evident in our world that communities everywhere have families who have united their traditions and backgrounds. My own children married into diverse cultures: Indian, Puerto Rican, Caucasian and Filipino.

What I love about Oceanside ...

I love the peaceful neighborhood of Fire Mountain. We are surrounded by beautiful neighbors and shopping centers. I felt safe walking our granddog, a French bulldog named Abbey, who recently passed away. We would walk up and down the streets of this beautiful neighborhood.

Q: Although you were only 8 when you and your family left Mexico for the United States, do you feel like that move informs any of your writing?

A: I was hungry to learn English! I did not enjoy being so much older than other first graders. My sister, Adela, and I were placed in the same classroom, even though I was already 8. They soon moved me to a different room, grade. The memories of being in a setting where English was the only language spoken set me on a path to learn the language, but without the benefit of any individual assistance from my teachers. Most likely, they did not get that we needed emotional support. They wanted us to hurry up and catch up to the grade level. But, oh, I loved being in school; as did Adela. We thrived on the challenges. Looking back on these memories, I can sincerely say that my parents had so much love for us. We went to school ready to learn.

Q: What were some of your favorite books/stories as a child?

A: I have never stopped being a child. In the last few years, I have learned from childrens books by Pam Munoz Ryan and Gary Soto and many other great authors. Authors are my own mentors. With that, I only remember the Dick and Jane books because I loved the illustrations so much. Those books helped me learn the English language.

Q: When youre reading your own books to children at schools or in libraries, what response do you love getting? What kind of reaction do you particularly enjoy while reading to them?

A: I love hearing their comments about a favorite page in the book. I enjoy hearing them chant answers in unison. At some readings, I replace the name Jorge with one of the childrens names and they chant the new title three times.  Then we all laugh and they raise their hands to have their own name pronounced. This never gets old because its about them and its fun.

Q: Tell us about the International Latino Book Awards.

A: Its a program of Latino Literacy Now, which is a non-profit organization that was founded by Edward James Olmos and Kirk Whisler, and promotes literacy, culture, and celebrates the diversity of multicultural communities.

Q: Why do you think its important to have an organization dedicated to specifically recognizing Latino authors, illustrators, books and stories?

A: Its a much-needed resource that promotes pride and unity among Latinos. Its a powerful networking and community-strengthening avenue.

Q: What have you found challenging about your work as a childrens book author?

A: The most challenging part has been submitting manuscripts and receiving rejections. Thats what you need and I want to keep going, so I welcome the challenges.

Q: Whats been rewarding about this work?

A: Meeting the parents and kids when I go to readings, as well as seeing copies of my book in libraries.

Q: What has it taught you about yourself?

A: I have something good to offer the children, teachers, parents and colleagues, and my family, who are there willing to cheer my stories on. How lucky am I?

Q: What is the best advice youve ever received?

A: Si Se Puede! (or you can do it) by Cesar Chavez. And Enjoy and appreciate life as a God-given moment every day, by my husband, Juan Arroyo.

Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?

A: I make yummy, homemade flour tortillas and polvorones (Mexican wedding cookies), then show my grandkids. I tremble with excitement when my grandkids come to visit.

Q: Describe your ideal San Diego weekend.

A: Working in our backyard and filling bins for recycling. I become the gardener, wearing my old shirt and hat and garden gloves. Later in the day, walking at the Oceanside marina or the Carlsbad boardwalk; and the crooked tree, near one of the Carlsbad shopping centers. On Sunday, Juan and I attend mass at Mission San Luis Rey Parish, our church and place of worship. After mass, we host family brunches, and pose for the camera for memories to treasure.

Email: lisa.deaderick@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @lisadeaderick
The adolescent residents of Ninos de las Promesa have long ago been orphaned or abandoned by their parents. But on this warm summer morning, as waves crashed on a sandy stretch of coast near the U.S. border, any troubles seemed in the past.

A three-week water safety camp conducted by a small San Diego-based nonprofit has brought together dozens of at-risk children and adolescents from three Tijuana group homes to learn about water safety. Among the lessons: How to approach a distressed swimmer, how to avoid rip currents, how to perform CPR.

The lives they are saving may well be their own. This program reaches out to some of Tijuanas most vulnerable residents who might otherwise never even learn to swim, much less surf and perform water rescues.

Building confidence in the water builds confidence in life, say the creators of Out of the Boat. Graduates of the six-year-old Tijuana program are now in high school, college or working for a living and have become mentors and instructors to the younger students.

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They are also the programs biggest advocates.

1 / 19 Standing in front, Carmina Rochin warms up before the morning activities. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune) 2 / 19 Camp director Anna Lucia Lopez Avedoy, wearing a pink hat, explains the plan for the day. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune) 3 / 19 Erica Sanchez, in red, is one of the leaders of the Out of the Boat program in Playas de Tijuana. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune) 4 / 19 Repetitions of jumping jacks are done by all the children and leaders at Playas de Tijuana. | Alejandro Tamayo  The San Diego Union Tribune 2018 (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune) 5 / 19 Eliot Hernandez in red pushes Santiago Ramirez for a few more jumping jacks. | Alejandro Tamayo  The San Diego Union Tribune 2018 (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune) 6 / 19 Holding the megaphone is Angel Diaz, 18, a leader of the Out of the Boat program in Playas de Tijuana. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune) 7 / 19 Carmina Rochin, front left, and Adan Gonzalez, at right, participate in a warm-up session before the morning activities. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune) 8 / 19 The San Diego nonprofit Out of the Boat in Playas de Tijuana teaches water safety. | Alejandro Tamayo  The San Diego Union Tribune 2018 (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune) 9 / 19 Angel Diaz, in red, leads a group of teens down the beach for a jog. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune) 10 / 19 From left to right: Eliot Hernandez, Daniela Sanchez, and David Castrejon show an image of a jelly fish and explain its dangers. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune) 11 / 19 Anna Lucia Lopez Avedoy, at center, is the coordinator of the annual camp. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune) 12 / 19 Teens choose fins as they prepare to go out for a swim. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune) 13 / 19 Group leader Angel Diaz, at center in a red top, speaks to a group of teens after a long swim. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune) 14 / 19 Anna Lucia Lopez Avedoy, camp director, heads to the water. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune) 15 / 19 Camp participants test the water together with volunteers and lifeguards. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune) 16 / 19 Teenagers learn water safety as they participate in the Out of of the Boat camp in Playas de Tijuana. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune) 17 / 19 A group of children with leaders of Out of the Boat in Playas de Tijuana conduct drills in the water. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune) 18 / 19 A group of teens return from a swim. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune) 19 / 19 Sanir Beltan Gonzalez grabs a long board and heads to the beach. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune)

Water calms your pain, water calms your mind, said Angel Diaz, an 18-year-old instructor who grew up at Ninos de La Promesa, and now works as a lifeguard at Albercas El Vergel, a popular Tijuana water park. Water for me is everything.

On Wednesday morning, skies were slightly overcast and water conditions benign: The currents light, surf under two feet, the water temperature above 70 degrees, and the water quality good. The biggest issue appeared to be the sting rays lurking in the sand, and one of the lessons was learning how to avoid them and how to treat a sting.

On the beach or in the water, everyone was identified by their colored tops, and divided into age groups. The students, in neon yellow t-shirts, were impossible to miss. The group leaders, all certified lifeguards, wore red, and other program volunteers, light blue.

Telma Lopez Torres, 16, wore a red top. She has been with Ninos de la Promesa since she was 12 years old. Two years ago, her mother died of cancer, and she has no contact with her father.

Certified to conduct open-water rescues, she is in charge of the camps group of 12-to-13-year-olds.

Its an opportunity that many do not have, said Lopez, who is getting ready to start high school. Her favorite activity is swimming, she said, because it brings me peace.

Fellow instructor Jenifer Salas, 18, has spent half her life at another group home, Casa Eunime, and for the past four years has been participating in the camp.

This year, shes in charge of 13 students ranging in age from 9 to 11. Here you can learn while youre having fun, said Salas, who is preparing to study tourism at the Autonomous University of Baja California.

The camps founder is Anna Lucia Lopez Avedoy, a former Tijuana city lifeguard and longtime volunteer with Ninos de la Promesa. This is what I wanted, for the most vulnerable children to have the best opportunities in life, through their contact with the ocean, said Lopez, who is the Mexico program coordinator for Out of the Boat. This liberates their minds.

Unlike San Diego, Tijuana has relatively few swimming pools and many children from low-income backgrounds never learn how to swim. Through the program, children who culturally would never even go past their ankles in the ocean, or even dream that they can float, theyve become water men and women, said Michelle Rodley, a former San Diego city lifeguard who is founder and president of the Out of the Boat.

The camps costs are low, about $5,000, thanks to donations everything from the t-shirts to the girls swim suits to the sunscreen to the rescue buoys. A wide range of volunteers are also contributing to the effort, including teachers from the Tijuana Red Cross and high school and college students from Tijuana and San Diego.

Close to 90 students ranging in age from 7 to 17 are participating in this years camp, which is entering its third week. It is staged in Playas de Tijuana at Ninos de La Promesa, a home for 40 adolescents operated by former San Diego residents Connie and Tyler Younkin at a converted hotel that overlooks the Pacific Ocean.

Participating in the summer camp are members of two other homes for children and adolescents. Red Binacional de Corazones, which works with human trafficking victims, sent 18 participants.

Another contingent of 23 participants has come from Casa Eunime, a home for children and teenagers who are HIV-positive or have been orphaned or abandoned, some due to their parents drug addiction problems.

Juana Ortiz, the director of Casa Eunime, said the primary benefit for her residents is the sense of inclusion they receive. The message is that regardless of your heath status or your social status, you can be part of any activity, she said. This raises their self-esteem and their confidence.

About a fourth of the participants are members of the surrounding community  and play an important role, said Lopez, the camps director, as integrating children from group homes with others in the community is one of the projects major aims.

In the water they are all equal, she said. You dont know who is in a group home, who comes from outside, they are all wearing the same shirts.

Erica Sanchez, 16, was three years old when she came to Ninos de la Promesa, and simply shrugged when asked about her parents whereabouts, indicating they are no longer in contact.

A strong swimmer and surfer, she is helping lead a group of her peers, ages 14 to 17.

I understand them, I understand that sometimes, things can seem frightening, said Sanchez, who said she never forces participants to do anything against their will.

Learning about the water, she said, can help them build their character, understand that they can more forward, and not be anyones victim.

sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com

@sandradibble
The Ferguson fire continued its march toward Yosemite National Park this weekend, growing significantly to more than 32,000 acres and prompting the closure of some campgrounds and roads.

The fast-spreading fire has been burning in the Sierra Nevada for days, consuming dry brush and dead trees while threatening several mountain communities and more than 200 structures.

Jim Mackensen, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service, said firefighters have been aggressively attacking the fire, but steep, rugged terrain with little to no access to roads has made their work difficult.

An area of concern was the northern portion of the fire, where it jumped the Merced River and into the Stanislaus National Forest  the Rim fire broke out there in 2013.

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Fire crews tried to keep the flames back, but terrain and weather conditions forced them to retreat, Mackensen said. Despite the challenges, they have made some progress in other parts of the Ferguson fire, including in the Jerseydale area, where firefighters worked to protect structures.

So far, more than 3,000 fire personnel are battling the blaze, and are aided by dozens of water-dropping helicopters, water trucks and dozers.

As the fire moved north over the weekend, the Mariposa County Sheriffs Office issued new mandatory evacuation orders for areas along Old Yosemite Road in Groveland.

Meanwhile, Yosemite National Park officials said Highway 140 is closed from the entrance of the park to 1.5 miles west of Midpines. Glacier Point Road, Bridalveil Creek Campground and the Merced Grove have also been closed because of firefighting operations, park officials said.

The fire started July 13 and claimed a firefighters life in its first day when a bulldozer tumbled down a hillside during the building of a defensive line. The flames have pushed south and east along a south fork of the Merced River, but along the way theyve crawled over ridge tops and into groves of dead wood east of Yosemite.

Mackensen said six firefighters have been injured as of Sunday.

Crews have been preparing defensive positions ahead of the fires path and have carried out burn operations that would eliminate potential fuel. In the last few days, the flames have reached the groves of dead pines that were victims to Californias brutal drought and massive bark-beetle infestation that have killed tens of millions of trees in recent years.

In those patches of land, crews are watching for fire as well as falling trees and branches.

So far, an evacuation center has been set up at New Life Christian Fellowship and an animal shelter has been set up by the SPCA of Mariposa County.

An air tanker drops retardant while battling the Ferguson fire in Stanislaus National Forest, near Yosemite National Park on Saturday. (Noah Berger / AFP/Getty Images)

The battle comes as a heat wave is about to hit Southern California. Los Angeles County officials have issued a warning for next week, when they expect temperatures to soar.

High temperatures are forecast to arrive Monday. The alert covers areas prone to dangerous summertime heat. They include downtown Los Angeles, the Antelope Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley and the Pomona area.

The National Weather Service is forecasting record-breaking highs and has issued a heat advisory until Thursday evening.

Inland temperatures are expected to hover in the 90s for much of the week and will probably hit 100 on Wednesday. Temperatures along the coast will be in the mid-80s.

County officials have asked schools and summer camps to take special precautions, such as limiting outdoor activities to mornings and evenings.

Times staff writer Joseph Serna contributed to this story.

ruben.vives@latimes.com | Twitter: @LATvives

anna.phillips@latimes.com | Twitter: @annamphillips

UPDATES:

7:44 p.m. This article was updated with additional information from the U.S. Forest Service.

This article was originally published at 11:20 a.m.
Sheila Brown was shocked to learn, in the spring of 2009, that the Los Angeles City Council was planning to raise the speed limit on Zelzah Avenue, a few blocks from her home in Granada Hills.

A few weeks before, a 60-year-old woman had been struck and killed in a crosswalk on Zelzah, Brown told the City Council in an impassioned letter. She said the frequent sounds of screeching tires as drivers narrowly avoided collisions were proof that allowing higher speeds would put residents and students in danger.

How many more people need to die in order to prove this to you? Brown asked.

Two months later, the City Council raised the speed limit on Zelzah to 40 mph from 35. Last December, the limit went up again, to 45 mph  even though Zelzah is now classified as one of the citys most dangerous streets for pedestrians and bicyclists.

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(Julian H. Lange / Los Angeles Times)

Zelzahs growing speed limits epitomize the catch-22 that Los Angeles officials have faced for decades on dozens of miles of major city streets: Raise the speed limit, or lose the ability to write most speeding tickets.

The dilemma stems from a decades-old California law designed to protect drivers from speed traps, which requires cities to post speed limits that reflect the natural speed of traffic. If the limit is too low, or if it is years out of date, the police cant use radar guns or other electronic devices to write speeding tickets there.

Sharp drop in speeding tickets

More than 200 miles of Los Angeles streets have expired speed limits and very little speed enforcement. Those streets include crosstown thoroughfares and a handful of corridors that are considered the deadliest for pedestrians and bicyclists.

The restrictions on police using electronic devices has coincided with a 77% drop in the number of speeding tickets written annually by the Los Angeles Police Department, from 99,333 in 2010 to 22,783 last year.

Traffic officers have been particularly hamstrung in the San Fernando Valley, where the majority of the citys speeding tickets are written and more than 130 miles of streets carry speed enforcement restrictions, according to a Times analysis of city data.

People are driving like maniacs on city streets, said Dennis Zine, a former city councilman in the Valley who worked as a traffic officer. Its costing people their lives.

Los Angeles has worked frantically to update speed limits so traffic officers can resume their work, renewing the speed limits on more than 650 miles of streets in the last two years.

Transportation Department officials first studied the streets the city considers the most dangerous for bicyclists and pedestrians, such as Zelzah. As a result, officers can now write speeding tickets on more than 95% of these streets, compared with just 20% in 2016, officials said.

In December, the City Council raised speed limits on 94 miles of streets, mainly in the Valley. The city also lowered limits on 52 miles of streets where traffic has slowed over time, mostly in central and south Los Angeles.

A long exposure captures the trail of lights from vehicles traveling at dusk down a two-mile stretch of Zelzah Avenue in Northridge. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Some streets, including Balboa and Chandler boulevards, had not seen speed enforcement for more than a decade. Drivers had grown accustomed to speeding with no citations, police said. Higher average speeds forced the city to raise the speed limit to resume ticketing.

Speeding has become a significant stumbling block for Vision Zero, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcettis directive to eliminate traffic deaths on city streets by 2025.

By one measurement, the problem is getting worse: In the first two years of Vision Zero, pedestrian deaths rose 82%. The increase suggests that pedestrians are being hit by drivers at higher speeds than in the past, officials say.

A pedestrian struck by a driver going 20 mph has a 90% chance of survival, but a 20% chance of survival at 40 mph, according to federal data. The data inspired the advocacy catchphrase 20 is plenty, which urges a 20-mph speed limit in cities.

Officers dont want to do estimations

Police officers say it is better to have an enforceable speed limit, even if it is higher, than having none at all, because they can ticket the worst offenders.

Without radar guns or other electronic devices, police can estimate a vehicles speed by sight or by driving alongside it, methods that are less accurate and more likely to be thrown out in court.

Officers dont want to do estimations, said LAPD Officer Troy Williams, who has worked in Valley traffic enforcement for more than a decade. They dont want to go to court for nothing, and get embarrassed by some judge, or an attorney who tries to act like Perry Mason.

Instead, officers will try to cite speeders for other moving violations, including failing to signal or using a cellphone while driving, he said. Officers can also cite drivers going faster than 65 mph, even if the street does not have a current speed limit, he said.

Police can also use radar and laser devices to ticket speeders in school zones, where the limit is 25 mph when children are present, whether the streets regular speed limit is current or not.

California transportation advocates take a dim view of the policy that pegs speed limits to how fast people generally drive. Too many people already feel comfortable driving at speeds that are fatal to pedestrians and cyclists, they say.

Youre letting the inmates run the asylum, said bicycle advocate Stephen Box, who fought a wave of speed limit increases across the Valley nearly a decade ago. A city does a speed survey to enforce the speed limit  except now, people can drive faster.

He added: Theres no human on Earth that can look at this and say, with a straight face, That makes complete sense, except the LAPD and the LADOT.

Californias speed limit law was first drafted more than five decades ago, when police officers first began using radar guns to catch speeders. Fears mounted that technology would make it easier for cities to set speed limits far below the normal flow of traffic, pick drivers off one by one, and pocket the revenue.

State officials endorsed a policy requiring cities to post limits that are based on driver speeds, and that are updated regularly.

To update driver speeds, city engineers visit a street in the late morning or early afternoon, park along a stretch of road without stop signs or traffic lights, and use an electronic device to measure the speeds of 100 drivers.

They rank the speeds from fastest to slowest and identify the 85th percentile  that is, the speed just below the 15th-fastest driver. City engineers use that critical speed as a basis for establishing a new speed limit, typically rounded to the nearest 5 mph.

On a sunny morning last year, transportation engineer Brian Doherty sat in the curb lane on Fulton Avenue in Sherman Oaks. The street, lined with ranch houses, had a speed limit of 35 mph that expired in 2012, according to records obtained by The Times.

City transportation engineer Brian Doherty uses a radar gun to get the speed of a passing motorist on Fulton Avenue in Sherman Oaks. Doherty was updating a speed survey in the San Fernando Valley (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Doherty balanced a radar gun on the top of the steering wheel and took aim at drivers zipping toward him. With a screeching sound like a dial-up modem, the device began to display speeds for each passing vehicle: 37, 39, 44.

Fifty-five, my, Doherty said, as a driver in a black Scion blew past, rattling the vans windows. He made a tally mark on his clipboard next to 55 mph.

A later analysis found that Fultons critical speed was 42 mph. Engineers rounded down to 40 mph, then reduced the limit by another 5 mph, citing disconnected sidewalks, varying street widths, and dense shrubbery restricting views of driveways. The city set the limit at 35 mph  leaving it unchanged.

Cities can reduce a speed limit by an additional 5 mph in some circumstances, as Los Angeles did on Fulton, by citing collision records, safety issues for bicyclists and pedestrians, or conditions not readily apparent to the driver, including hidden driveways or a nearby park or school.

Los Angeles also used the provision on Zelzah, where engineers measured a critical speed of 48 mph. Citing 13 crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists in three years, the city rounded the posted limit down to 45 mph, still a 5-mph increase.

L.A. fell behind during recession

To keep up with L.A.s more than 1,200 miles of surveyed streets, transportation officials have tried to renew the studies for about 200 miles of streets per year.

But during the Great Recession, L.A.s rate sank far below that, as the Transportation Departments survey group lost five of its seven employees to hiring freezes, medical leave and early retirement, officials said.

It was a dark time for the city, and there were a lot of things that ended up not getting done, said Seleta Reynolds, the departments general manager, who was hired in 2014. This was one of them.

At the same time, engineers were forced to recommend higher speed limits on dozens of miles of streets, mostly in the Valley. The increases required City Council approval, but some members saw the votes as so controversial that they let the speed limits expire without making a decision.

Its an autobahn, said David Lasher, who was rear-ended on Rinaldi Street in Porter Ranch. The posted speed limit is 45 mph, he said, and many drivers go much faster.

The Transportation Department denied The Times request for the database of streets with current and expired speed limits, despite releasing the same record three years ago.

The risk created by making the information public as traffic deaths rise outweighs the publics right to access government records, said department spokeswoman Patricia Restrepo, citing the balancing test outlined in the California Public Records Act.

The department does not want to release a list of streets to the public where they can speed with impunity, Restrepo said last year.

Theres little evidence that a higher speed limit encourages people to speed, Williams of the LAPD said. He cited a Federal Highway Administration study in 22 states that found raising or lowering the speed limit had little effect.

That conclusion remains in dispute at the federal level. Researchers with the National Transportation Safety Board recommended last year that officials move away from the 85th-percentile policy, saying it leads to unintended consequences, including more speeding.

The emotional argument is that raising the speed limit to 40 mph will make people drive faster, Williams said. But most people dont really know what the speed limit is when theyre driving.

Thats true, city officials say  and instead, street designs need to change to force people to drive more slowly. The city plans to retrofit streets that are designed to move as many cars as possible by subtracting travel lanes, adding bike lanes and building medians.

People are driving like maniacs on city streets. Its costing people their lives. Dennis Zine, a former city councilman in the Valley who worked as a traffic officer.

Los Angeles officials have also backed changes to the states 85th-percentile law, but there are few proven alternatives. Attempts at reforming the law have repeatedly failed in Sacramento.

A bill to start a test program for speed cameras, which are banned in California, died in committee last year.

A recent bill introduced by Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) would have allowed cities to set speed limits up to 9 mph below the critical speed. It was gutted after a legislative analysis found that nearly half of drivers would be eligible for a $238 speeding ticket.

A new version of the bill would study efforts to reduce traffic deaths, including other ways to set speed limits.

As legislators chew over whether to overhaul the law, Brown continues to fear that Zelzah Avenue is growing more dangerous. Her home is a few blocks north of the 45-mph zone, on a block with no sidewalks. Drivers scream past at uncomfortable speeds as Brown and her neighbors drag their recycling bins to the street.

Recently, she said, a driver in a BMW crashed into a utility pole, ricocheted off and struck the curb on the other side of the street. Then the city raised Zelzahs speed limit again.

How many times do you have to hear screeching tires and people running into each other before you decide this isnt working anymore? Brown asked.

laura.nelson@latimes.com

Twitter: @laura_nelson
A Navy commander with 23 years of military service pleaded guilty to a drug charge Friday in San Diego federal court, admitting that he conspired to buy and sell ecstasy and other drugs on the dark web for at least 18 months that ended with his March arrest at his home.

Adolph Garza, 54, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine up to $500,000 when hes sentenced in December. He pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances by internet.

The San Diego resident admitted using the dark web to make multiple purchases of ecstasy, ketamine, cocaine, amphetamine and other controlled substances from August 2016 to March of this year.

Garza was arrested during a March 7 raid at his Hillcrest condo, according to Sherri Walker Hobson, an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California.

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While serving the search warrant at Garzas residence, inspectors from the U.S. Postal Service and special agents from Homeland Security Investigations and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service seized ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine, amphetamine and other controlled substances. They also discovered sealers, packaging and mailing materials, including DVD cases that were used to conceal what was being shipped.

According to court documents, a package of ecstasy from the Netherlands was bound for Garzas condo unit on Aug. 12, 2016, when it was intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection investigators at the Chicago International Mail Facility.

It was the first of more than a dozen packages sent to Garza that was found to contain illegal drugs, according to postal inspector David Jones.

Four days after the first package was seized, another shipment of ecstasy was seized at the same Chicago airport.

The other shipments of ecstasy bound for Garzas address were discovered at airports in Chicago, San Francisco and New York, and at mailboxes in San Diego.

According to investigators and federal prosecutors, Garzas name and address were also discovered on two separate drug ledgers during investigations into other dark-web drug distributors.

Garza is set to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant. Although he faces up to 20 years in federal custody, prosecutors agreed in a plea deal to recommend the low end of the advisory guideline, though its not yet clear what the advisory guideline will be.

Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 10.

alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com

Riggins writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Don Kohles was outside the Trader Joes in Silver Lake on Saturday afternoon when a car crashed into a pole on Hyperion Avenue.

Immediately, he heard two shots. He ducked into the exit door of the Trader Joes. He looked back at the street and saw two police officers shooting at a man.

The bullets were flying everywhere through the front of the store and across the parking lot, he said.

The gunfire shattered the glass doors, Kohles said, and the gunman ran inside and down the middle aisle.

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Kohles was horrified by the violence at corner of Hyperion Avenue and Griffith Park Boulevard, the commercial center of Silver Lake.

(Ellis Simani / @latimesgraphics)

The gunman was taken into custody and officials announced one woman had been killed during the incident.

Several shoppers on social media described a terrifying scene of gunfire, people running for cover and hiding as the gunman ran inside. One shopper said she was outside when the pursuit ended and sought cover behind a wall as the suspect and officers exchanged shots.

Dan Zito of Eagle Rock was pushing his shopping cart out of Trader Joes when he heard the scream of sirens.

He said he looked up in time to see a sedan pursued by patrol cars attempt to turn into the store parking lot.

He was on three tires so he couldnt make the turn and he crashed into the pole, Zito said.

The vehicle stopped 10 feet from Zito, he said, and the driver immediately sprang from the car and began firing at the police cars.

It was a matter of split seconds between the time he got out, the boom-boom-boom and him running into the store, he said.

Makela Wilson said she was shopping around 3:10 pm when she saw the gunmans car slam into the pole.

It happened in a blur, she said: Three to four shots erupted before he ran into the store. Police swarmed the area in tactical gear with guns drawn. She said an officer instructed her and another woman parked next to her to duck in their vehicles, where they remained for at least 30 minutes.

She was briefly interviewed by police and released. Her car is still sitting in the parking lot, brunch ingredients likely spoiling in the afternoon heat.

I was going to make French toast, she said.

About 30 people gathered at police lines on Monon Street. There was hushed conversation and sharing of details mainly gleaned from news reports. Some were residents of homes beyond the barricades, who were prohibited from returning until the situation was resolved.

Retiree Robert Novak, who lives three doors from the Trader Joes, said he hoped no one had been shot.

Its always the busiest store in the neighborhood  especially on the weekends, he said.

Many said they visited the store so often that they had become friends with the employees.

We know all the people who work there. Weve had them over. Weve hung out with them, said Anna Williams, who lives on Monon.

Its the equivalent of your local bodega in New York, said Jessica Passoff, who lives on Rowena. You stop there for everything.

The hostage situation paralyzed a normally humming commercial district in Silver Lake. Restaurants, bars and shops along Hyperion Avenue went dark  either ordered on lockdown by police or shuttered by worried employees.

On some side streets, people who tried to leave their apartments were greeted with police bullhorns.

Return to your home! Get off the sidewalk, officers said.

Suzy Gonzalez of Echo Park was preparing to turn into Trader Joes parking lot for her weekly shop when officers waved her off.

She saw the crashed car and thought there had been a minor accident, but then noticed a line of 25 police vehicles streaming into the area.

It almost looked like a funeral procession, she said.
A 28-year-old Los Angeles man has been identified as the suspect in a wild car chase and gun battle that left one woman dead and sparked panic inside a Trader Joes store in Silver Lake, authorities said Sunday.

Gene Atkins is being held in lieu of $2-million bail on suspicion of murder, according to Officer Drake Madison, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman. Investigators have said Atkins shot his grandmother and kidnapped another woman in South L.A. on Saturday before leading police on a chase that ended near the parking lot of the popular Hyperion Avenue grocery store.



For the record: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the dead womans brother as Alpert Corado. His first name is Albert.

LAPD Chief Michel Moore said it appears the slain woman was wounded as she was exiting the Trader Joes during the shootout. It is unclear if the fatal gunshot was fired by Atkins or a police officer, he said. The victim was identified by relatives as Melyda Corado, a manager at the store.

Atkins cousin, Charlene Egland, said Atkins had been involved in a feud with his grandmother over his girlfriends presence at the home they shared on East 32nd Street in South L.A. Egland said Atkins was raised by his grandmother, who repeatedly cared for him despite prior run-ins with police and sometimes violent arguments that would erupt between the two family members.

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Whenever he got into something, shed go to his rescue; thats why I cant even believe what he did to her, Egland said.

(Ellis Simani / @latimesgraphics)

Atkins shot his grandmother several times and then kidnapped the other woman in his grandmothers Toyota Camry, police said. The other woman suffered a head wound, though it was not clear if she had been shot or pistol-whipped, according to Moore.

Police said Atkins grandmother was in critical condition on Saturday. Egland said Sunday she had made it through surgery and was expected to survive.

Hours after the violent clash at Atkins grandmothers home Saturday morning, police found the Camry in Hollywood using transmissions from its anti-theft device, and a chase ensued. The gunman blew out his own rear window while firing at police, officials said. The pursuit ended with the Camry crashing into a light post outside the Trader Joes.

Atkins and the pursuing officers traded gunshots outside the store, according to witnesses and police. The gunman then ran inside, trapping dozens of shoppers and employees, witnesses said. Several could be seen crawling out windows, while the gunman allowed others to leave during an hours-long negotiation with the LAPD.

Bloodied and unnerved, he paced the inside of the store, holding a gun and shouting as terrified hostages hid behind food displays.

Cyrani Ackerman, 49, told The Times she was walking toward the checkout line with her 19-year-old daughter when the screech of tires sent her scrambling. As gunfire began to erupt outside, many customers fled toward the back of the store, either cowering in bathrooms or ducking in aisles as far away from the melee as possible.

Seven of us were hiding in the back behind the bread, she said. There was a lot of shots fired.

The gunman stayed near the front of the building with about five employees, according to Ackerman, who said at some point the gunman noticed people had found ways to exit the store. He ordered one of his hostages to walk the aisles and round up anyone else who was hiding, including Ackerman and her daughter.

Ackerman said she noticed a lot of blood in the store but did not know about the death of the store manager while she was hiding. She said she overheard the gunman talking to police as he demanded to speak with his grandmother and referred to someone being dead. The comments caused her and others hiding inside to grow even more fearful.

He said to the police that it was their fault for her being dead, Ackerman said.

After a three-hour standoff, Atkins surrendered to police. He is expected to survive his injuries, Moore said.

The woman killed at the store was identified online by her brother.

Im sad to say she didnt make it. My baby sister. My world. I appreciate the retweets and the love, Albert Corado tweeted Saturday. Please respect my familys privacy as we are still coming to terms with this.

Calls to the coroners office seeking additional comment Sunday were not immediately returned.

Im sad to say she didnt make it. My baby sister. My world. I appreciate the retweets and the love. Please respect my familys privacy as we are still coming to terms with this. #TraderJoes #SilverLake  Albert Corado (@digitalurn) July 22, 2018

Outside the store Sunday morning, a steady stream of students, residents and tourists could be overheard talking about the tragic incident from the day before.

Only in L.A. would things like this happen  and by that I mean the stuff that could be part of a novel, said Helen Hong, 31, a tourist from Shanghai.

By noon, a blooming memorial filled with roses, lilies, daisies and tender wildflowers had sprouted at Monon Street and Hyperion Avenue, stacked against the white exterior of the popular grocery store. Customers, neighbors and others stopped by to pay their respects, scribbling sympathy messages on sticky notes and attaching them to the wall above the bouquets.

We are heartbroken for you, one of them said.

All of the employees are part of our community. We will care for each other, said another.

Leda Siskind, 65, left a note, then stood back in contemplation. She and her husband had been invited to a dinner Saturday and she asked him to pick up some wine and mineral water from Trader Joes to bring as gifts. He decided to run the errand in the morning, rather than the afternoon.

For the grace of God go I  its that kind of moment, the 30-year Silver Lake resident said. We live half a mile from the store. And everybodys in here like seven times a week. When this happened, we were getting calls from across the country from all our friends. They didnt ask, Is that your Trader Joes? They were, I know thats your Trader Joes.

Marnina Wirtschafter, 24, also penned a message. These store employees are always giving so much of their hearts to the community. We love them, said the UCLA graduate.

She and others explained that because they live in a very walkable neighborhood, folks tend to know those around them and were like part of an extended family, so we want to be there for them in times of need.

Hal Henry, another Silver Lake resident, said the Trader Joes had become something of a neighborhood hallmark. The 63-year-old said he and his wife even exchange Christmas cards with some employees.

Were in and out of there every other day. Were shopping for parties. You pop in when you go to the laundromat, he said. On the day when my daughter was born, 24 years ago, after the C-section was successful, I ran over here to get some food and some beer. All the employees had been asking after my wife because she was overdue, and they were so happy to hear everyone was safe.

His wife almost went to the store on Saturday but ended up changing her plans to help their daughter film something for a web series.

My wife could have run those errands, and she could have been trapped in that hostage situation, he said misty-eyed. You dont always know why things happen the way they happen.

Egland, the suspects cousin, said Atkins was taken in by his grandmother at a young age. His mother suffered from drug addiction, and his father was sentenced to a lengthy prison stretch when Atkins was 8, Egland said.

Police records show he was arrested on suspicion of vandalism in 2008, but it does not appear he was criminally charged, according to public records. Atkins grandmother also sought a temporary restraining order against him in 2010, court records show, but Egland said the woman eventually took him back in.

Atkins had been dating the woman who was injured during Saturdays melee for several months, but his grandmother did not want her in the family home, according to Egland. The woman had started visiting the home again in recent days, and an argument over the situation prompted Saturdays incident, she said.

Something triggered his mind, and he just shot her. Its just devastating. I cant believe it, she said. My auntie raised him.

james.queally@latimes.com

richard.winton@latimes.com

anh.do@latimes.com

Follow @JamesQueallyLAT @lacrimes & @newsterrier for more breaking news in Southern California

UPDATES:

1:45 p.m.: This story was updated with additional details from people visiting the store.

1:15 p.m.: This story was updated with details from people visiting the store.

12:55 p.m.: This story was updated with comments from one of Atkins relatives and additional information from the scene.

11 a.m.: This story was updated with additional information from police and an interview with one of the hostages.

This post was originally published at 9:50 a.m.
The man who sparked a fierce gun battle and a long standoff with police at a Trader Joes in Silver Lake surrendered early Saturday evening after his rampage left one woman dead and at least two wounded.

Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the death during a televised news conference, saying the woman was pulled out of the store by authorities and declared dead at the scene.

Family members later identified the dead woman as Melyda Corado, according to ABC News. She was the store manager, according to a law enforcement source.

LAPD Chief Michel Moore said Sunday that it appears the woman was killed as she was exiting the Trader Joes during the shootout. It is unclear if the fatal shot was fired by the gunman or a police officer, he said.

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Police on Sunday identified the suspect as Gene Atkins, 28. He was being held on suspicion of murder in lieu of $2 million bond.

The ordeal began as a family dispute in South Los Angeles involving Atkins, who shot his grandmother at least seven times and injured another woman, police said.

The gunman dragged the second woman into his grandmothers Toyota Camry and fled.

Police found the car in Hollywood using transmissions from its anti-theft device, and a chase ensued. The gunman blew out his own rear window while firing at police, officials said. The pursuit ended with the Camry crashing into a light post outside the Trader Joes in Silver Lake.

The gunman exchanged fire with police and was struck in his left arm before running inside the store, police said.

A woman has her vitals checked at the triage area. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Between 40 and 50 others were trapped inside, and a three-hour hostage negotiation ensued. During that time, the suspect allowed some to leave while others sneaked out. Some crawled out of windows.

During the standoff, the Los Angeles Fire Department sent 18 ambulances and 100 firefighters at the scene, expecting the worst.

A family reunification center was established at the Northeast LAPD station.

The grandmother was in critical condition after undergoing surgery, according to Moore. The second woman injured by the gunman suffered a relatively minor head wound and was in good condition, he said.

(Ellis Simani / @latimesgraphics)

Several shoppers on social media described a terrifying scene of gunfire, people running for cover and hiding as the gunman ran into the store. One shopper said she was outside when the pursuit ended. She sought cover behind a wall as the man opened fire and police shot back.

Don Kohles was outside the store when he saw the end of the pursuit.

Immediately, he heard two shots and ducked into the exit door. He looked back at the street and saw two police officers shooting at the man.

The bullets were flying everywhere through the front of the store and across the parking lot, he said.

The gunfire shattered the glass doors, he said, and the gunman ran into the store and down the middle aisle.

A woman at the Gelsons supermarket across the street said gunfire was heard from that store and that everyone dove to the floor. She said employees eventually let shoppers out.

Elias Cueva, who works at Gelsons, was outside on his lunch break and saw the police chase.

The tire exploded. When he couldnt move the car, the police shot at him. I dove onto the floor, he said.

Inside the Gelsons, employees thought the shooter was outside.

Right when we heard the gunshots, we went down. We thought the shooter was in our parking lot shooting at us, Avo Kegeyan said.

As the standoff wore on, about 30 people gathered at police lines on Monon Street. There was hushed conversation and sharing of details mainly gleaned from news reports. Some were residents of homes beyond the barricades prohibited from returning until the situation was resolved.

Retiree Robert Novak, who lives three doors from the Trader Joes, said he hoped no one had been shot.

Its always the busiest store in the neighborhood  especially on the weekends, he said.

Many said they visited the store so often that they had become friends with the employees.

We know all the people who work there. Weve had them over. Weve hung out with them, said Anna Williams, who lives on Monon.

Its the equivalent of your local bodega in New York, said Jessica Passoff, who lives on Rowena. You stop there for everything.

The situation paralyzed the trendy, normally humming, commercial district in Silver Lake. Restaurants, bars and shops along Hyperion Avenue went dark  either ordered on lockdown by police or shuttered by worried employees.

On some side streets near Trader Joes, people who tried to leave their apartments were greeted with police bullhorns.

Return to your home! Get off the sidewalk, officers said.

Suzy Gonzalez of Echo Park was preparing to turn into Trader Joes parking lot for her weekly shop when officers waved her off.

She saw the crashed car and thought there had been a minor accident, but then noticed a line of 25 police vehicles streaming into the area.

It almost looked like a funeral procession, she said.

Police had closed off a large swath of Silver Lake around Hyperion and Griffith Park Boulevard.

Officials urged the public to avoid the area. The investigation was likely to continue well into Sunday morning, Garcetti said.

richard.winton@latimes.com

jack.dolan@latimes.com

harriet.ryan@latimes.com

christine.maiduc@latimes.com

UPDATES:

11:15 a.m. July 22: This article was updated with new details from police, including that its unclear whether the shooting victim at the store was shot by Atkins or an officer.

10 p.m.: This article was updated with the identity of the dead victim.

9:10 p.m.: This article was updated to add that the victim was shot by the gunman inside the store.

8:30 p.m.: This article has been updated with the age of the suspect and other details.

This article was originally published at 4:20 p.m.
Its a shame Antonin Scalia, the late Supreme Court justice, never wrote one of his classically caustic opinions on short-term vacation rentals.

Scalia, as you know, is remembered for his devotion to originalism, the strict adherence to the Constitution as written by James Madison et al.

Of all the partisans in the decade-old STVR conflict, the most influential has been a grass-roots organization of some 2,500 zoning purists counseled by a La Jolla attorney whos donated thousands of hours to the cause.The coalition of STVR cheerleaders  Airbnb/HomeAway, opportunistic landlords, property managers and a few pro-business (any business!) council members  tend to grouse that hoteliers have funded a mean-spirited campaign to destroy the so-called home-sharing market in San Diego.

Sure, hoteliers (and labor) played a part in shaping public opinion. But from where I sit, Save San Diego Neighborhoods, funded by less than $50,000 in private donations, really moved the needle toward compromise.The stars last Monday were Barbara Bry and Lorie Zapf, the coastal councilwomen who have championed pro-neighborhood STVR policy, but Id argue that the behind-the-scenes MVP of the night was John Thickstun, a technical loser but a moral winner.

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John was the glue that held us together, said Sue Hopkins, a UC San Diego professor who made her mark as SSDNs researcher on the metastatic growth of short-term rentals.

The son of a prominent La Jolla psychiatrist, Thickstun graduated from La Jolla public schools and UC San Diego. Now 63, hes a plaintiff attorney with an office in the heart of the village.

Notably, Thickstun does not live near an STVR. He signed on to fight for the enforcement of the law, he tells me, not a quiet nights sleep.

Several years ago, a former client in Pacific Beach asked Thickstun to look into what could be done about a vacation rental disrupting his life.

After reviewing the municipal code,Thickstun concluded that mini-hotels were an unenumerated use of residential property. In other words, they were as illegal as a motorcycle repair shop or a marijuana dispensary.

However, a lawsuit against the city, which has broad discretion in enforcing zoning, posed serious difficulties, he reasoned.

The only lasting remedy would be political, he concluded. As it happened, his two teenage kids were advancing in La Jolla schools. He had time. Thickstun elected, with his lawyer wifes blessing, to join SSDN and challenge the broadly aligned opinions of two city attorneys  Mike Aguirre and Jan Goldsmith  that STVRs were not prohibited under existing codes.

Former District 1 Councilwoman Sherri Lightner heard Thickstuns rebuttal of the conventional wisdom and was persuaded. Not surprisingly, she met a wall of resistance on the council when she proposed that STVRs be prohibited in residential neighborhoods. Shortly thereafter, a major breakthrough.

Mara Elliott, whom Thickstun vetted and whom SSDN endorsed, was elected city attorney in 2016. (Bry also won her council race, replacing Lightner.)

Once in office, Elliott issued her game-changing opinion that STVRs in residential areas are unpermitted enterprises. A welcome vindication for Thickstuns opinion.

In the past seven months, Brys shrewd compromise, which failed to gain a majority during an inconclusive December meeting, gathered strength as lobbying on both sides intensified.

Most crucially, Councilman Chris Ward, who had supported multiple STVRs for investors, endured a rough full-court press from SSDN members. (Ultimately, he signed on to Brys bottom line.)

Mayor Kevin Faulconers much-anticipated compromise, his one-plus-one solution, came to be viewed by many as what I believe it was: An Airbnb win artfully framed as a compromise.

So here we are. The Bry plan, adopted by a 6-3 majority, should reduce STVRs by something like two-thirds.

Its progress, Thickstun conceded last week. The ship has turned and is sailing in the right direction, he said.

STVR multiple investors have been virtually banished in favor of those who live in, and want to rent out, their homes. Expect a surge of long-term rentals in coastal communities, particularly in Mission Beach. Nuisance enforcement will be beefed up. The human capital that accrues in stable residential neighborhoods will grow.

On the other hand, those who live in their houses have a (very) permissive allowance of six months for short-term renting. Assuming verbally pledged council action, granny flats and adjoining duplexes can be exploited by residents as de facto hotels, a significant concession to an STVR industry that is being dramatically curbed in major cities around the world.

Still, dont expect the pro-STVR forces to meekly bow to the new order. Expect angry bursts of fireworks at the councils Aug. 1 second reading of the ordinance.

Last week, I asked Thickstun if the work of SSDN was now done.

He smiled and shook his head. Hes in for the long game. He admitted that the road (to a total prohibition) gets more difficult going forward. But, he said, Im up to that challenge.

In light of San Diegos eclectic tourism traditions, an absolute STVR ban in neighborhoods, the choice of some smaller cities, was always going to be a tough sell. In the end, it took a bunch of originalist radicals, schooled by a crusading La Jolla lawyer, to make Brys brutal baby-cutting look sweetly reasonable.
Veterans Village of San Diego has received its largest single donation to date in a $1.8 million gift that will be used to provide affordable housing to veterans in Escondido.

Since arriving to San Diego a year ago and taking the helm here at VVSD, Im constantly amazed by the community support for our San Diego veterans, said Kim Mitchell, president and CEO of Veterans Village of San Diego.

Mitchell said the donation from First Lutheran Development, LLC will assist Escondido veterans and their families by providing low-income housing and services that will help them live healthy and happy lives.

San Diego Veterans Villages new Veterans Villas project is scheduled to open in Escondido this fall with 10 one-bedroom units, 37 two-bedroom units and six three-bedroom units.

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Other funding for the $15 million project came from the Federal Affordable Housing Program, the Home Depot Foundation and Northrup Grumman. Veterans Village also received loans from Pacific Western Bank and low-interest loans from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through the state Housing and Community Development Department.

Our permanent supportive housing program is a wonderful opportunity for homeless veterans to have affordable housing with access to a vast array of wrap-around services to help ensure the veteran is able to maintain their housing, said Andre Simpson, chief operating officer of Veterans Village.

Services that will be offered to veterans at the new project will include employment and training programs and mental health and substance use disorder counseling.

Kenneth Spindler, a board member with First Lutheran Developments Inc., said the money came from the sale of Luther Tower, high-rise housing for seniors, in San Diego. It was sold to the San Diego Housing Commission last year and is being refurbished to contain 200 affordable units.

Our Board of Directors was tasked with identifying charities with goals and services similar to our own, and VVSD was indeed an excellent and worthy fit, he said. Their wide range of charitable projects include providing transitional and long-term housing throughout the county to homeless veterans and their families during their times of great need.

Applications for residents in Veterans Villas are being accepted. People interested in applying can get more information by calling Simpson at (619) 393-2018.

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gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

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Refugees and asylum seekers often experience three layers of trauma  the trauma that caused them to flee their countries, the trauma of their journeys to find a safe home and the trauma of adjusting to life in a new place.

San Diegans who provide services to newcomers learned how to consider those traumas and their potential effects when caring for their clients through a workshop Friday taught by staff from Survivors of Torture International.

Trauma-informed care is creating safety, said Jessica Roach, one of the presenters. That can mean adjusting the language used or even spacing between chairs and the temperature in the room to make the person as comfortable as possible.

She advised people to avoid using labels and instead follow phrasing that the person uses to self-identify. She also encouraged attendees to use more positive language when referring to the people they serve, to say torture survivor instead of someone who has been tortured and to say made it to the U.S. instead of fled their home country.

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Because of the trauma theyve experienced, some of her organizations clients prefer not to associate with the country they were born in. When asked where theyre from, theyll respond San Diego or El Cajon.

Rachel Mahoney, the second presenter from Survivors of Torture International, advised community members to avoid probing questions that could lead to retraumatization if people arent ready to talk about the experiences that led them here.

People all around us, whether theyre native-born Americans or people who came from other places, are living in trauma, Mahoney said.

One of the organizations clients works in a big-box store. He doesnt talk much at work, and hes told the Survivors of Torture staff that his coworkers and boss think hes dumb.

Im just trying to focus on my work and keep my head quiet, Roach recalled him saying.

Jessica Roach, one of the presenters, said that trauma can happen because of one event, a series of events or a set of circumstances.

The biggest takeaway is trauma is somebodys own perception of their experience, Roach said. Its not your own interpretation of it.

Numerous studies have found that refugees are 10 times more likely to have post traumatic stress disorder than the general population, Mahoney said.

Mahoney encouraged community members who dont know how to respond in a situation involving trauma to begin with compassion and empathy.

Ultimately, were all having a human experience, Mahoney said.

Spshelle Rutledge, a masters in public health student who plans to focus on new arrivals in her work, said the workshop helped her understand some of her biases and assumptions.

Prior to the workshop, she thought newcomers would prefer to receive care from people with roots from the same country. She learned that is not always the case.

Because of the stigma that some cultures associate with mental health treatment, sometimes newcomers are more comfortable seeking out care from someone who is less connected to their cultural community.

She also appreciated a slide listing What trauma can feel like, which included difficulty regulating emotions, low self-esteem, difficulty trusting, irritability, insomnia and headaches.

I feel like everyone at some point in time has felt one of these things, Rutledge said, noting that her understanding of trauma came from the time she spent in the military.

The presenters acknowledged that people who work with those who have experienced trauma often end up with vicarious trauma. They encouraged attendees to pay attention to their own needs and practice diligent self care.

Survivors of Torture International is a decades-old nonprofit that helps people in San Diego County who were tortured by their governments. Many of their clients are asylum seekers when they first come to the organization.

Everyone has experiences that, put in a different context or different place, could put you in the same situation as an asylum seeker, Roach said, giving an example of writing a letter to the editor.

The United Nations estimates that there are currently about 68.5 million people in the world who were forcibly displaced from their homes.

An estimated 35,000 people who are torture survivors live in San Diego County, Roach said.

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kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com, @bgirledukate on Twitter
When Vice President Mike Pence went down to Georgia on Saturday to wade into its rough, rollicking Republican primary gubernatorial race, he did not hold back. Brian Kemp, the brazen shotgun-toting, chainsaw-revving, truck-driving social conservative, Pence said, was the real deal.

I believe that not only is he going to win come this Tuesday, but this man is going to win in November, Pence said to loud whoops and cheers at a campaign rally in downtown Macon. Brian Kemp will bring the kind of leadership to the statehouse that President Donald Trump has brought to the White House.

Kemp, the secretary of state, was once considered a longshot for governor, but now he had Pence stumping for him, just days after winning a nod from President Trump. The endorsements come as Kemp appears to be inching ahead of Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle in Tuesdays runoff after distinguishing himself with a series of provocative, tongue-in-cheek television ads.

In one, he brandishes a double-barrel shotgun as he sits with a nervous young man who wants to date his daughter. In another, he revs up a chain saw to rip up some regulations and says he drives a big pickup truck just in case he needed to round up criminal illegals.

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Yep, I just said that, the 54-year-old businessman drawls, with a lopsided grin. If you want a politically incorrect conservative, thats me.

The race between Cagle and Kemp also has become a battle between competing Republican factions in Georgia and Washington, D.C. While Cagle secured the support of outgoing Gov. Nathan Deal, Trump unexpectedly went on Twitter last week to throw his political weight behind Kemp:

Brian is tough on crime, strong on the border and illegal immigration. He loves our Military and our Vets and protects our Second Amendment. I give him my full and total endorsement.

Trumps presence was palpable at Saturdays Kemp rally. The mood was jubilant, and some supporters donned America First T-shirts and waved signs saying, TRUMP ENDORSES KEMP and VOTE KEMP: HES NO WIMP.

Its close, but I think Kemps going to pull it off, said Ronald Schwartz, a 78-year-old semiretired former aerospace company manager. He relates better with the working people.

After thanking Pence and Trump, Kemp told the crowd he was the only Republican candidate, built in the Trumpian mold, who could go on to energize the GOP base and beat Democrat Stacey Abrams in November.

Georgians are sick and tired of these politically correct liberals like Stacey Abrams who are offended and outraged by our faith, and our guns and our big trucks, Kemp railed. This election is about trust. Who do you trust to do the right thing when no one is looking?

KEMP! KEMP! KEMP! the crowd roared.

Pences foray into Macon was a significant setback for Cagle, 52, who began the race as front-runner, raising more than twice as much as Kemp in campaign contributions and beating him by about 13 percentage points in the first round of primary voting.

A Republican stalwart who has served more than two decades as a lawmaker as well as lieutenant governor in Georgia, Cagle has struggled to maintain momentum in the last month after opponents leaked a series of secret recordings  snippets of a private conversation taped by a former competitor in the primary  that they say prove he is just another corrupt, establishment figure.

In the first, most damaging leak, Cagle admitted he backed a bill that expanded school tax credits, even though he considered it bad public policy, so he could hinder a political opponents fundraising.

In another recording, Cagle said Kemp had targeted a very rabid audience. The primary, he grumbled, had boiled down to who had the biggest gun, who had the biggest truck, and who could be the craziest.

Kemp did not hesitate to paint Cagle as an elitist.

Cagle calls conservative voters crazy, insults truck drivin #2A advocates, and accuses me of collusion, Kemp said on Twitter. Sounds a lot like Hillary Clinton.

In turn, Cagle has tried to discredit Kemp as a well-to-do member of the Georgia establishment.

Weve got some Republicans who are making millions of dollars a year that are running for office, and their net worth is $10 million, Cagle said last week at a thinly attended campaign rally in the small town of McDonough. Theyre country club Republicans. They dont understand what the real world looks like!

Despite the bitter rhetoric, there are few policy differences between the two Republicans. Both advocate cutting taxes, vigorously defending gun rights, and clamping down on illegal immigration.

They have both vowed to support contentious religious liberty legislation that critics say would legalize discrimination against gay people by allowing them to be denied certain services and protections. In 2016, Deal vetoed a bill that passed the House and Senate after resistance from major corporations.

Theyre both conservatives, said M.V. Trey Hood III, a professor of political science at the University of Georgia. Whoever wins the runoff, if he wins the governor race, wouldnt govern all that differently from the other.

Still, many in Atlanta, the bustling, entrepreneurial capital of the new South, have watched aghast as Kemp has played up his gung-ho, country-boy conservatism. A hard-line right governor who caters to white rural voters, they fear, could set the state back socially and economically.

A writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution dubbed the May primary the Machismo rodeo, as five white men, including a former Navy SEAL and an Army veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq, wrestle[d] to demonstrate who has the least amount of estrogen.

Both Cagle and Kemp have taken pains to align themselves with Trumps staunch positions on crime and immigration. Theyve also been quick to adopt some of Trumps more polarizing slogans and behavior.

In a televised debate July 15, both candidates vied to portray the other as untrustworthy  Cagle dubbing Kemp lyin Brian and Kemp, in turn, calling him Pinocchio 2.0. As they traded jabs, they both sounded a lot like Trump, complaining about fake news and special interests and vowing to deport criminal illegals.

After Trump endorsed his opponent, Cagle and his supporters argued against the idea that politicians from out of state  even beloved ones like Trump  should meddle in Georgia politics.

I dont think Washington, D.C., should pick our next governor, Cagle said last week while campaigning in the city of Newnan at a deli called the Redneck Gourmet. I think that office belongs to Georgians, OK, and were going to keep it that way.

Prominent local Cagle supporters, such as Lynn Westmoreland, a former Georgia congresswoman, have stressed that they know the candidates better than any leader in D.C.

The president wouldnt know [Kemp] if he got in a cab with him, Westmoreland said at the Newnan rally. He couldnt pick him out of a two-person lineup.

Thats right! a woman in the audience hollered.

Whoever wins Tuesday faces Abrams, 44, the former Democratic leader in the Georgia House of Representatives who hopes to become the first black female governor in the country.

Georgia has not elected a Democratic governor in two decade, but party officials say the states rapidly diversifying population could make it a swing state in 2020. And many political analysts note that Kemps brazen, politically incorrect shtick could be a liability with more moderate, suburban conservatives.

In Macon, however, many of Kemps die-hard supporters were confident he could win over a broad cross-section of voters. With so much antipathy toward establishment politicians, some even argued that fewer Republicans would show up at the polls if Cagle won.

Kemp is an outsider, said Todd Sheffield, 24, a law student from Dublin, Ga., who wore a Make America Great Again cap. The same people who dismiss him dismissed Trump. What happened? He won resoundingly.

Hes just a down-home, Southern guy, the kind thatd stop and talk to you, agreed Ronald Foxworth, a retired paint contractor from Columbus, Ga., who wore a Trump 45 jersey with a Statue of Liberty emblazoned across it. Cagles the kind thatd snub you. He aint got the common touch.

Jarvie is a special correspondent.
A man suspected of gunning down a Hawaii police officer was killed during a shootout with officers Friday after a three-day search across the Big Island, authorities said.

Justin Waiki was killed and an officer injured during the shootout, Hawaii County Managing Director Wil Okabe told The Associated Press after receiving confirmation from the police chief.

The officer was taken to Hilo Medical Center, Okabe said.

Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim told the AP in a phone interview that the officer will survive. Chief of police just called to say that the wounds were not life threatening, and he will be OK, the mayor said.

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A woman who was with Waiki was also wounded during the shootout at the extreme southern end of the Big Island, police spokesman Alan Richmond said. Her condition was not immediately known.

Local and U.S. authorities launched a manhunt for Waiki after Officer Bronson Kaimana Kaliloa was shot and killed Tuesday following a traffic stop near Hilo.

The suspect fled into the brush on a dark and rainy evening.

A 24-hour task force followed up on tips and information about Waikis whereabouts. Maj. Samuel Jelsma said police believed his associates were helping hide him on the vast island, where the erupting Kilauea volcano has attracted worldwide attention in recent months.

Two of Waikis associates were arrested after an undercover officer approached a suspicious pickup with a man and woman inside on Thursday on the other side of the island from where the shooting took place.

The officer drew his weapon and ordered the two people to leave the truck. Instead, they fled and police chased them.

Kaliloa, 46, was the first police officer to be fatally shot on the Big Island. He had been married for 23 years and had three children. He was Officer of the Year for his district in 2014.

Kaliloas niece Kawehi Haug sent a Facebook message Thursday to The Associated Press. He was strong and kind and funny and smart and chivalrous and served his community every day as an honest and upstanding police officer whose convictions guided him to always do the right thing, she wrote.

She also said he was a loving husband and father. Kaliloa and his wife adopted their three children, ages 3, 4 and 7, through the state foster care system, Haug said.

The U.S. Marshals Service, FBI and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had each offered $10,000 rewards for information leading to the capture of Waiki.

The violence has had a profound effect on the Big Island community. Kim said.

The entire island is a small community. This kind of violence is not your everyday thing, thank God. But I think this is a wakeup call and you can just see all around peoples appreciation for our police department, he said. Im glad they see the value of the officers.

The officer injured in Fridays shootout had a vest on, the bullets did not hit any of the so-called vital organs, he said. None of the wounds were life-threatening, and hell be fine.

When the mayor drove up to the hospital, he saw family, friends and many other police officers gathering there.

To see their sadness and care for their fellow officer and friend, it really impacts you, it really, really does, to see how much of a family they are, he said. When I saw them all in a circle holding hands in prayer form, thats when you know its a good community.

The killing of Officer Kaliloa has left a scar, however, Kim said.

It takes something like this for people to step back a little bit and see the tough job (police) have, he said. The suspect did harm and left a void and an emptiness and a darkness that I dont think will ever be filled.
A man was seriously injured when he was struck by a car in Carlsbad Saturday night, police said.

Just before 10 p.m. Saturday, officers received reports of a pedestrian struck by a car, and headed to El Camino Real near Kelly Drive, where they found a 30-year-old man lying unresponsive in the roadway, Carlsbad police Lt. Steve Thomas said.

The man sustained very serious injuries and was taken to Palomar Medical Center, Thomas said.

The driver who struck the man remained at the scene to be interviewed by officers and was not arrested.

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There was no information on how the crash may have occurred, and investigators were still looking into the cause.
A 60-year-old man suffered a critical stab wound Saturday on the Rincon Indian reservation, where sheriffs deputies arrested a suspect in the attack.

Authorities were not immediately sure what prompted the assault near Rincon Market on Valley Center Road near Wright Road.

The victim, with a stab wound to his neck, walked to the market to get help about 4 p.m., sheriffs Lt. Dave Schaller said.

Medics treated the man, then took him to a trauma center in critical condition, Schaller said. He said homicide investigators were notified, in case the victim does not survive.

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Within a short time of getting to the market, deputies detained a 27-year-old man, a La Jolla Indian Reservation resident. They later arrested him as a suspect in the stabbing, Schaller said.

Deputies also shut down one block of Valley Center Road, south to Mazzetti Road, during their investigation.

pauline.repard@sduniontribune

Twitter: @pdrepard
A train struck and killed a pedestrian who was seen lying on the tracks before the crash in Oceanside on Sunday, police said.

It happened shortly before 10:30 a.m. below the bridge near Harbor and Carmelo drives, sheriffs officials said.

The northbound train was going about 55 mph when the engineer saw someone face down on the tracks. The engineer sounded the trains horn and activated the emergency brake, but was not able to prevent the collision, sheriffs Deputy Christopher Campbell said.

The dead individual was not identified.

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Amtrak Pacific Surfliner tweeted soon after the crash that tracks were shut down in the area while law enforcement investigated the death, and to expect lengthy delays to affect at least six trains between Los Angeles and San Diego.

By noon, Pacific Surfliner had reopened the tracks, but warned delays were expected to continue while service returned to normal.

City News Service contributed to this report.
Police officers in Southeast San Diego are attempting to track down a 58-year-old woman after she stabbed another woman during a 4 a.m. dispute on Sunday at an Arco gas station in Lincoln Park.

The two women got into an argument, according to a police report, after the suspect scolded other woman, 60, about smoking a cigarette near a leaking propane tank a parking lot on Imperial Avenue near Euclid Avenue.

The argument escalated and a fight erupted in which the suspect produced a kitchen knife and stabbed the victim in the forearm. The injured woman suffered a one-inch laceration but refused medical treatment.

The suspect fled on foot. San Diego Police Department detective are investigating the incident.

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Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call the Crime Stoppers hotline at (888) 580-8477.

Twitter: @jemersmith

Phone: (619) 293-2234

Email: joshua.smith@sduniontribune.com
Facing condemnation from allies and foes alike on Capitol Hill, President Donald Trump was outnumbered even in the Oval Office. Top aides gathered to convince the president to issue a rare walk-back of the comments hed made raising doubts about U.S. intelligence conclusions of Russian election interference as he stood alongside Vladimir Putin.

Vice President Mike Pence, national security adviser John Bolton and chief of staff John Kelly stood united in the West Wing on Tuesday in their contention that the commander in chief had some cleanup to do. They brought with them words of alarm from Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as well as from a host of congressional leaders and supporters of the president for whom Trumps public praise of Putin proved to be a bridge too far.

Even for Trump, a leader who has increasingly come to cast off the constraints and guidance of aides, the him-against-the-world position proved untenable. Trump may like doing things his way, eschewing advice and precedent like no president before, but he never likes being alone.

Walking off stage with Putin following their joint press conference in Helsinki, Trump was riding high after his second summit with an adversarial leader in as many months. The highly choreographed affairs had been sought out by the U.S. leader as a way to boost his credibility abroad and his favorability at home, and he believed the latest one had accomplished the task.

But as Air Force One took off into Finlands endless sunlight on Monday night, Trumps mood darkened.

He told confidants in the days that followed that he was pleased with how his summit with Putin went, believing he had taken the measure of the man and opened the door to deals down the road on a number of thorny issues.

But that was not how it was being portrayed back home.

On the long flight back to Washington, the president began dialing around to allies and aides and started to stew about negative media coverage, even from usually friendly Fox News, according to five outside allies and Republicans close to the White House not authorized to speak publicly about private conversations.

The reviews he received were muted  Trump rarely takes kindly to direct confrontation  but it was a taste of what awaited him on his return in Washington, where stalwart allies like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich were speaking out.

By the time he arrived home, the parade of critical statements had become a stampede, leaving Trump the most isolated hed been in the White House since last years controversy over white supremacist protesters in Charlottesville. Some in the presidents circle saw parallels in the response to that incident, when the president walked back his August comments critical of both sides for protests in the Virginia city, only to later revert to his initial position  that both white supremacists and their detractors shared blame for the violence.

Trump waited 27 hours, sent five tweets and sat for two television interviews after his initial comments in Helsinki before claiming hed used a confusing double negative and meant would instead of wouldnt in a key sentence at his press conference about who was responsible for election meddling.

The sentence should have been: I dont see any reason why I wouldnt -- or why it wouldnt be Russia, the president said Tuesday before a meeting with Republican members of Congress.

The next day brought a fresh challenge. Trump appeared to answer no to a reporters question asking whether Russia was still targeting the U.S. Hours later, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders emerged to say Trump had merely tried to put a stop to the questioning by saying no, although he continued discussing Russia after that.

And Sanders created a fresh headache for the administration when she said the White House was still reviewing a proposal from Putin to allow access by Russian law enforcement officials to Americans whom the Kremlin accuses of unspecified crimes in return for U.S. access to interrogations of Russian agents indicted for their alleged roles in interfering in the 2016 election. The State Department, by contrast, rejected the proposal  which Trump days earlier had called an incredible offer  as absurd.

Many in the White House did not immediately see fault in Sanders comments that the West Wing was merely considering the Kremlin offer, but it provided fresh tinder for the bipartisan firestorm.

As each White House effort to clean up the situation failed to stem the growing bipartisan backlash, Trumps mood worsened, according to confidants. He groused about his staff for not better managing the fallout. He was angry at the two American reporters, including one from The Associated Press, who asked questions at the Helsinki news conference. And he seethed at the lack of support he believed he received from congressional Republicans.

Also a target of the presidents ire was Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats , who issued a rare statement rebutting the presidents Monday comments. But it was Coats televised interview Thursday at a security conference in Aspen, Colo., that set off the president anew, as the intelligence director questioned the wisdom of the Putin meeting and said he had hoped Trump wouldnt meet alone with the Russian leader.

It all left White House staffers in a fresh state of resignation about their jobs.

I saw the screaming headline on cable TV that there is malaise in the West Wing and I look forward to meeting her, quipped presidential adviser Kellyanne Conway. I dont see that.

Lemire reported from New York. Ken Thomas contributed to this report from Washington
Watchdog reporter Morgan Cook answered questions about todays story on the case of Michael Hayes, a foster parent entrusted with children and convicted of lewd acts on children in his care. Twin brothers who were victimized in his care are suing San Diego County for more than $5 million.

What brought your attention to this case?

A reader tipped me off to the lawsuit after seeing another Watchdog story I wrote earlier this year about an alleged failure of the foster care system. I looked up the lawsuit and the allegations were striking. It didnt take me long to decide it was a story somebody needed to tell.

What challenges did you face getting information?

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The foster care system and the juvenile courts are very closed off to the general public because protecting the childrens privacy is hugely important. Many filings in the lawsuit were sealed by the court. County officials wouldnt talk to us about the lawsuit because litigation was ongoing. Citing the same reason, county officials refused to let me interview a human and would only take questions in writing. I got back some carefully-lawyered statements in response. The defendants had been advised by their attorneys to decline comment. The plaintiffs were living out of state and they chose to let their lawyers speak on their behalf. The plaintiffs lawyers were helpful, but they couldnt even let me see most of the information they acquired during discovery. Further complicating matters, some of the people I needed to interview were in prison. Even Hayes publicly-available criminal court records were sparse because Hayes pleaded guilty to charges before trial.

How did you overcome these challenges?

I used a lot of court records, which are available to the public and often full of helpful information. I called up experts and triangulated bits and pieces of information from criminal and civil case files to nail down facts and find people. I used social media to find relatives, and then asked them for help finding other sources. I cold-emailed a bunch of teachers at the boys former elementary school. It was really tedious and time-consuming work, but finally, after weeks, I caught a break. Hayes signed a waiver releasing the contents of his criminal defense files. Some of the key records I got from it had been redacted, but it was a treasure trove.

You have become aware of other, similar, cases. How did you decide to focus on this one?

I found other lawsuits that made similarly serious allegations, but they were older cases and had been litigated. This case was ongoing, so it had a built-in news hook. Plus, the plaintiffs lawyers were engaged and willing to help, which was great because they have valuable experience with these types of cases.

What did you find most surprising about the foster care system in researching this story?

It was striking to me how little information about the foster care system is available to the public, and how nobody seems to agree how the system works  or even how its supposed to work. What exactly social workers are required to do, and how they are required to do it, is the subject of constant litigation. How is the public supposed to know how government is caring for our most vulnerable children if it isnt clear how the system is supposed to work and were not allowed to see it working?

The county declined any comment on the case featured in the story, citing pending litigation. How did you work to make the story fair to the government?

I used their court filings in response to the lawsuit. I also used some of the written comments I got from county staff in response to my questions about the foster care system in general. We also approached the entire Board of Supervisors for comment about the case, which elicited assurance that the government tries to keep foster children safe.

The perpetrator agreed to speak to you from prison, did that surprise you?

Yes. Subjects of stories often decline to comment at all. In Hayes case, I think he decided speaking about his case was likely to do more good than harm. For what its worth, I agree with his assessment, and I think he made the right choice.

What was that call like?

The conversation was somewhat rushed because the prisons phone system would only let me pre-pay for one 15-minute session at a time. I was able to speak to him for two sessions. He was surprisingly candid about his experience as a foster parent. He professed his innocence at length. He also expressed feelings of concern for the boys and a desire to help them in any way he could. I awkwardly explained to him that I would report what he said about being innocent, but the sworn court and police records tells a different story.

This case never made the news, at the time of the perpetrators arrest and conviction and sentencing, and when the lawsuit was first filed. Do you have any idea why?

Id say the most likely reason is that authorities wanted to protect the privacy of the minors involved, so they did not put out a press release or tell any reporters. Another possibility is that county authorities did not want an article like the one I wrote to land on the front page of the newspaper. A third possibility is that reporters knew about the lawsuit, but passed because they  unlike myself  were wise to the frustrating, time-consuming obstacles involved in reporting on a case like this involving juveniles.

Will you be looking into other cases in the future?

I have one waiting on my desk right now. Also, Im hoping readers will see this story and tip me off to other lawsuits or share their stories about San Diego County foster care with me.

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

Follow me at @RickyWhy

ricky.young@sduniontribune.com
A search continues in Iowa for a 20-year-old college student who was last seen leaving for a run on Wednesday night.

Mollie Tibbetts had been dog-sitting with her boyfriend in the city of Brooklyn when she vanished, according to authorities.

She might have a FitBit on and she might have her cellphone, but obviously weve tried just calling her but its either off or dead so it would go straight to voicemail, boyfriend Dalton Jack told ABC News.

Poster for missing college student Mollie Tibbetts. (Poweshiek County Sheriffs Office)

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Hundreds of volunteers have helped in the search. Posters of the University of Iowa student can be seen around the small city of 1,500.

Poweshiek County Sheriff Tom Kriegel is confident that every home in Brooklyn has been visited, Emily Heaston writes on the Finding Mollie Tibbetts Facebook page.

Every farm building, barn and shed in the area has been searched, she writes. FLIR did not detect any heat signatures in the area. Helicopter and drone searches do not indicate that any fields in the area have been disturbed or damaged.

Investigators are hoping for the best but say they cant rule out anything.

Everythings on the table, unfortunately, Kriegel told KCCI. Were hoping that shes somewhere with a friend and shell show up Monday or Tuesday and everything will get back to normal.

This is not like her at all, Mollies aunt Kim Calderwood told WOI. Shes a very responsible and conscientious young woman.

Anyone with information on Mollies whereabouts should contact the sheriff at (641) 623-5679.
A suspect pursued by police crashed his vehicle into a pole and ran inside a Trader Joes in Los Angeles, where he took hostages and hid for about three hours before finally surrendering Saturday afternoon.

One woman was killed in the supermarket, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

We have successfully taken the suspect into custody without incident, the Los Angeles Police Department announced on Twitter.

A Trader Joes employee is comforted after a suspect barricaded himself inside the supermarket in Silver Lake. One woman was killed during the standoff. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

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During the standoff, cops clad in riot gear and armed with rifles stood along the side of the store and used mirrors to get a look inside as hostages came out of the front door with hands raised.

The suspect, 28, walked out with four hostages and appeared to be already in handcuffs as the group exited the supermarket, The Associated Press reported.

Police then swooped in, searched the suspect and brought him to an ambulance.

Family members later identified the dead woman as Melyda Corado, according to ABC News.

She was the store manager, a law enforcement source told the Los Angeles Times.

The chaos began as a family dispute involving the suspect, who shot his grandmother at least seven times and shot another woman in the head, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The shooter then fled with the second woman in his grandmothers Toyota Camry.

Police found the suspect using LoJack, a stolen vehicle tracking system. Cops then tried to stop the car in Hollywood, but the driver refused  setting off a wild chase with bullets flying through the streets. The gunman blew out the rear window of his car while firing at police officers.

A distressed woman is aided by paramedics at a nearby triage area after the incident. (Damian Dovarganes/AP)

Officer Mike Lopez, a police spokesman, said no officers were injured during the pursuit. The chase ended when the shooter crashed into a utility pole outside Trader Joes in Silver Lake.

The gunman was shot in the left arm before running inside the store, according to the Los Angeles Times, and the woman who died was apparently struck by gunfire during the battle outside.

A person gets help as he clambers out a window of the Trader Joes. (CBS Los Angeles)

There were 40 to 50 people inside the store during the standoff as cops tried to negotiate with the gunman.

At about 6:30 p.m. local time  about three hours after the standoff began  the man agreed to handcuff himself and walked out the front door.

Don Kohles, 91, was walking into the supermarket when he saw cops chasing a car before it crashed into a pole outside. Police fired at the driver, shattering the stores glass doors, sending Kohles and others running inside for cover as the suspect fled into the store.

LAPD officers remove a passenger from a car that crashed during the pursuit after the driver ran into a nearby Trader Joes. (KNBC-TV via AP)

Kohles said he and others took cover and laid on the floor as the suspect ran into the store.

Those bullets went right over the back of me as he was running right down the main aisle, Kohles said.

About 30 minutes later, cops entered the store and rushed some customers outside, he said.

Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said the suspect made a series of demands during the standoff but crisis negotiators believed they could convince him to surrender peacefully.

Our hostage negotiators believed they had established a good rapport with him, Moore said.

The grandmother was in critical condition Saturday evening after undergoing surgery. The second woman shot during the family dispute was grazed and is in good condition, the Los Angeles Times reported.
LOS ANGELES  A feud between a man and his grandmother over his girlfriend staying at the grandmothers home exploded into violence that ultimately led to him taking dozens of people hostage inside a Los Angeles supermarket, a relative said Sunday.

Investigators believe Gene Evin Atkins, 28, shot his grandmother several times and wounded his girlfriend at their South Los Angeles home on Saturday afternoon before he led police on a chase, while exchanging gunfire with officers, crashed into a pole outside the Trader Joes in the citys Silver Lake section and ran inside.

Atkins was booked Sunday on suspicion of murder after an employee was killed as he ran into the supermarket, police said.

His cousin, Charlene Egland, told The Associated Press that he had been arguing with his grandmother  who had raised him since he was 7 years old  on and off for about two or three weeks over his girlfriend staying at the elderly womans home.

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She didnt want the girl over there anymore, Egland said.

On Saturday, Atkins grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Madison, 76, was walking back into the home and told her grandson he needs to turn some of them TVs off when he shot her, she said.

Egland said she heard about six gunshots before another cousin came running from the porch and shouted to Egland, I think Gene shot my mama!

The girlfriend was grazed in the head, police said.

Egland said she ran to call 911 and waited for an ambulance to arrive. At the same time, police said Atkins stole his grandmothers car and forced his girlfriend into the vehicle.

Officers tracked the car using a stolen-vehicle tracking system and tried to stop the man in Hollywood, but he refused to pull over, police said. During the chase, he fired at officers, shooting out the back window of his car.

Trader Joes Employee / Store Manager Melyda Corado was killed during the standoff with Gene Evin Atkins (Facebook)

More gunfire ensued before Atkins crashed into a pole outside the supermarket. The man exchanged gunfire with police again and thats when a 27-year-old Trader Joes employee, Melyda Corado, was shot and killed, Police Chief Michel Moore said. Officers escorted the girlfriend from the vehicle.

Customers and employees frantically dove for cover and barricaded themselves inside storerooms and bathrooms as bullets fired by police shattered the stores glass doors.

As he heard gunfire, Sean Gerace, who was working in the back of the supermarket, grabbed several of his co-workers and the group made their way into an upstairs storage area. He grabbed a folding ladder and tossed it out a window, helping his colleagues escape to safety, he told KNBC-TV.

I grabbed an emergency ladder, barricaded the hallway, grabbed a weapon, put the ladder out the window and just tried to get the attention of the SWAT officer, Gerace told the television station.

About three hours later, Atkins  who had been shot in the left arm  agreed to handcuff himself and walked out the front door, surrounded by four of the hostages. He was being held on $2 million bail Sunday and it wasnt clear if he had an attorney to comment on the allegations.

A gun was found in the store, police said.

A 22-year-old woman was wounded by glass fragments and later took herself to a hospital, police said.

The Fire Department took six people to hospitals for non-life threatening conditions or injuries, police said.

Gene Evin Atkins is arrested on the scene. (Christian Monterrosa / AP)

Atkins grandmother initially was taken to a hospital in critical condition and police said she had been shot seven times but Egland, who visited Madison at the hospital on Sunday, said she had only been shot three times, had undergone surgery and her condition was improving.

Atkins, who has two daughters, bounced between several jobs, including working as a security guard, but had been repeatedly fired, Egland said. His license to work as a security guard expired in November 2017, according to state records. It was not clear whether the particular license he possessed would have allowed him to legally carry a firearm.

His grandmother had also tried to help him find employment and was just trying to make him do better, Egland said.

Atkins never grew violent toward his grandmother before, Egland said, but she started to grow concerned about him over the last several weeks because he seemed upset and distant.

He didnt seem right to me, Egland said. Im just devastated.

On Sunday, grieving family members, co-workers and customers remembered Corado, the Trader Joes worker, as lively, hardworking and always smiling. A makeshift memorial of flowers, candles and notes grew on the sidewalk outside of the store on Sunday.

Im sad to say she didnt make it. My baby sister. My world, her brother, Albert Corado said on Twitter.

Trader Joes said the store  known by customers as a neighborhood hangout with great customer service  would remain closed for the foreseeable future to give their employees time to process and grieve.

Yesterday marks the saddest day in Trader Joes history as we mourn the loss of one our own, company spokeswoman Kenya Friend-Daniel said in a statement. Our thoughts are with her family, and our Crew Members and customers who experienced this terrifying and unimaginable ordeal.
Sea surface temperatures hit 75 degrees Saturday at several spots along the San Diego County coastline and could reach the upper 70s early next week during an expected four-day heat wave.

Its common for ocean temperatures to hit the low-to-mid 70s in July. But the surfing community has been buzzing about the warmth of surface temperatures over the past couple of weeks.

Things got even buzzier early Saturday when Del Mar lifeguards announced that the water temperature could hit 77 by the end of day. That would be unusually warm, especially in the absence of an El Nino.

NOAA reported Saturday that the surface of San Diego Bay reached 80 degrees.

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Oceanside and the Scripps Pier reported a high of 75.

Forecasters say a swell out of the south-southwest will begin rolling ashore on Sunday, bringing a pulse of warm water. The surf is expected to reach 4 to 6 feet in North County on Monday and about a foot higher on Tuesday.

The swell will coincide with a heat wave that starts on Monday. The National Weather Service says daytime highs will reach the 80s in San Diego and the mid-90s to low 100s in some of the regions inland valleys and foothills. An excessive heat warning will be in place from Monday through Thursday.
The Ministry for Primary Industries wants feedback on whether the honey produced and sold in New Zealand should meet similar requirements to exported manuka honey given some of the domestic supply ends up overseas.

Since February, all exported manuka honey must meet a specific definition to support authenticity as the "high price that manuka honey commands around the world has exposed the sector to scrutiny from overseas consumers, media, and regulators," MPI said in a discussion document.

"We are now considering whether to apply the same science definition to New Zealand manuka honey sold on the domestic market," it added.

According to MPI, evidence suggests a significant amount of export honey is sold as manuka, with prices ranging from $12 per kilogram to more than $140 per kilogram.

Alongside the global demand, there is also a premium price attached to manuka honey sold in New Zealand, MPI said. In the year ended June 30, 2017, the price of bulk light clover honey was between $10-and-$14 per kilogram. The price for manuka honey ranged from $10-to-$127 per kilogram.

While the science definition for manuka honey has provided confidence in the authenticity of New Zealand product for overseas consumers and trading partners, "the same level of assurance is not available for New Zealand manuka honey sold domestically as it is not required to be scientifically tested before being sold," MPI said.

It said not all honey currently labelled as manuka would meet the science definition and therefore there is a risk that consumers could "purchase mislabelled honey," despite current protection for domestic consumers under New Zealand legislation.

MPI also noted it is "highly likely that manuka honey sold on the domestic market ends up overseas, either because it is purchased by overseas visitors who take it offshore, it is purchased in New Zealand and sent through the post, or it is traded through online sales platforms."

If this honey was tested offshore and failed to meet the science definition, it could diminish trust in the regulatory system, it said.

"This could be seen as undermining the general assurance we give to our export markets and call into question the authenticity of our other exported products."

Submitters have been asked to respond to a series of questions, including whether New Zealand consumers and businesses do not currently have certainty on what regulators consider constitutes manuka honey and whether they agree with the assumption about manuka honey that is sold in New Zealand making its way to overseas markets.

It has proposed two ways the science definition could be applied, either a voluntary standard or a mandatory standard, and asked for opinions.

Submissions can be presented until 5pm Sept. 17 and the government will then make a summary of the information received from consultation publicly available and will use submissions to inform further analysis, MPI said.

A series of public meetings will also be held.

(BusinessDesk)

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US struggling to convert NKorea promises into progress: experts



Washington, July 21 (AFP) Jul 21, 2018



The US appeal at the United Nations for "full enforcement" of sanctions against North Korea underscored the difficulty of attaining real progress on denuclearization, more than a month after the much-vaunted Donald Trump-Kim Jong Un summit.

In their joint declaration after the historic meeting June 12 in Singapore, the North Korean leader "reaffirmed his commitment" to the "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

But the actual details of the process, including how and by what timetable the North's nuclear program is to be dismantled, have yet to be negotiated.

At the time, the US administration insisted on the "urgency" of denuclearization, which was supposed to begin "very quickly."

"We're hopeful we can get it done" by 2020, before the end of Trump's current presidential term, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at the time.

Pompeo has been charged with the challenge of putting meat on the bare bones of the Singapore commitment.

But 40 days and one apparently fruitless visit by Pompeo to Pyongyang later, the tone of the American side has clearly changed.

"We have no time limit," Trump told reporters on Wednesday. "We have no speed limit."

Asked about the change in tone, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert sought to reassure: "We have teams in place that are working very hard on this issue every day," she said. "We have said there's a lot of work left to be done."



- A 15-year process? -



For several experts who had warned that the Singapore summit, for all its hype, pomp and high expectations, had provided only the barest outline of a long and arduous process, the return to reality is welcome.

"To be successful, negotiations need time," said Abraham Denmark of the Wilson Center think tank in Washington. Some experts, he added, "warn that complete and verified denuclearization could take 15 years."

So after the head-spinning events and reversals of the past six months, it may now be time to dig in for a long wait.

To some observers, moreover, the loss of momentum that Singapore should have provided is worrying. There have been few if any real advances.

Even the North's return to the US of the remains of American soldiers killed in the Korean War (1950-53), described as "immediate" on June 12, appears more complicated -- with Pompeo now saying it may take place in "the next couple of weeks."

For now, the only concrete results of the Washington-Pyongyang thaw are the North's halt to nuclear and missile testing and the American side's suspension of planned military maneuvers with South Korea, long denounced as a "provocation" by Pyongyang.

The US had long rejected such a "double freeze." It involves gestures that could be reversed in a moment.

"If our goal still is the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of the North Korean nuclear program, we're not succeeding," said Sue Mi Terry of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, speaking to a security conference in Aspen, Colorado.

"Not only are they not giving up their nuclear weapons program," she continued, "they've been working overtime on advancing their program."

The Trump administration, criticized for failing to obtain a written promise of this key objective in Singapore, now insists negotiations are progressing toward the North's "final, fully verified" denuclearization.



- No 'Plan B' -



But a Pompeo visit to North Korea in early July was "by all accounts except his own deeply disappointing," said Jeffrey Bader and Ryan Hass in an article for the Brookings Institution. The problem, say the two experts, is that in Singapore, "Trump gave away much of that leverage" to ensure the North's cooperation.

And now the international campaign of "maximum pressure" on Pyongyang -- the stringent sanctions and the diplomatic isolation that Washington helped orchestrate -- is beginning to weaken.

"The sanctions are already loosening," said Terry, "because China is not really implementing" them.

Hence Pompeo's visit to the UN on Friday to condemn the erosion of the sanctions regime and to demand that the international community maintain serious pressure.

But this could be a challenge, experts say. "Maximum pressure" will be difficult to maintain in the absence of some new North Korean provocation.

"In case it doesn't work, we need to have a plan," Terry said.

"We don't really have a Plan B."
Three Ugandan soldiers lynched by angry crowd: police



Kampala, July 22 (AFP) Jul 22, 2018



Three Ugandan soldiers were killed by an angry mob near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, after being accused of being criminals by the local population, police and a local official said Sunday.

"Three of our soldiers have been killed by a mob and investigations are going on to establish the circumstances under which the soldiers were killed," the official Peter Debele told AFP.

"Three guns have been recovered from the scene of the attack and eight people have been arrested in connection with the killing of the soldiers," he added.

Debele said the armed soldiers were attached to an army unit guarding the Ugandan border point of Vurra.

The government earlier this year banned civilians from donning any type of camouflage due to the number of criminals donning military-style gear.

The soldiers, some eight kilometres (five miles) from their post, were stopped by residents for "questioning, they handed over the guns but the mob turned rowdy and lynched them alleging they had come to rob them," said Debele.

Ugandan police spokeswoman for the region, Josephine Angucia told AFP that among the dead soldiers was a unit commander attached to the customs border post, Corporal Julius Kobum.

"We urge the public not to take law into their hands whenever they are faced with any challenge. They should have reported to police," she added.

Uganda's border region experiences high levels of crime due to porous borders used by armed groups to rob and attack local populations.
Israeli air strike targets Syria military position: state media



Damascus, July 22 (AFP) Jul 22, 2018



Israel on Sunday launched an air strike on a Syrian regime military target in the west of the country, Syrian state media reported.

"One of our military positions in Masyaf was the target of an Israeli air aggression," Syria's official news agency SANA said quoting a military source.

It was the fourth time this month that Syria has accused Israel of bombing a military position in the war-wracked country.

An Israeli military spokesman declined to comment on the report.

A war monitor, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, also reported the air strike and said it targeted a "workshop supervised by Iranians where surface-to-surface missiles are made".

"Iranian forces and forces from Lebanon's (Shiite) Hezbollah movement are deployed in that sector," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

A government scientific research centre is located in Masyaf and was hit by an Israeli air strike in September 2017.

According to the United States sarin gas was being developed at that centre, a charge denied by the Syrian authorities.

Israel has carried out numerous raids inside Syria since 2017, targeting regime forces and their allies from Iran and Hezbollah.

On July 15 SANA reported that Israeli missiles had hit near a strategic air base in the north of the country but said there were no casualties.

According to the Observatory nine pro-regime fighters, including three foreigners, were killed in the mid-July raid.
Pompeo to urge Iranians abroad to 'support' anti-regime protests



Washington, July 22 (AFP) Jul 22, 2018



US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans on Sunday to urge members of the Iranian diaspora to "support" protesters in Iran, as the Trump administration hints at a desire for regime change in Tehran after turning its back on the Iranian nuclear accord.

President Donald Trump -- who has made the Islamic republic a favorite target since his unexpected rapprochement with North Korea -- decided on May 8 to restore all the sanctions that had been lifted as part of the multi-nation agreement aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

Following the US withdrawal that stunned even Washington's closest European allies, Pompeo on May 21 unveiled a "new strategy" intended to force Iran to yield to a dozen stringent demands or else face the "strongest sanctions in history."

The next US step is due at 6:00 pm Sunday (0100 GMT Monday) in the Ronald Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley, California, when the secretary of state delivers a speech entitled "Supporting Iranian Voices."

With the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution of 1979 a year away, Pompeo plans to retrace "40 years of stealing from the Iranian people, the terrorism they have committed around the region, the brutal repression at home" as well as the "religious persecution" there, a senior State Department official told reporters ahead of the speech.

The venue for Pompeo's address is significant, the official noted: some 250,000 Iranian-Americans live in Southern California.

"He will be exposing some of the corruption" of a "kleptocratic regime," the diplomat told reporters. "The regime has prioritized its ideological agenda over the welfare of the Iranian people."



- 'Demands for a better life' -



Pompeo launched his campaign against Iran on Twitter last month, saying the government in Tehran and the Revolutionary Guards -- the regime's elite armed corps -- had "plundered the country's wealth" in proxy wars "while Iranian families struggle."

The Trump administration's strategy appears simple: to exploit the already growing tensions within Iranian society that are being exacerbated by renewed US sanctions that have forced some foreign firms to leave.

There have been a series of anti-government protests in Iran in recent months, prompted by an array of different issues and concerns.

The State Department briefer said Pompeo plans to support "the legitimate demands of the Iranian people, especially their economic demands for a better life."

But how far will he and the administration go?

"That's the key question," Behnam Ben Taleblu of the conservative pressure group Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), told AFP. "Pompeo and the administration can do more than just rhetorical support to the Iranian protester."



- How far will the US go? -



Several Iranian dissidents have written to Pompeo to urge him to re-establish punitive measures against the state-owned Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting network, which they accuse of abetting human rights violations.

Word of Pompeo's planned speech has fanned speculation on Washington's precise intentions.

The State Department insists that the US seeks merely a "change in behavior" by the regime.

But some senior members of the Trump administration -- notably national security advisor John Bolton -- have made it clear in the past that they would like to see the Tehran regime topple, and Pompeo himself said in May that "the Iranian people get to choose for themselves the kind of leadership they want."

To Behnam Ben Taleblu, "genuine regime change can only come from inside."

With an upsurge of "Iranians of all different social classes protesting," he said, the Trump administration will have to decide whether it wants to "support elements that actually want to change the regime."

Diplomats and experts in Washington are divided as to whether the protests and social tensions within Iran pose a true threat to the Islamic republic.

Nor is there agreement on what it would actually mean should the Iranian regime fall -- but some find that uncertainty deeply worrying.

"The more likely result of regime collapse would be a military coup in the name of restoring order, led by the man Washington's Iran hawks fear the most: Gen. Qasem Suleimani," the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, according to Mark Fitzpatrick of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

"Exerting maximum pressure on Iran could bring about America's worst nightmare," he added on Twitter.
Local departments rescue puppy in Springville

SPRINGVILLE  A puppy in Springville is back healthy and safe with its family after getting his head stuck underneath a dumpster thanks to help from the Springville Police Department and Springville Volunteer Fire Company. After the Springville Police Department responded to the call for the stuck puppy and seeing...

Local Halloween events offer a scary good time

With Halloween just around the corner, spooky and fun Halloween events will be coming to local communities for people of all ages. The Springville Area Chamber of Commerce will be hosting its annual Childrens Halloween Parade on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 12 p.m. starting at the gazebo in Heritage Park...

Tops hosts ribbon cutting for renovations to Springville location

SPRINGVILLE  As part of the supermarket chains $40 million capital improvement project, Tops in Springville hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on Oct. 12 to unveil its major $1 million renovation project to the location at 184 S. Cascade Drive. Improvements at the Springville Tops location include the exterior paint...

Queen City Guiding opens in Springville

SPRINGVILLE  With many fishing areas around the Springville area and across Western New York, a new business recently opened in Springville offering fly fishing and other fishing needs. Queen City Guiding, located at 25 E. Main St. in Springville, is now open and is ready to offer the necessary...
Tiznit (Morocco), July 21, 2018 (SPS) - Sahrawi political prisoners Omar Al-Agena and Mustapha Burkaa, members of Sahrawi student group Comrades of El-Wali, have entered day 11 of their unlimited hunger strike, with the Tiznit prison administration unwilling to open a serious dialogue to meet their just demands under the minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners and the Moroccan Prison Administration law No. 98_23.



According to a human rights source, the two Sahrawi prisoners suffer of a severe drop in blood pressure and loss of weight due to the health complications of the unlimited hunger strike.



In the same context, the Association for the Protection of Sahrawi Prisoners in the Moroccan prisons received information from the family of Sahrawi political prisoner Abdel-Moulah El-Hafidi, according to which the prison administration of Ludaya has deported their son to the prison of Ait Melloul, Morocco, where he lives in a tragic situation, prompting him to declare an unlimited hunger strike starting as from Monday, 24 July 2018.



It is worth mentioning that a group of Sahrawi political prisoners belonging to the Sahrawi student group have initiated at various times hunger strikes starting from July 11. (SPS)



062/SPS/TRA
A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit flies past a crowd of spectators during the 2018 Royal International Air Tattoo, or RIAT, at RAF Fairford, U.K. July 14, 2018. This years RIAT celebrated the 100th anniversary of the RAF and highlighted the United States ever-strong alliance with the UK. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Brian Kimball)

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At the launch of the Suicide Bereavement Services in Stratford were, from left: Stratford Mayor Cllr John Bicknell, Dave Pickard, corporate business development manager Alan Savill, suicide bereavement support service coordinator, both of The Kaleidoscope Plus Group and Sue Vincent, Talking Therapies manager. Photo: Mark Williamson (Q2/07/18/0867)

A NEW suicide support service for those bereaved by the loss of a loved one has been launched in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Often regarded as a subject best left discussed behind closed doors, the facts speak for themselves: there were 6,022 suicides in the UK and Ireland in 2016, 75 per cent of that figure were male.

Female suicides are at their highest level for years.

Warwickshire County Council Public Health department have commissioned Kaleidoscope Plus Group to provide Suicide Bereavement Services in Warwickshire, the first county to have every borough covered.

This free service is much needed and will enable those struggling to answer the painful questions posed following a suicide to talk in a calm and listening environment. It will also work to help raise awareness of suicide prevention and signpost individuals to other support services.

Alan Savill is the suicide bereavement support service coordinator of The Kaleidoscope Plus Group.

Sadly, he can talk about suicide with first-hand experience as hes been deeply affected by the tragedy and trauma bereavement brings with it.

My son took his own life in 2012 and thats part of the tragedy of suicide, Alan said.

Anger is a common reaction for those caught in a world of turmoil following the suicide of a loved one and the emotions are conflicting. We keep an open mind and see talking as a way to celebrate loved ones as well as helping those suffering bereavement.

Suicide affects people of all ages and all walks of life. Stratford district has been chosen for this two-year pilot scheme because the rural environment it represents can sometimes lead to a feeling of isolation for those vulnerable to suicidal tendencies.

The Mayor of Stratford, Cllr John Bicknell, attended the launch of the suicide bereavement service recently with invited guests.

The group held its first meeting this month and meets every second week at the Quakers Meeting Hall, Stratford.

Associated groups will also be launched in Warwick and Rugby. More information is available at: alan.savill@kaleidoscopeplus.org.uk or on 0121 565 5605.
Detractors have their say, Govt. has its way House Debate on Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement View(s): View(s):

A debate on the Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was held in Parliament on Tuesday, where several members expressed their views. Following are excerpts of the speeches.

UPFA MP (Joint Opposition Group leader) Dinesh Gunawardena:

The FTA has been signed but, neither the country nor Parliament has been kept informed. If the Government of Singapore as well as the Government of Sri Lanka enter into an agreement of this nature, it has to be approved by Parliament and, if there is no approval by Parliament, there is no validity of this. The Minister (Development Strategies & International Trade ) Malik Samarawickrema must know that he cannot act on his own and sign secret deals and agreements. I hope the Minister will understand this. You have not got Cabinet approval to put your signature and enter into this Agreement. You only have submitted a Cabinet Memorandum which was never approved by the Cabinet, for you to proceed in this manner.

This Agreement is in violation of Article 157 of the Constitution, which deals with International Treaties and Agreements. It states, Where Parliament, by resolution, passed by not less than two-thirds of the whole number of Members of Parliament (including those not present) voting in its favour, approves as being essential for the development of the national economy, any Treaty or Agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Government of any foreign State, for the promotion and protection of the investments in Sri Lanka of such foreign State, its nationals, or of corporations, companies and other associations incorporated or constituted under its laws, such Treaty or Agreement shall have the force of law in Sri Lanka and otherwise than in the interests of national security, no written Law shall be enacted or made, and any executive or administrative action shall be taken in contravention of the provisions of such Treaty or Agreement.

This Government has kicked aside Article 157 and is acting on its whims. The foreign experts and consultants you hire maybe unaware of the Constitution. This Agreement will destroy Local industry.

Minister of Development Strategies & International Trade Malik Samarawickrama:

Our Government is committed to assisting and improving Local industries. However, assistance does not mean protectionism. The Sri Lanka-Singapore FTA provides a binding commitment and framework for bilateral trade and investment, which we did not have earlier. Let me deal with some of the frequent allegations made against the FTA and some of the myths that are being propagated, both inside and outside this House. The first allegation made is that, the signing of this FTA has not received Cabinet approval. The Cabinet of Ministers was first updated via an Interim Report in August 2017, on the progress, including the areas and extent of liberalization and the status of the consultative process carried out with the stakeholders. On December 21, 2017, a Cabinet Paper was submitted by me containing the draft Agreement. Based on that, positive observations were made by the President and 14 other Cabinet Ministers on January 9, 2018. Taking into account these observations, a revised Agreement was submitted to the Cabinet for approval. At the Cabinet Meeting held on January 16, the Cabinet approved the Agreement submitted and granted approval for me to sign it during the visit of the Singapore Prime Minister on January 23. The Agreement came into force on May 1, after the Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duties Bill and the Safeguard Measures Bill were passed in Parliament. Under the Sri Lanka-Singapore FTA, there can be Service workers only if they are part of a company here. It is always linked to investment in Sri Lanka.

Another argument is that non-nationals of Singapore can take undue advantage of this FTA. This again is a baseless claim. This Agreement defines a national as a citizen of Singapore or a Permanent Resident (PR) of Singapore. Obtaining PR in Singapore is not that easy, as you know.

Leader of the Opposition Rajavarothiam Sampanthan:

When Singapore attained independence, its legendary leader, the first Prime Minister of Singapore, the late Lee Kuan Yew, wanted to model Singapores development on Sri Lanka. Singapore was a backward city-State. He looked upon Sri Lanka as a country that was developing and flourishing after Independence, with an efficient Public Service, an efficient Educational system even at University level, and he wanted to model Singapores development on Sri Lanka. But, over a period of time, it appeared and became clear that, while Singapore was advancing in several areas and becoming a prosperous country, Sri Lanka was receding and going backwards.

In Singapore, good governance operates on 5 principles. The first is Meritocracy. You are judged on the basis of merit; not on the basis of political influence, not on any other consideration. The second is Ethnic Harmony. They give recognition to all people living in Singapore. There is complete equality; there is no discrimination; there is no denial of anyones entitlement. The third is clean government. Bribery is not tolerated; corruption is not tolerated. The fourth is Rule of Law. The Rule of Law is strictly enforced, irrespective of who you are. The final principle is Social Equity. Whether it is in the field of Health, Education, Employment or Development, there is equity, there is equality.

Singapore does not need an FTA with us. Singapore has gone so far away from us. People in Singapore earn more than hundred times what we earn. So, Singapore does not need an FTA with us. It is we who need an FTA with Singapore.

I would, therefore, urge the Government, if there be any corrections that need be made to the Agreement, make those corrections, but implement the Agreement for the benefit of our country, use the Expertise of Singapore, use the Technology that Singapore can provide you, use the Services that Singapore can provide you and develop our countrys economy, because this country needs to be developed. This country needs to go forward. Our people are suffering from a diminishing quality of life.
At home on the range

With hunting season now in full swing throughout the State of Iowa, a new business in the Tama-Toledo area looks to ...
GTO Originally Posted by Dippy, Firstly amazing camera that you have there. I never expected such details as the lousy paint drops to show up in the pictures. And yes, thats me revving the car to the 5000 rpm redline!!!



I had a talk with Revvmaster last nite, and after hearing my opinion on the car he asked me what I would choose between an Indica and the San Storm. My answer? The Indica. Next was between the Ambassador and the San Storm. Guesses? The Ambassador. If there is a worthy contender to the title of the worst car in India, team-bhpians....the San Storm is it!



This car is just so horribly put together that its falling apart before you even drive it out of the showroom. When me and dippy saw the examples, we inquired if these were pre-production prototypes as I didnt think anyone would have the guts to sell a vehicle with such sub-standard quality levels in India in 2004. He replied "No sir, these are fresh production pieces"!!



The body is made out of bath-tub fiber-glass...or atleast seemed so. The holes drilled in to accommodate the dicky locks are not even perfect circles!! The interior quality is so shabby that I would rather sit in a Premier Padmini cab than a San Storm the next time around. Panel gaps were totally uneven all around the car. The soft-top seems like it has been cut from patches of a 10 year old umbrella no less. The quality of the 35,000 leather upholstery is there for all to see in photograph no.2, and it seems to be done more at a backlane road-side tailor than at a carmakers factory.



The San Storm, apparently Indias first sporty car is so under-powered that an Mpfi 800 would leave it for dead...to the 60, to the 100 or in-gear acceleration. The Zen is in a totally different league by itself. Entering the seaface on the racing line at full rpm, I was scared because the cars feedback is next to nil, and the handling is rubbery at best. The shift quality is the worst I have ever seen in any indian car, and car guys like me and dippy were constantly mis-shifting. Dippy infact revved the car to its redline in 3rd gear, and mistakenly put it in 2nd...oh boy you should have heard the engine then!



The 1.2 liter Renault engine pumps out a measly 58.5 bhp, and REFUSES to revv above 4000 rpm. Mr. Renault 1.2 engine, are you a diesel? Its only after a lot of coaxing that it climbs further on to its 5000 rpm redline. The word lethargic in the dictionary should have the words "San Storm" as its explanation. To make things even worse, it is just so unrefined that you can feel vibrations and grinds on your feet all through the rpm range....even in idling!!



Think about it, if a car is so poorly built that a brand new example has squeaks and rattles all around it, what will it be like after two years on Bombay roads? Its going to draw the crowds sure...but those crowds will be assisting you in picking up body and suspension pieces from the road after they fall off



I am just darned shocked that someone has the guts to sell such a horribly put together car in India, at a price of 6.27 lacs! Gosh, just buy an Ikon 1.6 instead...or better still get a used City 1.5 and pump in all the mods that gods earth has come up with in the Honda customization markets. If a san storm owner were to sell this car after 2 years, I seriously doubt he would even get Rupees 1 Lakh back.



After experiencing the San Storm, I saw a Tata Indica...and the Tata felt as well-built as a Mercedes S - Class...No exaggerations.



The San Storm - An absolute shame on Indian roads.
The father of value investing, Benjamin Graham, advised against investing in IPOs. His advice was based on his belief that the initial investment in an IPO left little or no opportunity for buying a stock at a discounted price; the cornerstone of value investing. Companies choose to go public for a variety of reasons, chief among them raising capital to grow the business or the opportunity for company founders to cash in on their efforts. These reasons virtually guarantee the initial pricing will look for maximum cash generation. Graham argues that overpriced IPO market entrants are more susceptible to wild price swings at the slightest sign of weakness in the business. As a result, in Grahams view investors impressed with the potential of an IPO stock would be better off waiting to get a discounted entry point.

Ignoring such advice is not surprising when you consider IPO performance against the broader market. In calendar year 2017 IPO stocks outperformed the ASX 200 by 54%, an improvement over the 2016 outperformance at 25%. Small and micro-cap IPOs outperformed larger IPOs, according to the website stockhead.com.au.



In the latest prospectus release the company revised its operational plans for moving from prototype to commercial testing, as follows:

The conceptual design of the TESS-GRID and its 1/15th scale test cell will commence following the close of the Offer. Assessment of commercial sites for construction of the 200MWh TESS-GRID device will continue. If the Company achieves the Maximum Subscription as a result of the Offer, the Company will proceed to finalise the designs, build and test the 1/15th scale test cell before proceeding with construction of a 200MWh TESS-GRID device (noting that the Company will require further funding for the construction phase of the 200MWh TESS-GRID device). The Companys business plan contemplates commercialisation of the TESS-GRID within three years of the Offer.

Calix International (CLX) is expected to list on the ASX on 20 July. The company has an innovative calcination process with impressive applications, including waste water treatment and phosphate removal, improving food production from aquaculture and agriculture, and CO2 capture.

The companys somewhat mystical technology begins in a patented kiln, dubbed the Calix Flash Calciner or CFC, where ground magnesium and other minerals are first flash heated and then snap frozen to produce a porous mineral structure resembling a honeycomb.

Calcination is essentially a purification process, resulting in the honeycomb material then used for further purification. Calix claims its proprietary mineral honeycomb magnesium oxide is a novel, nano-active material that is already demonstrating remarkable results in sewer and waste water, biogas, and aquaculture applications.

While the technology involved may be too complex for a layperson to understand, its applications are not. The company already has four products in use.

ACTI-Mag reduces odor in waste water management applications and improves efficiencies in biogas production and phosphate removal.

PROTECTA-Mag can coat concrete sewer linings without the need to shut down the sewer.

AQUA-CAL is a water conditioner that improves aquaculture yield production while reducing disease and pollution. The company has distribution networks in place for these three products.

BOOSTER-Mag is a foliar fertiliser for improving yield while controlling diseases and pests.

The Calix International IPO Prospectus includes an estimate from Sydney based global research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan that the addressable global market opportunity is approximately A$62 billion for Calixs commercialised product portfolio, approximately A$11 billion for the pre-commercial products, and in excess of A$20 billion for its advanced R&D projects.

The company is generating revenue, with revenue CAGR (compound annual growth rate) for its core products of 41.8% between 2015 and 2017. For the Half Year 2017 the companys revenue growth was 34.2%. While gross profit has more than doubled between FY 2015 and FY 2017, operating expenses have kept the company from posting its first profit.

In contrast to 1414 Degrees, Calix is a company with products generating revenue in the market along with a substantial pipeline of new possibilities based on its technology, including novel medicines, batteries, and 3D printing materials. While 1414 Degrees has attractive growth possibilities with the potential to reward investors handsomely, it lags behind Calix in the business life cycle, still in the development phase while Calix is beyond the product launch phase.

Calix is looking to raise $8 million for operational improvements as well as new market and product pipeline development.

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An airplane takes off or lands every 30 seconds from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, one of the largest and most centrally located hubs in Europe. Over the year, this airport will see 66 million passengers pass through it, as 152 airlines take people to and from 329 global destinations.

Aviation operations in Paris extend beyond this one major hub and include Paris-Orly to the south with another 29 million passengers per year, Paris-Le Bourget to the north, one heliport and 10 general-use airports. The total passengers handled each year through the Paris system of airports reaches 102 million and connects 357 cities. Then there are shops, offices, restaurants and other property and services such as car hire to manage at these airports. And its all handled by one company, ADP, the acronym for its former name, Aeroports de Paris.

ADP, a 50.6% government-owned group that first listed in 2006, goes beyond Paris too. The group has direct or indirect investments in 12 other airports around the world that mean the company handled 228 million passengers last year (including the Paris traffic). Such is the reach of ADP, which generated 3.62 billion euros in revenue in 2017.

Airports provide an essential service, often with monopoly positions in the cities in which they operate, which helps lay a solid foundation for investment. Airport operators have enjoyed rising demand for their services. Lower airfares from increased competition (including from low-cost carriers) and deregulation of air rights, which has opened up markets, have combined with a growing global middle class to see global air travel boom. While regulation is structured to allow the aeronautical operations to earn returns in line with the cost of capital, generally few if any constraints are placed on the returns airport owners can generate from commercial activities such as shops and parking.

The commercial operations are generally lucrative businesses because wealthier segments of society often spend hours browsing in shops or eating in restaurants while waiting for flights. Traffic through these shops and other facilities usually increases over time because airlines generally deliver more passengers to airports each year, via more flights or bigger planes. Other commercial operations of ADP include managing offices, hotels and car parks on airport land. Given the constant traffic into and out of Paris, ADP is well placed from an investment point of view.

No business, however, is immune from risks. France has witnessed acts of terrorism in recent years that reduced visitor numbers, while outbreaks of disease (e.g., SARS) or economic downturns can also hamper traffic. Such interruptions have historically been infrequent and generally short-lived. While there is risk from the French government being the majority shareholder (and acting to the detriment of minority owners), so far ownership structure has been benign and the government is moving towards selling its stake. No matter the challenge, the robustness of traffic from one of the worlds most-visited cities helps give us confidence in the cash flows of the business over the medium and long term.

Global reach

Aviation remains one of the worlds fastest-growing industries. Since the development of commercial aviation, the number of people passing through large airports has grown at multiples of GDP over any medium-term period  aviation traffic is roughly doubling every 15 years or so. This growth is due to increased wealth, the declining (real) cost of air travel and improvements in international airspace regulations that make flying easier. These trends have helped ADP to grow passenger traffic at 1.8% p.a. in Paris since 2005. Over that time, higher airport-use fees and healthy growth in commercial activities have translated into revenue growth of 4.5% p.a. and profit (EBITDA) growth of 7.7% p.a.

ADP can derive such results because the group has a privileged economic position as the monopoly airport owner of a major tourist destination with a large population. The Paris airports host most of the worlds major international airlines, including those belonging to the three main alliances, SkyTeam, Star Alliance and Oneworld. About 70% of airport traffic comes from origin and destination passengers where there is limited competition. However, for the 30% of transfer traffic, ADP benefits from network effects as airlines including primary tenant Air France-KLM rely on Charles de Gaulle, with its four parallel runways, as a base for a hub-and-spoke network.

Other ADP long-term advantages include that its three major airports in Paris are complementary; they can service all categories of traffic, from long haul to short haul, local to international, business to leisure. In addition, ADPs airport infrastructure in Paris has capacity to accommodate further traffic growth. The unused capacity includes 381 hectares of land reserves.

ADPs reach, however, extends well beyond France as it has taken its expertise and experience to other markets. The company has interests in airports in Belgium, Chile, Croatia, Guinea, Jordan, the Netherlands and Turkey. These ventures might have justified a name change but the companys main assets are still those in Paris.

Published by Magellan Group

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Sources: Company filings and website.

Important Notice This material has been delivered to you to provide information regarding Magellan Asset Management Limited doing business as/trading as MFG Asset Management (MFG Asset Management) and has been prepared for general information purposes and must not be construed as investment advice. This material does not constitute an offer or inducement to engage in an investment activity nor does it form part of any offer or invitation to purchase, sell or subscribe for in interests in any type of investment product or service. No distribution of this material will be made in any jurisdiction where such distribution is not authorised or is unlawful. This material does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs. You should read and consider any relevant offer documentation applicable to any investment product or service and consider obtaining professional investment advice tailored to your specific circumstances before making any investment decision. Any trademarks, logos, and service marks contained herein may be the registered and unregistered trademarks of their respective owners. Nothing contained herein should be construed as granting by implication, or otherwise, any licence or right to use any trademark displayed without the written permission of the owner. This material and the information contained within it may not be reproduced or disclosed, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of MFG Asset Management.
NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/AFP/Getty Images

On Saturday, Belgium celebrated its National Day, and the royal family gathered for several events to mark the occasion. Heres a look at some of the jewels we saw on the day.

HATIM KAGHAT/AFP/Getty Images

On Friday evening, the festivities kicked off with the annual concert in Brussels.

HATIM KAGHAT/AFP/Getty Images

Queen Mathilde chose a lovely pair of golden statement earrings with a leafy design. These managed to be both eye-catching and delicate.

NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/AFP/Getty Images

On Saturday, the family gathered at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels for a Te Deum service.

NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/AFP/Getty Images

Mathilde reached into her collection of golden earrings to accessorize her red ensemble for the mass. The gold and red combo neatly reflected colors from Belgiums flag.

NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/AFP/Getty Images

She wore the same outfit for the military parade that followed. You get a good glimpse of her golden charm bracelet here, which rested just above her watch on her left wrist.

NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/AFP/Getty Images

For the mass and the parade, the Duchess of Brabant wore a lovely pair of pearl stud earrings.

NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/AFP/Getty Images

Princess Astrid, who always wears military uniform for this event, accessorized with a simple pair of stud earrings in a silvery tone.

NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/AFP/Getty Images

And Princess Claire joined her niece in wearing pearls for the parade.

LAURIE DIEFFEMBACQ/AFP/Getty Images

Saturdays celebrations wrapped up with the annual Party in the Park in Brussels.

LAURIE DIEFFEMBACQ/AFP/Getty Images

Mathilde wore a pair of green earrings that matched her dress for the party.
The aroma of roasted coffee beans and the sound of conversations about coffee plants welcome you upon arrival at Bentara Budaya Jakarta in Palmerah, Central Jakarta.

The cultural institution is the venue for Festival Kopi Nusantara: Cerita Negeri Kopi (Archipelago Coffee Festival: The Tale of Coffee Nation), which is being held for four days from from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. from July 19 to 22.

Opened to the public, the festival consists of many events for coffee enthusiasts, including a photography exhibition, coffee bazaar, discussions and a roasting class.

A photography exhibition, Festival Kopi Nusantara: Cerita Negeri Kopi, is taking place at Bentara Budaya from July 19 to 22. (JP/Ni Nyoman Wira)

The photography exhibition displays photos that were captured by photographers of Kompas during their Jelajah Kopi Nusantara (Archipelago Coffee Exploration) expedition that began in March. Visitors can learn about the history and traditions surrounding coffee in several provinces in Indonesia, including Aceh, Papua and Bali. For newcomers to the coffee world, the exhibition also displays information on various topics pertaining to coffee, such as differences among the Arabica, Robusta and Liberica species and the Luwak coffee controversy.

Discussions about coffee are also being held. On Saturday at 2 p.m., there is a talk on managing the nation's coffee, while on Sunday at 2 p.m., technology in the coffee industry will be discussed.

Read also: The rise of Lawu coffee among Java's single origins

Meanwhile, the festivals coffee bazaar is divided into three sections, with an area for coffee producers (farmers), an area for coffee shops and an area for coffee-making tools. There, visitors can sample a variety of coffee beans, including those from producers based in Malang, East Java; Jayawijaya, Papua; and Central Aceh. Cold-brew coffee from the Kopi Haus booth is available for purchase, as is coffee-making equipment from Otten Coffee, Karya Utama Inti Sukses and Toengku Kopi. The price of coffee products starts at Rp 20,000 ($1.38).

Central Aceh Regent Shabela Abubakar, who was seen serving visitors at the Central Aceh booth on Friday, said Acehs Arabica Gayo was different when compared to other types of Arabica coffee. It has many flavors, so its not only the taste of coffee. If you have meticulous taste buds, youll get the flavors of guava, orange and jackfruit, Shabela said, noting that, beginning two to three years ago, the Gayo people of Aceh had begun to enjoy a cup of java in the same way that elders did, by chewing a bit of palm sugar first before gulping down their coffee.

Central Aceh Regent Shabela Abubakar (second left) engages with visitors at the festival's Central Aceh booth. (JP/Ni Nyoman Wira)

Those wanting to take a glimpse into the future may want to visit Nova Agustinas' fortunetelling booth. Hailing from Kerinci regency in Jambi, Nova uses coffee and a deck of cards to look into the future or provide advice. Located at a gallery near the venue for the photography exhibition, the duration of one tasseography session, which costs Rp 50,000, lasts from 30 minutes to one hour.

The festival was inspired by a journalist's expedition, which was launched as a result of a collaboration between Kompas and state-owned lender Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI). Written, photographic and video accounts of the expedition were published either in Kompas or kompas.id from April 11 to June 6. The journey highlighted the cultural aspects of coffee and challenges and opportunities in the coffee industry. In 2016, Kompas held a similar event, Festival Kopi Flores (Flores Coffee Festival). (asw)
Finding gray hairs can be distressing for some, and it can be tempting to pluck them and hope they never return. But according to Toronto dermatologist Dr. Martie Gidon, that may not be the best course of action.

Dr. Gidon explained to Readers Digest that even if you pluck a gray hair, it will grow back and remain the same color.

Gray hair already has a coarser texture than naturally pigmented hair, and it will grow back as coarse as before it was pulled, Dr. Gidon said. She also warned that if you do choose to pluck them, the new replacement hair has the potential to become ingrown, which could then lead to infection and scarring.

Read also: Study says losing your hair is probably normal

Some people are also worried that if they do pull out their hair, more will grow back in its place. That wont happen, or I shudder to think what would happen to our eyebrows, said hairdresser Marc Anthony. However, it is better to leave it be. There are so many options for gray hair these days  including just leaving it gray.

Tobacco smoke, sunlight and wax-based hair products can give gray hair a yellow tinge, so try to avoid them, advised Anthony for those who do choose to leave it gray. Instead, turn to a shampoo thats blue-based (for gray hair) or violet-based (for blonde, white or gray), to keep your hair from going dull. (sul/kes)
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The era of technological disruption and advancement has led to the disappearance of many jobs. Some people may find it difficult to land a job, but if we look on the bright side, there are so many new kinds of jobs available, among them those we never imagined would exist.

Some of these new jobs can be done with the help of smartphones, instead of complicated tools and equipment. Kompas.com lists five jobs that require a smartphone and almost nothing else.

Drop-shipping

It is a retail job where we offer products through social media, but we dont keep goods in stock. We take orders from customers and pass it on to a third party that could be a manufacturer, another retailer or wholesaler, who will send the goods directly to the customer.

Retailers pay the third party's price while the customers pay the price set by the retailer. Profit is therefore gained from the price difference.

Drop-shipping allows someone to engage in the retail business without having to build a store to keep and display goods. It is simple and profitable for the retailer and helpful for the third partys sales.

Read also: Smartphones are doing to websites what Amazon did to the mall

Writer

The compact size of a smartphone makes a writers job easier, as it can be used almost anytime and anywhere. Anyone can find the joy of writing through a smartphone and decide to make money from writing with a smartphone only.

There are many types of articles that a smartphone-writer could create, from fiction as short as 140 characters, a simple news article to a more comprehensive blog post. Writers could post and promote their articles on social media and if they know how or are lucky enough to gain many page views, they may be able to monetize their work. Fame would be a bonus.

Social media influencer

Those who are social media savvy may consider becoming a social media influencer. Quality photos, entertaining content and useful information may become popular and attract many followers.

Huge numbers of followers may lead to endorsement opportunities from high-end businesses. However, social media competitions could be tricky, as people can buy followers or steal photos and claim it as their own to gain profit.

If social media influencer competition is considered too tough, one can work as a social media manager for a company.

Vlogger

Following the rise of the blog is the vlog, or video blog. It seems like people are no longer satisfied with still photographs, and video content is in high demand. Some smartphone manufacturers are aware of this, and they come up with smartphones equipped with video cameras at almost professional specifications.

Vlog content may range from everyday family life to fancy holiday getaways, but the most important thing is that the content must make viewers feel related. Vloggers who deliver to that demand can successfully score brand partnership deals, but the competition just keeps getting tougher.

Photographer

Social media and smartphone cameras have helped people discover their photography talents. Starting off from photo hunting for the purpose of social media updates, one can become more serious and gain profit.

Photos can be monetized, for instance, when a company wishes to use them for business purposes and they purchase the photos from the photographer. Photos could also be sold to stock photography providers.

Otherwise, social media platforms that showcase photos can become an effective photography portfolio, resulting in job offers to come. (anm/mut)
Those looking for natural and organic skincare products may want to consider beauty products from Bali.

On the island, beauty enthusiasts can find a wide range of skincare products made of natural ingredients, such as raw coconut oil produced in Tabanan or various essential oils.

Furthermore, the brands are also eco-friendly and promotes the locals, giving even more reason to try it.

Curious much? Those who want to try Bali-based organic skincare brands should check out the list below.

Bali Balance

Bali Balance produces vegan-friendly and animal cruelty-free skincare products.

Founder Nadja Nufer told The Jakarta Post via email that all the products were made on the Island of the Gods, free of chemicals and parabens. Moreover, the skincare products were also eco-friendly as they were reef safe and sustainable.

In regard to ingredients, Bali Balance uses raw coconut oil produced in Tabanan.

The oil is produced within one hour of opening the coconut with no electricity and waste, explained Nufer, adding that the company supported local farmers.

As for the products, Nufer recommended Bali Balance Face Serum 24/7. Priced at Rp 250,000 (US$17.39), the serum features natural ingredients, such as aloe vera, raw coconut oil, essential oils and cucumber extracts, to nourish the face.

Read also: Simple beauty tips to make you look younger

Sensatia Botanicals

Founded in 2000, Sensatia Botanicals is another Bali-based brand that supports locals.

The company applies a profit-sharing cooperative by distributing 20 percent of its profits to its employees.

As one of the longest-standing skincare brands in Bali, Sensatia Botanicals offers a range of products, including cleanser, toner and serum.

First-timers may want to try the original Soapless Facial Cleanser. Made of ylang ylang, essential oil, petitgrain and aloe vera extract, the cleanser removes the dirt while maintaining the skin's natural oil.

Utama Spice

Ubud-based skincare brand Utama Spice is said to combine traditional Balinese herbal knowledge with natural ingredients.

The products are handcrafted by a team of young women aged under 30 living in surrounding villages.

Some of its popular products include Begone Bug Spray and Face Serum.

The former is a natural insect repellent that is safe for children. With a starting price of Rp 27,000 ($1.87), the spray is affordable and can be used by all family members.

Meanwhile, the Face Serum consists of organic Argan oil, cacao, jojoba essential oil and virgin coconut oil, to maintain a youthful radiance. (wng)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, July 21 2018

Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution said the government welcomed Bank Indonesias (BI) decision to issue Bank Indonesia certificates (SBI) with 9-month and 12-month maturity periods in an attempt to attract more capital inflow to the country.

He said the policy would give investors more investment instruments. Investors who initially wanted to pull out [their capital], may use their money to buy SBIs instead, said Darmin in Jakarta on Friday.

BIs plan to issue more investment instruments was announced by BI Governor Perry Warjiyo on Thursday. BI stopped issuing 9-month and 12-month SBIs in 2011 in favor of shorter-term instruments, such as repurchase agreements (repo).
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, July 21 2018

Sylviana Murni, a former senior civil servant who ran in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election with Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, has set her sights on a seat on the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) in next years election.

With 34 years experience serving the city administration, Sylviana said she would be able to contribute her knowledge to develop the capital.

I know what is needed by Jakarta residents. If they criticize the city administration, I can offer solutions, Sylviana said as quoted by kompas.com on Friday.
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Linkedin Jon Afrizal (The Jakarta Post) Jambi  Sun, July 22, 2018 12:41 1191 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9eef3bf0 1 National rape,Incest,abortion,Jambi,child-protection Free

Activists criticize the six-month imprisonment of a 15-year-old girl in Batanghari, Jambi who aborted her rape-related pregnancy, asking the government to review the case.

A womens activist from Embun Pagi Women School in Jambi, Zubaidah, said Sunday that the girls case had a legal fallacy.

This case must not be viewed as an abortion case, she said Sunday. Abortion is a crime in Indonesia but there are some exceptions. Zubaidah said the girls case should be seen as a medical emergency, thus an exception.

The Muara Bulian District Court sentenced the victim to six months imprisonment for undergoing an unlawful abortion of the 8-month fetus and sentenced her brother-cum-assailant to two years imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor.

The girls mother had helped her abort the pregnancy out of shame, after discovering she had been raped and impregnated by her own brother.

The mother, who claimed she was unaware of the sexual abuse, is still on trial.

The Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) objects to the sentence, arguing that Indonesias abortion laws are unfair to victims of sexual abuse.

ICJR mentioned articles 75 and 76 of the Health Law, which state rape victims can undergo an abortion if it is performed by a licensed practitioner less than 40 days after her last menstruation.

[But] In practice, many women only discover they are pregnant after 40 days. By then it is too late for them to undergo a lawful abortion, said Anggara, executive director of the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) on Saturday.

The state should help these victims recover from their trauma instead of punishing them, especially if they are children, she added

Read also: Rape survivors often have to bear it alone

The ICJR also pointed out that judges often neglected victim rights and lacked gender sensitivity when dealing with sexual violence cases, despite both concepts being enshrined in the 2017 Supreme Court Regulation No. 3 on women before the law and the 2014 law on victim and witness protection.

The Legal Aid Foundation of Indonesian Women's Association for Justice (LBH APIK) also object to the girl being imprisoned stressing that, as a minor and a victim, she should not be held responsible for having an abortion.

Its not fair that she was punished just because it [the abortion] was done on her body, said Uli Pangaribuan a lawyer from LBH APIK.

She also objected to imprisonment, arguing that she is likely to suffer heavy stigmatization on top of rape trauma. Several online news portals are already guilty of sensationalizing the case as pasangan sedarah (incest) and their village has banned the siblings from returning home.

Theres no way she can get the necessary psychological help in prison. She should be sent for treatment and counseling instead, added Uli.

Zubaidah, of the womens school, said such cases of incest were likely to recur if the government did not pay attention to proper sex education.

Incest cases have never been handled well. This proves that many people do not know the roots of the problem, she said.

She said schools did not teach children how to build healthy relationships with the opposite sex.

The case surfaced after residents found a dead baby boy in a palm plantation in Pulau village, Muaratembesi district, in early June.

The brother told the police investigators that he had forced his sister to have sex with him eight times since September 2017. He said he would hit his sister if she refused. The brother, WA, said he watched pornography and wanted to have sex.

The villagers saw the case as incest, dismissing the fact that the sister had been forced to have sex. They told the siblings to leave the village.

The head of Pulau village, Damanhuri, called the siblings perpetrators. The perpetrators would be banished from the village. It is the agreement between the customary institution, village and residents, he said. (nor/evi)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, July 22, 2018 19:14 1191 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9ef00c5a 1 City Train,train-operator,commuter-line,ticket-sales Free

An upgrade to the commuter train electronic ticketing system has caused long queues at train stations as passengers line up to pay for single-trip tickets and to tap at the few operating automatic gates.

Rochman, a commuter at Manggarai Station, South Jakarta, said that he had to queue twice just to enter the station.

I'm already tired [from lining up to] buy the commuter train ticket, and now I have to queue for 30 minutes more just to tap in [at the gate to enter], Rochman said on Saturday as reported by kompas.com.

Passengers at Pondok Cina Station in South Jakarta also had to queue for a long time just to get inside the station.

Of the nine automatic gates, only one gate was operational for commuters to get in and one to get out of the station.

I'm confused. There are a lot of gates, why is there only one gate working for the passengers to get in and get out? Elena, a commuter at Pondok Cina Station, said.

Previously, commuter line operator PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia (KCI) had announced that starting from July 21, old multi-trip cards (KMT) with a serial number starting with 1001 would no longer be usable as the operator was currently upgrading its electronic ticketing and advised the holders to replace them with newer ones.

KCI spokesperson Eva Chairunisa apologized for the long queues at the ticket windows and automatic gates at the stations because of the system upgrade.

PT KCI is currently upgrading and maintaining its electronic-ticketing equipment starting from 1 a.m. and it is still ongoing, Eva said in a written statement on Saturday.

She said the upgrade and maintenance would take a while. Several gates and ticket windows in several stations cannot operate yet [because of the system upgrade], she said. (ami)
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Jakarta  Sun, July 22, 2018 10:09 1191 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9eef13bd 2 World #DrugSmuggling,#French,#Bali Free

A Frenchman who served 18 years in custody for smuggling drugs into Bali was expected to arrive home Sunday after he was deported in a case that sparked outrage in France over Indonesia's tough narcotics laws.

Police arrested Michael Blanc on the day after Christmas in 1999 at the tropical island's airport with 3.8 kilogrammes (8.4 pounds) of hashish hidden inside scuba diving canisters.

The now 45-year-old was originally given a life term -- narrowly escaping the death sentence handed to some other foreign drug traffickers, including two members of the notorious Bali Nine who were executed in 2015.

Blanc's prison term was later cut to 20 years and then in 2014 he won something that few foreigners get in Indonesia -- parole.

The former cook arrived at the airport in Jakarta on Saturday escorted by Indonesian immigration officials, and accompanied by his mother, Helene Le Touzey, who gave up her life in France to spend nearly two decades in Indonesia campaigning for his release.

The two departed on a Turkish Airlines flight at 9:00 pm (1400 GMT). They are expected in Paris on Sunday around 11:00 am.

The life sentence handed out by an Indonesian court, which rejected Blanc's claim that he was carrying the drug-filled gear for a friend, was criticised in France as overly harsh.

Paris raised the issue at the highest levels, with the then-prime minister Francois Fillon bringing it up during a visit to Indonesia in 2011.

In 2008, Blanc's sentence was cut to 20 years thanks in large part to his mother's efforts.

Le Touzey later helped secure her son's parole in 2014, despite the fact that Indonesian law does not usually allow conditional release of foreigners after serving just two-thirds of their sentence.

Blanc's three-year parole period ended in July 2017, after which he was required to finish one year of probation.

Indonesia has some of the world's toughest drug laws.

More than 70 people, including 42 foreigners, are facing the firing squad for drug offences, according to the Coalition for the Abolition of Death Penalty in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

Indonesia has executed several drug traffickers since President Joko Widodo took office in 2014.

Among them were foreign nationals, including two Bali Nine members arrested in 2005 for an attempt to smuggle heroin from Indonesia to Australia.

The executions of Australian ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran sparked diplomatic outrage and a call to abolish Indonesia's death penalty.

Although Jakarta suspended executions last year, Widodo has said the country is facing a "drug emergency" and previously ordered police to shoot traffickers who resist arrest.

High-profile cases like that of Australian national Schapelle Corby, who spent more than nine years behind bars for smuggling marijuana into Bali, have stoked concern that Indonesia is becoming a drug destination.

Corby was deported in 2017 after several years of parole.
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Linkedin Kurniawan Hari (The Jakarta Post) Doha  Sun, July 22, 2018 14:12 1191 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9eef92df 1 Business US,Trade,trade-war,Indonesia,Kadin,APINDO,Enggartiasto-Lukita,industry-ministry Free

The government will begin its trade mission to the United States on Monday to boost Indonesia's commerce with the world's largest economy amid the heightened global trade war.

The mission, led by Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita, will lobby Washington following the US government's policy to review its generalized system of preferences (GSP) for Indonesia.

The US government deemed that Jakarta had implemented numerous trade and investment barriers that had serious negative effects on US commerce.

US Trade Representative (USTR) data shows that in 2016, Indonesia was the US' 35th largest goods export market, however the US had a $13.2 billion trade deficit.

Minister Enggartiasto is scheduled to meet US Trade Representative Ambassador Robert E. Lighthizer this week to discuss the GSP review. Enggartiasto will also meet with US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.

Aside from discussing the GSP issue, the trade mission also aims to expand opportunities for Indonesian exporters.

For this purpose, the minister brought along several Indonesian business representatives to the US, including from the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo), Indonesian Textile Association (API) and Indonesian Food and Beverage Association (Gapmmi), among others. (evi)
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Linkedin Aoife White and Stephanie Bodoni (Bloomberg) Brussels, Belgium  Sun, July 22, 2018 19:10 1191 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9ef00489 2 Business EU,Google,Android,monopoly,fine Free

European Union Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager coolly hit Google with a 4.3 billion-euro ($5 billion) fine last week, the biggest penalty in the history of antitrust enforcement.

It didnt have to be that way.

A year earlier, when the company -- already reeling from a 2.4 billion-euro fine in another EU case -- made quiet attempts to settle the probe into deals it has with Android phone makers, the response was equally chilly.

The Silicon Valley search giant had waited at least a year too long to broach the subject of a settlement, the 50-year-old Vestager said in an interview. When a company wants to settle, it needs to "reach out immediately after" getting the EUs initial complaint or statement of objections.

"That didnt happen in this case and then of course it takes the route that it has now taken, Vestager said of the settlement talks, which havent been previously reported. So no surprises."

Google, a unit of Alphabet, has been one of the EUs biggest antitrust targets, with three probes, countless headlines and a steady drumbeat of smaller rivals and customers demanding action. The company has now twice failed to strike settlements that would resolve cases into its shopping services and Android that have resulted in a total of 6.7 billion euros in fines -- with a looming threat of more still to come.

Google declined to comment on the settlement attempts. Google will appeal the EU decision, Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said in a blog post. The company has "shown that were willing to make changes," he said.

In the weeks after the June 2017 fine in the shopping case, Google lawyers began to make overtures to their EU counterparts to express a willingness to settle the probe into Android, one of the companys flagship products. Previous attempts to start a conversation with the EU on ways to end the probe had failed to catch fire, with officials stonewalling or saying it was too early to negotiate, people familiar with the negotiations said.

The Mountain View, California-based companys incentive to settle the Android probe was easy to see.

The logo for US technology company and search engine Google is displayed on screens in London on February 11, 2016. Britain's tax agency announced last month that Google would pay a 130 million (166 million euro, $187 million) tax settlement for 10 years' operations in Britain where it makes 11 percent of its global sales. Finance minister George Osborne hailed the agreement as a victory. But there was a barrage of criticism, including from within Prime Minister David Cameron's own Conservative Party as the announcement coincided with a key tax filing deadline for many Britons. (AFP/Leon Neal)

Google gives Android software for free to mobile phone makers but coerces them to pre-install Googles apps if they want the Play app store, which offers more than a million programs. The search giant also pays phone manufacturers, telecommunications carriers and other browser makers to run Googles search engine which collects user data. Thanks to those agreements, Google has captured almost $50 billion in yearly mobile ad-market sales, or a third of the global market, according to research firm EMarketer.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai delivers the keynote address at the Google I/O 2017 Conference at Shoreline Amphitheater on May 17, 2017 in Mountain View, California. The three-day conference will highlight innovations including Google Assistant. (Getty Images North America via AFP/Justin Sullivan)

Google executives believed Vestager left the door open to a deal when she refused to rule out a settlement at the June 27, 2017, press conference where she announced the fines in the shopping case.

Each case is separate, she told reporters. And obviously I have taken no conclusions in the cases that are still open.

Encouraged, Googles lawyers drafted a letter in August suggesting possible changes to address the EU concerns, according to the people familiar with the discussions.

Google said it was prepared to adjust contracts to loosen restrictions the EU didnt like, even weighing distributing apps in two different ways going forward. The letter didnt go into detail, only setting out an outline to kickstart talks, according to the people, who declined to be identified because the initial conversations with regulators were confidential.

The lawyers never received a formal response, hearing only from officials that a settlement was no longer an option. That prevented them from even discussing whether the company would be willing to pay a fine as part of a deal, the people said.

EU officials didnt find the offer convincing and viewed it as too little too late, two other people said.

Vestager indicated in the interview that a settlement offer should have been made in 2016, after the company received the EUs statement of objections, which detailed the antitrust problems with Android. The EU said the company might breach competition rules by unfairly pushing search and browser apps onto Android phones.

That might have been the narrow window to settle the case, but Googles legal team were spinning dozens of plates in 2016. They had deadlines to respond to the Android charges, the shopping probe was still a major priority and there were new complaints filed to the EU by News Corp. and other rivals.

After the rebuff, the EU stepped up its probe, sending a formal "letter of facts" in November 2017, adding new evidence, two people said. There was little substantive contact between the two sides until Google representatives talked with EU officials in April during a so-called state of play meeting about the case, which was well on the way to the record fine.

Google hasnt had much luck trying to find a path to peace with the EU. It spent two years trying to negotiate a settlement in the shopping probe. But a tentative deal came under heavy fire from publishers and politicians, forcing the EU to abandon it shortly before Vestager became commissioner in November 2014.

One of Vestagers first acts was to restart the Google shopping investigation, putting a final end to the botched settlement attempt. She quickly racked up a fearsome reputation as the scourge of US tech giants, She ordered Apple to pay 13 billion euros in back taxes and fined Facebook 110 million euros over allegations the company misled regulators during a merger review.

"Android, as compared to shopping, is a Vestager case, one not inherited," said Nicolas Petit, a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution and a law professor at the University of Liege in Belgium. "Her incentives to make this case the emblem of her tenure were presumably higher. So the odds of a settlement were, to me, lower."

The EU isnt always averse to thrashing out a deal even after a long investigation. The nations state-controlled gas export giant Gazprom PJSC side-stepped a potentially huge EU penalty after seven-year-long probe by agreeing in May to change how it sells gas to Europe.

Google had a better time in Moscow. Russias Federal Antimonopoly Service fined the company $7.8 million as part of an April 2017 settlement to end a probe into similar Android concerns.
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Linkedin Theresia Sufa (The Jakarta Post) Bogor, West Java  Sun, July 22, 2018 13:47 1191 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9eef7c40 1 City boat-accident,research,Banten,IPB,primates Free

Two people died in an accident involving a boat carrying 20 students and researchers from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) and University of Washington in Muara Binuangeun waters, Banten, on Friday

IPB rector Arif Satria said on Saturday that the team had been on a field trip to Tinjil Island and was to return to Bogor. The incident took place around 2 p.m. as the boat headed to Binuangeun in Banten.

The students, researchers and two boat crew members, meanwhile, saved themselves in the incident. The deceased victims, Atiah and Emah, were locals who cooked meals for the students and researchers during the field trip.

Weve visited late Atiah and Emahs families. Were very grateful for their help and support throughout our field trip to Tinjil Island, Arif said, noting that the field trip was initiated by IPBs Primate Research Center (PSSP).

According to the information he had gathered, Arif said all passengers had been wearing life vests before the incident occurred. However, some of them lost their life vests when the boat was hit by strong waves.

After being rescued by residents, the students, researchers and crew members were admitted to Muara Binuangeun health center to receive medical treatment.

PSSP head Huda S. Darusman said the field trip was aimed at spreading knowledge about primates in their natural habitat. The students were also expected to learn about primate conservation and issues related to research methods.

Tinjil Island is a natural habitat and breeding ground for long-tailed macaques. IPB has sent long-tailed monkeys from other provinces to breed there. The monkeys had been sent to labs for research on primates, including to the United States. The practice, however, stopped in 2012.

Tinjil has become popular among researchers as it is known as a natural breeding ground. (vla)
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Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar, Indonesia  Sun, July 22, 2018 21:54 1191 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9ef06218 2 National #Bali,#WorldBank,#official,#died Free

The Jakarta Post has decided to retract the article World Bank official drowns at Bali beach published on July 22, 2018 on our website, after hearing complaints from members of the bereaved family who experienced trauma following the accident. With this decision, the Post adhered to the principle of minimizing harm as enshrined in the Press Council guidelines. We hope that with this decision we are helping the family to cope with their loss.

Updated July 25, 2018
South Sulawesi will host three major events this year as part of the 100 Wonderful Events Indonesia 2018.

The events are the Makassar International Eight Festival and Forum (F8), the Lovely Toraja Festival and the Phinisi Festival, as reported by kompas.com.

Launched by Minister of Tourism Arief Yahya, alongside South Sulawesi provincial secretary H. Tautoto Tana Ranggina and Makassar Mayor H. Moh. Ramdhan Pomanto, the events will bring together the region's arts and culture over four months.

Phinisi Festival 2018

Scheduled for Sept. 13 to 16, this years Phinisi Festival will be held in the district of Bulukumba.

The festival is dedicated to the phinisi, a two-masted wooden sailing ship and an Indonesian maritime heritage. The festival seeks to showcase the unique phinisi shipbuilding culture, which was traditionally done by hand and using only wood.

Read also: Phinisi Festival 2017 kicks off in Bulukumba

Eight Festival (F8)

The Makassar International Eight Festival and Forum, shortened to Eight Festival (F8), is to present eight performances ranging from fashion, film, folk, flora and fauna, fine arts, fusion music as well as literary fiction and fonts.

This festival will be held from Oct. 10 to 14 at Losari Beach, Makassar.

Lovely Toraja Festival 2018

As its name implies, the Lovely Toraja Festival will take place in Malake, the capital of Tana Toraja district, and is two run two days on Dec. 28 and 29.

This festival will highlight several special events and competitions, such as the Coffee Festival, the International Barista Competition, the Tourism Photo Festival and the Toraja Night Run.

A culinary exhibition, along with cultural performances, will also take place during the multi-event festival, which is expected to increase foreign tourists by 35 percent. (anm/wng)
It's great to look good on vacations and it could all start from proper packing.

Cosmopolitan compiled a few tips from Bonnie Rakhit, former fashion editor and founder of The Style Traveller, on the art of packing for your sojourn.

Use hangers

When bringing a travel-sized iron is not an option and you are not sure if your hotel room is equipped with ironing set, pack your clothes together with their hangers. This is what a fashion stylist does to avoid crumpling the clothes.

"When I arrive, I hang them up straight away for minimal creasing," Rakhit said.

Place bathroom essentials in one case

Rakhit always keeps her bathroom essentials in one case, which she leaves in her suitcase. So, when she is in hurry, there is no way she would leave behind her bathroom essentials.

Read also: Tips to prevent identity theft when traveling

Adjust your outfits to your destination

Always do some research about your destination, as it is fun to match your outfit with the regions unique color palette. For instance, when she travels to Santorini in Greece, Rakhit will bring clothes in blue and white. Meanwhile, for terracotta-hued Marrakesh in Morocco, Bonnie will carry her bright orange or berry-colored outfits.

Protect yourself from the sun

Whatever the weather at your destination, bring sunscreen and sunglasses.

"To protect my favorite lenses in my case, I like to wrap them in tissue and store them in structured clutches," Rakhit explained.

This will save space and save the sunglasses from getting knocked around.

Take advantage of hotel freebies

Only bring toiletries in small bottles. If you are worried that you will run out of bathroom essentials, bear in mind that most hotels provide shower gel, shampoo and moisturizer.

It is a good idea to bring a good travel hairdryer. But even if there is no hairdryer in your hotel room, housekeeping may have one available upon request. (wir/mut)
As you consider my sentence, please know how deeply sorry I am. I am broken-hearted to have damaged the ability of my fellow New Yorkers to trust in their government and the integrity of those who serve in it. The only confidence I have left is thanks to the strength and support of my wife, who is my rock, but we are both crumbling. I worry about my grandchildren and how they will be treated because of me. I worry that my wife will be destitute. I worry about her trying to visit me while continuing to be a full-time helper for her 93 year old mother. I worry about my own age and health. I pray I will not die in prison. The work that has been the focus of most of my life has become dirty and shameful. Everything I ever accomplished has become a joke and a spectacle. My familys chances of living a normal life and my wifes hopes of a restful retirement have all been torn apart. I hardly sleep. I think of nothing except this case, and everything and everyone that has been affected by it. I have read and reread the transcript of your words at my previous sentencing and I am filled with shame. Your Honor, when you weigh what sentence to deliver, please know that I have fully taken this experience to heart. Please know that I have already lost so much that I can never replace and I will always live with the knowledge of those I failed. I beg for your mercy so that I can somehow go out into the world again to atone to everyone I have hurt.
Although these islands are still considered low-risk to travel to, it is important to know how to stay safe during a tsunami, especially since climate change could increase the occurrence of tsunamis worldwide. Here in the UK, were currently not taught in mainstream education how to protect ourselves from natural hazards. Even though the tsunami risk in the UK is extremely low, a considerable number of British citizens holiday in tsunami-vulnerable countries every year. Whereas, Thailand has implemented tsunami evacuation practice drills for its population and the governor of Hawaii has issued tsunami safety information accessible for all ages of its state. A tsunami is a powerful hazard that can cause major disruption to coastlines around the world, affecting the population, infrastructure and economy. They are not restricted to a specific season and could occur at any time of day, making us even more vulnerable to this type of natural hazard. Tsunami waves are capable of travelling up to 500 miles per hour, so make sure you are ready to act fast.According to the Red Cross , the most important step is to get as far inland and as high as possible; all coastlines are unsafe during a tsunami. To give you a rough idea of how far away you should be, they say that if you can see the wave, you are too close for safety. The ideal shelter is suggested to be at least '100 feet or more above sea level, or at least one mile inland. In addition, ensure you keep a distance from rivers that connect to the ocean since tsunami waves can travel up them. You should also travel on foot towards a safe place  through travelling in a car, you may run the risk of getting trapped in your vehicle. Tsunamis generate a multitude of waves, meaning that some waves may be more powerful than others. It is always crucial to evacuate to a safe place, regardless of their initial strength, as there is a chance it will become more powerful, and thus even more dangerous. A tsunami can become dangerous in minutes, so make sure you do not spend too much time gathering your items  it is far more important to get yourself to a safe location. In terms of vital supplies, Tsunamipods have come up with a definitive list of what to pack in a tsunami survival kit. Unsurprisingly, non-perishable food, water, personal hygiene and medical items should be staples of any kit. Make sure your kit isnt too heavy, so it doesnt weigh you down when trying to evacuate quickly. It is also an idea to keep a small bag of emergency supplies near your door, just in case.

Tsunami warning sign in Sri Lanka, photograph by Paul Keller via Flickr Creative Commons

Locations at risk of a tsunami will usually have tsunami evacuation zones. If youre visiting a high-risk area, its worth trying to get your hands on an evacuation map (either online or a physical copy), so you are aware of which areas are safe to be in during a tsunami. If tsunamis are common to the area, there might even be signposts around the coast indicating hazardous zones. When you get there, ensure you know a safe route to get to the nearest safe area. Make sure that you learn about where you can receive tsunami warnings for the local area  the best way to do this is to research online where you can find out this information before you arrive.

A principal warning sign of a tsunami is an earthquake, where the ground violently shakes. You should evacuate to a safe place if you feel a substantial earthquake. Also, be sure to listen to the local radio or television news channel to keep up to date with any potential tsunami warnings. Another sign is seeing water receding from the coast, consequently leaving the ocean floor exposed. You may also be able to hear an approaching tsunami, with its deafening noise being likened to a jet aircraft. If you think you are experiencing any of these signs, you should evacuate immediately, regardless of whether there has been an official warning yet. It has been observed that some tsunami detection systems have been affected by vandalism, mostly in developing countries, highlighting that it is incredibly important to make sure all of the group you are travelling with is aware of the signs. Although tsunamis pose a great risk to both the human and animal population, the most important thing you can do is to be prepared and be aware of the potential risk in the area to which you are travelling.
Laura Jones, King's College London

Who gets to speak? Who do we listen to? And whose opinions do we respect? These questions are always important, but even more so now, as the UK faces an uncertain future, and political leaders need to make some tough decisions. So its disappointing to learn that female voices continue to be marginalised in the nations news coverage. Womens expertise is going untapped and unheard at a critical time.

Shutterstock

analysed a representative sample of all news articles published online across a seven day period by major news outlets including the BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Sky, Daily Mail, Star, Express, The Times, Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, Mirror, Sun, and the Telegraph. An analysis conducted by the Centre for the Study of Media, Communication and Power on behalf of the Global Institute for Womens Leadership at Kings College London has found that four out of every five people quoted as experts in online news articles by the main UK news outlets are male. The researcha representative sample of all news articles published online across a seven day period by major news outlets including the BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Sky, Daily Mail, Star, Express, The Times, Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, Mirror, Sun, and the Telegraph.

The imbalance is even greater for certain fields, such as foreign politics and business and finance, where men make up almost nine out of ten expert sources. And despite all the media campaigns and focus on equal representation in recent years, these figures havent materially shifted since a similar study was carried out in 2010.

So whats driving this imbalance? Its true that the UK is unfortunately still a country with a well-documented under-representation of women in leadership positions across various sectors (not least news journalism ), and this certainly plays a part. But previous research has identified other factors. A tendency to rely on known contacts, reliable performers and suggestions from previous informants all militate against a widening of the expert pool.

to be an expert. Judgements about who is and isnt credible judgements about credibility are not value-free. A series of studies have shown that we find the same information to be more credible when it is presented by a man, rather than a woman. Whether it be judgement of the quality, competence or expertise of the content. And then theres the question of who we consideran expert.about who is and isnt credible play a large role in determining who gets to be a source, and therefore have a voice, in the national conversation. Butabout credibility are not value-free. A series of studies have shown that we find the same information to be more credible when it is presented by a man, rather than a woman. Whether it be political tweets articles about sport or abstracts for scientific papers , simply changing the name on the information has been shown to affect respondentsof the quality, competence or expertise of the content.

Updating the address book

These biases show just how hopelessly naive it is to argue that expert sources should just be the person with the best expertise. This person is a chimera  for how on earth would this expertise be ranked? Any attempt to work out who they are would be influenced by biases, not only on the part of the journalist in terms of judging their credentials, but by the fact that those credentials were earned in a gender-biased world.

A related line of thought might concede a level of bias in the selection of experts, and yet contend that it doesnt matter. After all, arent experts there to simply present the facts and give an objective assessment of reality? While Im sure many academics would be touched by this level of faith in their pronouncements, it is far from the truth.

Sam McGhee/ Unsplash

favour of increased environmental protection, to think that labour market policies were unequal, and were slightly more likely to disapprove of austerity. Such questions could hardly be less central to the future of society. A fascinating study from earlier this year illustrates the point. After surveying more than 1,000 economists from 18 countries, the researchers found that female economists were far more likely than men to prefer government interventions over market solutions. They were also more likely to be inof increased environmental protection, to think thatmarket policies were unequal, and were slightly more likely to disapprove of austerity. Such questions could hardly be less central to the future of society.

The differing views of female economists are not due to some inherent redistributive gene that is missing on the Y chromosome, but because such views rely on an analysis of certain approaches, and different life experiences will inform how we weight the associated costs and benefits. Indeed, as Swedens feminist government is showing, from foreign policy to which streets to snowplough first, the answer to policy questions changes when you include the perspective of the other half of the population.
Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Daughters of the Dragon add to the ranks

Source: Luke Cage, Iron Fist and Daughters of the Dragon Marvel Digital Originals Revealed - Comic-Con 2018

Prior to the official start of San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC), Marvel announced the first comic in their line of Marvel Digital Originals (MDO), Jessica Jones. Since then, another title has been retroactively added to this line, Cloak and Dagger. IGN describes the MDO line of comics:

MDOs are double-sized digital issues (40 pages) that are released once per month, with every three issues forming a complete story. While they don't come out all at once like a Netflix show, the accelerated pace of release is meant to cater to those who discovered these Marvel heroes on TV and want to binge their comics in big chunks. After completing a story arc, each series will be printed and sold in comic shops.

Now three more titles are being added to the MDO line: Luke Cage, Iron Fist: Phantom Limb, and Daughters of the Dragon. Here's a rundown of the three titles:

Luke Cage#1 (MDO) "cover"

Luke Cage (MDO) #1 With Harlem in the grips of an unprecedented heat wave, the people look to their herothe unbreakable man, Luke Cage! But the heat wave turns out to be the least of Harlem's worries. Someone has their sights set on the city's 1%, and the rich and powerful are dropping dead from mysterious illnesses. It's up to Luke Cage to stop the killerbut he's just received a grim diagnosis of his own... A DOUBLE-SIZED Marvel Digital Original you don't want to miss! Written by Anthony Del Col

Art by Jahnoy Lindsay

Cover art by Declan Shalvey

Iron Fist: Phantom Limb #1 (MDO) "cover"

Iron Fist: Phantom Limb #1 (MDO) CONTAINS THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS OF A BRAND NEW, DIGITAL-FIRST, IN-CONTINUITY SERIES! A darkness is spreading through New York  something evil that preys on those who believe in the supernatural and the occult. And when palm readers and fortune tellers start turning up dead, the situation catches the attention of Danny Rand, AKA THE IRON FIST! But this might be one paranormal problem too great for even Danny to take on alone... Written by Clay McLeod Chapman

Art by Guillermo Sanna

Cover art by Khoi Pham

Daughters of the Dragon #1 (MDO) "cover" by Andrew Robinson

Daughters of the Dragon #1 (MDO) A DOUBLE-SIZED Marvel Digital Original you don't want to miss! MISTY KNIGHT and COLLEEN WING have stolen the shows on Marvel's LUKE CAGE, IRON FIST and DEFENDERS on Netflix and now they have their own MDO series! This duo has been fighting crime as the Daughters of the Dragon for years but with Misty's new job with the FBI, does this mean the two are splitzies? NOT ON YOUR LIFE! A crazy adventure that Colleen initiates puts comics' two greatest ass-kickers on a collision course with a weird and scary side of the Marvel Universe that will have you on the edge of your seat. Written by Jed MacKay

Art by Travel Foreman

No release date was revealed for these titles. Now why didn't they call these Marvel Only Digital Original Komics?
Southern Pines, NC (28387)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low 53F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low 53F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
The former Silicon Valley executive brought in as GlaxoSmithKline's top scientist will this week set out his plan for producing more blockbuster drugs.

Dr Hal Barron, who became chief scientific officer at the pharmaceutical giant in January, is the former research and development president of Google-owned biotech firm Calico.

Sign of the times: Glaxo's chief executive Emma Walmsley, who has vowed to take the company back to its glory days

Glaxo's chief executive Emma Walmsley, who has vowed to take the company back to its glory days by focusing on science and innovation, will be hoping that the American can help revamp struggling research efforts at the FTSE 100 firm.

Barron, 56, also oversaw the development of hugely successful drugs while at Genentech and Roche, including asthma medication Xolair, cancer drugs Avastin and Kadcyla and vision-loss treatment Lucentis.

On Wednesday, Walmsley and Barron will update shareholders on the group's research strategy.

It comes just days after Glaxo was reportedly considering whether it could spin off its consumer arm  which develops popular over-the-counter products such as Beechams cold and flu relief and Sensodyne toothpaste  to focus on its pharmaceuticals and vaccine businesses.
Aerospace bosses fear a catastrophe if European giant Airbus makes good on its threat to scale back in the UK in the event of a hard Brexit.

The head of one of the firms leading small business suppliers said such a scenario would be devastating for the economy.

Mark Summers, managing director of Bristol-based AVPE, said a hard Brexit could be catastrophic for the industry and lead to the UK becoming a service-led economic entity with little or no manufacturing.

Warning: Theresa May and Airbus chief Tom Enders at Farnborough Air Show

At Farnborough International Airshow last week, Airbus  which employs 15,000 people in the UK  renewed warnings that it might reduce its operations in Britain.

Summers believes Brexit uncertainty has led to a hiatus, with big firms pausing on UK investment  and that this is having a knock-on effect down the supply chain.

He added: If theyre not investing, my confidence in investing is greatly reduced.

Other aerospace firms share Airbuss fears about losing frictionless trade with the EU, though many are reluctant to speak out.

They are worried too about UK firms being barred from working on the EUs Galileo satellite navigation system. Products made by British-based firms are also at risk of losing recognition under the European Aviation Safety Agency, which certifies they are environmentally sound and not dangerous.

A withdrawal by Airbus would have a major knock-on effect for the industry as a whole.

There is a symbiotic relationship between companies when theyre working at the very top of engineering  the more firms you have in a cluster, the better overall, said Peter Ruddock, UK boss of US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin.

He declined to comment on Airbus specifically, but said Lockheed  an employer of 2,000 in the UK  is optimistic.

Boeing, another US giant that employs 2,000 in this country, has also attempted to stay out of the UK public debate. European boss Sir Michael Arthur said: We in private tell [the government] what we need, they tell us what we need to hear, or theyre reassuring.

What is important to the whole aerospace industry is that parts in the supply chain move across the borders all the time.

So the whole industry wants to see a solution with relatively easy, free, frictionless trade.
The catastrophic failure of TSB's computer system has cost the bank more than 100 million, it will reveal this week.

Chief executive Paul Pester is due to present TSB's half-year results at the same time as parent bank Sabadell releases its own figures.

TSB will set out the full scale of the bill  including possible fines by City regulators, compensation for victims and the cost of hiring IBM to sort out the problem.

Fiasco: TSB chief executive Paul Pester's position at the helm is looking safer

The bank is also likely to indicate that fears of a customer exodus following the fiasco have not materialised. It is thought relatively few customers have left.

Pester's position at the helm was looking safer this weekend after earlier suggestions of a damaging split between the triathlete banker and TSB's Spanish owners.

Allies of Pester initially blamed Sabadell's IT division Sabis for the disaster, which saw more than a thousand people become the victims of fraud.

One supporter of Pester pointed the finger at 'a bunch of Spanish numpties'.

Sabadell sources played down any rift last week, saying its board was giving 'full support' to TSB's management.

Experts at broker RBC have previously calculated that a decision to waive overdraft fees and pay extra interest to retain customers will have cost TSB more than 40 million, while IBM and other external adviser costs would have come to 20 million. It estimated the bank would face a regulatory fine of 16 million.

RBC analyst Benjamin Toms said regulatory reviews 'will determine whether senior management of the bank, including the chief executive, will be forced to resign'.

The Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority are investigating.

The bank has hired law firm Slaughter and May to conduct an internal probe.
The boss of American-themed restaurant chain TGI Fridays has been given a 40 per cent pay rise despite protests and strike actions by employees over 'exploitative' practices on pay and tips.

Chief executive Karen Forrester is understood to have seen her remuneration package soar from 260,000 to 365,420.

Bonanza: TGI Fridays chief executive Karen Forrester was given a 40 per cent rise

Many staff are unhappy with a new policy of redistributing 40 per cent of tips paid by customers using cards to back-of-house staff including kitchen workers instead of giving them an increase in basic pay.

Employees, backed by the union Unite which accused the firm of exploiting workers, have been staging a series of walk-outs.

The private equity-owned company said last week: 'One hundred per cent of tips go to our team members.'

The company recorded a turnover of 216 million in the year to December 31, 2017, up from 211 million, while pre-tax profits dipped from 21 million to 20 million.
Sir,



One of the most negative, insidious and deadlist of humanitys frailty, which has brought untold misery to the human race since the dawn of creation, has been and still is intolerance.



Those who know their Bibles (not the spiritual pick pocketing tricksters who ply their trade under the guise of being men of God) can testify to the fact that intolerance began in the covetous and depraved mind of that serpent of old - Satan the devil - who became intolerant of Gods divine and sovereign right to rule over

His creation, rebelled against Gods authority and was thrown out of the hallowed halls of the heavenly courts, together with a third of his

cohorts - demons, now calling themselves ancestral spirits.



permissive attitude

Tolerance is described as a fair, objective and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, beliefs, practices, racial or ethnic origins etc, differ from ones own. As you and me are quite cognizant of this fact and have been victims of this infernal of human flaws at one time or another, none of us is immune from this Achilles heel of human weaknesses. Intolerance has resulted in numerous conflicts between individuals, nations, families, has been responsible for ethnic violence and a host of other miseries around the globe.



Come to think of it, I have even observed animals displaying intolerance on each other - an imperfection I thought was exclusively reserved for humans. For instance, if you watch documentaries on wildlife on television, have you noticed how for instance, lions growl, threaten and become aggressive towards each other, especially to their young during feeding time after a kill?



I am currently reading the history behind one of the most brutal and tragic effects of intolerance which resulted in the horrible massacre of close to 800 000 people during the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. It is said in a period of 100 days, Rwandans mostly of the Tutsi tribe, brutally lost their lives at the hands of members of the Hutus after a plane carrying president of the time Juvenal Habyarimana was shot down above Kigali Airport.

The current president Paul Kagame, was a rebel leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front at the time.



discrimination and intolerance

It is suspected he and his rebel group were responsible for the incident, but it was never proven. During the genocide, it is alleged bodies of massacred Tutsis, who it is



claimed have Ethiopian roots, were thrown into rivers by the killers who said they were sending them back to Ethiopia!

What brutality in the name of intolerance! Blame it on the discrimination and intolerance of the Tutsis was put on former colonialists, the Belgians, who regarded them superior and educated than the Hutus. After independence in 1962, the tables turned and Hutus became dominant - and intolerant of the previously advantaged Tutsis. The assassination of their president triggered a brutal chain of spine

chilling events which sadly culminated into the now historical genocide.

The reader might be scratching his or her head over what I am up to with this narrative about a dead and buried Rwandan history. It is an open secret that in this beautiful and scenic country of ours, one of the sickening national traits that run in our veins is intolerance, especially on the political landscape.



Brilliant minds

Dissenting voices are viewed with contempt and some of these voices have been incarcerated and put behind bars for exercising their freedom of expression; some of our brothers and sisters are in exile because of standing for what they perceived as truth. Brilliant minds like those of Judge Thomas Masuku are raising the judicial flag of foreign countries; brilliant academics and intellectuals are making it big in foreign countries because their skills were not tolerated, were a threat to those who got positions through grovelling.

The seeds of intolerance have even been planted in our future generation - our youth. Last year we incessantly warned our leaders of their folly of being intolerant of the rights of students, but they stubbornly turned a deaf ear. The result? Near anarchy in tertiary

institutions. We see ongoing and looming labour unrest, simmering under the facade of and illusionary peace. On the surface, our authorities may think all is blissful and rosy, but scratch beneath the veneer of calm, people are resentful at the lack of tolerance by our leadership to their cries of distress for meaningful progress in their lives.

Let us as a nation heeds the lessons of Rwanda and more recently Zimbabwe. Let us be tolerant of dissenting and differing views. Let us bring back our exiled sons and daughters who fled to neighbouring countries because of fear brought about by lack of tolerance by our

leadership. I am envious of Rwanda because as I read of their unity after the scars of the genocide, of their fledgling and vibrant economy which is becoming the envy of their African neighbours. Their strategy?



- Alex Nxumalo 76058449
MBABANE  The world is in an epoch where governments use of social media as a communication platform is no longer an option but a must.



However, the government of the Kingdom of Eswatini has been found to be one of only six United Nations member states that have not cuddled up to this communication phenomenon.



The era of #hashtags, throwbacks, emojis, WCWs, LOLs and many more has not been embraced by government as it does not have official presence either on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.



Eswatini is alongside Laos, Mauritania, Nicaragua, North Korea and Turkmenistan in countries that do not have official presence on, for one, the Twitter platform and, secondly, Facebook.



This is according to Twiplomacy - a preeminent global study of world leaders on social media conducted by BCW, which is a top-three and the first truly integrated global communications agency in the world.



951 twitter accounts

BCWs 2018 Twiplomacy study identified 951 Twitter accounts  372 personal and 579 institutional accounts  of heads of state and government and foreign ministers of 187 countries.



The study found that 97 per cent of all 193 UN member states had official presence on twitter while 93 per cent were on Facebook  the second most popular network among government leaders and where they have the biggest audience.



Instagram was found to have become the third most popular social network for governments and 81 per cent of all UN member states have set up an account, many of which are sharing daily Instagram stories.

Despite the apparent importance of these platforms to governments around the globe, the Eswatini government does not look even closer to utilising them.



Affirming this was Government Press Secretary Percy Simelane when asked on the reasons for not having an official presence on the platforms and whether government does not see these avenues as important to communicate with citizens and stakeholders.

He was also asked whether Cabinet ministers were barred from these platforms.



In response, Simelane said: The ground is not yet level for government to be in the platform in question in terms of policy, legal frameworks, cultural alignment and popular embracing.

Besides government, as an entity, being absent from social media, all but three Cabinet ministers in the outgoing administration also do not have a presence on the platform.
MBABANE  Loopholes have been noted in the way government disposes of its assets, especially when selling old vehicles through public auctions.



Concerned businesspeople told the Times SUNDAY that they had, for a long time, been keenly monitoring this process and noted that a lot was wrong.



First of all, they said the basis of their concerns was that the Swaziland Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (SPPRA) should be playing a major role in the whole process, but was being totally sidelined.



They argued that since government followed SPPRA procedures when buying assets or enlisting services, the same entity should be engaged and should regulate the disposal of these properties.



The entity that is of utmost concern to the business people is the Central Transport Administration, which is responsible for the fleet of government vehicles and is the one that disposes of them. It is a known fact that government does not have a qualified auctioneer except for individuals who have been conducting the auctions for quite some time now. This does not mean these people are qualified, stated one of the businessmen.



They said the practice of government engaging its own employees for the auctions also raised questions on transparency because the person doing the job could be manipulated by his bosses or colleagues who might want to purchase some of the assets being auctioned.

The identities of the businesspeople will not be revealed because they do work for government institutions and they fear victimisation should they be known.
MBABANE  There is divided legal opinion on the legality, or otherwise, of Cabinet ministers continued stay in office following the dissolution of Parliament.



On the one hand, there is a school of thought that believes the ministers term ended on June 30, 2018 when Parliament was dissolved.

On the other hand, there are those who hold that the ministers are constitutionally in office because their prolonged stay was pronounced at Sibaya - the highest policy and advisory council (Libandla) of the nation.



His Majesty King Mswati III, on June 20, at Ludzidzini Cattle Byre, announced that the 10th Parliament was being dissolved.

He said Cabinet ministers would, however, continue in office and look after government affairs until such a time when they would hand over everything to principal secretaries.



A senior legal expert said there was a problem with the ministers continued stay because it had no basis in law.

This is because you do not become a minister if you are not a Member of Parliament (MP). So, if Parliament has been dissolved, it means your tenure as minister has also come to an end because you are a minister by virtue of being a Member of Parliament.

The expert wondered how one could continue being a Cabinet minister after Parliament has been dissolved because that person has to be an MP first.





is constitution violated?

Section 68 (4) (c) provides that the office of a minister shall become vacant where the minister ceases to be a Member of Parliament.

He said not respecting this was a violation of the Constitution and the problem was that there were no longer legal practitioners who want to challenge such in court.



He said the whole Cabinet should have gone home after the Parliament dissolution and an individual be assigned to be acting prime minister to work with principal secretaries.



That person should not be a Cabinet minister or an MP. But for the ministers to be allowed to continue is strange because there is no backing of such a decision in the Constitution. This is my opinion, the expert stated and further observed: For me, the ministers are in office unconstitutionally and unlawfully because there is no instrument backing their stay.



He said before the Constitution came into force, His Majesty could allow ministers to continue after Parliament dissolution because he had the powers to do so.



He had the powers to form a Council of Ministers through Legislative Procedure Decree, which was provided by the 1973 Decree that gave the King legislative powers. At least then the law backed such a decision and the ministers were even allowed to make laws in a caretaker capacity. But now there are no such powers because, according to the Constitution, the King can only legislate through Parliament, he opined.



The expert quoted Section 106 of the Constitution, which states that subject to the provisions of the Constitution, the supreme legislative authority of Swaziland vests in the King-in- Parliament.

lawyer sees no problem with extended stay

Another senior attorney backed the experts views who also first noted that Cabinet ministers were appointed on the basis of them being MPs.

He said once the King dissolves Parliament in terms of Section 134 of the Constitution, then automatically Cabinet ministers also have to vacate office.

On the face of this section, they, in my opinion, are not supposed to be in office once Parliament has been dissolved. If section 134 (1) (b) is read together with section 134 (6), then the Cabinet ministers should have vacated office by now. But maybe some people may interpret the Constitution differently from me, the senior lawyer said.

Section 134 (1) (b) states that: The King may at any time dissolve Parliament and section 134 (6) says: Where Parliament is dissolved in terms of subsection (1) (b), the members of Parliament shall be deemed to have vacated office on the day but one of the first meeting of the House after the general election.

A different view that was offered by another senior lawyer is that there was no problem with the ministers extended stay because it was announced during Sibaya that they would continue and Parliament would be dissolved.

So they are not in office unconstitutionally or illegally because it was a pronouncement from the King at Sibaya to all Swazis. Section 232 states that Sibaya is the supreme Parliament of all Swazis. Thats the provision that keeps them in office. They are not continuing out of their whim but it was the appointing authority that told them to do so, the senior attorney said.

Section 232 (2) reads: The Sibaya is the Swazi National Council constituted by Bantfwabenkhosi, the tikhulu of the realm and all adult citizens gathered at the official residence of the Ndlovukazi under the chairmanship of iNgwenyama who may delegate this function to any official.

Section 232 (3) states: Sibaya functions as the annual general meeting of the nation but may be convened at anytime to present the views of the nation on pressing and controversial national issues.

The senior attorney added: They (ministers) have powers to execute administrative duties as ministers but do not have powers to legislate as members of Parliament. As MPs, they have ceased to exist but as Cabinet ministers, they continue existing but with limited powers, unlike when Parliament was in place.

But this was countered by another senior attorney who argued that when the king made this pronouncement, he had not convened an AGM but had called emaSwati to inform them that he was dissolving parliament.



extension has

no basis in law

He countered: You cant call an AGM where people dont have a say on the issue. My understanding is that the people should have a say but this time it was just to tell them. An AGM should have an agenda and then a decision taken. But dissolution of Parliament is not even a matter of an AGM but is provided for in the constitution. Assuming the King extended the period of Cabinet ministers, the question is what powers he used when he did that because there is no clause where it talks about extension of period once Parliament is dissolved. This means the ministers extension in office has no basis in law. They should have gone home with the rest of the MPs.

Attorney General Sifiso Khumalo sought to provide answers on the matter by stating that the Cabinet ministers were continuing in office at the pleasure of Ingwenyama (His Majesty the King).

He said the King can exercise his Executive powers either directly or through Cabinet ministers in terms of the Constitution.

He referred to Section 64, which, in sub-section (3) states that Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the King may exercise the executive authority either directly or through the Cabinet or a minister.

Thats why they are at the pleasure of the Ingwenyama; thats why they cant even make laws, the AG said.

A senior member of the judiciary said even though he had not given this matter serious thought, the constitution could, be used to come to a decision.

The constitution should not be violated with impunity. Its true that the dissolution of Parliament has a bearing on the status of Cabinet ministers, the senior member said.



system of governance not universal

He stated that the most worrying thing was that at this time, some of the ministers were making serious decisions that are cast in stone; that one cannot change.

What then if they take major decisions that generally should be taken by Parliament? What happens if an affected person challenges the decision in court and that decision is nullified by the court? It does give problems because our system of governance is not universal and there are loopholes and we are still in the process of testing these in court. This is a matter that is of interest to the public, the judicial expert said.

An example was made about the ongoing impasse involving the Minister of Housing and Urban Development Phiwayinkhosi Mendy Mabuza, Mbabane Council CEO Gideon Mhlongo and the councillors.

The minister has threatened to extend the contract of Mhlongo if the councillors fail to renew the CEOs contract. Should the minister eventually take this decision, it could be challenged in court and the councillors could argue that the minister was in office illegally when he did this. Responding to this, the AG said this could be a matter for argument, but if it wasnt for the Kings pleasure, the ministers should not be in office by now.

Its an arguable issue (that of ministers taking serious decisions) but I cannot pre-empt it because Im the AG and in the event it comes up in future, it may demand my attention. But its a matter for argument, Khumalo said.

He reminded that the ministers cannot take decisions of a huge magnitude because Parliament was not in place.

Khumalo also reminded that the present era was different from the past, before the advent of the constitution, when the Cabinet ministers, after dissolution of parliament, could make laws as a council of ministers.
MBABANE  The events of the past four months at the troubled Municipal Council of Mbabane have opened a can of worms.



Apart from the alleged division among the capital citys councillors, serious accusations and counter accusations of bribery and scheming have emerged as the discussions on whether or not to renew CEO Gideon Mhlongos contract rage on.



The names of at least six councillors (identities known to this publication) have been bandied about as having been key players in lobbying others either for or against the renewal of the contract which expires next week Tuesday, July 31.



Some of these councillors (names deliberately withheld) are alleged to have first been in one camp before later changing camps to join the other group of councillors.



This is contained in a report submitted to council by Director Corporate Services Bongani Dlamini in his capacity as the then Acting CEO. He was exercising powers enshrined in Section 27 of the Urban Government Act of 1969, which gives the Town Clerk or CEO powers to report elements of omission or maladministration, by either committee members of councillors, to the council. Last week, the report was discussed during a council in Committee meeting chaired by Mayor Zephaniah Nkambule.



This section of the law compels the town clerk or CEO to, within seven days after the date for which such meeting was convened, forward the report together with the resolution thereon, to the minister.

Councillor A bribed Councillor B with an amount of E1 000 and asked him to vote for (deliberately edited), reads the report.

It also alleges that another councillor, who had since changed camps, approached some of his colleagues with the view to persuade them to support their move for (deliberately edited).



Councilors A and B were handsomely awarded for having changed and supported (deliberately edited). The first one received money and paid cash for his lounge suit while the other received about E8 000 to pay for his car (make of car withheld to protect his identity) repair costs and his driveway upgraded, the report adds.



The bribery allegations were reportedly recorded during the committee sitting and they were brought to the attention of all the council members. It is alleged that it was the very committee members who wanted all their sessions recorded, including the bribery allegations, because they felt they were not just factual but were the cause of the impasse on the CEOs contract renewal issue.

Last week, some councillors confided to this publication that the bribery allegations were discussed during the Council in Committee meeting where a recommendation to bring an outside investigator on the issues was made.



MESSAGE BY EMBATTLED CEO

Another source said the report also included a message, alleged to have been sent by the embattled CEO, to the mayor, alerting him about some councillors who were alleged to have been caught lobbying parliamentarians to oppose the directive by the minister on the contract renewal. The lobbying, it is alleged, took place in Ezulwini.

The source went on to point to the motion that was moved in parliament to oust the incumbent CEO as having been a result of this lobbying.

It has emerged that at the height of the bribery allegations, there were those who, pursuant to an alleged motive to frustrate the engagement aimed at renewing the contract, sabotaged the sittings by walking out of the council meeting.

This reportedly happened just when the issue was the next on the council agenda.

The observation by the report is that the council did little to bring to order the committee tasked with engaging the CEO but, instead, allegedly behaved in a way that smacked of a calculated and surreptitious act consequential of maladministration.

At its tail-end, the report therefore called upon the council to decide on whether there was commitment from the committee it appointed to engage with the view to renew the CEOs contract. It further implored the council to consider its integrity issues by taking the appropriate action to stop the maladministration.

Moreover, it also placed on the lap of the council responsibility to act on the serious allegations that bordered on criminality.

One of the councillors fingered in the report disclosed that issues of bribery were discussed during the Council in Committee meeting chaired by Mayor Zephaniah Nkambule where a resolution was taken regarding the matter.

Nkambule could only confirm that the two issues; the CEOs contract renewal and the allegations of bribery, were subjects of a Council in Committee meeting which could not be elaborated upon until they have been finalised.

You can only help me by clearly stating that I am not mandated to speak about them at this stage. Once everything has been finalised, we will definitely comment, he said.

The mayors sentiments were echoed by another councillor who was fingered for alleged sabotage and bribery. The councillor, though confirming that the matter was a subject for Council in Committee, said he was not in a position to break the ethical code of conduct by divulging what was said.

I am not afraid of what was said, but I am ethically bound not to say anything at this stage on a matter that is a subject of the Council in Committee. I hope though that everything will eventually come out, the councillor said. However, there was one councillor who did confide to this publication that when the matter was engaged during the Council in Committee meeting, they recommended that an outside investigator be brought to determine if the allegations of bribery were authentic.

Another councillor said a number of people were mentioned in the whole bribery debacle, but the feeling of council was that there was no tangible proof to pursue them, unless an outside body was appointed to look into the issues.

Meanwhile, Minister of Housing and Urban Development Phiwayinkhosi Mabuza said he had not been in the office to know anything about this issue or even the council resolution on his directive to have them engage the CEO on a new contract.



CORRESPONDENCE FROM COUNCIL

I have been told that there was a correspondence from the council, which I hope to see next week when I return to office, he said.

This therefore means that all eyes will be on the minister next week to see how he was going to handle both cases. The councillors have since written to the minister, telling him that they would not be able to meet his deadline on his directive to have them engage the CEO on a three-year contract.

The minister had earlier indicated that failure by the councillors would lead to him exercising his powers to grant Mhlongo a five-year deal with the city. This was after a May 25, 2018 resolution by the councillors not to renew the CEOs contract, citing that he was now too expensive for the city to maintain.

They also added his frosty relationship with both the ratepayers and councillors as another factor for not renewing the contract. The minister objected to all their reasons, pointing the councillors to what he said was a healthy balance sheet that allowed them to give the CEO up to E1.4 million per year.

The latest report, therefore, details the alleged scheming during the turbulent period of negotiating the CEOs contract.

Both the committee tasked with the negotiation and the council at large were found to have acted in a way that frustrated the core task of engaging the CEO on a new contract.

Their conduct, according to the report, made it impractical to implement a resolution to reengage the CEO in lieu of the ministerial order.

The ministerial order culminated from a resolution of the council to opt not to renew Mhlongos contract when it expires next week.

The battle for the soul of the CEO has been a well-documented event in the Municipal Council of Mbabane since the end of March when he wrote to council as per the terms of his now expiring five-year contract, notifying them about his intentions to have it renewed.

The terms gave the CEO a period of three months before the expiry of the contract to express his desire to continue or to be allowed to leave.

On the other hand, it gave the council at least six months before the expiry date to indicate their desire to renew or to let him go. However, the council had not exercised the provisions enshrined in the terms and conditions of the CEOs contract.

Councillors are said to have taken interest on the nature of his contract and appointed a team to look into it.

The team came back with recommendations that the issue be investigated and suspected that there were glaring irregularities. Another point they want investigated is whether his contract should be renewed at all, given that he will be hitting 60 years during the course of this year.



SECOND SPELL AT HELM

He is currently on his second spell at the helm of the capital city having replaced the late long serving Town Clerk Ray Sibandze. Mhlongos first spell was ended by 2002 Commission of Enquiry instituted by former Minister of Housing and Urban Development Stella Lukhele, which resulted in Mhlongos dismissal in absentia. He challenged his sacking at the Industrial Court in 2007/08 and at the time former Legal Advisor Felix Matsebula was installed as CEO.

Mhlongo then resigned, but he then bounced back to head the city in June 2010 when another former minister Pastor Lindiwe Dlamini endorsed him as the Chief Executive Officer of the Municipal Council of Mbabane.






By Trend





The Turkish Air Force killed 8 terrorists as part of the operation in northern Iraq, conducted against PKK July 20-21, the Turkish General Staff said in a message.

The operation to eliminate the terrorists was conducted in the Avashin Baysan and Zap districts.

The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has lasted more than 25 years, claiming more than 40,000 lives. The PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by the UN and the EU.
DMCC, a leading free zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise, has signed an agreement with Chinas Royal Fund Investments (RFI) to bolster bilateral trade relations between DMCC and a growing Chinese business community.



Ahmed Bin Sulayem, executive chairman of DMCC and Guolong Ma, CEO, RFI signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) MoU at DMCCs headquarters Almas Tower in Dubai, UAE.



DMCC takes pride in collaborating with RFI in seeking out new ways for businesses to flourish by keeping doors to trade open. As a result of our new relationship with RFI, we have already met with businesses and government entities in Beijing last week, with more to come. The initiatives outlined in this MoU serve as a launch pad for Chinese businesses looking to grow in Dubai and beyond, said Ahmed Bin Sulayem.



The MoU commits both parties to connect and provide attractive business solutions for Chinese corporates looking to set up in Dubai and the DMCC Free Zone; raise awareness around potential investment opportunities in DMCCs much anticipated Uptown Dubai district; as well as awareness of the Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange (DGCX) products available to market including Shanghai Gold Futures and Shariah Spot gold contracts.



Guolong Ma said: There is a strong synergy between RFI and DMCC when it comes to our commitment to boosting business activities along the Belt & Road corridor. DMCC is a strong partner and we look forward to bringing the activities outlined in our MoU to life together.



DMCC hosts over 15,000 member companies in its Free Zone, including a growing number of leading Chinese firms such as Hisense; Hikvision; China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation (CPECC); China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec); China Harbour Engineering Company, Power Construction Corporation of China and CHEMCHINA. Chinese company registrations in DMCC have risen at an average annual growth rate of 46 per cent in the last five years.



DMCC has ramped up activity in China significantly. Last year, DMCCs Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange (DGCX) was the first foreign exchange to list Shanghai Gold Futures outside of China. Ahead of the DMCC Coffee Centre due to launch later this year, DMCC signed a strategic supply agreement with MCH and Yunnan State Farms, and last month, DMCC signed a knowledge transfer agreement with Meishan, representing the Ningbo Province.  TradeArabia News Service
Dubai FDI, the investment development agency of Dubai Economy Department (DED), recently held a meeting with high-level Egyptian delegates from the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones.



Dubai FDI, the investment development agency of Dubai Economy Department (DED), recently held a meeting with high-level Egyptian delegates from the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones aiming to bolster Dubais business and investment ties with Egypt.



During the discussions held in Dubai, both parties tackled the volume of foreign investments coming into the city as a result of the governments intensive efforts to create a business-friendly environment and enact important socio-economic policies.



Dubai FDI also took the opportunity to explain its mandate and role in creating a business-appropriate landscape to attract international companies and help stimulate capital growth.



Khalid Al Boom, deputy CEO of Dubai FDI, said that Dubai and Egypts joint efforts and deepening relations are a major boost to the governments initiative to make Dubai one of the most sustainable and competitive business hubs in the world. Al Boom also said that the visit would further reinforce government-to-government ties and promote sharing of knowledge of expertise.



He noted that the current favourable business environment would further push a new phase of economic and investment cooperation between the two countries to help realize their growth and development goals.



"We at Dubai FDI are fully committed to continue on the path towards success and optimize Dubais transformation and potentials to make the emirates one of the most stable economy in the Middle East and the world, he concluded.



The Egyptian delegates learned about local business, government, and legislative processes and procedures as well. Dubai FDI officials also discussed promising business opportunities and key services that are benefitting foreign companies operating in the emirate.



The Dubai Government has rolled out a comprehensive program to help foreign companies interested in starting their business in the city to ensure their profitability and success.



The foreign officials also toured the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre and the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority as part of their visit during which they learned about the institutions best practices, development strategies, main service offerings, and major investment opportunities.  TradeArabia News Service
The American University of Ras Al Khaimah (Aurak) and the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) of the Republic of Kazakhstan have signed an agreement to exchange students, faculty, and research.



The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Aurak president Professor Hassan Hamdan Al Alkim, and the KazNU rector, Professor Galimkair Mutanov.



The MoU aims to promote educational and scientific cooperation, which would be facilitated through the exchange of students and faculty, as well as collaboration in research. The newly-signed agreement also provides a basis for cultural exchange between the UAE and the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as the possibility for even closer academic ties between the two institutions, through dual degree programmes.



Dr Lee Waller, Aurak dean of Student Success and Enrolment Management, said: The celebrated signing between Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and American University of Ras Al Khaimah will increase collaboration between these two highly respected international universities and open the door of opportunity for the peoples of both nations.



Both Aurak and Al-Farabi Kazakh National University will experience student success fostered from the collaborations of this partnership.



Prof Hassan said: "In Al-Farabi Kazakh National University we have an esteemed collegiate cohort which will bolster the educational experience for our students with ample opportunities to advance them both in their studies and in making international connections.



At present Aurak has a range of international partners across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America, opening a wide spectrum of possibilities to students including exchange and study abroad programmes for up to one year, as well as shorter summer sessions.  TradeArabia News Service
The Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma) and the Institute for Standardisation of Serbia (ISS) recently signed a cooperation agreement in Belgrade, a media report said.



The memorandum of understanding (MoU) refers to issues such as cooperation in the field of standardisation at the international and national level, cooperation and exchange of experience in the field of certification of management systems, products and personnel, collaboration in the field of information technologies, training, etc., reported Emirates news agency Wam.



The signing of this memorandum represents a step towards cooperation between the national institutions of the Republic of Serbia and the United Arab Emirates.



Abdullah Al Maeeni, director-general of Esma, said the agreement paves the way for conformity and alignment of standardisation in both countries for improving quality of commodities and products.



Emirati and Serbian officials discussed the possibility of concluding another two MoUs on halal certification and the Emirates National Accreditation System (ENAS).
The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) revealed that $518 million worth of fertilisers were exported by the Arab region to Brazil during the first six months of 2018.



According to ABCC, the high quantity of fertilisers exported from the Arab region into Brazil demonstrated the strong ties maintained by countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Egypt among others.



Kuwait exported $58.64 million worth of fertilisers to Brazil, Saudi Arabia $48.13 million, while UAE exported $42.87 million. Egypt achieved $32.53 million and Bahrain posted $24.88 million, said a statement from the chamber.



The vibrant export activity also reflects Brazil's keenness towards working closely with countries within the Arab region, it added.



Michel Alaby, secretary general and chief executive officer, ABCC, said: We are proud to announce that the Arab world exported a total of $518 million worth of fertilisers to Brazil.



Most Arab countries performed excellently during the first six months of 2018. Brazil continues to express its commitment towards working closely with countries in the Arab world in order to help increase mutual trade across all markets, including fertilisers, he concluded.  TradeArabia News Service
China's Silk Road Fund will acquire a 24.01 per cent equity interest in the 700-MW Dewa concentrated solar power (CSP) project in the UAE, Acwa Power, a leading developer and operator of power generation plants and an investor in the project, said.

A deal to this effect was signed in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping; UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The agreement was signed by Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), and Yanzhi Wang, president of the Silk Road Fund.

Dewa CSP Project will be now jointly invested and developed by Dewa, Silk Road Fund, and Acwa Power.

The Dewa CSP project, which was awarded to an Acwa Power-led consortium in 2017, is the 4th phase of the Mohamed bin Rashid Solar Park, the largest single-site concentrated solar power plant in the world.

The project uses a state-of-the-art combination of a central tower and parabolic trough technologies to collect energy from the sun, store it in molten salt and produce steam as required to generate electricity during the day and throughout the night.

The project is projected to deliver electricity at a levelised tariff of 7.30 US cents per kilowatt-hour 24 hours a day, a cost level that competes with fossil fuel generated electricity without subsidy for reliable and dispatchable solar energy around the clock. The plant will support the Dubai Clean Energy strategy 2050 to increase the share of clean energy in Dubai to 25 per cent by 2030, and is expected to provide an annual saving of 2.4 million tonnes of CO2.

Silk Road Fund is a market-oriented, international and professional medium to long-term development and investment institution. It invests in a broad spectrum of sectors under the framework of the Belt and Road initiative including infrastructure, energy resources, industrial capacity cooperation and financial cooperation.

Paddy Padmanathan, chief executive officer of Acwa Power, said: The introduction of a new investor into the Dewa CSP is absolutely in line with Acwa Powers established strategy of sharing investments with value adding partners who will in turn bolster our projects. We could not have found a more capable partner than Silk Road Fund to complement Dewa and us on what is the largest single renewable energy project underway in the world today.

This co-investment also is in keeping with our investment strategy of efficiently deploying our own capital to retain a meaningful level of equity interest in each project that is sufficient to permit us to be the long-term investor with de facto control over the investment and for us to remain focused on reliably delivering electricity and desalinated water at low cost.

Rajit Nanda, chief investment officer of Acwa Power, said: I am delighted that we have reached an agreement to introduce an investor of the quality and international reputation of the Silk Road Fund.

This investment is a testimony to the strong track record Acwa Power has already demonstrated as a reliable and responsible project developer and operator. - TradeArabia News Service
Family and multi-generational travel is a rapidly expanding tourist segment within the global tourism industry, especially in the Middle East, with a number of Saudis willing to explore new destinations outside their comfort zones, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.



Konstantina Boutsioukou, a travel and tourism analyst at GlobalData, commented: Family trips dominate outbound travel from the GCC. For instance, in Saudi Arabia family travel accounts for 73.1 per cent of international departures, a fact that highlights the great opportunities for businesses willing to target this cohort.



Saudi travellers typically stay within the Middle East. Bahrain, the UAE and Jordan are the three most visited destinations. Jordan, realising the potential that lies in family travel, has effectively tapped into this trend by diversifying its tourism offering to match the needs of these visitors.



Boutsioukou said: Visits to historical heritage sites such as Petra, Wadi Rum and the Gulf of Aqaba add an educational aspect to trips. Families can combine a cultural trip with a sun and beach holiday where they can relax in the seaside resorts of the Red Sea and enjoy the areas nature and milder climate. The political stability and security, as well as the shared language, religion and values, have also played an important role in the popularity of Jordan among Saudis.



GlobalDatas report: Tourism Source Market Insights: Gulf Cooperation Council states that though the GCC countries make up only 12.6 per cent of the total population of the Middle East, they comprise 64.2 per cent of the total international departures from the region, a fact that highlights the importance and potential of the countries of the Arabian Peninsula as a global tourism source market. Furthermore, Qataris and Kuwaitis are topping the global list of average outbound expenditure per resident.



There are substantial opportunities for businesses outside the Middle East to tap into the growing GCC tourist market. Given the importance that most Muslim GCC residents place on their religion, respecting their faith, showing an understanding of their culture and trying to cater for their specific needs is essential for businesses willing to target this market.



Boutsioukou added: Hoteliers, tour operators and food service businesses can provide prayer mats and the direction of Qibla (prayer direction) as well as include halal food and special buffets during Ramadan and not offer alcohol."



Furthermore, respecting the desire of travellers to be physically close to their family members, even if this means staying on the same floor or in adjacent rooms in a hotel, businesses can ensure that they are creating a friendly and accepting environment that will make their visitors feel at ease, despite substantial differences in culture and social norms, she said. - TradeArabia News Service
Upon request of several member states, including the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany, and authorized by the Government of Jordan, the United Nations received 422 Syrian citizens from southern Syria who are at risk and seeking asylum and solutions in above mentioned countries.

While in Jordan, UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, in close collaboration with the involved governments, is supporting their temporary stay in anticipation of their onward relocation to third countries. UNHCR appreciates the generosity of the Jordanian Government and people for temporarily hosting them.
A man killed, 3 injured after car hit a tempo 25 Oct 2021 | 10:57 PM New Delhi, Oct 25 (UNI) A man was killed and three injured after a car rammed into a tempo at outer Ring Road near Bhairo Mandir on Monday. see more..

NCB zonal director Wankhede in Delhi 25 Oct 2021 | 10:54 PM New Delhi, Oct 25 (UNI) Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede, who cracked the cruise drug case allegedly involving actor Shah Rukh Khans son Aryan Khan, reached Delhi on Monday evening. see more..

Facebook has become 'mouthpiece' of BJP: Cong leader Khera 25 Oct 2021 | 10:44 PM New Delhi, Oct 25 (UNI) Congress leader Pawan Khera on Monday accused Facebook of acting as an ally of the ruling BJP and pushing its agenda, and demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the matter. see more..

DFC, Biological E finalise financing arrangement for Quad vaccine initiative 25 Oct 2021 | 10:30 PM Hyderabad, Oct 25 (UNI) Taking forward the Quad initiative on vaccines agreed to during the in-person summit in September, the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and Biological E. Limited on Monday unveiled the expansion of Biological E.s vaccine manufacturing facility in Hyderabad and finalized a US government financing arrangement formalizing $50 million to expand the companys capacity to produce COVID-19 vaccines. see more..
By Anish Singh

New Delhi, July 22 (UNI) After numerous ups and downs for 8-long years, the much awaited 29.2km Damchu  Chukha Road constructed with an overall cost of Rs 287 crore was formally opened for public.

Bhutanese Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay has inaugurated the road built by Project Dantak.

At the inaugural function, the prime minister symbolically untied the ceremonial knot and declared the road open.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Tobgay said, He was reminded of those times in Bhutan before 1968 when Phuentsholing  Thimphu highway did not exist and it would take people five days on foot to reach Thimphu from Phuentsholing.

The construction of Phuentsholing  Thimphu highway by Dantak in 1968 marked the end of centuries of self-imposed isolation of Bhutan and since then it has become Bhutans economic corridor, he added.

While complimenting the Project Dantak, the prime minister said that though formal diplomatic relations between Bhutan and India commenced in 1968 but the Dantak was already working in Bhutan since 1961.

In the context of the ongoing celebrations to mark 50 years of Bhutan  India friendship he said, Let this road be a reminder to celebrate our friendship. Lets showcase the world how beautiful the relationship between Bhutan and India is.

Director General Border Roads Lt Gen Harpal Singh said, The new road will help Bhutan in reduction of overall carbon footprint.

The overall construction cost was borne by the Indian government as part of Project Tied Assistance (PTA) to the Bhutanese government, an official said.

The idea of overall widening of Phuentsholing  Thimphu highway was conceived by Dantak in 2006 and the work on this road was planned as a green field alignment to reduce overall distance as well as obviate the winding road and relatively tiring climb up to Chapcha at 8000 feet, the official said.

However, the physical construction of the road was commenced in March 2010.

But it got affected due to rugged terrain and tough weather conditions.

Dantak engineers had to contend with perpetual slides at several locations that posed challenges to stabilize the formation. The personnel also battled through over 2500 meters of hard rock and undertake work on three bridges at locations that had no direct access.

The final breakthrough was achieved in August 2017 after over eight months of concentrated efforts by the entire Project Team with upto 15 excavators working simultaneously besides other machinery and more than 800 men at peak output. With relentless effort thereafter the remaining works were completed and road prepared for its opening, the official added.

The new road is expected to reduce the travel time between Phuntsholing-Thimphu by one hour and reduce the journey by around 19.5 km of steep uphill driving.

UNI ASH ADG 2008
Vietnam Airlines reschedules flights to/from Shanghai due to storm

Accordingly, the airline will move the departing and landing times at the airport for four flights to after 20:00 (Shanghai time) on July 22 as required by the airports authorities. The affected flights are VN522, VN523, VN530 and VN531 between Hanoi/ Ho Chi Minh City and Shanghai.

The carrier will continue to follow weather conditions and update passengers on further flight schedule adjustments.

It recommends passengers who intend to travel to or from Pudong airport in Shanghai follow the storms movement and the carriers latest announcement via http://www.vietnamairlines.com, its booking agents nationwide or call its hotline 19001100.
Yen Bai: At least 10 found dead in floods

Many areas in Yen Bai province have been seriously flooded over the past days

As of 9am of July 21, floods had claimed 10 lives, injured 11 and left eight other missing.

While nearly 3,900 houses have been damaged with 97 of them collapsing or being washed away, more than 1,900ha of crops have been destroyed and over 1,200 head of livestock and poultry have been killed.

Downpours and flooding have also devastated 260ha of aquatic farming in Tran Yen and Yen Binh districts, Nghia Lo town and Yen Bai city.

Landslides have happened along several irrigation works and roads. Meanwhile, contact with some localities in Yen Bai has lost as floods broke electricity and telecom facilities.

Almost 700 households in vulnerable areas of the province have been evacuated to safer places.

Damage is initially estimated at some 200 billion VND (8.7 million USD).

Facing the heavy losses, Yen Bai has mobilised more than 17,000 people to search for the missing and address flood consequences.

Aside from the provinces financial and rice aid, the Vietnam Red Cross Central Committee also decided to provide money and basics worth 216 million VND (9,400 USD) in total for flood victims in the province.

On July 20, a working group of the central steering committee for disaster prevention and control, search and rescue inspected the settlement of flood impact in Van Chan district.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Van Thang, deputy head of the committees standing board, sent sympathies to the province and asked it to be more active in dealing with flood consequences and evacuating residents in vulnerable areas to minimise human and property losses.-
Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool 2 Photo: Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox/Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

Heading into Saturdays Deadpool 2 panel at Comic-Con, the burning question was whether studio distributor Fox would use its self-congratulatory Hall H engagement to announce future plans for the Merc with a mouth vis a vis other X-Men offshoots  a planned X-Force movie or reveal any sneak peak footage from the studios upcoming X-Men: Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants, which have undergone significant reshoots and delays. With Deadpool multi-hyphenate Ryan Reynolds receiving a heros welcome in the hall, appearing alongside director David Leitch, co-stars Zazie Beetz, Brianna Hildebrand and Stefan Kapicic, and co-writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick to celebrate the films $729 million worldwide box-office haul, alas, nary a mention of any other X-Man was made aside from Reynolds joking that he had a vision board of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in various states of repose in his home. (A placard for the Vanisher, the invisible character portrayed in cameo by Brad Pitt in Deadpool 2, was also jokingly placed in front of an unoccupied microphone on the stage.)

Instead, the group took the opportunity to thank fans and hype the films DVD, which is filled with bloopers, deleted and alternate scenes and is titled, according to Reynolds, the Deadpool 2: The Super Duper Thunder Fuck Edition. Everything on this movie was done on committees, Reynolds said. You sit around and think Whats going to work? Whats not going to work? We do so many alts, so many alternate takes, its one of the few times I cant wait for a DVD because every joke is different. You can basically make a different film. Some of those changes are for time. Some is for content. Some is just too fucking nuts to show. Wed go to hell and get in trouble with our moms.

The panel also screened several alt-takes included on the DVD and one fairly shocking deleted scene that closed out the event. In an expanded version of the films post-credit sequence in which Deadpool takes Cables time travel device and sets off to close out the timeline by righting previous wrongs such as saving his girlfriend Vanessa from an assassins bullet and murdering Ryan Reynolds as he reads the script for Warner Bros. 2011 Green Lantern, Deadpool shows up in a neonatal hospital ward. He approaches an old time-y incubator and says, This is a toughie. Seeing the baby inside he remarks, Oh, youre practicing the hate salute. Then: This is so hard, oh, Im going to hell. Weve got to do it  this is crazy, this is crazy, this is crazy!

Although clearly conflicted, the character reaches down and from the babys POV we see his hands outstretched to strangle the child. The camera cuts to a name card on the exterior of the incubator that reads: A. Hitler.
David Lynch. Photo: Suzanne Tenner/SHOWTIME

When Twin Peaks came to Comic-Con last year, David Lynch was not in attendance, but he did send an appropriately strange video message along to thank fans for watching the show. This year, as you might have guessed, Lynch missed the convention once again, but since he loves his Peaks faithful he did relay another greeting via the shows executive producer, Sabrina Sutherland. There wasnt a video, but Sutherland read a series of texts to the audience that said, I am working with Phillip Jeffries to see if I can get there. Twin Peaks fans are the best fans. I got my days mixed up and Im going to be there yesterday if not sooner. Its slippery in here. In the Red Room, special agent Dale Cooper has already won the Emmy.

In an alternate Comic-Con timeline, Lynch is probably on the stage right now taking fan questions, with absolutely no intention of answering them.
JD Pardo and the cast of Mayans MC. Photo: Prashant Gupta/FX

Sons of Anarchy fans who have been eagerly anticipating FXs spinoff Mayans MC have had ample reason to wonder about the two series overlap. A teaser trailer released earlier this month features Mayans star J.D. Pardo pausing at the roadside grave of Sons lead Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam), stoking the tantalizing possibility that other characters and plot lines could be carried over from the long-running show that ended in 2014. At a packed Hall H panel before some 5,000 people on Sunday, the actor Emilio Rivera, who portrayed the leader of a Northern California chapter of the Mayans on five seasons of Sons, appeared on stage alongside the new shows principal cast, director and co-creators indicating that he indeed has made the jump from one series to the other.

But Sons of Anarchy creator/Mayans MC co-creator Kurt Sutter made clear that over the course of Mayans first season (if not its first three) the plan was to avoid bringing any other Sons into the mix. The show takes place in real time post-Jax Teller, Sutter said. Im very protective of that mythology and how that ended. I want to leave in the minds of the fans how that club continued. Right now theres no intersecting stories that will interfere with that. Sons was a big world. There were a lot of peripheral players and charters. Thats the nature of the world; there is a relationship between the Mayans and the Sons. Well see those points of intersection this season and throughout the series as well. But its a balance. I want to acknowledge that world and find opportunities to circle that again. And yet, I dont want to abuse it.

The sprawling panel  which also featured co-creator/executive producer Elgin James, director Norberto Barba, and cast members Pardo, Edward James Olmos, Clayton Cardenas, Sarah Bolger, Carla Baratta, Michael Irby, Raoul Max Trujillo, Antonio Jaramillo, Richard Cabral, Frankie Loyal, Danny Pino, Joseph Lucero and Vincent Vargas  kicked off with a tease of the first 13 minutes of the pilot episode. Spoilers to Follow: We are introduced to EZ Reyes (Pardo) a twentysomething Harley-riding prospect with ambitions to become a full-fledged member of Mayans MC, a biker gang that has set up shop in a fictional California border town called Santa Padre. In a sweat shop factory manufacturing pastel-colored quinceanera dresses, we see the club members packaging heroin with a special mananitos stamp  which translates to little hands, implicit shout out to President Trumps border wall. The drugs are hidden in the dresses and loaded onto a truck. And its decided that EZ will accompany a Vegas shipment as added muscle.

Driving across town, however, EZ has a flashback while passing in front of his old high school. Eight years earlier, we are shown, he was enrolled at Stanford University and deeply in love with his high school sweetie Emily (Bolger). EZ visits his father Felipe (Olmos) with whom he discusses poetry and slips a package bearing mysterious coordinates. But when EZs older brother Angel (Cardenas) arrives, the two become circumspect. Do you think he knows anything? Olmos character asks.

Dont worry about it pop, Pardo replies.

In the next sequence the Mayans shipment is dramatically intercepted by another gang that ambush the truck, shooting and injuring several Mayans members before making their escape. EZ observes one of the gunmens telltale tattoo, setting the stage for some future confrontation.

When the footage concluded, moderator Lynette Rice asked Sutter why it had taken four years for this spinoff show to reach the air. The show creator made oblique reference to his Wales-set historical drama The Bastard Executioner that ran for one season on FX, generating lackluster ratings and dismal reviews before Sutter himself decided to pull the plug. I thought it would be goo dot make a medieval drama, the show runner said with a laugh. Even when this show was on the table as the IP moving forward, we knew we didnt want to do it on the heels of Sons. We didnt know what the shelf life of Bastard ex would be. The timing ended up being pretty good. The process of [Mayans] took place about two years later. I enjoyed Bastard. It was crazy going from writing this kind of drama to fucking iambic pentameter. And now here I am with all these dirty motherfuckers!

On that note, a majority of the cast members as well as Mayans executive producer/co-creator Elgin James admitted they had been in the life before working on the show. And Sutter dusted off a remark he first made at the ATX Television Festival last month, reiterating that this cast has done more jail time than screen time.

Its not like I began my casting process in County, he continued. Authentic characters are important to me. I also quite selfishly the energy of those men and women who know that they probably shouldnt be there, that they should probably be someplace much darker. The opportunity to reinvent themselves  you cant bottle that gratitude. You cant ask for anything more powerful than that. Its magic on set.

The showrunner has also previously said he doesnt want Mayans to feel like a Latino version of Sons of Anarchy. And toward that end, Sutter explained that women comprise a majority of his writers room and the creative team is primarily Latino. Im surrounding myself with people who understand that culture and can tell that story, he said. Its very different from the white clubs. In the Latino MCs theyre very influenced by their heritage and their own culture. In our club that takes place on the border, theyre very influenced by the low rider culture of East L.A. Thats a big part of the show that Im very excited about.

But when asked by an audience member during the Q&A if viewers can expect to see women finally sitting astride Harleys on the show, Sutter responded in the negative, knowing full well he was about to voice an opinion unpopular with the hall. To me, thats about authenticity, Sutter explained. If it would be part of the sub culture, it would be part of the show. In those outlaw clubs, there are no women members. It doesnt mean we wont see women riding in the show. But not in the club.
Every year, Comic-Con provides a days-long extravaganza of anticipation for all the film and television youll be champing at the bit to see for the next several months. Below are all the major trailers that debuted at this years SDCC, including a very spooky Glass, a very silly Shazam!, and just about everything in-between. Grab some popcorn and enjoy, keeping in mind all of those scattered premiere dates.

Glass

Like Phillys own Arkham Asylum, M. Night Shyamalans latest brings together the supermen of Split and Unbreakable in one psychiatric hospital. Sarah Paulsons Dr. Staple has her work cut out for her, especially since she seems to think her three charges are delusional about their powers. Woe unto her come January 2019.

Aquaman

Much to our appreciation, the DC Universe has finally found its funny-bone. Jason Momoas fish-man, backed by a Riverdale-red Amber Heard, a Malfoy-blonde Patrick Wilson, a normal-haired Dolph Lundgren, and Nicole Kidman (!!) will lead you on this under-the-sea adventure due out in December.

Shazam!

Shazam! [Checks body for physical transformation.] Ah, damn. Enjoy the misadventures of DCs silly Shazam! anyway, which amusingly follows a bullied tween whos granted the power to transform into a buff, spandex-clad do-gooder (Zachary Levi, in a great costume) just by shouting that s-word. This ones coming in April 2019.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Damn, you thought that Demogorgon were bad, Millie Bobby Brown? Enter stage right, sky-scraper lizard monster. Our Stranger Things heroine gets to fight alongside the iconic duo of Vera Farmiga and Sally Hawkins to bring Godzilla down for good, but we have a feeling hes not going down without a huge fight. May 2019, baby! Rawr!

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Raise up your wands in anticipation, you J.K. Rowling stans. For Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Jude Law (hey, Jude) and the PR-plagued Johnny Depp are ready to let the magic fly in The Crimes of Grindelwald. Its a geek-out fiasco, Miller teased at the panel. You have our attention! This sequel will hit theaters in November.

The Walking Dead Season 9

Its time to say good-bye to Rick Grimes  hopefully not a super bloody good-bye. The Walking Deads upcoming season will be its last featuring that dashing lead character, but we have a feeling Norman Reedus and Danai Gurira have some tricks up their sleeves to keep viewers entertained. Im particularly fond of the people who watch this show, you people, Andrew Lincoln said at the shows panel. This has been the most extraordinary, amazing, and beautiful experience of my career, and largely because of you guys, and the relationship we have here with you in this room, and in rooms across American and the rest of the world. Zombie walk until the October premiere.

Disenchantment

The latest animated comedy to come to Netflix, Disenchantment, is all about a beautiful princess about to have her happily ever after. Except thats not what she wants at all. Instead, she heads off in search of her own destiny and the nearest pub. The new adult cartoon is brought to you by the creator of The Simpsons and Futurama, Matt Groening.

Doctor Who

The 11th series of Doctor Who is set to be a historic one. Its the first time a woman has played the Doctor. Jodie Whittaker takes over from the 12th doctor, Peter Capaldi. In the trailer, she asks Would you be my new best friends? and, to be honest, wed do anything Jodie Whittaker asked us to do.

Star Trek: Discovery

At Comic-Con this year, executive producer Alex Kurtzman confirmed that everyones favorite Vulcan, Captain Spock will be appearing on the television show, but fans are going to have to be patient. The new trailer introduces Captain Christopher Pike, wholl be taking on the discovery and hopefully leading us to Spock. This will be the first time in 27 years that Spock appears on television so, hello, lets raise a big Vulcan salute to that!

The Orville

Like space but the serious fear of a never-ending, empty abyss keeping you from fully committing to the genre? Well, maybe you can stomach Seth MacFarlanes Star Trek-esque comedy. The Orville is back for a second season this year.

Nightflyers

Long, long ago in a pre-Game of Thrones world, George R. R. Martin wrote a novella about a doomed space voyage. Now, Syfy is bringing the psychological thriller to life.

Deadly Class

Produced by the Russo Brothers, Deadly Class is about hardcore misfits learning to become killers in the late 80s. Cue up Killing Joke!

The Man In The High Castle

This historical drama is going sci-fi. When the Greater Reich discovers the multi-verse, only bad things can come out of it. Already renewed for a fourth season, The Man in the High Castles third season will premiere on October 5.

Better Call Saul

Incredibles 2 stars Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks return to their day jobs  or, in Jimmys case the lack thereof  in the season 4 trailer of Better Call Saul.

Fear the Walking Dead

Tensions are rising on the fourth season of the Walking Dead spin-off. After the heroes move from California and Mexico to Texas, the whole show is facing a reinvention, starting with new characters. Old favorites like Morgan (Lennie James) persevere, trying to survive among the dead.

Preacher

If you came across this trailer while googling Dominic Cooper because post-Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again!, your 2008 crush on him is back, prepare to be shook.

The Purge

The show opens up all the different ways people will purge or be purged upon for ten episodes only. Dangers include purge cults, thieves, murder and apparently having William Baldwin as a boss. Be safe tonight, he says to his employees via conference call. Yeah, everybody is definitely dying.

Iron Fist

Just a month after Luke Cages second season premiered on Netflix another member of Marvels Defenders is making an appearance. Netflix gave a tease of the season two of Iron Fist at Comic-Con and revealed its September 7 release date.

The Gifted

Introducing Reeva Payge (Grace Byers) a powerful mutant ready to wage war on The Gifteds heroes and anyone else who gets in her way. Fans of the comic should get excited for villains like The Purifiers to play a bigger role in season two, according to Sean Teale, who plays Marcos Eclipse Diaz.

Arrow

Oliver Queen did his waiting! Twelve years of it in Azkaban! Well, its more like five months in some federal prison. Meanwhile, Star Citys zero-tolerance for vigilantism goes south when a hooded archer arrives.

Black Lightning

Black Lightning is back, baby. The Comic-Con trailer recaps season 1, begging you to get lit for season 2. Jordan Calloway (Riverdale) has officially been upped to a series regular, coming back as the vengeful Painkiller.

Titans

The new Teen Titans series features the heroes in a much grittier way than their current iteration, Cartoon Networks Teen Titans Go! The show will air later this year on DC Universe, the new DC digital service.

DCs Legends of Tomorrow

On the CW, DCs Legends of Tomorrow are back, doing their best to save the world, making unicorns in the process. Unfortunately, not all their mishaps are as cute as that. Tune in for more dragons on October 22.

The Flash

Another season, another speedster. It just so happens that this one is Barry and Iriss daughter, Nora. Its the interracial Back to the Future weve always needed! Looks like season 5 will bring Barry a new suit (via the Flash ring!) and a new villain.

Supergirl

Supergirls trailer opens with some anti-space immigration rhetoric from newcomer Agent Liberty. The villain is played by Sam Witwer who was previously Doomsday on Smallville. Hell be the third Smallville alumni to appear on Supergirl, right after Laura Vandervoort and Erica Durance.

This page will be getting frequent updates until the end of Comic-Con.
Every week, I offer a glimpse of the kind of intelligence assessments that are likely to come across the desk of the President of the United States. Modeled on the President's Daily Briefing, or PDB, which the director of national intelligence prepares for the President almost daily, my Presidential Weekly Briefing focuses on the topics and issues the President needs to know to make informed decisions.

Here's this week's briefing:

European Union: From bad blood to a trade ceasefire

As European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker prepares for his high stakes visit to Washington on Wednesday, he is probably worried about the bad blood between the United States and the European Union (EU) on a host of trade issues, including stalled negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement, steel and aluminum tariffs and your most recent threat to impose tariffs on autos and auto parts.

He is undoubtedly aware of your statements about the EU being "a foe" because of "what they do to us in trade," and previous public remarks from you, describing the EU as a "piggybank" that was set up to take advantage of the United States. He is probably hopeful that your meeting will focus on areas other than transatlantic trade tensions, so as to reaffirm the bonds between the United States and EU.

But Juncker may also assess that, on a loaded transatlantic trade agenda, he now has added leverage. The EU just signed a landmark trade agreement with Japan -- the biggest ever negotiated by the EU -- which creates an open trade zone covering almost a third of global GDP. He has probably been briefed on Secretary of Treasury Steve Mnuchin's comments this weekend saying that he was "encouraged" by the EU-Japan trade deal and "very hopeful" that the United States and EU can make progress on brokering our own free trade deal.

Juncker may be coming to negotiate a trade war ceasefire -- particularly when it comes to your threat to impose tariffs on imported cars and vehicle parts. He knows there is a domestic backlash against these tariffs and may be willing to offer concessions, such as reducing some existing EU tariffs on automobiles.

While Juncker will likely be looking to change course on EU tariffs and take a more flexible approach on a bilateral trade agreement, he, along with EU leaders, is probably hopeful that the visit will be marked by a clear statement of friendship and cooperation. In fact, he would likely love for you to brand the visit as positive because "what unites us -- in values, interests, trade and security -- is vastly greater than what divides us."

Russia is ready for a party in the USA

Russian President Vladimir Putin thinks that he has multiple reasons to celebrate and to keep the party going. For starters, he likely assesses that his efforts to sow confusion are reaping rewards in real time.

In the absence of a readout from the White House on what was discussed in your meeting with Putin, few know what was actually said or agreed to. This confusion was only exacerbated by Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats' statement that he doesn't know what happened behind closed doors.

Because you have not given an account of what did or did not get discussed, the American people are confused. And each time the Russians share information (or disinformation) on offers they made, and then we offer a different account, the confusion only grows.

We also assess that Putin thinks that your behavior after the summit helps his mission of undermining confidence in our institutions and attacking our democracy. Your attack on the media (and detractors) can be considered an attack on the key democratic institution of a free press, and, when added to your (mis)statements undercutting your own government officials -- the US intelligence community on Russian election interference -- and obfuscation on whether you would consider turning over a former US ambassador to Russia, the Putin party narrative is that you aren't siding with your own team.

Not surprisingly, much of the public commentary in the United States has focused on whether you did something illegal or at least questionable with Putin behind closed doors, which again helps Putin's mission of undermining your credibility.

He's also celebrating his control of post-Helsinki messaging. We assess that he enjoys being in control of the public readout of your meeting because he can use the spin to his advantage -- to manipulate perceptions of you and the United States -- and he may even discourage you from providing a more fulsome readout to the press by stoking concerns that the "fake news media" will distort the message.

He's also putting the United States on defense by releasing, piecemeal, information about what you two agreed to. We are perceived as taking our cues from Russia.

But there is yet another reason for Russia to celebrate: Putin may be communicating more with our allies about the meeting than we are, and your silence may make them anxious about why you don't want to tell them what happened. There is no indication that you have debriefed any of our allies on the Helsinki summit, particularly on issues that affect them -- such as election interference, Syria, Ukraine and Russia's alleged chemical weapons use in the UK.

Debriefing allies has historically been standard operating procedure, even as recently as after your meeting with Kim Jong Un, when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo went to some allied capitals to share a readout. Putin may be celebrating this lack of outreach on your part by trying to reach our allies first and giving them his version of the story.

And now, it seems, Putin may be coming to America, following the announcement that you're inviting him this fall. His visit is a cause for Kremlin celebration, not only because he expects to witness celebrations while on the ground (there are even rumors that he will attend a US military parade with you), but because he perceives that he's manipulated you to such a degree that you are inviting him to visit while he is, simultaneously, attacking us and continuing to interfere in our electoral processes.

Iran is never getting back together with us

We assess that the Iranian regime will not come back to the negotiating table with the United States anytime soon -- particularly after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo laid out 12 preconditions for negotiations. Furthermore, they are concerned about US efforts to support regime change. There are perceptions that you are now engaging in a direct campaign -- through speeches and other forms of communications -- to foment unrest in Iran by chastising the regime. Your own tweets supporting protests and labeling the government brutal and corrupt are likely perceived by at least some Iranian leaders as a means to directly interfere in their politics.

Your statements and Secretary Pompeo's speech on "Supporting Iranian Voices" are heard in Tehran but also in Moscow. Putin is deeply opposed to what he thinks is a US policy of fomenting unrest and supporting regime change. He accused then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of trying to incite unrest in Russia against the government. He is worried about regime change in places like Syria and North Korea (Kim Jong Un shares this anxiety), particularly after US actions to unseat Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Moammar Gadhafi in Libya. And he is deeply paranoid about domestic unrest and opposition to him in Russia.

So, we assess that he may interpret your communications campaign against Iran as an attempt to topple the regime -- even though the State Department has said a change in regime behavior, rather than regime change, is the goal.

You should also be aware that Iran probably won't take this lying down. The empire can strike back, and cyberspace is a potential theater to do so. There are reports that Iran is planning cyberattacks against key US infrastructure and health care and technology companies in the United States (it's hit us before), so we should be on high alert.

China can't be tamed

As official public statements about the risks from China hit the media, including FBI Director Christopher Wray's statement that "China, from a counterintelligence perspective, in many ways represents the broadest, most challenging, most significant threat we face as a country," and a CIA official's description of the cold war between the US and China, President Xi Jinping is kicking off an African tour. He arrived in Senegal this weekend and will travel to Rwanda (the first visit by a Chinese President), South Africa (where he will attend a summit of BRICS countries -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), before visiting Mauritius.

Xi arrived in Africa after a three-day state visit in the United Arab Emirates, where he signed 13 agreements and memoranda. The media coverage of his time in the UAE and in Senegal has been positive. And it's clear that Xi is trying to position China as an ardent supporter of African development -- China is Africa's largest trading partner and a great business partner for countries like the UAE. We assess that he views his personal investment in forging relationships with leaders around the world as something that will bring economic and geostrategic returns as both developed and developing countries turn more toward China in the future.

As your own national security strategy outlined, China is a rival power, and, according to the CIA, "China wants every country around the world, when it's deciding its interests on policy issues, to first and foremost side with China and not the United States." So we assess that Xi views bolstering ties with countries around the world as a direct means of getting them closer to Beijing and further from you.
A motorcycle driver died early Sunday morning after he crashed on County Road 87 in Lawrence County.

The crash happened about 11:30 Saturday night.

Alabama State Troopers tell WAAY 31 James Todd Hogan was flown to Huntsville Hospital. But, the 52-year-old died there Sunday morning just after 5:30.

Troopers say speed was one of the reasons for the crash.
Paducah Police warn of scam using names of police officers
By West Kentucky Star Staff Jul. 22, 2018 | 05:00 PM | TRENTON

This summer, 7 students from Gibson Electric Membership Corporation spent a week in our nations capital as delegates on the 2018 Washington Youth Tour. Silas Freeze, Obion County Central High School; Ashley Becton, Crockett County High School; Joshua Hairston, Gibson County High School; Hannah Causer, Hickman County High School; Presley Jones, Dyer County High School; Jacob Rhodes, Crockett County High School; and Summer Farley, Lake County High School were among 135 students sent from Tennessees electric cooperatives.

The annual event, sponsored by Gibson EMC, provides young leaders with an opportunity to explore the nations capital, learn about government and cooperatives and develop their leadership skills. Students were selected for the trip by writing winning short stories titled Electric Cooperatives  Going Beyond the Wires that explained how co-ops provide communities with much more than electric power.

Gibson EMC is pleased to provide this opportunity for the young people in the communities we serve, says Cynthia McClure, Gibson EMC Key Accounts Representative and trip chaperone. It is a great trip and a wonderful chance for these delegates to learn about history, government, co-ops and leadership.

The investments co-ops make in Youth Tour pay real dividends for these young people and the communities where they live, said Dan Rodamaker, President and CEO of Gibson EMC and Gibson Connect. They come home with a deeper understanding of history and government. More importantly, we want them to be prepared to have a positive influence on their hometowns and to consider leadership roles when the opportunities come along.

While in Washington, D.C., youth tour delegates saw the White House and memorials to past presidents Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt as well as monuments honoring the sacrifices of veterans of World War II and the Vietnam and Korean Wars. During visits to the museums of the Smithsonian Institution, the touring students saw and experienced natural, historical and artistic treasures. Other stops included historic homes of former presidents  George Washingtons Mount Vernon and Jeffersons Monticello  as well as Tobys Dinner Theatre, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and International Spy Museum. Among other Youth Tour highlights was a solemn and sobering visit to Arlington National Cemetery where the group laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

While in D.C., winners were announced in the statewide competition for the Robert McCarty Memorial Scholarships. Silas Freeze from Gibson Electric Membership Corporation was awarded the $3,000 first-place scholarship for writing the top-judged short story of the more than 10,000 papers submitted across the state.

It was an overwhelming experience when I learned that I had won a scholarship by writing a short story, Freeze said. It will be very beneficial as I plan to attend Vanderbilt after graduation. Im looking forward to encouraging next years juniors to take advantage of the opportunity to win the trip of a lifetime.

Matthew Byrd of Tipton County, a recent graduate of Munford High School, was awarded a $10,000 Cooperative Youth Ambassador Scholarship. Byrd was a 2017 delegate for Southwest Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation on the Washington Youth Tour. In the year following the tour, delegates who remain engaged with their sponsoring cooperatives and complete certain community service requirements are eligible for the scholarship. Byrds name was randomly selected from 37 delegates from across the state who completed the requirements.

The excitement that co-op leaders and chaperones have for these students tells the story, said David Callis, CEO of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association. These young people are the next generation of doctors and teachers and farmers in the communities we serve. We want them to be passionate about their communities and prepared to lead when those opportunities come along.

President Lyndon Johnson, then a senator from Texas, inspired the Washington Youth Tour in 1957 when he encouraged electric cooperatives to send youngsters to the nations capital. In the years since, more than 6,000 young Tennesseans have been delegates on the Washington Youth Tour.

Gibson EMC is a local, not-for-profit, member-owned and member-controlled electric cooperative serving almost 39,000 homes and businesses in eight west Tennessee counties (Crockett, Dyer, Gibson, Haywood, Lake, Lauderdale, Obion and Madison) and four west Kentucky counties (Carlisle, Fulton, Graves and Hickman).
By West Kentucky Star Staff Jul. 20, 2018 | 06:25 AM | MAYFIELD

Representatives from Graves County Agency for Substance Abuse Policy and Prevention traveled to Orlando, Florida to join nearly 2,000 substance use prevention and treatment specialists from around the world for CADCAs (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) 17th annual

The week-long training, held at the Gaylord Palms, will teach participants how to address one of our nations biggest public health challenges  drug use. CADCAs Mid-Year Training Institute is a one-of-a-kind intensive training opportunity, offering more than 95 ninety-minute and half-day courses geared towards helping participants find solutions to their communitys toughest substance use problems.

"The Mid-Year is a unique professional development opportunity for coalition leaders and key community stakeholders to learn about the latest research and effective strategies that will directly help them in their critical work of preventing substance use and misuse said Pat Castillo, Director, National Coalition Institute and Vice President of Training Operations. After four days of intensive training, leaders will return to their communities with new knowledge, skills, strategies, along with new ways to add to their existing roadmaps to continue to create environments where youth thrive  healthy and drugfree.

CADCAs Mid-Year covered a wide range of topics  everything from how to prevent prescription drug abuse and reduce heroin use to how to create tobacco-free environments, reduce impaired driving and develop policies to reduce marijuana use, synthetic drug use and underage drinking.

The coalition has recently positively impacted the community by reducing youth use rates in alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use according to the Kentucky Incentives for Prevention Survey. The coalition has also recently completed TRUST tobacco compliance checks and sticker stock campaign to the retail alcohol outlets.

The coalition representatives will hear from several federal leaders, including Deputy Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Jim Carroll, and Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Frances Harding.

Coalition coordinator, Lauren Carr said, I really enjoyed the conference this year. One of the biggest takeaways was participating and presenting in a mock city council meeting. I always enjoy taking youth to these conferences, it is so rewarding seeing youth get excited and engaged about drug prevention.

Seven of the coalitions youth members completed the CADCAs Youth Advanced Leadership session and training events to help them become strong community leaders and change agents. Graves County senior, Carley Cope said, I am very thankful for the opportunity to attend CADCA and very excited to bring back many things we learned and implement them in our community.

CADCAs Mid-Year Training Institute took place at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando, Florida, July 15  19, 2018. Visit the Mid-Year site for details about training sessions, speakers and special events at cadca.org/events/myti2018.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Jul. 21, 2018 | MAYFIELD

By West Kentucky Star Staff Jul. 21, 2018 | 02:22 AM | MAYFIELD

Students from Mayfield Independent Schools participated in a week-long residential summer program at Murray State University July 8th -13th.



This year's theme for the TRiO Talent Search ACT Bootcamp was "Tackling the ACT." Students participated in morning classes that focused on content area strategies for the ACT English, math, reading, and science sections. In the afternoon, students participated in electives that helped them explore skills in journalism, art, Spanish culture, and physical education. Students also attended workshops that focused on organization, financial literacy, and career exploration.



In addition to developing and reinforcing academic skills, the ACT Bootcamp provided students with the opportunity to experience college life for a week. Students slept in a residence hall, ate in the cafeteria, spent free time in the Wellness Center and the Curris Center, and participated in several on-campus activities. Students also traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, where they visited the Memphis Zoo and the National Civil Rights Museum, and finished off the evening with pizza and games at Incredible Pizza Company in Cordova.



All students who attended the ACT Bootcamp are members of TRiO Talent Search, a federally-funded college access grant hosted at Murray State University. Talent Search provides year-long services to students who meet participation requirements, including income eligibility guidelines and first-generation college student status. Students were required to complete an additional application process for the ACT Bootcamp, which included an essay and a counselor recommendation.



Talent Search is currently recruiting new members for the 2018-19 school year. Students who are interested can contact their school guidance counselor for more information.
By The Associated Press Jul. 20, 2018 | 05:43 AM | FRANKFORT

Who has the coolest cruiser around? Kentucky State Police are confident that they do and they are seeking votes to prove it.

The agency is participating in the American Association of State Troopers 2019 Best Looking Cruiser Contest. Their entry is a photo of a new Dodge Charger cruiser in front of the state capitol building in Frankfort. The contest winner will be featured on the cover of the association's 2019 wall calendar.

Police say in a statement that residents can support for their favorite cruiser by visiting the contest page on Facebook and liking the photo. Last year's winner had more than 25,000 votes.

All votes must be cast by 5 p.m. on July 25.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Jul. 21, 2018 | MARTIN

By West Kentucky Star Staff Jul. 21, 2018 | 02:40 AM | MARTIN

According to a survey of almost 1,000 students enrolled at the University of Tennessee at Martin during the spring 2018 semester, students feel connected to and encouraged by their professors; are confident in the skills they learn in the classroom; and feel safe in the campus community.



These results were reported in the third and final phase of a two-year research project conducted by Gallup Inc. to determine how academic and social experiences at UT Martin impact both current students and alumni. The phase-three survey gathered responses from 909 students who were enrolled during the spring 2018 semester.



While UT Martin scored higher than the national average in a number of areas, the results reinforce the continuing message that UT Martin faculty and staff care about the long-term accomplishments of their students and want to help them succeed however possible.



Survey respondents show that UT Martin students are more likely than their national counterparts to seek the help and advice of faculty mentors. Sixty-seven percent of respondents say they meet with faculty members two or more times per year (compared to 59 percent nationally), and 61 percent of respondents say they talk to faculty and staff members about their career options often (compared to 45 percent nationally).



UT Martin faculty also make an effort to assist students with their career choices, and 79 percent of respondents say they have had a faculty-initiated conversation about their careers during their time at UT Martin. Only 63 percent of national respondents could say the same thing. Students also report having faculty mentors who encourage them, feeling important to their professors on a personal level, and having at least one faculty member who makes them excited about learning.



Eighty-eight percent of survey participants either agree or strongly agree that UT Martin is committed to academic excellence, and the same percentage feels academically challenged by their major coursework. Finally, 82 percent of respondents have someone at UT Martin they can count on to help plan their course to graduation, and 89 percent know where to go with questions about degree requirements.



UT Martin also surpassed national averages in areas where students were asked about the value, quality and relevance of their education both inside and outside of the classroom. Fifty-seven percent of respondents strongly agree they will graduate with the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in the workplace, while only 36 percent of students nationally felt the same.



UT Martins results show almost double the number of positive responses to questions regarding whether the education received at UT Martin is worth the cost, as compared to the national average. In fact, 60 percent of survey respondents say they would still enroll at UT Martin if they could make the decision over again.



Finally, UT Martin students report feeling safe on campus (60 percent) and comfortable sharing unpopular ideas in class (33 percent). The national averages for the same questions are 39 and 22 percent, respectively. The survey also indicates that 54 percent of respondents feel that UT Martin would do the right thing if a student reported a sexual assault, as compared to only 36 percent of students nationally who are confident in their institutions.



Phase one of this project exclusively surveyed university alumni to discover how their UT Martin experiences impacted their lives after graduation. The results from 2,623 responses showed intense alumni pride and attachment to their alma mater. Phase two dealt with qualitative responses from 20 phone interviews with alumni who graduated between 2011 and 2016 and also yielded positive results.



For more information on this survey, or to see full demographic information for the response pools from this or any previous phase, contact the UT Martin Office of the Chancellor at 731-881-7500.
A Crestview man wanted in connection with a shooting at a Crestview nightspot is in custody after being located outside his girlfriend's home Saturday by the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office.

The Sheriff's Office says Tyrone Morris, 43, is charged with shooting a 26-year old man in the leg following an early morning altercation at the Split Oaks Saloon on James Lee Boulevard July 5.

The victim survived and later picked Morris out of a photographic line-up, according to OCSO.

Investigators believe the weapon used was a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol.

Morris was located and arrested at North Okaloosa Medical Center on July 13, but the next day while in the process of being discharged to go to the jail, he fled the building, the Sheriff's Office says.

The OCSO found Morris early this morning outside a house on West Edney Avenue and took him to the Okaloosa County Jail. He is being held without bond on charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm in public, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, and escape.
Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio said Sunday that he supports President Donald Trump interacting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but said Trump should be aware of Putin's human rights record and zero-sum approach to the US-Russia relationship.

"I don't have a problem with the President of the United States interacting with the president of the Russian Federation," Rubio said. "They've got a lot of nuclear weapons, and so we do need to interact with them. That is separate from the question of whether or not we should be clear-eyed about who Putin is."

Rubio, who made his comments in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union," said he regretted Trump's handling of his meeting with Putin in Helsinki, Finland, last week, where he appeared to side with Putin over the US intelligence community on alleged Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election.

Trump clarified his remarks after returning to the United States, saying that after reviewing a transcript and video of his statements, he realized he had misspoken in a key sentence about Russian interference in the 2016 US election.

"The sentence should have been: 'I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be Russia,' " he said. "Sort of a double negative."

Referring to Trump's claim later that he meant to say "wouldn't" instead of "would" at the summit, Rubio said, "I'm glad he came back the next day and sort of walked that back."

Rubio said he did not "know what to believe" about Trump's "would" versus "wouldn't" remarks, but he reiterated that he was glad Trump tried to walk back the remark.

"I don't think it was a good moment for this administration, and I disagreed with it," Rubio said. "I know he came back the next day and said something to clean that up. And I'm glad that he did it, you know? I'm glad that he cleaned that up because it left, if you watched that video, it leaves the impression that my intelligence community says one thing, Putin says another, I'm siding with Putin, and that was a bad impression to leave behind."

He added, "I don't like the way this was handled."

Rubio counts himself as one of Putin's chief critics in Washington, and in his interview Sunday, he accused Putin of perpetrating war crimes and killing political opponents. He said that because of Trump's lack of political background, there was at times a clash between Trump's approach to Putin and the more hardline approach other politicians might have delivered in his position.

"I don't have any doubt that President Trump is aware of the things Vladimir Putin has done," Rubio said. "I'm not sure his rhetoric reflects that, but his policies do."

In his assessment of Putin, Rubio said he did not believe the Russian leader expected a better relationship with the United States and was more "interested in gaining advantage at our expense and to his benefit."

Rubio said that where he agreed with the Trump administration's approach, including arming Ukraine, he would support it, and where he and other lawmakers could influence the administration, including on election security, they would.

Rubio pointed to congressional efforts on Russia, including a bill from him and Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen to address election security and Russia that recently picked up some additional support in the Senate as lawmakers continue to warn of future attempts by Moscow to interfere in US elections.

Rubio: Real possibility of civil war in Nicaragua

In addition to his pointed remarks about Russia, Rubio also anticipated that there could be further sanctions from the US on Nicaragua, given recent violence in the Latin American nation.

"I think you're going to see, and there's already work being done, to set a series of sanctions against individuals and entities in Nicaragua," Rubio said.

The US announced new sanctions earlier this month against three Nicaraguan individuals as heated protests and violence have ratcheted up.

Rubio, calling Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega an "old man" and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, "crazy," said, "There is no future with them in power."

He went on to say the United States has the responsibility and authority to get involved.

"The possibility of a civil war in Nicaragua is real," Rubio said. "It would trigger a migratory crisis. It would undermine our anti-drug efforts in the region. There is a direct national security interest for the United States in seeing democracy and stability in Nicaragua."
Nine-year-old Blue Earth native Hannah Cartwright has found a greater purpose in life with her time as USA National Miss Minnesota Pre-Teen.

Back from her trip to the national competition in Orlando, Florida, Cartwright says she has learned a lot about the pageantry world and hopes to continue her work as an ambassador of Minnesota as she continues to grow up.

However, pageantry is more than just strict schedules, fancy dresses, and awards ceremonies. Though, according to Hannahs mom, Tasha Walker, schedules, dresses and ceremonies took up the majority of the time at the pageant.

It was a very busy schedule, says Walker. Hair and make up at the break of dawn, then changing into several outfits throughout the day. It was a lot to do, but Hannah did great at keeping up with everything. I am so proud of her. Im pretty sure I was more nervous than Hannah was the whole time.

For Hannah, pageantry is an opportunity to share your talents and achievements with others. And one of Hannahs proudest achievements as USA National Miss Minnesota Pre-Teen? Her service to others.

At the nation-wide pageant, Hannah was one of just a few who earned the gold Presidential volunteer service award, which came straight from the White House she says. She also received the Dedicated to Service Award pin, after racking up over 200 hours of community service.

And that 200 hours is not counting the hours I put in before I was crowned Miss Minnesota Pre-Teen for the pageant, says Hannah.

Her plan? Even more service hours. Hannahs goal is to rack up another 100 hours of community service, which includes helping at her churchs food stand at the upcoming Faribault County Fair, continuing her dedication to the services of CADA (Committee Against Domestic Abuse) and raising funds and items for families fleeing domestic violence situations. She is also a junior master for the Women of Worth, and will begin some service work with the group Crown C.A.R.E.S, which stands for Creating A Respectful Environment in Schools. This program is an anti-bullying program specifically designed for volunteers, pageant systems and peer ambassadors who wish to promote awareness as a platform on the epidemic of bullying in schools to cultivate a safe environment and teach social responsibility according to the groups website.

The young pageant enthusiast even met Miss Minnesota, and Miss Universe, who just so happened to be wearing Blue Earth Area Buccaneer colors when she met Hannah.

It was an opportunity this USA National Miss Minnesota Pre-Teen could not pass up. She absolutely had to let Miss Universe not only know those were her home teams colors, but even sang the Blue Earth Area Fight Song to the globally-known pageant queen.

She was wearing maroon and gold! I had to, says Hannah.

The young Buccaneer says she hopes to not only continue to participate in future pageants, but someday hopes to become a seamstress and director of her own pageant.

The Miss Galaxy pageant, says the enthused and quite optimistic pageant participant. That way, everyone from each planet can come to my pageant. We would even include Miss Pluto.

For now, she will stick to planet Earth, even more specifically Blue Earth, and continue to try to make a positive impact on her own community.

But making things better for the entire galaxy is not a bad idea either.
UPDATE: Missing 3-year-old boy pronounced dead at A.O. Fox hospital in Oneonta.

Troopers were called to Goodyear lake just before 3 p.m. on Sunday where a family reported a child missing. The Otsego County Sheriff's Department, Milford Fire Department and Milford EMS came to help with the search. The New York State Police Underwater Recovery Team found the child off a residential dock on the lake. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

UPDATE: According to the Otsego County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, there is no longer an active search being conducted but the incident is still active.

--------------------------------------

ORIGINAL STORY:

MILFORD - The Otsego County Sheriff's Office, New York State Police and other emergency service agencies are searching for a missing child in the area of Bob Wilson Road in the Town of Milford.

Police say they're looking for a 3-year-old white male wearing a black Star Wars shirt and black and gray shorts. Police say no further information is available at this time.

Anyone with information is being asked to call 911.
Lyons, N.Y. - A 42 year old western New York man is dead after police say he was beaten by another man Saturday evening.

State Police say they responded to 43 Water Street in the town of Lyons Saturday around 5:30 P.M. for the report of a physical altercation taking place.

Police say witnesses told investigators they observed an individual, later identified as 32 year old Martin Smallwood, strike 42 year old Camilo Robledo with his fist several times and then striking him with a 2x4 wooden board.

Robledo, from Lyons, was transported to Newark-Wayne Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Smallwood, also of Lyons, was taken into custody without incident and charged with 1st degree Manslaughter and 1st degree Assault.

Smallwood was arraigned and has been remanded without bail to the Wayne County Jail.

The investigation is continuing.
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) Rain or shine, the Annual Zoo Run Run ran for its 16th year Saturday morning.

The Columbian Park Zoo welcomed runners and walkers to raise money for animal exhibits.

The race kicked off at 8 a.m. and was followed by a kids race where volunteers helped pass out waters and track times at the finish line for runners and walkers.

Participants enjoyed free donuts from Mary Lou Donuts and a free race day t-shirt.

Co-organizer Kara Bishop said the money will help the zoo's development.

"We're pretty consistent with how much we raise and we're really thankful for the people who come out every year," said Bishop. "We can really count on this money to be a great fundraiser for the zoo."

The race also had a new feature this year of food from Fair Oaks Farms.




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Research into homelessness amongst prison leavers carried out by university staff

This article is old - Published: Sunday, Jul 22nd, 2018

An evaluation of homelessness services provided to adults leaving prison has been carried out by academics at Wrexham Glyndwr University.

The evaluation found that whilst some aspects of the provision are considered to have improved in recent years, are areas where more needs to be done to identify and meet the needs of prisoners at risk of homelessness.

Commissioned by the Welsh Government, the evaluation was carried out by academics in the universitys criminology department, assessed the National Pathway for Homelessness Services to Children, Young People and Adults in the Secure Estate.

The Pathway, which was launched in December 2015, followed changes to homelessness legislation brought in the year before by the Housing (Wales) Act 2014  which, among other provisions, removed an automatic priority need for housing status which had formerly been given to prison leavers.

Dr Iolo Madoc Jones, reader in criminology and criminal justice at Wrexham Glyndwr University, led the team who were asked to analyse the effectiveness of the new Pathway.

A former senior probation officer, and Associate Inspector for Her Majestys Associate Inspectorate of Probation, Dr Madoc-Jones and his team worked with representatives from each of Wales 22 local authorities, prison based staff, housing support staff, probation service staff supervising prison leavers  and prison leavers themselves  to analyse how the new pathway was working on the ground.

The resulting report was published earlier this month and discussed at Shelter Cymrus annual conference  with Dr Madoc-Jones among the speakers.

He said: Our research suggested that most local authority stakeholders thought that the level of support provided to prison leavers in the medium and longer term was better than before the National Pathway was introduced.

But many people who contributed to the research were critical of how prison leavers needs were assessed while they were in custody and before they were released. Improvements were needed in the exchange of information about prison leavers and their needs before they left prison.

Prisons have become incredibly difficult places to manage and staff shortages often mean there are not enough people on the ground to assess prisoners housing needs and make the necessary referrals to housing departments.

The report also identified the need for more gender-specific services to help female prison leavers and for additional processes to ensure revolving door offenders get intensive support to help tackle their needs.

Dr Madoc-Jones added: We have made a series specific recommendations for the Welsh Government, Ministry of Justice and Prison Service, probation services and local authorities to consider in our report  and hope that it has helped to shape the thinking on the National Pathway.

The report can be found here. You can find out more about Wrexham Glyndwr Universitys BA (Hons) Criminology and Criminal Justice degree here.
Staff sickness costs Wrexham Council over 4m

This article is old - Published: Sunday, Jul 22nd, 2018

Staff sickness has cost Wrexham Council more than 4.1m in the last year, new figures have revealed.

In total council employees took 48,918 sick days during 2017/18 with the resulting costs divided between 2.3m for normal departments and 1.8m for schools.

Stress, anxiety and depression were the most common reasons for absence, accounting for 28.4 per cent of days off, with mental health related sick days rising by more than eight per cent annually.

However, the overall number of absences taken by employees reduced by four per cent year-on-year.

The authority said it supports staff with mental health issues through a number of initiatives, including counselling services, as well as training courses provided by the Mind charity.

In a report, lead member for organisation  planning and corporate services, Councillor David Kelly, said: To support awareness and ensure support to improve mental health wellbeing within the workplace, over 40 employees and trade union stewards were trained on mental health first aid by Mind in early 2017. This was a joint initiative with the trade unions, and they funded this provision.

In July, the council recommissioned the occupational health service and this introduced a new employee assistance programme which enables employees to access counselling support seven days a week.

This also enables access to a website which provides self-help information, guidance and advice on a range of subjects that impact on employee health and wellbeing.

The other main reasons for absence included general illnesses at 21.1 per cent, musculo-skeletal conditions at 11.4 per cent and infections at 11.2 per cent.

Non-teaching school staff took the highest amount of sick days, with 12,446 in the last 12 months, followed by teachers with 8,747.

However, the total number for schools showed an overall reduction of 11 per cent compared to the previous year.

The third highest amount of absences was in the adult social care department (7,288), where serious health conditions and mental health issues led to several long term absences.

Cllr Kelly said: Sadly there are a high number of staff with serious long term health conditions some of which have now resulted in early ill health retirement, however this is a long slow process and can result in staff being on sick leave for extended periods whilst this is being worked through.

There has also been an increase in stress, anxiety and depression as a cause for absence. Staff are supported through their team managers, Caer Health and the use of stress risk assessments, the department also makes full use of flexible working arrangements to support staff to remain in work. However this is still a significant challenge.

The figures will be discussed by members of Wrexham Councils customers, performance, resources and governance scrutiny committee next Wednesday.

By Liam Randall  BBC Local Democracy Reporter (more here on the LDR scheme).
In March 2017, coal mogul Bob Murray came to the Washington headquarters of the US Department of Energy for a meeting with Secretary Rick Perry. Also at the table was Andrew Wheeler, who this month became acting head of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Wheeler had helped organize the meeting as a lobbyist for the firm Faegre Baker Daniels, where Murray Energy was one of four energy clients he represented. The Murray team's agenda that day: a four-page action plan "for achieving reliable and low cost electricity in America and to assist in the survival of our Country's coal industry."

Murray, chief executive of Murray Energy, one of the largest coal companies in the country, was leading a pro-coal campaign on the Trump administration. He had sent a similar plan to Vice President Mike Pence as well as then-EPA head Scott Pruitt.

Details of the plans and emails were discovered in documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by E&E news.

The plan had 17 bullet points, including cutting the EPA staff at least in half, because, according to Murray, "Tens of thousands of government bureaucrats have issued over 82,000 pages of regulations under Obama, many of them regarding coal mining and utilization. The Obama EPA, alone, wrote over 25,000 pages of rules, thirty-eight (38) times the words in our Holy Bible."

Murray also suggested withdrawing from the Paris climate accord because it "is an attempt by the rest of the world to obtain funding from our Country."

At the top of Murray's list was managing coal ash, the leftover waste power plants create from burning coal. Coal ash contains heavy metals including arsenic, lead and mercury that can be harmful to your health.

The plan stated that the relevant regulation needed to be rewritten "delegating the authority to the states."

Murray presented drafts of six proposed presidential executive orders, including one aimed at deregulating coal ash. The draft read, "the states should be authorized to develop and enforce their own plans for disposal of coal combustion residuals ... rather than the USEPA."

This week, as one of his first major acts at the EPA, Wheeler signed and finalized new standards overseeing coal ash.

It's a revision of 2015 regulations put into place by the Obama administration after two significant industrial coal ash spills. The regulations now put more authority in the hands of states to regulate their own waste.

Most significantly, under the original version of the regulations, companies had to provide annual groundwater monitoring results. Under the new revisions, if the plant is able to prove that it isn't polluting the aquifer, it is no longer required to monitor. Provisions that previously required assessments from professional engineers were also struck.

The revised rules "provide states and utilities much-needed flexibility in the management of coal ash, while ensuring human health and the environment are protected," Wheeler said in a statement. "Our actions mark a significant departure from the one-size-fits-all policies of the past and save tens of millions of dollars in regulatory costs."

Critics of the new coal ash rules say they are a gift to industry and a continued burden for those communities near coal ash sites.

"These rules will allow yet more tons of coal ash, containing toxics like arsenic and mercury, to be dumped into unlined leaking pits sitting in groundwater and next to rivers, lakes and drinking water reservoirs," said Frank Holleman, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, referencing the finalized coal ash rules. "These rules also substitute politics for science by allowing action to be taken based on certification by a politically appointed agency director instead of a licensed practicing engineer."

"It is now apparently the goal of EPA to save industry money by allowing them to continue to dump toxic waste into leaking pits, which is exactly what the new rule accomplishes," said Lisa Evans, an attorney with the nonprofit environmental law group Earthjustice.

CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta requested to speak with Wheeler about the impact of his lobbying experience on his new position but was declined.

One of the largest sources of industrial waste

Coal ash is one of the most-generated forms of industrial waste in the country. According to the American Coal Ash Association, about 110 million tons were generated last year.

The association says that about half of all coal ash produced in the United States is recycled into construction materials such as concrete or wallboard.

However, that leaves about 50 million tons of coal ash does not get repurposed, and instead needs to be disposed of every year.

Historically, when coal was burned, plants would send the ash out of smokestacks, creating dark plumes of smoke. Now, scrubbers and filters collect much of the ash. It may not escape into the air anymore, but it does have to go somewhere.

So, power plants often mix the leftover ash with water and sluice it into unlined pits, where the ash settles to the bottom. In some places, these ponds have been dug into the groundwater table -- water that can be pulled up by private drinking wells, or that eventually makes its way into public drinking water sources. Many of these sites also sit along the banks of rivers, lakes and streams, where nothing more than earthen banks separate waste from freshwater.

According to the EPA, there are over 1,000 coal ash disposal sites across the country, many of them constructed in the 1950s and 1960s, well before any sort of regulations.

Holleman said he can't imagine a more precarious way to manage this waste.

"Millions of tons of industrial waste directly on the banks of major drinking water reservoirs that serve hundreds of thousands of people," he said, "that's a recipe for disaster."

Two serious incidents

In the past decade, there have been two major coal ash spills in the United States. In 2008, a break in a dam at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston power plant sent over a billion gallons of coal ash cascading into the Clinch River. The black sludge blanketed over 300 acres, inundating the area around Kingston. The spill destroyed three homes and damaged a dozen others. Scientists found fish contaminated with high levels of arsenic and selenium months after the spill.

In 2014, a corroded pipe at Duke Energy's Dan River steam station in North Carolina sent up to 39,000 tons of coal ash flooding into nearby waters. The black sludge made its way 70 miles downstream. Today, the state still warns against eating some fish from the river because of high mercury levels.

A year after the Dan River spill, the EPA enacted the first set of comprehensive regulations overseeing coal ash. Among the requirements: Coal ash sites were to be monitored for structural integrity, coal-burning utilities had to conduct and publish groundwater monitoring results for the first time, and ponds that were found to be contaminating groundwater in excess of a allowable limits, or that were structurally faulty, were to be closed following specific guidelines.

Closing a coal ash pond can involve one of two methods approved by the EPA. The water can be drained out of the pond and a liner put over the top, which is known as "cap in place." The other method involves completely excavating the entire pond and ash, drying the ash, and then moving it into a lined container. Environmentalists prefer the latter method of excavation, saying that it ensures that there is a barrier to protect groundwater, but power companies say that this is a much more costly method involving transport of the ash and additional labor, among other expenses. And those expenses, they say, would be passed on ultimately to customers. Industry argues that if the ponds aren't showing to be leaking, there should be no need to move them.

'Localized' impact

This past March was the EPA's deadline for utilities nationwide to publish the first set of national groundwater monitoring results. The findings were striking, showing contamination at coal ash sites across the country.

"This is a pretty wide phenomena across the country with hundreds of sites, all showing them leaking," said Avner Vengosh, a professor of Earth and ocean sciences at Duke University.

At Indianapolis Power & Light Co.'s Harding Street Station, for example, levels of arsenic in some parts of the plant were found to be more than 40 times higher than federal drinking water standards. In North Carolina, levels of radium were found anywhere from 2.5 times greater to 38 times greater than federal drinking water standards.

In both of these situations, the wells tested are directly at the coal ash sites. Environmentalists worry that these contaminants could eventually leach into nearby groundwater sources.

The Edison Electric Institute, a trade group representing the industry, said in a statement that "Company reports contain initial data, and it is premature to use these results to predict any impacts to drinking water or public safety. These initial data now must be analyzed and assessed further."

Duke Energy spokeswoman Erin Culbert told Gupta that there is no indication from testing or modeling that any of the contamination from Duke Energy's facilities is reaching drinking water. "The area of impact that you see around the ash basins is really localized between the ash basin and the local river or lake," she said.

Vengosh said that's not a reassurance. "The fact that (the contaminants) have arrived in the aquifer is the key," he said. "Even if they aren't affected now, they can be affected in the future."

When a contaminated well is found, it is simply too late, he said.

Living amid coal ash

The threat of a potential contaminant lingers in many communities neighboring coal ash sites, despite reassurances that industry testing shows that water sources are safe at the moment.

For many people in these communities, coal ash is a bogeyman.

Public health experts say that the elements found in coal ash -- heavy metals like arsenic, lead, and mercury -- can pose serious health risks. According to the EPA, exposure to coal ash waste "can cause severe health and environmental problems in the form of cancer and non-cancer risks in humans, lowered IQ among children, and deformities and reproductive harm in fish and wildlife. Many of these pollutants, once in the environment, remain there for years."

They note that "some minority and low-income communities" are at an even greater risk due to their "close proximity to these discharges and relatively high consumption of fish."

But it's challenging to tease out exactly how much coal ash people have been exposed to, at what levels, and how they were exposed, possibly by inhaling coal ash dust or drinking contaminated water. To complicate it further, the coal ash itself can have different levels of element concentrations depending on where the coal was sourced.

Tracey Brown Edwards remembers growing up next to Duke Energy's Belews Creek Steam Station in Walnut Cove, North Carolina. The plant's coal ash pond sat next to Belews Lake, a recreational lake used for fishing and swimming north of Winston-Salem.

Edwards describes an idyllic childhood in the town of about 1,000 people, a place where kids played outside all day and picked fruit off trees when they were hungry. Growing up, they didn't think much about the plant, but she remembers how soot from the power station was always around: in the air, on plants, on rooftops and on cars. "You could actually write your name in the dust that was set on the vehicles," she said.

Edwards, 44, has had three strokes and a heart attack, which left her temporarily paralyzed on her right side. She can't help but wonder whether Duke Energy had something to do with her health and that of her neighbors.

"There's been a lot of young people with cancer, certain kinds of cancers, brain cancer, stomach cancers, breast cancer," she said. In her small block of five homes, four of the families have been hit by cancer. Her doctors can't say it is related to coal ash, but they also can't rule it out.

Danielle Bailey-Lash, 43, has lived in Walnut Cove since she was 13 and couldn't imagine raising her family anywhere else. When she and her husband married, they settled in a house on the lake. She has fond memories of growing up there, fishing and eating from the lake, and swimming in the water. It was a "dream location; it had everything we needed," she told Gupta.

But in 2009, Bailey-Lash began experiencing headaches that became so severe, she had to go to the hospital the following year. Doctors found a tumor the size of a juice box just above her right ear. She was diagnosed with stage 3 astrocytoma, a form of brain cancer, and her doctors said she just had months to live. She underwent chemotherapy and radiation, and today, she has no trace of cancer. The diagnosis is still a shock to her, she never smoked and had no history of the disease in her family.

Her doctors can't make any conclusions about what contributed to the disease, but when Gupta asked what she thought, she answered confidently: "I'm 100% sure I know what caused it: Duke Energy."

While an EPA draft report found that people who lived within a mile of a coal ash pond had an increased risk of cancer from drinking arsenic-contaminated water, there are very few studies that explore the direct relationship between coal ash and cancer. A North Carolina state assessment of cancer incidences by county didn't find a higher incidence of cancer in counties with coal ash sites. But, critics say the analysis didn't narrow down to neighborhood levels.

Trying to find answers

Drilling down on those kind of numbers and connections is a challenge.

"For epidemiology, it's very difficult to address coal ash questions because of the scattered nature of coal ash," said Mary Fox, co-director of the Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute at Johns Hopkins.

Cancers in particular are difficult to pin down. Nationally, the rate of cancer in adults is quite high: According to the American Cancer Association, one in three adults will be diagnosed with any type of cancer in their lifetime. On top of that, the disease has a latency period up to 30 years or more, which could mean a host of factors could contribute to potential exposures. And children are particularly vulnerable, simply because they have smaller systems to process the exposure.

Lisa Bradley, a toxicologist who serves on the board of the American Coal Ash Association, an industry group with members that work for various coal ash producers, said that the EPA's measurements for risk are extremely conservative, looking at cancer risk rates calculated at between 1 in 10,000 and 1 in 1 million chances.

None of that brings relief to Andree Davis, who lives next door to the Belews Creek plant. The soil on her property was tested by the University of North Carolina's Superfund Research program and found to have levels of arsenic above EPA thresholds. She said she began breaking out in lesions and sores from showering at home and has resorted to bathing at friends' homes and a local hotel. She hasn't seen a doctor about the sores because she's concerned about the cost.

Davis wants to move, but she asks angrily, who would buy her house? "Nobody wants to buy it, because everybody's aware of our situation with the coal ash contamination," she said.

Culbert said that Duke has been a conscientious neighbor and has been monitoring groundwater impacts for the past decade.

"We do know from monitoring data that we started taking about a decade ago that there are localized groundwater impacts immediately near the ash basins. So while they have some groundwater impacts near them, we know from this network of monitoring wells that it's not impacting neighbors offsite in terms of their private drinking wells and their water supplies that their families rely on."

Duke Energy is also offering to compensate those neighbors who live within half-mile of the plant and can prove that they sold their homes for less than market value because of their proximity to the plant; Duke promises to bring them up to "fair market value," a similar home in a neighboring area that is outside of the half mile radius. Those sellers have to sign a waiver stating that they will ask for no further compensation and prevents the owners from suing for any health claims related to the groundwater.

Industry interests

Industry has been actively trying to revise the standards since President Trump came into office. Aside from efforts from Murray Energy, the Utility Solids Waste Activities Group, an industry organization representing more than 110 utility groups, sent a petition to the agency, challenging the 2015 regulations on coal ash containment. It called the regulations too rigorous and costly.

According to the letter, the rule resulted "in significant economic and operational impacts to coal-fired power generation," claiming that it was such a burden that "the economic viability of coal-fired power plants is jeopardized."

When the EPA announced the initial set of rule changes this week, the EPA highlighted the $30 million in annual cost savings.

"Our actions mark a significant departure from the one-size-fits-all policies of the past and save tens of millions of dollars in regulatory costs," Wheeler said in a statement.

"This action provides the regulatory certainty needed to make investment decisions to ensure compliance and the continued protection of health and the environment," said Jim Roewer, executive director of the Utility Solids Waste Activities Group.

In the announcement this week, the EPA said it expects to make more revisions to the original 2015 coal ash regulations in the coming year.

How much is a savings of $30 million? Duke Energy alone made more than $3 billion in profit last year.

Industry trade groups such as the Utility Solids Waste Activities Group argue that empowering states isn't a rollback but rather a way to better tailor to the needs of each site. "We believe [states] are in a better spot to look at local issues. The folks at the state regulatory agencies have a much better feel for the issues at hand," Roewer said.

Richard Kinch, a member of the National Ash Management Advisory Board, an independent body that advises Duke Energy, and one of the primary authors of the original 2015 regulations, agreed that the states are in a better position to regulate the waste. It's the approach the EPA has traditionally taken with waste management, he said.

But Kinch, who worked on the agency's coal ash issues during his 41-year career at the EPA, noted that leaning on states also requires trust. "Maybe there are people that don't feel they trust states and that states will be inappropriate in their actions," he said.

And that's precisely what the Southern Environmental Law Center's Holleman is concerned about. He said that until the 2015 regulations were enacted, coal ash waste was in the hands of the states -- and that record is far from sterling.

"It's just really putting us back to where we were when the Kingston Coal Ash facilities spilled open into the Clinch River in Tennessee," he said.

"When you boil all these changes down, what they do is relieve the utilities one way or another from the obligation of having to clean up these sites based on the groundwater contamination that has been proven at them across the country."
HYMERA, Ind. (WTHI)- It didn't matter if the weather was raining or sunny Saturday, people from all over came to show their support for this local hero who lost his life.

Fire Chief Clay Shidler was a firefighter for thirty-one years. He sadly lost his life early this week in a vehicle accident.

Saturday was Shidlers last visitation and funeral. It was a day that was not only difficult for his family, but also those who worked with him in the fire department.

"One of the officers called my cell phone to inform me that he had passed and I felt like someone had hit me in the stomach and took my breath," said Chief John Quilliam of the Thunderbird Fire Protection Territory.

Support wasn't just seen in the chapel of the church. People from all over the county lined U.S. 41 to show support for Shidler. Many wishing to see this local hero pass under the garrison flag hanging over the road.

Others wanted to show their support in another way. Like Phillip Barish who rode his motorcycle in the procession.

"He was a huge impact on the community. Everybody knew him. He was a great guy. Never had anything bad said about him. He was always helping out everybody and taking care of the community," said Barish.

Though Shidlers journey has come to an end. The outcry of community support shows his legacy will live on. One that will not just live on a firefighter, but as a friend.

"He was just a really good friend, said Quilliam. He's going to be missed."
CLAY CITY, Ind. (WTHI)- Sunday the Assembly of God Church in Cay City wasn't just a place of worship, it was a place of hope. That's because the Myles family and friends held a spaghetti benefit.

All the money raised going towards their $40,000 goal to help pay for little Matthews transplant. Matthew is eleven months old but his kidneys didnt properly develop.

"We are getting very close we are twenty centimeters from starting that process, said Matthews mother Chelise Myles. Currently, He is too small to be put on the transplant. So its getting very close, that's why we are holding so many fundraisers right now because we want to make sure we have the funds when we do."

The family has been working alongside the Children's Organ Transplant Association. COTA has been working with the Myles family since the beginning, helping plan various fundraising events like this one here.

"Oh my gosh its been such a blessing its really kind of stretched me in areas where Ive never been stretched, said Angie Dwyer who is the public relations coordinator for team Matthew. To help the family its been awesome. To see the kids and to see Matthew and see what God has done in his life is awesome."

Other organizations have been helping out around the community as well. The American Legion in Brazil not only donated $1,500 earlier this year, but they are also working on setting up a motorcycle benefit ride in September.

Its still going to be a long journey to get Matthew his transplant but the family knows with community support like this they will achieve their goal.

That spaghetti benefit raised them $2,000 putting them just over a quarter of their goal. There are still many events taking place if you are interested in helping as well.

August 1st-17th: There will be a silent auction taking place online that anyone is welcome to bid or donate to. More information can be found on their Facebook page here.

September: there will be a motorcycle ride but details for this event are not set.

October 20th: Chili Dinner and hayrides that will take place at the Clay City Assembly of God between 4PM-8PM.

You can also check out the team Matthew page here. Or check out their Facebook page for all future updates.
The Russian ambassador to the United States said on Friday that Moscow was "open" to a follow-up summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump in Washington, four days after the leaders' private one-on-one meeting in Helsinki.

Asked at the Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow to comment on controversial plans by the White House to invite Putin to the US this fall, Anatoly Antonov said: "The Russian side has always been open to possible proposals. We are ready for discussions on that point."

Plans to welcome Putin were announced by White House press secretary Sarah Sanders in a statement on Thursday, hours after Trump tweeted that he was "looking forward" to meeting again with Putin to "begin implementing" issues they discussed during their summit earlier this week.

Trump has been widely criticized for his performance in Helsinki, Finland, at which he was deeply deferential to the Russian leader and lashed out at his own country.

"President Trump asked (national security adviser John Bolton) to invite President Putin to Washington in the fall and those discussions are already underway," Sanders tweeted Thursday.

The invitation was extended to Putin by Bolton earlier on Thursday, according to a National Security Council spokesman.

Antonov said that it was "up to the Kremlin to decide" the timing and number of such meetings.

"The task is not to necessarily multiply the number of summits, the task is to prepare them carefully and substantially," he said.

"At this stage, when we see that our leaders don't meet that often, we are of course in favor of continuing this dialogue so that it is ongoing, that our leaders meet not just occasionally, but regularly, so they would know and understand each other better."

The visit will be controversial because it will bring a US adversary accused of masterminding a scheme to help put Trump into power to the United States at about the same time as midterm elections that US spy agencies say are already falling victim to Moscow's meddling.

News of the invitation -- which caught many, including Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, off guard -- was welcomed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Asked about it during a news conference in Berlin on Friday, Merkel said she was "pleased whenever there is a meeting" between the US and Russia.

"I believe that it has to become normal for a US President and Russian [President] to meet," adding that it is always good "especially when these two countries talk" because they control 90% of the world's nuclear arsenal.
Israel has assisted the evacuation of 422 Syrians -- including members of the White Helmets rescue group -- to neighboring Jordan in an international humanitarian operation coordinated by the United Nations.

Western powers had become concerned in recent weeks that the volunteers' lives were at risk as Russian-backed Syrian forces tightened their grip on one of the last rebel-held areas in southern Syria.

Regime forces had increased their offensive in the area in recent weeks, making the rescue effort even more urgent.

The Syrians were transferred to Jordan via Israel, at the request of the United States and some European countries, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement after the operation. Israel described the move as an "exceptional humanitarian gesture," adding that it "continues to maintain a non-intervention policy regarding the Syrian conflict."

The transferred Syrians will remain in a restricted area in Jordan for the time being, Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Mohammad al-Kayed told the Jordanian state-run Petra news agency, before onward transfer to Britain, Germany and Canada within the next three months.

Jordan had originally said 800 Syrians were evacuated and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi tweeted on Sunday that the original agreement was for 800 but that they later settled at 422.

"For humanitarian reasons, Jordan gave the United Nations permission to organize the passage of Syrians who entered the Occupied Golan after Britain, Germany and Canada presented a legally binding pledge to resettle them after three months," Safadi tweeted Sunday. "The number requested was 800 but the actual number settled at 422," he added.

Israel has not given an exact number of evacuees.

A number of those evacuated were from the White Helmets volunteer rescue group, known as the Syrian Civil Defense.

Siraj Mahmoud, a spokesman for the White Helmets in northern Syria, told CNN, "A number of civil defense volunteers -- White Helmets -- have been evacuated with their family members for humanitarian reasons. They were besieged in a very dangerous area. They have reached Jordan, thank God. "

The White Helmets confirmed in a tweet Sunday that volunteers and their families were evacuated to Jordan for "purely humanitarian" reasons after becoming "trapped in a dangerous area."

Through videos, pictures, and social media, the White Helmets are widely seen as having played an important role in showing the international community the horrors of the Syrian civil war. Their volunteers have gone into war-stricken areas, searching for survivors, winning them support from many countries, including the United States.

The civilians' passage out of Syria was organized by the UN, Petra reported. The UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) administers a buffer zone between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria. UNDOF is also in charge of a border crossing near Quneitra, one of the last areas in southern Syria that remains under rebel control.

"These Syrian citizens who were working in the civil defense, had fled the areas controlled by the Syrian opposition after the Syrian army's attack in those areas," Petra reported. It added that they were evacuated because of "a risk to their lives."

Western countries celebrate rescue

The United Kingdom and Canada were quick to celebrate the evacuation, with UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt calling it "fantastic news" in a tweet Sunday.

Hunt described the White Helmets as "the bravest of the brave," adding that "in a desperate situation this is at least one ray of hope."

Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chrystia Freeland, also praised the evacuation and said her country had provided funding to the volunteer group.

"The White Helmets have witnessed vicious atrocities committed by the Assad regime and its backers," she said in a statement, adding "Canada has been a key partner of the White Helmets and is proud to have provided funding to support their emergency training and to increase the number of women White Helmets."

Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Mohammad al-Kayed told Petra that while Jordan already hosts 1.3 million Syrian refugees, it "won't hesitate to perform its humanitarian duty despite the great burdens placed on the Kingdom."

Both Syria and Russia consider the White Helmets a terrorist organization, a designation that the international community has rejected.

Syria's state-run news agency SANA reported on Sunday that Israel "smuggled" the White Helmets to Jordan, saying the volunteer group had links to terrorist groups including the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is warning the US that war with Iran would be "the mother of all wars" but did not rule out the possibility of a peace agreement.

Americans "must understand that war with Iran is the mother of all wars and peace with Iran is the mother of all peace," Rouhani said while addressing diplomats Sunday in Tehran, according to Iran's state-run news agency IRNA.

The Iranian leader also had a message for US President Trump: "do not play with the lion's tail, because you will regret it eternally."

His comments come months after the Trump administration announced that the US is quitting the Iran nuclear deal brokered during the Obama administration and reinstating sanctions on the country. The sanctions are set to be reimposed November 4, and more than 50 international firms have said they will leave the Iranian market, Brian Hook, a State Department policy and planning director, said earlier this month.

The 2015 agreement, between Iran and the US and other powers, had agreed to ease sanctions on Iran if the country reined in its nuclear program. But in a split with European allies, Trump said in May that the deal was a disaster and decided to leave the pact.

"It is clear to me that we cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement," Trump said at the time. "The Iran deal is defective at its core. If we do nothing we know exactly what will happen."

Earlier this month, the US and Iran also traded barbs over Iranian oil exports. A Trump administration official promised to get the number of countries "importing Iranian crude [oil] down to zero," sparking a backlash in Iran.
ABERDEEN, Miss. (WTVA) - The Platform of Hope hosted its Back to School Bash Saturday.

The organization gave away nearly 250 backpacks filled with school supplies for children in grades K-12.

The fun-filled day included moonwalks, food, face painting and games.

Organizers say they wanted to give students a more encouraging way to start a positive school year.

"Being able to pull these resources and provide for the community means the world to me," said Doris Smith, founder of The Platform of Hope.

Students were encouraged to display positive morals in school by working hard, following instruction, respecting and obeying parents and teachers during the year.
OXFORD, Miss. (AP)  Supervisors in a north Mississippi county are freezing new development in a water association that's the subject of complaints about discolored water.

The Oxford Eagle reports that Lafayette County placed a moratorium on new construction in areas served by the Punkin Water Association.

Developers who applied earlier can move forward. They plan to build more than 100 houses.

Lafayette County Supervisor Kevin Frye says the freeze is the only way supervisors can pressure the association to make improvements.

Supervisor Jeff Busby says the city of Oxford continues to negotiate to sell water to the association.

Busby says the moratorium will be lifted when the Public Service Commission finds the situation has improved.

Lafayette County supervisors unsuccessfully sought a law from this year's Legislature to allow it to assist local utilities.
BILOXI, Miss. (AP)  Mississippi's second pharmacy school is opening on the state's Gulf Coast, with William Carey University beginning classes on Monday at its School of Pharmacy in Biloxi.

For now, the 58 students will be meeting in temporary locations, awaiting the October scheduled opening of the $7 million, three-story pharmacy building.

Baptist-affiliated William Carey will offer an accelerated pharmacy course, with students finishing in three academic years instead of the traditional four years. Classes will meet year-round in four terms of 10 weeks each.

Gloria Rawls of Hattiesburg will be one of the first students. She tells the Hattiesburg American that she couldn't move to Oxford to take pharmacy classes at the University of Mississippi, because she has two young children. But she plans to commute from Hattiesburg to the campus at the Tradition development on the northern edge of Biloxi.

Student Candace Webber tells WLOX-TV that she left pharmacy school at Xavier University in New Orleans, but never stopped wanting to be a pharmacist, working for more than a decade as a pharmacy technician.

"After being a technician for so long and knowing the process and I've always desired to be a pharmacist, I decided it's time to go back to school," Webber said.

Douglas DeGeorge plans to retire from the Biloxi police force and is starting pharmacy classes. He said he was attracted to the school in part because pharmacists are in high demand.

"I think we pulled the numbers the other day and Mississippi had about 4,000 pharmacies, which in this day and age is exceptionally low," he said. "With the population living longer, people are going to need their medicines."

Pharmacy Dean Michael Malloy said graduates of the school are likely to stay in the area.

"Since there wasn't a school here (before), you couldn't build a culture of pharmacy here," he said. "Students have a tendency once they graduate to either go back home or stay where they're trained."

William Carey already offers nursing, physical therapy and osteopathic medicine programs on its Hattiesburg campus. William Carey Provost Scott Hummel said the combination of the programs will be beneficial.

The state is giving William Carey $1 million from money it received following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill to help the school gain accreditation.
An S-300PS anti-aircraft complex launches missiles during the Keys to the Sky competition of the International Army Games 2017 at Ashuluk training area in Astrakhan region, Russia, on Aug. 5, 2017. (Xinhua/Evgeny Sinitsyn)

MOSCOW, July 20 (Xinhua) -- A new air defense missile was successfully test-fired from a testing range in Kazakhstan, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday.

A missile defense unit of the Russian Aerospace Forces has tested a new, modernized air defense missile at the Sary Shagan of the Kazakhstan firing range, Andrei Prikhodko, deputy commander of Aerospace Forces' air and missile defense taskforce, told Russia's Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper.

The weapon, which had successfully engaged its targets during the test, is in military service, added Prikhodko.

The anti-missile system is reportedly designed to protect Moscow against air and space attacks, as well as to carry out tasks in the interests of missile attack warning systems and control of outer space.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 03:13:05|Editor: Chengcheng

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MOSCOW, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday discussed prospects of Russia-U.S. relations and possible cooperation on Syria and the Korean Peninsula, Russia's Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

During a phone conversation, Lavrov and Pompeo exchanged views on the prospects for further normalizing relations between the two countries "on an equal and mutually beneficial basis", a ministry statement said.

The diplomats also discussed a number of pressing international issues, including, in particular, possible interaction of Russia and the U.S. with other countries to address humanitarian problems in Syria as well as to promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, according to the statement.

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump held a full-fledged summit in Finland's capital Helsinki, at which the two leaders discussed a wide range of topics including Russia-U.S. relations, national security and top international issues.

Pompeo on Friday confirmed Trump's continuing of talks with Putin and said that the two leaders began discussing the return of millions of Syrian refugees.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 05:53:30|Editor: yan

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DAMASCUS, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Over 1,000 airstrikes targeted an area controlled by the Islamic State (IS) in the southern province of Daraa, a monitor group reported on Saturday.

The airstrikes targeted the Yarmouk Basin, the only remaining area under the control of Khalid Bin al-Walid militant group, which is allied with the IS in the southwestern countryside of Daraa, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The watchdog group said 30,000 civilians are taken as human shields by the IS-allied group in the Yarmouk Basin area, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The Syrian army has already captured over 90 percent of Daraa through the military campaign and reconciliation deals since June 19 in Daraa.

Earlier in the day, state news agency SANA said the rebels in Daraa are handing over their weapons to the army, adding that those who reject the reconciliation are leaving towards rebel-held areas in northern Syria.

In the nearby province of Quneitra, the second batch of rebels and their families, who refused to reconcile with the government, left towards rebel-held areas in Idlib province in northwestern Syria.

The evacuation of rebels from Quneitra is the result of a deal reached recently for the full withdrawal of rebels.

Both Daraa and Quneitra are key provinces for the Syrian army due to their proximity to Jordan and the Golan Heights.

The Syrian army launched the offensive against the rebels in southern Syria late last month, following the army's major victory in the capital Damascus.

With the Russian support, reconciliation deals are reached in several areas, enabling the army to recapture many areas without battles.

Government officials in Syria stressed the Syrian army's determination to capture all Syrian areas.
By Xinhua writers Yang Shilong, Chang Yuan

NEW YORK, July 21 (Xinhua) -- One of the oldest streets in Manhattan's Chinatown in New York City got a high-fashion makeover as a Chinese artist painted a grand dragon on it.

Located in the heart of Chinatown, Doyers Street was infamously known as the "Bloody Angle" in the early 20th century.

With just one block in length and a sharp bend in the middle, the shape of the 200-foot-long (61 meters) street inspired Chen Dongfan, an artist from Hangzhou City in eastern China, to visualize a dragon winding its way up and resting at the intersection with Pell Street.

"The Song of Dragons and Flowers" is the name Chen gave to the vibrant painting he installed on the 4,851 square feet (about 450 square meters) with removable and environmentally friendly paint.

"This street has a very complicated history. It's where the earliest Chinese immigrants stayed," Chen told Xinhua on Friday afternoon upon the completion of the work.

The artist believes that dragon, both from its visual form and cultural meaning, can best represent the area.

Instead of depicting the form of dragon on the street, he chose to capture the soul and spirit of this mythical animal, as a visual embodiment of the lasting Chinese cultural heritage, he said.

"Chinatown's history is full of hardship, but also full of love. For me, dragon and flower represent love and peace that Chinese people value most," Chen said.

"The painting is abstract. At a moment I am not sure what I have painted, yet people living here told me they saw the head of a dragon, the eyes of a dragon, and also flowers. I did capture how they perceived this neighborhood as home," he added.

Chen's work is in partnership with Art Bridge and part of the NYC Department of Transportation's Doyers Street Seasonal Street Public Art program, as well as the Chinatown Partnership's pedestrian plaza project.

The technicolor painting is part of the organizers' efforts to boost foot traffic to Chinatown, attracting tourists, domestic or foreign, to appreciate the unique culture the Chinatown boasts, Wellington Chen, executive director of the Chinatown Partnership, told Xinhua on Friday.

"We wanna show people our history, our culture and what we are proud of," Chen said. "Over the years, this street is less known to outsiders and there are few cars going through it. We did a similar project last year. This year's will be a greater success."

Chinatown Partnership was formed in 2006 to bring residents, business owners and community groups together to rebuild Chinatown following 9/11, and to preserve the neighborhood's unique culture while ensuring its vitality in the future through strategic positioning.

If Chinatown legendary woman Mabel Lee were alive, she would be very happy to see what this street has become today, Chen said.

The post office at 6 Doyers Street will be renamed "Mabel Lee Memorial Post Office," as the U.S. House of Representatives approved the legislation authored by Rep. Nydia M. Velazquez (D-NY) in March, he added.

Lee, who died in 1966, was the first Chinese woman to receive a PhD from Columbia University. She is known for organizing classes for Chinatown's residents to build skills in areas like carpentry, radio and typewriting. At just the age of 22, Lee led Chinese and Chinese-American women in a May 1917 pro-suffrage parade in New York City.

In addition to the arrival of "The Song of Dragons and Flowers" to Doyers Street, Chinatown residents have another piece of good news to rejoice: a long-closed route from their neighborhood to lower Manhattan finally reopened - 17 years after 9/11.

Late last month, New York City's Department of Transportation and the New York Police Department reopened Park Row, a winding path that runs from Worth Street down to City Hall, to cyclists and pedestrians.

The half-mile route, which since September 2001 had been used only by emergency and city vehicles, now includes a two-way protected bike lane.

"I am happy to see this artwork done. It will attract more people to come. Our business will for sure be better," said Li Jiwei, a barber on Doyers Street.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 09:47:34|Editor: Chengcheng

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A girl holds a sign during a "Families Belong Together" march in Los Angeles, the United States, on July 21, 2018. Thousands of demonstrators marched on Saturday to protest against separating children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. (Xinhua/Zhao Hanrong)
HAVANA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Seven new hotels will be built in Havana to celebrate the Cuban capital's 500th anniversary in 2019.

"In 2019, when Havana celebrates the 500th anniversary of its founding, we will see the contributions of the smokeless industry, a sector that is now undertaking seven major investments," Jose Reinaldo Daniel Alonso, head of development at the Tourism Ministry, said at a recent presentation of new tourism projects.

Daniel said the first hotel will be completed later this year. One will be built next to the Museum of the Revolution, and a 42-storied one will be the tallest in Havana.

The official said foreign investment has been injected into some of the projects and the authorities are seeking further investments for other development projects.

Cuba's tourism industry is booming, attracting hotel operators such as the Kempinski, Europe's oldest luxury hotel group, which manages the Gran Hotel Manzana.

The growing number of cruise ships docking in Havana's harbor has helped fuel the city's tourism growth, especially the new mega ships, Daniel said.

Today, Havana offers more than 12,000 hotel rooms, ranging from those in modern towers to converted historical buildings.

The island received 4.7 million foreign visitors in 2017.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 12:29:22|Editor: Liangyu

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and Senegalese President Macky Sall hold talks in Dakar, Senegal, July 21, 2018. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

DAKAR, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and Senegalese President Macky Sall held talks here Saturday, vowing to create a better future for China-Senegal ties.

The two leaders spoke highly of the development of bilateral ties in recent years, and agreed to continue to make joint efforts and promote more fruitful results from cooperation in various fields.

Xi arrived here earlier on Saturday for the first state visit to Senegal by a Chinese head of state in nine years.

During the meeting with his host, the Chinese president thanked the government and people of Senegal for their warm hospitality and welcome, saying it fully demonstrated that China-Senegal friendship has gained broad support.

Recalling their joint decision to forge a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries in 2016, Xi said that thanks to joint efforts from both sides, China-Senegal relations have entered a fast track with growing political mutual trust and concrete economic and trade cooperation.

China is willing to join hands with Senegal to lift bilateral ties and cooperation to a higher level, so as to bring more benefits to both peoples, Xi said.

The Chinese president expressed appreciation to Sall for viewing their ties from a strategic perspective, positively responding to the Belt and Road Initiative and strongly supporting China-Africa cooperation.

The two sides should carry out closer high-level exchanges and support each other on issues concerning their core interests and major concern, said Xi.

Noting that the two countries should strengthen the alignment of development strategies and policy communication, Xi welcomed Senegal to be the first West African country to sign a Belt and Road cooperation document with China.

We hope to take this opportunity to comprehensively upgrade China-Senegal cooperation, he said.

China will continue to uphold the spirit of "teaching a man to fish," expand and deepen cooperation with Senegal, and enhance its ability in independent development, Xi said.

He called on the two countries to boost people-to-people exchanges and promote mutual understanding between the two peoples.

The two sides should enhance law enforcement and security cooperation, Xi said, adding that China supports Senegal in building capability in counter-terrorism, peacekeeping and safeguarding stability.

China supports Senegal in playing a greater role in global and regional affairs, and is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with Senegal in major international and regional issues such as peace and security in Africa, the United Nations and climate change, so as to protect the common interests of Africa and developing countries, said the Chinese president.

Noting that he attaches great importance to China-Africa ties, Xi said he feels strongly about the long-term friendship between China and Africa, and their common future in sharing weal and woe.

The two sides are sincere partners on their path of development and natural allies in international affairs, Xi said, adding that China's development will bring more opportunities to Africa, while Africa's development will add momentum to China's development.

China will continue to uphold its African policy and concept of sincerity, concrete results, affinity and good faith, uphold justice and pursue shared interests, promote the construction of a closer China-Africa community with a shared future, so as to realize win-win cooperation and common development, Xi said.

In September, we will hold a summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, said Xi, adding that he is looking forward to meeting African leaders including President Sall in Beijing and discussing the important agenda on China-Africa cooperation.

For his part, Sall thanked President Xi for visiting Senegal in his first overseas trip since being re-elected as Chinese president, saying that it is Senegalese people's honor.

Hailing that China made significant contributions to humanity's progress in history, Sall said today's China is playing an even more important role in international affairs.

Senegal, Sall said, admires China's development achievements, appreciates China's precious support for Senegalese economic and social development and its implementation of revitalization plan.

The bilateral ties, based on solidarity, mutual trust, mutual respect, win-win and mutual benefit, are strong and satisfactory, said the Senegalese president.

Senegal firmly adheres to the one-China policy, is committed to deepening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with China, stands ready to enhance cooperation in areas such as infrastructure construction, water conservation, industrialization, agricultural product processing, tourism, culture and sports, said Sall.

Senegal supports China's Belt and Road Initiative and stands ready to vigorously participate in connectivity construction, Sall said, adding that his country appreciates China's contribution in Africa's peace and development cause.

The FOCAC is a cooperative framework featuring inclusiveness, effectiveness and solidarity, established on the basis of practical cooperation, Sall said, vowing Senegal's full support in strengthening the FOCAC, deepening cooperation between China and Africa, and establishing the China-Africa community with a shared future.

Senegal is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China in multilateral affairs, and work with China to build a more balanced, just and inclusive global governance system, safeguard multilateralism and oppose protectionism, Sall said.

After their talks, Xi received Senegal's top medal of honor from Sall, and the two leaders witnessed the signing of multiple cooperation documents, including the one on jointly building the Belt and Road.

Before the talks, the Senegalese president and people held a grand welcoming ceremony for Xi, with thousands of locals dressed in festive attire, cheering, singing and dancing.

Senegal's official guards of the presidency also put on a magnificent parade on the streets of Dakar escorting the Chinese president.

Senegal is the second stop in Xi's first overseas trip after being re-elected Chinese president in March. He has already visited the United Arab Emirates and will pay state visits to Rwanda and South Africa, attend the 10th BRICS summit in Johannesburg, and visit Mauritius during a stopover.
HAVANA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The government spent 51 percent of its national budget on education, health and social welfare last year, Cuban Finance Minister Lina Pedraza said on Saturday.

"Cuba devoted great resources to health, social assistance and education in 2017," Pedraza told some 600 lawmakers at a meeting of the National Assembly, Cuba's parliament.

According to Pedraza, more than 10.7 billion pesos (10.7 billion U.S. dollars as per the Cuban central bank exchange rate) was invested in public healthcare and social assistance programs and 8.1 billion pesos ( 8.1 billion dollars) in education.

Cuba's fiscal accounts showed revenues surpassed expenses by 3 percent.

Tax revenues, mainly from state-owned companies, accounted for 74 percent of the budget, though the contribution of the private sector rose to 11 percent of tax earnings.

However, certain factors impeded the full execution of the budget, including financial constraints, a three-year drought, lack of oil, U.S. sanctions and the impact of Hurricane Irma, Pedraza said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 13:04:26|Editor: Chengcheng

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MANAGUA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Pro- and anti-government protesters hit the streets of Nicaragua's capital Managua on Saturday, following three months of political unrest.

Supporters of the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front, carrying banners with images of the party members killed in previous demonstrations, demanded justice for the victims.

Their opponents called for greater democratization. In the southern part of Managua, they chanted anti-government slogans and demanded early elections.

The opposition protest was organized by the Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy, a coalition of different business associations and representatives of various sectors.

The Nicaraguan Government's announcement of social security reforms, which increased taxes and cut benefits, has sparked protests since April 18.

President Daniel Ortega canceled the changes several days later after dozens were killed in the clashes. The protests, nevertheless, have continued, with the opposition demanding the president's ouster.

According to official figures, more than 100 people have been killed in the clashes, with victims on both sides. Local human rights groups, however, say the number is close to 350, with over 2,000 people injured.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 14:04:34|Editor: xuxin

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Kashmiri people gather around a house damaged in a gunfight in Khudwani village in Kulgam district, about 70 km south of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, July 22, 2018. Indian security forces Sunday killed three militants in Indian-controlled Kashmir who abducted and murdered a police personnel on Saturday, police said. The militants were killed by a joint team of the Indian Army, para-military Central Reserve Police Force and the state police in a gunfight in Kashmir's Kulgam district, some 70 km from capital Srinagar. (Xinhua/Javed Dar)

NEW DELHI, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Indian security forces Sunday killed three militants in Indian-controlled Kashmir who abducted and murdered a police personnel on Saturday, police said.

The militants were killed by a joint team of the Indian Army, para-military Central Reserve Police Force and the state police in a gunfight in Kashmir's Kulgam district, some 70 km from capital Srinagar.

"The three militants, who had holed up in a locality in Kulgam's Khudwani area, were killed by security forces. One of them was involved in the abduction and killing of a police constable Saturday," a police official said.

The policeman, identified as Salem Ahmed Shah, who had been undergoing police training in Kathua, was kidnapped from his home in Kulgam where he was on leave.

His body was found hours later, following which the security forces launched a massive operation to track down his perpetrators.

A month ago, an Indian Army soldier was kidnapped and killed by terrorists in southern Kashmir while he was heading home to celebrate the holy Muslim festival of Eid.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 14:39:37|Editor: Li Xia

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SHANGHAI, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai-headquartered SAIC Motor said it sold 3.5 million vehicles in the first six months of the year, up 10.9 percent year on year.

In June alone, 554,100 units were sold, a growth of 7.2 percent than the same period last year, according to the company.

During the January-June period, SAIC's new energy vehicle (NEV) sales grew by 275.2 percent year-on-year to 57,400 units.

The company expects an annual sales of NEVs to top 600,000 by 2020.

According to this year's Fortune 500 list released Thursday, SAIC Motor ranks 36th and is the top-ranking Chinese automaker with an sales of 129 billion U.S. dollars last year.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 14:44:39|Editor: Li Xia

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BRASILIA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- China's reform and opening-up drive over the past four decades has been "extremely successful," the president of Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) said.

"The process beginning in 1978 has been fundamental to the commercial, economic and industrial modernization of China. In 40 years it gave rise to a strong economy and the world's biggest trader," Roberto Jaguaribe, also a former Brazilian ambassador to China, told Xinhua.

In other major economies, international trade accounts for a small portion of the gross domestic product but not in China, thanks to its policies, he said.

Jaguaribe also praised China's recently-announced initiative to encourage more exports to China by its trade partners, saying the initiative is doubly important as global trade is currently undergoing a difficult period due to the resurgence of protectionism and the looming threat of a trade war.

"The protectionist trend is stronger than it was 20 years ago. It's an issue that requires vigilance. A trade war has no winners," he said.

In 2009, China became Brazil's largest trading partner. It has also been an important investor in different sectors in Brazil, including energy, minerals and food. Trade between the two countries has plenty of room to grow, with food and agriculture being the most obvious sectors.

"Demand for food is going to increase and Brazil is the best country in the world to satisfy that demand," Jaguaribe said.

Apex-Brasil plans to send a delegation to the first China International Import Expo in Shanghai in November to present new Brazilian products.

"There are various industrial and comestible products, including foods that are little known in China, like Brazilian fruits acai [berry] and cupuacu, which have a strong [potential] to penetrate the Asian market," Jaguaribe said.

The cupuacu, related to the chocolate-producing cacao, is often called an Amazonian superfruit, rich in Vitamin E.

"We are also creating an e-commerce line for immediate consumer products. Brazil wants to partner with Chinese e-commerce [companies]," Jaguaribe said. "We have started a partnership with Alibaba and are looking for other Chinese companies in the same sector."

To make it easier for Brazilian companies to break into the Chinese market, Apex-Brasil is hiring local businesses with insights into the local consumer market.

"China ... has an extraordinary market. If a company wants to be a global player, it has to go to China. Apex's role is to facilitate these ventures," the trade expert said.

Given the "great solidity" of China-Brazil ties, Jaguaribe doesn't expect the outcome of Brazil's presidential elections in October to affect the bilateral relations.

"China-Brazil ties are permanent. They are both large developing countries with numerous reciprocal and common interests. I see a natural and necessary tendency [toward growth] in all aspects of the relationship," he said. "The common foundation is a world governed by stable rules, by multilateral measures. We share this foundation."
ISLAMABAD, July 22 (Xinhua) -- At least five people including a local political leader were injured in a bomb attack at a political rally in northwestern Pakistan's district of Dera Ismail Khan on Sunday, local media reported.

The nature of the blast is not known yet.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 15:09:43|Editor: xuxin

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Photo taken on July 22, 2018 shows a damaged vehicle at the blast site in northwest Pakistan's Dera Ismail Khan. At least five people including a local political leader were injured in a suicide attack at a political rally in Pakistan's northwest district of Dera Ismail Khan on Sunday, police said. (Xinhua/Stringer)

ISLAMABAD, July 22 (Xinhua) -- At least five people including a local political leader were injured in a suicide attack at a political rally in northwestern Pakistan's district of Dera Ismail Khan on Sunday, police said.

Regional police officer Muhammad Kareem Khan said a suicide bomber exploded his explosives-laden vest near the vehicle of Ikramullah Khan Gandapur, a leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI), when he was passing through a village in Kolachi area of Dera Ismail Khan, a district in the country's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Gandapur was among the injured who have been shifted to the district hospital, police said.

Gandapur came under the attack when he was leading a political rally as part of his campaign to contest for a provincial assembly seat in the country's upcoming general elections on July 25.

Initial investigation of police said that five to six kg of explosives were used in the attack.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

Gandapur served as minister for agriculture and livestock from 2013 to 2018 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Earlier in July, at least 170 people including two prominent politicians were killed and over 200 others injured in terrorist attacks at the public rallies in different areas of the country.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 15:39:46|Editor: xuxin

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by Rene Quenallata Paredes

LA PAZ, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Asia has become Bolivia's main market for mineral exports, overtaking the United States, in the past three years due to better export conditions and prices, according to the Bolivian mining ministry.

In 2017, Asia received 61 percent of Bolivia's minerals exports, including zinc, gold, silver, lead, tin and copper, valued at more than 2.3 billion U.S. dollars.

Meanwhile, the U.S. demand for Bolivia's minerals fell from 256 million dollars' worth of imports in 2015 to 59 million dollars in 2017.

Up to 2014, an average of 40 percent of the South American country's mineral exports went to the United States.

According to Hector Cordova, a former dputy mining minister, Asian markets are offering better export conditions and prices.

"Three years ago we sold gold to Switzerland and the United States, but since last year the destinations have changed. We no longer export much of anything to those countries. Everything is going towards the Asian market," Cordova said.

Minerals topped Bolivia's export list last year, accounting for 47.4 percent of total exports and amounting to 7.846 billion dollars.

Mario Flores, deputy minister of metals mining development, said mining has been the fastest growing sector in recent years, driven by a rebound in prices and a greater demand in the international market.

"The mining sector has outstripped natural gas in terms of sales ... due to the diversification of our markets, mainly to Asia, where demand grew significantly, unlike in the United States," Flores said.

The sector overcame low commodity prices with the strategy of boosting output and seeking new markets, he said.

Bolivia is home to South America's third biggest mining industry, ranking after Peru and Chile.

The Asian market is poised to consolidate its lead as Bolivia's top market in 2018, according to figures in the first quarter.

From January to March, Bolivia's mineral exports grew 24 percent in value year on year, mainly due to higher zinc, gold, antimony, lead and tungsten shipments, the ministry said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 15:44:46|Editor: xuxin

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JERUSALEM, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Israel went on a nationwide strike on Sunday over a new law denying surrogacy to gay couples, with the support of a trade union and hundreds of local and international firms.

The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people (LGBT) called for the one-day strike after the Knesset (parliament) passed on Wednesday a law that allows surrogacy for single women unable to conceive, without allowing the same right to single gay men or couples.

Before the new legislation, only heterosexual couples could use a surrogate.

The LGBT community calls the government to amend the law so it will include also single gay men and couples.

On Sunday evening, tens of thousands of people from the LGBT community and supporters are planned to rally the Rabin Square in central Tel Aviv.

The Histadrut, Israel's main trade union, said it supports the strike and called employers throughout the country to back employees who want to take part in the strike.

Many firms followed and announced their support in the strike and in employees who want to join it, including the local branches of Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, IBM, eBay, Novartis, Procter and Gamble, Loreal, in addition to hundreds of local banks, large industries, chain stores, law and advertisement firms, media outlets, shops and restaurants.

The municipality of Tel Aviv, Israel's liberal financial capital, and some three other municipalities also announced their support, in addition to main universities and colleges.

"We decided to take gloves off," said Chen Arieli, chairwoman of the LGBT Association. "When we initially announced the strike, we hadn't imagined the magnitude of the support that we would receive from the Israeli public," she told Hebrew-language Ynet news site. "This is a struggle not only for the LGBT community, it's a struggle for our country," she said.
BAGHDAD, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Fifteen Islamic State (IS) militants were killed on Sunday in an airstrike on an IS hideout in Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, provincial security source said.

Acting on intelligence tips, the Iraqi aircraft bombarded IS hideouts at Balkana area, some 110 km northeast of the provincial capital Baquba, leaving 15 IS militants killed, including local leaders of the group, Lt. Gen. Mezhir al-Azzawi, commander of the security forces responsible for military operations in Diyala, told Xinhua.

Despite repeated military operations in the Diyala province, remnants of IS militants are still hiding in some rugged areas near the border with Iran, and in the sprawling areas extending from the western part of the province to the Himreen mountainous area in north of Baquba, some 65 km northeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

On Dec. 9, 2017, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi officially declared full liberation of Iraq from the IS extremist group.

However, small groups of IS militants have since regrouped in rugged areas, carrying out attacks against security forces and civilians despite the military operations from time to time to hunt them down.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 16:49:56|Editor: Liangyu

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LIMA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- China and Peru pledged to deepen practical cooperation and further develop bilateral relations through coordinating development strategies under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), said Li Qiang, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Friday.

Li, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, said this when meeting with Peruvian Prime Minister Cesar Villanueva.

Li conveyed to Villanueva Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's greetings.

Li said China and Peru are good friends with mutual trust and good partners sharing common development. China has always viewed and developed China-Peru relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective.

China hopes that both sides align development strategies under the BRI framework, leverage complementary advantages and continuously improve practical cooperation to boost further development of the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership, said Li.

For his part, Villanueva asked Li to convey his good wishes to Premier Li and said that Peru attaches great importance to developing relations with China.

Villanueva said his country highly appreciates the important role that China-Peru cooperation has played in Peru's economic and social development. Peru welcomes and supports the BRI and is willing to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various fields to benefit the two peoples.

At the invitation of the ruling Peruvians for Change party, a CPC delegation led by Li started a visit to Peru from July 19.
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NEW DELHI, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 19,800 children have died in the western Indian state of Maharashtra in the last financial year, its health minister has reportedly said.

"Some 19,799 children died in Maharashtra between April 2017 and March 2018 due to various reasons, including poor weight and respiratory illnesses," State Health Minister Deepak Sawant was quoted by the local media as saying in a written reply to the Legislative Council last week.

The minister, however, told legislators that the state government "is providing nutritious food, health check-ups, pre-school education and vaccinations to children" to curb such deaths in the state in the future, reports said Sunday.

A report by the United Nations Children's Fund, released early this year, ranked India 12th among the 52 low-middle income countries having highest infant mortality rates.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 16:59:57|Editor: Yamei

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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (Xinhua file photo)

TEHRAN, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday warned the United States against any conflict with Iran, saying war with his country will be the mother of all wars, state TV reported.

"The Americans should learn very well that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace and war with Iran is the mother of all wars," Rouhani said at a meeting with the Iranian diplomatic missions in world countries.

Following U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to quit the historic Iran nuclear pact on May 8, the United States vowed to re-impose sanctions lifted under the accord against Iran and inflict punishments on nations that have business links with the Islamic country.

The Iranians described the U.S. move as an economic war, said the report.

Rouhani said such threats against Iran would have adverse effects.

"Threats will further unite us," he said, vowing to "certainly" defeat the United States.

"That will carry some costs for us, but the benefits will be greater," he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 17:04:57|Editor: Yamei

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JOHANNESBURG, July 22 (Xinhua) -- South African police said Sunday that they are investigating a deadly shooting which lead to 11 deaths on Saturday night.

South Africa Police Service said in twitter that "Last night a taxi from GP (Gauteng Province), transporting taxi as members who attended a funeral at Ematimotolo, came under fire on R74 between Colenso & Weenen. Unknown suspects jumped into the road from the bushes and opened fire at the taxi. Several fatalities."

According to local media, police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker confirmed that there had been 11 fatalities, while four people were seriously injured.

The victims were allegedly from a taxi association in Gauteng. The police said they had dispatched taxi violence unit to the scene.

South Africa taxi operators often clashes with each other for ranking facilities and routes. Cases of death caused by taxi war appear in newspapers from time to time.

On April 27, a group of heavily armed gunmen stormed a taxi rank in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal Province, killing one and seriously injuring three others. Following the incident, police arrested 16 suspects and seized 17 firearms.
(File photo)A handout picture provided by the Iranian presidency shows the Iranian president Hassan Rouhani (C) during a meeting in Tehran on July 14, 2018. (AFP photo)

TEHRAN, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday warned the United States against any conflict with Iran, saying war with his country will be the mother of all wars, state TV reported.

"The Americans should learn very well that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace and war with Iran is the mother of all wars," Rouhani said at a meeting with the Iranian diplomatic missions in world countries.

Following U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to quit the historic Iran nuclear pact on May 8, the United States vowed to re-impose sanctions lifted under the accord against Iran and inflict punishments on nations that have business links with the Islamic country.

The Iranians described the U.S. move as an economic war, said the report.

Rouhani said such threats against Iran would have adverse effects.

"Threats will further unite us," he said, vowing to "certainly" defeat the United States.

"That will carry some costs for us, but the benefits will be greater," he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 17:20:01|Editor: Yamei

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NANJING, July 22 (Xinhua) -- A pair of sisters, both in their 90s, from central China's Hunan Province, have come forward and spoke out their experiences as comfort women and their sufferings at the hand of Japanese soldiers during WWII.

According to The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders on Sunday, their staff came across the sisters when visiting Yueyang city in Hunan.

The elder sister Peng Renshou, 94, told them she was captured and taken to a comfort station in the autumn of 1939 when she was only 14. After being raped repeatedly, a Japanese soldier cut open her belly. She survived but was unable to have children.

The other sister, Peng Zhuying, 90, said she lost her eyesight as a victim of Japanese germ warfare at the age of nine in 1938. She was then abducted to become a comfort woman and was abused regularly. She is also unable to have children.

Some 400,000 women across Asia were forced to become sex slaves for the Japanese army during WWII. Nearly half of them were Chinese, according to the Research Center for Comfort Women.

Su Zhiliang, an expert on the studies of comfort women issues, said there were only 14 "comfort women" still alive on Chinese mainland before the two sisters came forward.

Memorial hall staff said both sisters are in good health but had kept the nightmare to themselves for too long. "When they finally found the courage to speak of their past, the elder sister couldn't help sobbing the whole time."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 17:55:08|Editor: Yamei

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YAOUNDE, July 22 (Xinhua) -- An attack by suspected members of the Boko Haram terror group killed 18 people Thursday night in Chad, according to a local source quoted by AFP.

The victims were slaughtered in a village south of the city of Daboua during a night raid of the militant group, said the source.

The attack ended a relative peace from Boko Haram that Chad had enjoyed in recent months.

Boko Haram has been active in the Lake Chad Basin by conducting regular attacks on bordering countries, namely Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger. The relentless response of the Multinational Joint Force (MMF), jointly created by the four affected countries, has largely constrained Boko Haram's activities in its base in Nigeria, though sporadic incursions into neighboring countries were still reported.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 18:45:13|Editor: Liangyu

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SHANGHAI, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Ampil, the 10th typhoon this year, has made landfall on the island of Chongming in Shanghai at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, packing winds of up to 28 meters per second near its eye, the municipal meteorological observatory said.

Ampil continues to move northwestward but waning in strength, the observatory said.

The Chongming island, 45 km east of downtown Shanghai, is at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

The Shanghai municipal flood control headquarters said it had relocated more than 190,000 people, called over 1,600 ships back at port and reinforced 46,000 trees citywide.

Shanghai Disney Resort said it was operating normally, but will suspend some outdoor attractions and performances during periods of heavy rain or high winds. Shanghai Tower, the tallest building in China, has suspended rooftop sightseeing.

In neighboring provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu, more than 42,500 people were relocated. More than 28,000 ships including 22,900 fishing boats have returned to port in Zhejiang.

The provincial weather bureau of Shandong expects Ampil to affect the province in the afternoon, bringing thunderstorms and gales in the following days. A geological hazard alert has been issued.

Influenced by a tropical depression in the Beibu Gulf, south China's island province of Hainan is bracing for strong wind and rain.

Nearly 23,700 fishing boats returned to take shelter from the storms, and more than 68,700 people were relocated in Hainan. Ferry services across the Qiongzhou Strait have been suspended.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 18:50:15|Editor: Liangyu

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BEIJING, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Preparations for this year's International Army Games in China are complete, military sources said Sunday.

The sites in Korla, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and in Quanzhou, east China's Fujian Province, are ready, according to a statement of the training management department of the Central Military Commission.

All foreign participants and their equipment have arrived at the sites for the competitions, which will start on July 28.

This year's International Army Games, with 28 competitions, will be co-organized by China, Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Iran, with four of the competitions held in China.

Chinese armed forces will attend some competitions overseas.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 18:50:16|Editor: xuxin

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HELSINKI, July 22 (Xinhua) -- The northernmost Finnish-Russian border crossing in Raja-Jooseppi reopened on Sunday morning after it was closed on Friday when forest fires on the Russian side had cut the road leading to the crossing from the east.

On Friday evening Finnish firefighters moved across the border to the Russian side to protect the actual buildings of the crossing there known as Lotta. The Finnish equipment and personnel returned to Finland early on Sunday, newspaper Helsingin Sanomat reported.

While cross-border operations are commonplace in the North between Finland, Sweden and Norway, entry of Finnish units into Russia is very rare.

There are only nine border crossings on the 1,340-km-long land border between Finland and Russia. The three crossings in the far north are far apart from each other.

The Finnish Raja-Jooseppi and the Russian Lotta serve the highway connection between Murmansk, Russia, and the city of Rovaniemi in Finland.

Ari Soppela, spokesman for the Lapland rescue services, told local media that high preparedness continues to be maintained as long as fires continue on the Russian side. More soldiers and helicopters are to be deployed on Sunday.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 19:20:19|Editor: xuxin

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AMMAN, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Jordan gave approval to the UN to allow the entry of 800 Syrians into Jordan to be later resettled in the UK, Germany and Canada.

The permission has been granted after Britain, Germany and Canada submitted after receiving written pledges to resettle the 800 Syrians due to risks to their lives, a statement by the foreign ministry a copy of which was obtained by Xinhua indicated.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mohammad Kayed said in the statement, which was released on Sunday, that the UN's request had been approved for purely humanitarian reasons.

These Syrians who used to work in civil defence in rebel-held regions have fled their war-torn country following attacks by the Syrian government's forces.

He added that these Syrians will stay in a closed area in Jordan for a period of time not exceeding three months until resettled in the three Western countries as London, Berlin and Ottawa pledged.

No decision has been made yet about where the Syrians will be resettled, according to ministry officials.

Jordan, which is home to 1.3 million Syrian refugees, has closed its borders recently after hundreds of thousands of Syrians flocked to the borders with Jordan.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 19:45:21|Editor: xuxin

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DOHA, July 22 (Xinhua) -- The Qatar Charity has launched a new project to cultivate agricultural lands in the Gaza Strip, local media reported on Sunday.

The charity said the project, worth around 300,000 U.S. dollars, aims to support Palestinian farmers to face the hard farming conditions, reported Qatar-based newspaper Qatar Tribune.

"The project is designed to encourage local agriculture to achieve self-sufficiency in production of basic crops," said director of the charity's office in Gaza Strip, Mohamed Abu Haloub.

It noted that the first phase includes the provision of eight electrical transformers to supply 42 wells with the power to irrigate more than 7,500 acres (30.3 square km) of agricultural land.

The second phase will deal with the cultivation of more than 100 acres of land and planting fruit trees.

The charity has a number of implementation projects for Palestinians. Last year, it handed over 50 apartments to the low-income families in the Gaza Strip.

However, the charity was accused of funding terrorist organizations by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.

The four Arab states cut diplomatic ties and severed air, land and sea links with Qatar on June 5, 2017, accusing it of supporting extremism, which Qatar has denied.
By Tao Jun, Nguyen Xuan

HANOI, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Being too tired of summer heat waves, Hanoians find a new place in town not only to chill down, but also to get frozen.

A group of four youngsters stepped into a coffee shop in Hanoi's Dai Co Viet Street on Sunday morning, extending a line of dozens of visitors queuing in front of a reception desk.

"We read about this place early this week, so today we manage to get here together," 27-year-old Hanoian Nguyen Kim Linh told Xinhua while skimming through the drink list with several arrays of options available.

Linh said she was both excited and nervous to experience a freezing atmosphere at the ice cafe for the first time, especially when it was summer in the tropical city with temperature sometimes surpassing 40 degrees Celsius.

"I have never seen it falling to zero in Hanoi, let alone seeing ice or snow," confessed Linh, wondering if there was any chance that she might suffer a temperature shock.

Linh decided to order a cup of hot chocolate, hoping that it would warm her up once she entered the coolest zone. The female customer, together with her companions, were then guided to sit for about 15 minutes in the waiting room where temperature maintained at 16 degrees Celsius.

"It is for their bodies to get adapt to the new environment, since they had just stepped in from a baking hot atmosphere out there," 26-year-old Dao Tu Bac, a shareholder of the coffee shop, explained.

After the 15-minute cooling down, customers will then be coated a warm dressy parka in dark navy color, with hood and thick layers of fur and led to a colder zone of 5 degrees Celsius.

Opening last month, the place christened ICE Coffee became a phenomenon among local residents and visitors. People of all ages flock to experience for the first time in their lives the frozen zone of minus 10 degrees Celsius in the middle of summer days.

Inside the coldest zone, a high-capacity chiller works all day and night to keep the temperature at minus 10 degrees Celsius. All furniture and decorations are made exclusively from ice. Under the blue light imitating Disney's Frozen cartoon, they look magical as in a fantasy land.

"It's totally worth a try. I am sitting on an iced bench and placing my chocolate cup on an iced table. It is freaking cold and beautiful," Linh yelled excitedly while trembling in the oversized coat with her hands rubbing together.

According to Bac, the hotter it is outside, the more crowded his shop becomes. "During periods when temperature is over 40 degrees Celsius, we receive some 500 customers per day; many of them have to wait for hours. Sometimes we have to stop letting them in because of limited space," he said.

Bac and his partners came up with the idea of building such a space a few years ago before they launched their first shop in Vietnam's southern Ho Chi Minh City in 2016.

"We learned that people there are always eager to experience winter weather, since it's hot all year round. We wished to bring them a special experience without going anywhere," recalled Bac.

As the idea has been a success, the founders moved on to expand their chain to the capital city of Hanoi which has an extremely hot summer between June and August.

"In the coming time, we plan to open more branches in other major cities nationwide, including Can Tho (southern city), Da Nang, Nha Trang (central cities), and Hai Phong (northern city)," he said optimistically.

Leaving the frozen zone after 20 minutes, Linh and her companions were loudly showing each other the best photos they took inside. "I cannot wait to post them on Facebook. All of my friends will be amazed," she said with a bright smile.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 20:00:25|Editor: xuxin

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SANTA FE, the United States, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. state of Kentucky hoped to expand ties with China, the state governor Matt Bevin said.

"We welcome all Chinese companies to come, specifically to Kentucky, and explore opportunities," Bevin told Xinhua on the sidelines of the National Governors Association (NGA) meeting in Santa Fe, the capital city of New Mexico State.

Chinese companies, including Qingdao-based appliance manufacturer Haier Group, have ventured into Kentucky and, according to Bevin, helped create about 9,000 jobs for locals.

The governor expected the upcoming international import expo in Shanghai to be a platform where Kentucky can attract more Chinese investors.

"I'm excited," said Bevin. "(It's) a good chance for people to meet one another."

There are abundant opportunities in engineered and manufactured products, automotive and pharmaceutical industries, as well as the agricultural community, Bevin added.

In 2017, Kentucky made 9.2 billion U.S. dollars of the investment, of which 2.8 billion was foreign direct investment, according to Bevin.

Meanwhile, the businessman-turned-politician described the Chinese market as "big and exciting" for various industries in his state.

China ranked second among Kentucky's overseas markets in 2017 and Kentucky's exports to China supported 15,300 American jobs in 2016, according to the latest report from the U.S.-China Business Council.

"As we go forward, we will be strong trading partners and strong trading partners are peaceful partners. And all of the people are better for it," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 20:25:29|Editor: xuxin

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TEHRAN, July 22 (Xinhua) -- At least 20 people were injured in a 5.9-magnitude earthquake that shook Tazeh Abad region in Iran's western province of Kermanshah on Sunday afternoon.

Local reports said that the tremor has caused damage to the buildings in Sarpol-e Zahaband and Eslamabad-e Gharb cities and the villages in the province.

Scores of mild after-shake have trembled the region and more still are being expected.

People in the quake-hit areas are out of their houses, business centers and offices in panic.

In Kermanshah, the capital city of the province, the cars have lined up in front of gas stations to fill up their tanks.

Emergency team and equipment have been dispatched to the damaged areas in Kermanshah province.

The quake was felt in the neighboring provinces of Kordestan, Lorestan and Ilam and some border regions of Iraq.

The epicenter of the tremor, which took place at 14:37 p.m. local time (1007 GMT), was determined at the depth of 8 km, 34.654 degrees north latitude and 46.251 degrees east longitude.

Earlier on the day, another quake measuring 5.7 in magnitude shook Roydar city in Iran's southern Hormozgan province.

There were no reports of casualties or damages during the first hours after the earthquake, according to Tasnim news agency.
ISLAMABAD, July 22 (Xinhua) -- At least two people including a candidate for Pakistan's upcoming general elections were killed and three others injured in a suicide attack at a political rally in the northwest region of the country on Sunday, police said.

District police officer Manzoor Afridi said that Ikramullah Khan Gandapur of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and his driver who were seriously injured in the attack succumbed to their injuries during treatment at a hospital.

Afridi said a suicide bomber exploded his explosives-laden vest near the vehicle of Gandapur when he was passing through his native village in Kolachi area of Dera Ismail Khan, a district in the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Gandapur came under the attack when he was leading a political rally as part of his campaign to contest for a provincial assembly seat in the country's upcoming general elections on July 25.

This is the third candidate contesting for Pakistan's July 25 election who lost his life in a suicide attack.

Police said that eight to ten kilograms of explosives along with ball bearings were used in the attack.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

Gandapur served as minister for agriculture and livestock from 2013 to 2018 in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Following the candidate's assassination, the Elections Commission of Pakistan has postponed the elections for his constituency.

At least 170 people have been killed and over 200 others injured in terrorist attacks at the public rallies in different areas of the country in July so far.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 20:40:36|Editor: Liangyu

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BEIJING, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Currently based in Beijing, James Lalonde has co-founded two companies in China in the last five years.

His first startup company, Yodo1, has become a leading private publisher of mobile phone games in China.

An American previously based in Silicon Valley, Lalonde started his career at Microsoft in 1990 and since then has held a number of executive roles in several software companies, such as McAfee and Brocade Communications Systems.

In an interview with Xinhua on Saturday, he said China's huge market potential for mobile phone games attracted him to start businesses in the country.

"I think it's the best place to do a startup in the world," Lalonde said. "China has the largest market, the fastest growth and the productive people."

He was attending the launching ceremony of the International Talent Innovation Accelerator (ITIA), a new innovation hub aimed at supporting overseas startups in Beijing.

Located in Beijing's Chaoyang District, the ITIA was jointly built by local authorities and the innovation departments of the several foreign embassies in China, including of France, Ireland, Switzerland, Singapore, Australia, and the Netherlands.

"Entrepreneurs all over the world are welcomed in China and the business environment is very vibrant here," Lalonde said.

Over 500 entrepreneurs and startup owners from all over the world attended the ceremony on Saturday.

Besides Lalonde, many other entrepreneurs were also keen to pursue their business ambitions in the Chinese capital. Among them is Jonas Wolf, a 29-year-old German business owner and the China director of Angelhack, an international IT consulting firm.

"It is a great platform to share capital, experience and information," Wolf told Xinhua, adding that China's preferential policies are favorable for entrepreneurs to start their businesses.

"I also want to realize my dream here by means of building my own brand," said Wolf.

The Chinese government is committed to providing support and convenience for global companies to establish businesses in China. Many government-backed programs have helped foreign entrepreneurs to enter the Chinese domestic market.

"Actually, Chinese consumers are getting more sophisticated," said Jan Smejkal from the Czech Republic. Smejkal is the China and Asia Pacific director of Startup Grind, a startup community aimed at educating, inspiring and connecting entrepreneurs.

"The spending power of the (Chinese) middle class is really high, which makes the Chinese market quite competitive," he added. According to Smejkal, here in China, Startup Grind's main focus is on the innovation sector.

Describing China as one of the innovation hubs in Asia, Smejkal said China is now a leader of innovation in the region.

"There are a lot of things happening in terms of innovation and entrepreneurship, providing a model for the other regions in Asia," he said.
ISLAMABAD, July 22 (Xinhua) -- At least two people including a candidate for Pakistan's upcoming general elections were killed and three others injured in a suicide attack at a political rally in the northwest region of the country on Sunday, police said.

District police officer Manzoor Afridi said that Ikramullah Khan Gandapur of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and his driver, who were seriously injured in the attack, succumbed to their injuries during treatment at a hospital.

Afridi said a suicide bomber exploded his explosives-laden vest near the vehicle of Gandapur when he was passing through his native village in Kolachi area of Dera Ismail Khan, a district in the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Gandapur came under the attack when he was leading a political rally as part of his campaign to contest for a provincial assembly seat in the country's upcoming general elections on July 25.

This is the third candidate contesting for Pakistan's July 25 election who lost his life in a suicide attack.

Police said that eight to ten kilograms of explosives along with ball bearings were used in the attack.

The police officer said that 13 police personnel were assigned to Gandapur, but he chose to travel without informing his police guards, adding that the security forces had warned of death threats to Gandapur on Saturday.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

Gandapur served as minister for agriculture and livestock from 2013 to 2018 in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Following the candidate's assassination, the Elections Commission of Pakistan has postponed the elections for his constituency.

At least 170 people have been killed and over 200 others injured in terrorist attacks at the public rallies in different areas of the country in July so far.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 21:00:44|Editor: Liangyu

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BEIJING, July 22 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Emergency Management (MEE) on Sunday called for better efforts to mitigate disasters and reduce casualties in the flood season.

MEE's Vice Minister Huang Ming said at a meeting that late July and early August is a "critical stage" for fighting floods and providing relief.

Since July, rainstorms have hit many regions, triggering floods along the Yangtze and Yellow rivers and their tributaries.

Compared with the same period last year, 27 percent more houses collapsed and the number of people relocated nearly doubled, though the number of casualties and missing people dropped by 41 percent, Huang said.

He said western and northern China should stay on high alert and make full preparations to prevent heavy fatalities.

"Evacuations should be carried out as early as possible," he said.

Over 387,000 people were evacuated in east China's Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang before typhoon Ampil made landfall in Shanghai Sunday noon, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 21:35:53|Editor: Liangyu

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BEIJING, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday published a signed article titled "For a New Era of China-South Africa Friendship" on three South African newspapers, namely, The Sunday Independent, Sunday Tribune and Weekend Argus, ahead of his state visit to the African country.

The following is the full text of the article:

For a New Era of China-South Africa Friendship

Xi Jinping

President of the People's Republic of China

It gives me great pleasure to pay my third state visit to the Republic of South Africa and attend the 10th BRICS Summit at the invitation of President Cyril Ramaphosa. I am full of expectations as I am about to set foot again on the beautiful land of South Africa, the rainbow nation standing at the convergence of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, and home to unique and magnificent landscapes, industrious and enterprising people, and colorful and pluralistic cultures.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of diplomatic ties between our two countries, but the friendly interactions between our peoples go far beyond that. Our peoples forged a deep friendship during our common struggle against imperialism, colonialism and racism. After the birth of a new South Africa, especially in the past 20 years of diplomatic relations, our two countries have supported and learned from each other in our respective exploration of a development path suited to national conditions. This relationship has stood the test of time and a changing international environment. From a partnership to a strategic partnership, and then to a comprehensive strategic partnership, this relationship has made big strides and demonstrated a strong growth momentum in political trust, economic and trade cooperation, people-to-people exchanges and strategic coordination.

Over the past six years, our two countries have worked closely as co-chairs of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) to advance the comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership between China and Africa. Our bilateral ties have thus served as a model for China-Africa relations, for South-South cooperation, and for unity and cooperation among emerging market countries, and offered valuable experience for building an even stronger community with a shared future between China and Africa and a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness and justice, and win-win cooperation.

We enjoy close high-level exchanges and fruitful practical cooperation across the board. Our leaders have, through frequent mutual visits, meetings and other exchanges, provided top-level and strategic guidance for the bilateral ties. China has been South Africa's largest trading partner for nine years in a row, and South Africa has become China's largest trading partner in Africa. Two-way trade totaled 39.17 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, more than 20 times the figure at the start of our diplomatic engagement. Preliminary statistics show that China's direct investment in South Africa has grown by more than 80 times and exceeded 10.2 billion U.S. dollars in cumulative terms, creating tens of thousands of jobs for local communities and giving a strong boost to the South African economy. Many Chinese companies are running successful businesses in South Africa, which is a full testament to our mutually beneficial relationship for common development. South African companies, for their part, are also making great success in China.

In recent years, measures such as hosting the Year of China/South Africa and launching the High-Level People-to-People Exchange Mechanism have brought our two peoples even closer with greater mutual understanding and friendship. We have seen expanding cooperation in such areas as education, culture, science and technology, and health, and growing exchanges between our youths and women. South Africa has attracted more Chinese tourists, established sister relations with more Chinese provinces and cities, and opened more Confucius Institutes and classrooms than any other Sub-Saharan country. China has become an increasingly popular destination for South African students and tourists. Traditional Chinese medicine companies are actively exploring the South African market, introducing acupuncture, cupping and other traditional Chinese therapies to the South African people as a new option to treat illnesses and keep fit. Chinese volunteers have mobilized Chinese companies and Chinese communities in South Africa to partner with local animal conservation organizations and make their contribution to wildlife protection in Africa. These are all powerful examples of China-South Africa and China-Africa friendship.

South Africa is now on a new journey of national development. President Ramaphosa has put forth the goals of growing the economy, creating jobs, improving people's lives and advancing social transformation, thereby ushering South Africa into a new era of hope and confidence. China looks forward to working with South Africa to build on the momentum of the 20th anniversary of diplomatic ties and strive for faster and greater progress in our comprehensive strategic partnership.

- We must steadily elevate our political mutual trust to new levels. We need to maintain high-level exchanges, strengthen inter-party cooperation and governance experience sharing, continue to provide each other with mutual understanding and support on issues bearing on our respective core interests and major concerns, and stay forever as each other's reliable good friend, good brother and good partner. I look forward to receiving President Ramaphosa in Beijing in September and co-chairing with him the FOCAC Beijing Summit.

- We must strive for new outcomes in our practical cooperation. We need to promote complementarity between our development strategies, and make full use of bilateral mechanisms, FOCAC, the Belt and Road Initiative, BRICS cooperation, and other platforms to deepen cooperation in key areas such as industries, production capacity, resources and energy, infrastructure, finance, tourism, and digital economy and deliver more benefits to our peoples.

- We must increase communication to add new impetus to our people-to-people exchanges. We need to leverage the role of the High-Level People-to-People Exchange Mechanism in enhancing communication between our peoples, expand cooperation in education, culture, science and technology, health, and sports, and promote exchanges between youths, women, think tanks and media outlets. Such measures will bring greater public support for China-South Africa friendship, and make our peoples be more closely connected.

- We must strengthen collaboration and scale new heights in our strategic coordination. We need to support each other in hosting the 2018 FOCAC Beijing Summit and the 10th BRICS Summit, step up coordination and cooperation within multilateral frameworks including the UN, the G20 and BRICS, and promote the reform of the global governance system in a joint effort to advance the fundamental interests of African and other developing countries, to build a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind, and to contribute wisdom and proposals to solving the world's most pressing issues.

This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the BRICS Summit. Ten years on, BRICS cooperation has achieved remarkable development and gained an ever-growing influence. This year's summit will be the first one held in the second "Golden Decade" of BRICS cooperation. China will go all out to support South Africa in hosting this event. Under the theme of "BRICS in Africa: Collaboration for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the Fourth Industrial Revolution," we will deepen BRICS strategic partnership, enhance BRICS solidarity and cooperation, and facilitate the inter-connected development of BRICS countries. We are confident that this summit will usher in an even brighter future for BRICS cooperation.

This year celebrates yet another important event, the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela, the inaugural president of the new South Africa. To quote Mr. Mandela, "The African rebirth is now more than an idea. Its seeds are being sown in the regional communities we are busy building and in the continent as a whole." With unremitting efforts, South Africa and the rest of the African Continent gained a new life in the last century. I am confident that this century will witness the rejuvenation of South Africa and that of the whole African Continent. Let us work together for a new era of China-South Africa friendship.
Over 2 dozens killed, injured as suicide attack rocks Kabul Source: Xinhua 2018-07-22 21:45:56 KABUL, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Over two dozen people including civilians and police were killed and injured in a suicide attack that rocked Kabul on Sunday, an eyewitness said. Editor: xuxin
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 21:55:58|Editor: xuxin

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SARAJEVO, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Heavy hail storm has hit Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) city of Banja Luka, some 200 kilometers northwest of the capital Sarajevo, causing great damage on objects and cars on Saturday evening.

According to local reports, around five-centimeter-diameter hailstones destroyed roofs and windows of a great number of cars parked outside, mainly in a village near Banja Luka.

The unexpected hailstorm, accompanied by rain and strong wind damaged roofs, facades and windows of 200 residential buildings, local media reported on Sunday.

People living in villages near Banja Luka reported electricity shortage on Saturday late evening.

The hail storm also hit numerous agricultural areas, which resulted in the destruction of seeds planted. The possible damage to agricultural crops will be known in the upcoming days.

Local authorities advised all administrative bodies, legal entities to put all their resources at disposal to the Municipal Civil Protection for the purpose of protecting the damaged objects and its further destruction.

The Federal Institute for Hydrometeorology (FHMZ BiH) issued a yellow alert on Sunday, forecasting intense rainfall and thunderstorms for the territory of the whole BiH. For the Banja Luka area, heavy thunderstorms are expected and 20-40 liters of rain per square meters.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 23:01:12|Editor: Liangyu

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SHENYANG, July 22 (Xinhua) -- A senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official has called for efforts to improve law enforcement and judicial work to help revitalize the northeast rust-belt during his inspection to Liaoning Province over the weekend.

Guo Shengkun, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, inspected grass-roots legal organizations, communities, a municipal court, a police station, a border post, and a police academy from July 21 to 22.

He called for efforts to strengthen property protection, ensure fair competition, encourage entrepreneurship and innovation, and create just, transparent and predictable legal environment to improve market confidence. He also urged more work to improve public services.

Guo checked anti-gang campaigns and urged the province to seize the opportunity to solve prominent security issues to let the people feel safer.

Visiting a municipal court in the city of Shenyang, Guo called for more efforts to use technologies to improve legal work.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles appointed Mike Manley (file photo) as its chief executive officer to replace ailing Sergio Marchionne on Saturday, on July 21, 2018. (Courtesy to Alberto Lingria)

By Stefania Fumo

ROME, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) appointed high-ranking in-house executive Mike Manley to replace ailing Sergio Marchionne as its chief executive officer (CEO), its board of directors announced Saturday.

Marchionne, 66, has not been seen in public since last month, when he underwent surgery on his shoulder.

"During the course of this week unexpected complications arose while Mr. Marchionne was recovering from surgery and that these have worsened significantly in recent hours. As a consequence, Mr. Marchionne will be unable to return to work," the carmaker said in a statement.

In a separate statement, FCA Chairman John Elkann said: "I am profoundly saddened to learn of Sergio's state of health. It is a situation that was unthinkable until a few hours ago, and one that leaves us all with a real sense of injustice."

A dual Italian and Canadian citizen, Marchionne became CEO of Fiat in 2004 and orchestrated the successful merger between the historic Italian brand and American carmaker Chrysler in 2014. He also served as chairman of CNH Industrial and Chairman and CEO of Ferrari.

British-born Manley joined the company in 2000 and heads its Ram and Jeep brand divisions. He also sits on the FCA U.S. board and on FCA's governing body, its Group Executive Council (GEC).

Manley oversaw the expansion of Jeep into China as chief operating officer (COO) of FCA's Asia-Pacifica region. He formed close relationships with Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. executives to significantly grow a joint venture with the Chinese automaker, Automotive News reported.

On Saturday, he was also named COO of FCA's NAFTA region, which includes Canada, Mexico and the United States. He will implement the company's 2018-2022 business plan presented on June 1 this year, the board said.

Last year FCA shipped 2.4 million vehicles in the NAFTA region, sold almost one million cars and other vehicles in Europe, with its various divisions posting year-on-year sales increases of 3.5 percent and upwards. It employs 90,000 people worldwide, according to its corporate website.

Fiat, which is the acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino, was founded in Turin in 1899 by the Agnelli family, of which Elkann is an heir.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 23:26:16|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Passengers take a train from Nairobi to Mombasa along the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Kenya, on June 9, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Baishun)

by Xinhua writer Zhu Shaobin

NAIROBI, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Today, a "China-Africa community with a shared future" is the buzzword to describe China-Africa relations. Behind the popularity of the phrase lies the unremitting effort by leaders of China and Africa to forge such a community by deepening political mutual trust and pursuing common development.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is currently on a trip to Senegal, Rwanda and South Africa. He will also attend the 10th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg on July 25-27 and visit Mauritius during a stopover.

This is Xi's fourth visit to Africa since assuming office as Chinese president in 2013.

Many African leaders, including Cameroonian President Paul Biya, Namibian President Hage Geingob, and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, visited China this year.

China and Africa have always maintained the tradition of close high-level interactions, embodying the brotherly ties between them as well as their determination to promote pragmatic cooperation for mutual gain.

FREQUENT HIGH-LEVEL VISITS

Klaus Schade, a research associate at the Economic Association of Namibia, said the frequent mutual visits by Chinese and African delegations are a result of the historical friendship, which continues today.

China's top legislator Li Zhanshu and Wang Yang, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, have visited Africa recently.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to four African countries in January followed a long tradition. For the past 28 years, China's foreign ministers have always chosen Africa as their first destination abroad.

In an interview with Xinhua, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Namibia's deputy prime minister and minister of international relations and cooperation, said frequent visits are necessary as they strengthen ties between nations and more importantly, between governments.

"The last decade has witnessed a highly intensified frequency of mutual visits between government officials of China and a large number of African countries," said Gerishon Ikiara, an international economics lecturer at the University of Nairobi. "This indicates the seriousness with which the visits were taken by both African countries and China."

Ikiara called the frequency and high caliber of Africa-China interactions a clear indication of the sharp increase in their mutual desire to enhance and diversify Sino-African socio-economic, diplomatic and political relations.

Tarah Shaanika, former CEO of Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, "For many years, the Chinese economy has been growing rapidly, which fueled the growth of other economies, especially those in Africa."

Lauding the China-Africa comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, he said being the second largest economy with the largest population, China "has a huge market which no one can afford to ignore."

BEYOND TRADE

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up. The past four decades have not only witnessed China's economic achievements but also the leapfrogging development of China-Africa economic and trade relations.

On July 12, in Nigerian capital Abuja, the China-assisted Abuja light rail transport system, the first of its kind in West Africa, was commissioned. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari called it a milestone in the history of the country.

"I am very optimistic that a modern rail service would bring about a boost to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) economy and greatly enhance social life," he said. Abuja is located in the FCT.

In recent years, such infrastructure projects undertaken by Chinese firms abound in Africa and have become symbols of the strong China-Africa economic tie. These include the Nairobi-Mombasa standard gauge railway in Kenya and the Ethiopia-Djibouti railway, among others.

Thomas Kwesi Quartey, deputy chair of the African Union Commission (AUC), said Africa and China have pragmatic and close cooperation in the spirit of South-South cooperation across sectors like health, education, infrastructure development, trading and capacity building.

"China remains an example for us ... China has showed that it has been able to pull its so many millions of people out of poverty," he said.

A report last year by Ernst & Young, the London-based multinational professional services firm, said China became the single largest contributor of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa in 2016.

It said between 2005 and 2016, China invested in 293 FDI projects in Africa, totaling an investment outlay of 66.4 billion U.S. dollars and creating 130,750 jobs.

Data from the African affairs department of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs show that China-Africa trade grew from a mere 765 million dollars in 1978 to 170 billion dollars in 2017, an increase of more than 200 times. China has also maintained its position as Africa's largest trading partner for eight years in a row.

Cumulative Chinese investment in Africa has grown from none to over 110 billion dollars in the past 40 years.

On international and regional matters, China and Africa have maintained close coordination. Of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, China is the largest contributor of peacekeeping force in Africa, with more than 2,000 Chinese troops carrying out missions on the continent.

KEY DEFINING FEATURE

During his 2013 visit to Africa, Xi emphasized in a speech in Tanzania that China and Africa are a community with a shared future. Similar history, common development tasks and shared strategic interests have created a tight bond between the two, he said.

University of Nairobi lecturer Ikiara said since the 1960s, when the majority of African countries became independent, China is regarded as having special ties with Africa. The notion of a community with a shared future is the "key defining feature" in Sino-African relations in the post-independence period, he added.

Raphael Tuju, secretary general of Kenya's ruling Jubilee Party, said China has won the hearts and minds of Africans for assisting the continent with loans and grants to improve infrastructure, which remains the biggest challenge to Africa's development.

"More countries in Africa are agreeing to enter into the China-Africa comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation. This is an indication of the valued relations between China and Africa and the commitment to ensure long-term strategic partnership," Tuju said.

China will host the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit in Beijing in September. AUC's Quartey said the summit has been a vehicle for continuing cooperation in bilateral, multilateral and continental spheres.

"The summit will bring us closer," Namibia's Deputy Prime Minister Nandi-Ndaitwah said. "African countries still have a lot to learn from China, and Africa has so much to offer to the Chinese. The summit will boost the confidence we have in each other." Enditem

(Xinhua reporters Wu Changwei in Windhoek, Jin Zheng in Nairobi, Wang Shoubao in Addis Ababa, and Zhang Gaiping in Kampala contributed to the report.)
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 23:31:17|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and Senegalese President Macky Sall hold talks in Dakar, Senegal, July 21, 2018. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

BEIJING, July 22 (Xinhua) -- The relations between China and Senegal are poised to reach new heights thanks to President Xi Jinping's state visit to the West African nation, the first by a Chinese head of state in nine years.

Xi and Senegalese President Macky Sall held talks and attended a ceremony for the signing of multiple cooperation documents, including one on jointly building the Belt and Road.

Senegal is the first West African country to sign a Belt and Road cooperation document with China.

Xi said China is willing to join hands with Senegal to lift bilateral ties and cooperation to a higher level, so as to bring more benefits to both peoples.

China-Senegal ties have seen sound and stable development since the restoration of diplomatic ties in 2005. The relationship was elevated to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in 2016. China is now Senegal's second largest trading partner and largest source of financing.

"The China-Senegal cooperation has a new starting point with Xi's visit," said Cheng Tao, former director-general of the department of African affairs of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "The visit will strengthen mutual political trust and boost China-Senegal pragmatic cooperation."

Senegal is the second stop in Xi's first overseas trip after being re-elected Chinese president in March. He has already visited the United Arab Emirates and will pay state visits to Rwanda and South Africa, attend the 10th BRICS summit in Johannesburg, and visit Mauritius during a stopover.

It is also Xi's first foreign visit after the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs. "Such arrangement further highlights the importance of China-Africa relations in China's work relating to foreign affairs in the new era," said Chen Fengying, a research fellow at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.

China and Africa have deep-rooted friendship and a shared pursuit for development and prosperity as China is the largest developing country and Africa has the largest number of developing countries, said Cheng.

This year is key for China-Africa ties. In September, a summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) will be held in Beijing.

In his talks with Xi, Sall vowed Senegal's full support in strengthening the FOCAC, deepening cooperation between China and Africa, and establishing the China-Africa community with a shared future.

Cheng said Xi's visit will cement China-Africa solidarity and cooperation and gather more consensus for the summit.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 23:46:19|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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RABAT, July 22 (Xinhua) -- The strike of the pilots of Morocco's flag carrier, Royal Air Maroc (RAM), continued for three days in a row, forcing the company to cancel another four flights on Sunday.

RAM tweeted that the cancellations concern two flights between Morocco's largest airport in Casablanca and France and two others with Morocco's top tourist hub Marrakech.

The Moroccan airline cancelled 10 flights on Friday and 4 others on Saturday because of what the company termed as "social tensions" with pilots.

Tensions between RAM and its pilots have intensified since Monday after talks with pilots ended up without an agreement.

The pilots association said in a statement on Friday that a "heavy social climate" prevails over the company, adding that the situation was "exacerbated by 20 months of sterile social dialogue."

On Tuesday, RAM Director Abdelhamid Addou criticized in a letter to the association what he called "the absence of willingness to see the company's development," stressing that organizing a strike "will have devastating effect" on the company.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-22 23:56:21|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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KAMPALA, July 22 (Xinhua) -- The Ugandan military on Sunday said three of its soldiers were killed by angry mob at the common border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a spokesperson said here.

Brig. Richard Karemire, Uganda's military spokesperson, told Xinhua by telephone that an angry mob from the two neighboring countries killed the soldiers attached to Vurra customs army detach in the northwestern district of Arua, which borders DRC on suspicion of being armed robbers on Saturday night.

"It's true there was an incident last night in Vurra. Three UPDF (Uganda People's Defenses Forces) died," said Karemire.

"Investigations into the incident have started to ascertain the circumstances surrounding their deaths," he said.

Josephine Angucia, the West Nile regional police spokesperson, told Xinhua by telephone from Arua that the police have arrested eight suspects to help in the investigations.

"That place has been common with robberies. One boda boda (commercial motorcyclist) cyclist made an alarm on suspicion that the soldiers were robbers. The alarm attracted people from sides of the border who mistook them as robbers," said Angucia.

"They forced the soldiers to surrender their guns and beat them to death. We condemn acts of mob justice. It's wrong and against the law. They should have alerted the police or called in authorities instead of taking the law into their hands," she said.

The bodies of the deceased soldiers have been taken to Arua Regional Referral Hospital for a post mortem.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-23 00:01:21|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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GAZA, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian trader Hashim Harb is facing a growing shortage of goods at his clothing store in Gaza City after Israel banned the entry of goods into the coastal enclave recently to further tighten its decade-long blockade.

Harb complained that he had run out of several clothes in his shop as all clothing imports have been banned by the Israeli authorities for nearly two weeks.

On July 9, Israel closed the Gaza Strip's main cargo crossing for export and import as part of the measures against Hamas, the Islamic movement that runs the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Only food supplies and medicines are allowed into Gaza through the terminal.

The Israeli government also decided to reduce the area allowed for fishing in the sea of Gaza to 3 nautical miles.

The Israeli decision came in response to the arson kites and helium balloons flying from Gaza into Israel, which caused large fire and losses in the Israeli territory.

The sanctions came at a time of escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, created by a blockade imposed by Israel since Hamas violently took over the territory in 2007.

"The Israeli procedures have undermined the remaining trade movement in the Gaza Strip markets," Harb, in his mid 30's, told Xinhua. "We had a deal to import shipment of goods from China and the shipment was delayed due to fears of being damaged or seized in Israel."

The Israeli blockade has further pushed Gaza's 2 million populations into poverty. Economists in Gaza point out that extreme poverty rate hit 53 percent in 2017 up from 37 percent in 2011.

A recent World Bank report has also said the Gaza Strip ranks third across the Arab region in terms of poverty rate after Sudan and Yemen.

Maher al-Tabaa, media official in the Gaza Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Israel has reversed the Gaza Strip to the first days of the blockade, with the number of daily trucks dropping to fewer than 70 per day today carrying only basic food and medical supplies.

"These measures have serious repercussions on many economic sectors in the Gaza Strip, especially the importers whose goods have been seized by the Israeli side, causing heavy losses," he told Xinhua.

Al-Tabaa pointed out that the construction sector in Gaza is the most affected by the measures, noting that construction work of hundreds of projects have completely stopped.

"The halt of the industrial sector is extremely serious ... this threatens to increase unemployment rate in Gaza, which is the highest worldwide, exceeding 49 percent," he said.

Economists in Gaza said about 450 industrial facilities have been closed since the beginning of this year, adding that this number is expected to increase due to Israel's new measures.

Israel said it will not remove its restrictions until arson balloons released by Palestinian protestors during the mass anti-Israel demonstrations, known as the Great Marches of Return, stop completely.

At least 145 Palestinians, including 20 children, have been killed during the ongoing rallies that kicked off on March 30 demanding for putting an end to the Israeli blockade.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-23 00:16:23|Editor: huaxia

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by Xinhua writer Zhu Shaobin

NAIROBI, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Today, a "China-Africa community with a shared future" is the buzzword to describe China-Africa relations. Behind the popularity of the phrase lies the unremitting effort by leaders of China and Africa to forge such a community by deepening political mutual trust and pursuing common development.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is currently on a trip to Senegal, Rwanda and South Africa. He will also attend the 10th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg on July 25-27 and visit Mauritius during a stopover.

This is Xi's fourth visit to Africa since assuming office as Chinese president in 2013.

Many African leaders, including Cameroonian President Paul Biya, Namibian President Hage Geingob, and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, visited China this year.

China and Africa have always maintained the tradition of close high-level interactions, embodying the brotherly ties between them as well as their determination to promote pragmatic cooperation for mutual gain.

A train of the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) is seen at the Mombasa Railway Station in Mombasa, Kenya, on June 1, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Teng)

FREQUENT HIGH-LEVEL VISITS

Klaus Schade, a research associate at the Economic Association of Namibia, said the frequent mutual visits by Chinese and African delegations are a result of the historical friendship, which continues today.

China's top legislator Li Zhanshu and Wang Yang, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, have visited Africa recently.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to four African countries in January followed a long tradition. For the past 28 years, China's foreign ministers have always chosen Africa as their first destination abroad.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Namibian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah at the UN headquarters in New York, on Sept. 19, 2017. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

In an interview with Xinhua, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Namibia's deputy prime minister and minister of international relations and cooperation, said frequent visits are necessary as they strengthen ties between nations and more importantly, between governments.

"The last decade has witnessed a highly intensified frequency of mutual visits between government officials of China and a large number of African countries," said Gerishon Ikiara, an international economics lecturer at the University of Nairobi. "This indicates the seriousness with which the visits were taken by both African countries and China."

Ikiara called the frequency and high caliber of Africa-China interactions a clear indication of the sharp increase in their mutual desire to enhance and diversify Sino-African socio-economic, diplomatic and political relations.

Tarah Shaanika, former CEO of Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, "For many years, the Chinese economy has been growing rapidly, which fueled the growth of other economies, especially those in Africa."

Lauding the China-Africa comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, he said being the second largest economy with the largest population, China "has a huge market which no one can afford to ignore."

Aerial photo taken on May 10, 2018 shows the Chinese-built Maputo Bridge in Maputo, Mozambique. (Xinhua/Wang Teng)

BEYOND TRADE

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up. The past four decades have not only witnessed China's economic achievements but also the leapfrogging development of China-Africa economic and trade relations.

On July 12, in Nigerian capital Abuja, the China-assisted Abuja light rail transport system, the first of its kind in West Africa, was commissioned. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari called it a milestone in the history of the country.

"I am very optimistic that a modern rail service would bring about a boost to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) economy and greatly enhance social life," he said. Abuja is located in the FCT.

Attendants wait for passengers at the Mombasa Railway Station in Mombasa, Kenya, on June 2, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Teng)

In recent years, such infrastructure projects undertaken by Chinese firms abound in Africa and have become symbols of the strong China-Africa economic tie. These include the Nairobi-Mombasa standard gauge railway in Kenya and the Ethiopia-Djibouti railway, among others.

Thomas Kwesi Quartey, deputy chair of the African Union Commission (AUC), said Africa and China have pragmatic and close cooperation in the spirit of South-South cooperation across sectors like health, education, infrastructure development, trading and capacity building.

"China remains an example for us ... China has showed that it has been able to pull its so many millions of people out of poverty," he said.

A report last year by Ernst & Young, the London-based multinational professional services firm, said China became the single largest contributor of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa in 2016.

It said between 2005 and 2016, China invested in 293 FDI projects in Africa, totaling an investment outlay of 66.4 billion U.S. dollars and creating 130,750 jobs.

Data from the African affairs department of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs show that China-Africa trade grew from a mere 765 million dollars in 1978 to 170 billion dollars in 2017, an increase of more than 200 times. China has also maintained its position as Africa's largest trading partner for eight years in a row.

Cumulative Chinese investment in Africa has grown from none to over 110 billion dollars in the past 40 years.

On international and regional matters, China and Africa have maintained close coordination. Of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, China is the largest contributor of peacekeeping force in Africa, with more than 2,000 Chinese troops carrying out missions on the continent.

Passengers take a train from Nairobi to Mombasa along the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Kenya, on June 9, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Baishun)

KEY DEFINING FEATURE

During his 2013 visit to Africa, Xi emphasized in a speech in Tanzania that China and Africa are a community with a shared future. Similar history, common development tasks and shared strategic interests have created a tight bond between the two, he said.

University of Nairobi lecturer Ikiara said since the 1960s, when the majority of African countries became independent, China is regarded as having special ties with Africa. The notion of a community with a shared future is the "key defining feature" in Sino-African relations in the post-independence period, he added.

A doctor of China Medical Team in Rwanda examines a patient at a health post in Kibungo, Eastern Province, Rwanda, on Nov. 1, 2017. (Xinhua/Lyu Tianran)

Raphael Tuju, secretary general of Kenya's ruling Jubilee Party, said China has won the hearts and minds of Africans for assisting the continent with loans and grants to improve infrastructure, which remains the biggest challenge to Africa's development.

"More countries in Africa are agreeing to enter into the China-Africa comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation. This is an indication of the valued relations between China and Africa and the commitment to ensure long-term strategic partnership," Tuju said.

China will host the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit in Beijing in September. AUC's Quartey said the summit has been a vehicle for continuing cooperation in bilateral, multilateral and continental spheres.

"The summit will bring us closer," Namibia's Deputy Prime Minister Nandi-Ndaitwah said. "African countries still have a lot to learn from China, and Africa has so much to offer to the Chinese. The summit will boost the confidence we have in each other." Enditem

(Xinhua reporters Wu Changwei in Windhoek, Jin Zheng in Nairobi, Wang Shoubao in Addis Ababa, and Zhang Gaiping in Kampala contributed to the report.) (Video by Liu Ruijuan)
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki raise an Eritrean flag at the Eritrean Embassy reopened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, on July 16, 2018. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

ADDIS ABABA, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Recent positive developments in the Ethiopia-Eritrea relations have demonstrated the commitment of leadership that the world needs to demolish walls and build bridges among communities and nations, said the outgoing UN Development Program (UNDP) Resident Representative and UN Humanitarian Coordinator to Ethiopia, Ahunna Eziakonwa-Onochie.

"We are facing a world where many leaders are not promoting this kind of reconciliation and bridge building," Eziakonwa-Onochie told Ethiopia's state news agency ENA on Saturday.

"The two countries, in agreeing to this peace deal, have demonstrated leadership that we need to tell the world not to build walls between the hearts of families, communities and nations," she added.

After 20 years of hostility, Ethiopia and Eritrea resumed diplomatic relations this month. On July 8, Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, made a landmark visit to the Red Sea nation and a week after, Eritrea's President, Isaias Afwerki, paid a visit to Ethiopia.

Leaders of the two countries have now agreed to end the situation and forge closer political, economic and social connections.

Amid the easing tensions, telecom services between the two countries have resumed, and Eritrea has reopened its embassy in Addis Ababa. Ethiopian Airlines also started regular flights to Asmara on Wednesday.

"This is a proud moment because this is a teaching moment for the world. We really hope that the world could rally behind this kind of initiative," Eziakonwa-Onochie said.

Eziakonwa-Onochie further reiterated UN's recognition regarding reconciliation among the two countries, saying that "We welcome this historic initiative to soften the borders between the two countries, and then allow for rejuvenation of the friendship and relationship."

Following Eritrea's separation from Ethiopia in 1991, a border dispute had contributed to two years of armed conflict starting in 1998, which killed more than 70,000 people from both sides.

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS), an African non-profit organization, in its latest publication on Friday entitled "Can improved Ethiopia-Eritrea relations stabilize the region?" has also indicated that the "entire Horn of Africa region will benefit" from the restart of good relations among the two East African nations.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-23 01:11:32|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BEIJING, July 22 (Xinhua) -- China's drug regulator said on Sunday that it has ordered Changchun Changsheng Life Sciences Limited to stop production and launched an investigation into the company over illegal production of rabies vaccines for human use.

An official with China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) said it found that the company had fabricated production records and product inspection records, arbitrarily changed process parameters and equipment during its production of freeze-dried human rabies vaccines.

The CFDA had revoked the company's drug GMP certificate following its serious violations of relevant law and regulations, and demanded a recall of unused vaccines, according to the official.

The administration and the food and drug bureau of northeast China's Jilin Province have launched an investigation into the company and those criminal suspects would be transfered to the public security department, said the official.

The CFDA and Jilin provincial food and drug bureau launched an unannounced inspection of the company on July 5 upon tip-off. On July 15, CFDA made an announcement on the company's illegal production of freeze-dried human rabies vaccines after a comprehensive investigation on the same day.

The administration has launched further tests on samples kept by the company to ascertain the effectiveness of its vaccines.

All vaccines shall be subject to safety checks and a certain proportion of them shall undergo examinations on their effectiveness by the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control before going on sale.

In October 2017, a batch of DPT vaccine produced by the company were found to be defective and the production of the vaccine was suspended since then.

The CFDA official said that all vaccine producers in China would be subject to unannounced inspection and any violations of law and regulations would be dealt with seriously.

China's rabies incidence rate has dropped gradually in recent years, data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed.
Palestinians wait to fill containers with fuel after Israel stopped the transfer of fuel and cooking gas into Gaza, at a petrol station in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip July 17, 2018. (Reuters photo)

GAZA, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian trader Hashim Harb is facing a growing shortage of goods at his clothing store in Gaza City after Israel banned the entry of goods into the coastal enclave recently to further tighten its decade-long blockade.

Harb complained that he had run out of several clothes in his shop as all clothing imports have been banned by the Israeli authorities for nearly two weeks.

On July 9, Israel closed the Gaza Strip's main cargo crossing for export and import as part of the measures against Hamas, the Islamic movement that runs the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Only food supplies and medicines are allowed into Gaza through the terminal.

The Israeli government also decided to reduce the area allowed for fishing in the sea of Gaza to 3 nautical miles.

The Israeli decision came in response to the arson kites and helium balloons flying from Gaza into Israel, which caused large fire and losses in the Israeli territory.

The sanctions came at a time of escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, created by a blockade imposed by Israel since Hamas violently took over the territory in 2007.

"The Israeli procedures have undermined the remaining trade movement in the Gaza Strip markets," Harb, in his mid 30's, told Xinhua. "We had a deal to import shipment of goods from China and the shipment was delayed due to fears of being damaged or seized in Israel."

The Israeli blockade has further pushed Gaza's 2 million populations into poverty. Economists in Gaza point out that extreme poverty rate hit 53 percent in 2017 up from 37 percent in 2011.

A recent World Bank report has also said the Gaza Strip ranks third across the Arab region in terms of poverty rate after Sudan and Yemen.

Maher al-Tabaa, media official in the Gaza Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Israel has reversed the Gaza Strip to the first days of the blockade, with the number of daily trucks dropping to fewer than 70 per day today carrying only basic food and medical supplies.

"These measures have serious repercussions on many economic sectors in the Gaza Strip, especially the importers whose goods have been seized by the Israeli side, causing heavy losses," he told Xinhua.

Al-Tabaa pointed out that the construction sector in Gaza is the most affected by the measures, noting that construction work of hundreds of projects have completely stopped.

"The halt of the industrial sector is extremely serious ... this threatens to increase unemployment rate in Gaza, which is the highest worldwide, exceeding 49 percent," he said.

Economists in Gaza said about 450 industrial facilities have been closed since the beginning of this year, adding that this number is expected to increase due to Israel's new measures.

Israel said it will not remove its restrictions until arson balloons released by Palestinian protestors during the mass anti-Israel demonstrations, known as the Great Marches of Return, stop completely.

At least 145 Palestinians, including 20 children, have been killed during the ongoing rallies that kicked off on March 30 demanding for putting an end to the Israeli blockade.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-23 02:46:45|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ADDIS ABABA, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Federal Police Commission said on Sunday that it has arrested some 18 suspects in connection with illegal smuggling of armaments into the country as well as foreign currency outflow.

The arrest of the reported suspects by the Ethiopian Federal Police Commission came amid the East African country's recent allegation that armaments are illegally smuggled into the country, which is said to create a widespread impact on the country's peace and security situations, state broadcaster EBC reported on Sunday.

The Ethiopian government is also currently struggling to mitigate the ongoing foreign currency shortage, which has been crippling the country's economy in recent years.

Police on Saturday announced the seizure of more than 10 million U.S. dollars that was illegally smuggled out of Ethiopia over the past few days.

According to Zeynu Jemal, head of Ethiopia's Federal Police Commission, the illicit foreign currency notes outflow and smuggling of armaments are underway as part of a large scale hidden activity, which mainly aimed at crippling the country's economy as well as peace and security.

Jemal, who revealed the various activities Ethiopia's security forces are undertaking in order to tackle similar activities, also called on the public to cooperate with police.

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, since he came to power in April this year, has been undertaking various measures in order to tackle the ongoing foreign currency shortage. He has also urged Ethiopians to avoid accumulation of foreign currency notes as well as to halt hard currency outflow.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-23 03:11:50|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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JERUSALEM, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Israeli artificial intelligence start-up AnyVision announced Sunday that it has raised 28 million U.S. dollars led by German company Bosch.

The company, which develops automatic immediate face recognition technology, has customers and partners include Microsoft, Google, Johnson Controls, Telefonica, Genetec and many others.

Based on computer vision, AnyVision's technology deals with automatic processing of images based on the real world, to extract and interpret the visual information inherent in them.

The technology is effective when it is necessary to identify many people within a large crowd. Its solutions include face recognition, body and objects, and can be used to make each camera smart by analyzing and classifying all information recorded in its sensors.

This technology is also used to prevent fraud in finance, pathology and agriculture (by identifying the crop's state).

The company was founded in 2015, with its headquarters located in Tel Aviv, Belfast and New York.
Photo taken on April 7, 2016 shows the model of Soyuz-4 and Soyuz-5 Spacecraft docking at the Museum of Cosmonautics in Moscow, Russia. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)

MOSCOW, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Russia has started working on the creation of a new Soyuz-5 carrier rocket, director general of Russia's Roscosmos State Space Corporation for Space Activities Dmitry Rogozin said Sunday.

"Works on the creation of the Soyuz-5 rocket kicked off at Energia Rocket and Space Corporation, Progress Rocket Space Center and NPO Energomash. Then we will begin work on a super-heavy rocket," Rogozin tweeted.

The new project will help mobilize Russia's entire rocket and space industry, get it updated and tap its powerful potential in design and production, he added.

Roscosmos has reportedly approved the conceptual design of the Soyuz-5 medium-class carrier rocket, which is expected to be created by 2021 and will serve as the base of a super heavy-lift launch vehicle.

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with the Roscosmos leadership that flight tests of Soyuz-5 carrier rockets would begin in 2022.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-23 03:46:54|Editor: Lu Hui

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TEHRAN, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday warned the United States against any conflict with Iran, saying that U.S. should avoid starting an economic war with the Islamic republic, according to Press TV.

"The Americans should learn very well that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace and war with Iran is the mother of all wars," Rouhani said at a meeting with the Iranian diplomatic missions in foreign countries.

Following U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to quit the historic Iranian nuclear deal on May 8, the United States vowed to reimpose sanctions lifted under the accord on Iran and inflict punishment on nations that have business links with the Islamic country.

The White House has announced that it would bring Iran's oil sales down to "zero."

The Iranian officials described the U.S. move as an economic war, said the report.

Rouhani said such threats against Iran would have adverse effects.

"Threats will further unite us," he said, vowing to "certainly" defeat the United States.

"That will cause some costs for us, but the benefits will be greater," he added.

He said that the U.S. latest conspiracy has been to attempt to wear the Iranian nation down and lead it into submission.

However, "you must know that the Iranian nation is honorable and will never be servile to anyone," he said.

Rouhani warned that if Iran cannot sell its oil, it would be impossible for other countries in the region to sell their oil.

"No one with even a basic understanding of politics will ever say, 'we will block Iran's oil exports,'" Rouhani said.

"Mr. Trump!... Don't play with the lion's tail! It will be something (for you) to regret," he warned the U.S. against anti-Iran measures.

Besides, Rouhani pointed to the stance of the remaining parties to the JCPOA versus that of the United States and said Washington has become isolated as a result of its unilateral withdrawal.

"The U.S. is clashing with the whole world over the JCPOA," he said, adding that "the isolated America should not (be given a chance to) recover."

In the meantime, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday called for practical measures by the European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal to save the accord, Tasnim news agency reported.

Zarif pointed to recent talks between Iran and the European parties to the deal, and said that "alongside the statements and pledges they give, the Europeans must act to save this agreement."

"We have not seen sufficient practical measures by the western powers and the remaining parties" to the JCPOA following the U.S. pullout in May 8, he was quoted as saying.

Iran will continue talks with the Europeans, but will not wait too long for them, Zarif said, referring to Europe's resolve to propose a package of economic measures to offset U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA.

On Friday, a ministerial meeting on the Iran nuclear deal was held in Vienna. The meeting, chaired by Federica Mogherini, EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, was attended at ministerial level by China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Iran.

The measures would collectively cause difficulties for Europe to maintain trade ties with Iran. Nevertheless, Europe, Russia and China have decided to explore ways to maintain the JCPOA and trade with Iran.

On Sunday, Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said that European countries must endeavor to implement the nuclear agreement in the best possible manner.

"Europe must present its approach and plans for the full implementation of the JCPOA," Larijani was quoted as saying by Press TV.

The JCPOA, sealed in July 2015, restricts Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for the easing of sanctions on the Islamic republic.

Trump has urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to widen its inspections on Iran's military sites after his decision to quit the deal. The demands have been rejected by Iran.
NEW YORK, July 22 (Xinhua) -- The Sound of Manhattan (SOM) International Music Festival & Competition, founded by Chinese-American concert pianist Diyi Tang, will be held here its 3rd gala concert from July 29 to August 5 with the aim of inspiring young musicians to pursue a life in music.

It is a once-in-a-life time "East meets West" concert experience for young musicians from all parts of the world to perform with established musicians at some of the most celebrated concert venues in New York City," according to the music festival's official website.

In the past five years, many young talents have grown better or stronger through SOM, either initiating their own professional careers or getting admitted to top music schools and Ivy League colleges, Tang was quoted on Sunday as telling major Mandarin daily newspaper The China Press.

This year's festival features competitions and over 40 hours of masterclasses and private lessons with world-renowned faculties from prestigious schools in New York City.

All participants will be given an opportunity to perform in the Turtle Bay Music school Concert Hall on August 3; all winners from the SOM Competition (August 4) will perform at Adelphi University Performing Arts Center on August 5.

"Aiming to inspire young musicians to pursue a life in music, SOM offers a unique program for young artists to train and work with renowned professionals from top schools in the United States, including The Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, Mannes College of Music, Manhattan school of Music, and Columbia University," said its website.

Hailed as "Vibrantly Musical" and "Striking Performance" by New York Concert Review, Tang is established as one of the leading artists of his native China and his talent is becoming recognized in United States.

Born into a musical family, Tang was the youngest pianist from China to win the top prize at Chopin International Piano Competition in Moscow.

Tang made his Lincoln Center debut in Alice Tully Hall with the Mannes Orchestra, playing Chopin E Minor Piano Concerto.

He had also performed as a guest soloist with Moscow Symphony, Orchestra National de Lyon, Beijing Symphony, and Shanghai Symphony.

He established his own Tang Institute for Musical Excellence International and started to run the SOM festival in 2013.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-23 03:51:57|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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LAGOS, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian troops had successfully repelled an attack on a military patrol team coordinated by suspected Boko Haram insurgents at Sasawa community in northeast Yobe, the country's Army said Sunday.

The troops repelled an ambush by the insurgents and killed many of them in gun battles, Brig.-Gen. Texas Chukwu, the Army spokesperson, said in a statement reaching Xinhua.

Chukwu said that reports indicated that the insurgents, whose original plan was to attack and loot Babbangida market, aborted the mission and laid ambush for the troops on patrol.

According to him, the troops recorded some casualties but that the situation was under control.

The army spokesman added that additional men had been deployed to reinforce the patrol troops, while the Air Task Force was on aerial surveillance to track the fleeing terrorists.

Boko Haram has been blamed for the death of more than 20,000 people and displacement of 2.3 million others in Nigeria since 2009.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-23 03:56:58|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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MOGADISHU, July 22 (Xinhua) -- The Somali National Army (SNA) destroyed al-Shabab militants' networks on Saturday in locations near Qoryoley town in lower Shabelle town in southern Somalia, officials said Sunday.

Army Commander Mohamed Mohamud Gutale told State-owned radio the military operation targeted militants' strongholds and successfully destroyed the terrorists' equipment.

"Well-planned military operation destroyed al-Shabab networks in this region on Saturday, we captured some militant members during the operation where terrorists used to prepare explosive elements," Gutale said.

He did not comment on the number of militants who were captured during the operation by the SNA or the number of casualties on the SNA side and if they were international partners who accompanied them in the operation so far.

Gutale said the militant group in January completely destroyed one of two main bridges in Qoryoley town with landmine explosion. The bridge was very important to the movement of people and goods in the region.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-23 03:56:59|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TUNIS, July 22 (Xinhua) -- The hospital built with China's assistance in Sfax in east Tunisia shows a successful cooperation between Tunisia and China in the field of health, Tunisian Regional Director of Health in Sfax Ali Ayadi said on Sunday.

A delegation of Chinese doctors on a voluntary medical assistance mission went to the construction site of this hospital Sunday, to cure Tunisian and Chinese workers.

The Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Tunisia Zhang Fengling said that "we hope to see the bilateral cooperation between China and Tunisia in the area of health lifted to an upper level."

Starting construction in December 2016 and to be completed by the end of 2019, this hospital will specialize in cardiovascular treatment.

Covering an area of 26,000 square meters and with about 250 beds, the hospital will have a surgical unit, with five operating rooms, an emergency department, a radiology center and a surgical center.

In the first four months this year, Chinese medical team in Tunisia has provided 18,000 consultations and 1,559 surgical operations.

China started sending medical teams to Tunisia in the 1970s as part of its medical aid efforts abroad. Around 1,000 Chinese doctors have worked in the North African country ever since.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-23 04:12:02|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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LAGOS, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president of Nigeria, has officially joined the race for 2019 presidential election in the West African country under opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP).

Abubakar, who was vice president of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007, on Saturday formally declared his intention to vie for the presidential seat at a rally organized in the northeast city of Yola in Adamawa.

Abubakar, who said he would ensure Adamawa returns to PDP, added that the state was a PDP state and he would do all things possible to bring back the party to power in 2019.

He criticized the All Progressives Congress (APC) for failing Nigeria in areas of economy, security and job security, adding that he would address the the problem when elected president.

The National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus described Atiku as a leading presidential aspirant in the party that has the capacity to dislodge APC in 2019.

Secondus assured all presidential aspirants level playing field and tasked APC on ensuring level playing field for all parties in 2019 general elections.

The former Vice President dumped Nigeria's ruling APC in November, 2017.

He had challenged President Muhammadu Buhari for the APC ticket in the build up to the 2015 elections.

The Nigerian statesman had wished for the highest office twice, after completing his tenure in office as a two-term vice president in 2007. This was preceded by his intention to run for the same office in 1993, more than two decades ago.

In 2007, he contested the presidential election on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). Shortly before the general elections of 2011, Abubakar returned to Nigeria's ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) which he confounded, to contest for the same office.
File photo: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani waves as he delivers a speech during a rally in Tehran's Azadi Square to mark the 35th anniversary of the Islamic revolution on February 11, 2014. (AFP photo)

TEHRAN, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday warned the United States against any conflict with Iran, saying that U.S. should avoid starting an economic war with the Islamic republic, according to Press TV.

"The Americans should learn very well that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace and war with Iran is the mother of all wars," Rouhani said at a meeting with the Iranian diplomatic missions in foreign countries.

Following U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to quit the historic Iranian nuclear deal on May 8, the United States vowed to reimpose sanctions lifted under the accord on Iran and inflict punishment on nations that have business links with the Islamic country.

The White House has announced that it would bring Iran's oil sales down to "zero."

The Iranian officials described the U.S. move as an economic war, said the report.

Rouhani said such threats against Iran would have adverse effects.

"Threats will further unite us," he said, vowing to "certainly" defeat the United States.

"That will cause some costs for us, but the benefits will be greater," he added.

He said that the U.S. latest conspiracy has been to attempt to wear the Iranian nation down and lead it into submission.

However, "you must know that the Iranian nation is honorable and will never be servile to anyone," he said.

Rouhani warned that if Iran cannot sell its oil, it would be impossible for other countries in the region to sell their oil.

"No one with even a basic understanding of politics will ever say, 'we will block Iran's oil exports,'" Rouhani said.

"Mr. Trump!... Don't play with the lion's tail! It will be something (for you) to regret," he warned the U.S. against anti-Iran measures.

Besides, Rouhani pointed to the stance of the remaining parties to the JCPOA versus that of the United States and said Washington has become isolated as a result of its unilateral withdrawal.

"The U.S. is clashing with the whole world over the JCPOA," he said, adding that "the isolated America should not (be given a chance to) recover."

In the meantime, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday called for practical measures by the European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal to save the accord, Tasnim news agency reported.

Zarif pointed to recent talks between Iran and the European parties to the deal, and said that "alongside the statements and pledges they give, the Europeans must act to save this agreement."

"We have not seen sufficient practical measures by the western powers and the remaining parties" to the JCPOA following the U.S. pullout in May 8, he was quoted as saying.

Iran will continue talks with the Europeans, but will not wait too long for them, Zarif said, referring to Europe's resolve to propose a package of economic measures to offset U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA.

On Friday, a ministerial meeting on the Iran nuclear deal was held in Vienna. The meeting, chaired by Federica Mogherini, EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, was attended at ministerial level by China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Iran.

The measures would collectively cause difficulties for Europe to maintain trade ties with Iran. Nevertheless, Europe, Russia and China have decided to explore ways to maintain the JCPOA and trade with Iran.

On Sunday, Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said that European countries must endeavor to implement the nuclear agreement in the best possible manner.

"Europe must present its approach and plans for the full implementation of the JCPOA," Larijani was quoted as saying by Press TV.

The JCPOA, sealed in July 2015, restricts Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for the easing of sanctions on the Islamic republic.

Trump has urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to widen its inspections on Iran's military sites after his decision to quit the deal. The demands have been rejected by Iran.
WASHINGTON, July 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Department of State said here on Sunday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had earlier spoken with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov over phone to discuss the meeting fruits and issues over bilateral and regional concerns.

According to a statement issued by State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert, the phone conversation took place on Saturday when the two foreign ministers discussed a broad range of issues, "some of which were following up from the meeting between President Trump and President Putin" in Finland on July 16.

Among the topics discussed was the situation in Syria.

The two also discussed how to implement ideas on counterterrorism process coordination and the mutual goal of establishing business-to-business dialogue between private, non-governmentally controlled entities in the two countries, another deliverable of the Trump-Putin meeting.

Pompeo and Lavrov also discussed "the need for Russia to provide equal diplomatic access to the United States, at a level that is fair and reciprocal."

U.S. White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said Thursday that Putin will be invited to Washington in the autumn, and "those discussions are already underway."

Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said on Friday in response that that his country is open to a new meeting between the two presidents.

Trump has been widely attacked after his meeting with Putin on July 16, due to his reconciliatory remarks that many saw as a sign to side with Moscow against U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. elections.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-23 04:47:06|Editor: mmm

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LONDON, July 22 (Xinhua) -- A call for a complete ban on real fur being used in Britain's clothing industry was made Sunday by a group of politicians in a House of Commons report.

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee made its call following an investigation which revealed some garments labelled as using fake fur were actually made with real fur from animals such as rabbit, fox and chinchilla.

The committee whether, longer-term, Britain's departure from the European Union could provide an opportunity for the UK Government to change legislation around the import of fur.

It is not illegal to buy or sell fur, and although fur farming has been banned in Britain since 2000 it is legal to sell some types of real fur that have been imported, if it is accurately labelled.

High profile investigations over the last few years have highlighted examples where consumers, believing they are purchasing fake fur, have bought items containing real fur.

Many consumers, says the report, make a decision not to buy fur on ethical and animal welfare grounds, but choose to buy fake fur, made of synthetic fibres. In recent years, there have been high-profile cases of real fur being sold as fake faux fur by major high-street and online retailers.

Neil Parish, chair of the committee said: "Reports of real fur being sold as fake fur shows that retailers are flouting their responsibility to consumers. The mis-selling of real fur should not be discovered by campaign organizations and the media, but by Trading Standards officers and retailers."

Parish said retailers had been complacent about the issue of fake faux fur, saying it is illegal to give misleading information, but adding that trading standards departments had been poor at identifying and acting against wrongdoers.

He said current EU requirements are not good enough to allow customers to understand the origin and contents of their clothing.

The Humane Society International UK (HSI) told the committee that due to "high-volume, low-welfare intensive farming of animals", real fur could be produced and sold more cheaply than fake fur

Many of the items mis-sold as fake fur were small items, and low in price, including fur trims on hats and gloves, pom-poms on hats and clothing, and fur trims on footwear.

The committee has called for the introduction of a new mandatory labelling regime that identifies fur and other animal products accurately. The fur label should show the species of fur, the country of origin and method of production.

The politicians have also recommended that the government should hold a public consultation to consider whether to ban the sale and import of fur post-Brexit, saying the needs of animal welfare will have to be balanced against consumer choice.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-23 04:52:07|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Senegalese counterpart Macky Sall attend a handover ceremony of the National Wrestling Arena built with Chinese aid in Dakar, Senegal, July 22, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

DAKAR, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Senegalese counterpart, Macky Sall, attended here on Sunday a handover ceremony of the National Wrestling Arena built with Chinese aid.

Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, were received by Sall and his wife Marieme at the arena in the suburb of the Senegalese capital of Dakar, where a large picture of Xi and Sall standing side by side was hung at the entrance.

The two couples saw a photo exhibition of the project before appearing at the arena to a cheering crowd waving the national flags of China and Senegal. Banners celebrating China-Africa relations and China-Senegal friendship were seen hanging at the arena.

At the ceremony, the Chinese president handed over to Sall the "golden key" of the project. Afterwards, they watched a show of traditional Senegalese wrestling.

The National Wrestling Arena is a vivid reflection of the profound friendship between the Chinese and the Senegalese, Xi said.

Hailing Senegal as a country of culture, Xi said China is ready to work with Senegal in committing itself to preserving and carrying forward traditional cultures so as to promote cultural exchanges and cooperation between the two sides.

Noting that wrestling is the national treasure of Senegal, Sall extended heartfelt thanks to China for helping build such a modern and multi-functional arena for his country.

The arena is a new emblem of Senegal-China friendship, he added.

The arena, the first modern one in Africa, is the largest aid project China has carried out in Senegal.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-23 05:02:09|Editor: Lu Hui

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BUENOS AIRES, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, has reiterated the risks that protectionist trade policies will have negative impacts on world economy.

During a Saturday press conference here in the Argentine capital, Lagarde noted recent global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) forecasts amid the United State's application of heavy tariffs being placed on various foreign imports.

Lagarde said that the IMF has analyzed the hypothetical consequences of trade restrictions due to tariffs and said that "everything indicates" the global GDP would be negatively affected.

The director reported that the institute was working "with interested parties" on a study to analyze repercussions from the tariff measures.

The IMF recently predicted that global GDP growth would be cut by 0.5 percent by 2020 if all the threatened tariffs were implemented.

Lagarde said that the U.S. economy would also suffer, describing it as "vulnerable."

The director was in Buenos Aires to participate in the Third G20 Meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-23 05:12:11|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TRIPOLI, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Libyan navy on Sunday rescued 116 illegal immigrants on a rubber boat off the coast of the western city of Zuwara, some 120 km west of the capital Tripoli.

"Coast guards patrol of Tripoli managed to rescue 116 illegal immigrants from eight different African nationalities, including five women, on a rubber boat," the navy said in a statement.

The rescued immigrants were taken to Tajura reception center near Tripoli, the navy said.

Due to the state of insecurity and chaos since the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Gaddafi's regime, Libya became a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants wanting to cross the Mediterranean towards Europe.

Improved weather conditions increase the flows of migrants from Libya, particularly off the country's western coast.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-23 05:17:13|Editor: mmm

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MOSCOW, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi on Sunday held a telephone conversation and discussed the possibility of future joint efforts on the Syrian issue, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"The main attention was paid to the development of the situation in the Middle East, primarily in Syria, in the light of the successful anti-terrorist operation in southwestern Syria," the ministry said on its Facebook account.

Lavrov stressed the importance of assisting Syria in its post-conflict reconstruction, in particular, the early return of Syrian refugees to their home.

Hailing the Russian efforts to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees, Safadi expressed "Amman's full willingness to cooperate to solve related problems", the ministry said.

On Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that a Russian military transport aircraft had delivered 44 tons of humanitarian cargo from France to Syria.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-23 05:27:14|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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VALLETTA, July 22 (Xinhua) -- The Armed Forces of Malta said on Sunday that 19 migrants, 17 males, a pregnant woman, and a child, were rescued from the sea Saturday night.

The Malta Rescue Coordination Centre said the fibreglass boat carrying the 19 migrants departed Libya and sent out distress signal 50 nautical miles south of the island, whilst inside Malta's search and rescue region.

The Maltese centre was informed of the boat by the Italian authorities and the Libyan coast guard. It was still in Libya's search and rescue zone at the time.

An Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) maritime patrol aircraft and a patrol vessel were dispatched to locate the boat. Not long after the migrants were provided with life jackets by the AFM patrol vessel, did the migrants' boat capsize.

Seventeen of the passengers were rescued immediately while two missing migrants were found following a search by the AFM.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-23 05:27:15|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TRIPOLI, July 22 (Xinhua) -- The United States special representative called on Sunday for "immediate and unconditional release" of foreign engineers kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in an oil field in southern Libya.

Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Political Affairs (DSRSG-Political) Stephanie Williams made her remarks during a meeting with the Chairman of the state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) Mustafa Sanalla in Libyan capital Tripoli.

"Williams condemned the hijacking of oil workers in Sharara oil fields and called for their immediate and unconditional release," the UN Mission in Libya said in a statement.

In mid July, unknown gunmen kidnapped four engineers, including three Libyans and one Romanian, working in Sharara oil field in southern Libya.

Two Libyan engineers were released shortly afterwards, while the remaining two are still held captive.

"The DSRSG-Political reiterated that Libya's wealth belongs to the Libyan people and underscored that the NOC is the sole internationally recognized and legitimate authority for oil and gas in Libya," the statement said.

Sharara is Libya's largest oil field, with a production of almost 270,000 barrels of crude oil per day, nearly one quarter of the country's daily oil output.

In November 2017, an unidentified armed group kidnapped four foreign workers, including three Turks and a German, who were working at the power station in Obari, 1,100 km south of Tripoli.

The workers were released two weeks ago after tribal mediation with the kidnappers.

Following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi's government, Libya has been suffering escalating violence and insecurity, as well as political division.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-23 05:57:17|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TRIPOLI, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Libyan navy on Sunday denied accusations from a Spanish non-government organization of ignoring the rescue of a female immigrant and recovery of two immigrants' bodies on board a wrecked boat off Libyan coast.

"Unfortunately, we have followed up the claims of the Spanish non-governmental organization (NGO) Proactiva Open Arms on July 17, 2018, " the navy's information office said in a statement.

"The NGO accuses the Libyan coast guards of abandoning a live woman and the bodies of a woman and a child on a broken boat of illegal immigrants," it added.

"It is not surprising because the accusation came from an organization that over the past years has not been friendly to us surprisingly, but only searches for pretexts and arguments to accuse the navy and coast guards especially," the statement said.

The navy "categorically" denied the Spanish organization's accusations, saying that "this violates our religious, moral and humanitarian values. "

"We consider the organization's accusations nothing but false and part of the systematic campaign launched by NGOs, including this one, on the coast guards that they consider an opponent," said the navy.
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...
Peshawar: A suicide bomber injured a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate and killed his driver and guard in Dera Ismail Khan in Pakistan's troubled Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, police said.

Ikramullah Gandapur, a candidate for the provincial assembly seat from PK-99 constituency, was on his way to an election meeting when the bomber targeted his vehicle.

His guard and driver were killed in the attack while he is said to be in a critical condition at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Dawn reported, citing hospital sources.

Gandapur served as the provincial agricultural minister in the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet.

He was elected through a by-election on the Dera Ismail Khan PK-67 seat after it was vacated following the death of his brother Law Minister Israrulah Gandapur in a suicide attack.

In a separate incident, Jamiat-Ulema-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Akram Khan Durrani survived an assassination bid today when his vehicle was ambushed by unknown gunmen during election campaign in his home district Bannu, bordering North Waziristan district.

The gunmen opened indiscriminate fire on Durrani's vehicle from the frontal side. However, he remained unhurt in the attack.

Durrani is contesting for NA-35 under the Muttahida Majlise-e-Amal (MMA) banner against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan.

This is the third attack on election candidates in Bannu district and second on Durrani ahead of July 25 polling.

On July 13, an attack targeting JUI-F's central general secretary killed four persons with wounded as many as 39. Durrani, however, remained unhurt in the attack.

On the same day, 149 people, including a top nationalist leader, were killed and over 200 others injured in a powerful suicide blast in Mastung area in the troubled Balochistan province.

The security situation in Pakistan has deteriorated ahead of polls.
Bhojpuri siren Amrapali Dubey dazzles at International Bhojpuri AwardsPics

New Delhi: One of the most sought-after actresses of the Bhojpuri film industry, Aamrapali Dubey sets social media on fire each time she posts a pic. The beautiful actress has an ocean of fans and is a regular social media user. Amrapali keeps her fans updated with the details of her life and the actress shared her look for the International Bhojpuri Awards being held in Malaysia. Amrapali looks stunning, dressed in an evening gown.

Check out the pics here:

A post shared by Aamrapali (@aamrapali1101) on Jul 22, 2018 at 12:45am PDT

A post shared by Aamrapali (@aamrapali1101) on Jul 22, 2018 at 12:49am PDT

Some days ago, the actress admitted to being in a relationship. However, she didn't reveal who the lucky man was. Instagram has ruled out a new feature which allows users to ask questions and respond to them via stories. Amrapali too decided to try out this feature and answered a few questions on the app.

The actress was asked if she is in a relationship, and the actress responded by saying, Oh yes I am.

Amrapali is rumoured to be dating superstar Dinesh Lal Yadav aka Nirahua. Her on-screen chemistry with Dinesh is much liked by the audience. The YouTube Queen and the Jubilee star set the silver screen ablaze every time they share screen space and their chemistry is magical and matchless. The two actors share a great bond off-screen as well.

The two actors recently played lovers in this year's Eid release Border. And they have many more films scheduled to release in future.

The list includes - Jai Veeru, Nirahua Chalal London, Veer Yodha Mahabali, Patna Junction, Nirahua Chalal America, Nirahua Chalal Sasural 3 and Tujhko Rakhe Ram Tujhko Allah Rakhe.
New Delhi: Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter starrer 'Dhadak' was one of the most-awaited releases of the year. The movie hit the screens on July 20 and was well received by audience and the critics. Janhvi's innocence and Ishaan's power-packed performance is the soul of the film and both actors have been lauded for their performances. 'Dhadak' is the official remake of the Marathi blockbuster film, 'Sairat'.

It has been just two days since the release of the film and the romantic saga has already inched close to Rs 20 Crore!

Noted film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh shared the news on Twitter. He wrote, #Dhadak witnesses SIGNIFICANT GROWTH on Day 2... Growth on Sat [vis-a-vis Fri]: 26.75%... Sun biz expected to be higher than Sat... Eyes  30 cr+ weekend, which is EXCELLENT for a film starring newcomers... Fri 8.71 cr, Sat 11.04 cr. Total:  19.75 cr. India biz.

#Dhadak witnesses SIGNIFICANT GROWTH on Day 2... Growth on Sat [vis-a-vis Fri]: 26.75%... Sun biz expected to be higher than Sat... Eyes  30 cr+ weekend, which is EXCELLENT for a film starring newcomers... Fri 8.71 cr, Sat 11.04 cr. Total:  19.75 cr. India biz.  taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) July 22, 2018

The movie's music has also garnered immense appreciation. Dhadak title track and the recreated version of chartbuster Zingaat created waves. Music lovers gave a thumbs up to the two songs, and the song 'Pehli Baar' captured the charm of first love in the perfect manner.

'Dhadak' marks Janhvi and Ishaan's Bollywood debut. For the unversed, Janvhi is the elder daughter of Boney Kapoor and late actress Sridevi. On the other hand, Ishaan is actor Shahid Kapoor's brother. Both newcomers have received a warm welcome from the audience!

Produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, Zee Studios and Apoorva Mehta the film is jointly presented by the banner and Zee Studios.

The movie is directed by Shashank Khaitan.
New Delhi: Bollywood's 'Desi Girl' Priyanka Chopra, Superstar Salman Khan and the gorgeous Disha Patani will make a splash on the silver screen with 'Bharat'. The movie also stars actress Tabu, comedian-actor Sunil Grover and Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain fame Aasif Sheikh in important roles. There has been no announcement regarding the characters that these popular celebs will be playing but rumour is that Disha will most probably play Salman's sister.

The film has finally kick-started its shooting schedule and we can't wait to watch it on screen already! Director Ali Abbas Zafar took to Twitter to share the news. He wrote, So here we are together again.... @Bharat_TheFilm begins its shoot today. May god bless us @BeingSalmanKhan @priyankachopra @DishPatani @WhoSunilGrover @atulreellife @Tseries

The film will be set in the backdrop of India in 1947 and will take us through the events during the countrys partition. Not just that, the film will showcase significant events over a period of 70 years since partition.

The title of the film is self-explanatory. We can expect Salman to showcase his patriotic side by essaying a character that has witnessed partition. Bharat will be an official adaptation of the 2014 South Korean film Ode to My Father.

Most of Salman Khan's films in the recent past have hit the theatres on the occasion of Eid. Bharat is no exception. It will release on the festival in 2019.
Shimla: A mountaineering expedition has located the wreckage and mortal remains of a victim who, along with 98 army personnel and four crew members, was killed in an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft crash in Himachal Pradesh's icy terrain 50 years ago, officials said on Saturday. The IAF AN-12 aircraft crashed on the 17,400-feet high Dhakka Glacier in the Chanderbhaga ranges of Lahaul and Spiti district on February 7, 1968.

Despite several search operations, only four bodies could be recovered so far. The last one was of a soldier that was recovered by an Indian Army expedition on August 22, 2013. "We first found some parts of an aircraft. Subsequently, our team members spotted the decayed body of a soldier a few metres away from the spot," said a media report quoting Rajeev Rawat, the team leader of the mountaineers who were on a clean-up expedition of the Chanderbhaga glacier.

He said they alerted the Army's High Altitude Warfare School on July 16, which began its search operations in the area.

Last time, an Indian Army expedition on August 22, 2013, recovered the mortal remains of a non-commissioned officer, Hav Jagmail Singh of Corps of EME.

An identity disk, an insurance policy and a letter from his family retrieved from his pocket helped identify him, an official statement by the Chandimandir-based Western Command headquarters had said on recovery of the mortal remains of Hav Jagmail Singh.

The aircraft had taken off from Chandigarh for Leh. Halfway, pilot Flight Lt. H.K. Singh decided to turn back due to the inclement weather over Jammu and Kashmir, the Western Command headquarters had said.

The last radio contact was near the Rohtang Pass and thereafter the aircraft appeared to have vanished into thin air.

The disappearance remained a mystery until 2003 when an expedition team accidentally discovered the debris at the Dhakka Glacier.

The Indian Army in 2013 embarked on another expedition to try and locate the mortal remains of its fallen comrades and to also recover the flight data recorder (black box).

The expedition of the Dogra Scouts of the Western Command comprised the finest mountaineers of the country, including an Everester.

"The glacier where the operations are underway lies at an altitude of approximately 17,000-18,000 feet, is avalanche-prone and dotted with innumerable crevasses. The site itself is at an 80 degree gradient from the base camp," the statement had said.

The high wind velocities and sub-zero temperatures restrict the search window to about 15-20 days a year and that too only for a few hours during the day, it added.


New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday objected to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks, saying he was pained to hear Modi comparing him with "corrupt politicians" and talking about "petty things" during his reply to the TDPs no-confidence motion in Parliament.

"As a Prime Minister of this country, you should not talk like that...you should not talk about petty things," Naidu said.

Modi in his reply to the debate in the Lok Sabha on Friday said when the TDP pulled out of the NDA, he called Naidu to tell him that he was falling in a trap of his rival YSR Congress. The Prime Minister also alleged that the TDP was trying to cover up its failures by making false allegations against the Centre and the scores of local politics were being settled in Parliament.

Naidu said such statements were not expected from a person sitting on a post of Prime Minister. "He said you are falling in the trap of YSR Congres. I told him as far as I am doing right things, nothing can happen to me and my party. I also asked him how can he compare me with tainted people... YSRCP's leader is going to court every week. We are in Parliament," Naidu said.

The Chief Minister said the Prime Minister told him that Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhara Rao was more matured than Naidu. "I said the Prime Minister is not supposed to use such language," Naid said.

The no confidence motion was moved by Naidu's Telegu Desam Party (TDP) which until recently was an NDA constituent but pulled out of the grouping to demand special category status for Andhra Pradesh that was bifurcated and Telangana carved out of it in 2014.

The bifurcation is said to have caused huge financial and resource losses to Andhra as capital Hyderabad and IT city Cyberabad went to Telangana. Naidu said the "BJP has again betrayed the state and its five crore people" and Modi had failed to keep his own promises.

"After 15 years, first time no-confidence motion was moved by opposition parties. We knew they have majority. But the motion was majority versus morality," he said.

The Chief Minister said he was "deeply pained" to hear Modi describing Andhra Pradesh's genuine demand for special category status as TDP's internal fight with YSR Congress in the state. He said people of Andhra Pradesh were very angry with the BJP and Modi because their sentiments were being taken for granted.

"People of Andhra are totally disturbed. People are very angry because of injustice done to them," he said, adding that was what was done to the people of Punjab, Assam and Jammu and Kashmir.

"What happened in Punjab? What happened in Assam? What happened in Jammu and Kashmir? It is only a sentiment. We didn't deal with it properly. You cannot do injustice to our people. But I gave confidence to my people. I told them if you go into destruction mode, agitation mode, we will land up nowhere. At the same time, we will work very hard, we will create wealth but we will fight for our genuine demands. For every problem, there is a political situation," Naidu said.

Naidu said Modi and his predecessor Manmohan Singh had promised to the bifurcated Andhra that justice will be done and but "it has not been delivered yet". "You have to keep up the promises you made."

He said Modi misled the House claiming he could not grant the special category status because the 14th Finance Commission barred it from doing so.

He said this has been busted by one of its members, Govind Rao, who pointed out that nowhere in the report it was said that special category status cannot be extended to a state. "You humiliate us. This is not a correct approach."
New Delhi: After an under-construction building collapsed on another building adjacent to it in Greater Noida, authorities on Sunday ordered to vacate a building in Shah Beri village after a crack developed in one of the pillars of the building.

Greater Noida Authority has ordered to vacate a building in Shah Beri village after a crack developed in a pillar in the building. On 18th July, a building in the area had collapsed claiming 9 lives. pic.twitter.com/PeNKqjbTsb  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 22, 2018

This comes after a six-floor under-construction building crashed on a five-storeyed building, bringing it down as well. The mishap took place on Tuesday night in Shahberi village under Bisrakh police station.

Nine bodies were recovered from under the rubble of the two adjacent buildings while several others were left injured. At least 12 labourers were in the under-construction building when the mishap took place.

Following the incident, police arrested the owner of the land, Ganga Sharan Dwivedi, broker Qasim and two others - Dinesh and Sanjay.

An FIR under IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 288 (negligent conduct related to the repair of buildings) was registered. The FIR mentioned 18 people who may face a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

On Wednesday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the kin of those who died and Rs 50,000 each to those who were injured.

Use of poor quality building construction material and violation of safety norms are believed to be the main reasons behind the mishap.
The Congress party on Saturday continued its attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre, accusing it of transforming the country into lynchistan, a land of lynching incidents.

Addressing mediapersons on Saturday, Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said, "Today's shocking incident in Alwar has once again proved that the BJP is working overtime and aggressively to transform Hindustan into Lynchistan. The nation is also witnessing how BJP rather than enforcing Supreme Court`s judgment for a need of a strict law on lynching is actually now lynching the judgment and the Constitution."

The Congress further alleged that the BJP, rather than preventing lynching and punishing the lynching mob, is promoting and patronising the lynch mob force.

"The nation was hoping that the government will wake up after the tight legal slap by the Supreme Court and warning issued that the Government of India must act in a concrete manner to prevent India from becoming a republic of lynchistan," IANS quoted Shergill as saying.

But Alwar's horrific incident has exposed the BJP's "notorious and dubious intentions to weaken and render the judgment meaningless", he said, accusing the Rajasthan government and its ministers of behaving like lawyers of lynch mob force.

The attack by the Congress came hours after a 28-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death in Rajasthans Alwar for allegedly smuggling cows.

According to PTI, Akbar Khan was resident of Kolgaon in Haryana. Khan, along with another man, was taking two cows to their village through a forest area near Lalawandi village in Alwar district on Friday night, when a group of people severely thrashed him.

Alwar ASP Anil Beniwal told news agency ANI that it is yet to be confirmed if the deceased was a cow smuggler. He said, "It is not clear if they were cow smugglers. The body has been sent for post-mortem. We are trying to identify the culprits and arrests will be made soon."
New Delhi: In a scathing attack on the Congress party, senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Sunday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi rightly refers to the Congress as a "bailgaadi" as most of the members of the party are on bail. Swamy said that in the National Herald case, the accused, party President Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and AICC treasurer Motilal Vohra, are out on bail. Senior party leaders P Chidambaram and Shashi Tharoor are on anticipatory bail in the INX Media case and Sunanda Pushkar murder case respectively.

In the National Herald case, Swamy has accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying only Rs 50 lakh, through which Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI) obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that Associate Journals Ltd owed to the Congress.

Swamy said, "It was said that no one could catch Chidambaram, I charge-sheeted him. Yesterday I was giving deposition in National Herald case, I m sure to win it. All the accused Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Motilal Vohra will go to jail. They are already on bail. Chidambaram & Shashi Tharoor are also on bail."

Speaking on the hug given by Rahul to PM Modi in the Lok Sabha during the no-confidence motion debate, Swami compared it to Bijapur dynasty commander Afzal Khan's embrace to Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji.

On the backing out of Shiv Sena from participating in the trust vote in Parliament, Swamy said, "They are our ideological blood brothers. They should have participated in the debate of trust vote and should have voted too. They are angry with us that is the reason they have praised Rahul Gandhi in Saamana but we want them to be together."

During the no-confidence motion debate, Rahul claimed that French President Emmanuel Macron had told him there is no secrecy pact between India and France over the Rafale deal. However, the claim was later refuted by the French government.

Reacting on this, Swamy explained, "The problem with Rafale deal is that no other country wants to buy it. I had the word with Manohar Parrikar at that time who made me understood the need for it. Moreover, the allegations of Congress are baseless as they could not substantiate it with proofs or evidence. It's on their part to bring proof rather than just making allegations."

Swamy alleged that the Congress party has Rs 120 lakh crores in foreign accounts and Sonia Gandhi has Rs 11 lakh crores in her Pictet Bank account in Zurich, Switzerland.

He said, "Our government should bring an ordinance declaring all foreign Indian banks account to be nationalised and take the help of United Nations to recover it. This should be done in the similar manner done by Eygpt and other countries. I request the PM to do so, if not done it will be difficult to face the public in 2019 elections."

Explaining the relationship between Sonia and Manmohan Singh, Swamy compared it to that of a ringmaster and a lion.

"As the lion had been brought up by the ringmaster since the lion was a cub., he obeys him and only does what has been said to him despite understanding his power. Similarly former prime minister Manmohan Singh only had Singh in his name. He was in the most powerful position in India but was under the control of the Italian Ring Master (Sonia Gandhi). He didn't have the courage to take any decisions despite being qualified."
NEW DELHI: A special group within the Congress will be set up to discuss probable alliances for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, party chief Rahul Gandhi said. The extended CWC on Sunday authorised Rahul to forge an alliance with like-minded parties for the 2019 Lok Sabha election to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"We are setting up a group that is going to do that (alliance)," Rahul said after the Congress Working Committee meeting on Sunday. The Congress on Sunday authorised Rahul to constitute a committee to work out alliances with various national and regional parties to form a grand national alliance.

During the CWC, he said that the expansion of the party's vote base is one of the biggest tasks. "In each constituency, we have to find people who have not voted for us and develop a strategy to reach out to them and win back their trust," he said.

"In the short term, we can come together with other parties and win the coming elections. After that, the damage done by the BJP & RSS to India's institutions will have to be undone. Only the Congress can do this," Rahul said.

Thirty-five to 40 leaders spoke at today's meeting where they all stressed that the Congress should play a lead role in forging an anti-BJP front. Some leaders said Rahul being the leader of the principle opposition party should be the face of the national alliance.

Senior party leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram gave a detailed presentation on how the party could be strengthened with the help of allies in various states. Chidambaram reportedly highlighted that the Congress is strong in 12 states and with the help of its allies, it can forge a formidable front for the next general election.

Earlier in the day, former Congress President Sonia Gandhi also said that the party is committed to make alliances work and will provide support to Rahul in the endeavour. Addressing the first meeting of the extended CWC, constituted by Rahul, Sonia said that democracy was being compromised under the current government.

Reaching out to the opposition parties, the UPA chairperson said, We are committed to make alliances work and we are all with him (Rahul Gandhi) in this endeavour. We have to rescue our people from a dangerous regime that is compromising the democracy of India.

She further pointed out that rhetoric of Prime Minister Modi shows his desperation, reflecting that reverse countdown of Modi government had begun.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh also addressed the gathering. He said that the need of the hour was to restore Indias social harmony and economic development, adding that the party would fully support Rahul Gandhi in the endeavour.

According to Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, the former Prime Minister "rejected culture of constant self praise and jumlas of Prime Minister Modi as against solid policy framework for driving engine of growth".

"The claim of doubling farm income by 2022 will require an Agri Growth Rate of 14%, which is nowhere in sight," said Singh.
NEW DELHI: Former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday hit out at the Centre claiming that the government had only made false promises. Calling out a 'culture of constant self-praise and jumlas' by the Centre, the former PM compared the current government to the regime of the previous United Progressive Alliance government which he claimed had a 'solid policy framework for driving the engine of growth'.

"The claim of doubling farm income by 2022 will require an agriculture growth rate of 14 per cent, which is nowhere in sight," he said.

Speaking at the Congress Working Committee meeting, he also assured his support to party chief Rahul Gandhi who chaired the first meeting as the president on Sunday. "I assure Rahulji that we will fully support him on his onerous task of restoring Indias social harmony and economic development," Dr Singh said.

Earlier in the day, Rahul had also attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing it of oppressing the poor and Dalits. Urging party members to fight for India's poor, he described the Congress as the "voice of India".

Rahul said CWC - the party's highest decision-making body - had experience and energy and was a bridge between the past, present and future. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted: "Rahul Gandhi calls the newly constituted CWC as an institution comprising of experience & energy, as a bridge between the past, present and the future. Calls upon Congressmen/women to rise and fight for Indias oppressed."

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi also lent her support to Rahul while keeping up her attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government. "We are committed to make alliances work and we are all with him (Rahul Gandhi) in this endeavour. We have to rescue our people from a dangerous regime that is compromising the democracy of India," she said.

Referring to the current government as a dangerous regime, she said that democracy was being compromised."The rhetoric of Prime Minister Modi shows his desperation, reflecting that reverse countdown of Modi government had begun," she said.

Rahul had on July 17 constituted the CWC by appointing 23 members and dropping some senior leaders in a bid to strike a balance between age and experience and prepare for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Senior leaders like Digvijaya Singh, Janardan Dwivedi, Kamal Nath, Sushil Kumar Shinde and Karan Singh were dropped from the list.

However, the Congress president retained veterans like AK Antony, Ahmed Patel, Ambika Soni, Motilal Vora, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge, Anand Sharma and Kumari Selja in the party's highest decision-making body. Besides Rahul, former party chief Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former Congress chief ministers Ashok Gehlot, Oomen Chandy, Tarun Gogoi, Siddharamaiah and Harish Rawat have also been included.
Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday launched yet another scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government, referring to it as a dangerous regime. Addressing the first meeting of the extended Congress Working Committee (CWC), constituted by party president Rahul Gandhi, Sonia said that democracy was being compromised under the current government.

Reaching out to the opposition parties, the UPA chairperson said, We are committed to make alliances work and we are all with him (Rahul Gandhi) in this endeavour. We have to rescue our people from a dangerous regime that is compromising the democracy of India.

She further pointed out that rhetoric of Prime Minister Modi shows his desperation, reflecting that reverse countdown of Modi government had begun.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh also addressed the gathering. He said that the need of the hour was to restore Indias social harmony and economic development, adding that the party would fully support Rahul Gandhi in the endeavour.

According to Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, the former Prime Minister "rejected culture of constant self praise and jumlas of Prime Minister Modi as against solid policy framework for driving engine of growth".

"The claim of doubling farm income by 2022 will require an Agri Growth Rate of 14%, which is nowhere in sight," said Singh.

Last week, Rahul Gandhi had constituted the new extended Congress Working Committee, with 23 members, 19 permanent invitees and nine special invitees. Senior leaders like Digvijaya Singh, Janardan Dwivedi, Kamal Nath, Sushilkumar Shinde and Karan Singh were dropped from the list.

However, the Congress president retained veterans like AK Antony, Ahmed Patel, Ambika Soni, Motilal Vora, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge, Anand Sharma and Kumari Selja in the party's highest decision-making body.

Besides Rahul, former party chief Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former Congress chief ministers Ashok Gehlot, Oomen Chandy, Tarun Gogoi, Siddharamaiah and Harish Rawat have also been included.
New Delhi: At least two people were killed and many injured when an under-construction five-storey building in Ghaziabad's Dasna came crashing down on Sunday. Most of the injured are labourers who were working at the site and have said that the builder had forced them to carry on with the daily schedule despite a visible crack appearing in the building.

News agency ANI quoted one of the injured labourers as saying that a crack had appeared in one of the building columns early in the morning and that the matter was reported to the builder. "He told us to fill the crack with cement and forced us to continue. We were working on the upper floor, the column on the ground floor must have collapsed on the ground floor," said an injured woman.

Labourers working at the building collapsed in Ghaziabad say'A crack appeared in the column of the building this morning,Builder told us to fill the cracks with cement & forced us to continue. We were working on the upper floor, the column must have collapsed at the ground floor' pic.twitter.com/fwZTq1XQpX  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 22, 2018

An NDRF team and a dog squad was rushed to the site shortly after the building collapsed. Search and rescue operations began soon after with people trapped under the debris being removed with extreme caution.

Ghaziabad District Magistrate said an inquiry has been ordered to find out the reason for the collapse. "Prima facie, there seems to be issues with the quality of the building. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered. Seven people have been rescued and sent to the hospital. Rescue operations are underway," Ghaziabad DM Ritu Maheshwari said.

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath also instructed Ghaziabad DM and SSP to visit the site and take stock of the situation, and to assist in rescue operations. He also directed them to lodge an FIR against those guilty.
Bengaluru: Kerala stands as the best governed state in the country and Karnataka is in the fourth position, said the Public Affairs Index 2018 released by the think tank Public Affairs Centre (PAC). "Kerala has topped the Public Affairs Index (PAI) for 2018 as the best governed state for the third consecutive year since 2016 among large states," said Bengaluru-based PAC at an event in the city on Saturday evening to release its third annual PAI.

Released annually since 2016, the index examines governance performance in the states through a data-based framework, ranking them on social and economic development they are able to provide. Founded in 1994 by renowned Indian economist and scholar late Samuel Paul, the think tank works to mobilise a demand for better governance in the country.

Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat followed Kerala among the top five states delivering good governance, according to the report. Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar ranked the lowest on the PAI, indicating higher social and economic inequalities in the states.

Among smaller states (with population less than two crore), Himachal Pradesh topped the list, followed by Goa, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura which figured among the top five states with good governance. Nagaland, Manipur and Meghalaya were ranked at the bottom of the index among small states.

As a young country with a growing population, India needs to assess and address its developmental challenges, said the Chairman of PAC, K. Kasturirangan, on the occasion. "The PAI 2018 is one example of a data-based framework that provides some basis, even if rudimentary, to assess the performance of states in India," added Kasturirangan, the former Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The think tank has undertaken the study across all the Indian states considering them across 10 themes such as essential infrastructure, support to human development, social protection, women and children as well as law and order. "The index provides a multi-dimensional and comprehensive matrix that attempts to capture the complexities of governing the plural and diverse people of this sub-continent," added Senior Fellow at PAC C.K. Mathew.

The states were divided into two categories -- large and small -- on the basis of their population. States with more than two crore population were considered large.

A total of 30 focus subjects and 100 indicators were measured to derive the PAI, relying solely upon government data. The PAC said it was not keen to access private data sources that may be interpreted as "biased".

This year's PAI also included a separate index on the children of India, giving a measure of how child-friendly each of the states are.

Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Mizoram topped the index on being the states to provide better living conditions for all children.

The former chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Shantha Sinha, who was present on the occasion, delivered the Samuel Paul Memorial Lecture, drawing attention to children's rights in the country. "Children growing up in poverty cannot be blamed for their situation and it is the state's responsibility to ensure that they are provided with opportunities for a better living," Sinha said.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Africa this week where he will visit 3 African countries --Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa. Following his bilateral visits to 2 countries in East Africa, he will take part in BRICS summit in South Africa. This will be the second visit of Prime Minister Modi to Africa. During his first visit, he visited 6 African countries.

He will begin his visit from Rwanda which will be from 23rd to 24th July followed by Uganda from 24th to 25th July and finally will end his visit in South Africa where he will take part in 10th BRICS summit.

Prime Ministers official engagement in Rwanda and Uganda include bilateral meetings with the Presidents, delegation level talks, and meetings with the business and the Indian communities. According to a release by the Ministry of External Affairs, "A number of agreements and MoUs in the areas of Defence, trade, culture, Agriculture and Dairy cooperation are scheduled to be signed during the visits."

Hello Rwanda!

The Indian PM will begin his Africa visit from Rwanda. This will be the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Rwanda. Other than the official engagements, the Prime Minister will also visit the Genocide Memorial. Rwandan genocide in 1994 has been a tragic moment in the history of the country in which an estimated 1 lakh people were killed. Thankfully not a single Indian was harmed during the genocide of 1994 and the evacuation of Indian nationals by the Indian Government from Rwanda to Bujumbura and Nairobi was not interfered with by Rwandan Patriotic Front or the Government forces.

India elevated its bilateral relations with Rwanda to the level of a strategic partnership in January 2017. A regular visitor in India, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame visited Delhi in Jan 2017 to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2017 and later in March 2018 to participate in the Founding Conference of International Solar Alliance (ISA). Rwanda is part of India led International solar alliance and has ratified the Framework Agreement of International Solar Alliance.

India-Rwanda Connect

Paul Kagame has visited India four times during his tenure, thrice in his private capacity. There are approximately 3000 Indian nationals and PIOs in Rwanda and the country's only sugar refinery, its only modern textile mill as well as a soap and cosmetic factory are all PIO-owned. In June 2016, an Indian company, Aroma International, announced an investment of about $ 1 million in the laundry and detergent sector of Rwanda.

India right now doesn't have a mission in Rwanda but will be opening its Mission in Rwanda very soon. In fact, India announced its envoy last week only. India will conclude two LoCs  one of US$ 100 million for development of industrial parks and Kigali SEZ and another for US$ 100 million for agriculture and irrigation during the visit of Prime Minister.

India to give 200 Cows to Rwanda

PM Modi will visit Rweru model village in the country and gift 200 cows as a contribution from India to the Girinka scheme of Rwanda. "Girinka or one cow per family is a national social protection scheme of Rwanda personally initiated by President Paul Kagame. The poorest families are gifted dairy cows by the Government and the first female calf born of the cow is gifted to the neighbour. All cows will be Rwandan cows.

Why Rwanda Matters?

Rwanda is considered an important gateway to East Africa. The currently holds the Chair of African Union and hosted the Assembly of the African Union in March 2018 in Kigali where African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCTA) establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area was signed. 44 members of the African Union signed the Agreement. Once ratified, the Agreement would be the largest Free Trade Area in terms of participating countries since the formation of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Rwanda has played an important role in UN peacekeeping missions in Africa and is the third largest troop contributor for peacekeeping in Africa. The country plays an important role in the UN Mission (MINUSCA) in Central African Republic.

Uganda Calling!

This will be the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Uganda in over 21 years. The last time an Indian PM visited Uganda was in the year 1997. Prime Minister will address at Parliament of Uganda thus becoming the first Indian Prime Minister to address it. His address will be telecasted live in India and in many African countries.

Engagements, especially on defense, have continued. Training and capacity building has been the focus of bilateral defence cooperation. India has an Indian Military Training Team (IMTT) stationed at Jinja since 2010. India is expected to extend two lines of credit of US$ 141 million for electricity lines and US$ 64 million for agriculture and dairy production. This will be for the first time India will extend LoC to Uganda.

Uganda is currently Chair of East African Community and its capital Kampala can be base of Indian investments in East Africa.

There are over 30,000 Indians / PIOs in Uganda. During the reign of President Amin in early 70s, nearly 60,000 Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Indians were expelled from Uganda. After Adi Amin's leading to an exodus of Indian origin people from the country, it was President Museveni who was responsible for inviting much of Indian community to return to the country assuring them of their safety and security. He has also been hosting the Indian community for Diwali dinners in the State House.

PIOs and NRIs are estimated to have invested over US$ 1 billion in Uganda in the last two decades. Indian Nationals/PIOs who constitute about 0.1% of Ugandas total population of 35 million, contribute about 60% of Ugandas direct taxes as per statistics of the Bank of Uganda and the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA).

South Africa: 10th BRICS Summit



In South Africa, the Prime Minister will have a bilateral meeting with the South African President and will attend the BRICS Summit. He will also have a bilateral meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, his 3rd since the Doklam standoff.

South Africa is organizing 10th BRICS Leaders Summit under the theme BRICS in Africa: Collaboration with Developing Countries for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the 4thIndustrial Revolution. Other than BRICS, PM Modi will participate in Outreach with Leaders from Africa & Outreach with Leaders from Global South summit.



In the BRICS Africa Outreach, those invited include Rwanda, Uganda, Togo, Zambia, Namibia, Senegal, Gabon, Ethiopia, Angola, and the African Union Chair; In the BRICS Plus Outreach, the invited countries of the Global South include Argentina, Turkey, Indonesia, Jamaica and Egypt. The UN Secretary-General has also been invited. Clearly, many heads of states are expected to converge in Johannesburg.

According to MEA BRICS Leaders are expected to discuss "global hot-spot issues, international peace, and security, global governance, trade issues during the restricted session".

BRICS RATING AGENCY: An Indian Idea

The idea of BRICS rating agency will also be taken up during the summit and it was confirmed by Secretary Economic Relations in MEA, TS Tirumurti to WION. India has been pressing forward on the idea and it was taken up during the 1st meeting of BRICS Finance ministers and central bank governors on the sidelines of IMF/World ban meetings in Washington in April this year.

The Indian finance ministry said in a statement in April that India, 'requested the Presidency to receive and take forward the report to be submitted by an expert group set up under the aegis of BRICS Business Council to study the feasibility of the BRICS Rating Agency"

The idea was proposed by India given the fact that 3 western rating agencies --S&P, Moody's and Fitch--dominate the rating market. The Idea of BRICS bank or New Development bank was also proposed by India during the 4th BRICS summit in 2012 in Delhi.

India and China in Africa!



It is interesting to note that the Chinese President will also be on many African nation visits. His visit will coincide with a week-long visit of Indian PM. In a release ahead of Chinese President's visit, Chinese foreign ministry said,"The visits will promote the further deepening of political mutual trust, mutual development assistance, mutual learning on each other's concepts between China and Africa and the building of a closer China-Africa community of common destiny."

Currently, China is funding infrastructure projects in Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria and South Africa. But with support comes debt and Chinese debt has been creating a lot of issues globally--including on national sovereignty. Chinese Chequebook diplomacy has come under criticism.

In Rwanda, even as the Chinese President's plane will take off, Indian PM's plane will land. While Chinese President will be in Rwanda from July 22nd to 23rd, Indian PM will be in the country from July 23rd to 24th. Chinese President will visit Senegal, Rwanda, South Africa and Mauritius. Like in the case of India, this is the first time any Chinese president is visiting Rwanda.

In a release, Rwanda said, " Discussions will touch upon continental matters in the context of the African Union, which President Kagame currently chairs. China and India are among Africa's most important and fast-growing economic partners".

China is increasing its presence in Africa and is the largest trading partner of Africa now. But is this a worry for India.. Reacting to a question on Chinese President Xi Jinping and PM Modi presence in East Africa at the same time MEA said, "we don't see ourself in competition with China".

India shares close, warm and friendly relations with Africa and a large presence of the Indian Diaspora and Father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi's link with South Africa only cements the ties. But increasingly both China and India are hoping to get a piece in Africa's economic and political space. Africa has been the top priority for both country's Foreign Policy.

MODI-XI Meet in South Africa

PM Modi will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Africa on the sidelines of BRICS Summit. Confirming the meet, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said, "on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, President Xi Jinping is expected to hold bilateral meetings with leaders of relevant countries, including Indian Prime Minister Modi. We are still making relevant arrangements.".

This would be the third meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi since their informal meeting in Wuhan in April. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry during the meet both the leaders "will exchange views on issues of mutual interest, including on international situation, bilateral relations and BRICS cooperation."

Ever since the Doklam standoff last year, India and China are trying to engage with each other. The Chinese ambassador Luo Zhaohui in New Delhi recently said, "we could not stand another Doklam incident". Hoping for a peaceful border he added, "boundary question between our two countries was left over by history. We need to build on convergence to find a mutual acceptable solution through the Special Representatives' Meeting while adopting confidence-building measures to maintain the peace and tranquility along the border."

It's Time For Africa, In India

Over the last few years, there has been a significant intensification of India's engagement in various fields with African countries. There have been 23 outgoing visits to Africa at the level of President, Vice President and Prime Minister in the last four years. More than 40 Heads of State and Government took part at the 3rd India-Africa Forum Summit in October 2015 in New Delhi. Several African Heads of State and Government took part in the International Solar Alliance Founding Conference in March 2018 in Delhi.
NEW DELHI: Despite France refuting Rahul Gandhi's remarks over the Rafale deal and confirming that the information is protected under secrecy agreements, the Congress chief on Sunday hit out at the Centre for refusing to divulge details. Rahul hit out at Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi for maintaining secrecy about the deal which he termed as a 'scam'.

"Our Defence Minister said she would, but now she wont. She flip flops between its-not-a-secret & its-a-BIG-secret.

The PM squirms when asked about the price of RAFALE and refuses to look me in the eye. Sure smells like a scam," he tweeted on Sunday.

While speaking in the Lok Sabha during the debate on the no-confidence motion against the government, Rahul had alleged that Sitharaman had lied to the nation by claiming that India was bound by a secrecy clause in the Rafale fighter jet deal signed with France.

Rahul said French President Emmanuel Macron had clearly conveyed to him that there was no problem in sharing details relating to the Rafale deal worth Rs 58,000 crore. Alleging corruption in the deal, the Congress has been demanding details, including cost of equipment and weapons, but the government has refused to share them citing the secrecy clause.

However, after France's rebuttal, Rahul said, "Let them deny it if they want. He (Macron) said that before me. I was there, Anand Sharma and Dr Manmohan Singh were also there."

France's Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs had said that classified information on defence deals enjoys protection under the security agreement signed by India and France in 2008.

Sitharaman had rubbished all allegations by Rahul said that the charges were absolutely wrong. She added that the initial agreement for the deal which had the secrecy clause was signed when the UPA was in power in 2008.

Hitting out at Rahul, Union Minister Arun Jaitley also said that the Congress chief made the no-trust motion an occasion for frivolity by fabricating a conversation with the French President that never happened. "Rahul Gandhi, concocted a conversation with President Macron, and lowered his own credibility. He seriously hurt the image of an Indian politician before the world at large," Jaitley said.
Srinagar: Three terrorists have been killed in an encounter launched by the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district. Sources said that while the encounter was over, forces were carrying out search operations in the Wani mohalla locality in Khudwani area. Three weapons were recovered from the possession

Security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation after receiving specific intelligence input about the presence of militants in the area, a police official said. At least three terrorists are believed to be trapped in the area. The terrorists trapped are the ones who had killed policeman Saleem Shah.

3 bodies of terrorists recovered with three weapons so far from encounter site.  Shesh Paul Vaid (@spvaid) July 22, 2018

According to the police official, the search operation turned into a gun-battle as the terrorists fired upon the forces, prompting retaliation.

Terrorists group that tortured our colleague CT Mohd Saleem of Kulgam & killed him brutally are all trapped in an encounter with J&K Police/Army/CRPF in Khudwani Kulgam.  Shesh Paul Vaid (@spvaid) July 22, 2018

The body of a constable, who was earlier abducted by terrorists from his residence in Kulgam, was found by police on Saturday. He was apparently kidnapped by terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen.

Constable Saleem Shah, who was on leave, was abducted from his residence in Mutalhama area of Kulgam in south Kashmir on Friday night, a police spokesperson said.

He said Shah's body was recovered from a nursery near Redwani Payeen village. The body bore severe injury marks, indicating that he was brutally tortured by the militants, the spokesperson said.

He said Shah had joined the services in 2016 and after completing his basic training, was posted to DPL Pulwama.

The slain cop is survived by aged parents, two brothers and one sister and was the lone bread-earner for his family, the official said.

He said a case has been registered and efforts were underway to nab the killers.

Initial investigation has indicated that it was the handiwork of proscribed terror outfit HM, the spokesman said, adding, "we condemn such gruesome terror act and assure that the culprits shall be brought to justice."

(With inputs from agencies)
MUMBAI: A mob attacked policemen and the security personnel of a state-run agency here after the death of a youth at the Sion Hospital which they blamed on "torture by police" and "negligence" of doctors, an official said on Sunday.

Two police constables and three personnel of the Maharashtra State Security Corporation (MSSC), including a woman, were injured in the incident, the police official said, adding that the mob also damaged four police vehicles.

Denying the allegations, the official tonight cited medical reports and said that Sachin Jaiswar (17), a resident of the Dharavi area, had died on Saturday due to suspected leptospirosis, a bacterial disease.

Suspecting that he died due to the alleged police torture in custody and negligence of doctors at the hospital, around 100 people gathered outside the hospital late on Saturday night and started hurling stones at the policemen, their vehicles and MSSC personnel, the official said.

The protesters also tried to barge into the hospital but were stopped at its gate. The mob then allegedly beat up the on-duty policemen and MSSC personnel (generally deployed at the state government offices and organisations), he said.

A 31-year-old police constable, Kishore Kumar Kadam, sustained serious head injuries in the attack. He and the other injured personnel were undergoing treatment at a hospital.

A traffic police outpost, located near the hospital, was also allegedly vandalised by the mob, he said. Police officials rushed to the spot to pacify the mob and told members of the crowd that Jaiswar had died of the bacterial disease.

Leptospirosis is contracted in humans through direct contact with urine from infected animals or through water, soil or food contaminated with their urine. Jaiswar's postmortem was conducted at the J J Hospital to ascertain the exact cause of his death, the official said, adding that the autopsy report was awaited.

The family members of the deceased have refused to take possession of the body demanding action against police officials who had called the youth for questioning.

The official said that Jaiswar was questioned by the Dharavi police on July 13 in connection with the theft of the mobile phone handset of a pedestrian and was allowed to go home.

The next day, Jaiswar ran a fever and went to the hospital. He was sent home after medication, the official said.

Jaiswar was admitted to the hospital on July 16 after he ran a fever again and started vomiting, he said, adding that the youth died on Saturday.

The official said that police had received reports of the deceased's medical investigation from Kasturba Hospital in central Mumbai which suggest that he was suffering from leptospirosis. No injury marks were found on the body, he said.

The official said Jaiswar was jobless as he had quit school when he was in Class 9. Last year, police had filed a case of voluntarily causing hurt against Jaiswar.
New Delhi: Bigg Boss 11 contestant Bandgi Kalra has been charged for reportedly cheating a city-based engineering student by sharing a fake ad of iPhone X on her Instagram handle.

According to a Deccan Chronicle report, Yuvraj Singh Yadav, the complainant, who followed Bandgi on Instagram, claimed that the model had posted a fake advertisement of an iPhone X on the photo-sharing app on behalf of two-Delhi based firms, Different Collection and Nexafation.com. On seeing the ad, Yadav was quick to book an Iphone X for Rs 61000 as it was way cheaper than the original price of over Rs 83,000.

As per the agreement, Yuvraj transferred Rs 13,000 to a PayTM account linked to 6359007813. Later, when he checked Bandgi's account, he found the ad missing from her handle. Although that aroused his suspicion, the seller who had provided his WhatsApp number assured him that the product will be delivered to him via courier company Blue Dart.

All hell broke loose when on Wednesday the courier finally arrived and Yadav paid the remaining amount of Rs 48,000 only to find a dummy iPhone X inside the package.

Upon realising that he has been duped, Yadav filed a police complaint Marathahalli police station in Bengaluru. Police Inspector Sadiq Pasha, who is looking after the case, told the daily that Kalra has been summoned for questioning as she was partly involved in the cheating case.

"We have sent an email to Kalra and have summoned her. Though we are not sure of her exact involvement in the incident, she has promoted the product on her Instagram account. Though she has deleted the post, the victim has submitted the screenshot," Police was quoted as saying

"Kalra has over five lakh followers on her Instagram account and we suspect many more people may have got cheated similarly," he added. Inspector also revealed that the model has been given three days to appear before the police, failing which a team will be sent to arrest her.

For the unversed, Bandgi Kalra appeared in Bigg Boss 11 as a contestant. She was known for her relationship inside the house with fellow-contestant Puneesh Sharma.
Chennai: A four-story under-construction building in Chennai's Kandanchavadi area in Tamil Nadu collapsed on Saturday killing one and injuring 23 others. Eight ambulances and three fire tenders immediately rushed to the spot following the incident.

The nearby buildings have also suffered damages due to the mishap. More than 60 people were part of the rescue operation.

The National Disaster Response Force and the state disaster management team jointly conducted the rescue operation.

The Chief Minister's office had on Saturday asked the state disaster management team to monitor the situation.

The condition of the 23 injured people is serious. Out of those injured, five are left with head injuries, along with two in critical condition.

The National Disaster Response Force said that the search has ended from their end. Vinoj, Assistant Commandant, NDRF said, "From our end search has concluded. One dead body was recovered. 61 personnel were part of this operation."

The reason for the collapse is, however, not clear. The investigation will be carried out to see what led to the collapse.
American officials are meeting former Afghan Taliban leaders amid intensifying efforts by the Trump administration to seek a negotiated settlement of the country's longest war, according to a media report.

The talks have occurred at undisclosed locations in Qatar, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, the NBC News claimed, citing Taliban sources.

Quoting one negotiator, it said Taliban delegations had been joined by "never more than five" Americans for a series of meetings in hotel suites in Doha, Qatar.

The gatherings were "very friendly" with "tea and cookies" being served, the report said, Quoting the "Doha meeting participant".

The negotiator said security is "very tight in and outside," with hotel staff not allowed to enter.

According to the report, the Taliban often use a "network of former commanders and political leaders" as interlocutors. Some of those used as interlocutors have previously been imprisoned by the US or Afghanistan and no longer have active roles.

The Taliban delegates are taking steps to not be identified by the intelligence services of Russia, China and Arab countries.

"We don't go to the hotel together," the negotiator said. "We never go to the meeting place first. Once they (the Americans) reach the meeting place, then we go there one by one. We use the elevator for some of the floors and then take the stairs out of security considerations."

The source said hotels were chosen because the Taliban and US officials initially "didn't trust each other."

Quoting an Afghanistan-based Taliban commander, the report said that another gathering happened earlier this month in the United Arab Emirates.

"Americans are meeting with our former members in the UAE and Kabul," he said. "Those former Taliban then convey to us their messages from the talks with multiple options."

"Our stance is quite clear and that's the same old one," he said. "The US would need to withdraw its military forces from Afghanistan and exchange prisoners and let the Afghan people decide their issues as per their culture and traditions," the Taliban commander said.

US officials were taking an "unprecedented" interest in the peace process in recent months, the commander added.

A State Department spokesperson did not confirm that any meetings had taken place, but did say the Trump administration was eager to resolve the conflict.

"The US is exploring all avenues to advance a peace process in close consultation with the Afghan government," the spokesperson said.

The US has lost more than 2,400 soldiers in Afghanistan since late 2001, when it invaded the country after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

President Donald Trump is keen to withdraw the approximately 14,000 American troops who remain in Afghanistan, a promise he made on the campaign trail.

Last month, Pompeo said the US was ready to "support, facilitate and participate" in discussions with the Taliban over the role of international forces in Afghanistan but that the peace process would be Afghan-led.
In a new development in Pakistan, supporters of PML (N), the country's mainstream political party, and others raised slogans against the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) outside the Army Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on Saturday night. In a video, a large number of people can be seen on the streets shouting 'ISI Murdabad' and "Yeh jo dehshat gardi hai uske piche wardi hai" (Army is behind state terrorism) slogans.

The protests took place after judge Justice Shaukat Siddiqui of the Islamabad High Court alleged that ISI has been making attempts to influence judicial proceedings and general elections in the country. The ISI is the premier intelligence agency of Pakistan, operationally responsible for gathering, processing, and analysing national security information from around the world.

#WATCH 'ISI Murdabad' slogans raised outside Pakistan Army Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi yesterday pic.twitter.com/jdWn0fVTnc  ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2018

The protestors alleged that Pakistan's general elections to be held on July 25 were fixed and rigged by the ISI. The PML (N) staged the protest against the Controls of Narcotics Substances (CNS) Court's verdict in Ephedrine smuggling case on July 21, wherein party's leader Hanif Abbasi was awarded life imprisonment. A large number of people came out in support of PML (N) and criticised the ISI.

Zaffar Baloch, President of the Baloch National Movement tweeted, "Public chanting slogans death to ISI openly on the streets of Pakistan. Unprecedented outpour of frustration against Pakistan Army and its spy agency ISI in the history of this country."

On July 14, Justice Siddiqui openly lashed out at the ISI for controlling the judiciary and media. While speaking at the Rawalpindi Bar Association, he accused ISI of pressuring the Chief Justice and other judges to get favourable verdicts in different cases, including former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's corruption case.

The judge added that the security agency wanted Sharif and his daughter Maryam to remain in jail till the elections in the country, scheduled for July 25, got over. It is to be noted that the father and daughter are serving 10 and seven-year jail terms, respectively, in Adiala jail in Rawalpindi in connection with the Avenfield corruption case.

With inputs from ANI
Much like India, Britain is looking to act on its dream of having bullet trains that can rival the famous trains in Japan. Just that many in the country don't want it.

UK is looking at a High Speed 2 network which, in its first phase, will connect London to Birmingham and then - in phase 2 - reach Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds at speeds of 400kmph. The country hopes to at least make the first phase operational with 1000 seats by 2026.

More than just ramping up transport network in the country, the bullet train project is being touted as something that will provide jobs to thousands of people - crucial in the post-Brexit scenario. Supporters of the project say that it would be a reliable network that would help the economy immensely. At a construction cost of 56 billion pounds though, critics have their doubts.

UK-based newspapers have reported that voices are being raised against the need for the country to have a bullet train project at a time when an increasing number of Britons are taking the aerial route. Some are calling it a 'White Elephant Project' because according to them, the cons outweigh the pros.

And then there is a China angle to it all.

It is being reported that Chinese construction companies are eyeing the lucrative tender for the project and could outbid local companies because of having 'heavy purses.' Guangshen Railway Company and Hong Kong's MTR Corp are believed to be the front-runners even though the winners are not likely to be announced till early next year. And not too many are too pleased with Chinese companies coming in across the English Channel and getting a strong foothold in the heartland of Britain.

Then there are many who predict that if Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is voted to power in the next elections, the fortunes of the High Speed 2 network - and the possible involvement of Chinese companies - could see a massive change.
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif has said that people can change his name if he does not take Pakistan ahead of its arch-rival India after coming into power. Addressing a rally in Sargodha late on Saturday, the PML-N chief said: "If I do not end load shedding crisis in six months, you can change my name," adding "they (Indians) will come to Wagah Border and call Pakistanis their master."

The former Punjab CM said that he would bring Pakistan at par with Malaysia and Turkey. He added that he would visit Mahathir Mohamad and Tayyip Erdogan to learn from them and make Pakistan a great nation again, the Express News reported.

Shehbaz said that Pakistan cannot become a great nation by voting leaders like Imran Khan who have made false promises to "our nation". "Imran Khan alleged corruption against the Punjab government but not a single penny has been proved against me," he said adding "In fact, a corruption case has surfaced from Peshawar metro."

The PML-N President while defending his elder brother and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said he came back to Pakistan leaving his ailing wife in London. He said the elder Sharif along with his daughter Maryam Nawaz were arrested and were not even allowed to meet Sharif's mother.
Jakarta, Indonesia: A 15-year-old girl raped by brother was sentenced to six months imprisonment on Thursday in a closed hearing at Muara Bulian District Court along with her brother. The 17-year-old brother was sentenced to two years imprisonment and charged with sexually assaulting a minor.

The girl, who was six months into the pregnancy, was charged under child protection law. The mother is facing separate charges for helping her daughter in getting the abortion done. The boy had raped her sister eight times since September last year.

According to reports, the prosecutors initially asked for one-year imprisonment to the girl and seven years imprisonment for the boy. They are considering to appeal in the court to increase the sentence.

Women are not allowed to have abortions in Indonesia unless the woman's life is at risk. They have to undergo counselling sessions and the abortion has to be performed by a registered doctor. According to Indonesia's abortion laws, women cannot have an abortion if she is pregnant for more than six weeks.
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is in need of urgent medical attention with his kidney on the verge of collapsing. This is what a medical board which examined him on Sunday reportedly found, according to media reports in the country.

Pakistan's Express News quoted sources as saying that Sharif - currently lodged in Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail - has kidney-related complications and that a medical board examining him has may recommend that he be transferred to a hospital as soon as is possible. The doctors, apparently, have also said that the medical center within the jail does not have facilities to provide IV fluid to patients.

The same report also quoted sources in the government as contradicting the report on Sharif's medical condition and instead, said that regular medical tests have shown no such complication.

It is expected that the team of doctors who examined the jailed former PM do make an official recommendation, Sharif could be taken to a hospital for treatment.

Sharif, daughter Mariyam and son-in-law Mohammad Safdar have been sentenced to imprisonment by an anti-graft court on charges of possessing disproportionate assets. Sharif and Maryam flew from London last week and were taken to the Rawalpindi jail where, according to people close to the two, they have been lodged in questionable conditions.

The possibility of moving Sharif to a rest house in Islamabad - previously used to keep key political figures under house arrest - has been mooted but no decision has been taken in the matter. Interestingly, local media reported that it is this rest house that was initially planned for Sharif, Maryan and Safdar but the three were instead put in the Adiala Jail which houses several high-profile - and possibly dangerous - inmates. While security has been tightened here, there is also a fear of a possible threat to life of Sharif in particular.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has promised voters in Pakistan that if voted to power, his party will introduce a new system of local governance in the country. Pakistan-based Dawn News said in a report that addressing rallies ahead of Pakistan general elections, scheduled for July 25, that he would introduce direct election of district nazim.

The report further quoted the PTI chief as saying that members of National Assembly and provincial assemblies would not be given any development fund if he is voted to power. According to Khan, this would ensure that the members concentrate only on formulating laws.

Imran Khan also rubbished allegations of the elections being rigged in the favour of his party, saying that the election would rather ensure that those who indulged in rigging in the past would be wiped out.

This comes days after major political parties alleged that the Pakistani Army was backing the campaign of PTI chief Imran Khan. Pakistan Muslim League  Nawaz (PML-N) chief Shahbaz Sharif had also alleged that the caretaker government in Punjab province was supporting Khans party.

The caretaker chief minister of Punjab, Hassan Askari, had, however, rejected allegations by the PML-N and said that the "government would provide full support to ECP for holding free, fair and transparent election in the country."

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had also levelled similar allegations on Imran Khans party. He had alleged that the PTI and the PML-N had forged electoral alliances with proscribed organisations.

Meanwhile, tensions have also flared ahead of elections in the neighbouring country after former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Sharif were arrested after their arrival in Lahore from London via UAE. They have been lodged in Adiala jail in Rawalpindi. Nawazs party has alleged that the former prime minister is being treated like a terrorist and is deprived of even basic facilities inside the jail.
A judge of the Islamabad High Court has alleged that Pakistans ISI is making attempts to influence judicial proceedings and general elections in the neighbouring country. According to Pakistan-based Dawn News, the High Court judge said that the security agency wanted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam to remain in jail till the elections in the country, scheduled for July 25, got over.

The report said that the remarks were made by Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui during an event organised by the Rawalpindi District Bar Association. He was quoted as saying that the ISI is involved in manipulating judicial proceedings and also forming court benches at its will.

Justice Siddiqui further said that the ISI had asked Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi that they do not want Nawaz and Maryam out of prison before elections. They also asked the Chief Justice to keep Siddiqui out of the bench hearing the Avenfield case.

The judge was also quoted as saying that Pakistan judiciary is in the control of those with guns. Notably, the same judge had alleged the role of the Pakistan Army in a major protest/sit-in organised by Imran Khans Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Rawalpindi in 2017.

Both Nawaz and Maryam are currently lodged in Adiala jail in Rawalpindi following conviction in the Avenfield properties case. They were arrested soon after they arrived in Lahore from London via UAE.

Nawazs brother and Pakistan Muslim League  Nawaz (PML-N) president Shahbaz Sharif had earlier alleged that the former prime minister was not provided even basic facilities inside the jail. Alleging that the father-daughter duo were being treated like terrorists, he had claimed that Nawaz was given newspapers and made to use a dilapidated toilet.

Earlier reports also said that Maryam had refused to get additional facilities in the prison. The bail plea of Nawaz and Maryam were last week rejected by the Islamabad High Court.
At least 16 people were killed and many injured after a suicide bomber targeted the international airport in Kabul on Sunday evening, minutes after the country's vice president Abdul Rashid Dostum had arrived here.

Local media reports stated that while Dostum's convoy and the vice president himself escaped unharmed, there was utter chaos just outside the airport with dead bodies and debris all around. It is also reported that the explosion occurred just as Dostum left the airport premises in a heavily armoured vehicle.

There was a large presence of civilians at the airport, many of whom had come to greet Dostum who was returning in a chartered flight after having stayed in Turkey since May of last year. He had left Afghanistan after he was accused of arranging the rape and torture of a political rival.

While local police officials are not yet sure if Sunday's explosion was an act of revenge, priority is being given to get the injured to hospitals nearby. No terror organisation has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
Open source

During the current day in Donbas conflict zone, militants fired Ukrainian positions from machine guns and small arms. This was reported in the press center of the Joint Forces Operation headquarters on its Facebook page.



It is noted that the militants violated the truce 4 times.



"The invaders from large-caliber machine guns and small arms fired at the positions of the Joint Forces in the areas of settlements Pisky, Pavlopil, Lebedynske and Shyrokine," the report said.



The headquarters added that as a result of the fighting, there are no losses among Ukrainian defenders.



As reported, during the past day the militants carried out 29 targeted firings, as a result of which three Ukrainian defenders were injured in various severity. Now they are provided with medical help in military mobile hospitals.

Earlier Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Pavlo Klimkin, condemned the Kremlin's intention to hold a referendum in the occupied Donbas because of the impossibility of free and fair expression of will in this region under current conditions. He wrote about this on July 20 on his Facebook page.



"Nobody, literally nobody believes in any possibility of free and fair will expression in Donbas in the conditions of Russian occupation," Klimkin stated.



At the same time, the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry is convinced that Donbas as such does not interest Russia. Just like the citizens who live in this region.



According to Klimkin, the goal of the Russian authorities' statements on changing the status of Donbas and the federalization of Ukraine is the collapse of Ukraine. "This is a kind of" rehearsal ", which the Kremlin regime will push to ruin our country. They will not succeed!" he wrote.



Earlier in the White House, they said they did not consider supporting Putin's idea for a new referendum in eastern Ukraine.



We recall, the Bloomberg, citing sources, said that Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with Donald Trump in Helsinki proposed a referendum in Donbas. According to one of the interlocutors, Trump asked Putin not to discuss the idea of a referendum at a press conference after the summit, to give the US president time to think about this idea. The source added that Putin offered to organize a vote among local residents of Donbas on the status of their region. All this should happen under the auspices of the international community.



Sources in Russia argue that such a referendum should not provide for a "Crimean scenario," it can only decide about the autonomy of the Donbas within Ukraine.

Related: Banner in support of Sentsov appears near government building in Moscow
Vitrenko claims that Naftogaz-Ukraine will continue the enforced recovery through the arrest of Gazproms assets around the world, unless the company is fully compensated by the Russian monopolist, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

A settlement between Naftogaz-Ukraine and Gazprom is only possible in regards to the lawsuits recently filed to the Stockholm Court of Arbitration, and the condition for that is an out-of-court payment of over $12 billion by the Russian company. The Chief Commercial Officer of NAK Naftogaz-Ukraine YuriyVitrenko wrote so on his Facebook page, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

"As we told Gazprom during our trilateral meeting, a settlement in regards to the rulings already produced by the court is impossible",- he wrote.

Vitrenko pointed out that apart from the arbitrary procedures on which rulings have already been producer, NAK Naftogaz-Ukraine has new arbitrary procedures against Gazprom: the Russian company demands the present agreements to be altered or annulled, whereas Naftogaz is asking for a compensation of losses incurred as the result of Gazproms non-fulfillment of its contractual obligations, including that taking the ruling into consideration.

The Chief Commercial Officer of NAK Naftogaz-Ukraine explained that Gazprom refuses to supply gas and to revise the transit tariff, as well as it violates its obligations regardng the support of the required pressure in the gas transport system at the entrance to Ukraine.

The amount of the compensation we are demanding from Gazprom in the new arbitrary proceedings, is already over $12 billion. Our demands are substantiated, we are confident about our legal strategy and position. If Gazprom wants truce on the new arbitrary procedures, it may be settled out of court, - Vitrenko said.

The Naftogaz executive also underlined that the companys position is based on the fact that the procedure cannot delay the trilateral negotiations regarding gas transit through Ukraine after 2019.

If there is anyone who wants to delay these negotiations superficially, then so should be the construction of Nord Stream-2 be postponed, as it is a political, anti-competitive project, - the representative claimed.

Vitrenko, while commenting again on the Russian partys offer of a truce on the rulings already made, arguing that it would contradict the essence of such deals  they need to be agreed upon before the final ruling is made.

Now is too late to ask for a truce in those lawsuits. Gazprom needs to pay us $2.56 billion, according to the courts ruling, as well as $75 million worth of interest. We also expect to be compensated for the expenses incurred as part of the forced recovery, - the Chief Financial Officer of Naftogaz-Ukraine stated.

Vitrenko also promises to continue the forced recovery through arresting Gazproms assets worldwide until the Ukrainian company receives the money. NAK Naftogaz-Ukraine also point out that there is nothing overruling or stopping the execution of the court ruling, while the Swedish court of appeals has temporarily halted the forced recovery exclusively throughout Swedens territory. We expect the restriction to be lifted soon, - an executive at Naftogaz-Ukraine said.

According to the source, Gazprom is fully aware of the risks associated with non-compliance with the ruling of the court, and this is why the company pleaded to stop the arrest of its assets at the trilateral meeting. The plea was met with a negative answer from the Ukrainian party.

On 28 February, the Stockholm court of arbtration ruled Gazprom to pay Naftogaz a compensation to the tune of $4.63 billion for under-shipped volumes of gas transiting through Ukraine. Gazprom was also ordered to pay the Ukrainian company $2.56 billion.

In return, Gazprom has claimed it would denounce its agreements on gas supply to Ukraine. After that, Ukraine confiscated all of the Russian corporations assets located in Ukraine.
112 Agency

A banner in support of Ukrainian political prisoner Oleg Sentsov appeared near the building of the Russian government in Moscow. About this wrote a journalist, human rights activist Denis Styazhkin on his Twitter page.



"Activists posted a banner" Freedom to Sentsov "against the background of the White House," wrote Styazhkin.



The published photos show that Sentsov is depicted on the banner and "Freedom to political prisoners" is written.



Director Oleg Sentsov was detained in Crimea on May 11, 2014. He was accused of preparing a terrorist attack, as well as the storage of weapons and explosives. The court sentenced Sentsov to 20 years in prison.



May 14, 2018 Sentsov began a hunger strike with the demand to release all Ukrainian political prisoners. He refused to file a petition for clemency.

Earlier we reported that Russian Federation is trying to force Russian citizenship on Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian movie director, as the statement of Lyudmyla Denisova, Ukraines Commissioner for Human Rights, says, 112.u reports.

Russia is trying to force the Russian citizenship to him  as punishment. It is a weird approach. Citizenship should be a benefit, not punishment, she said.

Besides, Denisova told that Tatayana Moskalkova, Russian Ombudsman, denied her to visit Sentsov as Denisova I not a Russian citizen.

Yesterday, Moskalkova, the Commissioner for Human Rights, also denied (her to visit, - ed.) on the grounds that I am not a Russian Federation citizen. It would be weird if a Ukrainian Ombudsman was a Russian citizen. I am a Ukrainian Crimean. So is Oleg Sentsov, Denisova stressed.

Earlier Tatyana Moskalkova, Russian Commissioner for Human Rights, said health condition of Oleg Sentsov who is kept in Russian ail is generally satisfying, but there are still some concerns due to his hunger strike.

I had a meeting with Sentsov, which was quite long, it lasted for an hour. His health condition is generally satisfying, still there are some concerns as it is the 46th day of the hunger strike and it always requires a lot of attention, she noted.

At the same time, the Russian Ombudsman added that Sentsov is being medically examined daily. The local medical worker checked his condition today in the morning.

Related: 190 facts of human trafficking revealed in Ukraine since the beginning of the year
Michael Collins, CIA's East Asia mission center deputy assistant director claimed that rising of tension between the USA and China goes beyond of dispute only in trade area

Open source

China is using all their resources to wage a real cold war against the US. Michael Collins, deputy assistant director of the CIAs East Asia mission center, said at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado, as AP reports.

"I would argue ... that what theyre waging against us is fundamentally a cold war...," he said.

Related: Russia carries on with special ops against U.S., - FBI

According to him, the rising of tension between the USA and China goes beyond dispute only in trade area. Accordingly, the CIA representative expressed his concern about Chinas effort aimed at business surveillance, stealing in the high technology area, strengthening of military outposts in the zones, where the US helps their alliances to maintain the regional security.

I would argue that its the Crimea of the East, Collins said, referring to Russias brash annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, which was condemned throughout the West.

As the outlet notes, the alarm bells are ringing at the time when Washington needs Chinas help in ending its nuclear standoff with North Korea.

Related: Ukraine and China sign memorandum on promotion of mutual trade of poultry
All these people will get what they deserve. First of all, we have to work on sanctions - they stole the radio frequency resource, so frequencies are distributed illegally. We have a powerful communication with the Prosecutor's Office of Crimea, the SBU, the Ministry of

Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Information Policy, this is our joint project, and I believe that in September we will be able to fully present it, "he said.









Earlier Kostinsky said that since October, broadcasting to Crimea by 75% will be Ukrainian-speaking.

The day before it was reported that the National Council of Ukraine on Broadcasting issues issued new permits for temporary broadcasting under a simplified procedure on temporarily uncontrolled territories in the Donetsk region and in Crimea.


The EU summit approved the development of a mechanism for the sectoral European integration of Ukraine and created opportunities for a procedural basis for the irreversibility of European integration reforms in Ukraine. This was reported by the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze in her article for ZN.UA.



According to Klympush-Tsintsadze, this decision is one of the most important results of the recent EU summit.



"The main thing is that the political approval of the development of a mechanism for sectoral integration ... creates opportunities for a procedural basis for the irreversibility of European integration reforms," she noted.



According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the mechanism of sectoral integration presupposes the development of mutual obligations to implement specific measures, regardless of which political forces are in power. On the eve of the summit, Ukraine proposed the EU mechanism for integration in the energy sector and digital markets, customs, justice, freedom and security, which was supported by the EU. This mechanism should have a specific list of decisions that Ukraine must adopt, both Ukraine and the EU should work on developing the list.



She also noted that the mechanism will give Ukraine the opportunity to follow the path of sectoral integration, in accordance with the road map of reforms and decisions, which should be agreed with the EU.



"Such a mechanism will become a kind of insurance against political fluctuations regarding Ukraine's European integration - both in Ukraine itself and in the EU ... Successful implementation of these mechanisms can become a basis for their dissemination to other sectors of integration," she said, noting that the mechanism, in particular, will help Ukraine in the framework of the Association Agreement with the EU to provide access to European markets.



The EU summit was held in Brussels in early July this year.

Related: Settlement of issues ruled by Stockholm court with Gazprom is impossible  Naftogaz-Ukraine
Ukraine's Presidental Administration

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said that the purpose of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline is to strike at Ukraine and many members of the EU and NATO. Poroshenko wrote this on his Facebook account.



"Nord Stream-2" is not an economic project, but the project is absolutely political. Its goal is to strike at Ukraine and on many other members of the EU and NATO. The further, the more the EU countries understand the real purpose of the Nord Stream-2, "Poroshenko noted.



Earlier, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Moravetsky, in his address to the European Parliament, said that the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline was a political project and would strengthen the EU's dependence on Russia.



"Nord Stream-2" is the project of the main gas pipeline from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea, over 1200 km in length, which is an extension of the "Nord Stream". The Nord Stream project envisages construction and operation of two gas pipeline lines with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas a year from the coast of Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany. Its route runs in parallel to the existing main gas pipeline.

Related: Broadcasting to Crimea will be 75% Ukrainian-speaking
112 Agency

On Saturday, July 21, the British Air Force aircraft Raytheon Sentinel R1 conducted exploration off the coast of the occupied Crimea and the Krasnodar Territory. This is evidenced by the data of the Plane Radar monitoring resource.



According to them, the aircraft with the registration number ZJ691 flew from the British military base Akrotiri, located in Cyprus.



On the map, published by the resource, it can be seen that the aircraft has twice circled the coast of the occupied Crimea.

Earlier we reported that Ukrainian media that broadcast to the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as to the territory of the annexed Crimea, will conduct 75% of their broadcasting in October this year in Ukrainian language. The member of the National Council of Ukraine on TV and Radio Broadcasting Serhiy Kostinsky told about it on the Crimea. Realii.



"Now the law allows broadcasting in any language, the main thing is that these are Ukrainian programs, the national product, the European product. There is a corresponding quota of the European product. Since October, the language of the broadcasting of 75% will be Ukrainian. We work for those territories that Russia stole from Ukraine, and the Ukrainian language is not a problem, I'm telling you this as a Crimean. If you get access to quality journalism, then the language does not matter, "he said.



The day before it was reported that the National Council of Ukraine on Broadcasting issued new permits for temporary broadcasting under a simplified procedure on temporarily uncontrolled territories in the Donetsk region and in Crimea.

Related: Sea Breeze 2018 military drills completed in Ukraine
112 Agency

The Ukrainian media that broadcast to the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as to the territory of the annexed Crimea, will conduct 75% of their broadcasting in October this year in Ukrainian language. The member of the National Council of Ukraine on TV and Radio Broadcasting Serhiy Kostinsky told about it on the Crimea. Realii.



"Now the law allows broadcasting in any language, the main thing is that these are Ukrainian programs, the national product, the European product. There is a corresponding quota of the European product. Since October, the language of the broadcasting of 75% will be Ukrainian. We work for those territories that Russia stole from Ukraine, and the Ukrainian language is not a problem, I'm telling you this as a Crimean. If you get access to quality journalism, then the language does not matter, "he said.



The day before it was reported that the National Council of Ukraine on Broadcasting issued new permits for temporary broadcasting under a simplified procedure on temporarily uncontrolled territories in the Donetsk region and in Crimea.



In January 2018, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed the Law of Ukraine "On Amending Certain Laws of Ukraine on Temporary Permits for Broadcasting in the Antiterrorist Operation Zone and Border Regions of Ukraine."

Earlier Italian Interior Minister and Vice Prime Minister Matteo Salvini considers the annexation of Crimea legal and said that the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine is fake at the interview to The Washington Post.

Talking about different issues, the journalist and Salvini touched upon the sanctions against. A journalist asked why the Italian political wants to lift them.

"Because they (sanctions, - 112.international) didnt prove to be useful, and according to the data, they hurt Italian exports".

Also, the journalist asked about the right of Russia to annex Crimea and Salvini said that there was "a referendum". However, the journalist noted that it was fake, Salvini said:

"That is your point of view. . . . There was a referendum, and 90 percent of the people voted for the return of Crimea to the Russian Federation Compare it to the fake revolution in Ukraine, which was a pseudo-revolution funded by foreign powers  similar to the Arab Spring revolutions".

Related: Minibus with taxi drivers attacked in South Africa, 11 people killed
It is not yet known who attacked the minibus, but it is reported that taxi-minibuses are the most popular form of transport in South Africa, and the struggle for lucrative routes often leads to violence.

"The attack happened yesterday at about 8 p.m. The car was ambushed. 11 people were killed, four were seriously injured and are in hospital. As far as we understand, they were all from the association of Gauteng taxi drivers," the representative of the local authorities told the agency.

In the South African Republic on the evening of July 21, the attackers from the ambush opened fire at the minibus with taxi drivers who were returning to Johannesburg from the funeral of a colleague.

Earlier the

ship with another batch of anthracite for Ukraine arrived in the port of Chornomorsk on Friday, November 3. This is stated in the message on the sea trading port Chornomorsk website.



It is noted that the vessel from Cyprus delivered to the Ukrainian port 75 thousand tons of coal.



"A ship with coal from South Africa was moored at the port of Chornomorsk on November 3. Bulker Scythia Graeca delivered 75 thousand tons of anthracite to Ukraine, and from 20:00 the port of Chernomorsk has already started unloading the vessel,' the message reads.




Ukrainian-American military exercises Sea Breeze - 2018 were completed in the Odesa, Mykolaiv regions and the northwestern part of the Black Sea. This was reported in the press service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

"In a complex military and strategic situation, our partners from 19 countries at the highest level have resolutely shown support for Ukraine. I am confident of our effective interaction at sea, in the air and on the ground, that is, where joint actions are needed in the name of peace and stability.

We continue the good tradition of maritime friendship and partnership, which become stronger with the years, "said Naval commander Igor Voronchenko at the closing ceremony of the exercises.





It is noted that in the course of the drills , the ship crews marched about 2,500 miles in the sea, the aviators carried out more than 200 flights with a total flight time of about 105 hours, the marines performed more than 400 skydiving jumps, half of them at night, and 60 on water, divers were

underwater for more than 70 hours.





It is noted that the units that took part in the exercises "have coped with the tasks adequately and the goals have been achieved."
Open source

The situation with supplies of liquid chlorine has stabilized, all companies operate in normal mode without limiting the water supply. This was reported in the association Ukrvodokanalecology.



"Dniproazot JSC resumes the work of the chlorine group of labs, in the near future it is expected to produce the first products. At the enterprises of the water and sewerage it is possible to buy liquid chlorine in Romania and Hungary at low prices, but there is a need for further study of delivery issues," reads the message.



Ukrvodokanalecology noted that the availability of liquid chlorine is satisfactory, "but sufficient to ensure high-quality and uninterrupted water supply."



Earlier administration of "Dniroazot" reported about the resume of the operation of the chlorine plants as the press service of the enterprise reported.

It is stated that the operation of the plants for the production of the reagent will start today on July 20.

"At the moment, the preparatory works for the start of the production are finished. The production of the first product is expected soon," the message said.

As we reported the Security Service of Ukraine began the check of the actions of the "Dniroazot" officials that led to the creation of the liquid chlorine deficit, the main reagent for the continued provision of the drinking water for the population.

As it was reported earlier, the stocks of the liquid chlorine in Kyiv are running extremely low; the lack of the substance used for cleansing of the water may result in the situation where the residents may be left without supplies of drinking water.

Previously, Ukrainian water companies faced a tough situation with the disinfection of water supplies, since Dniproazot company, the manufacturer of liquid chlorine announced that it would stop production of the substance and, thus, stop the supplies. Due to the fact, some water pipeline companies have enough chlorine for up to no more than 20 days.

In spite of the fact that the government already reached the agreement with Dniproazot, the production still has not been restored so far.
The US imported 790 portable anti-tank rifles and grenade launchers

Ukraine exported the largest number of small arms to the US in 2017. Uzbekistan is in the second place. The data was published on the website of State Export Control Service of Ukraine.

According to the statistics, Ukraine sent 15 040 assault rifles and pistols to the US, Uzbekistan purchased two thousand of small arms, Mongolia  ten thousand, Jordan  one thousand.

Related: Parliament criminalizes illegal export of woods and timber

It is also noted that the US imported 790 portable anti-tank rifles and grenade launchers from Ukraine in 2017. Thailand purchased 16 Ukrainian Oplot battle tanks.

Reportedly, earlier, National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine permitted weapons export without mediation.
An evening of heart opening music and mantra with the Bhakti-inspired project from Tucson, Ariz..

Join Chaparral Kirtan Band (a Bhakti inspired project from Tucson, AZ) for an evening of heart opening music and mantra!

Chaparral Kirtan Band is a group of Arizona-based musicians blending the traditions of kirtan and American folk music. Seasoned by their shared home in the Southwest, Chaparral Kirtan Band is developing an acoustic style and devotional experience that is rooted in the wide desert and open sky of Southern Arizona. Led by Gabrielle Pietrangelo, who shares her angelic voice and original heart-opening music, Chaparral Kirtan Bands sound is a heart centered exchange between the female and male voices, accompanied by ethereal bowed-banjo, tabla, harmonium and guitar. Whether you are a seasoned Bhakti yoga practitioner or new to call and response chanting, Chaparral Kirtan Band offers a spirited opportunity to come together and sing!

An evening with Chaparral Kirtan Band is filled with beautiful song and opportunity for Bhakti yoga, which uses call-and-response singing to guide participants in achieving an elevated state of consciousness and a greater sense of connection. Most people walk away from an evening of kirtan feeling greater inner peace and compassion. The blend of ancient Sanskrit words and mantra in combination with Chaparral Kirtan Bands beautiful acoustic music invokes specific emotions and moods, which when shared among a group of people singing together can be a powerful community experience.

What makes Chaparral Kirtan Band unique is their seamless blend of eastern and western styles. A gentle lullaby in English, accompanied by acoustic guitars and banjo, can transform into a mantra in Sanskrit with the addition of tabla, harmonium and bowed banjo. Gabrielle Pietrangelo, lead vocalist and writer for the group explains, I love to connect a folk song or melody Ive written with the emotion of a mantra I am working with. It often feels like a wave of energy, with harmonies, pacing and the overall arch of the piece along with how it will be filled out by the group. Each composition is an original, heart-opening musical experience. It is a joy to hear it voiced by the band and then in community. Ive spent years as a songwriter and performer but this is something different. When we bring the intention of devotion and connection into the work, any musical gift or skill we have feels like its being offered as a prayer.

Members of Chaparral Kirtan Band include Gabrielle Pietrangelo on vocals, guitar and harmonium; Hadji Banjovi on vocals and improvisations on bowed banjo, a dusty Arizona version of the esraj; Matt Moon Nelson on tabla, udus, kartals and other percussion; Bradford Trojan on vocals and acoustic guitar; and Kasey Ackerley on harmonium and vocals. Because each of our members come from different backgrounds with their own set of musical skills, our sound is a fusion of folk, Americana, Hindustani and classical traditions, said Pietrangelo. Everything we play is influenced by our surroundings  the wide, open sky and lush Sonoran Desert near Tucson  so we sound like where we come from. Chaparral actually means southwestern but its also the word for creosote, the plentiful desert shrub that fills the whole Tucson basin with the most amazing smell when it rains. It smells like coming home.

People need sacred spaces and accessible opportunities to process their lives, said Pietrangelo. "There is so much going on in our modern culture and taking time to breathe, pray and sing with others, in an environment free from religious dogma is important. We provide beautiful music, as well as a safe and loving space for individuals to come and process whatever and however they need to. Youre not singing to an external deity  youre allowing your own compassion and wisdom to open in your heart.

We are a spiritually-inspired band, and the ras (a Hindi word for essence or juice) is within our authenticity,says Matt Moon Nelson, Chaparral Kirtan Bands percussionist. But the real magic happens when people show up and participate in the kirtan.
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Sylvia Nolasco-Rivers Reprioritizes

A smaller tamale shop will leave more time for her nonprofit.

by Sabine Bickford

From the July, 2018 issue

Sylvia Nolasco-Rivers is downsizing Pilar's Tamales. She closed the dining room next door to her original restaurant in June to devote more time to her new nonprofit.



She says she has been holding various fundraisers in the community since 2000, including ones for people in Haiti, Yemen, Nepal, and her home country of El Salvador, and recently for Ann Arbor's sanctuary movement.



Nolasco-Rivers says having her own nonprofit will help to make that work more streamlined and give help more immediately in a crisis. But, "those things require energy, they require time, they require a bit more money, and so those are all things that are going to be possible with me being able to just let go of that beautiful little space that I had for six years."



Nolasco-Rivers will continue to operate her catering business and provide grab-and-go meals at the People's Food Co-op and Argus Farm Stop. The main losses to her customers will be the additional sit-down space and Nolasco-Rivers' "community room," used by friends and customers for yoga classes, spiritual services, and simply as "a space to get away."



Nolasco-Rivers says she isn't too worried about the loss. "You can still have a little seating in here," she says of the tiny waiting room that fronts her commercial kitchen. Gesturing to the walk outside, she adds, "There's a little seating out there. Technically about twenty people can be here if they want to be here at once."



Pilar's Tamales, 2261 W. Liberty. (734) 929-4161. Wed.-Fri. noon-6 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Sun..-Tues. pilarstamales.com



[Originally published in July, 2018.]








Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum is expected to return to Kabul Sunday, more than a year after fleeing the country during an investigation into the rape and torture of a political rival. The powerful ethnic Uzbek leader and former warlord, who is linked to a catalogue of human rights abuses in Afghanistan, will fly from Turkey to Kabul where he will be welcomed by high-ranking officials at a special ceremony, Afghan officials said. "At 4:00 pm (1130 GMT) today General Dostum's flight will land at Kabul international airport," Jamal Nasir Farahmand, a spokesman for Dostum, told AFP. Dostum's return, which has been the subject of much speculation, comes amid violent protests in several provinces across northern Afghanistan -- his traditional power base. Thousands of Dostum's supporters have taken to the streets in recent weeks, shuttering election and government offices and blocking sections of highways, demanding the release of a pro-government militia leader and calling for Dostum's return. Expectations for Dostum's arrival have done little to quell the unrest, though, with protesters vowing Sunday to continue demonstrating until the burly leader of the Uzbek minority tells them otherwise. "We don't trust the government. We will continue our protests unless General Dostum tells us to stop," Ehsanullah Qowanch, a protest leader in Faryab province, told AFP. Qowanch also repeated calls for the release of Nezamuddin Qaisari -- a district police chief and Dostum's provincial representative in Faryab -- whose arrest earlier this month ignited the protests. - 'Known killer' - Observers say President Ashraf Ghani, an ethnic Pashtun, gave the green light for Dostum to come back to Afghanistan to stabilise the north and secure ethnic Uzbek support ahead of next year's presidential election, which he is widely expected to contest. Dostum left Afghanistan in May 2017 after he was accused of organising the rape and torture of a political rival. He had denied the allegations and said his departure was for medical check-ups and family reasons. Ghani described Dostum as a "known killer" in 2009. Yet he chose him to be his running mate in the 2014 presidential election, underlining the at times uncomfortable ethnic realities of Afghan politics. Presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri said Saturday that Dostum had been "treated" and would resume his duties upon his return. Seven of Dostum's bodyguards have been convicted of the sexual assault and illegal imprisonment of Ahmad Ishchi, a former governor of northern Jowzjan province, in 2016. Dostum allegedly had Ishchi abducted in Jowzjan and then kept him hostage in his private compound for several days, where the captive was said to have been tortured and sodomised. Chakhansuri deflected questions about whether Dostum would face charges over the incident, saying "the judiciary is an independent body, the government does not interfere in their decisions". Dostum is one of several controversial figures that Kabul has sought to reintegrate into mainstream politics since the US-led invasion in 2001. His heroic status in the north belies the extreme barbarities he is known for. Dostum, who helped the United States oust the Taliban regime in 2001, allegedly allowed hundreds of Taliban prisoners to be suffocated to death in shipping containers. str-emh-mam-amj/amz Former warlord and now Afghan vice president Abdul Rahid Dostum has spent the last year in Turkey
Propped up by a mobility frame in a rehabilitation centre in Syria's capital, Abdulghani Ghayyana carefully inches forward on two artificial legs, as he walks for the first time in over a year. "I want to be able to stand on my own two feet again," says the 48-year-old veterinarian, his anxious son trailing him across the busy ward. A specialist also carefully monitors double amputee Abdulghani's progress, as he gets a feel for the locally made prosthetic limbs. "I'm doing my best so that I can help myself and do the job I love," says the father-of-seven from the central province of Hama. Tens of thousands of people have lost limbs in Syria's seven-year conflict. And Abdulghani is one of hundreds helped back on his feet by the Damascus physical rehabilitation centre -- for free. Patients of all ages try on artificial limbs for size, as staff bring brand new prosthetics from a nearby room. Abdulghani lost both his legs in March last year, after being hit during shelling as he rode home on his motorbike from a job vaccinating livestock. "After I was injured, I felt really desperate. I couldn't move and I constantly needed help... It was a lot to bear," he says. "I was deeply embarrassed for my son whenever I had to go anywhere," adds Abdulghani. - 'Back on my legs' - A doctor in Hama referred Abdulghani to the Damascus centre, which is run by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross. Every day, dozens of patients arrive from across Syria, whether they have lost limbs in the war or as a result of illness. "Right now I'm in the final phase -- being fitted with artificial limbs and practising" walking, Abdulghani says. "In a week, I should be back on my legs again." Across the ward, a younger man tries to walk with a new artificial leg, his hands gripping rails running along a ramp for support. A boy lies nearby on a bed, as a medic fits a prosthetic sock over his partially amputated leg, before fitting a replacement limb below the knee. A World Health Organisation report said last year that 86,000 Syrians had suffered wounds that led to amputation. In an adjacent room, a Syrian prosthetist and his assistant put the final touches to plastic and metal limbs, supervised by an ICRC expert. A newly finished artificial leg sits on an immaculately tidy work bench, under a board of neatly aligned screwdrivers and other tools. Legs and arms of various sizes await the outside world, labelled with the names of their new owners. - Patients 'perk up' - The centre started making its own prosthetic limbs in 2010, director Nazeer Kanaan says, but became more active after the civil war began the following year. The number of amputees "increased due to the crisis, accidents, gunshots, (shell and rocket) fragments and landmines", Kanaan says. Production jumped from 250 artificial limbs in 2014 to double that last year -- and since May, the centre's workers have been churning out 50 a month. The facility mainly makes prosthetics for people whose legs have been amputated above and below the knee, says 28-year-old supervisor Ayat Ezzadeen. "Sometimes a patient turns up who's really down, but we give them an artificial limb and they perk up", she says. Amani, 10, is wearing new pink-laced trainers for a second practice session with her new leg. She comes from the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, where the Islamic State group has lost significant ground in recent years. The jihadists planted landmines as they retreated under pressure from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces on one front and Russia-backed Syrian regime troops on another. Amani "went out of the house to play in our village and a mine exploded, causing her leg to be amputated below the knee," the girl's 28-year-old aunt says. "Thank God, she will now walk again." Amani, a 10-year-old amputee, is helped as she tries to walk with her new artificial limb at the Syrian Arab Red Crescent facility, in Damascus on July 15, 2018 Abdulghani Ghayyana, who lost his legs last year after being hit during shelling as he rode his motorbike, walks with the aid of a frame at the Syrian Arab Red Crescent in Damascus on July 15, 2018 The Syrian Arab Red Crescent began making its own prosthetic limbs in 2010, and it now churns out 50 a month
Dozens of protesters in Nepal have been injured in clashes with police at a demonstration in support of a hunger-striking doctor seeking better healthcare in the impoverished Himalayan country. Thousands took to the streets on Saturday in solidarity with Dr Govinda KC, who has been on a hunger strike for nearly a month demanding reforms in the medical sector and education. Protestors from Nepal Tarun Dal, the youth wing of the opposition party Nepali Congress, were injured when police fired multiple rounds of teargas and used batons as they entered a restricted area near the parliament in capital Kathmandu. Activists on Sunday said they planned more protests following the clashes. "We are protesting against the government's authoritarian-like behaviour. They are not listening to the people and to the just demands of Dr Govinda KC," Bhupendra Jung Shahi, general secretary of Nepal Tarun Dal, told AFP. Viewed by his supporters as a medical Robin Hood, Dr KC is well known in Nepal for his philanthropic work, travelling to some of the country's most remote communities to provide medical care and train local health workers. Dr KC, 61, has gone on hunger strike 15 times over the past six years in an attempt to pressure the government to improve healthcare. He began his current hunger strike, the longest at 23 days, on June 30 in remote Jumla district and was airlifted to Kathmandu by the government amid protests last week as concerns for his health grew. A key sticking point has been a medical education bill registered in the parliament earlier this month seeking to overturn an ordinance by the previous government that met Dr KC's demands to regulate doctor training and curtail commercialisation in medical education. Dr KC has demanded a withdrawal of the bill before sitting down for talks with the government. Another hundred supporters also joined Dr KC in a hunger strike on Sunday to pressure the government to respond positively. "Until the government responds to his demands we will continue to protest peacefully and draw the attention of the government," said Dinesh Prasai, a professor who had joined the fast. Nepali police use tear gas to disperse crowds of the Tarun Dal, the youth wing of Nepali Congress Party, during a demonstration in support of a hunger-striking doctor seeking better healthcare
EU finance chief Pierre Moscovici fired a barb at US President Donald Trump on Sunday as he called on both sides of an ongoing global trade dispute to "act as allies." The US and EU have been at loggerheads since Trump angered European allies by announcing tariffs on steel and aluminum as he launched trade restrictions targeting China in particular. Referring to Trump branding the EU, alongside China and Russia, as trade "foes," Moscovici said the EU is "willing to build bridges." "What I stressed several times in my meetings here is that the EU is certainly not the author of major trade imbalances," Moscovici told reporters during the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires. On Saturday, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke at the conference about wanting to "balance" the country's trade relationships with China and the EU, calling on both to respect "free, fair and reciprocal trade." But Moscovici said that "we believe that targeting us is certainly inappropriate... and that we must act with the US as allies -- not foes but allies." "These meetings take place in an international context which is changing," he said. "The multilateral system of which the G20 is a central piece is under significant pressure, trade tensions are high and threaten to escalate further. All of this creates uncertainty for the economic outlook." He added: "We must remain cool-headed." Trump's protectionist policies have come under fire from all sides at the summit, which groups finance ministers and central bankers from the world's 20 largest economies. On Saturday, French finance minister Bruno Le Maire called on Trump to "return to reason." As well as imposing tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum, Trump stuck a 25 percent levy on $34 billion of goods from China with an additional $16 billion on the way. He has threatened to target European automotive exports and to impose duties on the entire $500 billion of goods the US imports from China. "The impact of protectionist measures already implemented has been, luckily, so far limited, but the risk of escalation is there," said Moscovici. The International Monetary Fund predicts that in a worst-case scenario, $430 billion -- or a half percentage point of global GDP -- could be cut in 2020 if all tariff threats and retaliations are carried out. "Further trade escalation conflicts would negatively affect welfare in all countries involved -- in the US also," said Moscovici. Protectionism, he said, benefits no one, creating "no winners, only casualties." IMF chief Christine Lagarde had warned on Wednesday that the US economy was "especially vulnerable" to trade conflicts "because so much of its global trade will be subject to retaliatory measures." EU finance chief Pierre Moscovici hits out at Trump over the US president's protectionist policies
A Frenchman detained for 18 years after trying to smuggle drugs into Bali arrived in Geneva on Sunday and was on his way home after being deported in a case that sparked outrage in France over Indonesia's tough narcotics laws. Police arrested Michael Blanc on the day after Christmas in 1999 at the tropical island's airport with 3.8 kilogrammes (8.4 pounds) of hashish hidden inside scuba diving canisters. Blanc, now 45, was given a life sentence -- narrowly escaping the death penalty which has been handed to some other foreign drug traffickers, including two members of the notorious Bali Nine who were executed in 2015. His prison term was later cut to 20 years, and in 2014 Blanc won something that few foreigners get in Indonesia -- parole, though he was not allowed to leave the country immediately. The three-year parole period ended in July 2017, and he then had to wait another year while on probation. The former cook was escorted by immigration officials to Jakarta airport Saturday accompanied by his mother, Helene Le Touzey, who gave up her life in France to spend nearly two decades in Indonesia campaigning for his release. "He has indeed arrived in Geneva," Martial Saddier, a parliamentary lawmaker for Blanc's native Haute-Savoie region in western France who is close to Blanc's family, told AFP. He was met by his father Jean-Claude Blanc and other relatives out of sight of the journalists gathered to cover his return, and they later left by a side door. "I may be almost as nervous as he is," Jean-Claude Blanc told AFP while waiting for his son's plane to land. Saddier said Blanc was going to remain several days in an undisclosed location. "He's going to recover from these past nearly 20 years before making any public appearances," he said. - Years of efforts - The life sentence handed out by an Indonesian court, which rejected Blanc's claim that he was carrying the drug-filled gear for a friend, was criticised in France as unduly harsh. The country has some of the world's toughest laws against drug use and trafficking, and several convicted suspects have been executed since President Joko Widodo took office in 2014. Paris raised the issue at the highest levels, with the then-prime minister Francois Fillon bringing it up during a visit to Indonesia in 2011. In 2008, Blanc's sentence was cut to 20 years thanks in large part to his mother's efforts. She later helped secure her son's parole in 2014, despite the fact that Indonesian law does not usually allow conditional release of foreigners after serving just two-thirds of their sentence. More than 70 people, including 42 foreigners, are facing the firing squad for drug offences, according to the Coalition for the Abolition of Death Penalty in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). Among them were foreign nationals, including two Bali Nine members arrested in 2005 for an attempt to smuggle heroin from Indonesia to Australia. The executions of Australian ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran sparked diplomatic outrage and a call to abolish Indonesia's death penalty. Although Jakarta suspended executions last year, Widodo has said the country is facing a "drug emergency" and previously ordered police to shoot traffickers who resist arrest. High-profile cases like that of Australian national Schapelle Corby, who spent more than nine years behind bars for smuggling marijuana into Bali, have stoked concern that Indonesia is becoming a drug destination. Corby was deported in 2017 after several years of parole. Michael Blanc with his mother, Helene Le Touzey, in Jakarta in 2014, when Blanc was freed on parole but ordered to remain in Indonesia Jean-Claude Blanc, the father of Michael Blanc, waiting for his son's arrival at the Geneva airport on Sunday Michael Blanc before his departure Saturday at the Jakarta airport, in a photo provided by Indonesia's immigration authority
Why liberals bash Trump but ignore dictators

Corporate virtue-signalling



Those IRA splinter groups in full

columnist20 July 2018SpikedAlthough the first episode of Sacha Baron Cohens latest outing,, was enjoyable, especially the absurd liberal Dr Nira Cain-NDegeocello, the programme is based on that most feeble and lazy of premises: that Americans are crass and stupid. Ha ha! Lets all laugh at a country that has seven entries in the worlds top ten university rankings Anti-Americanism was in full voice at the weekend with the visit to Britain of President Donald Trump, as thousands took to the streets around the country to protest against  so the consensus goes  this unbelievably evil, crass and thick man. The slogans on the placards vomited with rage  Worlds #1 Racist, Trump is a fascist, Stupid, callous, fragile, racist, narcissistic POTUS  while one protester in London, an Anglican vicar, summed up both the mood of the protesters and the anti-Trump narrative. The way that hes spoken about Islamic people, the way hes spoken about Mexicans crossing the border, his attitudes towards women and gay people  its all so totally offensive. Hes broadcasting poisonous attitudes towards the community, so I think we all have felt we needed to organise to keep idealism alive and to make sure that message of hate isnt embraced by people, he said.You might argue that the protests were directed at the man, not the American people. But it is more than a coincidence that Trump conforms to a negative American stereotype beloved of the infantile left and BBC radio and television comedians: the crass, philistine, insular, vulgar, money-obsessed oaf. The idiotic cacophony we heard at the weekend had all the hallmarks of cheap, uninformed students-union anti-Americanism, a moronic inferno against a man with similar politics to his predecessor, but with terrible manners.More to the point, it is always America that Britain and other European countries get outraged by. There were no comparable protests by British people when the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, came to visit in 2015, despite the fact that China executes an estimated 3,000 people a year , more than the rest of the world combined. By comparison, last year America executed 23 people.Where were the protests when the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, came to visit in Britain this May? According to an Amnesty International report on 2017/2018, in Turkey: Dissent was ruthlessly suppressed, with journalists, political activists and human-rights defenders among those targeted. Instances of torture continued to be reported Any effective investigation of human-rights violations by state officials was prevented by pervasive impunity. Abuses by armed groups continued. In Turkey these days, even political protests are banned.While we are familiar with the anti-Trump narrative, where are the jokes and the invective directed at the leaders of Saudi Arabia or Venezuela, countries with appalling human-rights records? Where are the displays of solidarity for the oppressed women of Iran, struggling against their regime for the right not to wear a veil in public?More glaringly, considering that so many anti-Trump protesters take umbrage against him as women and feminists, sporting pink vagina hats (so racist!) on protests, their silence on a matter closer to home, namely the Muslim rape gangs unmasked in Rochdale, Rotherham, Telford, Newcastle and elsewhere, has been deafening. Molesting a woman is an awful thing to do, but the sexual abuse of thousands of teenage girls  1,400 in Rotherham alone  is an unspeakable crime. Yet no one has spoken out in anger about this in the name of feminism.From this we can only conclude that self-styled feminists, and anti-Americans in general, only expect and demand civilised behaviour from white people or mostly white, Western countries (again, so racist!). They fear being labelled Islamophobic, right-wing or racist if they speak out against the Chinese or Muslim gangs. It wouldnt look cool. They would lose face among their liberal friends and peers, or even  most catastrophically  lose some Twitter followers. Far safer to castigate and condemn a white, male American.It is always the same story. It is always the nominally compassionate and altruistic left who are the most egotistic and self-centred, and obsessed with their precious public image.Insincere corporate virtue-signalling has long been a feature of modern life: BP sponsoring the Paralympics, Lloyds Bank fretting about your mental health, adverts for Maltesers featuring lesbians, vegetarians, the deaf and the disabled. Earlier this month the Bank of Scotland proclaimed : Were proud to support Fife Pride 2018 this weekend  celebrating inclusion and diversity #Pride #BeProudBeYou.I would never have expected this sort of thing from that unpretentious retailer Iceland, founded by Conservative Party donor Malcolm Walker, the most northern man in England. But virtue-signalled they have.In Iceland stores at the moment you will see posters announcing 10 per cent off all purchases until 29th July for NHS, police, fire-service, ambulance-service, HM Coastguard and RNLI employees. As Walker explains : On the 70th anniversary of the NHSs founding, we felt it was appropriate to honour the hard work our emergency services undertake all year round. Im forever grateful for their commitment and dedication to the people of Britain  they are the ones we rely on when the going gets tough.Much as I admire and respect our emergency services, it is not as though their employees work for free, solely out of the goodness of their hearts (except RNLI volunteers, who do). Many in the higher echelons of the NHS earn bucket-loads. It would be more just to give a discount to people who work for comparable charities like the British Red Cross or St John Ambulance and who get paid nothing.The epidemic of blind NHS-worship is spreading. There is no limit to the means people will use in order to look benevolent.With the recent attack on the home of the former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams purporting to be from the New IRA reflects on the many incarnations of the militant organisation, past and present.The IRAThe Official IRAThe Provisional IRAThe Real IRAThe New IRAContinuity IRAHard IRAEpic IRAUber IRAMonster IRASurreal IRAWoke IRATERF IRAProblematic IRAInappropriate IRASystemic IRABespoke IRACurated IRAFusion IRANailed It IRALGBTIRACISIRAAbsolute Legend IRAProper Naughty IRALike, whatever IRA?Boaty McBoat IRAI Cant Believe Its Not Real IRAis acolumnist. His latest book, Get Over Yourself: Nietzsche For Our Times , is published by Societas.
Group of 20 members pleaded on Sunday for increased dialogue to defuse escalating trade tensions that could hit global economic growth hard. Finance ministers and central bankers from 20 leading economies closed a two-day meeting in Buenos Aires warning that "heightened trade and geopolitical tensions" threaten the economic expansion. It comes at a time when US President Donald Trump's protectionist policies have provoked ire from traditional allies such as the European Union, Canada and Mexico, and sparked a series of retaliatory measures. The G20's final communique stressed "the need to step up dialogue and actions to mitigate risks and enhance confidence" amidst fears of an escalating global trade war. While the statement did not mention the United States, which is at the center of trade disputes with G20 members China, the EU and others, it demonstrated more concern than in March, when the group avoided the issue altogether. Argentina's Economy Minister Nicolas Dujovne hinted that the G20 could not afford a rupture over trade disputes which he said should be resolved directly between governments or through the World Trade Organization. "It's not about denying differences," Dujovne told reporters at the conclusion of the meeting. But "we have to try to emphasize consensus because we recognize the importance of keeping this group alive and in harmony." During the 2008 global financial crisis the G20 was critical in preventing an even worse outcome and saved millions of jobs, he said, noting that "it's in the bad times when you see how essential it is." But Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin reiterated his claim that the US merely wants "more balanced trade" with other countries. Mnuchin also dismissed the economic impact of the raft of tariff hikes and retaliatory duties, saying so far they have only affected the US on a "micro" scale. But from a "macro standpoint we do not yet see any significant pattern on the economy." US businesses have been hit with a series of punitive measures by China, the EU, Canada and Mexico, including tariffs on soybean, motorcycles, bourbon and other goods, while manufacturers are complaining about rising prices of key supplies subject to new US duties. - 'Allies not foes' - EU finance chief Pierre Moscovici hit out at Trump's protectionist policies, but said cool heads are needed to resolve the dispute. The US and EU have been at loggerheads since Trump angered European allies by imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum. He also has threatened to hit auto imports with duties which would be especially hard for Germany. While the EU is "willing to build bridges," Moscovici told reporters "we believe that targeting us is certainly inappropriate... and that we must act with the US as allies -- not foes but allies." Mnuchin insisted the US wants to "resolve the trade issues with the EU" and the complaint often is more about "non-tariff barriers" than tariffs. "We have a trade imbalance with many countries as a result of not exactly free and fair trade," he said. Earlier in the meeting he said the dispute with the EU could be resolved by agreeing to trade with no tariffs, no barriers and no subsidies. Muscovici warned that "further trade escalation conflicts would negatively affect" all the countries involved, the US included. Protectionism benefits no one, and creates "no winners, only casualties." International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde agreed, and again spoke out against the tit-for-tat tariffs and urged that "trade conflicts be resolved via international cooperation without resort to exceptional measures." The IMF warned recently that in a worst-case scenario, $430 billion of global GDP -- or a half percentage point -- could be lost in 2020 if all tariff threats and retaliations are carried out. As well as imposing tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum, Trump hit China with a 25 percent punitive levy on $34 billion of goods, with tariffs on the way on an additional $16 billion, and $200 billion more under consideration. And in a television interview aired last week, Trump threatened to impose duties on the entire $500 billion of goods the US imports from China. "We want our companies to have the same access to their markets that they have to us," Mnuchin said about the Asian giant. "We don't force joint ventures on them, we don't want our companies to have joint ventures there." The US has long complained that China steals US technology through forced transfers or outright theft, and the issue is at the heart of Trump's trade offensive. Mnuchin said, "we want to have the right to protect our IP and our technology, anywhere in the world, that's not just China specific." Argentina's Economy Minister Nicolas Dujovne (L), with Central Bank President Luis Caputo, said the group must focus on harmony even amid rising trade tensions European Union finance chief Pierre Moscovici says the United States must start acting as "allies" not "foes" US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin responded to complaints from G20 ministers saying the US simply wants trade with no barriers and equal access
France's opposition lashed out at Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday over his response to revelations that his top security aide roughed up protesters, accusing the president of badly mishandling the worst scandal since he took office. After days of silence, Macron finally spoke out late Tuesday over the debacle surrounding disgraced ex-bodyguard Alexandre Benalla, who faces criminal charges after he was filmed scuffling with May Day protesters in Paris while wearing a police helmet. "What happened on May 1 is terrible, serious, and for me it was a disappointment and a betrayal," Macron told lawmakers from his Republic on the Move (LREM) party. "The only person responsible for this affair is me," he said, in an angry intervention that appeared to take aim at parliament's grilling of his top aides as well as press coverage of the affair. "If they're looking for someone to hold responsible, he's right in front of you. They can come and get me." Many politicians blasted Macron's apparent criticism of parliamentary interrogation of his staff, with far-left MP Alexis Corbiere accusing him of "swaggering" and Gerard Larcher of the rightwing Republicans describing the response as one of "amateurism and panic". Le Monde newspaper, which broke the story by publishing videos of Benalla hitting one protester and wrestling another, said Macron had spoken "before a loyal audience, where there was no possibility of contradicting him". It deplored Macron's attack on media coverage which the president said was proof the press "no longer looks for the truth" -- comments more often heard from US President Donald Trump than the centrist French leader. Macron resumed his offensive against the media Wednesday evening during a visit to Bagneres-de-Bigorre in the Pyrenees. "You have in recent days said a lot of nonsense about salaries, privileges," in the Benalla case, he told journalists. "It was all fake," Macron said. But lawmakers say serious unanswered questions remain about "Benallagate", and are increasingly calling for Macron to address the nation. Benalla, 26, was not sacked or charged until the scandal broke last week -- despite senior officials knowing about the May Day incident -- amid reports he enjoyed perks unusual for someone of his rank. A police search of Benalla's office at the Elysee Palace lasted several hours on Wednesday with the suspect present, according to the presidency. - The 'end of innocence'? - Socialist leader Olivier Faure said the scandal marked a turning point for the Macron presidency. "It's the end of innocence," he said. "We can no longer look at Emmanuel Macron and his majority as if they haven't lied, betrayed and hidden the truth." Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux, promising "deep changes", said the administration would deal with lessons from the scandal in September after the summer break, "once it has been clearly established what went wrong". But he ruled out any appearance by the president before the parliamentary inquiries. Benalla was given a two-week suspension days after the incident and removed from organising the president's security during his trips. But the alleged assault was not reported to prosecutors, sparking allegations of a cover-up. It has also emerged that he continued to draw a salary during his supposedly unpaid suspension, and will have to have his salary docked now that he has left. Macron's office director Patrick Strzoda told lawmakers Tuesday that he decided there were not enough elements to justify turning Benalla over to prosecutors, not least because no criminal complaint had been filed against him. Macron's chief of staff Alexis Kohler was to appear before the Senate committee on Thursday. The scandal comes 14 months after Macron was elected vowing to restore integrity to French politics, and polls suggest the 40-year-old's ratings -- already low -- have taken a further hit. An Ipsos poll published Tuesday found that a record 60 percent reported an unfavourable opinion of Macron. Benalla has been charged with assault and impersonating a police officer, while also illegally receiving police surveillance footage in a bid to claim his actions were justified. Vincent Crase, an associate and security agent employed by the LREM who was also at the scene, has also been charged, as have three police officers. French President Emmanuel Macron with his disgraced former top security aide Alexandre Benalla Patrick Strzoda, Emmanuel Macron's office director, at a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday Bio elements on Alexandre Benalla, former presidential bodyguard who has been charged with assault and impersonating a police officer after he beat and manhandled protestors on May 1. A screen shot from a video showing Alexandre Benalla wearing a police helmet, manhandling a protester in Paris in May
An Iraqi security agency has admitted holding hundreds of "terrorism" suspects for months, Human Rights Watch said Sunday while calling on authorities to inform the families of those held. The National Security Service acknowledged it was holding male prisoners at a facility in east Mosul, the Iraqi city from which the Islamic State group was ousted last year. After previously denying the existence of any detention facilities, the NSS allowed HRW on July 4 to visit the centre where the group found clean but "extremely overcrowded" cells. "Researchers were granted access to the facility, where officials said 427 prisoners were being held at the time," HRW said in a press release. Before visiting the facility HRW interviewed archaeologist Faisal Jeber, who said he was detained in early April and estimated at least 450 prisoners were being held, based on a daily head count. While the 47-year-old was released within 48 hours, he "described horrendous conditions and said that detainees had no access to lawyers, family visits, or medical care". Those sharing a cell with Jeber said they had been held for four months to two years, according to the May 16 interview. An NSS officer speaking on the condition of anonymity told researchers some people had been held for "over one year", before the end of the battle to retake Mosul from IS jihadists. On a daily basis, Iraq's two anti-terror courts in Baghdad and Mosul judge dozens of people suspected of being IS members. Around 20,000 people were arrested during the three-year battle to evict IS, which seized swathes of western and northern Iraq in 2014. Children were among those held at the Mosul facility, HRW said as it called on Iraqi authorities to release all minors who had not been charged with a crime. "Authorities should be doing whatever it takes to make sure that families know where their loved ones are," said Lama Fakih, the organisation's deputy Middle East director. HRW requested the NSS clarify how many people were being held and to detail the number and location of detention facilities. Families gather weekly in Mosul to demand news of their missing fathers, brothers and sons. Interviewed by AFP, many of those searching for relatives feared their family members were wrongly detained on "terrorism" charges amid the chaos of the offensive against IS. Jeber, the former detainee, told HRW that prisoners said a man "tortured to the point that he had been half paralysed" had died at the facility where he was held. The NSS, which reports to the prime minister, denied the use of torture and acknowledged "very limited cases of death, which were judicially documented". Iraqi government forces keep watch on July 13, 2016 over men detained during a search operation around the Qayyarah airbase, south of Mosul, which was seized by Iraqi forces from jihadists of the Islamic State (IS) group
Israel will reopen its only goods crossing with the blockaded Gaza Strip on Tuesday if calm is maintained, a minister said, after having closed it July 9 partly over kites carrying firebombs. UN officials meanwhile warned that the Gaza Strip was facing serious fuel shortages affecting hospitals as well as water and sanitation facilities, calling for restrictions to be lifted. Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that "if today and tomorrow the situation continues as it was yesterday, then on Tuesday we will allow Kerem Shalom (goods crossing) to return to normal activity and the fishing zones will return to the same distances as before." Lieberman, speaking at the crossing, stressed that calm also meant an end to months of kites and balloons carrying firebombs over the border fence from the Palestinian enclave run by Islamist movement Hamas to burn Israeli farmland. Israeli authorities say hundreds of fires have been started by the firebombs since April. Lieberman said "the key is quiet, calm, zero firebombs, zero friction on the fence and zero rockets or, God forbid, shooting." Lieberman's comments came after a ceasefire was reached following a major flare-up of violence between Palestinian militants in Gaza and Israel on Friday. The escalation -- the second in as many weeks -- followed months of tension that have raised fears that a fourth war since 2008 could erupt between Hamas and Israel. The ceasefire followed a wave of deadly Israeli air strikes across Gaza sparked by the death of an Israeli soldier shot near the border. There has been relative calm on the Gaza border since the ceasefire. - 'Being fast depleted' - Israel announced on July 9 that the goods crossing was being closed to most deliveries partly in response to the firebombs and other incidents along the border fence. On July 17, it further tightened the restrictions to also prevent fuel deliveries while reducing the fishing zone Israel enforces off Gaza to three nautical miles from six. The crossing has remained open for food and medicine on a case-by-case basis. The UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, Jamie McGoldrick, said Sunday that "supplies of emergency fuel provided by the UN for critical facilities in Gaza are being fast depleted." He called on Israel to end restrictions on fuel imports and warned hospitals could soon be forced to close, with emergency supplies set to run out in early August. "Given ongoing blackouts of about 20 hours a day, if fuel does not come in immediately, people?s lives will be at stake, with the most vulnerable patients, like cardiac patients, those on dialysis, and newborns in intensive care, at highest risk," he said in a statement. Gaza suffers from a severe electricity shortage and relies on generators in many cases. Mass protests and clashes erupted on the Gaza border on March 30 and have continued at varying levels since then. At least 149 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since March 30. The soldier shot dead on Friday was the first Israeli killed. A lorry passes through the the Kerem Shalom crossing, the main passage point for goods entering Gaza, in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, on July 17, 2018
Controversial extreme-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro formalized his candidacy on Sunday for Brazil's October presidential elections, boosted by strong social media support and polls that show him headed to a second round. Bolsonaro, 63, rallied some 3,000 supporters in his Rio de Janeiro stronghold as he officially declared himself the candidate of the Social Liberal Party (PSL), a party he rejoined in March after many switches during his political career. Less than three months from a race whose outcome is highly uncertain, the former army officer, who professes nostalgia for the country's military dictatorship, is firmly rejected by part of the population put off by his racist, misogynistic and homophobic insults. But others see him as a savior of a country that has been undermined by repeated corruption scandals. "Bolsonaro is the person who can make a difference," said 35-year-old Gilmar Jasset, a bus driver who attended the party rally Sunday dressed as his hero. "He is our hope, because he is not involved in corruption, and he is sincere." The candidate never seems far from controversy. Earlier in the week in Goiania city, he reiterated his promise to loosen Brazil's tight gun ownership restrictions to allow self-defense. But he angered some Brazilians by provoking a young girl to make the shape of a gun with her fingers. A late June poll placed Bolsonaro on top with 17 percent of intended votes in the first round, in the absence of former leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has been in prison on a corruption conviction since April and whose candidacy will likely be blocked. Ecologist Marina Silva polled second place at 13 percent, in a field where Brazil's more than 30 parties have until mid-August to name candidates. Pollsters do not see Bolsonaro winning a second round. Fans know him as "the myth" -- they repeatedly chanted the word Sunday as he announced his candidacy -- and part of his appeal is simply that he is one of the rare well-known political figures in Brazil not to be tainted by corruption accusations. But with his provocative style, several of his vice presidential picks have rejected him. The latest was Augusto Heleno Ribeiro Pereira, former head of a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti, whose party refused to align with the PSL. Now, Bolsonaro has hinted that he could go with Janaina Paschoal, who was a lead lawyer for the case to strip Lula's successor Dilma Rousseff of the presidency in 2016. Without allying with a big party, the veteran Congressman would only have eight seconds of air time for his television campaign ads, which are allotted according to a coalition's strength in parliament. That feeds his strategy of rejecting traditional media, which Bolsonaro accuses of spreading false information, and betting more on social media, including his Facebook account with more than five million followers. Less than three months from a race whose outcome is uncertain, former army officer Jair Bolsonaro, who professes nostalgia for the country's military dictatorship, is firmly rejected by part of the population sickened by his racist, misogynistic and homophobic insults
Warner Bros. closed the final full day of the Comic-Con International fanfest on Saturday as the belle of the ball, bringing its roster of superheroes to take a bow in San Diego. The studio took over the 6,500-seat main arena at the world's largest celebration of fan culture for two star-studded hours, serving up tantalizing teasers for its DC Extended Universe series of comic-book movies. With Disney-owned Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm both bowing out this year, it was Warner's chance to shine and the studio obliged with a line-up of the world's biggest stars, including Johnny Depp, Chris Pratt, Jude Law, Elizabeth Banks and Eddie Redmayne. One of the most eagerly-awaited presentations of the week, it was a chance for WB to show it is back on track after poor reviews for its DC Extended Universe movies "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice," "Suicide Squad" and "Justice League." The studio set out its stall with extensive looks at James Wan's upcoming "Aquaman" and "Wonder Woman: 1984," a follow-up to 2017's "Wonder Woman," the DCEU's only unqualified success. "The way we look at this is not a sequel, it's a new chapter, it's a new story," said Israeli actress Gal Gadot, who was shown as Wonder Woman saving a young girl from gunmen in rough early footage. Director Patty Jenkins described the era of the sequel -- out in November next year -- as "mankind at its best and worst." - 'Half-naked' - "We're aware of things now that we weren't in the 1980s," she told the crowd. "There were some incredible and beautiful things in the 80s but at the same time... it's us at our most extreme." The presentation also unveiled the first trailer for "Shazam!" -- an altogether more light-hearted entry in the DC universe starring Zachary Levi that is due out in April next year. But the undoubted star of the show was "Aquaman," which raised the roof as a shirtless Jason Momoa appeared onscreen in a new trailer as half-human, half-Atlantean hero Arthur Curry. "You're in armor or you're half-naked in tattoos and it was a bad choice looking back to wear denim," Momoa recalled of the production, which required him to be wet most days. "They look like leather pants, but they're not." There was a second preview for the Christmas release that unveiled Aquaman's nemesis, Black Manta, as well as more underwater action, a rooftop chase and a final view of the Momoa in his superhero threads. Warner's first exclusive of the session gave Harry Potter fans a look at the legendary battle between Professor Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald in "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald," which hits theaters on November 16. Troubled star Johnny Depp was a surprise appearance onstage, missing "Aquaman" actress Amber Heard, his wife before last year's acrimonious divorce, by less than an hour. - Loud gasps - Depp plays Gellert Grindelwald, a casting that irked many since the actor has been dogged by controversy in his private life, including allegations of domestic abuse. The mustachioed, platinum-haired A-lister didn't take questions but came onstage in costume after the Q&A to rapturous applause, alongside Redmayne and newcomer Jude Law, making his Harry Potter debut as a young Albus Dumbledore. Up next was "Lego Movie 2" with sit-com support actor turned in-demand megastar Chris Pratt, who plays Star-Lord in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies. The actor laughed that he first accepted the role of Lego construction worker and planet-saver Emmet Brickowski in the 2014 original when he was still Andy on comedy series "Parks & Recreation." By the time he'd finished recording his voice part he was a Hollywood star and a Marvel superhero. "It was one of those moments when I thought, 'Oh, I'm living in a computer simulation -- this is the Matrix," he joked. If it's not superheroes and wizards, it's skyscraper-sized lizards, and a trailer from "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" drew loud gasps from the Comic-Conners. Led by 14-year-old "Stranger Things" star Millie Bobby Brown, the footage showed a city collapsing as Godzilla and fellow giants King Ghidora, a three-headed dragon, the insect Mothra and the winged beast Rodan do battle. Michael Dougherty's movie is part of WB's "MonsterVerse," which launched with Gareth Edwards's 2014 "Godzilla" and last year's "Kong: Skull Island." "I'm still a kid playing with Godzilla toys. They're just bigger more expensive Godzilla toys," he said. Chris Pine (L) and Gal Gadot participate in the Warner Bros. Theatrical Panel for "Wonder Woman 1984," which Gadot described as a "new chapter" rather than a sequel Johnny Depp made a surprise appearance onstage for the Warner Bros. Theatrical Panel for "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" (L-R) Millie Bobby Brown, Vera Farmiga, O'Shea Jackson Jr. and Michael Dougherty all appear in the upcoming "Godzilla: King of the Monsters," with the trailer drawing loud gasps from Comic-Conners
NEW YORK  Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have joined New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in calling on the U.S. Senate to reject Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh because of his expansive interpretation of gun rights and the Second Amendment.

Cuomo, a Democrat, said Saturday that Kavanaugh's past opinions show that he believes it is a constitutional right to carry "even the most dangerous assault weapons."

Rep. Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat, called Kavanaugh's nomination "a grave threat to reasonable gun control measures enacted by states."

Meeks and other lawmakers joined Cuomo at a Manhattan news conference to urge the Senate to block Kavanaugh's nomination.

Kavanagh has taken stands favoring broad gun rights in his current job as a judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Also Saturday, Cuomo was endorsed by the Washington-based Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, named after President Ronald Reagan's press secretary, the late Jim Brady. Brady was left permanently disabled after suffering severe gunshot wounds during the 1981 assassination attempt on Reagan.

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Rare Byron memorial ring sells for 9,200

21 July 2018BBC NewsA rare gold and enamel ring created in memory of Lord Byron following his death in 1824 has sold at auction.The ring, which is thought to have come from Byron's Nottinghamshire home of Newstead Abbey, was sold for 9,200 at Tennants sale room in Leyburn.There are thought to be only two other rings of this type in existence.Auctioneer Jane Tennant said: "It was an unusual piece, very rare and exciting.There was a lot of interest beforehand and in the sale room."Born in 1788 in London, George Gordon Noel Byron rose to fame after the publication of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, the poetic tale of a young aristocrat's travels in Europe.He went on to become one of the world's most renowned romantic poets.He died in 1824 from fever at Missolonghi, in modern day Greece.The ring, which had been estimated to fetch between 3,000 and 5,000 and has been kept at Pepper Arden Hall, in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, since about 1919, was sold to a UK buyer.One of the two other rings known to exist is held in the Pforzheimer Collection in the New York Public Library.The other, sold at auction in 2013, contained a lock of Byron's hair.
What beautiful memories I am collecting during these days by the sea. The sun comes up in a "blaze of glory" to start the day. There are no old trees to cast shade, and so the light gilds everything in gold. The sand sparkles, and the water glistens as much as any opal ever dared to. That is what the morning looks like.By noon, the sun is the color of butter and the ocean along the shore is a pale jade that steadily increases in depth, til it is aqua, then turquoise and at last a cobalt blue where it meets the horizon.Lyla is not fooled by the call of the happy ocean to come and play. She gazes as I do, and is every bit as charmed, but keeps a safe distance, from the churning, beckoning water. Lyla digs in the sand and draws pictures with her little fingers. She lays sea shells out in patterns and is constantly filling her buckets with sand, only to dump them in a few moments, and start again. She is working - and takes it very seriously. No matter how "toys" have changed, childhood remains the same. Children love to play in dirt, no matter the variety of it. It is a reassuring fact for me.I feel the same way about the sand, as I do the delicate shells. Maybe it takes a thousand colors to make a handful of sand and no scoop is the same as another. The shore changes with the crest of every wave, and every gust of the constant sea breeze. In this way, the sea is always a modern landscape, yet remains ancient, as well.On Tuesday, the sisters came - Miss Claudias' sisters, Julia and Mary Ruth. Mary Ruths' daughter, Missy came too. I always enjoy gatherings with the sisters as they are a lively and friendly lot. It does my heart a world of good to see a loving family, in action. They tell stories of remembered times and what a treasury they have collected. We have been hearing about the breakdown of the "American family" for a long while and sadly, it has some truth. . .but in the case of these sisters, they are doing their part to rid the world of such "speculation". I think what this will mean for Lyla. I hope Lyla will hear their stories and will one day, know them by heart, for they are her stories too, really. I think it is a wonderful realization, to know all the love that brought us to life.Brant and Sydney came on Thursday. Brant is my oldest child. How good it was to see the ocean with him too. Brant has been working on the rabbit patch and made all sorts of progress. He had barely got his things unpacked, when he started on a few projects here, at the cottage. This is his way. Brant loves to help others in whatever way he can. Wherever he lives, the senior neighbors find out he will carry their groceries in or move heavy furniture. I do not take this lightly. Very few people truly devote their life to giving to others, and do not need praise nor recognition . Very few people tackle humble tasks with such zeal, for the sheer satisfaction of serving others. It is a form of nobility and nothing less.Though the cottage hosted a full house -(there were eight of us in all), it never felt crowded to me. Lyla followed her cousin Mia, around like a mid day shadow. Miss Claudia nearly glowed, at having both of her children, Will and Mary, under the same roof. At times, we were all together, and at times we were quite separate. It was a nice balance and the time flew by as it always does, when you are having fun.Friday came quickly to me . . .and with it, a "schedule". Brant and Sydney left early, for they both had to go back to work. I immediately missed them and started feeling that something beautiful was ending. After breakfast, everyone gathered their things. The coffee canister was empty and I had all but finished reading my book. Both events seemed fitting, given it was our last morning there. The refrigerator was cleaned out, cars were loaded and good byes were said .Soon we were back in the world, where yards were green and had old shade trees. . . . and a laughing river tumbled by. Zinnias brightened the sidewalks and ever so often there was a roadside stand, selling things like cucumbers and watermelons. Rain clouds had gathered overhead as Jenny had said they would. The air no longer smelled of salt but held the familiar, sweet, green smell of inland summer. .. and I supposed, somewhere, someone was frying pork chops.
The pandemic has forced all of us to live with our decisions, which includes the type of furniture we're trapped indoors with. But if your furniture isn't helping you relax, do you truly own furniture, or is it just for show? If you're hunting for plush furniture that you can actually relax on after a READ THE REST
When it gets too hot outside, make like Mako the Husky dog and climb into the ice machine to cool down. Chill out, the machine's owners now use ice from the fridge instead:

A few weeks after the original video was shot, Mako's human companions caught this footage of him getting into the ice machine:

Thanks, Steve!
Fox News pundit Sean Hannitys Secret Life is exposed in this weeks Globe in a cover story under the banner World Exclusive!

"TRUTH about his 25-year marriage!" screams the magazine notorious for tearing apart the private lives of public figures with innuendo, speculation and fabrication.

Is the 'Globe' poised to reveal the sordid truth behind the Fox News pundit's secret dealings as Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's "third client"?

Are they lifting the lid on last year's allegation that he sexually harassed a Fox News guest, never having her on his show again after she refused to go back to his hotel room?

Will they expose the hypocrisy of the man who secretly used a group of shell companies to buy more than 870 homes across America with the help of HUD funds, while on air attacking President Obama for supporting those funds?

Dream on.

There's no mention of Cohen or the sex harassment allegation in the "Special Report" from the tabloid which serves as an unofficial mouthpiece for President Trump, and until recently used Michael Cohen as its conduit between Trump and its pages.

The "truth" about Hannity's marriage?

He's "a family man, who'd rather spend his off-hours with wife Jill Rhodes and their kids . . . "

Truly shocking.

Not that the 'Globe' is afraid to take on the scandal of Hannity's real estate dealings.

"Sean is proud of the fact that he has put his money in areas that badly need investment," says an unnamed source.

If that isn't holding the rich and powerful accountable, I don't know what is.

The 'Globe' sheds its investigative mantle so thoroughly that its cover brazenly hails Hannity as the "Most Powerful Man in America!" explaining in the story that "He has Trump's ear in a way that few others do."

It's true, the president and the pundit are known to chat regularly, a level of influence that might rightly spark concern and investigative journalism, rather than this sycophantic whitewash seemingly designed to curry favor with both its subject and the White House.

The 'Globe' even helpfully explains Fox News' poster boy's success: "Hannity hit it big by bashing lamebrained liberal losers."

Well, that certainly seems fair and balanced.

As is the 'National Enquirer' cover which carries a warning from a relative of the newest member of the British Royal Family: "Meghan Will Be Murdered Like Diana!"

As so often happens, once we open the rag, the story inside takes a less alarming, and more pleading tone: "Markle Family Warns Queen: Don't Kill Meghan Like Diana!"

The story plunges down several tabloid rabbit holes at once, beginning with the assumption that Princess Diana was murdered by the British Royal Family because of her relationship with Muslim millionaire Dodi Fayed, and then assuming that Meghan's half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., has written a letter to Her Majesty the Queen saying it would be "sad to see Meg's dreams broken if she were to fail in her new position and disappear from the Royal family."

Not exactly a plea to the Queen not to kill his half-sister, but then Mr. Markle Jr. helpfully explains to the 'Enquirer,' in language that bears the heavy thumbprint of a tabloid editor, "We fear this can only end in heartbreak and disaster  just like Diana!"

It's a story concocted from thin air, and it seems highly likely that money may have exchanged hands for the 'Enquirer' to receive a copy of the hand-written letter to the Queen. Did Her Majesty send them the letter? Of course not. It was most likely written for the benefit of the 'Enquirer,' and perhaps mailed to Buckingham Palace as an after-thought.

Scientology comes in for a double-dose of attack from this week's 'Enquirer,' and though the cult makes for a large and easy target, the tabloid stretches the limits of credulity from force of habit.

In its story about church follower Tom Cruise, under the headline "Cult Plans to Bring Tom Back From Dead," the 'Enquirer claims that his entourage includes a "Scientology shaman who can zap him back to life with the touch of a finger in case he croaks!"

That's the claim of "church sources and a well-placed mole." Right.

The 'Enquirer' fares little better with its two-page spread on "Scientology's Secret Attack on U.S. Government!" The story claims that the cult infiltrated government agencies and amassed an arsenal of weapons to raid government offices.

This "Exclusive FBI Bombshell" under the banner of "News" might be more impressive if it wasn't lifted from FBI files exposed 41 years ago, reporting on seizures back in 1977. Isn't news supposed to be, well . . . new?

The 'National Examiner' revisits its favorite well-worn trope with a cover story about celebrities' "Sad Last Days!" This week's lucky winners are Tom Selleck, Joan Collins, Julie Andrews, Sidney Poitier and Carol Channing, all of whom seem to have committed the offense of living long lives, and therefore must be within moments of kicking the bucket. Without shame, the 'Examiner' includes in the list 101-year-old Kirk Douglas, which is like shooting fish in a barrel, even though he has topped these lists for the past 25 years, and shows no sign of stopping.

Fortunately we have the crack investigative team at 'Us' magazine to tell us that Rachel Bilson wore it best, that actress Sanaa Lathan puts Raisinets in her popcorn, that Katie Stevens carries Advil, Zyrtec and a St Anthony pendant in her Status Anxiety backpack, and that the stars are just like us: they eat, drink, carry packages and dress casually for flights. Without this valuable weekly pictorial, how would we ever know?

Onwards and downwards . . .
- A close source has revealed that Babes Wodumo and Mampintsha are back together

- As if that isnt enough of a surprise, they have also commented that she is 4 months pregnant

- The two split previously when Babes accused Mampintsha of being abusive

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Rumour has it that Babes Wodumo and Mampintsha are back together. A close source revealed to Isolezwe newspaper that the pair are back together, and as if that isnt enough, Babes is pregnant, reported IOL.

The pair split in an epic break-up when Babes revealed on a radio interview that Mampintsha was abusive.

But they seem to have kissed and made up because this source reveals Babes has been visiting her former flame at his home in Westville and stays there until they have an argument. She will then return to her parents home until things have cooled down again before arriving back at his house.

According to this same source, Babes is also 4 months pregnant and is often seen visiting her doctor in Durban CBD.

READ ALSO: Five tweets that prove Busi Mkhumbuzi was the perfect #NelsonMandelaLecture MC

While neither of the two were available for comment, Babes manager did state that "I don't know if Babes is pregnant. Therefore I cannot say much on that topic. As far I know, she is not pregnant. I do know that both Babes and Mampintsha are still business partners and they still meet each other for that; they have never been enemies."

This isnt the first time these rumours have sparked and earlier this year Briefly.co.za featured an article on a picture that Mampinsha posted on social media which had blown the minds of many and had many questioning if the two were back together.

And then lets not forget how Babes performance at Mampintshas event was lit despite the drama.

READ ALSO: The girl drinking out of a Lucky Star tin has a famous sister

We love West Ink event was held at Artizen Restaurant and Lounge in KwaMashu in KZN, on Friday. The events main purpose was to support Mampintsha after the negativity he received from the press regarding the allegations made by Babes, reported the Daily Sun.

Organiser Philani Ngwenya spoke to SunBuzz prior to the show. Ngwenya said that they had two surprise artists that would be performing.

Babes made her entry to the event with hired bodyguards at her side. The crowd was in awe when they saw Babes arriving.

Do you have a story to share with us? Inbox us on our Facebook page and we could feature your story.

Ah, African proverbs. Such a vast selection of meanings. A wonderful cultural study. Many of us were taught proverbs before we could even talk properly. Which basically means our elders, parents, uncles and aunties are always finding ways to scold us with a suitable proverb. Some are hilarious and witty, some are more cryptic. All of them remain relevant today and teach us about our heritage. Today, well Explore the Meaning of Unique African Proverbs.

To stay up to date with the latest news, download our news app on Google Play or iTunes today.

Source: Briefly.co.za
- Would you be willing to spend R1million on a single night in a hotel suite?

- Turns out some people will and the most expensive hotel in the world will cost this for just one night

- The hotel has hosted the likes of Michael Jackson, Bill Gates and Richard Branson

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You will have to cough up R1million if you want to spend in a night in the worlds most expensive hotel.

At least, this is what the Elite Travellers List of Top 100 Suite 2018 says, reports the Sunday Times.

READ ALSO: Rumour has it that Babes and Mampintsha are back together again

And where is this exclusive lodging? In the Hotel President Wilson in Geneva where the penthouse suite is a 12-bedroom apartment which takes up the entire eight floor of the hotel.

It is the largest hotel suite in the whole of Europe and has hosted greats like Michael Jackson, Richard Branson and Bill Gates.

And staying here also takes care of any security concerns you may have with its bullet-proof windows, panic button, private elevator and reinforced safe.

The top 10 most expensive hotels per night on the list are:

1. Hotel President Wilson, Geneva, Switzerland Royal Penthouse Suite, (R1.07-million)

2. The Mark, New York, USA Terrace Suite, (R1.01-million)

3. Hotel Martinez by Hyatt, Cannes, France Penthouse Suite, $53,200

4. Faena Hotel, Miami, USA Penthouse, (R674,000)

5. Laucala Island, Fiji Hilltop villa, (R606,000)

6. Hotel Mansour, Marrakech Grand Riad, (R586,000)

7. Hotel Cala Di Volpe, Sardinia, Italy Penthouse suite, (R555,000)

8. The Plaza, New York, USA Royal Suite, (R539,000)

9. Hotel de Paris, Monaco Princess Grace Suite, (R499,000)

10. Mandarin Oriental New York, New York Suite 5000, (R485,000)

READ ALSO: Life goals: Jeannie D is living her best island life and is happy, happy, happy

These hotels far outweight the cost of the State Security Minister Bongani Bongos three-week stay at a Cape Town hotel. Briefly.co.za reported earlier this year how this stay cost the minister R147 000.

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Source: Briefly.co.za
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

MDC Alliance member Descent Bajila has said responsible opposition leaders and activists must stop celebrating things that we don't know where they come from or are going to.He said a few years back, many celebrated when Morgan Tsvangirai was made to announce that him and Bob had appointed Rita Makarau to be Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson. When some of us pointed that she is a former ZANU PF MP (1995-2000) we were told that we're jealous of the fact that we were not involved."We were further told that she had reformed. A few moons later, Rita was declared public enemy number one by those who celebrated her appointment. They even celebrated when the man who was Mat North Governor throughout Gukurahundi was appointed to chair the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission. When we raised this, we were told that we're jealous of the fact that MT made the appointment," he said."But well, we all make mistakes in life. In 2016, Justice Priscilla Chigumba made a critical judgement against the state. She was heavily celebrated by many in opposition and civil society and accordingly she bought public sympathy. A few moons later she is being declared worse than Makarau. I right this to caution all and sundry not to blindly follow those who seem to have a clit log book for Chigumba. We must be very critical of their long term intentions and also make an attempt at understanding how they amassed such data, stored it and times it for release at such a time as this one.""I caution us to visit the time honoured wisdom of our ancestors mhla besithi "umlilo wamasela awothiwa " baphinda njalo bathi "eyomdeni ayingenwa". We have our reasons why Chigumba must go. Let's stick to them. They new details emanating now must be embraced but must play a peripheral role. Even those who believe in repentance don't turn new converts into Bishops."
News / National

by Staff reporter

MDC Alliance leader and presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa told his supporters that Angolan president Joao Manuel Goncalves has dispatching his foreign affairs minister to Zimbabwe to assess the situation in the country ahead of the watershed July 30 electionsAngola currently chairs the defence, peace and security organ of the regional SADC grouping.Said Chamisa; "Most of you may have heard that the elders are around in the country."They requested to meet with us (and) we met with them after we had written to SADC regarding our concerns to ZEC."So, SADC has informed us the Angola has sent its foreign Affairs minister to appraise himself of what is really happening in the country."The MDC-T leader said his team would meet the Angolan minister on Monday.
News / National

by City Press

South Africa narrowly averted a mutiny by soldiers loyal to former president Jacob Zuma on the eve of his forced resignation in February.Highly placed sources within the security forces and ANC leadership told City Press that military intelligence picked up on talk of a revolt among soldiers who were former members of the ANC's Umkhonto weSizwe.President Cyril Ramaphosa  then ANC president and deputy head of state  was warned to resolve the standoff with Zuma because it was likely to cause instability if it dragged on. The army chiefs were also wary that Zuma's popularity among his former Umkhonto weSizwe comrades was being exploited to mobilise sympathy among the forces.Senior military leaders played down the threat this week, saying the top brass would not have tolerated a mutiny, that they were "above petty party politics" and the idea of keeping Zuma in power by force did not even arise.They insisted the army was loyal to the Constitution and that the chief of the army, General Solly Shoke, had continuously championed this."When Ramaphosa spoke of a bloodless leadership change [at an army event in Kimberley four days after his inauguration], it was in contrast to the situation in Zimbabwe," said one military commander.SA National Defence Force (SANDF) insiders said ANC elements who wanted to advance their factional interests were trying to use the military as a proxy in their political battles, but it would not succeed."The idea is that if you weaken the security forces and especially the army, you have weakened government," said another.Fringe groups such as the MK Inkululeko Foundation, which was one of Zuma's fiercest defenders, had launched a "Hands off Zuma" campaign, and spoke of a civil war if Zuma was not allowed to complete his term and remain in office until next year's general election.Zuma also enjoyed significant support in the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans' Association, which comprises the ANC's former liberation soldiers.However, Zuma's lieutenants said he was the hero because his decision to resign saved Ramaphosa the embarrassment of being rejected by the military."Remember, Cyril is just a civilian, so the military would not recognise him in the same way as Zuma," said a close aide."So it was agreed that Zuma would resign so that it could send a message to the army, as well as amabutho [Zulu army] in KwaZulu-Natal, that there was no need for a revolt. But amabutho were still willing to fight."One Zuma lieutenant warned that Ramaphosa was again "meddling" in the affairs of very powerful people in the security cluster through his appointment of a high-level review panel on the State Security Agency, which could spell similar trouble for him."Those guys will not be happy to have him suddenly saying he is re-vetting them and all those things, and they could bring down his government," he said.Ramaphosa allies confirmed the military threat, but added that generals loyal to Zuma tried to push the agenda, but were defied by the rank and file."Our Constitution saved us from that crisis," said a Luthuli House insider. "The military, almost all generals, did not support the recall. When Zuma rose to power, he changed the entire army hierarchy and placed many loyal soldiers in it."A senior member of the ANC alliance said that, aside from a military revolt, they also learnt that Zuma intended to fire Ramaphosa as deputy president in a snap Cabinet reshuffle as part of his fight-back plan. The alliance insider confirmed meetings with army officials, adding that the State Security Agency was also lobbied to revolt, but all plots were foiled.However, Zuma's allies mentioned former security agency director-general Arthur Fraser as one of those who worked behind the scenes to prevent the crisis.A member of the ANC national executive committee (NEC) said that "there had been talks" about the army revolt. "At the time, there was also a lot of misinformation, but, yes, Zuma had wanted to fight through the army as commander in chief."He said Zuma should also be credited with having the wisdom to see "it would not work out", after which he "ended up hanging up his gloves".STATE OF EMERGENCYAn ANC MP said they had "heard that Zuma was planning to declare a state of emergency, and cordon off the parliamentary precinct and arrest MPs on the day he gave an exclusive interview to the SABC"."Apparently, this plan was foiled when the generals below the army chief indicated their loyalty to the Constitution," the MP said.But the army brass said the state of emergency claims were "a lie".Zuma sympathisers said his statement that "some people may fight" during his interview hours before he stepped down was based on "nothing but the fact that he enjoyed a lot of grass roots support", and that he wanted to travel the country with Ramaphosa to forge ANC unity.On February 18, four days after Zuma resigned, Ramaphosa went to Kimberley, where he thanked soldiers for "a bloodless leadership change".Brigadier General Mafi Mgobozi yesterday said allegations of interference in political leadership were "baseless"."As per the constitutional mandate, the SANDF is not in the business of interfering in the political developments of the republic," he said, and added that the SANDF pledged allegiance to the Constitution and took direction from government, irrespective of who was in charge.POLITICISEDJakkie Cilliers, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, said he believed the problem with the army was "not politicisation", but rather indiscipline."I don't consider the SANDF as factionally aligned or some type of threat to Ramaphosa, but it is certainly in need of a comprehensive overhaul," he said.Cilliers said it was "inevitable" that the inclusion of politically aligned former liberation army soldiers into the SANDF would bring some political baggage. He added that Zuma appointed according to loyalty not competence throughout the security cluster  including the SANDF.Military analyst Helmoed Heitman said there was "some politicisation in the SANDF, and probably more of it in the army than in the air force or navy, but I do not think it is at a level where I would consider it a threat to the Constitution or the democratic order. I get the impression that, by and large, the officer corps is deeply unimpressed with all politicians, regardless of any former affiliations."Most officers who entered the SANDF from Umkhonto weSizwe and the Azanian People's Liberation Army seem to have long since shaken off their past politicisation ... [and] do not let their [political beliefs] get in the way of their duties. I am not at all convinced that the current senior leadership are all fans of our former president, or would step outside the bounds of the Constitution. And even if some of them might want to do that, I believe that they would find it very difficult to get any real support from within the defence force," Heitman said.
As announced to the market at the time, Cavotec SA (Cavotec or the Company) recorded a non-recurring income amounting to USD 5.8 million in its result for the second quarter 2016. The non-recurring income was related to a payment done by Michael Colaco, the former owner of INET Airport Systems, after a verdict from the Superior Court of Orange County, California, USA in which the jury in an unanimous decision determined that Mr Colaco had breached his fiduciary duties to Cavotec with malice, oppression and fraud and awarded Cavotec compensatory and punitive damages. Furthermore, the jury determined that Mr Colaco was not entitled to a residual earn-out payment and that Colaco was to reimburse Cavotecs legal costs in the case as well as accrued interest on the awarded amounts.

Mr Colaco subsequently filed a Notice of Appeal of the judgement to the Court of Appeal of the State of California. The Court of Appeal has now issued a verdict. In the verdict the Court upheld the original award of punitive damages to Cavotec. However, the Court reversed the previous decisions that Mr Colaco was not entitled to the earn-out payment and to reimburse Cavotecs legal costs.

The full verdict is being analyzed by Cavotec with the support of external counsel. Based on a preliminary assessment the Company has the intention of filing a petition with the California Supreme Court to hear the case.

Cavotec will, as a result of the verdict, make a non-recurring provision in the second quarter 2018 results of approx. USD 8.2 million including accrued interest, in line with IFRS accounting rules.

ENDS

For further details please contact:

Johan Hahnel

Investor Relations Manager

Telephone: +46 70 605 63 34 - Email: investor@cavotec.com

The information in this release is subject to the disclosure requirements of Cavotec SA under the Swedish Securities Market Act and/or the Swedish Financial Instruments Trading Act. This information was publicly communicated on 22 July 2018, 09:30 CEST.

Attachment
Opinion / Columnist

The plan was simple. Five steps to victory.Step one: Cry foul over the voters roll and have your own stooges attack its credibility.Step two: Threaten and intimidate the ZEC chairperson into bending to your willStep Three: Announce you will prevent the elections from happening, causing an international crisis which will force the global players to get involved.Step Four: Charm the observers into accepting your viewpoint wholeheartedlyStep Five: Announce you have won the election, irrespective of the true outcome, and have the international community recognise your 'victory'.Unfortunately for Chamisa and his supporters, it has not gone to plan.His complaints about the electoral roll were supposed to be backed up by civil society organisations. So when the MDC-funded 'Team Pachedu' audit, conducted by MDC backers in the US, claimed there were serious flaws in the roll, Chamisa appeared to be on to a winner.But calamity struck. A few days later, the independent Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) released their own audit. Unsurprisingly, an impartial body had a somewhat different reading. They dismissed Pachedu's alarmist and unfounded claims, noting that while no voter roll is perfect, the 2018 roll is significantly better, more complete and more inclusive than the 2013 one. Critically, ZESN did not identify anomalies that affected a large percentage of registrants or were they concentrated among registrants of a particular area, gender or age.Bottom line. The roll is not perfect, but good. Certainly not worth disrupting elections over.The next part of the plan was no more successful. Chamisa's attempts to bully and intimidate the ZEC Chair through forcing himself into her office, mass protests and having his G40 friends blackmail her with unfounded sexist allegations proved ineffective.Chigumba stood tall and was unmoved by the threats. What's more, rather than turn people against her, Zimbabwean society was so appalled by Chamisa's underhand tactics that they rallied to her side. Today, Chigumba is a much more popular figure than she was two weeks ago.But the real disaster was yet to come.Having pleaded with the international community to intervene in this 'crisis', Chamisa would have been happy to see The Elders arrive, led by Kofi Annan. After all, The Elders had previously been extremely critical of the Mugabe regime. He was banking on their support.So he must have been mortified by their announcement at the conclusion of their meeting.Annan was largely positive about the overall situation, describing the pre-election environment as free with all parties being able to exercise their rights to campaign freely. This positive outlook has also been expressed by the AU and SADC observers, with the international community coming to together to voice their cautious approval of the campaign so far.In contrast, Annan did not mince his words with regard to Chamisa and the opposition."What is important is that we all play by the rules and we make reasonable demands," he said. "If we make demands which are unreasonable and which cannot be fulfilled, we are complicating the process. So, I would urge everyone to be reasonable and operate within the rules But we should be careful of what we say and what we demand, because the main thing is not to incite.If you incite the population, you never know what happens and this is the last thing that the nation and the people of Zimbabwe need. No incitement!"Annan and his colleague in The Elders, former Irish President Mary Robinson, went on to describe their 'shock' at the sexist abuse and threats directed at prominent women connected to the election, notably Justice Priscilla Chigumba.The question is now, what does Chamisa do next. Aware of the likelihood of defeat in a fair election, the plan has been based around creating chaos, panic and crisis, and then mobilising the international community to his side. This plan has failed badly.His choice now is to stand in the election (aware he will probably lose), or to go all out to prevent the election from happening.For Zimbabwe's sake, let's hope he chooses the former.
Opinion / National

IT was refreshing to see white commercial farmers mixing and mingling with the President last week. The President told the farmers that "you are part of us" and reports say the farmers were charmed by this stance.Former Commercial Farmers Union President, Mr Nick Swanepoel told the President that his colleagues were failing to use the 99 year lease as a tradable document which they can use to borrow money. Ohh, really?He also requested to have the white farming community included in making Zimbabwe succeed, to which President Mnangagwa said he wants a Zimbabwe where everyone is free.Mr Swanepoel ended his presentation by wishing the President good luck in the 30 July election. Well, good move Mr Swanepoel, but the truth is that the President doesn't need luck on July 30. He needs votes. Standing with the President and posing for pictures with him is not enough. We hope the white commercial farmers will speak loud and clear on July 30.Now to today's sermon. It's really sad that it took the first female President of Ireland and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mrs Mary Robinson to openly point out the sickening abuse of female commissioners in the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission by little Chamisa and his hoodlums. Very sad!Is it the patriarchal society that has socialized Zimbabweans into viewing women as punch bags? Little Chamisa and his hoodlums have been abusing the female commissioners with reckless abandon and as Zimbabweans we saw nothing wrong with it all.ZEC chairwoman, Justice Priscilla Chigumba and Commissioner Mrs Netsai Mushonga have been on the receiving end of this abuse for quite some time.Little Chamisa has discovered that he can't go into the political ring with President Mnangagwa and he thinks Justice Chigumba should be his punch bag.With defeat imminent on July 30, little Chamisa thinks he has found a scapegoat in Justice Chigumba.On the other hand, MDC Alliance hoodlums have been abusing Mrs Mushonga, sending her death threats and saying all manner of unprintable words.When I read Mrs Mushonga's post on twitter last Friday, I felt sorry for the good lady. She wrote: "Its sexism where when you don't agree with a woman you throw unomutukirira with the hword. Why can't we talk and argue and agree to disagree."Clearly, this is a woman under duress calling out for help.Thank God Mrs Robinson came at the right time. And thank God British Ambassador to Zimbabwe Ms Catriona Laing has added her voice."Good to see this abuse being called out. It needs to stop," she posted on her twitter handle. Good going madam!Little Chamisa and his hoodlums got away with this kind of abuse when they openly attacked Thokozani Khupe during the burial of Morgan Tsvangirai. In case you have forgotten dear congregants, this is what Khupe said after the attack:"We have criminal sons who beat me and others. People must learn to respect the dead. As we arrived at the homestead we wanted to greet gogo but they called us names and said they will kill us.". . . they beat us with stones, umbrellas and any items they could lay their hands on. They called us dissidents saying we should go back to Matabeleland. It was me, Douglas Mwonzora, Abednico Bhebhe, Lwazi Sibanda, and several other people. One stone hit me on my back. I am in pain as I speak right now."One man asked us to go into his hut. Those thugs threatened to burn the hut but we were lucky that it was raining and so the thatch could not catch the fire. They threw a burning log into the hamlet. If it was not raining, we were going to die. But I went back to attend the funeral to make sure that he (Tsvangirai) was laid to rest."When Khupe made this statement, as Zimbabweans we quickly looked the other side. Kwanzi ndezvavo muMDC. Well, indeed ndezvavo in MDC but then the person behind those hoodlums is actually thinking of being this country's president.If little Chamisa can allow those hoodlums to attack a defenceless woman now when he doesn't have the State machinery, what will he do when he gets into power?The little boy wants to create a country in which rowdy youths beat up women?Beating up women in their late 70s?If you don't agree with little Chamisa then you are called all sorts of unprintable words.Jessie Majoma was also a victim of this abuse and she left the MDC Alliance. This abuse has to stop.But as a Bishop I want to know  where is the Women Action Group?Where is the Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association? Where is Musasa Project?Where is the Campaign for Female Education?Where is the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights? Where is the Women's Coalition of Zimbabwe?Where is Women and Land Rights in Zimbabwe and where is the Federation of African Women in the Media in Zimbabwe?Where is my good sister the vocal Priscilla Misihairabwi?Where is sister Fadzai Mahere? Hey good people, where are you mwanasikana achishungurudzwa?Just a few days ago, little Chamisa was at it again inciting his hoodlums to go after Khupe.Speaking at a rally in Karoi last Thursday, little Chamisa said: "I have heard they are people calling themselves MDC-T here.There is no longer MDC-T. It has expired because it has outlived its usefulness"We told Khupe that you are wrong. She said she was to be president even of a burial society. We said to her you have demons. Beware of her, she has tried to rig the election, helping ZANU-PF. Don't vote for that party, her party is called MDC-Tokoloshe. If you vote for her, tokoloshes will terrorise you at your homes."Why this politics of calling each other names?Does little Chamisa know what it means to say someone has demons?Who is he to say that?Just because Khupe sees things differently, she is now being said to have demons? Tokoloshe?What tokoloshe?So what should those hoodlums do when they meet Khupe?A Khupe who is said to have demons. A Khupe who is said to have a tokoloshe party.Can't little Chamisa see he is inciting his supporters to attack Khupe?While little Chamisa is inciting the abuse of women, ZANU-PF is preaching peace and love as we heard for the July 30 elections.Following the blast at White City Stadium about a month ago, tempers were high but President Mnangagwa shocked many when he gave the following statement:"This afternoon (Saturday) as we were leaving a wonderful rally in Bulawayo, there was an explosion on the stage. Several people were affected by the blast, and I have already been to visit them in the hospital. While we await further information, my thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this senseless act of violence."The campaign so far has been conducted in a free and peaceful environment, and we will not allow this cowardly act to get in our way as we move towards elections. Let us continue to be united and address our differences peacefully. The strongest response to violence is peace. The strongest response to hate is love."The President could have chosen to use that incident to unleash violence on his enemies.Actually some people whispered that he had stage-managed that incident to justify violence that he was about to unleash on the opposition supporters, but the President has since that time being preaching unity and non-violence.Little Chamisa has to take a few notes from the President.It's clear that the tide is against him in this election, but that is no justification to abuse women and that is no justification to unleash violence on those with opposition views.Khupe has no demons and she has no tokoloshe. All she has are different views.Thank God July 30 is fast approaching. This silly season is really getting out of hand.Bishop is out!
SUNDAY, July 22, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Dementia strikes about one in 13 lesbian, gay or bisexual seniors in the United States, a new study finds.

"Current estimates suggest that more than 200,000 sexual minorities in the U.S. are living with dementia, but -- before our study -- almost nothing was known about the prevalence of dementia among people in this group who do not have HIV/AIDS-related dementia," said Jason Flatt. He is an assistant professor at the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing.

The study included more than 3,700 lesbian, gay and bisexual adults, aged 60 and older. Over an average follow-up period of nine years, the rate of dementia in this group was 7.4 percent. The dementia rate among Americans aged 65 and older is about 10 percent.

The study was to be presented Sunday at the Alzheimer's Association annual meeting, in Chicago.

The findings "provide important initial insights," Flatt said in an association news release.

But "future studies aimed at better understanding risk and risk factors for Alzheimer's and other dementias in older sexual minorities are greatly needed," he added.

High rates of depression, high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease among sexual minorities may contribute to their dementia risk, the researchers say.

"Encouraging people to access health care services and make healthy lifestyle changes can have a positive impact on both LGBT and non-LGBT communities," said Sam Fazio, director of quality care and psychosocial research for the Alzheimer's Association.

But effective outreach to LGBT groups must be sensitive to racial, ethnic and cultural differences, Fazio added. This could result in earlier diagnosis, which has been linked to better outcomes, he said.

Flatt added that the study points to important implications for meeting the long-term caregiving needs of the LGBT community.

"Given the concerns of social isolation and limited access to friend and family caregivers, there is a strong need to create a supportive health care environment and caregiving resources for sexual minority adults living with dementia," Flatt said.

Research presented at meetings is usually considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more on dementia.
This case is about the constitutional protection every person in America deserves. It is not about whether Marcus Reymond Robinson, Quintel Augustine, Christina Walters and Tilmon Golphin deserve our sympathy. They don't.





Golphin and his brother killed a Cumberland County deputy and a state trooper in a 1997 traffic stop. Walters led some gang members on an initiation ritual that saw 2 women randomly kidnapped and killed in 1998. Augustine killed a Fayetteville police officer in 2001 - although he claims he was wrongfully convicted and is factually innocent. And Robinson killed a teenager in a 1991 robbery.





The crimes was horrific enough that they challenged our opposition to the death penalty.





But that's the other factor here: The public and even many politicians are losing their taste for executions. The last one in North Carolina was 12 years ago and there are none scheduled, despite having 143 inmates on death row. If this state is caught up in the national trend, it's possible that the death penalty has already come to a de facto end.





These 4 were removed from death row in 2012 when a judge found black jurors were illegally blocked from serving on their juries. Under the provisions of the state's Racial Justice Act, passed in 2009, their sentences were changed to life imprisonment with no chance of parole.





The state appealed that verdict and in 2015 the N.C. Supreme Court said the trial judge had erred in the way he held the hearing and the state deserved another chance to make its case. The 4 killers were returned to death row. And around the same time, the General Assembly repealed the Racial Justice Act.





But now the 4 say their 5th Amendment rights against double jeopardy were violated when their death sentences were reinstated. The U.S. Supreme Court has interpreted the amendment to mean that once a death sentence has been revoked for a specific crime, it can't be reimposed.





As for whether the 4 should be executed, that's another question that also seems separate from this appeal. It appears the state has distanced itself from carrying out executions, but politicians lack the backbone to discuss the issue and decide whether it's time to change this state's maximum penalty for capital crimes to life without parole.





The best we can expect from this case is a simple ruling on a 5th amendment issue. We'll have to wait for another time to see the debate we really need to have.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

Charlotte Observer, Opinion; Editorial Board, July 21, 2018
BENGALURU: The Bengaluru police in a joint operation with officials of the Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO) arrested 107 African nationals for violating visa conditions and overstaying in the Whitefield, East and North-east divisions early on Saturday morning. The raids were conducted at several places in all the three divisions and continued till evening. The teams arrested six Nigerians for possession of 650 gm of marijuana, 60 gm of cocaine and 10 gm of LSD.

Five inspectors leading a team of 120 policemen launched the raids around 5.45 am at T.C. Palya, Brindavan Layout, Sigehalli, Priyanka Nagar, Anandpura, Margondanahalli and other places located in K.R. Puram police limits. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Whitefield) Abdul Ahad said that the raids were conducted as inputs from FRRO officials showed that foreign nationals were staying illegally. Cases were booked against these foreign nationals and they were sent to judicial custody. FRRO will take a decision on deporting them. The police are also contemplating booking cases against the landlords for renting out houses to foreign nationals without following the due procedure.

House owners who rent out their buildings should follow certain rules and regulations while choosing foreign nationals as tenants. The owners have to take copies of their passports and visas and inform the local police station. But they did not follow these norms, Mr Ahad said. Inquiries revealed that two of the arrested were not only overstaying, but were also wanted by Central Crime Branch (CCB) officials in cases related to NDPS Act. Police sources said that most of the detained are from Nigeria and Uganda and had come to India on study and business visas but overstayed, hoodwinking the officials.

The FRRO officials collected details of foreigners overstaying in and around the state from various sources, including colleges where they had got admission, a senior police officer said. The police suspect that once their visas get expired, African nationals get involved with drug cartels and act as carriers. Most of the Nigerian or Ugandan nationals get onto online frauds. They also get caught for drinking and driving and drugs, said a police officer. An official from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) claimed that Nigerians play the role of carriers, especially cocaine, from one country to another.

Booked under Foreigners Act

Deputy Commissioner of Police Abdul Ahad said that 107 people were arrested across three divisions, on Saturday and were booked under Foreigner's Act. While Northeast division arrested the maximum number of 50 people, Whitefield division had 25 people, followed by East division with 32 arrests.
The judge said the role of the court was not to endorse moral choices of college authorities or students, but to recognise the freedom to have a choice. (Photo: File)

Kochi: "Love is blind and an innate humane instinct. It is all about individuals and their freedom," the Kerala High Court has said, quashing a Kochi college order expelling a woman and her senior for being struck by Cupid and eloping.

In a recent judgment, Justice A Muhamed Mustaque observed that the love affair and eloping termed as immoral amounting to a breach of discipline by the college was based on moral values of the persons in the management.

"It is a sin for some and not a sin for others. In law, it is the choice of freedom which is the essence of liberty," the judge said.

The authorities of the college in Kollam district failed to understand that intimate personal relationship was the matter of privacy of individuals upon which they had no authority to interfere, Justice Mustaque said.

"Love is blind and an innate humane instinct. It is all about individuals and their freedom. Is love a freedom or fetter is the question that is raised in this writ petition in the context of imposition of academic discipline," he said.

The judge allowed petitions by the 21-year-old man and the 20-year-old woman, both BBA students, and directed the college to allow her to continue the course and return the academic records of the other petitioner as sought by him.

The woman, who had joined the course for 2016-17 academic year, fell in love with her senior. The college authorities and their parents had objected to their love, following which they had eloped. However, the parents of the woman later retracted their opposition and stood by her to court a marriage.

The judge said the role of the court was not to endorse moral choices of college authorities or students, but to recognise the freedom to have a choice.

"What concerns the court is whether the action has any nexus with the object for which such power is conferred. The right to privacy is an element of human dignity which includes the right to make an essential choice which would affect their course of life as declared by Supreme Court in K S Puttaswamy Vs Union of India (case)," Justice Mustaque said.

Except "bald allegations" that the petitioners were found engrossed in an intimate relationship in the campus, there were absolutely no materials or evidence relied on to arrive at such a finding, he said.

In the absence of evidence, that it had affected the classes conducted by the college or the congenial environment for learning, no action can be taken on the ground of indiscipline, he said.

Noting that whether to have an affair or not to have an affair with another was a personal choice, the judge said such choice was fundamental to the liberty guaranteed under the Constitution.

"Choosing a life partner or choosing a way of life is the discretion based on individual autonomy. Except with legislative essentials (legal paternalism), no regulation can be made to regulate the behaviour of men on moral values, the court said.
Some hackers have in the past offered stolen data and software for sale online. Wealthy Singapore is hyper-connected and on a drive to digitise government records and essential services, including medical records which public hospitals and clinics can share via a centralised database.

Hackers have stolen the health records of 1.5 million Singaporeans including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, authorities said Friday, with the leader specifically targeted in the city-state's biggest ever data breach.

Singapore's health and information ministries said a government database was broken into in a "deliberate, targeted and well-planned" strike, describing the attack as "unprecedented".

"Attackers specifically and repeatedly targeted the personal particulars and outpatient information of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong," health minister Gan Kim Yong told a press conference.

Forensic analysis by Singapore's Cyber Security Agency "indicates this is a deliberate, targeted, and well-planned cyberattack and not the work of casual hackers or criminal gangs," he added. Officials declined to comment on the identity of the hackers, citing "operational security," but said the prime minister's data has not shown up anywhere on the internet.

"I don't know what the attackers were hoping to find. Perhaps they were hunting for some dark state secret or at least something to embarrass me," Lee wrote on Facebook.

"My medication data is not something I would ordinarily tell people about, but there is nothing alarming in it."

Hackers used a computer infected with malware to gain access to the database between June 27 and July 4 before administrators spotted "unusual activity", authorities said.

The compromised data includes personal information and medication dispensed to patients, but medical records and clinical notes have not been affected, the health and communications ministries said.

"Health records contain information that is valuable to governments," said Eric Hoh, Asia-Pacific president of cyber-security firm FireEye.

"Nation states increasingly collect intelligence through cyber-espionage operations which exploit the very technology we rely upon in our daily lives."

Earlier this month, the US National Intelligence Director Dan Coats described Russia, China, Iran and North Korea as the "worst offenders" when it came to attacks on American "digital infrastructure".

Some hackers have in the past offered stolen data and software for sale online. Wealthy Singapore is hyper-connected and on a drive to digitise government records and essential services, including medical records which public hospitals and clinics can share via a centralised database. But authorities have put the brakes on these plans while they investigate the cyber attack. A former judge will head a committee looking into the incident.

While the city-state has some of the most advanced military weaponry in the region, the government says it fends off thousands of cyber attacks every day and has long warned of breaches by actors as varied as high-school students in their basements to nation states.

In his Facebook post about the attack, Lee warned that "those trying to break into our data systems are extremely skilled and determined. They have huge resources, and never give up trying."

Following the announcement, Singapore's cybersecurity agency has also put out two advisories advising web administrators and members of the public to protect personal data. This included complex instructions to secure website domains and just simply watching out for suspicious information requests.

A new Cybersecurity Act passed earlier this year requires those providing essential services -- including government, healthcare and security -- to secure their web infrastructure and report any major incidents. In 2017, hackers broke into a defence ministry database, stealing the information of some 850 army conscripts and ministry staff.

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Islamabad: The Pakistan military on Sunday asked the Supreme Court to initiate appropriate process against Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiquis remarks

regarding interference of the countrys intelligence agency ISI in judicial matters.

In a post on Twitter, the military said: An honourable judge of Islamabad High Court of Pakistan has levelled serious allegations against state institutions including honourable judiciary and the premier state intelligence agency.

It added: Honourable Supreme Court of Pakis-tan has been requested to launch inquiry to ascertain the veracity of the allegations levelled against state institution.

Later Sunday, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar responded to the remarks of Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui regarding interference of intelligence agency in judicial matters.

In a statement, the top judge said that the judiciary was working independently and free from any pressure. I read about the statement of a judge and was deeply disappointed, he added.

The CJP vowed to launch an investigation into the matter and bring the facts to light. Justice Siddiqui had accused the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of manipulating the judicial procedures.

He also appealed the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) to conduct an open trial against him if needed. Justice Siddiqui said that Pakistan can be compared with India, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka instead of comparing with the United States or Europe. India will be a bigger economic power by 2030 and we are going backward, he said.
Nghi Son Refinery, Vietnams second refinery plant, in the northern province of Thanh Hoa. Photo acquired by VnExpress

PetroVietnam, a principal investor in Vietnams largest oil refinery, said that it is finding it almost impossible to comply with new investment capital regulations.

It is not clear how this financial quandary will affect operations of the mega project in the coming months, but it is reported that the projects foreign investors are waiting for the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group, known as PetroVietnam, for its final word on making its capital contribution before they release further funds.

In a letter sent to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), PetroVietnam (PVN) said it was facing great difficulties in preparing and disbursing capital for the Nghi Son Oil Refinery in the central province of Thanh Hoa.

As a wholly state-owned enterprise, PVN must comply with the current law on the management of investment and construction costs.

The group has said that due to significant differences in investment protocol between the old and current laws, it is finding it impossible to make the adjustments needed.

Work began in 2008 on the Nghi Son Oil Refinery project, which has a designed capacity of 8.4 million tons of crude oil per year and a total planned investment of $6.15 billion.

A consortium comprising Kuwait Petroleum International, Idemitsu Kosan (35.1 percent stake each), PetroVietnam (25.1 percent) and Mitsui Chemicals (4.7 percent) was approved as project investors.

In 2013, the projects cost was revised upwards to $9 billion, in addition to a chartered capital of $2.4 billion.

The projects investors had previously committed to contribute $4.2 billion in capital, with the rest to be sourced through bank loans.

However, several legal obstacles have rendered PVN unable to cough up its remaining capital contribution for the project.

The foreign stakeholders have asked PVN to give its final decision on the adjusted costs by September. They have said that once PVN has made its contribution, the other parties will complete theirs as well, allowing the banks to disburse their loans.

PVN has sought the ministrys assistance in solving this issue.

In response to PVNs request, MOIT Deputy Minister Dang Hoang An said at an online meeting that it was a major and complex issue. He said that the ministry would solicit opinions from relevant ministries and agencies before coming to a decision.

The Nghi Son Refinery, located in the Nghi Son Open Economic Zone in Thanh Hoa province, will have a capacity of 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day in the first operational phase  which it is set to enter into in the coming months  equaling 10 million tons of crude oil per year.

This is almost double that of Vietnams first oil refinery, the Dung Quat plant in Quang Ngai province, and a 20 percent increase over its original designed capacity.

It is expected that the Nghi Son and Dung Quat refineries will together meet 80 percent of Vietnams fuel demand.
At least 20 people were dead and 16 still missing by Jul 21 as tropical storm Son Tinh hit the northern and central Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Giang A Lu

Flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy downpours have so far left 20 dead, 16 missing and 14 injured in northern and central provinces.

The northern provinces of Yen Bai and Son La and the central province of Thanh Hoa were hardest hit by the impacts of tropical storm Son Tinh, with over 100 houses collapsing and 4,000 houses getting flooded.

Yen Bai lost the highest number of people with 10, while the other northern provinces of Son La, Phu Tho, Hoa Binh and Lao Cai lost 6 in total. Four people died in the central province of Thanh Hoa.

Over 82,000 hectares (200,000 acres) of agricultural produce has been destroyed and around 17,000 livestock killed, according to the National Disaster Response, Search and Rescue Committee.

The committee said that 6,500 military personnel have been mobilized to assist local residents.

Storm Son Tinh turned into a tropical depression as it made landfall in central Vietnam, but it brought heavy rainfall lasting many hours to northern and central provinces, starting Friday.

Son Tinh is the third storm of the year to form in the East Sea, known internationally as the South China Sea. Weather forecasters expect the East Sea to churn up another five to seven storms and tropical depressions this year.

Several domestic airlines such as Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air announced cancellations and delays in flights to Thanh Hoa and Vinh.

Vietnam is often affected by storms in the second half of the year. Last month, at least 23 people were killed and 10 went missing after floods and landslides hit the mountainous provinces in the north.

Natural disasters including floods and tropical storms killed more than 390 people across the country last year and caused damage worth nearly VND52.2 trillion ($2.34 billion), according to official figures.
Authorities in Vietnam's central province of Quang Tri have detained two men for stealing dogs from locals in the province.

Nguyen Van Vinh, 50, and Tran Hoa Tam, 49, were busted selling the dogs they had stolen overnight to a local woman in the early morning on Friday.

Authorities seized nine dogs, including a dead one, with a total weight of 110 kilograms (240 pounds) from the duo. Multiple tools for stealing dogs such as metal hoops, bottles of tear gas and flashlights were also found in their possession.

Vinh and Tam claimed they had been roaming the streets of Le Thuy, Hai Lang districts and Quang Tri Town overnight in search of dogs to steal. Once a dog was snatched, they would tape its mouth and stuff it inside a sack.

In addition to the two men, authorities have also detained their buyer Le Thi Hue for purchasing stolen goods.

Dog theft is rarely treated as a criminal offense in Vietnam, unless the stolen dogs are valued more than VND2 million, less than $100.

The act is agonized by the large public in Vietnam, which is also home to a market that consumes an estimated five million dogs per year, second only to China, which eats roughly 20 million.

Many of the dogs are stolen pets sold to small, unregulated abattoirs and killed in brutal ways.
U.S. accounts for largest share of small arms exports from Ukraine in 2017

Assault rifles, submachine guns, anti-tank weapons and grenade launchers were shipped to the United States last year.

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Referring to Washingtons withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or Tehrans nuclear deal with world powers, and the subsequent U.S. sanctions against Iran, the speaker of the Iranian Parliament said on July 22 that Iran has entered a new phase.

It seems we have entered a new phase in which the other side [the United States] thinks it can impose its illogical and hegemonic demands on the Iranian nation through exerting economic pressure, Larijani said in an open session of the parliament.

He also boasted of Irans advances in the military industry, boosting missile technology under tough sanctions during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-88), and predicted that the same strategy in the era of the new U.S. sanctions would shield Irans economy.

A period of focusing on the settlement of internal economic issues will result in a resistant economy that remains unharmed under the U.S. threat of economic sanctions, Larijani added.

The speakers comments came against a backdrop of the U.S. withdrawal from JCPOA and its decision to impose myriad new sanctions on Iran to drive the countrys oil exports down to zero.

Maintaining that the EU has repeatedly demanded Iran not use its legal right to retaliate and urged Tehran to stay in the nuclear deal, Larijani said, After the U.S. withdrawal, the EU requested Iran not use its legal right to retaliate and stay in the nuclear agreement instead. In turn, they promised to provide some mechanisms that would ensure Irans continued benefits from the nuclear pact. He added that the Iranian authorities did not turn down the request so that the nation could avoid economic issues as much as possible.

Echoing Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarifs earlier comments, Larijani also noted that Tehran-EU talks have not yet been finalized and are in progress.

During an interview with Euronews' Global Conversation on July 20, Zarif said, Working with Europeans is underway as we speak so that we test the possibility. We have given Europe some time.

According to Zarif, There are two very specific timeframes. One is the timeframe of the first batch of U.S. sanctions that will be in place in August, and the other timeframe is the second batch of U.S. sanctions, which will be in place in November. And well see how Europe is dealing with this and we will respond, accordingly, and we have a very specific plan.

Larijani, for his part, admitted that following U.S. President Donald Trumps decision to drop JCPOA and reimpose sanctions against Tehran, Iran has entered a new phase.

But we have to make them [Americans] realize that the Iranian people, while patient and keen on having interactions, will never sell out their dignity and toss aside the future of the countrys technological progress over the United States hegemonic temperament.

The United States has repeatedly insisted its main aim in imposing sanctions on Tehran is to change the regimes behavior.

Nevertheless, Larijani says Washington has targeted Irans missile program. The enemies [U.S.] antagonism today is no longer in the form of a threat of war against the Iranian nation; rather it is pushing for a reduction of the range of our missiles.

While Larijani insists that the Tehran-Washington standoff is limited to the row over the range of Irans missiles, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani went further on July 22 and warned Trump against pursuing hostile policies against Tehran, saying, "America should know peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars.

"Mr. Trump, don't play with the lion's tail; this would only lead to regret," the official government news agency IRNA quoted Rouhani as saying at a July 22 gathering of Iranian diplomats.

Earlier, Trump had told U.S. lawmakers in the White House that he spoke about Iran with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their summit in Helsinki on July 16.

Mentioning that they had discussed Syria, Trump added, We also spoke of Iran and the need to halt their nuclear ambitions and the destabilizing activities taking place in Iran.

Trump took the occasion of his meeting with the members of Congress to once again reiterate that his tough policy had had an impact on Iran.

As most of you know, we ended the Iran deal, which was one of the worst deals anyone could imagine. And thats had a major impact on Iran. And its substantially weakened Iran. And we hope that, at some point, Iran will call us, and well maybe make a new deal, or we maybe wont.

Trump also told lawmakers that Iran is feeling pressure from the looming U.S. sanctions, an argument the White House has been using more frequently in recent days.

Theyre no longer looking so much to the Mediterranean and the entire Middle East. Theyve got some big problems that they can solve, probably much easier if they deal with us. So, well see what happens, Trump said.
By RFE/RL

Iranian President Hassan Rohani has warned U.S. President Donald Trump against pursuing hostile policies against Tehran, saying "America should know peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, andwar with Iran is the mother of all wars.

"Mr Trump, don't play with the lion's tail, this would only lead to regret," the official government news agency IRNA quoted Rohani as saying at a July 22 gathering of Iranian diplomats.

In May, Trump announced that it is pulling the United States out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers and reimposing tough sanctions.

The move was harshly criticized by Iran.

Rohani said that the pressure has strengthened national unity in the country.

Weve become more united than before, threats bring us together, Rohani said while adding that we will definitely defeat America.

He accused the United States of working to weaken and overthrow the clerical establishment and create divisions in the country.

You declare war against the Iranian people and then claim you support them? Rohani said at the event in the Iranian capital.

U.S. officials, including Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo, have expressed support for the Iranian people and "their struggle for freedom."

Pompeo said in a recent interview with Voice of America that the goal of the U.S. is to change Irans behavior.

"Its about changing the behavior of the leadership in Iran to comport with what the Iranian people really want them to do," Pompeo said.

In a May 21 speech, Pompeo laid out a list of12 demands from Iran that included a haltto its enrichment activities and an endto its support for armed groups such as the Lebanese Hezbollah.

Pompeo warned Tehran that it would face the strongest sanctions in history if it didnt change course and comply with the U.S. demands.

Earlier this month, Rohani suggested that Iran may block oil exports from the Persian Gulf if its own exports are stopped by U.S. sanctions.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 21 backed Rohani's suggestion and said that t "if Iran's oil is not exported, no regional country's oil will be exported."

Khamenei has the last say in all state matters in the Islamic republic.

With reporting by IRNA, ISNA and Reuters
The Israeli military says it recently rescued members of a Syrian volunteer civil organization  identified by media as the White Helmets-- and their families from the volatile border area on the Golan Heights and evacuated them to a neighboring country.

The announcement on July 22 marks the first such Israeli intervention in Syria's civil war.

"The civilians were evacuated from the war zone in southern Syria due to an immediate threat to their lives," the military said on its Twitter account, describing the move as "an exceptional humanitarian gesture".

The military said the move doesn't reflect a change to its non-intervention policy in Syria's war.

The evacuation came at the request of the United States and several European countries, the Israeli military said.

Israeli media reported that 800 people were evacuated to Jordan and would travel on from there to Britain, Germany and Canada.

The White Helmets have been working to rescue civilians in rebel-held areas since 2013.

They work exclusively in rebel-held areas and receive donations from several Western governments, including Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States.

President Bashar al-Assad's government and his ally Russia accuse them of being tools of their international donors.

They are known for their daring rescues, filmed and circulated on social media. They were nominated for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize.

Based on reporting by AFP, AP and Reuters
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ruled out any renewed talks with the United States at a meeting with Foreign Ministry officials on July 21, saying, Assuming that holding talks or maintaining relations with America would solve Irans problems would be a clear mistake. There is no benefit in holding talks with America.

Khameneis statement flared up the crisis in Irans economy as the price of a standard gold coin reached 32 million rials, with a 2 million rial hike within hours. At the same time, the rate of exchange for one euro reached 100,000 rials.

This, however, is not the first time Irans leader has blasted the idea of talks with America. It has always been part of his usual anti-American rhetoric except for once, prior to an agreement with the West to limit Irans nuclear activity against financial concessions.

The statement by Khamenei reveals a wide gap between the main power center in Iran and the demands of a majority of the countrys population.

On the other hand, it also shows that Irans Foreign Ministry is under pressure to justify the supreme leaders views on foreign policy. This is consistent with the usual practice of imposing the leaders political and ideological orientation on the majority of Iranians.

Khamenei and other Iranian leaders avoid negotiations and beat the drums of war, believing this is a sign of his authority vis-a-vis a world power.

A few days before Khameneis comments, President Hassan Rouhanis chief of staff denied that Iran ever wanted to hold talks with the United States, adding, When Rouhani was in New York for the latest UN General Assembly, President Trump called eight times for negotiations with him, but Rouhani rejected the call.

This was a new indication that in spite of their claims, Iranian leaders lack the authority and self-confidence for holding talks to solve their most important international problems.

The Islamic Republics leadership avoids frank and transparent negotiations with Washington while its allies hold direct talks with America. North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un welcomed direct talks with President Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Trump last week discussing several international crises. However, Khameneis approach is different.

Fighting America is part of the definition of the Iranian governments political and ideological system. This also provides justification for their authoritarian rule inside the country and for suppression of Khameneis critics.

Khameneis non-democratic authority is also linked to some regional policies and projects such as the campaign against Israel and support for the Lebanese Hezballah, as well as military presence in some regional countries. All of these policies have been implemented without the nation voting on them. In the same way, the policy of refusing to hold talks with America has also never been put to vote or public debate.

As far as Khamenei is concerned, holding talks with Washington would put an end to his authority and probably the Islamic Republic.

With the president and parliament members being elected only after vetting by Khameneis hard-line aides on the Guardian Council, this means they are not capable of challenging the supreme leaders views. That is why we dont hear any alternative views from them.

On the other hand, the Iranian public opinion does not believe in the non-democratic authority of Irans leaders as the publics views are not considered by the leaders.

Although online social networks leave their impact on limitations and political restrictions, they are not effective or powerful enough in comparison with the might of authoritarian rulers.

A majority of Iranians are entangled between the political pressure that is exerted on them by the countrys authoritarian leadership and the economic pressures they feel as a result of sanctions, as well as the hardships caused by mismanagement of the countrys financial resources.

One possible outcome of such pressures might be revolts motivated by economic and social reasons. However, it is not clear whether the final showdown would lead to intensification of authoritarian rule following suppression or could lead to meaningful change in the governments policies.

(The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Radio Farda or RFE/RL.)
By RFE/RLs Radio Mashaal

Police in Pakistan say a suicide bombing in the country's northwest has killed the driver of an election candidate while wounding the candidate in the latest violence related to the July 25 national elections in the country.

Five others, including two policemen, were also injured in the July 22 blast in the city of Dera Ismail Khan.

Police officer Zahoor Afridi said a suicide bomber targeted the vehicle of Ikramullah Gandapur, who is running for a parliament seat from opposition leader Imran Khan's party.

The attack happened near Gandapurs residence, the police said.

Gandapur's brother Israr was killed in a suicide attack three years ago.

Separately, the convoy of another candidate Akram Durrani, came under fire in the northwestern town of Bannu.

Police officials told RFE/RLs Radio Mashaal that militant fired shots at Durrani's vehicle. He escaped unhurt but at least two people were injured in the attack.

This was the second attack in less than 10 days on Durrani.



On July 13, Durranis convoy was attacked when he was on his way to a political rally, killing at least four people, wounding more than 30.

The election campaign has been marred by violence as well as what critics describe as a crackdown on political activists, journalists, and opposition figures.

With reporting by AP and AFP


Over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 93 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said July 22.

Armenias armed forces were using large-caliber machine guns.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 22

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Azerbaijan is a valued partner country for the International Energy Agency (IEA), Executive Director of the IEA Dr Fatih Birol said in an interview with Trend.

"We are already working closely together under the EU4Energy program, improving data and statistics as well as energy policy capacity," said Birol.

The IEA executive director also spoke about his upcoming visit to Azerbaijan.

"I am very much looking forward to meeting with Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov when I visit Baku this coming September. We will have much to discuss, including the important role that Azerbaijan plays as an energy transit hub, and how the IEA and Azerbaijan can build upon and further expand our good relationship," he said.

Further, Birol noted that despite its relatively small size, at least compared to some its neighbours, Azerbaijan plays a very important role in the global energy system.

"It is a major oil and gas producer and as I said earlier, a strategically important energy transit hub. Azerbaijan plays the role of an energy link between the Caspian and Europe  providing opportunities to increase global energy security and provide economic benefits to the region," he noted.

Talking about the international oil and gas projects, implemented with Azerbaijans active participation, Birol said that key pipelines, such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the upcoming Southern Gas Corridor project have already served to strengthen the energy links between the Caspian and Europe.

"These pipelines are what allows Azerbaijani oil and gas to reach global markets. The Southern Gas Corridor will create an additional route for gas supplies to Europe, allowing for even further diversification of European gas supplies," the IEA executive director said.

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.

Total length of the B is 1,768 kilometers, including a 443-kilometer section running through Azerbaijan, a 249-kilometer section in Georgia and a 1,076-kilometer section in Turkey. The construction of the pipeline started in April 2003. It was filled with oil May 18, 2005.

IEA was established in November 1974. The original founding members were Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway (under a special Agreement), Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States. Joining in the following years were Greece (1976), New Zealand (1977), Australia (1979), Portugal (1981), Finland (1992), France (1992), Hungary (1997), Czech Republic (2001), Republic of Korea (2002), Slovak Republic (2007), Poland (2008), Estonia (2014), and more recently Mexico (2018).

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Opinion

I have finally been diagnosed with ADHD

My life is paved with piles of good intentions, from gifts lovingly chosen but not delivered to the intended recipient, to ambitious projects yet to be completed and lists  on my phone, in notebooks, on the back of envelopes or even my hand. Lets not even talk
Tehran, Iran, July 22

By A. Shirazi - Trend:



Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned US President Donald Trump not to pursue hostile policies against Tehran, saying, You will regret it.



We are men of honor and have guaranteed the security of the regions waterways throughout the history. Dont play with the lions tail, this would only lead to regret, Rouhani said on July 22 in Tehran, Fars news agency reported.

Rouhani made the remarks addressing a meeting attended by the Iranian representatives in foreign countries.



"America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace and war with Iran is the mother of all wars," he added.



The president continued that Iran would not accept the language of threat and that its military might is only for deterrent purposes.



Threats will boost solidarity among us and we will certainly defeat the US, Rouhani said.

Rouhani further touched upon the Iran nuclear deal after the US withdrawal, saying Washingtons first objective was to have us violate the nuclear deal on our own; then they tried to provoke the IAEA but they failed.

Their third step was to convince EU to make changes to the JCPOA, he said, adding that Trump made a lot of efforts, but at the end he was forced to walk away from the agreement on his own.

US President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in May, and Washington now plans to reimpose sanctions on Tehran next month. The first round of US sanctions on Iran goes into effect in August, followed by ones targeting Iran's oil exports in November.
Tehran, Iran, July 22

By Kamyar Eghbalnejad, A. Shirazi - Trend:

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is scheduled to pay an official visit to Uzbekistan next month, according to Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture.

President Rouhani will head a high-ranking economic delegation on a visit to Tashkent in August, Trends correspondent in Tehran said on July 22 citing sources at Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture.

The president is scheduled to meet senior officials in Uzbek capital. The two sides are due to discuss bilateral ties as well as global and regional developments.

The 12th joint Iran-Uzbekistan economic commission was held on April 9, attended by the high-ranking officials of the two countries.

In the meeting, representatives of various public and private sections of the two countries discussed the ways of promoting economic and trade cooperation, particularly in transportation, customs, investments, sports, tourism, culture, standards, industry and communications.

Pistachio, petrochemicals, tea, and zinc ore are among the main exports from Iran to Uzbekistan.
Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) spokesman on Sunday vowed to take revenge of the recent terrorist attack on a border post west of the country which claimed the lives of 11 security forces, IRNA reported.

Brigadier General Ramezan Sharif warned the terrorist groups and the foreign intelligence services supporting them that they will be punished severely and the IRGC will take revenge of the attack.

The security forces are ready to give crushing response to terrorists who aim to insecure the border regions, he added.

In a clash between the Iranian armed forces and terrorist groups in Marivan, Kordestan Province in western Iran on Saturday early morning 11 of the Iranian forces were martyred and 8 more were injured.

The ambush took place between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m, the report added.

Meanwhile, the terrorist and hostile PJAK grouplet undertook the responsibility for terrorist attack near Dari village in Marivan border region in the early hours of Saturday.
Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, the President & Chairman of the Board of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) visited Bosnia and Herzegovina. During his stay in Sarajevo he had the meeting with Amer Bukvich, CEO of the Bosna Bank International.

At the reception organized by Abdulah Skaka, the Mayor of Sarajevo, Mr. Bukvich spoke about work of BBI, one of the fastest growing banks in Bosnia and Herzegovina which is operating in accordance with Islamic principles.

The honorable guest was also informed about organization of the Sarajevo Business Forum. Leading investment conference in Southeast Europe, that is gathering some 2000 participants every year. Mr. Bukvich also invited Prince Sultan bin Salman to acted the next, 10th jubilar SBF. Prince Sultan bin Salman accepted the invitation and has announced his plans to visit Sarajevo again during SBF.

Bukvich also informed Prince Sultan bin Salman on the organization of the first Sarajevo Halal Fair that will be held in September this year in Sarajevo, organized by BBI and Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) financial free zone Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) of South Africa, ADGM said on Sunday, Xinhua reported.

As part of the MoU, ADGM said it will work "collaboratively" with CIPC on issues of mutual interest in the registries sector by incorporating each organization's appropriate resources and technical capacity.

The MoU was signed by the Commissioner of CIPC Adv Rory W. Voller, and CEO of the Registration Authority of ADGM Dhaher bin Dhaher Al Mheiri.

The aim of the MoU is to "strengthen mutual understanding of the legislative, procedural and information technological frameworks in each party's respective jurisdictions in the area of registering companies and other legal entities," according to ADGM.

Al Mheiri said "the MoU with CIPC establishes a strategic partnership that develops ADGM's international relations in the field of registries."

In turn, Voller noted "collaboration is a core value of CIPC and this MoU offers an opportunity to expand and enhance the relations with our counterparts at the ADGM Registration Authority."

Established in 2013 and fully open for business since 2015, ADGM is the UAE's second financial free zone after the Dubai International Financial Center.
China is hoping huge, new, smart unmanned submarines will help give its naval fleet an edge in crucial waterways like the South China Sea and the western Pacific, Sputnik reported.

The South China Post reported Sunday that Beijing expects to deploy artificially intelligent unmanned submarines in the early 2020s. The seacraft could be used to survey waters, place munitions or even be used in suicide attacks against enemies, scientists involved in the program told the outlet. Lin Yang, marine technology equipment director at the Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, confirmed the program, and said it was a response to work in the US to develop similar watercraft.

These subs, dubbed extra-large unmanned underwater vehicles, or XLUUVs, are much bigger than the current crop of underwater vehicles  large enough to dock as conventional submarines and to carry significant weaponry and other equipment. Their artificial intelligence will help them operate undersea, not only to avoid natural phenomena, but to detect and identify friendly or hostile ships and make navigational decisions to avoid them. The XLUUVs are also designed to complete tasks without needing to seek input during the course of a mission, the SCMP reports. The intention is for the subs to depart, complete their missions and return without needing guidance.

One of the main advantages of the AI subs, however, is their relatively low cost, as all of the investment that goes into making the vehicles survivable environments for humans can be stripped away. Without those frills, the ships can operate fearlessly, using artificial intelligence systems to learn from what is happening around them without having to be concerned with protecting human cargo. They could be a major issue for enemy commanders to deal with, Luo Yuesheng, professor at the College of Automation in Harbin Engineering University, where Chinese subs are developed, told SCMP.

Of course, without humans on board, the unmanned subs will have to be especially resilient, as human diagnostics and repairs while at sea won't be possible.

China has been increasingly investing in its navy, opening its first overseas naval base in 2017 and ramping up production of its growing fleet of aircraft carriers. Beijing announced earlier this year that it would be increasing its military budget by nearly 10 percent, the biggest jump in a recent upward trend that has seen military spending grow from $132 billion to $175 billion. (The US defense budget for 2018, by contrast, was just shy of $700 billion.)

The subs will join China's underwater drones, like the 11-foot, 1.5 ton Qialong III that scouts for deep-sea fossil fuel deposits as well as potential foreign ships, and other autonomous systems on land and in the air to act in concert with People's Liberation Army-Navy personnel. They are not intended to replace manned underwater vehicles, but to provide more options for human commanders, researchers on the program told the outlet.

Xu Guangyu, a retired general and senior consultant with the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association in Beijing, told Sputnik in February that while China intends to keep up with the US in terms of expertise and technology, that doesn't mean China is looking to achieve parity with the US' massive war machine.

"China would focus on competing against the United States on quality. We cannot fall behind in terms of technology. But in terms of the size or numbers service members of the military, we would not try to strike a balance' with them. For example, they [the United States] have thousands of nuclear warheads. We would not be so foolish as to spend a lot of money on such weapons that lie dormant in storage facilities. If the accuracy and power of our missiles are strong, it's enough for us, because one of our missiles would equal 10 missiles from the United States," Xu said.

Tensions between the US and China are already high when it comes to the world's oceans. The US objects to China's continued building in contested zones of the South China Sea, and China has expressed strong opposition to the proximity of US vessels to the self-ruling island of Taiwan, which it considers a province of the mainland.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Saturday the European Union could not consider negotiating a free trade agreement with the United States without Washington first recalling its tariffs on steel and aluminum, Sputnik reported.

Le Maire told reporters at the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in Buenos Aires that there was no disagreement between France and Germany over how and when to start trade talks with the United States, however, both agreed Washington needs to take the first step by eliminating tariffs, Reuters reported.

"We refuse to negotiate with a gun to our head," Le Maire was quoated as saying on the sidelines of the G20 meeting.

Earlier on Saturday French Finance Minster told AFP that the United States must avoid pushing the world into a "survival of the fittest" scenario through tit-for-tat trade sanctions.

"We are all, particularly us European countries, worried about this trade war that was launched a few weeks ago," Le Maire was quoted as saying by AFP. "This trade war will produce only losers, it will destroy jobs and put pressure on global growth. "We call on the United States to see sense, to respect the rules of multilateralism and to respect their allies."

"The message is: The EU is a committed global trader  and as such, we are open to ideas about opening trade. We are prepared to think outside of the box and find solutions that suit us both. Let's approach this like the allies and partners that we are," she added.

The EU-US trade relations have been tense since Trumps decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. The European Union sought exemption from the new US trade restrictions but, when Washington refused to do so, imposed its own barriers on the US goods.
South Korea's finance minister has called on his US counterpart to have the Asian country exempt from America's planned auto tariffs, the Seoul government said Sunday, Yonhap reported.

Kim Dong-yeon made the request during his meeting with US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin in Buenos Aires on Saturday (local time) on the sidelines of the Group of 20 meeting.

US President Donald Trump has proposed a 25 percent tariff on imported cars on national security grounds. Korean-made autos are currently exempt from US duties under the bilateral trade pact implemented in 2012, and Seoul has accepted Washington's demands on the auto market access in a recently revised free trade agreement, which has yet to be formally signed.

"Minister Kim expressed concerns over the ongoing survey by the US government on any impacts of foreign cars on its national security, and strongly called for the exclusion of South Korea from the list of tariff-levying countries," the Minister of Strategy and Finance said in a release.

The two countries "have made fair transactions" based on the revised trade deal, Kim stressed, adding that the South Korean auto industry has played a positive role for the US in employment and investment aspects

In response, Mnuchin offered continued discussions between the two nations on the matter, according to the Seoul ministry.

In a separate meeting, the South Korean minister met with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and discussed ways to boost bilateral cooperation "on a wide range of issues," including the role of the international organization in pushing for future inter-Korean development projects, according to the ministry.

The two-day G-20 Meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors began in the capital of Argentina on Saturday.
The finance ministers for Mexico and Canada on Sunday said they were optimistic about NAFTA talks with the United States, even as trade tensions spurred by US tariffs dominated the G20 meeting of world economic leaders in Argentina, Reuters reported.

Mexico Finance Minister Jose Antonio Gonzalez Anaya said there were still several chapters of NAFTA that had not yet been closed, but that the renegotiation could be completed before incoming President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador takes office on Dec. 1 after his landslide victory in this months election.

There exists a possibility that we can arrive at some type of arrangement, Gonzalez Anaya told Reuters in an interview, adding that he discussed the talks to modernize the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement during a bilateral meeting with his Canadian counterpart, Finance Minister Bill Morneau.

It has always existed, and we hope that it stays on track.

The long-running renegotiation, launched by US President Donald Trump last year, has taken on a renewed sense of urgency since Lopez Obradors victory. The leftist former mayor of Mexico City has said he plans to maintain NAFTA, and his allies have said the transition team will take part in talks.

Trumps tariffs on steel and aluminum imports were still casting a shadow on NAFTA talks, Morneau said. Ire over the measures from the European Union, Japan and others have isolated US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin at the G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors.

Morneau said that he sensed optimism from Mnuchin about moving forward on NAFTA, and that Mnuchin had assured him that the administration was committed to a trilateral deal despite Trumps suggestion that the United States could move forward with separate bilateral deals.

That change in Mexico presents us with the opportunity to restart those discussions. Were going to do that in earnest, Morneau told reporters. Were going to work towards trying to get to an agreement in the time frame that weve got in the next few months.

Morneau said he plans to travel to Mexico next week to meet with the incoming administration. Gonzalez Anaya added that he had a very good chat during an informal meeting last week with Carlos Urzua, who Lopez Obrador has tapped for the finance ministers role.

I have a very good impression of him, Gonzalez Anaya said.
Finance ministers and central bankers from the worlds largest economies said on Sunday that heightened trade and geopolitical tensions risk derailing global growth and called for greater dialogue, according to the final communique of a G20 meeting.

The weekend talks in Buenos Aires come amid an escalation in rhetoric in the trade conflict between the United States and China, the worlds largest economies, which have so far slapped tariffs on $34 billion worth of each others goods.
Turkish finance minister Berat Albayrak sees promising outlook for economic growth, Reuters reported.

Turkey is continuing its strong economic growth trend and the foundations of its economy are strong, new Finance Minister Berat Albayrak was quoted as saying by state media on Sunday.

Albayrak, who is in Argentina for a G20 meeting, was quoted by state-run news agency Anadolu as saying the governments recent policies were aimed at maintaining prudent fiscal policies, seeing healthy credit growth, carrying out structural reforms and strengthening Turkeys monetary policy framework.

Turkeys economy continues its strong growth momentum. Our economic foundations are going to be strong and our outlook is promising, - Albayrak said.
A police chase in Los Angeles, California, intensified Saturday afternoon after the suspect ran into a nearby Trader Joe's grocery story. Police are currently working to rescue employees and detain the suspect hidden inside the building, Sputnik reported.

According to NBC Los Angeles, the suspect proceeded to the grocery store after crashing his vehicle into a pole. Once police approached the vehicle, they were able to remove a woman who was left behind. Law enforcement officials told the LA Times that the woman was his girlfriend.

"(The suspect) jumped out of the car and it looked like he shot some rounds off when he got out of the car," Dan Zito, who said he was only feet away from the crash, told NBC LA. "And (the police) returned some fire at him, but he ran straight in [to the Trader Joe's]."

Per the Times, officers did fire on the suspect before he entered the building, however, it's unclear if he was wounded.

Images surfacing on social media have shown officials successfully removing those inside the Trader Joe's as others walk out of the establishment. One customer has reportedly been removed from the store with injuries that required immediate medical attention, NBC Los Angeles reported.

The Los Angeles Police Department have urged residents to "stay clear of the area." The incident is taking place near the intersection of Hyperion Ave and Griffith Park Blvd. Police have initiated a tactical alert in order "to ensure all resources necessary will be available."

US President Donald Trump tweeted late Saturday that he is keeping tabs on the incident and that LAPD officials are "working with Federal Law Enforcement."
KYODO NEWS - Jul 22, 2018 - 21:00 | All, Urgent

Japanese former residents of Russian-controlled islands off Hokkaido flew to two of them on Sunday and visited their ancestors' graves, in the second such air trip negotiated during a decades-long spat over the islands' ownership.

A group of 70 people, including former residents of Kunashiri and Etorofu, their families and government officials, are scheduled to fly back to Japan's northernmost main island on Monday.

"It is bliss for me to console the souls of the many people buried in our hometown," Tadaaki Iwasaki, an 84-year-old former resident of Etorofu who heads the group, said Saturday ahead of Sunday's departure from Nakashibetsu airport.

The trip by air to Etorofu and Kunashiri was in line with an agreement between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin in April 2017 to reduce the burden on the aging former islanders. The first air trip was made in September last year.

There had previously only been trips by chartered ships to the islands, seized by the former Soviet Union after Japan surrendered in World War II in August 1945.

The islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islet group are collectively called the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia. The territorial row has prevented Japan and Russia from concluding a postwar peace treaty.
KYODO NEWS - Jul 22, 2018 - 20:04 | Urgent, All, Japan

Torrential rain in western Japan earlier this month and the preceding downpour brought by Typhoon Prapiroon caused 119.8 billion yen ($1.1 billion) in damage to the agricultural and fishery sectors, far more than previously estimated, the government said Sunday.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries previously estimated the damage at 76.8 billion yen.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered the government's disaster response team Sunday to compile relief measures for affected industries using a 400 billion yen reserve fund and other sources.

As for small businesses in nonfarm sectors, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters losses caused by the rain disaster exceed 470 billion yen.

The National Police Agency said Sunday the death toll from the rain in western Japan has been reduced by one to 224, after a death in Hiroshima Prefecture turned out to be unrelated to the disaster.

Of the 224 deaths reported in 15 prefectures, 112 occurred in Hiroshima, while 61 people died in Okayama and 26 in Ehime.

As of 8 p.m. Saturday, there were still about 4,400 people living away from their homes in 13 prefectures, including those staying in shelters such as school gymnasiums, after floods and landslides destroyed or damaged more than 38,000 homes across Japan, according to the internal affairs ministry.

Water outages continued to affect 17,000 households in the three hardest-hit prefectures of Okayama, Hiroshima and Ehime as of 6 a.m. Sunday, a health ministry tally showed.
In the past few days, several Congress leaders had made comments welcoming Cherian back to the party.
Bruce Linton Canopy Growth CEO Marijuana

YouTube/Canopy Growth Corp.

Canopy Growth became the first marijuana stock to trade on the New York Stock Exchange, quickly racking up a market value of nearly $6 billion.

Business Insider spoke with its CEO, Bruce Linton, about what's changed since he entered the industry nearly a decade ago.

He said the opioid crisis has people looking more skeptically at pharmaceutical companies.

His company recently garnered a huge investment from a major alcohol maker  something he says has competitors racing to catch up.

Canopy Growth doesn't yet operate in the US because of legal issues  and Linton doesn't see that changing anytime soon.

Watch Canopy Growth trade in real time here.

Bruce Linton says he's the "world's biggest legal-weed dealer."

Drop one very important word  "legal"  from the chief executive's title and that meaning changes drastically.

A longtime technology entrepreneur, Linton made his first foray into the marijuana industry as part of a process known as "chain of custody"  to ensure nothing tainted a crop either before, during, or after it's grown.

After founding Canopy Growth five years ago in Smiths Falls, Canada  a small town in eastern Ontario, Canada  Linton has overseen the company's growth to 6 million square feet of production space, which helped it bring in $78 million of revenue last year. In May it became the first marijuana company to trade on the New York Stock Exchange and now has a market value of $5.7 billion.

Linton recently spoke with Business Insider about how the business has changed drastically in a short time, how marijuana companies are disrupting traditional pharmaceuticals, and what's next for the world's largest publicly traded marijuana company.

Interview condensed and edited for clarity.

Graham Rapier: What are the biggest misconceptions people have about the legal-marijuana industry?

Story continues

Bruce Linton: If I had told you five years ago what I was going to create and how we're going to do it, you would have thought for sure this person is insane or criminal. At that time there were only four countries at a federal level even trying to figure out how to manage this. Now there are 29. So the probability that you will have encountered some information about this topic  not just in the US, but if you're in France, Germany, or England  is quite high.

Five years ago finding any investor was a challenge. Now we have just completed a $600 million convertible [debt round], all institutionally placed with about 90% in Europe and the US  and I mean the big names.

If I were to talk to your aunt or uncle or parent about what I did three years ago, they would have been very glad you didn't work for me. Now they're asking, "Why don't you work at the company? That's the future." That's because it takes a little time to work through the layers. Currently, someone might say, "Well, I use a pharmaceutical product that's been given to me by my doctor, so it must be safe."

Now the opioid crisis has actually triggered people to question all pharmaceutical products  and I don't think that gets enough perspective. What had been a daily routine for many people turned out to be way worse than ever contemplated. People are starting to say, "Is there anything else like that that I'm being prescribed? What else is out there? How should I look at it?"

Now the opioid crisis has actually triggered people to question all pharmaceutical products.

The people who you thought would be least likely to be supportive  your parents, or mine  in fact are patients of other pharmaceutical products and therefore are actually becoming way more skeptical of those and looking for better solutions. That has meant we get a lot more of those people who want to become investors.

Rapier: Young investors have been snapping up the stock like crazy. What do you hear from them and how do you pitch the investment to them?

Linton: When I deal with the younger cohort, say 25-year-olds, the surprising part to me is they may say, "Is this just a flash or is this a real thing here?" So I have to really take them on a journey to show them how disruptive it is to pharma and alcohol, and why it isn't currently medical marijuana even though it's called that.

Until it goes through all the necessary protocol and programs, it's just marijuana. You can call yourself a doctor, but until you go to school and achieve it, you're not. A lot of people who have had a routine exposure to marijuana don't see it as a potential medical disrupter that it is until you kind of push their buttons.

Eventually people start wondering, "Christ, I want to have a hand in that." Since you can't possibly short anybody who's in the opioid business, because there's no short left on anything like that, so they start to say, "Maybe I'll buy the future."

Rapier: What about the alcohol industry? Constellation Brands  which owns Corona  has a roughly 10% stake in your company.

Linton: We've seen a lot of those guys before we decided who we wanted to work with. Part of the reason we like them isn't just because they're a diversified beverage maker  meaning they do beer, wine, and spirits  but because they're actually entrepreneurial. They're a Fortune 500 company that runs hard because they're run by the founding family. Because we're a startup that's driving hard, do you think I could have a partnership with some place that was run by committee? No chance.

Because we're a startup that's driving hard, do you think I could have a partnership with some place that was run by committee? No chance.

They were the first to publicly state they should be in the cannabis game. What they were really saying is, "We believe people should have a choice in how they wish to improve or alter their socialization."

Rapier: What about tobacco companies? Will marijuana disrupt them as well?

Linton: Maybe. We're not really a substitute for nicotine. If you're hooked on nicotine, you're hooked on nicotine.

Rapier: What is your production facility like? Is there anything about it that might surprise someone not familiar with the industry?

Linton: Our total operational platform right now is about 6 million square feet. When you go to 100,000 square feet, that sounds big, but it's not until 1 million square feet where you start to tickle the whole process of, "How do I make this a continuous flow versus batches?" When you get to these numbers, everything has to be a continuous operation. That's what we're learning now.

When you get to these numbers, everything has to be a continuous operation. That's what we're learning now.

There are all kinds of procedures to be sure what you're getting is what it's stated to be. We have to be sure it doesn't have everything from molds and mildews to fecal chloroforms on it, and hasn't been treated with chemicals. It has to be what you thought it was, and, if you like it, you can get the same thing every time.

They didn't view themselves so much as a beverage company so much as an entity that provides occasions with some kind of lift, if you will. So that's an easy way to look at cannabis, not as a threat, but as an alternative or additional. I think that's caused every other beer, wine, and spirits provider to have a headache. Can you imagine being the CEO of any one of those other entities now that this has happened?

Rapier: What other products are you selling or looking into in addition to smokable marijuana?

Linton: Once it becomes completely legal and socially acceptable, there will basically be one of two legal choices between alcohol and cannabis. I think over time the format of the product is going to get more and more similar. We will definitely be making beverages, but since there is no alcohol there will be no calories, which means the pounding on your liver is effectively nil. And did I mention the no-calories part? The idea that you get access to the biggest wallets with a virtue of no calories yet feeling a bit upbeat and positive is a pretty compelling argument.

In Canada there are rules for everything; that's just part of being Canadian. Right now, it's a medical-only market that allows us to sell dried cannabis. Oils extracted from cannabis are also acceptable, but they need to be bulked up again with another oil-like sunflower oil, and are designed so that they could be used as a cooking agent or gel cap. We can't make any sort of vape pen, drinkable, or chewable products as finished goods right now.

When recreational marijuana begins they've added a specific thing that says you can have measured quantities, which means you could roll it in a joint, but it can't be edible. By mid-2019, we're going to be able to layer on more things that are similar to what you might see in the US market.

When you're doing stuff at this scale you start to think about things like beverages, vape pens, and chewable very differently. There's a whole range of things you'll start to see in our product offering in 2019, and that should increase margins because you're not really selling just cannabis  you're taking it and putting it into something else, which usually means much better margins.

Canopy Growth marijuana weed

Canopy Growth

Rapier: Marijuana is legal in some US states  like Colorado  why don't you have a presence here?

Linton: We do not participate in the US because that would mean I have broken a federal law, and we don't do that, which is why we can be on the New York Stock Exchange because we're fully compliant in our operations and all geographies.

I'm offered phenomenal opportunities in the US, but then I would be outside, and almost all the other cannabis companies do participate in those markets, but we'll go there when we have done everything we can globally on scale and it becomes federally legal.

Rapier: Do you think we'll see fully legal marijuana in the US anytime soon?

Linton: I have a very weak predictive model and whether or not it will rain tomorrow, let alone what is going to happen on geopolitical issues related to cannabinoids. Anyone who tells you they have an answer, you should actually see if you can get them some form of examination. Make sure they see a shrink real soon.

Rapier: Tell me about moving to the New York Stock Exchange from the OTC market.

Linton: Going up to NYSE was a hell of a lot of work, and it was a huge focus for us because it's a real exchange and helps us get recognized. I'm the world's biggest legal-pot dealer. If you drop one word  "legal"  it causes people a lot of stress.

When the same exchange  which has a bell probably rung by the Rockefellers and God knows who else  is allowing us on there, that was something they had to be sure we were fully compliant operating in every possibly properly. That then gave us the credibility when we meet with foreign governments or whomever to say, "We're on the New York Stock Exchange."

Rapier: Did you consider Nasdaq?

Linton: We looked at both, but only one had a cool bell.

Rapier: You said Germany was about 10% of your business. What other areas are your focus going forward?

Linton: Our big boost for the next 12 months is Canada, with the second [recreational] market coming on. We've got medical cranking. Germany's ramping up on medical. Greece yesterday released new regulations. Denmark has theirs out. Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia. This thing is going on around the world at an unbelievable pace, and often these places look an awful lot like the methods that Canada's figured out over the last 17 years. We started this with the intention of participating globally wherever the rules permitted us on a fully legal basis.

Canopy Growth stock

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See Also:

SEE ALSO: Millennial investors are flocking to the first marijuana company to hit the New York Stock Exchange
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WILMINGTON, Mass., July 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Founders Day is the day each year when the over 250 locations of UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) across North America and in Europe celebrate the memory of company founder Aldo Croatti. The companys 14,000-plus employee Team Partners take a break from their busy schedules and join together to honor the man who started the $1.6 billion uniform service and supply company on July 12, 1936.



Headquartered in Wilmington, Mass., UniFirst is a leading provider of customized work uniform programs, corporate attire, and facility service products to businesses throughout the U.S. and Canada. Together with its subsidiaries, UniFirst also provides first-aid and safety products, and manages specialized garment programs for the cleanroom and nuclear industries.

Founders Day has been an annual event since Mr. Croattis passing in 2001 and is held on the Friday closest to the historic founding date each year. Annual festivities include presentations, barbecues, speeches, fun-filled activities, and awards. The day also recognizes Croattis founding Core Values that remain the foundation of the companys corporate culture todayCustomer Focus, Respect for Others, and Commitment to Quality with Team Partners renewing their annual commitment to the companys Essentials of Service and pledging to keep customers the focus of everything they do.

This years celebration also served as a kickoff to a company wide safety initiative that reinforces UniFirsts long-standing commitment to creating a safe work environment for all of its employee Team Partners. Reflecting the companys family-like culture, local leadership also highlighted the importance of practicing safe habits whether in the workplace or at home, and acting as safety heroes to help prevent any issues from arising.

We care deeply about the safety of our employee Team Partners and their families, says Steven Sintros, UniFirst president and CEO. Whether its at the office or in the home, safety is a top priority and were committed to helping everyone in our UniFirst family stay safe. I cant think of a better way to communicate this message than on the day when we all gather together as a family to celebrate our founder and the Core Values that make up the fabric of our company.

It is in this same spirit that on Founders Day each of the 250 UniFirst locations names its Employees of the Yearthe person who best exemplifies the Core Values. Each Employee of the Year is presented with a special recognition gift, earns an extra day off with pay, and his or her name is engraved on a plaque that remains on permanent display at their UniFirst location.

About UniFirst

Headquartered in Wilmington, Mass., UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF) is a North American leader in the supply and servicing of uniform and workwear programs, as well as the delivery of facility service programs. Together with its subsidiaries, the company also provides first aid and safety products, and manages specialized garment programs for the cleanroom and nuclear industries. UniFirst manufactures its own branded workwear, protective clothing, and floorcare products, and with 250 service locations, over 300,000 customer locations, and 14,000 employee Team Partners, the company outfits nearly 2 million workers each business day. For more information, contact UniFirst at 800.455.7654 or visit UniFirst.com.
two parallelism files:

SC tips

this document will NOT be useful

3 reasons

the content aggregated in this document is COMPLETELY RANDOM .





MOST of these items are FAR too specific to be useful "takeaways".

THAT ALSO CONTAIN OTHER, MUCH MORE IMPORTANT, MUCH MORE FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES!

all

with a clear understanding that these unique, ultra-specific, highly specialized parts of the sentence are the UNIMPORTANT parts.

the person who compiled this document has CONSISTENTLY chosen to INCLUDE the LEAST important, LEAST useful pieces of the original forum discussions  while THROWING AWAY the PARTS THAT ACTUALLY MATTER!

also

even THINKING about "mideast immigrants" vs. "immigrants from the mideast" in this problem is a HUGE MISTAKE. if you consider those parts of the choices AT ALL, then your priorities are COMPLETELY BACKWARDS!

there's exactly ONE way in which this document CAN be useful: it shows exactly how you SHOULDN'T study sentence correction.

"CR copy"

this content is NOT mine

most of this document is fundamentally misguided

mean

you should ALWAYS read the question stem FIRST  because you have no idea what you're supposed to DO with the stimulus/passage until you read the stem

what to DO

Please visit my corners of the web:

http://www.RonPurewal.com

http://www.facebook.com/RonPurewalGMAT

__



Pueden hacerle preguntas a Ron en castellano

Potete fare domande a Ron in italiano

On peut poser des questions a Ron en francais

Voit esittaa kysymyksia Ron:lle myos suomeksi

__



Un bon vetement, c'est un passeport pour le bonheur.

Yves Saint-Laurent Signature Read More

hello all,i've been alerted to this page by a student.these seem to be aggregations of screenshots and/or other content from "thursdays with me". so, yes, this content is mine.the order of presentation, too, is at least somewhat sensible (...most likely because it mirrors the original order of presentation in "thursdays").file:this appears to be a collection of things i wrote on 's forum over the years i worked for the company. so, yes, this content is mine.HOWEVER... even though these little bits and pieces of content are, ultimately, mine...as a preparatory instrument for the GMAT, for1/the items in the document are not unified/connected by any coherent theme. nor do they illustrate, explain, or reinforce any common idea or principle.2/the chance that you'll see THESE EXACT CONSTRUCTIONS again, on test day, is essentially zero....and, worst of all,3/MOST of these items come from answer choicesin most of these cases, i was doing my best to indulge a student's curiosity by answeringof his/her questions about that problem/choice,in other words,EXAMPLE:#16 in the document("mideast immigrants" is worse; "immigrants from the mideast" is better)the original problem is here:"mideast immigrants" is in choices A, B, and C.ALL of those choicescontain FUNDAMENTAL ERRORS in BASIC, ground-level constructions:A and B have a nonsense comparison (RATES vs OTHER IMMIGRANT GROUPS);E has subject-verb disagreement (the RATES ... EXCEEDS...)these errors are so basic that you MUST see them first and foremost.in other words....and yet the author of this document included THAT part... and threw away all of the FUNDAMENTALS.nearly the whole document does the same thing. over and over and over again... extracting THE LEAST IMPORTANT PART of a whole forum discussion, while completely ignoring all the fundamental, heavily tested issues.file:i do not appreciate this sort of misattribution. please do your due diligence before crediting material to its supposed source, ladies and gentlemen; thank you in advance., in both scope and technique.by "scope" i mean the same sort of thing as above  again, there's an excessive focus on incredibly specific details that have NO reasonable chance of appearing on test day.by "technique" i mean that this document just tells you to do things that you straight-up should not do.e.g., the second page tells you to read CR passages  AND "classify" them as "weak or strong" (what does that even??)  BEFORE reading the question stem!oh heck no.if you follow the directions in this document, you'll waste an ungodly amount of time reading blocks of text without ANY way to determine what's important or why, and without ANY sense ofwith that text.you'll also waste your time doing absurd things like translating "some" and "most" into numerical percentages ... among many, many other utterly non-goal-oriented, time-wasting, intuition-destroying things this document tells you to do....no.(have a nice day!)_________________
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
A restaurant named after Donald Trump is building a loyal following in the middle of Russia.

The restaurant has been growing in popularity in Siberia, its manager said on Wednesday. He spoke at a time of increased Russian interest in the U.S. president after his meetings this week with Vladimir Putin.

Trump Burger opened in the city of Krasnoyarsk last December. The restaurant is now trying to use all the talk about the U.S. leader to expand its business.

Trump spoke of wanting to improve ties between the countries during his talks on Monday in Helsinki with President Putin.

The walls of the eatery are covered with paintings of the U.S. president. The food it offers includes such choices as a Trump Burger with bacon and a Melania chicken burger, named after Melania Trump, the presidents wife.

Demand is really not bad for a restaurant that opened just recently, manager Igor Vinogradov told the Reuters News Agency. He noted that some customers drink too much alcohol and have no great liking for the United States. They sometimes are critical of the restaurants theme and have demonstrated rowdy behavior, he added.

There were celebrations in Russia after Trump won the U.S. presidential election in 2016. As a candidate, Trump had called for improved relations with Russia and praised Putin.

At Mondays summit meeting, Trump shocked the world by questioning the findings of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia had interfered in the 2016 elections. Trump also praised Putins strong and powerful claim that Russia was not involved in the vote.

Im Phil Dierking.

The Reuters News Agency reported on this story. Phil Dierking adapted the report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

Do know of any other restaurants named after politicians? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

burger - n. a sandwich usually made with grilled beef

manager - n. someone who is in charge of a business, department, etc.

bacon - n. thin strips of salted and smoked meat from the sides and the back of a pig

rowdy - adj. rough or noisy

theme - n. the main subject that is being discussed or described in a piece of writing, a movie, etc.

customer - n. someone who buys goods or services from a business
More than half a million Rohingya from Myanmar are in refugee camps in Bangladesh. The people, a Muslim minority in Myanmar, fled the militarys campaign of violence against them. Now, they face another threat: monsoon rains.

The intensity and speed of the rain cause landslides and serious flooding in the camps. The problem is made worse because many refugees take shelter on hills. But trees no longer hold the soil in place. They have been cut down to clear space and provide wood for shelters. The roots have been cut for firewood. When the rains come, the water turns the soil into heavy mud that slides down the hill and covers anything in its way.

One man, named Mohamed Alom, was asleep in his shelter last month when mud slid through the plastic wall beside him. A tree root cut his head.

In another slide, a 60-year-old woman was buried to the top of her legs in mud.

One child has already died as a result of heavy rains, and thirty more people have been injured, says the group that oversees aid workers in the camp. The Inter Sector Coordination Group, or ISCG, also says that more than 200,000 people are living in areas believed to be in danger of landslides and flooding.

The most intense rain is expected over the next few months.

Officials have been able to clear some land in the camp and make it flat, but the area does not have enough space for everyone. About 34,000 people have moved to new shelters farther away. However, many now struggle to find firewood because they live far from the mountains, and they do not have money for travel to the markets.

Mohamed Alom, marked from the cut on his head, is currently living in a one-room school house with 12 other people. He says he is hoping officials will help build him a new shelter. But, he says, he has no idea how long that will take.

However, Alom notes that the Rohingya refugees have faced threats more serious than rain, including mass killings, rapes, and other abuse at the hands of soldiers in Myanmar. He said, Here, even if theres a landslide, at least we dont have to worry about the military.

Im Kelly Jean Kelly.

Kelly Jean Kelly adapted this story for VOA Learning English from a report by the Associated Press. Caty Weaver edited the story.

_________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

monsoon - n. the rainy season that occurs in southern Asia in the summer

landslide - n. a large mass of rocks and earth that suddenly and quickly moves down the side of a mountain or hill

shelter - n. a structure that covers or protects people or things
Spain has become the number-one destination for migrants who cross the Mediterranean Sea to get to Europe.

Before, the country most of the migrants tried to reach was Italy.

The latest numbers come from for the European Union's border agency Frontex. They show the number of migrants reaching Spain increased 166 percent from a year ago, to nearly 6,400 in June.

Migrants from Morocco, Guinea and Mali made up the highest number of arrivals in Spain this year.

The number of migrants who used the central Mediterranean path to Italy and Malta this June fell to about 3,000. That is a drop of 87 percent compared to June 2017.

The Italian government recently banned non-governmental organization (NGO) boats from disembarking migrants in Italian ports. The ban is expected to last through the summer.

Demonstrators have protested the decision. They accuse their government of being responsible for the deaths of migrants at sea.

The United Nations says one in seven migrants making the crossing has drowned since Italy banned NGO boats.

Earlier this week, the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms discovered a destroyed migrant boat off the coast of Libya. Rescuers found the bodies of a woman and child. Another woman was found alive.

The group and other NGOs accuse the Libyan coast guard and a ship that was nearby of leaving the migrants to die.

Oscar Camps, who founded Proactiva Open Arms, said the deaths were a direct result of "not allowing NGOs, which rescue lives in the Mediterranean, to work here.

Earlier this week, five European nations  France, Spain, Germany, Malta and Portugal  agreed to share 450 migrants who had been rescued by Italian government boats. Italy refused to take all of them in. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini wrote on Twitter: "Firmness and coherence pay off."

He later told reporters that his goal was to save everyone. To aid everyone. To heal everyone. To feed everyone. But to avoid that everyone comes to Italy.

In total, the number of so-called irregular migrant crossings into the European Union in the first half of 2018 was more than 60,000. That is almost a 50-percent drop from a year ago.

I'm Susan Shand.

VOAs Henry Ridgewell reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

____________________________________________________________
The burned remains of bread made about 14,500 years ago in northeastern Jordan have given scientists a surprise: humans started making bread long before they developed agriculture.

The bread was found in a stone fireplace at an ancient site in Jordans Black Desert.

It is the oldest bread ever found.

Researchers said this week that the discovery shows that hunter-gatherers in the Eastern Mediterranean learned to make bread more than 4,000 years before farming began. That is much earlier than scientists had thought.

The bread was made from wild cereals like barley and oats, as well as tubers. It was made by a group of people called the Natufians. At the time, they had started to change from a nomadic way of life to one in which they stayed in one place.

Amaia Arranz-Otaegui was a lead writer and researcher of the study. She is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. She called the bread discovery exceptional.

Arranz-Otaegui said scientists must now consider whether there was a relationship between bread production and the beginning of agriculture. She added that the desire for bread may have led nomadic people to start growing food and staying in one area.

She also said the researchers have begun the process of trying to reproduce the prehistoric bread.

The bread might not have been very tasty, Arranz-Otaegui said. She described the taste of the tubers used for the flour as quite gritty and salty. But it is a bit sweet as well.

The next-oldest bread ever discovered was found in Turkey. It was over 9,000 years old.

Im Susan Shand.

This story was reported by Reuters. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story
It is a curious case that when a company falls prey to a hack, the first reaction is to blame it for becoming the victim.

If someone were to steal your car, people might say that it was unfortunate, or empathise with your. The criminal, however, would be blamed for committing the theft.

When a cyber attack is involved, though, a different standard seems to apply.

Liberty revealed in June 2018 that it was the target of an attack on its IT infrastructure. The hackers claimed to have taken data during the attack and threatened to release the data unless Liberty paid a ransom.

The CEO of Liberty, David Munro, later revealed that the attackers had got into Libertys network and accessed one of its servers.

Initial reactions were not that Liberty was the victim of a crime, but questioned its competence as a financial institution. Allegations that it was an inside job were also made.

This is a curious double standard, as consumers generally find it distasteful when banks and mobile network operators blame a client that was the victim of SIM-swap fraud.

When it comes to online banking fraud, their line is usually that the attacker would not have been able to get into a bank account if the client hadnt compromised their login credentials.

The public is not impressed by this argument, especially when the fraudulent transactions were clearly suspicious.

Yet when the tables are turned, were quick to use the same line of argument  asking what Liberty did to allow the compromise.

This is despite knowing little about the security measures Liberty had in place.

Poor security practices

There have been many reports of outrageous negligence when it comes to information security in South Africa, and it has become natural to assume the worst of a company who has been hacked.

ISPs and other companies have stored peoples passwords in plain text, and government websites were launched and forgotten.

Our most infamous data leak  the Master Deeds leak  was the result of a database backup file being left on an unsecured web server.

Besides coming to expect poor security policies from organisations that get hacked, South Africans have also seen the people who report security flaws be treated like criminals.

This was especially the case with government websites.

When helpful IT professionals and white hat hackers discovered and reported security flaws in the E-toll and City of Johannesburg websites, they werent thanked  but threatened with legal action.

While SANRALs response to the disclosure of a vulnerability on the E-toll website ended at merely a threat, the City of Johannesburg laid a criminal case against the person who reported the data leakage.

It should be noted there are local companies which are thankful for vulnerability reports. Cell C, Vodacom, eThekwini, and Vox are examples of organisations which thanked people for reporting issues.

Lack of sympathy for big companies

Perhaps the most prevalent reason for the lack of sympathy is that it is is difficult to feel sorry for a large company with ample money and resources at its disposal.

If us average users are ultimately liable when it comes to our own online security, then big corporates should be held responsible in a similar way.

However, while the above reasoning is understandable, it makes it no less a double standard.

It is fair to say that you must take responsibility for your own safety  you lock your door at home, lock your car, and guard your passwords  but there is nothing wrong with reminding people to stay safe.

Similarly, banks also accept a level of responsibility and are expected to implement systems beyond basic password checks to detect whether activity on an account is suspicious.

That said, banks and mobile networks can be empathetic to clients who were the victims of identity theft and online fraud, without accepting liability for the loss. The thief is the criminal, not the bank or the client.

As hypocritical as it is, though, companies like banks cant expect the public response to attacks on them to change unless they stop victim shaming clients who have fallen prey to hackers.

Now read: How the Liberty hackers got in
A top-secret state spy fund project has turned out to be the purchase of a mansion in Pretoria for the minister of state security, according to a report in the Sunday Times.

The report stated that a spy fund was used to buy Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba the mansion, after she rejected the house the government gave her.

The minister was allocated a house by the Department of Public Works, but said it had faulty plugs and damp patches.

Letsatsi-Duba then reportedly began personally negotiating the purchase of the Waterkloof, Pretoria mansion.

The minister deviated from the supply chain management process to do this, signing off on R10 million from the State Security Agencys slush fund, stated the Sunday Times.

It added that the slush fund is meant for top-secret projects, paying informants, and buying special equipment.

At least 5 living areas

The Sunday Times stated it has seen a document which was used by the agency to purchase the house with the funds money, which detailed the minimum requirements for the property.

This included at least 4 bedrooms, 5 living areas, and 2 studies. It had to cater for at least 6 vehicles, too.

Two sources with intimate knowledge of the purchase of the property said the house was specifically bought for the minister and that the letter from SSA seeking approval was just a way of working around it, stated the report.

A State Security Agency spokesperson told the Sunday Times that following months of engagement with public works to find suitable accommodation, Letsatsi-Duba is considering a number of accommodation options  including the R10-million mansion.

The allocation of the SSAs funds to buy a house took place despite the fact that for 2018, all government ministers are paid a salary of R2.4 million per year.
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Several protesters in Nepal were injured in clashes with police at a demonstration in support of a hunger-striking doctor seeking better healthcare in the impoverished Himalayan country, Channel News Asia reported.

Thousands took to the streets on Saturday in solidarity with Dr Govinda KC, who has been on a hunger strike for nearly a month demanding reforms in the medical sector and education.

Protestors from Nepal Tarun Dal, the youth wing of the opposition party Nepali Congress, were injured when police fired multiple rounds of teargas and used batons as they entered a restricted area near the parliament in capital Kathmandu.

Activists on Sunday said they planned more protests following the clashes.

We are protesting against the governments authoritarian-like behaviour. They are not listening to the people and to the just demands of Dr Govinda KC, Bhupendra Jung Shahi, general secretary of Nepal Tarun Dal, said.

Viewed by his supporters as a medical Robin Hood, Dr KC is well known in Nepal for his philanthropic work, travelling to some of the countrys most remote communities to provide medical care and train local health workers.

Dr KC, 61, has gone on hunger strike 15 times over the past six years in an attempt to pressure the government to improve healthcare.

He began his current hunger strike, the longest at 23 days, on Jun 30 in remote Jumla district and was airlifted to Kathmandu by the government amid protests last week as concerns for his health grew.

A key sticking point has been a medical education bill registered in the parliament earlier this month seeking to overturn an ordinance by the previous government that met Dr KCs demands to regulate doctor training and curtail commercialisation in medical education.

Dr KC has demanded a withdrawal of the bill before sitting down for talks with the government.

Another hundred supporters also joined Dr KC in a hunger strike on Sunday to pressure the government to respond positively.

Until the government responds to his demands we will continue to protest peacefully and draw the attention of the government, said Dinesh Prasai, a professor who had joined the fast.
Iran, Armenia reach agreement on use of alternative routes for transport of goods

Erdogan renounces threats to expel ambassadors of 10 countries

World Championship: Gurgen Madoyan begins with confident victory (PHOTOS)

Official: Armenia universities to hold classes online, schools to extend autumn break for a week

Messi in the lead in race for FIFA Ballon d'Or

Armenia army's General Staff deputy chief's attorney on client's case over missiles, demands that they are fired

Earthquake hits 8 km east from Armenia's Bavra, felt in Shirak and Lori Provinces

Zidane says he doesn't want to manage Man United

China FM to meet with the Taliban in Qatar

Barca and Boca Juniors to play friendly match in memory of Diego Maradona

Armenia Parliament Speaker, Cyprus FM discuss issues on regional and bilateral agendas

Armenia Parliament Council holds session, 18 items on agenda for plenary session on Oct. 26

Armenia Deputy Prosecutor General discusses nature protection rights in basin of Araks River and cooperation with Iran

Armenia parliament sets up committee to lead probe into facts impeding fair trial

Armenia Deputy PM Suren Papikyan visits Zangezur Copper-Molbydenum Combine

Erdogan to leave for Azerbaijan to attend opening of airport in seized Varanda of Karabakh

Armenia Parliament Speaker-led delegation meets with Cyprus defense minister

Armenia Parliament Speaker holding meetings in Cyprus

NATO Secretary General: Too early to comment on Turkey's decision to declare 10 countries' envoys 'persona non grata'

Earthquake hits Armenia, felt in Gyumri, Spitak and Tashir

Dollar goes up in Armenia

Azerbaijan defense minister receives NATO delegation

EU is closely following situation created after Turkey decided to expel envoys

Turkey offers Russia to join NATO

Armenia National Security Service left several examinations incomplete in ex-defense minister case, says his lawyer

Armenia Finance Ministry: Construction and industry might become main engine of economic growth in 2022

Finance minister: Armenia government national debt payment spending will continue to increase in 2022

Snoop Doggs mother Beverly Tate dies at 70

Opposition 'Armenia' faction MP: Rallies and marches might be held sooner than Nov. 9

Azerbaijans levying of tolls from Iranian trucks is against trilateral agreement, says Iran ambassador to Armenia

Direct passenger flights between Yerevan, Vilnius to kick off mid-December

Artsakh offers to return Azerbaijani paintings in exchange for Armenian ones remaining in now-occupied Shushi

Armenia ruling party, opposition ARF to run for post of Ijevan mayor

Alec Baldwin meets with husband, son of Halyna Hutchins who died from his shooting (VIDEO)

One more person dies of coronavirus in Karabakh

Artsakh state minister, US lawmaker discuss cooperation

Did you know? Step Up 2: The Streets: 11 interesting facts about the movie

Armenia opposition MP, ex-defense minister: 'Unblocking of transport roads' will lead to deeper blockade

Premier: Armenia has no intention to conquer territories

Michael Jordan's Air Ships sold for record $1,047,000 at Sotheby's (PHOTO)

Pashinyan: Border delimitation start to create favorable conditions for Azerbaijan army withdrawal from Armenia

1,184 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

PM: Projects launched to turn Armenia from raw material exporting country to developed metallurgical nation

Garden of the Eternal: Parents of about 200 soldiers killed in Artsakh war partake in tree planting first phase

Premier: Absolute record number of paid jobs registered in Armenia in September

Russia peacekeepers, philanthropists deliver 1.25 tons of humanitarian aid to Karabakh kindergartens, schools

Sudan soldiers detain country's PM

Ed Sheeran tests positive for coronavirus

Turkey, Azerbaijan presidents to meet in Istanbul

PM on Armenia 2022 state budget draft: We forecast 7% economic growth

Health ministry: 677,032 people so far vaccinated in Armenia against coronavirus

World gold prices going up

World oil prices on the rise

Messi unable to score in first 4 league games for first time in 16 years

'Friends' star James Michael Tyler dies after cancer battle

Armenia village head: No compensation paid for 80 cows that came under Azerbaijan control since June 5

Armenia PM visits late statesman, writer Vano Siradeghyans family

Ronaldo: Our fans deserve much better than this

Barca fans attack manager Koeman's car

La Liga: Atletico Madrid play draw with Real Sociedad

Ligue 1: PSG unable to beat Marseille (VIDEO)

Serie A: Inter, Juve play draw (VIDEO)

Armenia President holds discussion with Yandex Deputy Director Tigran Khudaverdyan

Armenia Ombudsman meets with France Ambassador, presents urgency of Armenian POWs' return

Armenia village head: No news about conscript who has gone missing from Vardenis since May 18

Earthquake hits Armenia, felt in cities and villages of Shirak and Lori Provinces

Armenia opposition to hold rallies on Nov. 9 and 10

How Armenians of Cyprus greeted Armenia Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan

Opposition 'Shant Alliance' releases list of candidates for local self-government elections in Armenia's Kapan

Facebook accused of inciting religious hatred in India

Russia has refused collaboration with NATO, says presidential spokesman

China launches Shijian-21 satellite to test space debris mitigation technology

Shantnews.am: How are Gyumri municipal council seats distributed?

Suarez: Messi has no challenger in race for this years Ballon dOr

Peskov speaks on prospects of Putin's next meeting with Biden

Mohamed Ali's grandson gets 2nd win by KO

Armenia ruling party releases list of candidates for local self-government elections in Kapan

Armenia health minister: Hospital bed stock is almost empty

Alec Baldwin ignored No. 1 rule of gun safety, says Hollywood weapons expert

Ryan Gosling to co-star with Margot Robbie as Ken in movie Barbie

Magnitude 6.5 earthquake hits Taiwan

47 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Artsakh, 14 patients are in critical condition

COVID-19 vaccination kicks off at Opera Square in Yerevan

Germany responds to Erdogan's assignment to declare Ambassadors 'persona non grata'

Hailey Bieber reacts to Halyna Hutchins shooting

Armenia Health Ministry: Pregnant women in COVID-19 risk group can avoid difficult course through vaccination

Pakistan providing assistance to the Taliban in fight against ISIS in Afghanistan

2,354 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Alec Baldwin attends candlelight ceremony in honor of Halyna Hutchins

Uzbekistan holding presidential elections

EUBC: Armenia wins third place with 2 gold medals, 2 silver medals and 1 bronze medal (PHOTOS)

Armenia defense minister, Red Cross delegation discuss missing persons as result of both Artsakh wars

Yerevan-Gyumri motorway passenger van accident death toll rises to 6

Aliyevs newfound pugnacity, provocation towards Iran risks undermining Azerbaijans long-term security

Armenian Legal Center files new cases before ECHR regarding Armenian captives disappearance

Azerbaijan kicks off military exercises in Artsakhs Kashatagh

MFA spokesman: No Armenia PM-Azerbaijan president meeting planned at this time

4 killed, 3 injured in China chemical plant explosion

Peskov comments on possible Russia-Armenia-Azerbaijan summit

Artsakh President visits capital Stepanakert district, Askeran region (VIDEO)
Britain will refuse to pay its 39 billion ($51 billion) divorce bill to Brussels if the European Union fails to agree a trade deal, the UK Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union pledged Sunday.

Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab told The Sunday Telegraph that he would make the vast payment formally conditional on the EU fulfilling its side of the bargain.

Raab said there had to be conditionality under the Article 50 withdrawal mechanism between settling Britains exit payment and creating a new relationship with the EU.

Article 50 requires, as we negotiate the withdrawal agreement, that theres a future framework for our new relationship going forward, so the two are linked, he said. You cant have one side fulfilling its side of the bargain and the other side not, or going slow, or failing to commit on its side. So I think we do need to make sure that theres some conditionality between the two.

I want to make sure we can persuade everyone () that weve got the best deal and the best plan to get the best [Brexit] deal.
The 1bn-dram (approx. $2,100,000) bail, which has been set for Armenia former ranking security official Vachagan Ghazaryans release from pre-trial detention, has not been paid yet.

Armen Harutyunyan, the attorney of Ghazaryan, told about the above-said to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

It will be clear within two to three days whether or not the court-set 1 billion drams will be paid, he said.

Ghazaryan, who is charged with illicit enrichment, pleads innocent.

In his attorneys words, Ghazaryan has not yet given testimony in the case, and he has only given some explanations.

Until May 17, Vachagan Ghazaryan served as First Deputy Director of the State Protection Service. While in office, he was in charge of the security detail of then President Serzh Sargsyan.

On June 25, Ghazaryan was detained by the National Security Service (NSS) and placed under arrest. Two days later, he was charged for illicit enrichment and false asset declaration. He was remanded in custody pending trial on June 28.

Ghazaryan had carried about $500,000 in cash on him at the time of his arrest. He claimed that he withdrew the money from a bank, and with the purpose of returning it to its real ownerbut without mentioning a name. Another $50,000 were discovered in his car.

The NSS said it had intelligence reports that Ghazaryan was planning to withdraw an additional $3,000,000 from his and his wifes bank accounts.

Vachagan Ghazaryan was detained for two months.

Yerevan court sets $2,100,000 bail for release of Vachagan Ghazaryan

Link` https://news.am/eng/news/462770.html (Yerevan court sets $2,100,000 bail for release of Vachagan Ghazaryan)
Close to 40 members of staff at the China- Uganda Friendship Hospital, Naguru face sanctions for absenting themselves from work and reporting late for duty.

The affected persons, mostly medical workers, have been asked by the hospital management to submit written explanations stating why they missed duty for more than 15 days this month.

A letter requiring them to submit explanations was signed and stamped by the hospital director bearing the names of 39 implicated staff.

Three of the people reported on duty for only one day, while the person who worked more days is recorded as having reported to work for 10 days between July 1 to 19, 2018.

Close to 40 members of staff at the China- Uganda Friendship Hospital, Naguru face sanctions for absenting themselves from work and reporting late for duty.

The affected persons, mostly medical workers, have been asked by the hospital management to submit written explanations stating why they missed duty for more than 15 days this month.

A letter requiring them to submit explanations was signed and stamped by the hospital director bearing the names of 39 implicated staff.

Three of the people reported on duty for only one day, while the person who worked more days is recorded as having reported to work for 10 days between July 1 to 19, 2018.
How much oil from Iran will be disrupted because of U.S. sanctions? American officials have gone back and forth on this, but many of the people who decide how much Iranian oil will be knocked offline are located in India and China.

In recent months, both India and China each purchased more than 600,000 bpd from Iran. Together, that amounts to about 60 percent of Irans oil exports, which makes them hugely important to the efficacy of U.S. sanctions.

It is unclear which way India will go. Because of its proximity, and its growing thirst for oil, India is a major buyer of Iranian oil. But the Indian government of Narendra Modi has had a positive relationship with both the Obama and Trump administrations, no small feat. While Trump has damaged the relationship between the U.S. and a lot of countries, India has managed to avoid his wrath.

That would likely change if India scoffed at U.S. sanctions on Iran and continued to import oil. But Indias need for imported oil puts it in a bind, especially with higher fuel prices causing some unease among its populace. It could be costlier to cut out purchases from Iran and buy oil elsewhere. And during the last round of sanctions, prior to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, India was one of the few countries that continued to buy oil from Iran.

Since the U.S. scrapped the nuclear accord with Iran in May, reports suggest that Iran has offered India virtually free shipping and an extended credit period of 60 days, enticements intended to keep India from cutting off Iran. We can buy Basra Heavy, Saudi or Kuwait oil to replace Iran. Finding replacement barrels is not a problem, but it has to give the best economic value, a source in New Delhi told Reuters last month.

But other signs suggest that Modis government is moving to comply with Washingtons demands. In June, Reuters reported that Indias oil ministry told the countrys top refiners to prepare for a drastic reduction or zero imports of oil from Iran.

Related: Wood Mackenzie: Global Peak Oil Demand Expected In 2036

Some argue that India could import oil from the U.S., which would serve several purposes at once. It could provide India with an alternative source of oil, it would also cut the U.S. trade deficit with India, and it would create good will with the Trump administration as it goes on its trade warpath. India could conceivably win steel tariff exemptions if it complies with U.S. demands vis-a-vis Iran.

The upcoming sanctions on Iran provide a golden opportunity to commercialize more U.S. oil in the Indian market, Abhishek Kumar, a senior energy analyst at Interfax Energy in London, told Bloomberg. Escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and China will also be conducive to more U.S. oil coming to the Indian market.

China, on the other hand, is in an entirely different situation. Open trade war between the U.S. and China could actually push Beijing into buying more oil from Iran, not less. On top of that, with refiners in Europe, Japan and South Korea already beginning to curtail purchases from Iran, there is a lot of supply from Iran that is looking for a home. Iran will likely offer discounts to Chinese refiners, and China might readily scoop up ample supplies on the cheap. We dont have any problem selling our oil to China, an Iranian official told the Wall Street Journal.

Even more enticing to China is the possibility of conducting the trade in yuan, which would serve the dual objective of elevating the Chinese currency and bolstering the Shanghai oil futures contract. Europe may even quietly support more Chinese purchases of Iranian oil in an effort to keep the nuclear deal alive.

Meanwhile, President Trump just threatened to escalate the trade war to yet a new level. In a CNBC interview that aired on Friday Trump said he was willing to slap tariffs on basically every imported good from China. "I'm ready to go to 500," Trump said, referring to the $505 billion in total U.S. imports from China last year.

Related: U.S. Poised To Ease Biofuel Quotas

Few analysts expect China to buckle under the pressure. The trade war would just intensify if Trump moves forward. Buying as much oil from Iran as possible would be one way of retaliating against Washingtons demands.

To a large extent, the total volume of oil disrupted from Iran due to sanctions will be determined by how much the U.S. wants to tighten the screws. A State Department official said in June that the objective would be cutting Iranian oil exports to zero, comments that sent oil prices skyrocketing. Since then, the U.S. government has softened its tone somewhat, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggesting that he would consider waiver requests.

However, even if the U.S. wants to apply maximum pressure, China and India, which together account for nearly two-thirds of Irans oil exports, still hold a lot of the cards.

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The summer of 2018 will go into history as the moment when a US president fundamentally and decisively changed the international world order which its predecessors worked hard on during the past decades. Within approximately a week from 11 July until 16 July, President Donald Trump achieved to insult its key allies in Europe and fundamentally undermine NATO and the EU, while cozying up to what seems to be the most important adversary of the West. While this week will go into history as an arduous one for the presidency of Trump, for President Vladimir Putin, in contrast, it is one of his best since the Ukraine crisis began in 2015.

The strategic interests of Russia were met in considerable ways as its key adversaries are divided due to Trumps bellicose and aggressive language before and during the yearly NATO summit in Brussels. The unprecedented attack on Germany during a televised lunch, which caught off-guard the host Secretary-General Stoltenberg, in many ways showcased the current administrations interest in the financial and energy domain.

Trump claimed Germany is totally controlled by Russia. They will be getting between 60 and 70 percent of their energy from Russia and a new pipeline. Although this is factually untrue, Germany imports 33 percent of its gas and 40 percent oil from Russia, these statements spread confusion as to what Trumps actual endgame is. Several options are possible as to the true intentions of these statements. Related: Houston To Get Its Own Crude Oil Futures As U.S. Exports Rise

This could be a negotiating strategy of Trump by putting pressure on Germany in order of significantly increasing its defense expenditure. Although NATO leaders reaffirmed after the gathering on 12 July their commitment to the pre-Trump agreement of gradually increasing defense expenditure, the US president seems adamant on even more. Trump claimed that the remaining NATO members have agreed to increase expenditure to 4 percent instead of 2 percent. This was rebuffed by the other alliance members.

Another alternative goal of the presumed negotiating strategy could be not defense spending but forcing US energy on Europe and primarily Germany. The shale revolution has transformed the North American country from an importer into an exporter within a couple of years. Some analysts have long predicted that the US intentions on obstructing the construction of Nord Stream 2 are not based on benign security concerns but commercial interests.

Russian natural gas traveling through pipelines is significantly cheaper than LNG. Therefore, US exporters would be facing major difficulties in finding buyers for their product as commercial customers obviously will want to pay as less as possible. The US objections have been steadily increasing and changing from political pressure into the threat of sanctions as Nord Stream 2 is partly financed by Western companies but wholly owned by Gazprom.

The most stunning of Trumps actions during the past week came during his press conference alongside Russian president Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on 16th July. Although the Kremlin did get nothing on several crucial subjects such as the lifting of sanctions, Syria, and Ukraine, Trump did manage to provide Putin something he has long aimed for, legitimacy as a great power. Since his ascension as President of the Russian Federation, he has sought equal footing with the American superpower in order to reposition Russia globally.

Related: Chinese Oil Demand Growth Could Slow Down Soon

On the energy side, Trumps actions caused even more confusion. Although it could be said that the US president in some ways reduced his opposition to the construction of Nord Stream 2, his erratic and unpredictable behaviour give no cause for celebration for the Russians yet. Trump declared that the US will compete for market share with Nord Stream 2, thus acknowledging its construction. Vladimir Putin from his side, reaffirmed his commitment to maintaining using Ukraines transit role even after the pipeline has been built.

President Trumps unpredictable behaviour does not provide analysts and policymakers with clear outcomes when it comes to the US objections on Nord Stream 2. Recent developments have proven that the US position towards the construction of Nord Stream 2 is not decided yet, despite bellicose language before the meeting with Putin in Helsinki. However, European resolve will be the decisive factor in this matter as Trump increasingly has put pressure on his allies. European policymakers have to decide soon whether the time has come to confront the US on topics where soft language has proven not to work.

By Vanand Meliksetian for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Saudi Arabia has pledged to chip in $10 billion in funds to South Africas ailing power sector, according to a South African government spokesperson cited by CNBC.

The funds will be used to build refineries for one and will also be used to advance petrochemicals and renewable energy projects in the developing economy of South Africa.

The funds cant come soon enough for South Africa, whose power sector outages likely represent the African nations number one problem.

In 2016, Oilprice spoke of its ongoing energy crisis that took the shape of a staggering 99 days of rolling blackouts in 2015. Eskom, the countrys electric utility that provides 95 percent of the countrys electricity needs, has experienced blackouts this year as well, in part due to striking Eskom workers who sabotaged the national grid. And its power problems are far from over.

A national blackoutnot a rolling blackout but a total blackout--presents unique challenges for Eskom, because in the event of a complete blackout, Eskom would need to restart its power plants without any electricity at alla unkind scenario referred to as a black start. A black start could take as much as two or three weeks, according to Eskom. Related: Goldman Predicts Major Solar Market Contraction

Enter Saudi Arabia. The Kingdoms funds will represent just a portion of the $100 billion that South Africa is looking for to upgrade its underfunded energy sector.

To the disappointment of many, South Africa still relies heavily on coal, but South Africas 15 coal-fired plants are set to be reduced to just 3 over the next 20 years. The push to shutdown coal-fired plants came shortly after reports surfaced that Eskom was experiencing coal shortages.

Saudi Arabias motivations for investing in South Africas power sector is largely in line with Saudi Arabias Vision 2030, which seeks to diversify away from oil dependence and towards foreign economies. Despite its power sector woes that have diminished its GDP, South Africa remains Africas second-largest economy, representing new opportunities for The Kingdom.

But Saudi Arabia is not first to the table. In 2014, Russia wanted a piece of the pie, signing an agreement with South Africa whereby it would supply SA with eight nuclear power stations valued at $76 billiondwarfing Saudi Arabias latest investment and well above Eskoms total assets, which are currently valued somewhere around $50 billion. The Russian deal attracted criticism and prompted investigations into the deals special favors, which included indemnification for Russia should any nuclear accidents take placeleaving South Africa to bear the brunt of the costs associated with a nuclear accident. It is unclear where that contentious deal currently stands. Related: Has The Movement For CO2 Controls Peaked?

Saudi Arabias pledge of $10 billion was forged during South African President Cyril Ramaphosas whirlwind tour. Ramaphosa went with hand out to not just Saudi Arabia but to the United Arab Emirates and Nigeria as well. The United Arab Emirates, too, committed to ponying up $10 billion, although it is unclear what the UAEs $10 billion will be used for, unlike Saudi Arabias funds, whose plans are quite clear.

Interestingly enough, South Africa imports about 20 percent of its crude oil from Iranno doubt Saudi Arabia will be happy to weigh in on South Africas Iranian import plans in the future.

Despite Saudi Arabias $10 billion commitment, energy reform in South Africa is slow going. Projects in the energy sector are almost invariably delayed due to opposition from NGOs (non-governmental organizations) or trade unions, said Ben Payton, head of Africa research at consultancy Verisk Maplecroft. South African government agencies are often unreliable partners.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
British physicist Brian Cox speaks at the Apollo Celebration Gala at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Saturday, July 21, 2018. The event kicked off a yearlong celebration of the upcoming 50-year anniversary of the first moon landing. (AP Photo/Alex Sanz)

Former NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin was noticeably absent from a gala kicking off a yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing, even though his nonprofit space education foundation is a sponsor and he typically is the star attraction.

No explanation was given for Aldrin's absence from the Apollo Celebration Gala on Saturday evening. But the former astronaut is locked in a legal battle with family members who say he is suffering from mental decline. The black-tie event, held under a Saturn V rocket at the Kennedy Space Center, featured a panel discussion by astronauts, an awards ceremony, and an auction of space memorabilia.

Hundreds of people attended the sold-out event, including British physicist Brian Cox, who presented Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson with the ShareSpace Foundation's Innovation award.

Branson, whose company is developing a new generation of commercial spacecraft, said in a recorded video that the Apollo missions influenced his generation.

"Space is still hard, really hard. It still really matters," Branson said. "There would be no Virgin Galactic, no Virgin Orbit and no spaceship company had it not been for Apollo astronauts and the thousands of talented people who made their mission possible."

Dr. Carolyn Williams of the nonprofit From One Hand To AnOTHER received the foundation's Education award, and former Johnson Space Center director Gerry Griffin, a flight director for all of the crewed Apollo missions, was honored with the Pioneer award.

Former Johnson Space Center Director Gerry Griffin, left, a flight director for all of the crewed Apollo missions, sits next to Apollo astronauts Harrison Schmitt, Rusty Schweickart, Walt Cunningham and Tom Stafford, from second from left, during a panel discussion at the Apollo Celebration Gala at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Saturday, July 21, 2018. The event kicked off a yearlong celebration of the upcoming 50-year anniversary of the first moon landing. (AP Photo/Alex Sanz)

"It's very humbling, it kind of came out of the blue," Griffin said. "It is so neat to know that we've passed the torch that will let this next generation take us to this next step."

That next step, Griffin said, is a return of Americans to the Moon and, eventually, Marssomething former Apollo astronauts Walt Cunningham, Harrison Schmitt, Rusty Schweickart and Tom Stafford discussed during a conversation with Cox.

"We're sort of going through a second door here. The door isn't all the way openwe haven't gone all the way through itbut it's cracked open," Schweickart, who flew as the lunar module pilot on Apollo 9, told The Associated Press. "Space is going to be much less expensive to go to, and that's going to open up not just opportunities for people to fly, but because of the decreased cost, real opportunities for innovators to generate new ideas and to do things that have never been done before."

Aldrin's ShareSpace Foundation is one of the sponsors of the annual gala, which raises money for Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematicsor STEAM educationand Astronaut Scholarship Foundation scholarships.

Christina Korp, left, a board member at Buzz Aldrin's ShareSpace Foundation, performs at the Apollo Celebration Gala at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Saturday, July 21, 2018. At right is Margie Gruba. The event kicked off a yearlong celebration of the upcoming 50-year anniversary of the first moon landing. (AP Photo/Alex Sanz)

Renowned Brazilian pop artist Romero Britto donated artwork from his "Buzz Aldrin Space Series" for the auction, which also included a behind-the-scenes tour of Virgin Galactic in California and autographed space memorabilia. Tickets for the event ranged from $750 to $2,500 per person.

The former astronaut's expected absence comes just a month after he sued two of his adult children and a former business manager, accusing them of misusing his credit cards, transferring money from an account and slandering him by saying he has dementia. Only weeks before the lawsuit, Andrew and Jan Aldrin filed a petition claiming their 88-year-old father was suffering from memory loss, delusions, paranoia and confusion.

Andrew and Jan Aldrin, as well as business manager Christina Korp, are on the foundation's board and attended the gala. Aldrin's oldest son, James, isn't involved in the legal fight.

Andrew Aldrin acknowledged his father's absence during the gala.

The black-tie Apollo Celebration Gala is held under a Saturn V rocket at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Saturday, July 21, 2018. The event kicked off a yearlong celebration of the upcoming 50-year anniversary of the first moon landing, and featured a panel discussion by astronauts, an awards ceremony and an auction of space memorabilia. (AP Photo/Alex Sanz)

"We're sorry dad can't be here, I know some of you are disappointed," Aldrin said. "Ultimately, what we're about is creating the first generation of Martians."

Buzz Aldrin said in a statement that he didn't attend the gala "due to the present course of events related to my space initiatives, also current legal matters linked to the ShareSpace Foundation."

"I formed ShareSpace Foundation in 1998 for the promotion of individual space voyagers," Aldrin added. "The Foundation is, in my view, now being used to promote quite different objectives."

Buzz Aldrin, along with Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins, was part of the Apollo 11 mission which landed the first two humans on the moon on July 20, 1969.

Andrew Aldrin, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin's son, attends the Apollo Celebration Gala at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Saturday, July 21, 2018. The event kicked off a yearlong celebration of the upcoming 50-year anniversary of the first moon landing. (AP Photo/Alex Sanz)

In this July 15, 2017, file photo, Christina Korp, Buzz Aldrin's business manager, speaks at the commemoration for the upcoming anniversary of the 1969 mission to the moon and a gala for the non-profit space education foundation, ShareSpace Foundation, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Aldrin is expected to be noticeably absent from a gala kicking off a yearlong celebration of the 50-year anniversary of the first moon landing, even though his foundation is a sponsor and he typically is the star attraction. Organizers haven't heard one way or another if Aldrin is attending Saturday, July 21, 2018 evening's Apollo Celebration Gala at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, but they expect him to be a no-show. (AP Photo/Alex Sanz, File)

In this July 15, 2017, file photo, Andrew Aldrin, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin's son, speaks at the commemoration for the upcoming anniversary of the 1969 mission to the moon and a gala for the non-profit space education foundation, ShareSpace Foundation, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Aldrin is expected to be noticeably absent from a gala kicking off a yearlong celebration of the 50-year anniversary of the first moon landing, even though his foundation is a sponsor and he typically is the star attraction. Organizers haven't heard one way or another if Aldrin is attending Saturday, July 21, 2018 evening's Apollo Celebration Gala at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, but they expect him to be a no-show. (AP Photo/Alex Sanz, File)

In this July 15, 2017, file photo, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin speaks at the commemoration for the upcoming anniversary of the 1969 mission to the moon and a gala for his non-profit space education foundation, ShareSpace Foundation, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Aldrin is expected to be noticeably absent from a gala kicking off a yearlong celebration of the 50-year anniversary of the first moon landing, even though his foundation is a sponsor and he typically is the star attraction. Organizers haven't heard one way or another if Aldrin is attending Saturday, July 21, 2018 evening's Apollo Celebration Gala at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, but they expect him to be a no-show. (AP Photo/Alex Sanz, File)

Explore further Astronaut Buzz Aldrin rolls out the red carpet for Mars (Update)

 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Sergio Marchionne reportedly suffered serious complications following shoulder surgery, believed to be life-threatening

Italian media and politicians Sunday saluted Sergio Marchionne, who has stepped down after 14 years heading auto giant Fiat as he is suffering with serious health problems believed to be life-threatening.

"Marchionne, the end of an era," was Corriere della Serra's headline after an emergency board meeting of Fiat Chrysler (FCA), Ferrari and CNH Industrial, the three groups controlled by the Agnelli family, who met Saturday to announce the end of his tenure and tapped Briton Mike Manley, previously head of the group's Jeep brand, to replace him.

Marchionne, 66, suffered serious complications following surgery on his right shoulder last month and La Repubblica said his condition was cause for major concern.

The newspaper said there had been a further "deterioration" in his condition Friday and that "this time there is no returnthe patient is no longer responding" to treatment.

The hospital treating him would not comment when contacted by AFP, citing patient confidentiality.

"This is terrible news," said Marco Bentivoglio, general secretary of the CISL metalworkers union.

"We have not seen eye-to-eye on certain things... but together we challenged little lazy Italy which prefers to close plants rather than roll up its sleeves."

In his 14 years at the helm, Marchionne revamped Fiat, Italy's premier private enterprise, from top to bottom, turning it into a sector mastodon.

In 2009, he merged Fiat with US automaker Chrysler, then hived off its industrial vehicles to create CNH Industrial in 2011 and successfully spun off the luxury brand Ferrari in January 2016.

Some politicians joined the media in eulogising Marchionne, including former prime ministers Matteo Renzi and Silvio Berlusconi.

"Marchionne has been a great protagonist of economic life for the past 15 years... he has succeeded in giving Fiat a future when that seemed impossible. He created jobs, not unemployment. I take my hat off to him," said former centre-left premier Renzi.

'Italy's number one manager'

Marchionne was close to Renzi for some years, but the two later became more distant.

Marchionne did not go as far, however, as to take up a suggestion by another former PM, Berlusconi, to head up a conservative coalition in legislative elections in March.

British-born Mike Manley, the head of Jeep, will replace Sergio Marchionne as head of the Fiat Chrysler group

The media magnate said in a statement on Sunday that Marchionne "is certainly Italy's number one manager. He's shown intuition, courage, foresight and competence... He came to symbolise the Italian genius for the rest of the world."

Italy's new coalition government was discreet in its reaction to Marchionne's departure.

Far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini offered Marchionne his "recognition and respect along with best wishes" for a recovery.

In Geneva, the Swiss testing and inspection services group SGS said it had named Peter Kalantzis as acting chairman of its board of directors, adding that it was "deeply saddened" over Marchionne's state of health.

John Elkann, who takes over as chairman of racing car brand Ferrari, said that Marchionne "has been the best CEO that anyone could ask for and, to me personally, a true mentor, partner and close friend.

"He taught us to have the courage to challenge the status quo, to break with convention and go beyond the tried and tested. He has always pushed everybody to learn, to grow and to excel - often beyond their own limits - starting always with himself," Elkann said.

Manley 'is no Marchionne'

Media speculated on the future for Fiat.

Dario Di Vico, editorialist at Corriere, said Marchionne had "incarnated in the history of our country the very idea of modern industry."

But he expressed concern "for the life of one of the world's most highly regarded managers" as well as posing "legitimate questions on the future of the world's seventh-largest automaker."

There were more sceptical voices, however.

German auto expert Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer described Fiat Chrysler as "a weak company and now with Marchionne's departure, it has become even weaker."

His successor at the helm of the sprawling FCA, Mike Manley, "is no Marchionne," Dudenhoeffer said.

Manley "is a car guy, and to manage Fiat Chrysler you need more than just a car guy," the expert said.

Explore further Fiat Chrysler board meets in light of CEO's surgery

 2018 AFP
In this Jan. 31, 2018 file photo, Republican Jeff Colyer is sworn in as the 47th governor of Kansas during a ceremony at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. In February, Colyer announced an executive order that requires his staff to use official email accounts for all government business. He also banned private accounts for any communications related to "the functions, activities, programs, or operations" of the office. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner, File)

One app promotes itself as a way to discuss sensitive negotiations and human resources problems without leaving a digital record.

Another boasts that disappearing messages "keep your message history tidy." And a popular email service recently launched a "confidential mode" allowing the content of messages to disappear after a set time.

The proliferation of digital tools that make text and email messages vanish may be welcome to Americans seeking to guard their privacy. But open government advocates fear they are being misused by public officials to conduct business in secret and evade transparency laws.

Whether communications on those platforms should be part of the public record is a growing but unsettled debate in states across the country. Updates to transparency laws lag behind rapid technological advances, and the public and private personas of state officials overlap on private smartphones and social media accounts.

"Those kind of technologies literally undermine, through the technology itself, state open government laws and policies," said Daniel Bevarly, executive director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition. "And they come on top of the misuse of other technologies, like people using their own private email and cellphones to conduct business."

Some government officials have argued that public employees should be free to communicate on private, non-governmental cellphones and social media platforms without triggering open records requirements.

Lawmakers in Kentucky and Arizona this year unsuccessfully proposed exempting all communications on personal phones from state open records laws, alarming open government advocates. A Virginia lawmaker introduced a bill to exempt all personal social media records of state lawmakers from disclosure.

New Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer went the opposite direction in February with an executive order that requires his staff to use official email accounts for all government business. He also banned private accounts for any communications related to "the functions, activities, programs, or operations" of the office.

In neighboring Missouri, Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill that would make clear that personal social media pages and messages sent through digital platforms such as Confide and Signal are public records as long as they relate to official business. The legislation arose because of a controversy involving use of the Confide app by former Gov. Eric Greitens, who resigned in June amid a series of scandals.

"We need to clarify the expectations, because we should not be allowed to conduct state business using invisible ink," said state Rep. Ingrid Burnett, who said she's disappointed the bill didn't advance.

The proposals were captured by a new Associated Press application called SunshineHub, a digital tool that tracks bills related to government transparency in all 50 states. They point to the mushrooming challenge of defining and maintaining government records in the smartphone era.

The issue exploded into public view last year amid reports that several employees in the office of Greitens, then Missouri's governor, had accounts on Confide. The app makes messages disappear immediately after they are read and doesn't allow them to be saved, forwarded, printed or captured by screenshot.

The news prompted an inquiry from the state attorney general, an ongoing lawsuit alleging the practice violated the state's sunshine law and the bill that would declare all such communications relating to government business to be public records.

Greitens and aides have said they used Confide only to discuss logistics such as scheduling matters that were insignificant, "transitory" and therefore not required to be maintained as public records. An inquiry by Attorney General Josh Hawley found no evidence the practice as described was illegal, but investigators didn't recover the disappeared messages.

Greitens' explanation for using the app has drawn skepticism from critics, who question why mundane messages would be sent on a platform that promotes "honest, unfiltered confidential conversations" on sensitive topics.

"That's absurd. Nobody switches out to a secret burner app to do that," said Missouri attorney Mark Pedroli, who is suing Greitens on behalf of an open government group and using the case to investigate whether the former governor used the app to communicate with donors and political aides.

"One of the motivating factors of this lawsuit is to find outwhat could be the worst-case scenario of a governor or elected official using a secretive app like this?"

He said government agencies should move to ban or severely restrict the use of such applications before they become commonplace. He already has obtained during the litigation a training slide that repeatedly instructed members of Greitens' staff to never send text messages on government cellphones, an apparent suggestion to do such business only on personal phones.

In Kentucky, language added to an unrelated bill in March would have exempted all electronic communications related to public businessincluding calls, text messages and emailsfrom the state open records law. Those messages would be exempt from disclosure as long as the phone or computer was paid for with private money and used non-governmental accounts.

Open government advocates protested the legislation, which would have been the first of its kind in the nation. Lawmakers modified it so it would exempt only "communications of a purely personal nature unrelated to any governmental function." Media and open government advocates called the language unnecessary, saying personal communications already aren't subject to disclosure.

A similar bill introduced in Arizona to shield all communications created, stored or received on electronic devices paid for with private money died without a hearing.

The measures in Kentucky and Arizona were introduced after the states' attorneys general issued legal opinions concluding that government agencies were not responsible for managing their employees' personal phones, and because of that such communications are not subject to open records laws.

Similar concerns arose after Gmail introduced its confidential mode, which allows senders to control who can access, forward, print or copy sensitive data and to set a time for messages to "expire."

National Freedom of Information Coalition board president Mal Leary recently wrote a letter to Google arguing that those features, which were recently launched as part of a redesign, could promote the illegal destruction of public records. Leary noted that Google's suite of services is commonly used by state and local governments and urged the company to disable that feature from accounts and emails linked to public agencies.

"Technology that allows the self-destruction of official, electronic public communications is not promoting transparency, and under most state open government laws, is illegal," Leary wrote.

Google responded that those features are similar to other tools in the marketplace, and that government administrators will be able to choose to disable them on their networks.

The company noted that even after a message in "confidential mode" expires and its content is no longer available, a history of the message remains available in the sent folder and the headers and subject line remain visible in the recipient's inbox.

Explore further Private messaging apps increasingly used for public business

 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
6 hours ago

To The Moon? Teslas Price Is Going To Mars

Tesla Wows Market With Q3 Results Love him or hate him, Elon Musk has taken Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) to new heights and the climb has only just begun. While the EV story here on earth is a compelling driver of the stocks value, in our opinion it is the Mars angle that will keep it moving up over the long term.

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Community Stories Cambodian Government Leans on Civil Servants for Votes

The politicization of public institutions is forcing many civil servants to campaign for the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party during office hours, VOA finds.

On July 7, campaigning kicked off for Cambodias national elections and in the capital Phnom Penh, Prime Minister Hun Sen addressed a large rally of supporters and members of his Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) ahead of the July 29 vote.

In a typical speech, he said he would defend Cambodia from unspecified threats to peace and stability, and he claimed to have thwarted a revolution attempt by using strong legal measures to dissolve his main opposition challenger, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), last year.

Hun Sen then turned to some strategic voter groups, promising to raise the minimum wage for garment workers - a key urban demographic that has been largely supportive of the CNRP in the past - while he also committed to higher salaries for the armed forces and civil servants.

When it comes to the latter two groups of state employees, however, the CPP has long relied on more than just salary raises to ensure that they support the CPP at the polls and during their state duties.

During Hun Sens three-decade rule, his once-communist CPP has maintained the idea that the party and the state are inseparable and  through patronage and threat  has sought to bring as many state employees into the party, which now claims a reported 5.5 million members nationwide.

The military and police force have been heavily politicized in violation of Cambodias law requiring political neutrality, with dozens of commanders joining the CPP and openly campaigning for it, the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said in a June 28 report, adding that the armed forces had also carried out numerous alleged rights abuses against opposition members.

The subversion of the independence of other state institutions and the civil servant force has been less brazen, though political partisanship is sometimes openly promoted among civil servants, with one CPP minister publicly telling them last year that anybody who does not support the CPP, can submit applications of resignation.

Ahead of the July 29 elections, a VOA investigation uncovered new details and internal party documents that show how the CPP pressured state employees into becoming party members and ordered them to publicly promote the party.

The practices occur across various public institutions and violate a Cambodian law that forbids and penalizes the use of state positions and state facilities for or against a political party or candidate.

The ruling Cambodian People's Party launches the official campaign season for the sixth general election in Phnom Penh, on July 7, 2018. (Sun Narin | VOA Khmer)

If we dont go campaign the boss will notice

One civil servant put to use by the CPP is Dara, 29, who has worked at the General Department of Taxation of the Ministry of Economy and Finance for three years. When campaigning started on July 7, a Saturday, Dara was not at home with his young family as usual.

I went to Kandal Province to campaign for the CPP. I have to join it since it is an important day for the CPP, said Dara, who  like many civil servants interviewed for this story - asked that his real name be withheld for fear of repercussions for discussing the practices.

If we dont go campaign the boss will notice and will think I am unsupportive, he said, adding that he was sent to Ariksat Commune by his department head who directed his staff to campaign on the weekend or take leave days for this purpose.

VOA interviewed half a dozen other civil servants - school teachers, Ministry of Education officials and National Bank of Cambodia staff  who said they had long felt pressured to join the CPP and recently had campaigned for it in order to retain their jobs.

When I started, the principal asked me if I was registered with the CPP. If we dont register our name, we will be accused of being opposition party member or activist.

Further research among social media users revealed that many civil servants, whose Facebook pages indicate their public positions, have taken their partisanship online. Dozens can be seen in photos of them attending recent CPP rallies, donning campaign gear and holding CPP flags.

I just follow the others, everyone does it. How can I be an outsider? said Dara. He joined the CPP soon after starting his job and was also instructed to campaign in the 2017 Commune Elections.

Sokha, 29, said he was expected to join the CPP from the moment he began working as a high school teacher in Phnom Penh six years ago.

When I started, the principal asked me if I was registered with the CPP. If we dont register our name, we will be accused of being opposition party member or activist, he said. This happens to all civil servants, including teachers, medical professionals and police.

Rong Chhun, a former teachers union leader and advisor to the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association, confirmed the practice was widespread, adding that it undermined the independence and quality of the countrys education system.

If we want to have a strong public institution, it should be independent and stay away from political party influence. But unfortunately, we observe nowadays that state institutions serve (a) political party more than the state, he said.

Garment workers attend a rally with Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen in Kandal province, Cambodia on May 30, 2018. (Samrang Pring | Reuters)

Organizing civil servants into campaign teams

VOA gained access to a group chat for 103 CPP-affiliated government officials in the Ministry of Economy and Finance in which instructions, meetings and activities to support the party were being shared, along with internal party directives and information about public works that the CPP could claim credit for.

A directive issued by Kandal Provinces CPP headquarters on April 4, 2018, to its CPP members in the province states that Minister of Economy and Finance Aun Pornmoniroth, a CPP Executive Committee member, is in charge of promoting the CPP in Kandals Khsach Kandal and Lvea Aem districts for this years elections.

The directive states that various officials in the ministry are responsible for different areas in Kandal, with a deputy director general put in charge of each specific commune, which means that his or her staff will be send to these areas.

The letter instructs local CPP members in Kandal to help these civil servants from the ministry when they come to promote the CPP in local communities.

Dara, who is in the Telegram chat group, said he has been ordered to join a CPP Kanak Pungreung, or Strengthening Team, to promote the party in Ariksat Commune.

He and his Tax Department colleagues, he said, are being watched at the office to monitor their participation and, If the commune loses the election, the officials who are responsible for that commune will be blamed.

Since March, he has had to visit Ariksat Commune villages several times per month to dole out gifts to residents in order to boost the CPPs local reputation. Recently, he provided 50 kilograms of rice each to families who had experienced a recent death or a birth in the family.

The commune chief prepared all of the donations. We just go and represent party, Dara said. We just pay the money, like 200,000 riels ($50), to the commune chief (for the donations) and we can claim back the money at office.

On the first day of campaigning for the July 29 elections, supporters of the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party clogged Phnom Penh streets on July 7, 2018. (Ty Aulissa | VOA Khmer)

Anybody who does not support the CPP, submit your resignation

CPP spokesman Sok Eysan played down questions by VOA on whether the longstanding practices by the party undermined the independence of civil servants and public institutions.

He said individual citizens have the right to be party members as long as it does not interfere with their work. It doesnt mean all civil servants are required to join the party. Our party principles dont force anyone to join it, he said.

If anybody does not support the CPP, submit your resignation and I can help you [with that]. But if you are loyal to the CPP you must vote for the CPP and then you can stay.

Last August, Minister of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation Vong Sauth made it abundantly clear, however, what is expected of Cambodias state employees.

Officials eat the states salary and are asked to be neutral, but do not forget that the state was born from the party. I think all of our officials must have the clear character of firmly supporting the party, he reportedly told a gathering of newly promoted officials. If anybody does not support the CPP, submit your resignation and I can help you [with that]. But if you are loyal to the CPP you must vote for the CPP and then you can stay, he said.

Despite such pressures on Cambodias more than 200,000 civil servants and the CPPs impressive membership numbers among a nation of 15.5 million, Hun Sens party only beat the CNRP in the 2013 elections with a narrow majority in a disputed result that sparked widespread protest.

The voting result caused suspicions among the CPP leadership over a lack of loyalty among civil servants and party members when they cast their vote in secret at the ballot box.

After the government dissolved the opposition party and jailed its leader Kem Sokha last year, civil servants and CPP members now no longer have the option to privately vote for a political alternative to the ruling party.

Dara said the CPPs politicization of public institutions or alternative political preferences are not discussed among civil servants out of fear that it would endanger their jobs or promotions.

I never talk about whether I joined the party out of genuine support. What if we talk to people who are really strong party members or supporters? We will be done for, he said. It is difficult to address or protest (the CPPs influence) as the party is powerful.
Prime Minister Hun Sen told an American filmmaker he is a patriot who resists any foreign influences, despite allegations to the contrary from Cambodias opposition and analysts.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen addresses the politically divisive issue of his historic links with the Communist Party of Vietnam by saying he has never been a puppet of Hanoi but is a patriot who always resisted foreign influence on Cambodia.

A number of people claim I am a person who was installed by Vietnam; they also said I am a puppet of Vietnam, Hun Sen said in unreleased video footage of an interview with American filmmaker Robert Lieberman for his documentary Angkor Awakens.

Hun Sen denied the allegations in the interview.

About this series This is the first of a multi-part series, based on a rare video interview with Hun Sen by American filmmaker Robert Lieberman for his 2016 documentary Angkor Awakens.

The reality is that Hun Sen belongs to Cambodia [and] Cambodia needs independence, the prime minister said. I also hate those who want to have political influence on Cambodia - we dont accept it.

Lieberman conducted the September 24, 2015 interview in a New York hotel. VOA recently obtained the interview from the filmmaker.

For decades, the opposition  the once-formidable royalist party FUNCINPEC, former opposition leader Sam Rainsy, and the now-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP)  have clung to this and other claims in order to undermine Hun Sens image and to tap into lingering anti-Vietnamese nationalism in Cambodia.

Many older opposition members come from an alliance of political groups led by then-Prince Norodom Sihanouk that was based on the Thai-Cambodian border. The alliance battled Vietnam during its occupation of Cambodia from 1978, the final days of the Khmer Rouge regime, to 1989.

Campaigning for Cambodias July 29 elections started July 7, but with the Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) governments decision to ban its only challenger, the CNRP, last year, the role of anti-Vietnamese politics has become somewhat of a moot point.

Hun Sen has mostly ignored the oppositions accusations that he is a stooge of Hanoi while never hiding his good relations with Vietnam. These go back to 1977 when he and other Khmer Rouge defectors crossed into Vietnam. They were welcomed and trained to form a new Cambodian government that was installed by Vietnam after it ousted the Khmer Rouge regime in January 1979.

Hun Sen became foreign minister and then prime minister in 1985. He has held onto power since with political maneuvering that has won him democratic elections and by crushing opponents with brazen armed force.

FILE - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, center right, and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc, review an honor guard in Hanoi, on Dec. 20, 2016. (Tran Van Minh | AP)

Vietnam backs, not controls, Hun Sen rule

According to a recent publication by Stephen Heder, a respected Cambodia scholar, Hun Sens CPP and the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) have long had a comprehensive relationship in which they strongly support each other and defend their respective roles from any political challenges.

Hun Sens recent banning of the opposition and ongoing crackdown on independent media and civil society would thus have Hanois support, he argues, though that doesnt mean that Vietnam dominates in Cambodia.

[K]eeping the CNRP out of power, if necessary by eliminating it from the contest for power, is a strongly shared CPP-CPV common interest that lies at the core of their comprehensive relationship and is most concretely manifest in the relationship between their security forces, wrote Heder, a research associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. However, this and other CPP-CPV common interests do not add up to Vietnamese domination of Cambodia, as is shown, inter alia, by Cambodias refusal to toe Vietnams line on the South China Sea, according to Heder.

In recent years, Hun Sens ever tightening embrace with China has been a point of growing media and diplomatic attention. Beijing has provided support and massive loans for his government as it abandoned Western-backed multiparty democracy, while Hun Sen in turn gives diplomatic support for Chinas quest for dominance in the South China Sea region.

Demonstrators set fire to a monument marking Cambodian-Vietnamese friendship in Phnom Penh August 30, 1998. (Reuters)

Cambodias relations with Western countries have suffered since 2017, with cuts in donor support and the U.S. recently slapping sanctions on some Cambodian officials. In 2017 alone, China accounted for 30 percent of all investment in China, according to The Asean Post.

Ear Sophal, an associate professor at Los Angeles Occidental College who has researched Cambodias aid dependency and Chinas global resource demand, said Hun Sens claim of resisting foreign influence was dispelled by the fact that Vietnam and, more recently, China gained control of large swathes of Cambodias natural resources, infrastructure and economy at the expense of ordinary Cambodians.

Cambodia is now seen as having been for rent for a long time, he said. The renter is currently China. Perhaps we can say Vietnam owns Cambodia, while China rents Cambodia from Vietnam.

Sophal added, But [Hun Sen] does need more friends than only Vietnam and China - he needs to have Western friends too.
Politicians Voices The CPP Will Lead the Country Forever

Sok Eysan, a CPP spokesman, considers himself a foot soldier for the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party, waging battle against critics and foes at the behest of higher-ranking commanders.

The course of Sok Eysans life was set one day in 1979 as he wandered the streets of the Cambodian capital, desperate and alone.

It was shortly after the defeat of the Khmer Rouge regime at the hands of the Vietnamese military, which was trying to set up a new government.

In a quest to reunite with his elderly mother, the 33-year-old former teacher had struggled from the countryside to the capital city of Phnom Penh on whatever transport he could find, still wearing the ragged black uniform all citizens were forced to wear under the communist regime. He had no other clothes.

By the numbers National

As he passed by the newly established Ministry of Economy, a group of Vietnamese men called out to him. Perhaps they sensed that he was an educated man  a commodity in short supply in post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia because the regime had killed intellectuals.

They asked me where I was from, he recalled in a recent interview with VOA Khmer. After they learned that my background was in teaching, they asked me to work there. The Vietnamese experts said I was a knowledgeable person who could help contribute to rebuilding the country.

He accepted the offer, and his life in politics began. Shortly after starting work as a statistician, he was promoted to become a deputy chief of staff. And the following year he formally joined the Kampuchean Peoples Revolutionary Party, the progenitor of todays Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP).

I worked there, so there was nothing to think about, he said. Becoming a party member was not technically mandatory, but in practice it would have been difficult to rise through the ranks without joining.

Still, Sok Eysan was enthusiastic about his new government. As he sees it, the CPPs leaders  Hun Sen, Heng Samrin, Pen Sovann, (who later preceeded Hun Sen as prime minister), and Chea Sim, all Khmer Rouge cadres who defected to Vietnam and later ousted the regime  saved him and millions of others from death.

This is an attitude common to many older Cambodians, who still recall the days when the party was the only thing standing between them and the Khmer Rouge. The party was also the only game in town back in the 1980s, when Cambodia was a one-party state.

Born in eastern Cambodias Svay Rieng province in 1946, Sok Eysan attended university and then worked a teacher at a secondary school in his hometown. Later, he became a high school principal. In 1972, in the midst of a civil war between the U.S.-backed Lon Nol regime and Pol Pots communist Khmer Rouge forces, he moved to Phnom Penh to study law.

When the Khmer Rouge seized power in April 1975, they forced the entire population of the capital out of the city on a long march to the countryside. Sok Eysan, his wife and their family had no idea where to go. They began walking toward the northeast and eventually ended up in Kratie province.

Luckily for them, Sok Eysans father in-law was a farm machinery technician who had skills critical to Pol Pots ruthless vision of forging an agrarian utopia. Sok Eysan believes this saved their lives, as Khmer Rouge officials largely left the family alone.

But he was not untouched by the regimes brutality. Khmer Rouge soldiers shot and killed his father. His younger sister died of starvation. He became separated from his mother, and he himself was forced to labor long hours in paddy fields.

It is this experience that has made him fiercely loyal to the CPP, he says.

We survived because of the CPP. And our living conditions, which started in misery, have progressively improved because of the CPP, he said.

From left: Cambodian National Assembly President Heng Samrin, Senate President Chea Sim, Prime Minister Hun Sen, attend a ceremony in Phnom Penh, on Jan. 7, 2014. Sok Eysan believes that the CPPs leaders  many of whom are former Khmer Rouge cadres who defected to Vietnam and later ousted the regime  saved him and millions of others from death. (AP)

From Civil Servant to Party Mouthpiece

Sok Eysan spent another decade working at the Ministry of Economy, rising to become deputy minister before he was forced to leave the position after the 1993 elections.

Cambodia had become a multiparty democracy under the terms of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements. Another party, FUNCINPEC, won the countrys first post-Khmer-Rouge-regime elections. CPP government officials had to make way for an influx of appointees from the rival party.

A role was found for Sok Eysan, as an adviser to CPP President Chea Sim and later as the director general of Apsara Television and Radio, a government-affiliated media group. He then stood as a CPP candidate for parliament in 2008 and was elected as a lawmaker for Prey Veng province.

Due to his media experience, Sok Eysan was appointed as one of three official party spokesmen in 2015. Since then, he has been perhaps the best-known voice of the CPP, and much of his day is taken up answering questions from journalists.

He also promotes the party during a show broadcast several days a week on Facebook, True Voices for the People. In the two-hour program, which is produced by Bayon Radio, a station owned by Prime Minister Hun Sens daughter Hun Mana, he receives prescreened calls from listeners who generally praise the CPP and criticize the opposition.

The CPP will lead the country forever. From this generation to the next generation, the CPP will continue leading.

He says he considers himself a foot soldier for the party, doing battle against critics and foes at the behest of higher-ranking commanders.

The supreme commander in this scenario is, of course, Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has now led the country for over 30 years and declares that he intends to stay in power for at least another decade. Sok Eysan says this is a feasible goal because of the CPPs good party policies.

The CPP will lead the country forever, he declared. From this generation to the next generation, the CPP will continue leading. This is sustainable.

However, some critics argue the opposite, saying that the ruling party has clung to power only through repressive tactics, and that it is unhealthy for a single group to lead the country for so long.

Over the past year, the CPP has quashed its primary opposition, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), by arresting its leader for alleged treason and having the party dissolved by judicial order.

The coming election will feature a multitude of tiny parties, but international human rights groups and the United Nations have said it will not be free and fair in the absence of the CNRP

Sok Eysan rejected that notion, saying that the CNRP had essentially dissolved itself because it was full of criminals.

Some say the CPP was afraid of losing the election, which is why it dissolved the party. But why was the CNRP dissolved? It was because of its illegal offenses, not because the CPP dissolved it. They made themselves dissolved, he said.

I think the CNRP cant compete with the CPP under any circumstances, he added.

As a party spokesman, Sok Eysan is now in the delicate position of having to argue that Cambodia is a thriving multiparty democracy, while also insisting that no party will ever challenge the CPPs supremacy, and that the partys main rivals deserve to be jailed and exiled. However, he does not see this as a contradiction.

This is normal for a multiparty democracy with a contested field. The contender doesnt want their opponent to be strong. Every party is the same. Other parties also want to break the CPP, but they cant, he said.

Commune councilors from the Cambodian People's Party attend a meeting with Sok Eysan, the CPP's spokesman and a senate candidate. Feb. 15, 2018. (Sun Narin | VOA Khmer)

Old Party for a New Generation?

Despite his regular appearances on Facebook, Sok Eysan does not use the social media site himself, nor does he see why it is more valuable than traditional news sources.

It is not useful for me. I dont want to get news via Facebook. I read the papers, listen to the radio and watch TV, he said.

Sok Eysan is especially perplexed by the freewheeling online culture that allows users to speak their minds freely and mock the powerful.

He showed a VOA journalist several Facebook images lampooning him. In one, he had the body of a coconut and the hands of an ape, and was dressed in a hat bearing an image of the the flag of Vietnam, Cambodias historic enemy and mistrusted neighbor.

Facebook users Photoshopped me like that. Doesnt it affect my rights and freedom? Is this rights and freedom? he asked.

If there is no mechanism to patrol it, it becomes anarchical, Sok Eysan said of the internet.

This attitude was widespread among the CPPs top brass a few years ago, allowing the more internet-savvy CNRP to nearly pull off an election upset in 2013. The opposition party used Facebook to skirt restrictions on opposition media and drum up support among voters.

Now, however, the CPP has scrambled to catch up. Prime Minister Hun Sen and other senior officials maintain vigorous Facebook presences to boost their appeal. At the same time, the CPP has sought to clamp down on online speech by targeting Facebook users who criticize the government and forming an inter-ministerial committee to monitor what Cambodians say on the internet.

Still, demographics may be working against the ruling party.

The CPP has campaigned on the slogan the party that gives life for decades now. Its message to Cambodians has been that they owed their lives to the partys leaders for ousting the Khmer Rouge in 1979, and should vote for them in gratitude.

But that concept might not be as resonant with younger Cambodians as it was with Sok Eysan and others of his generation, who lived through the Khmer Rouge years.

Two-thirds of Cambodias population of around 16 million are under 35 years old. They have no firsthand knowledge of the Cambodian civil war, and have grown up amid rising prosperity and relative openness to the outside world, an attitude far removed from the insular political landscape of the post-Khmer Rouge period.

In the last election, these young people formed the core of the CNRPs support. Many voted for the opposition because they were frustrated with corruption and cronyism and wanted to see what was possible under a new government.

However, Sok Eysan is optimistic that the CPP will maintain its supremacy if young people simply listen to their parents and educate themselves about the source of Cambodias prosperity: the ruling party, which he sees as a kind of parent to the nation.

The CPP has around 5.5 million members, he continued. How many children do they have? And youths dont walk along with the CNRP. They follow their parents. They grow because of their parents. They progress because of their parents and they can study because of their parents.

Nearly 40 years after he was first recruited into the government, Sok Eysan is as passionate as ever about the merits of the party he serves. He says he is convinced that a change in government is unnecessary, and hopes Cambodians will trust the CPP to continue leading the country indefinitely.

New parties might be novelties, but they dont have a deep meaning as sweet as the CPPs, he says. The achievements of the CPP are plain for people to see: national benefits and the realization of the peoples wants and needs.
Political Incorrectness Paradoxes, and Anything else out of left field.
According to media, Ecuador is going to hand over the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the UK in coming weeks or even days.

In 2012 a British judge ruled WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be extradited to Sweden to face allegations of sexual assault there, but Assange received political asylum from Ecuador and spent the last years in its London embassy.

Now Ecuador is planning to withdraw its political asylum, likely next week, this means that Assange will leave the embassy and British authorities will catch him.

Sources close to Assange said he himself was not aware of the talks but believed that America was putting significant pressure on Ecuador, including threatening to block a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) if he continues to stay at the embassy, reported RT.

The newly-elected President of Ecuador Lenin Moreno arrived in London on Friday, officially the motivation of his travel is the participation at the Global Disability Summit on 24 July 2018, but media reports suggest he was reaching an agreement with UK government to withdraw the asylum protection of Assange.

 ECUADORS PRESIDENT Lenin Moreno traveled to London on Friday for the ostensible purpose of speaking at the 2018 Global Disabilities Summit (Moreno has been using a wheelchair since being shot in a 1998 robbery attempt). The concealed, actual purpose of the Presidents trip is to meet with British officials to finalize an agreement under which Ecuador will withdraw its asylum protection of Julian Assange, in place since 2012, eject him from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, and then hand over the WikiLeaks founder to British authorities. wrote Glenn Greenwald on the Intercept.

Which is the greater threat to press freedom: (a) sending Julian Assange to the US to be prosecuted by the Sessions DOJ for publishing classified and hacked docs or (b) Donald Trump tweeting mean insults at Chuck Todd and Wolf Blitzer and being rude to Jim Acosta?  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) July 20, 2018

The above report that UK & Ecuador are preparing to turn Assange over to UK appears to be true. Big question is whether the US will indict him & seek his extradition, the way Sessions & Pompeo vowed they would. Can't wait to see how many fake press freedom defenders support that.  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) July 20, 2018

In May 2017, Swedish prosecutors dropped their preliminary investigation into an allegation of rape against Julian Assange, but the Wikileaks founder fears that he would be extradited to the US, where he is facing federal charges his role in the Chelsea Mannings case.

Three months ago, Ecuador blocked Assange from accessing the internet, mainly to avoid that he could express support to Catalonia and its dispute with the Spanish Government for the independence.

According to Ecuador, Assange had violated the agreement to refrain from interfering in other states politics.

Which are current charges against Assange in the UK?

The only criminal proceeding against Assange is a pending 2012 arrest warrant for failure to surrender that is considered by experts a minor bail violation charge.

This charge carries a prison term of three months and a fine, though it is possible that the time Assange has already spent in prison in the UK could be counted against that sentence.

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Shares of Marqeta (NASDAQ: MQ) were up 11.9% as of 2:47 p.m. EDT on Monday after the modern card issuing platform announced a partnership with Branch and Uber Technologies (NYSE: UBER) to handle payments for carriers that use Uber Freight. The partnership with Uber Freight is a new market opportunity for Marqeta in transportation, where Uber has already emerged as one of the leading digital freight brokers globally outside of China. Marqeta, which completed its initial public offering in June, has already benefited from enormous momentum lately.
COLOMBO (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping has offered Sri Lanka a fresh grant of 2 billion yuan ($295 million), as Beijing tries to expand its influence in the tiny island country off India's southern tip.

President Maithripala Sirisena of Sri Lanka, a partner in Beijing's multi-country Belt and Road infrastructure push, made the announcement on Saturday at a ceremony to mark the start of construction of a Chinese-funded kidney hospital in his home constituency of Polonnaruwa, 230 km (142.92 miles) from capital Colombo.

"When the Chinese ambassador visited my house to fix the date for this ceremony, he said that Chinese President Xi Jinping sent me another gift," Sirisena told the gathering.

"He has gifted 2 billion yuan to be utilized for any project of my wish. I'm going to hand over a proposal to the Chinese ambassador to build houses in all the electorates in the country," he added.

Reuters could not immediately contact officials from the Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka for comment.

The grant offer comes at a time when a Chinese firm is facing heavy criticism for allegedly financing the last election campaign of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Last month, the New York Times reported that China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC) gave $7.6 million for Rajapaksa's re-election bid, which he lost to Sirisena in early 2015.

Rajapaksa, the Chinese embassy in Colombo and state-owned CHEC have all denied the allegation, but Sirisena's coalition government held a parliament debate on Thursday over the report and called for an investigation into the alleged funding.

Sirisena had at the start of his term suspended most of the Chinese-backed infrastructure projects started under Rajapaksa over suspected corruption, overpricing and for flouting government procedures.

But more than a year later, the Sirisena government allowed Chinese projects to resume after a few changes in some of them.

Story continues

China was among the first countries that stepped in to help the reconstruction of Sri Lanka after a 26-year-long civil war ended in 2009.

Many of Beijing's projects, backed by loans from the Chinese government and initiated by Rajapaksa government, have faced opposition in Sri Lanka amid concerns raised by the United States, India and Japan that China might use Sri Lanka as a military base.

The 2014 docking of a Chinese navy submarine in Colombo raised an alarm in New Delhi, prompting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to boost ties with Sri Lanka and claw back influence in the Indian Ocean region.

Both the Sri Lankan government and Chinese embassy in Colombo have denied any plans to use a southern port now handled by a Chinese firm for military purpose.

($1 = 6.7659 Chinese yuan)

(Reporting by Ranga Sirilal and Shihar Aneez; editing by Krishna Das and Himani Sarkar)
Flash floods in Vietnam have now claimed at least 19 lives, the government said Sunday, as residents in affected areas sought safety in higher ground. Boasting a long coastline, tropical Vietnam is battered by floods and storms every year, with hundreds of lives lost from the annual monsoon barrage. The remnants of Typhoon Son Tinh, now a tropical depression, made landfall Wednesday night, the third tropical storm to hit Vietnam since the start of the year. The latest report from the country's disaster office said 19 people have been killed so far, with an additional 13 people unaccounted for. Floods and landslide from heavy rains have ranged far and wide and impacted rural and urban areas, including the capital Hanoi. They are expected to continue in the coming days. State-controlled VNExpress news site reported Saturday that residents in Chuong My district on the outskirts of Hanoi were asked to leave their homes and get to higher ground for fear of heavy floods. "We must be active in moving our furniture out of homes. From last year's experience, we did not have time to run," a local resident was quoted as saying. Published photos showed homeowners in plastic raincosts moving bags of goods and livestock. "My house is in a very low location so I have to move all the rice to higher places," resident Nguyen Duy Dong told VNExpress. "Since the afternoon, we have moved more than one tonne of rice." The amount of land under seige has also spiked, with more than 15,000 houses damaged or destroyed and more than 110,000 hectares of crops inundated. Several roads have also disappeared under the water. Vietnam's rainy season, like other countries in the region, is between June and November, but the death toll from stormy weather has often exceeded its neighbors. Last year, 389 lives were claimed by natural disasters, with material damages reportedly reaching $2.6 billion, according to the government.
A Frenchman detained for 18 years after trying to smuggle drugs into Bali arrived in Geneva on Sunday and was on his way home after being deported in a case that sparked outrage in France over Indonesia's tough narcotics laws. Police arrested Michael Blanc on the day after Christmas in 1999 at the tropical island's airport with 3.8 kilogrammes (8.4 pounds) of hashish hidden inside scuba diving canisters. Blanc, now 45, was given a life sentence -- narrowly escaping the death penalty which has been handed to some other foreign drug traffickers, including two members of the notorious Bali Nine who were executed in 2015. His prison term was later cut to 20 years, and in 2014 Blanc won something that few foreigners get in Indonesia -- parole, though he was not allowed to leave the country immediately. The three-year parole period ended in July 2017, and he then had to wait another year while on probation. The former cook was escorted by immigration officials to Jakarta airport Saturday accompanied by his mother, Helene Le Touzey, who gave up her life in France to spend nearly two decades in Indonesia campaigning for his release. "He has indeed arrived in Geneva," Martial Saddier, a parliamentary lawmaker for Blanc's native Haute-Savoie region in western France who is close to Blanc's family, told AFP. He was met by his father Jean-Claude Blanc and other relatives out of sight of the journalists gathered to cover his return, and they later left by a side door. "I may be almost as nervous as he is," Jean-Claude Blanc told AFP while waiting for his son's plane to land. Saddier said Blanc was going to remain several days in an undisclosed location. "He's going to recover from these past nearly 20 years before making any public appearances," he said. - Years of efforts - The life sentence handed out by an Indonesian court, which rejected Blanc's claim that he was carrying the drug-filled gear for a friend, was criticised in France as unduly harsh. The country has some of the world's toughest laws against drug use and trafficking, and several convicted suspects have been executed since President Joko Widodo took office in 2014. Paris raised the issue at the highest levels, with the then-prime minister Francois Fillon bringing it up during a visit to Indonesia in 2011. In 2008, Blanc's sentence was cut to 20 years thanks in large part to his mother's efforts. She later helped secure her son's parole in 2014, despite the fact that Indonesian law does not usually allow conditional release of foreigners after serving just two-thirds of their sentence. More than 70 people, including 42 foreigners, are facing the firing squad for drug offences, according to the Coalition for the Abolition of Death Penalty in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). Among them were foreign nationals, including two Bali Nine members arrested in 2005 for an attempt to smuggle heroin from Indonesia to Australia. The executions of Australian ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran sparked diplomatic outrage and a call to abolish Indonesia's death penalty. Although Jakarta suspended executions last year, Widodo has said the country is facing a "drug emergency" and previously ordered police to shoot traffickers who resist arrest. High-profile cases like that of Australian national Schapelle Corby, who spent more than nine years behind bars for smuggling marijuana into Bali, have stoked concern that Indonesia is becoming a drug destination. Corby was deported in 2017 after several years of parole.
Dozens of hot air balloons dot the skies over Italy's central Umbria region as enthusiasts gather from around the world for two weeks of friendly competition. The event, which takes the colourful craft over the lush vineyards of Umbria's Sagrantino valley, is the brainchild of Ralph Shaw, of dual Italian and British nationality. "We started off with just five balloons, and now this year weve reached our target of 90 balloons, and hopefully next year it will be 100," Shaw said. In addition to 22 teams from around Europe, pilots from the United States, Russia and Australia are taking part in the Sagrantino International Balloon Challenge Cup. "We have many flyable days in Italy, whereas in England for instance we may only have 20 days a year," Shaw said. "So everybody comes willingly to Italy because they...are sure of having a good flight." One of the most popular competitions at such events is the Hare and Hounds, in which one balloon -- the hare -- takes off and all the rest of the balloons -- the hounds -- follow, then try to land close to the hare. Contestants are equally drawn to events on the ground, mainly centred on the region's cuisine and wine. "Free happy," said pilot Matthew Billing when asked how the event made him feel. "Its always like being home again, because I spent a lot of time doing it when I was younger." Another pilot, Tom Hilditch, said he was "born into" hot air ballooning, recalling how his father built a model balloon with a radio-controlled burner.
Reuters

Captain Babar Azam led by example as Pakistan beat India in a World Cup showdown for the first time ever with a 10-wicket romp in a Super 12 blockbuster at the Twenty20 World Cup on Sunday. Shaheen Afridi (3-31) headlined Pakistan's disciplined bowling effort to restrict arch-rivals India to a modest 151-7 in a rematch of the inaugural 2007 final. Babar and opening partner Mohammad Rizwan then returned to overwhelm the target with 13 balls to spare and register Pakistan's maiden win against India in a World Cup in their 13th attempt.
Israel evacuated hundreds of White Helmets rescuers and their family members threatened by advancing Syrian regime forces to Jordan on Sunday for resettlement in Western countries. Jordan's foreign ministry announced in a statement that the kingdom received 422 Syrian citizens, after earlier saying it had given permission for 800 to arrive. Foreign ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Kayed said Britain, Germany and Canada had initially agreed to accept around 827 rescuers and their relatives, but eventually settled on a figure of 422. He said they would be allowed to stay in Jordan for a period of time not exceeding three months. A Canadian government source told AFP that a second group of White Helmets and their relatives was also supposed to be evacuated but "could not reach the border because of the situation on the ground." The group is still in Syria and it is not certain that a new effort to bring them out can be mounted due to the "precarious" situation there, according to the source. Founded in 2013, the Syria Civil Defence, or White Helmets, is a network of first responders which rescues the wounded in the aftermath of air strikes, shelling or explosions in rebel-held territory The Israeli military said it had transferred the rescue workers and their families to a neighbouring country, adding that the operation was "exceptional". "A few days ago President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau and others approached me with the request to help extract from Syria hundreds of White Helmets," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. "These are people who save lives and now find themselves in deadly danger, therefore I approved bringing them through Israel to another country as an important humanitarian step." White Helmets head Raed Saleh said the evacuees had arrived in Jordan after being "surrounded in a dangerous region". They had been encircled in the Syrian provinces of Daraa and Quneitra, which respectively border Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, he told AFP. Israel seized 1,200 square kilometres (460 square miles) of the Golan from Syria in 1967, in a move never recognised internationally. The United States praised Israel and Jordan for facilitating the evacuations and Britain, Canada and Germany for agreeing to give the evacuees new homes. "We are glad that these brave volunteers, who have saved thousands of lives, are now out of harm's way," the US State Department said of the White Helmets. Britain's Foreign Office said it had helped facilitate the overnight evacuations. "White Helmets have been the target of attacks and, due to their high profile, we judged that, in these particular circumstances, the volunteers required immediate protection," it said. - 'Save all of humanity' - German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer told Bild newspaper that Germany would take in eight White Helmets members and their families. The move was "an expression of my stance of ensuring humanity and order in migration policy," he said. Canada will take in up to 50 White Helmets volunteers and their families, totalling up to 250 people, officials said. "A group of core countries have committed to resettle a number of White Helmets. Canada is resettling up to 50 members and their families, and is working with the international community to assess remaining needs," said Canada's foreign affairs spokeswoman Elizabeth Reid. Ottawa confirmed that Trudeau spoke to Netanyahu Saturday about "the regional security situation and the evacuation of White Helmets from Syria". Israel's Haaretz daily said the evacuees also included orphans who had been injured in the Syrian fighting. It was unclear how many White Helmet volunteers remained in both the Daraa and Quneitra provinces after the evacuations. But a volunteer in Daraa city, who asked to remain anonymous, said he had decided to stay despite being given the choice to leave. "It's our country and we have a right to live in it in safety," he told AFP, however adding he was among a minority who wished to remain. "We are first and foremost a humanitarian organisation, not a military one, or a terrorist one as the regime alleges." The White Helmets have rescued thousands of civilians trapped under the rubble or caught up in fighting in opposition-held zones along various fronts of Syria's seven-year conflict. Since its formation, when Syria's conflict was nearing its third year, more than 250 of its volunteers have been killed. The group's motto -- "To save one life is to save all of humanity" -- is drawn from a verse in the Koran, although the White Helmets insist they treat all victims, regardless of religion. - Thousands flee - Some members have received training abroad, including in Turkey, returning to instruct colleagues on search-and-rescue techniques. The group receives funding from a number of governments, including Britain, Germany and the United States, but also solicits individual donations to purchase equipment such as its signature hard hats. On June 19, Syrian government forces launched a Russia-backed offensive to retake Daraa and Quneitra provinces. Just a month later, regime forces have regained control of most of these two provinces through a combination of deadly bombardment and Moscow-brokered surrender deals. Jihadists are not party to these deals, and Russian planes bombarded a holdout of the Islamic State group in Daraa province overnight, a Britain-based war monitor said. More than 20,000 civilians have escaped bombardment on the IS-held corner in the past 24 hours, fleeing into regime-held areas, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
FILE PHOTO: An aerial view shows burned down villages once inhabited by the Rohingya seen from the Myanmar military helicopters that carried the U.N. envoys to northern Rakhine state, Myanmar, May 1, 2018. REUTERS/Michelle Nichols/File Photo

YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar violated its obligations to the United Nations child rights convention in its crackdown on the Rohingya that led to an exodus of hundreds of thousands of people from the minority community, legal experts have found.

Children make up around half of the more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled Buddhist-majority Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh since the start of a military crackdown last August.

The U.N. has called the Myanmar military operations a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing". Myanmar denies the allegation and has said it waged a legitimate counter-insurgency operation after Muslim militants attacked security posts.

Legal experts commissioned by Save the Children Norway analysed research by U.N. bodies and international human rights groups who have alleged that mass killings, arson, and torture were conducted by Myanmar security forces on the Rohingya.

"The research finds that the response by the Myanmar Government to the August 2017 attacks on police posts, together with the ongoing discrimination against Rohingya, constitute violations of at least seven key articles of the (UN convention on the rights of the child)," their report said.

The analysis found both the government and the security forces at fault. The Myanmar government "took positive steps" to assist the military operations and there was no evidence to suggest it did anything to curtail or condemn the security forces' actions, the report said.

Myanmar acceded to the United Nations convention on the rights of the child in 1991 and is bound to it by law. Representatives of the Myanmar government and military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The violations highlighted in the report include failure to protect children from violence, abuse, neglect, sexual and other exploitation, inhumane treatment and detention.

It refers to "indiscriminate and extrajudicial killing of Rohingya children, and the torture, ill-treatment and gender-based violence" committed against them.

Story continues

The government's failure to conduct an independent investigation into the events following the August 2017 attacks, and ongoing discrimination against Rohingya children by denying them citizenship also are in violation of Myanmar's obligations to the child rights convention, the report said.

The report was shared exclusively with Reuters ahead of its release next week.

"The list of violations we have found is not exhaustive," said Guy Goodwin-Gill, emeritus professor of international refugee law at Oxford University, who co-authored the report.

"It represents only the most serious violations and there most likely are several others."

(Reporting by Zeba Siddiqui in Mumbai and Thu Thu Aung and Poppy McPherson in Yangon; Editing by Ros Russell)
Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan will make the latest in a string of trips to Africa this week, visiting South Africa and Zambia as well as attending a summit of the BRICS leading emerging economies, the presidency said Sunday. The five BRICS countries -- Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa -- seen by analysts as rising challengers to established Western economies are holding the group's latest summit in Johannesburg. Turkey is not a member of the BRICS, but Erdogan will attend a special session in his capacity as the current chair of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the event, the presidency said. Previous reports have said Erdogan is also due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on the summit's sidelines. Russia and Turkey have been cooperating increasingly strongly, notably on the Syria crisis, and Ankara is buying Russian S-400 air defence systems in a deal that has upset the West. The Turkish presidency described Erdogan's participation in Johannesburg as the "first high level contact" between Turkey and the BRICS. After the visit to South Africa on July 25-27, Erdogan will head to Zambia on July 28 in what the presidency said would be the first ever visit by a Turkish head of state. Erdogan has made expanding Turkey's presence in both Muslim and non-Muslim Africa one of the priorities of his foreign policy. Since being elected president in 2014, he has visited 20 African countries. Ankara is aiming to have a Turkish diplomatic mission in every African country and wants to play a major role in development and trade in the continent. It will be Erdogan's first trip to Africa since was re-elected on June 24 for a second term with enhanced powers.
2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #29

Posted on 22 July 2018 by John Hartz

Story of the Week... Analysis of the Week... SkS Highlights... El Nino/La Nina Update... Toon of the Week... Quote of the Week... Graphic of the Week... SkS in the News... Photo of the Week... SkS Spotlights... Video of the Week... Reports of Note... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review...

Story of the Week...

A Global Heat Wave Has Set the Arctic Circle on Fire

Fire burns in Karbole, Sweden. Photo: Mats Andersson/AFP/Getty Images

From Japan to Sweden, and Oman to Texas, a global heat wave is setting records, igniting wildfires, and killing dozens all across the world this week.

The south-central region is home to the highest temperatures in the U.S. this week, with nearly 35 million people living under excessive heat warnings issued by the National Weather Service. Temperatures are expected to be in the triple digits across Texas this weekend, marking the most severe heat wave in the state since 2011.

The Texas heat has already led to record-breaking days for the Texas power grid twice this week. Things arent any better elsewhere in the region, with heat indexes in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana reaching up to 110 degrees.

A Global Heat Wave Has Set the Arctic Circle on Fire by Adam K Raymond, Daily Intelligencer, New York Magazine, July 20, 2018

Analysis of the Week...

The 5 most important questions about carbon taxes, answered

Carbon taxes are in the news these days. In recent months, not one but two conservative national carbon tax proposals have emerged, disrupting the usual partisan dynamic on climate policy.

First there was the proposal from the Climate Leadership Council, a group of (mostly older, retired) Republicans and centrists, which was released last year but recently gained the backing of a new big-money conservative PAC. And next week, Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), co-chair of the House Climate Solutions Caucus, plans to release a carbon-tax proposal of his own.

Neither proposal has a snowflakes chance in hell of passage any time soon. And on Thursday, the House passed a resolution trying to squash even the possibility of a carbon tax. But the existence of these proposals does indicate a heightened level of awareness of and interest in carbon taxes. So now seems like a good opportunity to review some of the basics.

The 5 most important questions about carbon taxes, answered by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, July 20, 2018

Toon of the Week...

Quote of the Week...

The red alert is on, Laurent Fabius, who was president of the 2015 international climate change negotiations in Paris, told an audience last week at the EuroScience Open Forum, Europes largest interdisciplinary science meeting. As of 2015, global temperatures had risen about 1 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Its a race against time, Fabius said, and the political challenge is to avoid acting too late.

What Climate Change Looks Like In 2018 by Christie Aschwanden, Climate, FiveThirtyEight, July 19, 2018

SkS in the News...

Carolyn Kormann interviewed John Cook for her New Yorker magazine article, In Andrew Wheeler, Trump Gets a Cannier E.P.A. Chief. Cook's observations are contained in this paragraph:

Wheeler has long been a climate denialist, fighting any policies that would establish mandatory carbon limits. In 2003, in a long speech on the Senate floor opposing a climate bill put forward by Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman, Inhofe famously said that man-made global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people. Wheeler defended his bosss position for years, criticizing the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and casting doubt on the science. (In 2006, he said in an interview with E&E News, The fact is that the climate changes regularly.) On Friday, however, in an interview with the Washington Post, Wheeler changed his positionor, at least, chose his words carefully. He said that he believes climate change is real and that people have an impact on the climate. (During his Senate confirmation hearings for deputy administrator, last November, he expressed more uncertainty. I believe man has an impact on the climate, he said. But what is not completely understood is what the impact is.) John Cook, a climate-change communications researcher at George Mason University, categorizes this kind of statement as doubt-mongering misinformation, Republicans latest argument, he told me, to support climate inaction. (Previously, Wheeler and others used the explicit misinformation argument, Cook said. It seems to be on its way out.) Wheeler now claims, as he told the Post, that he has always deferred to career scientists, and will continue to do so. In his first e-mail to E.P.A. employees as acting administrator, last week, he wrote, I look forward to working alongside all of you to continue our collective goal of protecting public health and the environment.

In his New York Times article, He Sues to Discredit Climate Scientists. Now Hes Being Sued by His Allies., John Schwartz wrote:

The efforts by Mr. Schnare and Mr. Horner to obtain climate scientists emails followed a trail blazed in 2009 in an episode known as Climategate, when hackers exposed a trove of private messages between scientists. Global warming denialists took the blunt discussions out of context to allege that researchers had tampered with data, but subsequent investigations found no evidence of fraud.

The first link in the above is to the Basic version of the SkS rebuttal article, Clearing up misconceptions regarding 'hide the decline'

Reports of Note...

Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage Approaches for Carbon Dioxide Removal and Reliable Sequestration: Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief

Coming Soon on SkS...

Scientists detect a human fingerprint in the warming of the atmosphere (John Abraham)

(John Abraham) Wind Energy: What About Those Subsidies? And, the Key Advantage over Natural Gas (greenman)

(greenman) Facebook video spreads climate denial misinformation to 5 million users (Dana)

(Dana) CSLDF is fighting attacks on science. Heres how you can help (Lauren Kurtz)

(Lauren Kurtz) Permafrost and wetland emissions could cut 1.5C carbon budget by five years (Robert McSweeney)

(Robert McSweeney) 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #30 (John Hartz)

(John Hartz) 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #30 (John Hartz)

Poster of the Week...

SkS Week in Review...
Among the thousands of documents that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh released to the Senate Judiciary Committee Saturday, one new tranche includes the transcript of a 2000 CNN interview in which he claimed that while it wouldnt be easy for a president to pack the court with justices who could be relied upon to advance a political agendaa president willing to expend considerable capital on a bloody confirmation could get it done.

The transcript comes from a June 2000 CNN segment from Greta Van Susterens show Burden of Proof, on which Kavanaugh was a guest. Kavanaugh, appearing as a former Supreme Court clerk, was brought on to discuss the courts recently completed term.

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In advance of what would become of the 2000 election and Bush v. Gore, Van Susteren asked Kavanaugh about whether a president could indeed manage to stack the Supreme Court. The host asked another panelistanother former SCOTUS clerk, Chai Feldblumwhether a future president Bush or Gore could really pack the court in the sense that you can put justices on who are going to have your agenda? She then turned to Kavanaugh to ask whether a president could genuinely ensure that any justice would vote along consistently predictable lines. From the transcript:

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VAN SUSTEREN: How do you explain then, and let me throw this to Brett, and then maybe Ill make you explain Chais point, is that Justice Souter, I think, was a big surprise to President Bush and I also think that Earl Warren was a big surprise. Everyone thought that he was going to be this hugely conservative, and he was very liberal in the court. KAVANAUGH: Well, and Justice OConnor, who was the fifth [vote], yesterday, to strike down the partial-birth abortion statute, was appointed by President Reagan. I dont thinkI think presidents can pack the court, but it takes a lot of political capital and will power to do it, and most presidents dont want to expend a lot of political capital on a bloody Supreme Court nomination. Weve seen that time and again, to pick the consensus pick who turns out to be more moderate and thus less predictable, thats whats happened.

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Of course, what did happen just a few months later would prove that a president willing to expend his political capital on a series of bloody battles could indeed transform the court forever. Kavanaugh himself would soon join the George W. Bush campaigns legal effort to block the ballot-recount efforts in the state of Florida. And the Supreme Courtalong purely partisan political lineswould soon expend its own political capital to conclude that the recount violated a constitutional provision that most of those justices in the majority had never enforced before and would never enforce again. Within a few months, George W. Bush would be installed as president and eventually expend his political capital to seat both John Roberts and Samuel Alito on the Supreme Court, neither of whom would prove to be any kind of unpredictable moderate, like Earl Warren or David Souter.

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Indeed, in this same CNN interview, the panelists discussed a partial-birth abortion decision that had struck down a state ban, with OConnor unpredictably siding with the courts liberals to protect reproductive freedom. Yet what was functionally the exact same law would later be upheld, just a few short years later, when the moderate OConnor retired and Alito joined the court.

The fact that the younger Kavanaugh in 2000 both lamented that presidents usually wouldnt expend the political capital to weather a bloody confirmation battle and then went on to work to install a president willing to do just that shows how fully prescient the young lawyer would be. Within months the GOP was prepared to fight the bloody battles necessary to advance their agendas in the high courtfirst for the presidency and then for the courts themselvesup to and including the outright denial of a seat to Merrick Garland in 2016. And now the young lawyer who predicted that where there was a will, there was a way to pack the courts, has himself gone on to become the predictable nominee who wont let the party be Soutered or OConnored again.
Facebook appears to want to show it is taking its pledge to get tough on analytics firms seriously after the scandal involving Cambridge Analytica and user privacy. The social network has suspended Crimson Hexagon, a Boston-based firm, following concern that its contracts with governments from numerous countries, including the United States and Russia, violated its rules on surveillance. Facebook took the action against Crimson Hexagon after the Wall Street Journal began asking questions about its oversight of the companys government contracts.

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We dont allow developers to build surveillance tools using information from Facebook or Instagram. We take these allegations seriously, and we have suspended these apps while we investigate, said a Facebook spokesman.

Facebook said that while it wasnt aware of some of the companys contracts, so far it has found no evidence that any user data had been improperly obtained. Still, the company said it would launch an investigation into whether the analytics firms contracts with the U.S.

government and a Russian nonprofit tied to the Kremlin violate the platforms policies, according to the Journal. The company has also done work for the government of Turkey.

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Last year, Facebook explicitly forbade third parties from using user data for government surveillance. It isnt against Facebook policies to use data from users for general insights. But where Crimson Hexagon would fall foul of Facebooks rules is if the data was used to create tools for surveillance, though Facebook has never clarified how its policy works in practice, notes the BBC.

Crimson Hexagons Chief Technology Officer Chris Bingham defended the firms work in a blog post that noted the company only collects publicly available social media data that anyone can access and does not collect private social media data.
The FBI released a cache of previously top-secret redacted documents Saturday night having to do with the surveillance of former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. The documents included a redacted version of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court wiretap application as well as several renewals. The F.B.I. believes Page has been the subject of targeted recruitment by the Russian government, reads one document. The purpose of this recruitment was to undermine and influence the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election in violation of U.S. criminal law.

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Page, who has repeatedly denied he was a Russian agent, had left the Trump campaign shortly before the FBI sought to monitor him. But in the more than 400 pages of documents that were released Saturday night, the government made its case for monitoring Page, starting in October 2016. Although much of what was in the documents was already known, the release itself is significant as the New York Times explains:

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The spectacle of the release was itself noteworthy, given that wiretapping under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, is normally one of the governments closest-guarded secrets. No such application materials had apparently become public in the 40 years since Congress enacted that law to regulate the interception of phone calls and other communications on domestic soil in search of spies and terrorists, as opposed to wiretapping for ordinary criminal investigations. Although heavily redacted, the documents make clear that the FBI was clearly concerned about Page, saying he has established relationships with Russian government officials, including Russian intelligence officers. In addition, the FBI believed Page has been collaborating and conspiring with the Russian government.

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Whether the FBI was justified in its concerns over Page had been the subject of dueling classified memos from Republicans and Democrats earlier this year. And while Rep. Devin Nunes effort to question the surveillance had already been seen as a weak, these documents seem to highlight just how misleading the arguments laid out in what became known as the Nunes memo actually were. The Washington Post explains:

Even based on what was known then, the hype surrounding Nuness memo seemed to oversell the point. In short order, other revelations about the warrant application made it clear that the contents of the memo were iffy. It was the second time in two years that Nunes had gone to bat in defense of one of Trumps pet theories, and neither time worked out that well. As it turns out though, Nuness efforts to raise questions about the surveillance warrant, granted by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, were even less robust than they seemed at the time. With the release on Friday of a redacted copy of both the initial warrant application targeting Page in October 2016 and the three 90-day extensions of the warrant, we can get a better sense of just how far from the mark the Nunes memo actually was.

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Trump though saw things rather differently and took to Twitter on Sunday to say that the documents confirm with little doubt that the department of Justice and the FBI misled the court. He makes the broad claim without citing any evidence and seemingly ignoring all that the documents do reveal about why there was concern about his connections to Russia. In a second tweet, Trump said that it was looking more & more like the Trump Campaign for President was illegally being spied upon (surveillance) for the political gain of Crooked Hillary Clinton and the DNC.

Congratulations to @JudicialWatch and @TomFitton on being successful in getting the Carter Page FISA documents. As usual they are ridiculously heavily redacted but confirm with little doubt that the Department of Justice and FBI misled the courts. Witch Hunt Rigged, a Scam!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 22, 2018

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Looking more & more like the Trump Campaign for President was illegally being spied upon (surveillance) for the political gain of Crooked Hillary Clinton and the DNC. Ask her how that worked out - she did better with Crazy Bernie. Republicans must get tough now. An illegal Scam!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 22, 2018

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Speaking on CNN Sunday, Carter Page characterized the declassified documents as so ridiculous. The former Trump campaign adviser said the documents were so misleading and added that its literally a complete joke. Page vehemently denied he had ever been an agent of a foreign power by an y stretch of the imagination.

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may soon be kicked out of Ecuadors embassy in London, where he has been holed up since 2012. Several reports claim Ecuador is getting ready to withdraw its asylum protection for Assange after six years amid pressure from the United States and the United Kingdom.

The Intercepts Glenn Greenwald reports that Ecuadors President Lenin Moreno is set to finalize the deal to turn Assange over in the coming days in London. Moreno, who was elected president in May, has made it quite clear he isnt too fond of his countrys role in protecting Assange, who he has descried as a hacker, a stone in the shoe for his administration, and an inherited problem. Ecuadors government was also particularly angry at how Assanges support for separatist movements in Catalonia led to complaints from Spain. In a sign of the growing tensions between Assange and his hosts, Ecuador cut off Assanges access to the internet and severely restricted his access to visitors earlier this year.

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The Times of London reported last week that British officials were locked in discussions over the fate of Assange. And the editor in chief of Russian news outlet RT quoted a source who claimed Ecuador is getting ready to hand over Assange in coming weeks or even days. Greenwald, meanwhile, cites a source close to Ecuadors government saying that Moreno is close to finalizing, if he has not already finalized, an agreement to hand over Assange to the U.K. within the next several weeks. In fact, Assanges eviction from the embassy could come as early as this week.

Amid the reports of an imminent eviction, video was posted online that showed how furniture was being removed from Ecuadors embassy in London, which only increased speculation about Assanges future.

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Assange has been inside Ecuadors embassy since he fled Sweden after accusations of sexual assault and rape. Prosecutors in Sweden have since dropped the charges although he could still face proceedings and jail time for violating bail conditions. More concerning for Assange, of course, is the possibility that the United States would call on U.K. authorities to arrest and extradite him over the leaking of classified documents. Sources close to Assange claim that the United States is pressuring Ecuador to evict Assange, including by threatening to block a loan from the International Monetary Fund if it continues to allow the WikiLeaks founder to live in its embassy.

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Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, wrote on Twitter that if Ecuador does evict Assange from the embassy its essential the UK not become party to any US effort to prosecute him for merely publishing classified information the same way journalists regularly do.

If Ecuador expels Assange from its London embassy, it's essential the UK not become party to any US effort to prosecute him for merely publishing classified information the same way journalists regularly do. @TheIntercept https://t.co/85da4IVUvU pic.twitter.com/xi0xG62xjC  Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) July 21, 2018

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Greenwald, meanwhile, notes that a call to extradite Assange to the United States could suddenly see journalists cheering on what is essentially attack on a free press. He explains:
As a general rule, Americans were not really happy with the way President Trump handled his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. But the usual polarization means that the withering criticism Trump received from both sides of the aisle in Washington has not really transferred to the public as a whole.

Overall, 50 percent of Americans disapprove of the way Trump handled the meeting with Putin, with only 33 percent saying they approve, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll. A slightly larger proportion of Americans56 percentdisapprove of the way Trump expressed doubts about the conclusions from U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia tried to influence the U.S. election. And strong feelings are clearly one sided with 41 percent saying they disapprove strongly of the intelligence questioning compared to only 14 percent who approve strongly.

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While both Democrats and Republicans said over the past week that Trump went too far in his support of Putin, only 40 percent of Americans agree. Meanwhile, almost the same proportion of Americans35 percentsay Trump handled Putin about right and 15 percent are on the other end of the spectrum saying the U.S. president didnt go far enough in his support for Putin.

While almost half of Americans47 percentsay the countrys leadership in the world has gotten weaker under Trump, 30 percent say it has gotten stronger. But even though those numbers look like bad news for the administration, they are actually an improvement for Trump from late last year. In November, the proportion of Americans who said Americas leadership had gotten weaker was 27 percentage points rather than the current 17.

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Trump once again took to Twitter Sunday to criticize the news media for the coverage of the Helsinki summit. I had a GREAT meeting with Putin and the Fake News used every bit of their energy to try and disparage it, Trump wrote. So bad for our country!
A Trader Joes employee died Saturday and was the only immediate fatal victim of a tense hostage situation at a Los Angeles Trader Joes that went on for several hours before the suspect agreed to surrender to police. Before bursting into the Trader Joes, the 28-year-old suspect had shot his grandmother at least seven times and another woman, who was later identified as the gunmans girlfriend. It still isnt clear what sparked what appears to have been a family dispute. The suspect then dragged his girlfriend into his grandmothers car and fled. The grandmother was hospitalized and is in critical condition.

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When police located the vehicle, they began chasing the suspect, who began shooting at police. He eventually crashed the car into a light post outside Trader Joes in LAs Silver Lake neighborhood. About 40 people were inside the store when the armed suspect ran inside. The bullets were flying everywhere through the front of the store and across the parking lot, a witness said. A woman, whose brother identified as a Trader Joes employee, was shot and killed but none of the other hostages were seriously wounded.

After three hours of negotiations, the suspect, whose left arm had been wounded in the exchange of gunfire with police, handcuffed himself and surrendered to police. Although the gunman had made a series of demands during the tense standoff, negotiators were convinced they could get him to surrender peacefully. Six people ranging in age from 12 to 81 were taken to the hospital but none had been shot and all were in fair condition.
Steve Bannon, the former White House chief strategist, is gearing up for a very Europe-centric future. Bannon told the Daily Beast that his plan is to offer a foil to George Soros Open Society Foundation with his own populist organization that he says will be called The Movement. Soros is brilliant, Bannon said. Hes evil but hes brilliant.

The way Bannon envisions it, The Movement will seek to help out far-right candidates across the continent, assisting them with polling and messaging. The goal is for the foundation to set up its footprint with the European Parliament elections next spring. Bannons vision includes forming a right-wing supergroup in the European Parliament that could include as many as a third of the lawmakers. A united populist bloc of that size would have the ability to seriously disrupt parliamentary proceedings, potentially granting Bannon huge power within the populist movement, explains the Daily Beast. After the November midterm elections, Bannon himself plans to spend around 50 percent of his time in Europe.

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The news is hardly out of the blue considering that Bannon has been traveling to Europe to support right-wing candidates and groups since he was ousted from the White House in August 2017. Id rather reign in hell, than serve in heaven, Bannon told the Daily Beast. He raised lots of eyebrows earlier this year when he told a gathering of the far-right in France that they should be proud of being called racists. Let them call you racists, Bannon said to members of the French National Front party at their annual congress. Let them call you xenophobes. Let them call you nativists. Wear it as a badge of honor.

Bannon expects to start relatively small with the organization that will likely be headquartered in Brussels. He will start hiring staff in the next few months but expects there will be fewer than 10 full-time staff before the European Parliament election in May 2019. If all goes well, the goal is to eventually increase that number to 25.
A day-long strike and day of demonstrations by Israels LGBT community and its allies ended in a huge demonstration with some 60,000 people gathering at a main plaza in Tel Aviv on Sunday night to protest the exclusion of gay men from a new surrogacy legislation. Israels gay community is angry at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for going against his word and voting against a measure that would have supported surrogacy for gay fathers in what everyone saw as a bow to pressure from the Orthodox wing of his coalition.

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Demonstrators protested all day and even blocked a main highway in Tel Aviv at one point. Some 200 companies had said before Sunday that they would allow their employees to have paid leave to attend the protests, so they could participate in the strike without fear of retribution. In Jerusalem, hundreds protested outside Netanyahus residence.

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The massive demonstrations came after days of anger following Netanyahus flip-flop. Under the legislation, single women would be allowed to seek state support for surrogacy treatment. But, crucially, Netanyahu did not support an additional amendment that would have also granted the same right to single fathers. Netanyahu defended his decision, saying that the entire legislation would have been doomed to failure with that amendment and he vowed to revisit the issue in the future.

The massive protests were meant to send a message to the government that the LGBT community is not willing to be treated like second-class citizens anymore and wait their turn for equal rights. We will no longer be silent. This struggle is not only about the rights of the [LGBT] community but on the image of the country. This is the 21st century. People are not seated at the back of the bus because of the color of their skin and they will not be deprived of the right to be parents due to their [sexual] orientation, Zionist Union Knesset member Itzik Shmuli, who is gay, told the crowd at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv.

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Although gay marriage is not legal in Israel, the country does recognize marriages performed abroad. Besides, the fight for LGBT rights is not really centered around marriage. Religion is so intertwined with marriage in Israel that there are lots of other people who are forbidden from tying the knot, including couples of different religions. So LGBT couples are not alone in their fight for marriage equality, notes Haaretz. However, when it comes to having childrenin both the case of adoption and now in surrogacythe LGBT community is the sole target of what it views as a violation of a basic right.
Armenia is a country ready to reveal its miracles everyone who want to. While Lake Sevan is one of the Armenian wonders, located in the very heart of the Armenian highland.

This place will exactly draw attention both of tourists and Armenian residents. however, they are all ready to plunge into the clear water of the Lake escaping from the summer heat.

Let's see what's so special about this place.

Liana Khudoyan and Paruir Siniavskii

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Mountain Shadows in Wayanad is just the place for a dreamy vacation
Happy Birthday to living legend Bert Newton, who turns 80 years old today.

The iconic variety performer celebrated quietly with family on the weekend, telling the Herald Sun, They say that life begins at 40. If that is the case I have had 40 pretty good years up until 80. It is a good feeling and it is particularly nice to be able to share it with the grandkids.

I am so thrilled that I am here with them. One realises that at 80 years of age there is not too much chance of being at their 21st or whatever, but the important thing is they are with us to celebrate.

It is wonderful to celebrate the milestone with the people I love.

Newtons TV resume is led by cleverly working as second-banana to Graham Kennedy and Don Lane at Nine, but he has also long-runs as host on New Faces plus Good Morning Australia for TEN.

There were also stints fronting his own variety shows, for Nine and Seven, Ford Superquiz, Family Feud and 20 to One.

Known for his quick wit and Live hosting skills, Bert is also synonymous with hosting the Logie Awards, mostly recently attracting some criticism for jokes during an appearance at the 60th event. Newton has since explained his comments were not meant to offend or tarnish reputations.

But while Bert has had more than his share of headlines, including for health scares & family dramas, he remains much-loved

There has also been Gold Logies, Hall of Fame, Order of Australia, Order of the British Empire awards, Centenary Medals, Mo Awards, Television Society of Australia awards, Australia Post stamps, stage & radio credits, and King of Moomba titles.

A decade ago at his 70th birthday thrown at GTV9 he told TV Tonight, I think Ive reached that stage where someone else has to suggest what I can do. And if I think I can do it, away we go.
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Nine has confirmed Logie-winning The Block will return for its 14th season at The Gatwick, St. Kilda, in early August.

Scott Cam returns as host joined by Shelley Craft, judges Neale Whitaker, Shaynna Blaze, Darren Palmer, foremen Keith Schleiger and Dan Reilly.

There are 5 new couples from 5 states competing to win.

Over 11 gruelling weeks, and with a budget of $220,000, the new Blockheads will totally transform five luxury apartment spaces in the notorious Gatwick building located in beachside St Kilda in Melbourne.

Theyre all competing for the chance to walk away with $100,000 prizemoney and any profit made when their apartments go under the hammer at a live public auction later this year.

Moving into The Gatwick are the five eager teams chosen from a record-breaking 45,000 entries:

Bianca (36) and Carla (35), Australian champion netballers from Melbourne, VIC

Kerrie (49) and Spence (47), married couple from the Barossa Valley, SA

Sara (31) and Hayden (45), newlywed parents from The Shire, NSW

Hans (37) and Courtney (33), the pilot and his first-class flight attendant partner from Perth, WA

Norm (40) and Jess (33), engaged parents from the Sunshine Coast, QLD

Theres no time to settle in. In the first 48 hours, the teams will be tasked with creating a kids bedroom from start to finish. The winner of this challenge will have first choice to pick from either three apartments within the old, heritage part of the building, or two grand penthouses nestled on the roof.

It wont be an easy choice. The two impressive rooftop properties dont exist yet  not even a single wall, and one of the lower apartments has a safe with hidden booty inside.

Sunday, August 5, at 7.00pm on Nine.
By Lisa Rapaport

(Reuters Health) - A screening test for colon cancer that looks for "invisible" blood in stool may also predict a heightened risk of premature death from other causes, a recent study suggests.

Researchers examined data on 133,921 adults in Scotland who got screened for colon cancer using what's known as a fecal occult blood test (FOBT). When these tests are positive for blood in the stool, it can signal cancer, but it doesn't always mean people have tumors.

In the study, 2,714 people, or two percent, had positive FOBT results. Not only were these individuals almost eight times more likely to die of colon cancer than people with negative results, they were also 58 percent more likely to die of other causes during the study.

"Having blood in stool may be an early warning for a number of diseases, and could indicate the need for lifestyle change," senior study author Robert Steele of the University of Dundee in Scotland said by email.

A positive FOBT result was associated with an increased risk of dying from respiratory, digestive, blood, hormone and neuropsychological diseases, as well as other types of cancer, researchers report in Gut.

Some previous research has linked stool in the blood to a shortened life expectancy, even when people didn't have colon cancer, but results have been mixed and these studies often didn't account for other underlying medical conditions and medications that might cause internal bleeding.

All of the participants in the current study had FOBT between 2000 and 2016. They were 50 to 74 years old when they joined the study, and they were followed from the date of their first test until death or the end of March 2016, whichever came first.

Men, older adults, and low-income people were more likely to have positive FOBT results, the study found.

People with prescriptions for aspirin or other drugs that boost the risk of digestive tract bleeding were also more likely to have a positive test result.

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The study wasn't a controlled experiment designed to prove whether or how blood in the stool might hasten death from colon cancer or other causes.

Still, researchers speculate that inflammation might contribute to bleeding in the gut as well as the development of certain cancers and other chronic diseases of advanced age like Alzheimer's.

Inflammation is just a guess, however, and other explanations may also be possible, said Dr. Uri Ladabaum, author of an accompanying editorial and director of the gastrointestinal cancer prevention program at Stanford University School of Medicine in California.

"For colorectal cancer, we believe the cancer itself bleeds, and some pre-cancers can bleed as well," Ladabaum said by email. "Other gastrointestinal tract lesions can also bleed - like stomach cancer, or benign conditions like ulcer, abnormal blood vessels, etc."

"But we simply do not understand the mechanism linking hidden blood in stool to non-colorectal cancer death risk," Ladabaum added.

Until this connection becomes clearer, there's no need for patients to consider FOBT for purposes other than colorectal cancer screening, Ladabaum advised. "I would not advocate its use to screen for risk of other diseases."

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2LcjMcc Gut, online July 16, 2018.

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BOGOTA, Colombia (AP)  With the swipe of a taupe shade of eyeshadow and the swearing of an oath, Sandra Ramirez's transformation from rebel guerrilla to senator was complete.

Eight ex-combatants with Colombia's once-largest rebel group were sworn into office Friday in another crucial step in implementing the country's peace accord, taking seats in Congress alongside some lawmakers who for years were bitter enemies.

"This is a big responsibility we'll be shouldering," said Ramirez, the widow of a legendary guerrilla leader. "It's a change from life in the mountains, from boots in the mud."

The fledging politicians represent a small faction in a Congress that has the task of pushing forward key aspects of the peace agreement. The rebels were guaranteed 10 seats in the legislature as part of the accord, a stipulation that has angered many Colombians.

In his address to the new legislature, outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos acknowledged the hesitation of Colombians to embrace the former rebels as lawmakers, but he said including them in politics is a powerful demonstration of democracy.

"It fills me with satisfaction that those who for more than half a century fought the state and its institutions with arms today bow to the constitution," Santos said.

The oath ceremony comes just weeks before conservative Ivan Duque assumes the presidency amid signs that the peace accord remains on shaky ground. Duque vowed throughout his campaign to modify important aspects of the agreement, though he has softened some of his positions since the polarizing election.

Two of the former leaders of the disarmed Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia didn't take their seats in Congress on Friday. Seuxis Hernandez remained jailed in Colombia on U.S. drug charges while Ivan Marquez is holed up in a rural camp for former guerrillas, telling comrades he fears for his safety.

Adam Isacson with the Washington Office on Latin America said the absence of Marquez, the rebels' chief negotiator during peace talks, was concerning.

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"It sends a signal of skepticism that may influence a lot of mid-level leaders' decisions about whether to give up and join a dissident group," he said.

Colombia's conflict between leftist rebels, paramilitaries and the state left at least 250,000 dead, 60,000 missing and millions displaced in a war that still haunts many. Even as the number of homicides drops to a four-decade low, in many parts of the country drug traffickers and smaller illegal armed groups still wreak havoc. Since the signing of the accord, over 300 social leaders and dozens of former rebels have been killed.

Many fear the wave of violence could portend a repeat of events in the 1980s, when dozens of leftist politicians affiliated with the Patriotic Union party were gunned down.

Ramirez said the ex-combatants taking office Friday were aware of the threats they face.

"It worries us immensely," she said.

On Friday morning, Ramirez woke up at 5:30 a.m. and prepared for the monumental day in her transition to life as a civilian. She put on a cream skirt and an emerald blouse. Then she went to a small beauty salon in a working-class neighborhood and had her hair and makeup done.

As the hairdresser finished gently curling the ends of her long brown hair, Ramirez took out a pair of earrings bearing a cluster of pearls.

"Do you like these?" she asked one of her assistants.

"They're very beautiful," the young woman said.

Ramirez was the partner of chief commander Manuel Marulanda until his death in 2008 and still goes largely by her alias, Sandra Ramirez. In Congress, she was sworn in with her birth name, Griselda Lobo. She eventually plans to legally change her name to Sandra Lobo, reflecting the dual identity many rebels harbor after years of being called by a nom de guerre.

To prepare for life as legislators, she and her comrades took a crash course at a university that taught them about the role of congress, the various types of laws and how to introduce a bill.

They are calling their coalition the Group for Peace and plan to focus on implementing the accord and defending human rights. Among their first proposals are ideas to improve conditions for young children in remote, rural parts of the country and better guarantee access to water.

"We never imagined ourselves here in Congress, debating bills," rebel leader-turned-senator Carlos Lozada said as he entered the stately legislature building.

The former guerrillas face a steep challenge in winning over Colombians and exercising any pull in Congress. They won less than 1 percent of the votes in the legislative elections and remain deeply unpopular in much of the country.

Many Colombians think the rebels should go before a special peace tribunal before taking roles in Congress.

"They should pay first for all the bad things they did, for all the hurt they caused Colombia," Harold Gonzalez, a hotel administrator, said as he watched a group of teens playing a game of outdoor chess blocks from Congress.

Ramirez said the ex-rebels are doing their part in taking responsibility, by meeting with victims and apologizing for their crimes. She said they are now looking to embark on a new chapter, though not forget the struggles of the past.

She said she awoke Friday with mixed emotions. She felt ready to take on her new role, but couldn't help thinking of comrades who had dreamed of a day like this, but died before it came.

"It brings up memories and longings, wishing they were here for this moment," she said.

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By Sarah Marsh

HAVANA (Reuters) - A draft of Cuba's new constitution keeps the Communist Party as its leading political force but states as its aim the construction of socialism rather than communism, reflecting changing times, top officials told lawmakers this weekend.

Cuba is replacing its Soviet-era constitution with a new constitution to reflect and implement political and economic changes designed to make its one-party socialist system - one of the last in the world - sustainable.

The constitution will for example recognise private property, something long stigmatised by the Communist Party as a vestige of capitalism, the secretary of the council of state, Homero Acosta, told lawmakers on Saturday.

This should give greater legal recognition to the micro businesses that have flourished in the wake of market reforms. Cubas current 1976 constitution only recognises state, cooperative, farmer, personal and joint venture property.

The draft also appears to strengthen political institutions and create a more collective leadership structure, after nearly 60 years of rule by late revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and his younger brother Raul Castro.

Castro, then 86, handed over the presidency in April to his mentee Miguel Diaz-Canel although he remains head of the Communist Party until 2021. He also heads the constitutional reform commission.

Under the new constitution, the president will no longer be the head of the council of state and council of ministers, according to Acosta. Instead it creates the position of prime minister and designates the president of the assembly also as head of the council of state, Cuba's highest executive body.

The draft also sets an age and term limits for presidents, stating they must be under 60 when they first take office and can carry out no more than two consecutive five-year terms.

The draft omits a clause in the current constitution on aiming to build a "communist society".

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Instead, it simply talks about building socialism, reflecting the fact Cuba has moved into a different era following the fall of the Soviet Union, according to the president of the National Assembly Esteban Lazo.

"This does not mean we are renouncing our ideas," Lazo was quoted as saying by state-run media.

One of the most hotly awaited and controversial changes in the draft is the recognition of marriage as between two individuals rather than a man and a wife, opening the path to same-sex unions.

The national assembly is expected this weekend to pass the document, which will then be submitted to a popular consultation, meaning changes are possible. A final draft will later be put to a national referendum.

At the start of the assembly meeting on Saturday, new President Diaz-Canel named his cabinet, keeping a majority of ministers from Castro including in the key posts of defence, interior, trade and foreign relations.

Marino Murillo, the head of the Communist Party's reform commission and previously one of the council of ministers' vice presidents, was the only top figure omitted from the new lineup.

Under Castro, Murillo spearheaded reforms to the state-run economy to give a greater role to foreign investment and the private sector. He remains head of the Party's reform commission and a member of the political bureau.

The reforms have slowed however in recent years amid fears they have allowed some Cubans to enrich themselves, fostering inequality, and weakened the control of the state.

This month, Cuba issued regulations tightening control of the private sector and limiting business licenses to one per person.

Two octogenarians will remain vice presidents while two fifty-year olds will be promoted to that position, reflecting the slow generational transition in Cuba's leadership.

(Reporting by Sarah Marsh, Nelson Acosta and Marc Frank in Havana, Editing by Franklin Paul and James Dalgleish)
A placard opposing gay marriage is seen on a pole in Havana A placard opposing gay marriage is seen on a pole in Havana, Cuba, July 19, 2018. The placard reads "Marriage is the voluntarily arranged union of a man and a woman". REUTERS/Stringer

By Sarah Marsh

HAVANA (Reuters) - The draft of Cuba's new constitution opens the path to same-sex marriage, a government official said on Saturday, which would make the country that once persecuted homosexuals an unlikely leader in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights.

In the early years of Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, many homosexuals were sent to correctional labour camps, part of an institutionalized homophobia for which Castro later apologised.

Yet Communist-run Cuba has made great strides over the past decade on LGBT rights, approving sex-change operations and banning workplace discrimination, partly thanks to the high-profile advocacy of Castro's niece Mariela Castro.

Proposals to recognise same-sex unions had stalled in view of the slow legislative process and lingering stigma in the macho society.

That will start to change with the new constitution that will replace Cuba's 1976 Soviet-era Magna Carta, the secretary of the council of state, Homero Acosta, told lawmakers on Saturday.

The draft, elaborated by a commission headed by former President Raul Castro - Mariela Castro's father - defines matrimony as between two individuals rather than between a man and a woman, he said.

"The possibility of marriage between two people strengthens our project's principles of equality and justice," Acosta told lawmakers, adding that further legal changes would be needed to allow for gay marriage.

The move reflects a trend in Latin America where same-sex couples have been allowed to marry in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay and some parts of Mexico in recent years, despite church opposition.

The battle has not yet been won however, Cuban LGBT rights activist Isbel Diaz Torres cautioned on social media.

While the national assembly is expected to approve the draft constitution this weekend, it will then be submitted to a popular consultation, and final draft will be put to a national referendum.

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"We will continue in the streets until the final process of the constitutional reform," said Diaz Torres. "And after the constitutional modification has been approved, we must ensure that same sex marriage is approved."

Grassroots campaigns for and against gay marriage have made it the most broadly debated proposed constitutional modification.

Five evangelical denominations shared a statement on social media last month declaring marriage "exclusively the union of a man and a woman, according to the Bible."

Churches also plastered neighbourhoods with anti gay marriage posters such as one reading "I am in favour of the original design - the family as God created it," showing a heterosexual couple with a boy and a girl.

LGBT rights activists fought back with their own posters such as one reading "I am in favour of Cuban design - a very original family," showing a panoply of different family configurations including same-sex unions.

(Reporting by Sarah Marsh, Nelson Acosta and Marc Frank in Havana, Editing by Franklin Paul and Nick Zieminski)
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Hong Kongs Wan Chai district on Saturday, July 21, to rally for free speech in response to a police movement to ban a pro-independence political party.

John Lee, Hong Kongs secretary for security, said he was considering a police request to ban the Hong Kong National Party (HKNP). HKNPS dozen or so members were called a potential threat to national security and public safety, reported Hong Kong Free Press.

If banned, it would mark the first time since Hong Kongs 1997 handover to Chinese rule in 1997 that the government has outlawed a political organization. Credit: Aaron Mc Nicholas via Storyful
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday cautioned U.S. President Donald Trump about pursuing hostile policies against Tehran, saying "war with Iran is the mother of all wars", but did not rule out peace between the two countries.

Iran faces increased U.S. pressure and looming sanctions after Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from a 2015 international deal over Iran's nuclear programme.

Addressing a gathering of Iranian diplomats, Rouhani said: "Mr Trump, don't play with the lion's tail, this would only lead to regret," the state new agency IRNA reported.

"America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars," Rouhani said, leaving open the possibility of peace between the two countries, at odds since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

"You are not in a position to incite the Iranian nation against Iran's security and interests," Rouhani said, in an apparent reference to reported efforts by Washington to destabilise Iran's Islamic government.

In Washington, U.S. officials familiar with the matter told Reuters that the Trump administration had launched an offensive of speeches and online communications meant to foment unrest and help pressure Iran to end its nuclear programme and its support of militant groups.

Current and former U.S. officials said the campaign painted Iranian leaders in a harsh light, at times using information that is exaggerated or contradicts other official pronouncements, including comments by previous administrations.

Rouhani scoffed at Trump's threat to halt Iranian oil exports and said Iran has a dominant position in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping waterway.

"Anyone who understands the rudiments of politics doesn't say 'we will stop Iran's oil exports'...we have been the guarantor of the regional waterway's security throughout history," Rouhani said, cited by the semi-official ISNA news agency.

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Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday backed Rouhani's suggestion that Iran may block Gulf oil exports if its own exports are halted.

Rouhani's apparent threat earlier this month to disrupt oil shipments from neighbouring countries came in reaction to efforts by Washington to force all countries to stop buying Iranian oil.

Iranian officials have in the past threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for any hostile U.S. action.

On Sunday, Iran's ground forces commander became the latest military figure to back Rouhani's apparent threat, the semi-official news agency Tasnim reported.

"The Strait of Hormuz region must either be safe for all or be insecure for everyone," said General Kioumars Heydari, quoted by Tasnim.

Separately, a top Iranian military commander warned that the Trump government might be preparing to invade Iran.

"The enemy's behaviour is unpredictable," Tasnim quoted military chief of staff General Mohammad Baqeri as saying.

"Although the current American government does not seem to speak of a military threat, according to precise information it has been trying to persuade the U.S. military to launch a military invasion (of Iran)," Baqeri said.

Iran's oil exports could fall by as much as two-thirds by the end of the year because of new U.S. sanctions, putting oil markets under huge strain amid supply outages elsewhere.

Washington initially planned to shut Iran out of global oil markets completely after Trump abandoned the deal that limited Iran's nuclear ambitions, demanding all other countries stop buying Iranian crude by November.

But the United States has somewhat eased its stance, saying it may grant sanction waivers to some allies that are particularly reliant on Iranian supplies.

(Reporting by Dubai newsroom; editing by Jason Neely and Dale Hudson)
GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP)  Wyoming police say a man twice led them in a chase  once in a pickup truck and then in a concrete mixer truck.

Gillette Police Lt. Brent Wasson says the incident began about 11:15 p.m. Wednesday when police tried to stop a pickup truck on the Interstate 90 on-ramp.

The Gillette News Record reports the driver fled, reaching speeds up to 100 mph (161 kph) on I-90 and forcing police to stop chasing him.

However, the pickup later crashed into a ditch in a field, and the driver ran off into a nearby construction business, where he commandeered the concrete mixer.

Wasson says at some point the truck's brakes locked and caught fire, disabling the truck.

Wasson says a 32-year-old man was taken into custody pending formal charges.

___

Information from: The Gillette (Wyo.) News Record, http://www.gillettenewsrecord.com

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In May and June of this year, Armenias Police Department signed three contracts totaling AMD 1.590 billion ($3.3 million) with a company to install street signs and maintain traffic lights in Yerevan and elsewhere in the country.

The company in question, Ukrinvest LLC, only shows one employee on the books according to information appearing on the Soldiers' Insurance Foundation website. Ukrinvest was founded in February 2017 and its wholly owned by Andranik Tatikyan, a citizen of Ukraine.

For the moment, the Police can only pay 786.256 million drams for the above services. The remainder will be paid to the company when funds are available.

The contract to install road signs in Yerevan amounts to 99.874 million drams, of which 38.541drams is ready to be paid.

The contract does not specify how many of each type of road sign should be placed in Yerevan, leaving this to the discretion of the police. For example, the contract merely states that a total of 1,200 road sign support frames should be prepared and installed. The cost of each is 13,500 drams.

10.800 million drams have been allocated for the preparation and installation of 600 triangle road markings. The cost of each unit is 18 000 drams. 80 transportation station signs will be prepared and installed at 90,000 drams apiece. The sign will be made of zinc-coated tin with a high light intensity luminous gloss.

The Police have also ordered 60 Taxi Stand signs at a unit cost of 20,000 drams.

According to the information published in the centralized public procurement system, except for the police, no government agency has signed contracts with Ukrinvest. The impression is that the company is created only for providing police services. We did not find similar service contracts in the procurement system.

As for street marking services in Yerevan, the police signed an AMD 1.45 billion contract with Ukrinvest Ltd. on May 31.

The next contract, 445 million drams, with the company was signed by the police on May 31, for maintenance of Yerevans traffic lights.

The only information I could find on the internet about Ukrinvest is that it and Mikmetal CJSC have set up a consortium and have participated in the Lifeline Road Improvement Credit Program announced by the Transport Program Organization SNCO for the implementation of Road Signposting and Installation, but the application was rejected due to a failure to comply with the evaluation and qualification criteria.

75% of Mikmetal CJSC shares are owned by Vahan Harutyunyan, a member of the National Assembly. The remainder are owned by his father Mikhail Harutyunyan.

Mikhail Harutyunyan is the uncle of Mihran Poghosyan, who headed Armenias Compulsory Enforcement Service until he resigned in 2016 after his murky offshore dealings appeared in the Panama Papers and extensively covered by Hetq. Poghosyan now sits in the Armenian National Assembly.
Reuters

The United Kingdom said on Saturday that talks with the European Union over post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland had been constructive, but substantial differences remained. Goods moving between Britain and Northern Ireland currently face customs checks, as part of a deal reached before Brexit to avoid more contentious border checks between Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and EU member Ireland. However, Britain and the EU disagree over how to implement customs and safety checks, which fall especially heavily on meat, dairy and medical products.
A three-year-old boy has been seriously injured in a suspected acid attack in a busy shop in Worcester, police say.

The victim was in a pushchair when a substance was sprayed or thrown towards him as he was deliberately targeted.

He was treated in hospital after suffering serious burns to his face and an arm, and has now been released.

Police have said the long-term medical implications for the child are unknown but detectives hope he will not have life-changing injuries.

The attack happened around 2.15pm on Saturday as the boy was on a shopping trip with his family in Home Bargains at Shrub Hill Retail Park, Tallow Hill.

West Mercia Police have released images of three men they would like to speak to and have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

The men had been in the store and were seen walking close to the little boy. They left shortly after the assault.

Chief Superintendent Mark Travis said: "At this time we are treating this as a deliberate attack on a three-year-old boy."

He told Sky News: "It's an awful incident and we're really, really concerned about this.

"Worcester is a really, really safe place. It's very unusual to have any form of attack like this."

He said the incident will "rightly shock the local community" and that police were carrying out a thorough investigation to identify those responsible.

The motive of the attack is unknown.

An ambulance arrived at the scene in eight minutes and crew assessed the boy's injuries. He was treated at the scene and then taken to hospital in Worcester.

His burns were consistent with an acid or alkaline substance, said Mr Travis.

A 39-year-old man from Wolverhampton has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.

It is not known if he is connected to the three men being sought.

"The three men in the photo may have information vital to our investigation," Mr Travis added.

"I am sure someone will recognise them and I would urge anyone with information to contact us as a matter of urgency."

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Worcester City Council leader Marc Bayliss described the attack as "absolutely pure evil".

He added: "Worcester is not that sort of place. We are a quintessential small English city.

"I have never heard of an acid attack in Worcester so this is absolutely not something we have any experience of."

Mr Bayliss urged anyone with information to come forward.

"Think if this was a member of your family, an innocent child, a three-year-old probably scarred or damaged for life by this. We need to bring the perpetrators to justice, and quickly."

A Home Bargains spokeswoman said: "Our thoughts are with this young child and his family at this very difficult time."

:: Anyone with information should call 999 quoting incident 442s of 21 July 2018. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
In the Sunday Times 'Inside the City' column, Sabah Meddings was looking at consumer products giant Reckitt Benckiser - and the abandoning of a potential 15bn takeover of Pfizer s consumer lines.

Earlier this year, Reckitt chief Rakesh Kapoor was on the verge of securing the portfolio from the US drug giant, which included global brands such as Advil painkillers and Centrum vitamin supplements.

Kapoor was forced to ditch the deal, however, after investors became more wary of the cash call and pile of debt that would have been necessary to buy it.

Shareholders were also apparently concerned at the prospect of another massive integration, just a year after Reckitt took over US infant food giant Mead Johnson.

Meddings said that in hindsight, walking away from the Pfizer prospect was a smart decision, with Reckitt avoiding the expensive deal and Pfizer instead splitting the business into three divisions.

Shareholders in Reckitt Benckiser, however, were still suffering a string of disappointments, with the Mead Johnson acquisition sending profit margin forecasts south, and sales being affected by negative currency movements, a cybersecurity breach, and a flop of a footwear launch.

The series of corporate stumbles have led to a number of investors apparently questioning the value of 12.7m-a-year Kapoor, especially given the firm was enjoying 6% like-for-like revenue growth as recently as 2015.

There are also growing concerns that a recently-announced healthcare products tie-up between Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JP Morgan could see the internet giant encroaching on Reckitts territory.

Jeff Bezos retail and technology empire has also recently made moves to gobble up prescription medicine distributor PillPack.

Meddings did note that Reckitt remained strong in the face of these challenges, however, with its shares closing on Friday ar 6507p, up 14.5% from their low in April.

That was a better performance than competitor Unilever, which advanced 11.8% over the same timeframe.

Reckitt Benckiser will release its second-quarter numbers this coming Friday, with analysts predicting a 2.9% rise in like-for-like sales, and total revenues of 2.9bn.

Profit performance will have been hampered by costs over Reckitts recent decision to split itself into two divisions - home and hygiene, and healthcare - however.

Could Kapoors decision to report each divisions numbers separately lead to a formal break-up?, asked Sabah Meddings.

After all, with [GlaxoSmithKline] looking at separating its consumer and pharmaceuticals divisions, it seems demergers are back in vogue.

Meddings said that, if Reckitt decided to find a buyer for its hygiene business, it could come back for Pfizers consumer goods business at a lower price and with more firepower.

Perhaps, in a few years, Reckitts time will come.

Over in the Mail on Sunday, Joanne Hart was combining two of her apparently favourite things - technology and the AIM market - and focussing her attention in the 'Midas' column on Xeros Technology.

The firm has apparently developed a way to reduce water usage in washing machines by up to 80%, and recently signed a deal with Chinese appliance giant Jiangsu Sea-lion Machinery Group.

Its shares were sitting at 69p on Friday, with Hart claiming they should rise as it completed more deals with commercial and domestic appliance makers around the globe.

Xeros was a spin-out from Leeds University, becoming its own entity in 2006, and spending most of the last 12 years working on its technology without focussing too much on the cashflow side of things.

Central to its technology are what it calls XOrbs - small polymer beads which last a thousand cycles, and mechanically remove dirt, stains and bleeding dyes.

As a result, water usage is reportedly substantially lowered, with less detergent required and the machine being able to effectively wash at lower water temperatures, too.

Xeros even claims that clothing and other fabrics last longer, with garments requiring less ironing when washed with its XOrbs.

While the benefits seem apparent, Hart said the big manufacturers take a lot of convincing, with Xeros spending years now selling washing machines itself with the technology built in.

The Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles Universal City is now using the machines, and has reported a significant reduction in its water bills, detergent costs and machine replacement rates.

At its core, however, Xeros is a company focussed on its technology, rather than the nuances of designing and distributing the washing machines themselves, so chief executive Mark Nichols was steering it towards a licensing model.

The transaction with Sea-lion was the first of that sort of contract, with the deal unveiled last week at a laundry exhibition in China.

Xeros board was anticipating more similar deals this year.

It was also looking at other more niche applications for the XOrbs technology, with it apparently helping expensive firefighting uniforms last longer, and tanneries to use less water in leather production.

Nichols was also working with jeans manufacturers to see if XOrbs had useful applications in the production of denim.

Xeros joined AIM in 2014 at 123p, Hart said, adding that the shares hit 300p in 2015 and again last year.

They have slumped since then, as shareholders have grown tired of waiting for the business to deliver licensing deals and move towards profitability.

Profits are unlikely to materialise for the next three years but new deals should be forthcoming, and with increasing frequency, she explained.

At 69p, the shares are a buy for adventurous, long-term investors keen to back a British technology pioneer.
Russia has successfully test-fired a new air defence missile from a testing range in Kazakhstan, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday.

A missile defence unit of the Russian Aerospace Forces has tested a new, modernized air defence missile at the Sary Shagan of the Kazakhstan firing range, Deputy Commander of Aerospace Forces' air and missile defence taskforce, Andrei Prikhodko told the national Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper.

The weapon, which had successfully engaged its targets during the test, is in military service, Xinhua news agency quoted Prikhodko as saying.

The anti-missile system is designed to protect Moscow against air and space attacks, as well as to carry out tasks in the interests of missile attack warning systems and control of outer space.

--IANS

mag/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
John Lanchester in The New Yorker:

What are you doing? I dont mean what are you doing with your life, or in general, but what are you doing right now? The answer, in one respect, is simple enough: youre reading this magazine. Obviously. From a certain economic perspective, however, youre doing something else, something you dont realize, something with a sneaky motive that you arent admitting to yourself: you are signalling. You are sending signals about the kind of person you are, or want to be. Whats that you sayyoure reading this in the bath, or on your phone in bed, or otherwise in private? Well, the same argument applies. You are acquiring the tools for a fitness display. This, the economist Robin Hanson and the writer-programmer Kevin Simler argue in their new book, The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life (Oxford), is an advertisement of health, energy, vigor, coordination, and overall fitness. Fitness displays can be used to woo mates, of course, but they also serve other purposes like attracting allies or intimidating rivals. So there you go: thats what youre doing, there in the bath with the magazine. Your rivals are right to feel intimidated.

Wait, thoughsurely signalling doesnt account for everything? Hanson, in a recent podcast interview with Tyler Cowen, a colleague at George Mason University, was asked to give a short, quick and dirty answer to the question of how much human behavior ultimately can be traced back to some kind of signalling. His answer: In a rich society like ours, well over ninety per cent. He was then asked to cite a few voluntary human activities that have the least amount to do with signalling. The example Hanson came up with was scratching your butt.

That made me laugh, and also shake my head. Economists often do. I started reading up on economics twelve years ago. I was in the early stages of writing a novel about contemporary London, and had come to the realization that frequently hits you when you are writing fiction, which is that there is a story behind the apparent story.

More here.
Yerevan police have dropped charges against Anoush Lalayan, recently appointed an assistant to the Minister of Diaspora Affairs, for draping a pair of underwear from a speed camera in Yerevan on April 6 of this year to symbolize her opposition to the Serzh Sargsyan regime and how, in her words, that regime has stolen everything from the people except forone pair of underwear.

Lalayan was a member of the Reject Serzh and My Step movements that spearheaded political protests this spring leading to the resignation of Serzh Sargsyan as prime minister on April 22.

Lalayan had been charged with defacing and damaging the speed camera located on Abovyan Street.

Police claim they dropped the charges before Lalayan was appointed the ministers assistant.
When it comes to addiction, the cornerstone, and often first step of most treatment programs, is abstinence.

Those struggling with addiction are told to completely stop using the substance or performing the activity to which they are addicted. University of New Mexico scientist and professor Katie Witkiewitz hopes her research will help modify that approach, especially for those who do not seek help and also help those who are sober avoid relapse.

Currently Witkiewitz and her colleague Eric Claus at UNM are researching how the brain changes when heavy users reduce their alcohol intake. She said while abstinence is preferable, its not the road everyone is willing or able to take.

One of my main focuses is the idea that harm reduction might not require abstinence, she said. Of people who might need help, 90 percent never seek treatment.

She said her research is looking at the how the brain changes  how harm is reduced  in those who cut back on drinking. She calls her approach pragmatic and would like to ultimately create a public message backed by research in hopes it would motivate people to reduce their drinking because they see it as beneficial. She said she would also like to make other types of recovery, such as reduction, a part of the general conversation about treating addiction.

Its (drinking) part of our culture, she said. Its social and people want to enjoy the social aspect so what would happen if someone reduced by three drinks? Would it reduce harm on the brain? We want to bring data to this discussion.

Witkiewitz grew up in upstate New York miles from anything in a small rural community. The nearest store was 45 minutes away but it was a lifestyle she loved, even as a young person. Upon moving to Albuquerque, she decided to make the East Mountains her home, which she said reminded her of home.

Witkiewitz was recruited in 2012 by UNMs Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addictions (CASAA) director Barbara McCrady. Witkiewitz was already conducting research with her colleagues in Seattle about using mindfulness and meditation to treat addiction. Witkiewitz said CASAAs internationally renowned reputation for developing science-based behavioral treatments made it hard to resist.

It was the best decision I ever made, she said. I keep joking I found my forever home.

McCrady called Witkiewitz an outstanding researcher with excellent statistical analysis skills.

Shes incredibly productive and efficient, McCrady said. Shes also a nice person and very generous with her expertise.

Jane Ellen Smith, professor and chair of the UNM Psychology Department, said universities across the country have routinely tried to recruit Witkiewitz but she is committed to New Mexico and her work at UNM. She has dedicated herself, Smith said, to improving the lives of people suffering from substance abuse problems. Witkiewitz was recently awarded the distinguished title of regents professor. According to a university news release, this title is given to professors for their accomplishments as teachers, scholars and leaders both in university affairs and in their national/international professional communities.

Dr. Katie Witkiewitz is a bit of a mystery; nobody can quite figure out how she accomplishes all that she does while remaining a wonderfully pleasant, fun and humble person in the process, she said. Ive never seen such an impressive combination of energy and efficiency.

Witkiewtiz said she knew she wanted to enter the field of psychology but addiction wasnt necessarily her first choice. Her mentor while attending graduate school in Montana was doing research on addiction.

It really clicked for me, she said. I started working with people with addiction and it became almost a passion overnight.

She was speaking at a conference when Alan Marlatt, psychology professor and director of the Addictive Behaviors Research Center at the University of Washington, asked her to come work with him. Witkiewitz and her classmates, using Marlatts previous research, developed Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention treatment, which aims to keep those in recovery from relapsing. Marlatt has since passed away.

The first step of the treatment, she said, is for someone to notice either their discomfort or craving. The next step is to pause before taking action and finally learning to stay with the discomfort or pain until it subsides instead of using substances to alleviate the feelings.

In other treatments, when people experience hardship  even after their treatment  when people experience depression or a breakup, they go back to using right away, she said. Because treatment didnt teach them how to deal with that big, terrible thing that just happened. Whereas in our studies, weve found that when people experience those really hard things, they dont have to go back to using. Theyve learned a totally different way of coping.
LOS LUNAS  A partnership between the village of Los Lunas and the University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning has been awarded a $25,000 grant by the National Endowment for the Arts to support design and planning of a Los Lunas Route 66 Museum and Visitors Center.

Last month NEA Chairman Jane Chu announced 60 awards totaling $4.1 million supporting projects across the nation through the Our Town grant program.

The village will be working with several professors at the UNM School of Architecture and Planning to offer studio courses focused on the museum project.

Its an honor and a privilege to be awarded this grant, said Los Lunas Mayor Charles Griego. Were excited to partner with the UNM School of Architecture and Planning to develop the design concept and look forward to engaging village residents and businesses in the effort.

The Route 66 Museum has been in the villages plans for several years to commemorate when the route dipped down into Los Lunas between 1926 and 1937 before heading west to California.

The focus of our Route 66 Museum is really to tell the under-told stories of local, mostly Hispanic agricultural communities and how the route impacted them, said Erin Callahan, the villages special projects planner.

The village purchased the lot and two structures west of the Luna Mansion with the Route 66 project in mind. One of the structures is a historic building and likely where the museum will be housed, Callahan said.

The property was the old Country Inn and part of what the grant will fund is a historic preservation inventory, as well as intensive studio courses through the UNM School of Architecture.

So were excited for them to see what needs to be done to that structure to preserve it and then let us adaptively re-use it for a museum, Callahan said.

In the spring of 2019, four different studio courses will be coordinated through the UNM School of Architecture and Planning, including master planning for the site, some asset mapping to see what is in close proximity of the site and how a museum would best function in the area.

The historic inventory course will analyze the structure with some class work done in the summer of 2019, and then in the fall, an advanced architecture design course will draft the museum and museum grounds architectural design.

We dont expect to finish 2019 with a set of stamped construction drawings to take to build, said Callahan. What we expect to come out of the year with is some really great designs that then we can put out to bid for an RFP.

The hope is that by spring of 2020 the village will be in a position to put out an RFP for construction.

The village was one of 60 NEA Our Town projects selected nationwide for the grant, and UNMs School of Architecture and Planning is excited to collaborate with the village.

In a press release, Tim B. Castillo, associate dean of the School of Architecture and Planning, said they have a legacy of working with many communities in New Mexico, and the faculty and students are excited at the opportunity to work with the community of Los Lunas to design and plan for the Route 66 Museum and Visitors Center.

We feel this collaboration is a great opportunity for students to work on a real world planning and design project in partnership with a local municipality, added Moises Gonzales, professor of Community and Regional Planning.
Carlos Jose Oteros New Mexican reach extends as deeply as the green pigment he gathers from the Placitas hillsides.

Otero is one of more than 200 artists who will flock to the Santa Fe Plaza in the 67th Annual Traditional Spanish Market on July 28-29. Visitors can see woodcarvings, tinwork, colcha embroidery, hide painting, bultos, retablos, straw applique, furniture, weavings, jewelry, filigree, pottery and ironwork.

Winner of the 2018 Masters Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Los Lunas-born santero carves bultos and retablos with the ease of a born sculptor.

Award winners must have given back to the community as a teacher, artist and promoter of New Mexicos Spanish traditions, be included in private and museum collections and be a Spanish Market award winner.

The winner of four Best of Show awards, the Otero is a poet, musician and self-taught genealogist who directs the music program at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Peralta with his wife, Vickie.

Books about the saints scatter across the coffee table beneath sweeping window views of the city and bosque in his Albuquerque living room. The histories of the saints and of the Spanish people spill from his lips like tumbling rosary beads.

These are real people who contributed to the betterment of society throughout the ages, he says of the saints. We draw from that to do our work.

Otero carves his figures using traditional cottonwood. He gathers, grinds and mixes his own pigments from the New Mexico landscape.

To create his paintbox, he sifts the dirt before immersing it in a gallon of water. After he shakes it, the color rises while the sediment falls. A second shake and all of the color descends. He blends the results with gum harvested from a peach or a cherry tree and it turns into paint. Old medicine bottles and spice containers double as paint jars.

To prepare his wooden canvas, he makes his own gesso from desert gypsum and rabbit hide glue. Pinon tree sap becomes varnish. He mixes it with 100 percent grain alcohol.

I tried tequila; it didnt work, he said.

Ask how much time he spends on a single piece and he shrugs.

Im not one to stick with one piece, because I get sidetracked, he said, adding that he hopscotches among his incomplete work.

Hes known for his earthy palette and meticulous carvings. Hes paid artistic homage to the Holy Family, the many Blessed Mothers, both Santo Ninos (Atocha and Prague), San Ysidro, St. Francis and many more.

My style is more folky, he said, less linear.

He modeled his San Ysidro plow after a vintage version in the Palace of the Governors. His doves symbolize the Holy Spirit.

Both he and Vickie were raised Catholic.

In my lifetime, I can say, I missed church five times, he said.

At lease one of those occurred in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive of 1967-68. Agent Orange gave him the cancer hes battled for four years.

Theres no remission from this, he said. The only thing is to keep the tumors at bay.

Otero learned traditional techniques from books. He once carved Adam and Eve from upside-down cottonwood roots. In his version, Adam lifts Eve to the apple tree.

I wanted to implicate Adam, he said.

This is not just art for arts sake, he said. It transcends the visual into the spirituality. Every fiesta was around the happenings in the church in celebration of these saints.

He juried into Spanish Market on his first try in 1996, when there were 80 artists competing for three openings. Each year, he and Vickie lead the procession from the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi to the Plaza.

The work is what really keeps me going, he said. Retirement to me is doing what you love.
Four New Mexicans organized the engrossing historical photographs and wrote the informative, detailed text of the book USS New Mexico. They are John Taylor, Richard Melzer, Dick Brown and Greg Trapp. But a fifth person gave an essential overview of the battleships story.

That person is James R. Kennedy, who wrote the foreword to the book. Kennedy enlisted in the Navy at 19 and served as a gunners mate 2nd class on the USS New Mexico from 1942 to 1945. A New Mexico native, Kennedy lives in Cedar Crest.

The book describes the advent of battleships such as BB-40, and how they evolved, how the New Mexico was built from its keel plates to the top of its masts, and from its clipper bow to the float plane catapults on its stern, and how it proudly showed our flag across two oceans.

In a way, this a memorial to a majestic ship that earned the titles Queen of the Seas and Flagship of the Pacific Fleet, Kennedy wrote.

He said the book offers a rare look at her inner workings, shipboard life and her role in taking the fight to the enemy after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.

Kennedy called the New Mexico one of the fiercest fighting ships in the Pacific Theatre of World War II.

He praised the authors for their historical account of the battleship.

Commissioned in 1918, the New Mexico didnt see action in World War I.

Taylor, one of the authors, said the ship is renowned for having received six battle stars in World War II.

Kennedy wrote in the foreword he witnessed two kamikaze attacks. One of the attacks, on Jan. 6, 1945 off the island of Luzon, killed the ships commanding officer and 29 other men, including a Time magazine war correspondent and a British lieutenant general.

The battleship was decommissioned in 1946.

Taylor, of Peralta, is a retired nuclear engineer; Melzer is a Univeristy of New Mexico Regents Professor of History who lives in Belen; Brown, of Tijeras, is a retired electrical engineer, and Trapp is an Albuquerque lawyer and the executive director of the state Commission for the Blind.

Taylor is also the author of New Mexicos Navy, a book listing the 95 U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine vessels whose names derive from people, places and political subdivisions of the state. The battleship New Mexico and the submarine New Mexico are, of course, included.
WASHINGTON  Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh suggested several years ago that the unanimous high court ruling in 1974 that forced President Richard Nixon to turn over the Watergate tapes, leading to the end of his presidency, may have been wrongly decided.

Kavanaugh was taking part in a roundtable discussion with other lawyers when he said at three different points that the decision in U.S. v. Nixon, which marked limits on a presidents ability to withhold information needed for a criminal prosecution, may have come out the wrong way.

A 1999 magazine article about the roundtable was part of thousands of pages of documents that Kavanaugh has provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of the confirmation process. The committee released the documents on Saturday.

Kavanaughs belief in robust executive authority already is front and center in his nomination by President Donald Trump to replace the retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. The issue could assume even greater importance if special counsel Robert Mueller seeks to force Trump to testify in the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

But maybe Nixon was wrongly decided  heresy though it is to say so. Nixon took away the power of the president to control information in the executive branch by holding that the courts had power and jurisdiction to order the president to disclose information in response to a subpoena sought by a subordinate executive branch official. That was a huge step with implications to this day that most people do not appreciate sufficientlyMaybe the tension of the time led to an erroneous decision, Kavanaugh said in a transcript of the discussion that was published in the January-February 1999 issue of the Washington Lawyer.

At another point in the discussion, Kavanaugh said the court might have been wise to stay out of the tapes dispute. Should U.S. v. Nixon be overruled on the ground that the case was a nonjusticiable intrabranch dispute? Maybe so, he said.

Kavanaugh was among six lawyers who took part in the discussion in the aftermath of independent counsel Kenneth Starrs investigation that led to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. Kavanaugh had been a member of Starrs team.

The discussion was focused on the privacy of discussions between government lawyers and their clients.

Philip Lacovara, who argued the Watergate tapes case against Nixon and moderated the discussion, said Kavanaugh has long believed in a strong presidency. That was Brett staking out what has been his basic jurisprudential approach since law school, Lacovara said in a telephone interview Saturday.

Still, Lacovara said, it was surprising even as of 1999 that the unanimous decision in the Nixon tapes case might have been wrongly decided.

Kavanaugh allies pointed to a recent, more favorable assessment of the Nixon case. Whether it was Marbury, or Youngstown, or Brown, or Nixon, some of the greatest moments in American judicial history have been when judges stood up to the other branches, were not cowed, and enforced the law. That takes backbone, or what some call judicial engagement, Kavanaugh wrote in a 2016 law review article in which he referred to several landmark Supreme Court cases.

The 1999 article was among a pile of material released in response to the committees questionnaire. Kavanaugh was asked to provide information about his career as an attorney and jurist, his service in the executive branch, education, society memberships and more.

Its an opening look at a long paper trail that lawmakers will consider as they decide whether to confirm him. The high court appointment could shift the court rightward for years to come.

A longtime figure in the Washington establishment, Kavanaugh acknowledged in the questionnaire that he had joined clubs that he said once had discriminatory membership policies.

Years before I became a member of the Congressional Country Club and the Chevy Chase Club, it is my understanding that those clubs, like most similar clubs around the country, may have excluded members on discriminatory bases that should not have been acceptable to people then and would not be acceptable now, he wrote.

Asked to list the 10 most significant cases for which he sat as a judge, Kavanaugh cited nine in which the position expressed in my opinion (either for the court or in a separate writing) was later adopted by the Supreme Court.

The 10th regarded a man fired by mortgage giant Fannie Mae after he filed a discrimination complaint that alleged a company executive had created a hostile work environment by calling the worker the n-word. Kavanaugh said he included it because of what it says about anti-discrimination law and American history.

Kavanaugh said an appeals court panel on which he sat reversed a lower courts ruling in favor of Fannie Mae. He said he joined the majority opinion in 2013 and wrote a separate concurrence to explain that calling someone the n-word, even once, creates a hostile work environment.

In the questionnaire, Kavanaugh cited his opinion in that case: No other word in the English language so powerfully or instantly calls to mind our countrys long and brutal struggle to overcome racism and discrimination against African-Americans.' But it was one of the relatively few discrimination cases in which Kavanaugh sided with a complaining employee.

Offering a timeline leading to his nomination, he said White House counsel Don McGahn called him the day Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement, June 27, and they met the next day. Trump interviewed him July 2, with McGahn present, and Vice President Mike Pence interviewed him July 4. Kavanaugh spoke by phone with the president on July 8 and that evening met at the White House with Trump and his wife, Melania, where he said he was offered and accepted the nomination.

Asked whether anyone sought assurances from him about the stand he might take on a specific case or issue, he answered No. He also said he had not offered any indication how he might rule as a justice.

Kavanaugh has written some 300 rulings as an appeals court judge and has a record in the George W. Bush White House as well as in Starrs probe of Clinton.

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the committee chairman, said the questionnaire was the broadest and most comprehensive ever sent by the committee and he welcomed Judge Kavanaughs diligent and timely response.

The nominee told lawmakers he registered for the Selective Service in his younger days but did not serve in the armed forces.

Years before he became a judge and compiled a solidly conservative record, Kavanaugh also reflected on how past nominees have sometimes disappointed partisans who wanted a more liberal or conservative justice. Speaking on CNN in 2000, he was responding to a question about whether the next president could pack the court with like-minded justices.

Presidents often prefer to avoid bloody confirmation fights, he said in a transcript that was released Saturday. Weve seen that time and again, to pick the consensus pick who turns out to be more moderate and thus less predictable, thats whats happened, Kavanaugh said.

___

Online:

Questionnaire: https://tinyurl.com/y9gqfdkg

Supporting documents: https://tinyurl.com/y7x95l45

___

Associated Press writer Jessica Gresko contributed to this report.
EL PASO  A dozen religious leaders, including Bishop Oscar Cantu of the Las Cruces Diocese, gathered for a weekend of solidarity with migrants that included an interfaith procession and candlelight vigil that attracted hundreds of faithful.

We need to stand up for moral dignity and the greatness of this country, said Bishop Cantu following the procession Friday night where he helped carry a banner that read, Families belong together and free.

Pope Francis sent Vatican representative Rev. Robert Stark of the Holy Sees Migrant & Refugees Section to the border.

Every stranger that knocks at our door is an opportunity for an encounter with God, Rev. Stark told the standing room only crowd in Saint Patricks Cathedral which seats 700 people.

Some families sat on the floor of the church and an overflow crowd stood outside and watched through open doors. El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz hosted the event which included Bishop Cantu, retired Las Cruces Bishop Ricardo Ramirez, Dallas Bishop Edward Burns and Dallas Auxiliary Bishop Greg Kelly.

Half a dozen other religious leaders spoke during the interfaith ceremony including those representing the Episcopalian, Lutheran, and Muslim and Bahai faiths.

Many stressed the need to put faith into action including Rev. Stark who said Were called to challenge every effort that tries to eliminate or criminalize migration or seeking refuge.

The visiting bishops celebrated mass at the ICE detention center on Friday, Bishop Seitz told the crowd at the vigil. Some of the parents separated from their children during the zero-tolerance crackdown on the border are locked up in that detention center.

Be a light in times of darkness, said Bishop Seitz in calling on the faithful to participate in the weekend of solidarity with migrants.

The El Paso Catholic Diocese and Hope Border institute, a faith-based grass roots group, organized the two-day event which included a teach-in Saturday, A Place at the Table: Faith Migration and the Future of our Border Communities.

This is a community that celebrates its identity as a border community. Its proud of its heritage as an immigrant community. That migration is in its DNA, said Dylan Corbett, executive director of the Hope Border Institute. Theres a vantage point on this issue that we can offer the rest of the country, said Corbett.

Bishop Cantu said New Mexico can help set the example even though it is a poor state. But the people are generous and they know theres always room at the table. We know theres always room in our hearts. And I think as New Mexicans we need to show the rest of country how being generous doesnt break us, it makes us greater, said Cantu.

Nearly 200 people attended the workshops designed to engage the faithful. New Mexico State University professor Nicholas Natividads talk focused on border identity and social justice.

Whether youre in northern New Mexico, southern New Mexico or right smack up against the fence, borders cut through us, said Natividad. And those borders are about more than migration.  Race, gender, class, all the inherent biases we have, those are the borders that cut through us.
Leandra Davidson told officers she was in shockwaiting two hours to call 911after a friend shot her boyfriend Marlin Lovato during a fight.

Davidson told officers Lovato was still alive, but by the time officer got into the apartment, the 21-year-old lay dead on the floor.

Since determining the shooting was likely self-defense, police have released few details on the events leading to Lovatos death at the Sun Village Apartments on June 5.

What police have released is that officers detained three people, including the shooter, collected a firearm and sealed two vehicles as evidence.

The file now sits on the desk of Prosecutor Joshua Jimenez, waiting for review by the District Attorneys Office to determine if it was justifiable or if any charges will be filed.

Lovato had a history of domestic violence against Davidson and was arrested last April for a charge of aggravated battery against a household member with great bodily harm.

According to lapel footage and 911 calls obtained by the Journal, Davidson and two friends fled the apartment after Lovato was shot, smoked pot and sat in the parking lot for two hours before calling police.

The incident began with a 911 call around 3 p.m. from a Sun Village employee who saw Davidson get thrown out of a moving car, allegedly by Lovato.

The employee let Davidson into the office and locked the doors, but Davidson refused paramedics and went to the apartment she shared with Lovato to move her things out.

Then, around 8 p.m., Davidson called police herself  this time to report a shooting.

I was just trying to leave my boyfriend and it just went out of control, Davidson told the dispatcher. Id really just like the cops to come out here so I can file a report.

When officers arrived, they found a distraught Davidson with two friends  a man and woman  in the parking lot.

In the lapel footage, Davidson told police her friends were helping her move out when Lovato showed up, closing the door and holding all three them at gunpoint. Thats when Davidsons friend, identified only as Dominic, grabbed another gun off the bed and shot Lovato.

Davidson told officers Lovato was still alive when the three fled, she said by that time two hours had passed.

What took so long for you guys to call? the officer asked.

Davidson replied, Because we were in shock, we didnt know what to do.

The officer asked who shot Lovato, and Dominic pointed to his chest before breaking into sobs.

As the officer searched the car for the gun, he smelled marijuana and asked who was smoking.

All of us were, Davidsons friend replied.

Another lapel video shows an officer knocking on the door to the apartment, his gun drawn.

Albuquerque police, come to the door with your hands up and everything, the officer announced. Marlin, we want to make sure youre okay.

But there was no answer.

The officer opened the door to find Lovatos body. He felt for a pulse before announcing him 10-7the police code for dead.

Davidson declined to comment on this story.

Lovatos stepdad Ernest Coriz still doesnt know what led to his stepsons death.

He said Lovato moved with Davidson to Albuquerque a year ago but the two would visit him often on the Santo Domingo Pueblo.

We just assumed they were happy together, he said. We wanted what was best for Marlin.

Coriz said he learned of Lovatos death when Davidson and her mother showed up to his home in tears.

He said the women told him Lovato had been killed but didnt elaborate and left in less than a minute, before he could gather his thoughts or ask any questions.

Bam  they were gone, Coriz said. I couldnt believe it.

He said he hadnt heard from them since and hasnt heard from police at all.

To his knowledge, police never contacted family to let them know Lovato was dead.

The next news Coriz heard was when a Sun Village apartment manager called to tell him to pick up his stepsons things  Lovatos father wasnt in the picture and his mother had died of an illness six years ago.

He had nobody, Coriz said. I loved this boy  this boy was my boy.

Lovatos shooting is the fifth shooting this year ruled self-defense by Albuquerque police. Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office also ruled a Tijeras shooting last week as self-defense. Of the six shootings, only two have been turned over to the District Attorneys Office for review.
FOR THE RECORD: This story has been updated to correctly reflect the population served by Albuquerque Police Department.

In the 1980s and 90s, New York City found itself in the midst of an intense crime wave.

In 1990 alone, there were 2,245 murders.

Then, as if in a real-life comic strip, a group of men led by a McDonalds manager banded together to do what they could to fight crime. The group was called the Guardian Angels; you may remember them by their signature red track jackets and matching berets.

Im from New York and I used to feel so good when Id see a Guardian Angel get on the subway, said Albuquerque resident Niki Maxwell.

Though crime in New York City is now the lowest its been since the 1950s, Guardian Angels still walk the streets and ride the subways there and in hundreds of cities around the globe.

The next city to be placed under the protection of the Angels is Albuquerque, where members of the Baltimore chapter led an informational meeting Saturday for those interested in joining, which included Maxwell and her husband, Dale.

The perception of what we do is that were almost like superheroes, said Jissel Jazz Baggan, the Baltimore chapter commander. But you go in and meet these people and theyre just regular, ordinary people who work 9-to-5 jobs who have families. They just really care about making a difference and helping people.

The Angels are known for their patrols, but also have a variety of other public safety programs.

The group came to Albuquerque at the behest of three separate residents  who started out as strangers  who felt the program might do some good in the city, where a high crime rate is exacerbated by a shortage of law enforcement.

Jody Kirk, who reached out to the Guardian Angels in October for information about starting a chapter, said he and his wife were considering moving out of Albuquerque due to the crime rate.

I told my missus, if were staying, then Ive got to do something about this, said Kirk, who has worked as a security guard.

The other two community members, Donna Thomas and George Walker, lived in New York City during the 80s and remembered when the Guardian Angels began patrolling.

I know the Guardian Angels cleaned up New York, said Walker, a former special agent with the FBI. Theyre the eyes and the ears of the police.

Albuquerque Police Department Deputy Chief Rogelio Roger Banez sat in on the meeting and said those extra eyes and ears could be extremely helpful to the department, which currently has around 850 officers serving a city population of 558,000.

He said neighborhood watch groups across the city are helpful, but there are still gaps throughout the city not monitored by those groups.

Thats the biggest thing the city of Albuquerque needs, is more involvement from the neighborhood, Banez said.

Interested in learning more?

Those who are interested in joining the Albuquerque chapter of Guardian Angels or would like more information may call Jody Kirk at 505-259-5026.
An Albuquerque man says he is among those getting hit up with a very creepy extortion scheme, especially scary because the scammers email correctly cited one of his passwords  likely stolen in an all-too-often data breach.

In the email the man received, the scammer opened by naming the password, which he had used it to get into the mans computer. He claimed to have recorded the man watching pornographic websites and also said he had gained access to the computers webcam.

In this way, the scammer said he was able to make a two-screen video showing what the man was watching on his screen and what his reactions were (its you doing inappropriate things, according to the email.)

The icing on the cake, according to the scammer, was that he also had gleaned the mans email and Facebook Messenger contact lists and therefore was going to send his homemade video to all of them  unless the man paid him $3,600 in bitcoin.

Well name it my privacy tip,  the scammer wrote. Now let me tell you what happens if you choose this path. Your secret remains your secret. I will delete the recording immediately. You go on with your routine life as if none of this ever happened.

The other path, the scammer said, was to ignore the email and not pay, which would lead to the humiliation your family will feel when friends and family learn your dirty videos from me.

This is called cryptoblackmail and other similar scams involve threats like this: I know you cheated on your wife or Ive got an order to kill you, as inducements to get you to pay. Scammers want their illicit earnings to be paid in bitcoin or another type of cryptocurrency because its hard for authorities to track down the owner of a Bitcoin address.

In the case of the Albuquerque man, he did not watch pornography, he did not have a working webcam on his computer and he did not fall for it.

He did make sure all of his accounts had new passwords and that he was no longer using the old one cited by the scammer.

An unknown number of people elsewhere, though, have already fallen for the scheme; according to How-To Geek, an online tech publisher, victims were bilked out of more than $15,500 earlier this month.

The best response to this, according to several sources, is to not respond. This email is showing up in inboxes nationwide, which means scammers know nothing about you personally. Instead, they have purchased lists of emails and passwords and are using mass mailings in hopes at least a few people will bite.

  

The state auditor has sent out a warning to government agencies after the city of Alamogordo lost $250,000 to a fake vendor this month.

It happened when a city employee got a spoofed email that looked like it came from a representative known to work for the vendor, Cooperative Education Services. CES is a commonly used purchasing cooperative for New Mexico schools and other government entities, according to a news release from State Auditor Wayne Johnson.

City workers agreed to the email request and paid all invoices to the fake CES, using the revised banking information. The money went to the scammers rather than the real vendor. CES has notified its customers that it has not changed any of its banking information.

In this Snapchat and instant message world, its critical to verify information with a real person, either in person or by phone, Johnson said. An email seeking to alter banking information should always be a red flag. Talk to your vendors, especially when they do something out of the ordinary, like send a change in banking information.

He said recovery of the $250,000 was likely to be difficult if not impossible.

Ellen Marks is assistant business editor at the Albuquerque Journal. Contact her at emarks@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3842 if you are aware of what sounds like a scam. To report a scam to law enforcement, contact the New Mexico Consumer Protection Division toll-free at 1-844-255-9210.
Recently, Moodys Investors Services announced New Mexicos finances deteriorated to the point that the states credit-worthiness was due for a downgrade. While this is the second bond downgrade in as many years, the good news is the credit rating agency still indicates the states obligations are considered to be upper-medium-grade and are subject to a low credit risk of default.

Most people view this as a score that indicates the states finances, while deteriorating, are still in pretty good shape. The bad news is the credit rating is not an indicator of the financial condition of the state. The credit rating provides information to bond investors about the states ability to pay off its bonds when they come due. It is not a grade of the states overall finances.

For taxpayers and elected officials to determine the governments overall finances, state and local governments throughout the country issue a Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). The CAFR reports how much the state has in assets and the states bills, including its unfunded pension liability. This financial report compares the income the state received in the year to its expenses. In addition, it reports the results of the states implemented budget.

To verify the accuracy of the annual financial report, it is audited by an outside certified public accounting firm. For the information to be relevant, most governments issue their report within 180 days of a governments fiscal year end.

While the states latest fiscal year just ended June 30, 2018, Duffy Rodriquez, New Mexico cabinet secretary of Finance and Administration, has not issued the states financial report for the previous fiscal year (that ended) June 30, 2017. The 2016 CAFR was not issued until 342 (days) after the fiscal year end.

Tardy documentation robs the public of its right to hold elected officials accountable. Imagine how disruptive it would be if personal credit card statements were only available more than a year after using your card. It would be impossible to make sure that you were living within your means.

In addition to not having timely financial report information, New Mexico taxpayers do not receive reliable financial information. The states audit firm, CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, was not able to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to provide a basis for audit opinion. In other words, the state didnt provide the auditors with enough information to determine if the information in the CAFR was accurate. Another way to think of it is the New Mexico CAFR received an I for incomplete.

Moodys and other credit rating agencies provide ratings to protect investors. Since the state is not providing timely and reliable financial information, who is protecting the taxpayers?

Truth in Accounting is a nonprofit organization that researches government financial data and promotes transparency for a better-informed citizenry.
Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

The New Mexico Medical Board has revoked the license of a Ruidoso physician it accused of prescribing controlled substances in a manner that posed a clear and immediate danger to the public health, among other allegations.

The physician, Walter Ray Seidel Jr., called the boards claims against him manufactured and false statements.

Seidel was the medical doctor behind Rio Pecos Family Practice at 159 Mescalero Trail. He told the Journal he was forced to close the practice in February after the board suspended his license.

In May, the board issued a default order revoking Seidels license. Among the allegations contained in the order:

 That Seidel was prescribing controlled substances without requesting reports from the states prescription monitoring program database.

 That he was prescribing the holy trinity  an opioid, a benzodiazepine and carisprodol  despite substantial evidence that this combination of medications has led to many overdose deaths.

 That Seidel refused to cooperate with the boards investigation of his prescribing practices.

In an interview with the Journal, Seidel acknowledged that he had not accessed the prescription monitoring program, stating he felt the use of the database to be a violation of both patient privacy and the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure.

He also said he believed the boards investigation into his prescribing practices to be a violation of the same rights.

Seidel claimed the board had no evidence he had prescribed the holy trinity or that he constituted a danger to the public.

(The board) is way out of its bounds, said Seidel. Look at all the patients in New Mexico who have chronic pain and are not being treated appropriately by their doctors because those physicians are afraid of the medical board.

A spokeswoman for the board would not comment on the specifics of the investigation against Seidel but said obtaining prescription monitoring program reports and complying with all relevant regulations is mandatory for all prescribing practitioners.

New Mexicos high opioid death rate due to prescription drugs is a serious concern to the New Mexico Medical Board, she said in a statement. The boards regulations regarding prescribing and the prescription monitoring program usage were designed, in part, to aid the practitioner in assuring that diversion and misuse of prescription medications is prevented.

The board took Seidel to court late last year and petitioned a judge to order him to comply with an investigative subpoena.

Those documents state that the board learned (Seidel)  had written almost 1,750 controlled substance prescriptions during the period of Oct. 1, 2015, to March 13, 2017, equating to almost 100 prescriptions a month. Some of the 144 patients for whom (Seidel) had written these prescriptions were driving to Ruidoso from as far away as Farmington, Santa Fe and Albuquerque, and were filling their prescriptions at 29 different pharmacies. During this period, one patient filled prescriptions (Seidel) had written for almost 45,000 hydrocodone-acetaminophen tablets.

The court granted the boards petition. Seidel has appealed the ruling.

Seidel said he was unable to respond to the boards allegations regarding patients filling prescriptions at multiple pharmacies or the alleged 45,000 tablets because the board had not provided sufficient information about the incidents in question.

He attributed the 100 prescriptions a month figure to his preference for seeing his patients on a monthly basis and providing them with a single prescription instead of seeing them less regularly and giving them a prescription with refills.

The board also disciplined Seidel in 2017 for failing to report an adverse action by a law enforcement agency against him and for conduct unbecoming a person licensed to practice or detrimental to the best interests of the public. He was fined $2,000, according to medical board records.

The documents state Seidel was arrested by New Mexico State Police in 2013 during a traffic stop and did not report this to the board. A medical board investigator learned of the incident after seeing the dash-cam video and interviews with Seidel on two local newscasts, according to the documents.

Several charges filed against Seidel after the arrest  charges that included assault of a peace officer  were eventually dropped. He pleaded guilty to speeding.

Seidel said the medical board has no jurisdiction as it relates to the incident.

Lisa French of Ruidoso, who described herself as a longtime patient and friend of Seidels, said the boards action will destroy lives because many patients will be unable to find other medical care in the rural area.
Republican Congressman Steve Pearce of New Mexico has introduced a bill aimed at giving Hispanic families stronger measures to review claims of lost lands under the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo  the treaty that ended the U.S.-Mexican War.

Meanwhile, New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas announced last week he is seeking to void a 2003 land transfer from a historic Hispanic land grant in New Mexico to a Colorado group on grounds it was illegal.

Heres why the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo remains a hot topic in the American Southwest more than 160 years after the war ended:

The war

After the end of the U.S.-Mexican War, the United States pledged in the treaty to respect private land holdings, including land grants made under the Spanish and Mexican governments. The land grants were made to families who would automatically be granted U.S. citizenship in new territories gained by the U.S.

However, the U.S. government didnt protect many of those grants in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and California and courts have routinely turned away complaints made by displaced Hispanic families. Judicial proceedings were conducted in English, making it hard for Spanish-speaking Hispanic families to fight court battles.

White settlers began to encroach on Hispanic lands and local and federal authorities did little to protect Hispanic residents from land seizures.

The forgotten people

During the Depression, Mexican-American scholar George I. Sanchez toured northern New Mexico to document how descendants of the original Hispanic families were faring. He found that the families had been displaced from political life and struggled with poverty after decades of land seizures. Sanchez wrote his findings in the 1940 book Forgotten People: A Study of New Mexicans, which has been credited for help launching the ethnic studies movement on college campuses.

More than 20 years later, Texas-born activist Reies Lopez Tijerina began organizing heirs to Spanish and Mexico land grants to demand the return of stolen land. On June 5, 1967, he and a group of armed men raided a courthouse, shot and wounded a state police officer and jailer, beat a deputy, and took the sheriff and a reporter hostage.

The men then escaped to the Kit Carson National Forest, generating excitement among supporters and fear throughout others, while the New Mexico National Guard chased them in the remote mountain hamlet of Tierra Amarilla.

Tijerina was arrested but ultimately acquitted of charges directly related to the raid. He eventually spent about two years in prison for federal destruction of property.

New political force

Since the 1967 raid, newly energized land grant heirs have sued the federal government and private companies to recapture holding illegal taken over the years. Heirs in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado also have formed nonprofits to help oversee land grants so ranching families could raise beef on the same lands as their families did for centuries prior.
Helsinki agreement provides new hope for Syria

The understanding on Syria reached by US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on July 16, especially regarding the return of refugees, represents a potential watershed in recasting US-Russian coordination to expand humanitarian assistance and bring the seven-year war to a close.

The attention given to Trumps remarks on Russian meddling in the 2016 election at the summit may be drowning out awareness of the impact of Helsinki, which is already being felt in the region. There seems to have been a list of short- and long-term action items for both principals in advance of the next summit in Washington in the fall. And Putin is already busy on his list.

The short-term tasker, and the one with immediate resonance, is the initiative on Syrian refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs). The Russian Defense Ministry sent proposals to Washington on July 20 for US- and Russian-led monitoring groups in Lebanon and Jordan to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees and the plan to finance the reconstruction of Syrian infrastructure. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, in a turnaround, has welcomed the initiative on refugees, signaling perhaps a change of view, or at a minimum acceptance, by leaders in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.

The Trump-Putin agreement comes at a time when Syrians are returning to their homes in areas retaken by Syrian government forces. There are 5.6 million refugees and 6.6 million internally displaced Syrians. But the trend appears to be reversing; Syrians are going home. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported this week that despite 140,000 Syrians displaced and in need of safe passage in southeast Syria as a result of recent fighting, so far in 2018 nearly 13,000 refugees from neighboring countries and another 750,000 IDPs are estimated to have returned to their homes in Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Rural Damascus, Damascus, southwest and northeastern Syria. Two days after the summit, the Russia and Syrian governments announced plans to set up an IDP return center. In a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron, Putin discussed the humanitarian aspects of the Syrian settlement process, including the implementation of a joint Russian-French initiative on rendering assistance to the population of eastern Ghouta.

So more than 11% of Syrian IDPs have already gone home this year. We can probably expect that number to grow once the Syrian government retakes areas in the southeast. It is only a start, for sure, but nonetheless a substantial and underreported fact and trend  not a Russian or Syrian narrative. It is also a sign of the potential further impact of the Trump-Putin understanding on Syria.

And then there is the longer-term, more complicated Putin business regarding Israel and Iran. Maxim Suchkov reports that prior to the Helsinki meeting, Russia had been expected to deliver primarily three things: guarantee Israels security from what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sees as a growing Iranian presence on the Syrian-Israeli border, curb Iranian influence in the rest of Syria and open up to some kind of engagement with the United States and interested European states  all to ensure Americas own military pullout from Syria. Hence, the statements and moves Russian officials have made in the few days following the Helsinki meeting are meant to signal that Moscow has been delivering on what appears to have been its promises to each party: security for Israel, cooperation with Iran and engagement with the West.

On July 19, Russias Syria envoy Alexander Lavrentiev visited Tehran for meetings, including with Saeed Irvanii, deputy secretary-general of Irans Supreme National Security Council, as reported by Al-Monitor staff. The next day, Putin was on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Russia, Suchkov adds, is moving steadily toward gradual implementation of its vision for the Golan Heights, while conveying to Iran that these policies are the least painful solutions to the interests of the Islamic Republic when measured against disincentives of a larger regional war. Moscow also seeks to persuade Tehran that its proposal on the Golan Heights doesnt mean Russia prioritizes Israel over Iran, nor does it undermine Russian-Iranian cooperation against what both deem terrorists in Syria. Between the lines, Moscow thus signals the Trump administration it is capable of ensuring Israeli security from what Trump and Netanyahu see as the biggest threat.

Iran understandably appears to be wary of Russia flirting with the Israelis and Americans, Suchkov continues.

Although Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 22 referred to talks with the United States as useless, Tehran, according to Suchkov, has a rather limited number of options: either agree to the vision that Moscow proposes  albeit with some amendments  or wave it off and face military escalation in addition to sanctions and pressure from within. To a large extent, the same holds true for Israel and the United States. They are skeptical over Russias ability to deliver on this policy. Yet since Israels security is arguably the only thing Trump really cares about vis-a-vis the conflict in Syria, he may accept the Russian vision for the Golan Heights and the southern de-escalation zone, since it virtually relieves him from yet another headache in the Middle East hed otherwise have to deal with. Its more complicated with the Israelis, but since they genuinely count only on themselves anyway, the Russian proposal gives them just another yet important security layer against Iran.

Semih Idiz reports that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan worries that US-Russian understandings on Syrians may undercut Turkeys influence and interests.

Turkey relies on its burgeoning ties with Russia to counterbalance its deteriorating ties with the West, writes Idiz. Nevertheless, calls from Moscow for Turkey to hand over areas it captured from the YPG [People's Protection Units] in northern Syria to the Assad regime have caused irritation in Ankara.  Russias plans for the Kurds in any future constitution for Syria  a topic that is expected to be revived in the coming weeks  also represent an area of uncertainty for Ankara. Turkish officials are aware that Washington and Moscow do not share their concerns regarding the YPG and the Syrian Kurds.

Given that Assad will ultimately have to negotiate with the YPG and PYD [Democratic Union Party] in northern Syria if pushed by Washington and Moscow, Ankaras task does not appear easy, adds Idiz. Meanwhile, the Turkish side is upset at reports that Russia is warning the FSA [Free Syrian Army] that Idlib in the north will be the regimes next target following its successful operations in the south. Turkey has troops deployed in Idlib in so-called de-escalation zones agreed on by Russia, Iran and Turkey. Some of the opposition fighters streaming into the region after being defeated in the south are listed as terrorist groups by Moscow and are seen as legitimate targets. These include Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which many claim is supported by Turkey. Erdogan reportedly issued a counter warning during his phone conversation with Putin before the Helsinki summit, saying that any move against Idlib would destroy the Astana peace process for Syria, which is sponsored by Moscow, Ankara and Tehran. Apart from the prospect of losing Idlib to the regime, Ankara is also worried about a new influx of refugees from the region. That could leave it facing a crisis like the one Jordan now faces after regime forces defeated the opposition in Daraa.

Putin is not someone who works for free. If he believes he is helping Trump to achieve a responsible exit from Syria, while assuring Israels security, this is big stuff, and the Russian president also needs a win from the art of the deal. For Putin, that means relief from at least some of the US sanctions on Russia. His offer of a referendum in Crimea can be considered part of this bigger package. Last week we reminded readers this column wrote last month, Putins diplomacy to date has been instrumental in preventing an escalation in Syria, but he can only keep it up for so long without an assist from the United States. But the question is whether Trump will buy into Putins plan, and at what price. And we wrote a year ago, Russia welcomes and needs US partnership in stabilizing Syria, but whose [Putin's] leverage with Damascus, Tehran and Ankara could be weakened, rather than strengthened, by closer ties with the United States.  Putins endgame is relief from US-led sanctions. If no sanctions relief is forthcoming, Putin will have little interest in carrying Trumps water at the expense of his regional ties.
Ever since we started our term, we have been waiting for this bill," said Iranian parliamentarian Tayyebeh Siavoshi of the Provision of Security for Women Bill, which expands the legal definition of violence against women. "Both we and the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs have repeatedly asked the judiciary to send this bill to the parliament. It has been almost three years and we have yet to receive this bill.

Iranian parliamentarians originally discussed the importance of drafting this bill back in December 2012, during President Mahmoud Ahmadinejads last year in office. After President Hassan Rouhani took office in August 2013, following up on this bill became a priority of the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs.

The Rouhani administration eventually approved the bill in May 2017. Then, due to its judicial nature, the bill was sent to the judiciary for approval. Since then, the bill has been awaiting the signature of judiciary head Sadeq Amoli Larijani.

Now, Siavoshi says the judiciary has omitted 41 of the 92 articles of the bill. According to her, the judiciary finished reviewing the bill four months ago.

An Iranian womens rights activist, going by the alias Leili, told Al-Monitor, The bill contains extensive definitions of violence: physical violence, mental violence, economic violence, gender violence and social violence. For example, if a man restricts his wifes or daughters freedom of movement, he will face imprisonment. Even verbal violence, such as insults, are deemed punishable offenses.

Leili added, Such articles in the bill have been criticized and are being omitted since they question the validity of Islamic law regarding women obeying their husbands. The judiciary has reservations regarding this bill.

The same activist believes that omitting these articles will make the bill ineffective, even if it is approved. It appears that the text of the bill awaiting approval differs from the one that was suggested by the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs," said Leili. "The text of this bill now only talks about physical violence against women, an offense which is already punishable due to the scattered nature of criminal law in Iran.

The judiciarys deputy for legal affairs, Zabihollah Khodaian, said in an April 18 interview with the Tasnim News Agency that vast criminalization is the reason why certain articles were omitted from this bill. He then explained, Some articles in this bill have come up, on average, with 20 new crimes, and since the terminology and wording are ambiguous and can be interpreted in many different ways, they cover a wide range of cases.

The judiciarys cultural deputy, Hadi Sadeghi, said June 27 that there is extensive usage of imprisonment as punishment in the bill. He said that while the bill claims to support women, in reality it deals a big blow to women and family life. When a woman sends her husband to jail, the husband will no longer think of himself as her husband and will no doubt divorce her.

Zahra Jafari, a legal expert working for the Iranian judiciary, said four groups of experts have worked for four years to prepare the bill.

It has come under criticism from other women. Zahra Ayatollahi, head of the Womens Cultural and Social Council  a branch of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution  said the bill defends prostitutes. Ayatollahi said in a December 2017 editorial in the hard-line Kayhan daily that this bill is clearly gender-biased and unconditionally defends women. It does not at all address the existence of violence by women against men.  Imagine where our society is headed: Islamic Iran is headed for the same gutter that the West has found itself in.

Member of parliament Parvaneh Salahshouri said the bill might be sent to Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, even though the womens faction in parliament and the vice president for legal affairs are waiting for the judiciary to make a decision on the proposal. We have heard [of such a possibility]  but we cannot be sure," she told Etemad Online on July 3. "This would be an unprecedented action."

A week before Salahshouris interview, Khamenei's website published the text of a conversation between the head of the judiciary, other judiciary officials and the supreme leader, during which the latter said that following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, "One of the students asked me about womens issues and asked me how we would defend our position regarding women. I answered that we are not defending anything! We are not defenders, we are attackers! What is there to defend? When it comes to womens issues, we are the plaintiff!

Vice President for Womens and Family Affairs Masoumeh Ebtekar spoke with the Etemad daily July 7 regarding the possibility that the bill will not advance due to opposition from Islamic jurists. One of the issues that we talked about during the session we had with the supreme leader was the issue of domestic violence, the importance of paying attention to it, and the importance of drafting law that would prevent domestic violence from taking place," she said. "The supreme leader also emphasized the importance of this issue.

Ebtekar said she has only heard that the bill might be sent to Khamenei. We, nonetheless, expect answers from the head of the judiciary," she said. "The administration is also waiting and is following up on this issue. All I hope is that we are not wasting time.

What is next for the bill? Leili said fellow activists believe that, considering the current trajectory, this bill might not make it under this term of the parliament.

On the other hand, we are hoping that the [parliamentary] womens faction will strongly and seriously react to all the changes that are made to this bill. The judiciary should not be the only influential voice regarding this bill; civil society and those whose lives are going to be affected must have a say as well.

Last year, on Nov. 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, a group of activists in Iran launched a campaign titled "Prohibiting Domestic Violence Against Women." This campaign is currently preparing a legal draft to combat domestic violence against women, with the collaboration of civil society activists and lawyers. Leili, who is a member of this campaign, told Al-Monitor, We want to raise awareness in society so that people will learn how important it is to pass laws that will protect women. According to one survey that was conducted back in the 1980s, 66% of Iranian women have been, at least once, subjected to domestic violence. This is while there are no [current] laws that protect women against such incidents.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  More than half of the academics who work at Palestinian universities and hold a foreign passport have faced denials or delays in visa processing from Israel during the past two years, Sabri Saidam, the Palestinian minister of education, said in a July 12 press conference held at the Palestinian Ministry of Education in Ramallah. Saidam said that Israel is obstructing the process particularly for academics of Palestinian origin who hold foreign passports, preventing them from acquiring and renewing visas for travel to Palestine for the purpose of teaching at a university.

[Israel's] unjust policies have made Palestinian and foreign academics less willing to accept educational and research positions at Palestines institutions of higher education, Saidam added. These unjust policies have also hurt our appeal to this group of academics, undermining the quality of education and research programs at our universities.

There are several academics of Palestinian origin who hail from families that fled the 1948 Nakba. These professors have foreign passports, as they were born outside the Palestinian territories. The Israeli authorities, who manage all entry points to the West Bank, treat them as foreigners and require them to have visas to enter the Palestinian territories.

On July 14, the Ramallah-based Birzeit University, one of Palestines most prominent universities, revealed in a statement posted on its official website that Israel rejected visa renewal applications for seven foreign academics, which forced three of them to leave Palestinian lands while the others awaits their expulsion.

Other than the seven whose visa renewals were rejected, the fate of eight foreign academics is also uncertain, Tina Rafidi, the spokeswoman for Birzeit University, told Al-Monitor. They have submitted their applications and are waiting for a response from Israeli authorities.

The university administration opted not to instigate the matter until after the Israeli decision was made. The administration hoped they could resolve the issue and renew the academics visas through Palestinian-Israeli channels before the new academic year kicks off in September, Rafidi noted. Those efforts, however, were to no avail.

Rafidi stressed that the 22 foreign academics who work at Birzeit University (including those of Palestinian origin) play a significant role in improving the quality of education, furthering cultural exchange and bolstering the university with foreign expertise.

An American professor, who is one of the seven foreign academics who has been working at Birzeit University for four years, revealed to Al-Monitor, The seven academics, who are of different nationalities, have decided to go to the Israeli judiciary in the hopes of reversing the authorities decision to deny them visa renewal in Palestine.

The professor preferred anonymity, fearing that her statements might be leveled against her by the Israeli prosecution at court as grounds for incitement against Israel charges, which would undermine her judicial action in the courts.

Israel usually gives foreign academics a one-year visa in Palestine, the professor added. This visa is renewed upon expiration. Israeli authorities renewed my visa three times in the four years I have worked at the university. But I was shocked to learn that I was denied a visa renewal this time.

She further noted that Israel didnt provide any reasons for the rejection decision. We were only informed of the rejection. This means that we are in violation for staying in Palestine, she said.

Roger Heacock, a European history professor at Birzeit Universitys Ibrahim Abu-Lughod Institute of International Studies who has been working for the university for 35 years, spoke via Skype at the press conference held by the Ministry of Education. Heacock revealed that he is still waiting for the response from Israel on his visa renewal application, but he expressed concerns that it might be rejected.

Heacock, who is currently in Cyprus, stressed that Israels policy against academics impedes the Palestinian universities aspirations to attain international levels, given that the presence of those academics is an important factor to achieve those goals.

Sadeq al-Khadour, the spokesman for the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education, told Al-Monitor, Targeting foreign academics at Palestinian universities deepens [Palestinians] isolation from the world universities. Khadour noted that this hurts the quality of Palestinian education.

He added that the education sector in Palestine direly needs those foreign academics for their unique experience in educational, cultural and research fields, which enhances the diversification of teaching methods and enriches education in Palestine.

Khadour revealed that his ministry is working on taking this issue to the international stage by exposing the Israeli policies against foreign academics at Palestinian universities through political and diplomatic channels within the international community.

Salwa Duaibis, the spokeswoman for the Ramallah-based Right to Enter movement, a group that defends the right of movement and residency in the occupied Palestinian territories, told Al-Monitor, Israel is trying to fight the foreign presence in Palestine in an attempt to isolate Palestinians from the world and to get rid of any foreign witnesses to the daily Israeli violations against Palestinians.

Duaibis stressed that fighting foreign presence is not limited to academics at Palestinian universities, but also applies to tens of thousands of foreign passport holders who are trying to acquire a reunification and residency in the West Bank on account of kinship and marriage to Palestinians.

Duaibis said that 45,000 foreigners residing in Palestine face a constant struggle to maintain their residency in Palestine, as some of them are in violation from the perspective of the Israeli law after their visas expired and their efforts for a renewal were rejected.

Rafidi warned, Should this Israeli policy against foreign academics at Palestinian universities continue, our ability to provide an education of international quality will be further jeopardized.

Rafidi urged the governments of the world, as well as human rights groups and the international community, to apply pressure on Israel to compel it to allow foreign academics at Palestinian universities, as they are an indispensable cornerstone for improving and elevating higher education in Palestine.
On July 10, the governor of Salahuddin province decided to close all liquor stores in the province, after having received requests from the local council of al-Shirqat district calling to close the liquor shops in the district.

The Islamic State (IS) controlled Al-Shirqat and neighboring areas from 2014 to 2017. When these areas were liberated, they witnessed a social liberation.

On July 2, Hermez al-Ashoury, a Christian, opened the first liquor store with a Yazidi partner after obtaining the consent of the government. Non-Muslim Iraqis work in liquor trade across the country.

Writer and media figure Ali al-Baidar told Al-Monitor, The decision to ban the sell of liquor in al-Shirqat and Salahuddin province in general is due to pressure exerted by clerics, who believe trading in liquors is contrary to Islam. Meanwhile, prominent social figures believe banning this trade is necessary to preserve the conservative identity of al-Shirqat and Salahuddin and to prevent social disintegration due to excessive openness to Western customs and traditions.

He continued, It is true that IS gave the death penalty to those who sold alcoholic beverages, but even before IS took over al-Shirqat and large areas of Salahuddin, social customs and traditions did not allow public dealing with alcoholic drinks.

While under IS control, the populations of Salahuddin, Mosul and Ramadi were prohibited from consuming alcohol and listening to music. Anyone who dared to breach this ban was punished by flogging or death.

During the dark period when IS ruled the city, prominent clerics who are influential today in al-Shirqat supported IS prohibition of alcohol, a young man from al-Shirqat told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. Nothing has changed after the expulsion of IS, because whoever sells alcoholic beverages will go to prison.

A preacher in an al-Shirqat mosque talked about this sensitive issue to Al-Monitor, also on condition of anonymity. He refused all calls for social openness by allowing alcohol consumption and trade.

Liquor stores are suspicious and dangerous commercial projects that are not accepted by our social culture. They promote the use of narcotics and intoxicating substances, he said. The decision to close liquor stores is a bold step that meets the residents demands.

In turn, Sheikh Ismail al-Ankud, an adviser to the governor of Salahuddin for tribal affairs and the head of a tribal council in al-Shirqat, supports the decision to ban the sale of alcohol. After the defeat of IS, some entities sought to fragment the homogenous social fabric in Salahuddin by introducing openness and modernity, using socially unacceptable means such as opening liquor stores.

Speaking to Al-Monitor, he added, All Salahuddin tribes support the ban because of the problems caused by alcoholism, such as car accidents, family problems and youth drug addiction problems.

He went on asserting that liquor trade and consumption is collectively proscribed in al-Shirqat, pointing out that liquor stores are managed by outsiders.

What is happening in Salahuddin applies to several cities that were liberated from IS. In Ramadi, young people engaged in the trade and abuse of alcohol.

In his Friday sermon on July 13, the imam of Rahman Mosque in Kirkuk called on the governor to close the liquor stores spreading across the province.

Scores of liquor stores opened across Mosul after its liberation from IS. This triggered a slew of demands to shut down these stores, claiming they threaten the city's youth and weaken their religious and ethical sense of self-restraint.

Meanwhile, civilian authorities argued that closing liquor stores threatens public freedoms.

The campaign against alcoholic beverages spread to areas that were not controlled by IS, including Baghdad. The capitals security authorities announced on July 7 that they seized a truck carrying alcoholic beverages. The Federal Ministry of Interior launched a major campaign aimed to prohibit alcohol consumption on the side of the roads in Baghdad.

On Oct. 22, 2017, the Iraqi parliament voted to ban the sale and import of alcoholic beverages in Iraq, except for the Kurdistan region. Activists saw this move as a violation of the personal liberties guaranteed by the country's constitution. But the ban has yet to be applied and so far remains a mere written decision amid widespread objections.

For liquor stores in Baghdad, business continued as usual. But the situation is different in other provinces, such as Salahuddin, where conservative Sunni clerics enjoy extensive social and tribal influence.

Legal expert and former judge Tariq Harb told Al-Monitor that the ban voted on by parliamentarians failed to take into account legislation enacted in 1931 allowing alcoholic drinks. Iraq was a pioneer in producing alcoholic beverages among its neighboring countries. The first local factories of alcoholic beverages were established in the royal era. Then in the 1960s, the government started opening these factories.

Ali al-Bayati, the commissioner of the Iraq High Commission for Human Rights, told Al-Monitor, Prohibiting alcohol consumption is contrary to personal freedoms. In another context, this ban deprives the economy of financial resources. Bayati added, The ban on alcoholic drinks will push alcoholics to drug addiction, according to reports received by our commission.

Meanwhile, the administrator of Samarra district in Salahuddin province told Al-Monitor, Legalizing and regulating liquor trade would have been a more appropriate solution rather than imposing a moratorium that would not be very efficient in light of the spread of unregulated liquor stores.
Alabama state health officials closed a shellfish growing area in Mobile Bay Friday afternoon after taking samples of the water.

Only Area II was affected, which includes Portersville Bay.

A press release from the Alabama Department of Public Health said bacteriological samples exceeded the standard. The release did not state what types of bacteria were present in the water.

Staff members from the department will continue to monitor the water and will reopen the area to harvesting as soon as the levels fall back below the threshold.
Alabama Democratic gubernatorial candidate Walt Maddox unveiled an ethics program Saturday to end what he called "one of the most corrupt periods in the history of this state."

Speaking to the Alabama Press Association in Gulf Shores, the Tuscaloosa mayor also challenged incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey to four debates before the November general election. They would be:

* A debate on public education and economic development

* A debate on heath care, mental health, public safety and infrastructure

* A "town hall meeting" in a major Alabama city.

* A "town hall meeting" in a rural county

'Grainy video, scary voices'

Maddox predicted Ivey's campaign would use familiar Republican campaign tactics against him: "grainy video, scary-sounding voices" and "trying to define me as a liberal and someone who has morning coffee with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi." She will hope, he said, that President Trump's popularity holds out so she can ride his coattails.

"Alabama would benefit if Gov. Ivey displayed the same courage the president did when it comes to debating," Maddox said. Trump debated Hillary Clinton three times, he said, and he also participated in primary debates before getting the nomination.

Maddox ran down a list of current and recent Alabama scandals: sheriffs "being able to pocket inmates allowances," "the Robinson, Balch-Bingham trial," a governor pleading guilty to ethics law violations and resigning, a Speaker of the Hose sentenced to prison for corruption, and a chief justice removed from office for the second time for defying the law.

Maddox said he has been in public office for 17 years with "zero scandals, zero investigations and zero ethical complaints filed."

Amend the ethics law

Maddox's ethics commitment, posted on his campaign Facebook along with the speech, includes a proposal to amend the state ethics law regarding state employees and elected officials.

Maddox wants the law to stop anyone from working in state government who is paid by someone other than the state; prohibit "misuse of state resources even when there is no personal gain; "cover those who are in romantic relationships with government officials or employees, in addition to spouses: and "prohibit those in authority from directing, initiating or receiving reports on criminal investigation for political or personal purposes."

That is a clear response to accusations made against Bentley and his administration during the controversy over his relationship with a female aide. If the Legislature won't pass such a law, Maddox said, he would try to enforce the rules for officials and employees under the governor's control.

Maddox said he would require all staff and cabinet members to "fully disclose all potential conflicts of interest" and stay away from any matter in which their impartiality could "reasonably be questioned."

He said his governor's office would also:

1. Disclose visitor logs of all who meet with the governor

2. Disclose "all assistance offered by the state for economic development"

3. Follow laws relating to public records, open meeting and ethics.

4. Seek public input on "significant proposals that would commit state resources."

5. Hold bi-weekly press conferences.
Lily Hoyle is 12. She's a sweet, smart little girl from Mobile, with blonde hair and braces.

She's also the director, producer and star of a powerful documentary, "The Lynching That Brought Down the Klan in Alabama."

The 10-minute video, researched and produced for National History Day, isn't fluff. It takes on the most controversial of controversial subjects head-on. It has pictures of 19-year-old lynching victim Michael Donald on a morgue table with a noose around his neck, then lying in his coffin, his mother grieving at his funeral.

It shows Klansmen marching, and African Americans looking on with anger and disdain.

The contrast of these powerful images and the narration by a young girl in a prep school uniform is stark.

And perhaps that's why Lily's documentary was chosen to be screened at the Oprah Winfrey Theater at the National Museum of African American History and Culture as part of the National History Day observances last month.

Sometimes it takes the untainted perception of a child to bring things into perspective.

"I believe in fairness and justice and I just really wanted to share someone's powerful story with the world," said Lily, a student at Phillips Preparatory School in Mobile and daughter of John Hoyle, interim president of the Alabama School of Math and Science.

Michael Donald 2 from John Hoyle on Vimeo.

Her documentary tells the story of Donald, who was lynched by Klansmen in Mobile in 1981. It's sometimes referred to as the last documented lynching in America.

Through multiple interviews and extensive research, Lily tells the story of the successful prosecution of the Klansmen, and the groundbreaking civil lawsuit that resulted in a $7 million verdict for Donald's mother, Beulah Mae Donald.

The verdict bankrupted the Ku Klux Klan in Alabama and set a precedent for civil actions against hate groups nationwide.

It also was a turning point for the state of Alabama, Chris Galanos, who was Mobile County's district attorney at the time, told Lily in her video interview with him.

"We in Alabama had a tainted history when it came to race relations, and it was critical that officials of the state of Alabama, not the United States government, take a proactive role in prosecuting these cases," he told Lily in the documentary.

Lily's documentary was nominated for screening at the national level by the Alabama Humanities Foundation, which sponsors National History Day with help from Auburn University-Montgomery.

This year 120 students entered projects in the National History Day competition, with 36 moving on to the national level in College Park, Maryland, including middle- and high school students from Mobile, Harvest,Madison, Huntsville and Montgomery. Some filmed documentaries like Lily's, others wrote papers, built websites or exhibits and even did performances.

It's no quick project done during school time. These deep dives into history take months of research and preparation, and it takes a dedicated young historian to pull it off, said T.C. McLemore, outgoing executive director of the Alabama Humanities Foundation.

"Local students uncover local history and they tell the stories of their community," McLemore said. "I'm excited that our students in Alabama are telling these stories and are learning about their history."

Indeed, Lily's work on her documentary brought Alabama history home for her.

The documentary opens with her standing in front of the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, which memorializes more than 4,000 lynchings that took place from 1877 through 1950 in America.

"Although most of the lynchings took place a long time ago, there was one that occurred in 1981 my hometown of Mobile, Alabama, only two blocks away from where I attend church," Lily said.

That's the point of these National History Day projects, said Debby Hester, a former Huntsville middle school teacher who has sponsored the program for years. Last year, one of her students, Jillian Boles, had her video documentary about the desegregation of Huntsville City Schools featured in Washington just like Lily's was this year.

In a time when schools emphasize STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), programs such as National History Day seek to show them that history is just as important.

"Schools aren't as much in your face with history," Hester said. "The thing that I love about National History Day, is it just embodies everything that I believe about good history instruction. It's inquiry based.

"It's much more important to me that you leave my class with good questions as opposed to just being fed answers," she said. "The kids that really apply themselves to the project, they end up with a work product that I don't think I did in college."

As part of Alabama's Bicentennial celebration, which runs through 2019, the Alabama Humanities Foundation is sending a traveling exhibit, "Making Alabama," across the state.

"Our hope and intent is that we can spread the news of Alabama History Day and connect to teachers and get them excited about doing this at their school," McLemore said.

Haskins writes about points of pride statewide. Email your suggestions to shaskins@al.com, or tweet them to @Shelly_Haskins using #AlabamaProud





Want more?

Learn about National History Day: www.nhd.org

Alabama Humanities Foundation: www.alabamahumanities.org




As thousands demonstrate against poor services, unemployment and corruption, Al Jazeera asks whats next?

Thousands of Iraqis have taken to the streets of Najaf, Basra, Maysan, Dhi Qar and Karbala, rallying against rising unemployment, corruption, poor governance and perceived Iranian interference.

Smaller protests have also erupted in the capital, Baghdad.

The scale and ferocity of the protests have seen security forces use live ammunition, tear gas, and water cannon on the crowds, killing at least 14 since July 8, according to police and medical sources.

Despite being home to oilfields that account for the vast majority of the oil Iraq exports, these southern areas, like most of Iraq, remain largely underdeveloped, with residents suffering from chronic power outages, lack of access to clean and safe drinking water and uncollected waste.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who heads a fragile caretaker government, has pledged to release $3bn for the fledgeling services.

But with the demonstrators continuing to take the unusual step of ramping up their protests against both his government and Iraqs main ally and powerful neighbour, Iran, fears are growing that they could spiral out of control.

How did the protests start?

Protesters gathered in the streets of Basra on July 8 after Iran, which provides 1,400 megawatts of electricity to the region, suddenly decreased energy supplies.

The electricity cut exacerbated a heat wave, forcing residents to endure sweltering temperatures hovering around 48 degrees Celsius.

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Tehran refused to comment on why it took the drastic step, but analysts suggest it could have been to pressure the Iraqi government to pay outstanding bills for its energy imports, a process that has become increasingly complicated since the United States pulled out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known colloquially as the Iran nuclear deal.

Saad Jawad, a professor of political science at the London School of Economics, said the US withdrawal from the deal strangled Irans economy and placed it in an economic corner.

The Iranians want to tell to the Americans that if you continue to prevent us from exporting oil, or the EU from investing in Iran, we will create problems for you everywhere  Syria, Iraq, the Gulf. Wherever.

Jawad said the situation in southern Iraq had also been compounded by a water crisis after Iran began buildings dams on its side of the border.

This contributed to a massive water shortage, Jawad said, with large parts of the Tigris river running dry.

The amount of water flowing through Iraqs rivers has fallen by at least 40 percent in recent decades, with the shortage of irrigation water preventing the cultivation of strategic crops in Basra, an area once called the Venice of the Gulf, he added.

Who are the protesters?

So far, the protests have been concentrated in Iraqs southern Shia heartlands, but appear to have been limited in scope and size amid security and curfew constraints.

Zaid al-Ali, a former legal adviser to the United Nations on reform in Iraq, said while protests had taken place in areas that are exclusively Shia, security concerns in areas retaken from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group could explain why they had not spread further north.

After the war with ISIL, large areas of Anbar province became military zones, so theres no scope for people to protest there, al-Ali told Al Jazeera.

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He dismissed conspiracy theories circulating on social media that Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr, whose bloc finished first in Mays parliamentary elections, helped incite the protests.

There is zero evidence suggesting any one party or individual is backing them, al-Ali said, with the means and mechanisms they are using, suggesting they are independent.

Last week, protesters set fire to office buildings used by al-Abadis Islamic Dawa Party, the Iranian-backed Al-Badr Organisation and the Shia Supreme Islamic Council Party.

With virtually every political party having their offices attacked, what were seeing is likely spontaneous and organic.

These protests are about the poor standard of living many Iraqis face, poverty  people, in essence, challenging the democratic legitimacy of the state, al-Ali said.

The protesters are expressing deep frustration with the state, regardless of who makes it up.

Anti-Iranian sentiment has also been seen during the protests, with demonstrators burning photos of the leader of the Iranian Revolution  Ruhollah Khomeini  and blaming Tehran for supporting failed governments in Iraq.

What are protesters demanding?

Mamoon Alabbasi, a political analyst focusing on the Middle East and North Africa, said anger against the government had been brewing well before the recent electricity cuts.

The protests started spontaneously with people demonstrating against poor living conditions, as they have many times in the past.

But news of the protests encouraged Iraqis in other Shia-majority provinces to take to the streets or occupy government buildings, including Najaf airport.





Most of the areas convulsed by protests have seen demonstrators demand the government ease poverty, create jobs and fight corruption.

Alabbasi said anger with the ruling elite could be illustrated by the low turnout in Mays election.

Voter turnout in Mays election was the lowest since 2005, which shows how little trust people have in their politicians, he said.

Residents of southern Iraq, which produces more than 70 percent of the countrys proven oil reserves, have long complained that they do not benefit from the countrys oil wealth, and have also expressed anger at the political deadlock following the election, Alabassi said.

[And] with political rivals discussing forming government coalitions that are similar to the ones that theyve always had  it looks likely that nothing will change.

How have Iraqs leaders responded?

Al-Abadi, who is seeking to retain his position as prime minister despite coming in third, dispatched soldiers to Basra from both the elite Counter Terrorism Service and the Armys Ninth Division, regiments which led the attack on the northern city of Mosul when it was held by ISIL.

While the moves helped reduce tensions, he faces accusations by Amnesty International of trying to cover up the abuse of demonstrators. About 300 people who were initially arrested have reportedly been released, but the government continues to block social media sites.

The prime minister promised jobs for those living in areas around the oil fields and announced allocations for urgent projects. But many demonstrators said the pledges did not go far enough and did not address their central demand that some ministers be dismissed.

On Twitter, al-Sadr called on political blocs to halt negotiations over a new government until the protesters demands are met. It was his first public comment since the protests began.

The demonstrators have also been emboldened by Iraqs most prominent Shia leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who called on federal and local agencies to seriously address the protesters demands.

Everyone wants to ride that wave to show that they are not corrupt, Alabbasi added.

Whats next?

With the final results of the May 12 elections yet to be approved by a federal court, and the last parliaments term ending on June 31, analysts expect the current wave of protests to drag on even after a new government is formed.

Zaid al-Ali told Al Jazeera that the current cycle of protests will to continue for the foreseeable future.

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He added: These protests have been going for virtually every year for the past 10 years, with ministers pledging to address the protesters demands  increase investment, job opportunities  that never works.

The oil money that exists in Iraq on a per-person, per capita basis, does in no way guarantee job opportunities for everyone and improve stand of living.

To achieve that you would need to diversify the economy. And right now, Iraq is the most oil-dependent country in the world.

Bilal Wahab, a Wagner Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, agreed, adding that none of the countrys political parties had addressed the deep-seated grievances many Iraqis face.

What were seeing is a fracturing of the ruling Shia house in Iraq, he told Al Jazeera.

While they have been peaceful so far, the chances of them becoming violent and chaotic are quite possible  considering that guns that are widely available and the militias that could ride this tide.
We have made a lot of progress against AIDS, but the fight is not over yet.

The International AIDS Conference is the largest conference on any global health issue in the world. First convened during the peak of the AIDS epidemic in 1985, it continues to provide a unique forum for the intersection of science, advocacy, and human rights. The 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018) will be hosted in Amsterdam, Netherlands, between July 23-27, 2018.

I was diagnosed with HIV on December 24, 1986. I remember the day so well  I had a student summer job at a supermarket chain. I collapsed at work and was rushed to the Johannesburg General Hospital.

I was given an AIDS diagnosis and a death sentence, just six months to live, after a doctor examined me and assumed that (because I disclosed my sexual orientation) I had to have AIDS. What followed was days of confusion, fear, anxiety and isolation: biohazard stickers on my hospital door, hospital staff and visitors having to wear the full protective clothing (looking like space monsters, I thought). I was confronting my death at the age of 21.

But I managed to beat the doctors death sentence.

Six years later, in 1992, I attended the International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam under the theme A world united against AIDS.

By then, I had already publicly disclosed my HIV status in South Africa. I had stopped seeing myself as a victim or a patient and started seeing myself as a person, a person living with HIV. I had found spaces where I did not have to fear disclosing my HIV status or be concerned about people discriminating against me. I felt I was moving forward with a greater sense of purpose.

Almost 8,000 people  scientists, clinicians, NGO workers, policymakers and people living with HIV  were with me at that conference. It really felt like the world was united against AIDS. I used this opportunity to connect with them, be inspired by them and share my experiences. It was an important platform for bringing together all the different stakeholders and partners in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

But, back then, it was not easy to hold such conferences.

HIV and human rights

The organisers, the International AIDS Society (IAS), originally planned to hold that years conference in Boston, US. But in 1987, at the height of a global panic about HIV and AIDS, the Reagan administration had imposed a ban on HIV-positive foreigners travelling to the US; the ban was officially reversed only 22 years later, by President Barack Obama. The IAS eventually decided to move the conference to the Netherlands to avoid complications.

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This was perhaps one of the first incidents that made everyone realise that HIV was a human rights issue  people living with HIV were being denied most fundamental rights only because they were carrying a virus. Some politicians in the US (and in other countries around the world) thought they could prevent the spread of HIV by closing their borders. Of course, HIV knew no borders and did not discriminate based on nationality. There was already a growing HIV epidemic in the US, so these restrictions did not make much sense.

Despite the venue change, the conference was extremely successful. By getting all those people together, against all odds, the organisers showed the world that in order to have an effective response to the HIV epidemic, people with HIV simply had to be included into the conversation. They had to be part of the discussions and the decisions about the disease that they were living with.

At the conference, I reconnected with many friends who I had met at a London conference a year earlier, and sadly, heard stories of some who did not make it, as they had died from HIV-related complications. We were losing far too many friends to HIV-related illnesses all around the world. There was no treatment back then  all we had was hope, passion, activism and each other.

At the Amsterdam conference, I also became painfully aware of the health divide between rich countries and poor(er) countries.

In the global north, clinical trials related to antiretroviral (ARV) treatment were being carried out. Many people with HIV lucky enough to be living in this part of the world were volunteering in these trials to see whether a certain drug would work.

By doing so, they were not only helping themselves, but also everyone else living with HIV  even the ones living on the other side of the globe, like myself. I am very grateful to those volunteers who participated in these clinical trials because they allowed scientists to demonstrate what worked and what did not work. But most importantly, they gave us hope that one day there would be treatment for all.

The 1992 conference also had sessions on psychosocial care and treatment which included alternative, complementary and traditional therapies and lots of emphasis on counselling protocols, treatment of opportunistic infections, dealing with death, dying and multiple losses.

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This was sadly the reality for many of us in the global south  trying to live with HIV by trying different therapies and routines to stay as healthy for as long as possible. We were sharing our fears and concerns in counselling sessions, with some of us even becoming counsellors ourselves. Although we had treatment for opportunistic infections, there was a constant sense of loss and fear during the mid to late 1990s.

Then Vancouver happened  the International AIDS conference of 1996. It was at that conference in Canada that we learned ARVs were working. Finally, we had hope for a treatment. I remember standing in the hall during the conference when the results of the clinical trials were announced and saying to my friend, We are going to live!

Realising that a cocktail of drugs could keep us alive was incredibly emotional and empowering. Of course, the global health divide was still as valid as it was four years earlier. There was a treatment that could work, but we didnt know when it would reach the people living in the global south.

It took another four years for the world to take action to right this wrong. At the 2000 AIDS conference in Durban, South Africa, a commitment was made to address this health divide and make sure everyone living with HIV, no matter where they live, had access to ARVs.

Building bridges

Fast forward to 2018. I am fortunately still around  a little greyer, with more wrinkles, a bit wiser but still involved in HIV activism. And for this years International AIDS conference, I am once again heading to Amsterdam  the city that hosted us in 1992, when it was not possible for us to travel to the US. The theme of this years conference is Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges and it will bring together 25,000 people working in different sectors of the HIV response.

Incredible strides have been made in the 26 years since the first Amsterdam conference. Twenty million people living with HIV are now on ARV treatment and due to more widespread access to effective treatments, HIV incidence and AIDS-related mortalities are steadily decreasing. There is also greater recognition of the important role effective treatment plays in prevention, and the mere fact that people are living with HIV longer.

While we should celebrate these considerable achievements, there is still much that remains to be done. Today, we are facing an important turning point in the fight against HIV. If we can lower the number of new infections and ensure that those who are living with HIV are all tested and supported to be on treatment, then we can really beat AIDS.

But we are facing some significant challenges. HIV is no longer receiving the political attention and funding that it requires. Moreover, in some parts of the world, the virus is still widespread, especially in groups and populations that are ostracised or criminalised  gay men and other men who have sex with men, sex workers, transgender people and people who use drugs.

The fact that these populations are criminalised makes it harder for them to access the information and services that they require to protect themselves from HIV and as a result, we can see an increase in HIV in these populations. We will never end AIDS if we chose to exclude or ignore the needs of all populations and people.

According to the latest statistics from UNAIDS, while there are 21.7 million people in treatment, there are still 15.2 million who are not. We need to redouble our efforts and our resources to ensure that all people who require access to treatment, especially the groups that are mentioned above, have access.

Treatment keeps people healthy, allows people to engage in society and live a normal life and also reduces the chances of them transmitting HIV. For example, I have an undetectable viral load in my body  the treatment that I am on is suppressing viral activity so the virus is dormant. This means that I cannot transmit HIV to a sexual partner. Scientists are still constantly working to improve these treatments, make them easier and simpler to take and minimise their side effects.

We also have a lot of work to do around HIV prevention. There are still 1.8 million new HIV infections a year and this is simply not good enough. We know what works to prevent HIV and we need to ensure that every person, no matter who they are or where they are, is able to choose what option they feel works for them.

We know that HIV is the leading cause of death among adolescents and young people in sub-Saharan Africa and the second-leading cause of death globally, but we also know that adolescents and young people are not interested in HIV.

We need to find different ways of ensuring that HIV education is integrated into sexual education and that young people are actively engaged in designing and shaping strategies that work best for them. Yes, I, too, was young when I was diagnosed with HIV and my virus is older than all the young people that I now work with.

This is why I remain committed to ensuring that we have the political commitment, the resources and the will to break down barriers and build bridges that allow us to have choices with dignity, to remain healthier, immaterial of HIV status, no matter who we are or where we live.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
The only thing left for Palestinians to do is fight for one state espousing democracy and secularism.

In Palestine, we are dealing with a complex situation: We have a settler-colonial project that denies its colonialism and argues it is a democracy and we have its victims whose victimisation has been dismissed for decades and whose national liberation struggle has been defamed.

The colonisers have been successful in manipulating the narrative on what is going on, rewriting history and whitewashing their crimes. Various countries around the world have bought into their lies and kept a neutral stance, claiming their positions are balanced.

What is there to balance, when one side has one of the most advanced armies in the world, financed and supplied by an allied superpower, and the other side has been altogether abandoned by allies and well-wishers and has only the determination and strength of its people to rely on?

But these claims of neutrality and balance are no longer tenable. Israel has stopped playing the democracy pretence game and has revealed itself for what it really is: an apartheid state. On July 19, the Israeli Knesset voted to pass the so-called nation-state law which declares Israel the national home of the Jewish people. It is now officially an exclusive ethno-religious state.

Unveiling the ethno-religious state of Israel

For us Palestinians, this law reiterates the obvious: namely, that the Zionist ideology is inherently racist and undemocratic.

The political goal of Zionism was to engineer a demographic shift in Palestine, making the minority Jewish population (which was just 7.6 percent in 1914) a majority through massive Jewish immigration and settlement building and expulsion of the Palestinians.





Inevitably, the expropriation of land went hand-in-hand with the violation of rights of the Palestinian majority. Zionists have always looked at Palestinians as invisible if not absent, or rather present absentees. The identity of those who remained within the boundaries of what was to become Israel was erased through the term Israeli Arab and their rights curbed by a myriad of laws (the nation-state law being just the latest iteration).

This is because, contrary to modern liberal thinking, in Israel, citizenship and nationality are two separate, independent concepts. In other words, Israel is not the state of its citizens, but the state of the Jewish people. Thus Palestinians in Israel have Israeli passports but they do not have rights equal to those of Jewish citizens.

With the new nation-state law, Palestinians in Israel are now considered native aliens or foreigners in their own homeland, because Israel is defined by its law as  the historical homeland of the Jewish people i.e. not the state of all of its citizens. This is the direct result of Zionism and its ideology of racism.

It is also the direct result of prevailing undemocratic sentiments among Israels Jews. The contradiction between professed ideals and actual behaviour, which has been the engine of political change in many places around the world, does not exist in Israel because the democratic creed, or civic democracy, is absent in Israeli society.

There is no promise of equality for all citizens in Israeli political culture and praxis. And there is no tradition of civil liberties in Israel because such a tradition is incompatible with Zionism.

Hence, one can understand the antagonism of the establishment to calls for the creation of one state for Palestinians and Jews, one secular democratic state run by parliamentary elections and majority rule in historical Palestine. This idea has been rejected outright by Israeli Jewish society because it would effectively mean the end of Zionism.

And as Israel effectively turns into an exclusive ethno-religious state, we have to ask uncomfortable questions: does this mean that Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, etc can also be the basis of modern states? And if we still insist that religion should be separate from state, then where is the international outrage? Why isnt mainstream media obsessing about the Jewish state, the way it was about the Islamic state? How is Israel different from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant that sought to establish a state for Muslims only through violence and dispossession?

The fight against apartheid is on

The passing of the nation-state law should eliminate whatever doubt there still is among neutral observers that Israel is, in fact, an apartheid state.

Just as apartheid South Africa gave citizenship to white South Africans and relegated blacks to independent homelands, Zionism gives all Jews the right to citizenship in the state of Israel, while denying citizenship to Palestinians  its indigenous inhabitants.

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While South Africas apartheid used race to determine citizenship, the state of Israel uses religious identification to determine citizenship. Just as apartheid South Africa made laws criminalising free movement of blacks on their ancestral land, Israel controls every aspect of Palestinians lives through a military occupation infrastructure composed of checkpoints, Jewish-only settlements and roads, and the Wall, combined with a web of legal regulations.

The parallels between Israel and apartheid South Africa are infinite. And probably the only major difference between the two is that Israel gets away with its crimes with unprecedented impunity, as evidenced by its latest war crimes in Gaza.

So what is left for the Palestinian people after the approval of this blatantly racist bill? Well, we definitely are not foolish enough to expect anything from the so-called international community.

Years of negotiations created only bantustans in the West Bank and a concentration camp in Gaza. Palestinians are still at the receiving end of merciless assaults by racist Israeli troops hidden in their US-made helicopters and F16s.

What all US envoys to the region have been trying to do is reach a solution in accordance with Israeli conditions, disregarding Security Council resolutions and international law. Neither the current US right-wing administration nor the spineless EU has a fair plan for how to resolve the crisis in Palestine.

The only thing that we, Palestinians, can count on is the power of people, just as South Africans did when, through a sustained global campaign, they forced governments to boycott their apartheid regime.

We will continue to expand the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and will continue marching to the fence in Gaza until we bring this madness to an end. We will also continue working on an alternative model, both democratic and secular, which guarantees equality and abolishes apartheid, bantustans and separation in Palestine altogether. We will not give up the fight.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
Last week, leaders from the European Union (EU) met their Chinese counterparts in a key 2-day summit in Beijing and pledged to deepen the blocs relationship with China against the backdrop of increasing uncertainty in their relationship with the United States.

The Beijing summit took place as US President Donald Trump held a controversial joint press conference with Russias Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. The summit also followed a tense NATO meeting last week, where Trump appeared content to elevate his chastisement of Washingtons most trusted allies and security partners  most of them in Europe.

In addition to all this, the Trans-Atlantic relationship has been further frayed with a toxic battle over trade  with the Trump administration imposing heavy tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from the EU (in addition to those from other allies, including Canada and Japan).

China is also feeling the bite from Washingtons protectionist approach, with the Trump administration levying a 25 percent tariff on $34bn of Chinese goods and also listing an additional $200bn that may be subjected to a 10 percent tariff. Beijing has been targeted  largely for good reason  for its unfair trade practices such as its dumping of subsidised goods  such as low-grade steel  on the US market. Washington has also called out Beijing for its theft of intellectual property and proliferation of counterfeit goods.

Regarding trade with China, the Trump administration was right to say that the playing field had been unfair for the US for decades. However, the crude articulation of this sentiment  through high tariffs and protectionist brinkmanship  carries deep economic risks and has already helped fuel a narrative in Beijing that the US  not China  is the real pariah when it comes to international trade rules.

Further bolstering this point of view is the fact that the Trump administration has included its closest allies  the EU, Japan and Canada  in this protectionist net. Earlier this week, the US aided these sentiments even further by announcing that it would be launching dispute actions in the World Trade Organization (WTO) against five separate parties, including the EU and China.

So has this coalescence of concerns on the Trump administrations approach to trade served as a driver for stronger relations between Europe and China? The short answer is no. While Beijing continues to relish the opportunity to exploit fissures in the US alliance network and nurture discussions on waning US credibility, the EU is far from making a decision on elevating disagreements with Washington into something larger or overtly siding with Beijing in a united bloc to oppose the moves. This was made clear during last weeks summit beyond the usual pomp and ceremony of the summitry.

In a joint statement released after the summit, both sides papered over long-standing differences on similar irritants  such as dumping, countervailing and intellectual property theft  to that of the US-China trade relationship. And, while both sides opposed unilateralism and protectionism  a clear message to Trump  they also failed to agree on systemic hurdles in their own trade and investment relationship.





Rather than pushing Beijing on crucial areas such as poor market access for EU firms in China, unfair investment environment and low regulations on intellectual property, Brussels merely took note of Chinas pledges to ensure a level playing field. In other words, talk continues to be cheap and balance aspirational in their bilateral investment relations.

An interesting counterpoint to this is the EUs engagement with Japan  the second largest economy in Asia and third largest globally. Just days after meeting with Chinese leadership in Beijing, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk arrived in Tokyo to conclude a landmark Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Japan.

The EPA, which covers nearly a third of global GDP, has set a new standard for mega free trade deals (alongside the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP-11 that was signed earlier this year).

Both deals were shepherded by Japan  not China  and highlight the point that Trumps protectionist barbs  as detrimental as they are  will not result in a begrudged tilt by Washingtons traditional allies towards Beijing.

Rather, the key democratic states in Asia, Europe and beyond  now led by Japan, the EU, Canada and others  are binding closer together to maintain and promote high standards for international trade and investment.

This point can be demonstrated more clearly through the political-security relationship between Brussels and Beijing. While the two sides just celebrated their 20th EU-China Summit and the 15th anniversary of global strategic partnership, the reality remains that they are also far apart on most important political-security matters.

And, while Brussels has been increasingly cautious not to directly point fingers at Beijing for its destabilising activities  for example in the South China Sea  this should not be confused with a convergence of strategic interests or a dissolution of European concerns on Chinese behaviour.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
Police say four others were critically injured in the attack, which is being investigated as incident of taxi violence.

Eleven taxi drivers have been shot dead in South Africa after gunmen opened fire on a minibus carrying members of a taxi drivers association, police have said.

Police spokesman Jay Naicker said on Sunday the drivers were on their way home from the funeral of a colleague on Saturday evening when their vehicle was ambushed in KwaZulu-Natal province.

He added that four people were critically injured in the attack.

We understand they were from the Gauteng taxi association. There has been a lot of taxi violence in the area but we are still investigating who the perpetrators were, Naicker said.

South African news site News24 quoted Naicker as saying the police taxi violence unit had been dispatched to the scene of the shooting.

Rivalry between groups of minibus taxis over dominance on profitable routes sometimes spills over into deadly violence in South Africa.

Ten people were killed in Cape Town during one weekend in May as a result of taxi violence, according to local media.

In April, heavily armed gunmen stormed a taxi rank in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, killing one and injuring three more. Police arrested 16 suspects following the attack.
Afghan vice president unharmed after explosion hits while his supporters were gathered at airport entrance to greet him.

At least 14 people have been killed and more than 40 wounded in a suicide bomb blast near Kabuls international airport that struck minutes after Afghan Vice President Rashid Dostum returned to the country from more than a year in exile, police said.

Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanekzai said the blast on Sunday went off near the main airport entrance, where supporters had been waiting to greet Dostum as his motorcade passed on its way to the city centre.

Dostum, who was travelling in an armoured vehicle, was unharmed in the blast, which was claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

The blast happened right after Dostums convoy left the airport, said Stanekzai.

Civilians, including a child, and security force members were among the casualties, according to Najib Danish, interior ministry spokesman.

He added that the suicide bomber was identified by police but he detonated his explosive vest before he could be safely apprehended.

Dostums return

Dostum, who is linked to a number of of human rights abuses in Afghanistan, was mobbed like a celebrity as he left the chartered plane from Turkey where he has lived since May 2017.

Dostums triumphant return was in stark contrast to the outrage he faced after reports in 2016 that his guards had seized political rival Ahmad Eshchi and subjected him to beatings, torture and violent sexual abuse.

He denied Eshchis accusations but, amid international demands that he face justice to show that powerful political leaders were not above the law, he left the country in May last year, saying he needed to seek medical treatment in Turkey.

On Saturday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghanis spokesman said accusations against Dostum would be dealt with by independent legal authorities.

Once referred to as a quintessential warlord by the US State Department, Dostum has long been accused of serious human rights abuses.

Shortly after the US-led campaign in 2001, he was accused of killing Taliban prisoners by leaving them locked in airless cargo containers. He has denied the accusations.

Afghan elections

Even in exile, Dostum remained a powerful figure with wide support among his fellow ethnic Uzbeks in northern Afghanistan.

Ghani now faces the challenge of reintegrating Dostum, an ally in the disputed 2014 election who helped deliver the ethnic Uzbek vote but a volatile and unpredictable partner ever since.

I think the rehabilitation of General Dostum is a traditional part of the Afghan election season, Jarrett Blanc, senior fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC, told Al Jazeera.

It happened prior to the 2009 election and of cause it famously happened when President Ghani selected him to be first vice-president in 2013 and its happening again this year.

By being the one bold enough to ask General Dostum to be his first vice-president, he was able to signal to all the power brokers in Afghanistan that he was somebody to be reckoned with and to launch himself to the second round and then into the presidency, Blanc said.

Dostums return followed more than two weeks of demonstrations by supporters demanding the release of one of his militia commanders who was arrested following a dispute with officers in the regular security forces.

In remarks to his supporters, he made a brief reference to the commander, Nizamuddin Qaisari, who remains in custody pending an investigation.

But Dostum also called on protesters who had blocked roads and government offices in northern Afghanistan to end their demonstrations.
Authorities in Chad ordered a precautionary evacuation of a village near Niger after Boko Harams deadly attack.

At least 3,000 villagers have been forced to leave their homes in the Lake Chad region after a Boko Haram attack on a village near Chads border with Niger left at least 18 people dead.

Lake Chad governor, Mohammed Aba Salah, told Al Jazeera on Sunday that the fighters also kidnapped 10 women.

Boko Haram fighters slit the throats of two [people] and shot the other 16, he said. One of the 10 women abducted by Boko Haram managed to escape and return home.

Aba Salah also said that the evacuation following the attack was a precautionary measure.

Boko Haram is in control of the area across Lake Chads borders with both Niger and Nigeria, he said.

Humanitarian crisis

The group has devastated the region since it took up arms in 2009 in Nigeria, leaving at least 20,000 people dead, displacing more than two million others and triggering a humanitarian crisis.

Chad, Cameroon and Niger have all joined the military effort by Nigeria against Boko Haram.

Chad has seen a recent increase in attacks by the group.

In May, six people were killed, including four government officials and a soldier, in a Boko Haram attack on a Chadian army checkpoint on an island in Lake Chad.

Nigers army said on Saturday it killed 10 terrorists after one of its military positions in the southwest of the country was attacked by Boko Haram.
A draft of Cubas new constitution recognises private property and opens the door to gay marriage.

A draft of Cubas new constitution omits the aim of building communism, although it keeps the Communist Party as the guiding force of the one-party system, as well as recognising private property and opening the door to gay marriage.

Cubas national assembly in the capital, Havana, is debating this weekend a draft of the document to replace its current constitution, reflecting political, social and economic changes.

Once lawmakers have approved the draft, it will be submitted to a popular consultation. The final document, which could include changes, will then be put to a national referendum.

The current draft omits a clause in the 1976 constitution on the ultimate aim of building a communist society, instead simply focusing on socialism.

This does not mean we are renouncing our ideas, Esteban Lazo, president of the National Assembly, was quoted as saying by state-run media.

Cuba had simply moved into a different era following the fall of the Soviet Union, he added.

Carlos Alzugaray, former Cuba ambassador to the European Union and professor at the University of Havana, described the developments as a positive step.

Change is important on everything that refers to the Cuban constitutional order  but now we will need a broad legislative agenda, so these laws are properly executed, he told Al Jazeera from the Cuban capital.

We will have to see what comes out of all this discussion.

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The draft also appears to strengthen political institutions and create a more collective leadership structure, after nearly 60 years of rule by late revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and his younger brother, Raul.

Raul Castro was replaced by Miguel Diaz-Canel in April, although he remains head of the Communist Party until 2021. He also heads the constitutional reform commission.

Under the proposed constitution, the president will no longer be the head of the council of state and council of ministers.

Instead, it creates the position of prime minister and designates the president of the assembly also as head of the council of state, Cubas highest executive body.

One of the other top items at Saturdays assembly was the recognition in the draft constitution of marriage as between two individuals rather than a man and a wife.

We are not the first, nor would we be the vanguard in this matter  there are around 24 countries that have this concept incorporated, we could not turn our back on this issue when preparing a new constitutional project, said Homero Acosta, the secretary of the council of state.

Continuity and change

The draft also sets an age and term limits for presidents, stating they must be under 60 when they first take office and can carry out no more than two consecutive five-year terms.

We are experiencing a process of continuity and change, Alzugaray, the professor in Havana, said.

Cuba will maintain its fundamental principles, those that were established after the revolution, but at the same time, a change is taking place.

Also, the way this has been handled has been extremely democratic. We are watching live the debate in the National Assembly, we are listening to all the deputies as they explain their reasons, and the document will be transferred to the citizens, so they can discuss it.

This is a process of democratic deliberation that is rare in the world, he added.





Reflecting the gradual generational transition in Cubas leadership, Diaz-Canel named his cabinet at the start of the assembly meeting on Saturday, promoting two officials in their 50s to become vice presidents alongside two sitting octogenarians and a septuagenarian.

The new president kept a majority of ministers from Castro, including in the key posts of defence, interior, trade and foreign relations, in line with his April promise to provide continuity.

Marino Murillo, the head of the Communist Partys reform commission and previously one of the council of ministers vice presidents, was the only top figure omitted from the new line-up.

Under Castro, Murillo spearheaded changes to the state-run economy and he remains head of the Partys reform commission and a member of the political bureau.

The reforms have slowed however in recent years amid fears they have allowed some Cubans to enrich themselves, fostering inequality, and weakened the control of the state.

This month, Cuba issued regulations tightening control of the private sector and limiting business licenses to one per person.
For journalist Maryam Abu Daqqa, it was another day at work covering the protests near the Israeli fence, in the Gaza Strips east.

Since March 30, the 24-year-old reporter for the local Sharq news agency had been documenting the weekly Great March of Return demonstrations calling for the right of return of refugees to the areas they were expelled from in 1948.

As Palestinians on Friday renewed their protests, Israel launched dozens of air raids and tank fire against what it said were Hamas positions.

Like any other time of escalation, Abu Daqqa went on air to relay the latest information from the ground. She told viewers that moments before, a heavy artillery shell had struck a monitoring post, causing deaths and injuries.

July 20 violence A total of four Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces on Friday. Three of them, including the 31-year-old and father-of-five Abu Farhana, were members of Hamas armed wing and targeted by artillery shelling.

The fourth was Mohammed Badwan, 27, who according to the Palestinian ministry of health was shot in the chest and killed during the weekly protests. At least 120 other protesters were wounded.

More than 140 Palestinians have been killed and 16,000 wounded in the 17 weeks of protests.

One Israeli soldier was also killed by a Palestinian gunman on Friday, marking the first Israeli fatality near Israels fence in Gaza in four years.

That was all I knew until then, she recounted later.

What she didnt know at the time was that among those killed was her older brother, Mohammed Abu Farhana.

After her live report, Abu Daqqa rushed to the site of the attack to find out more. Blood and body parts were everywhere. Minutes later, details came in with the names of those killed. Upon hearing the name of her brother, Abu Daqqa broke down. Still, she called her TV station colleagues to get the news out.

I never imagined that I would one day convey the news of a loved ones killing, she told local Palestinian outlet al-Quds Network.

Below, Abu Daqqa narrates to al-Quds Network about the day her brother was killed.

Like every Friday, I went out to cover the protests near the Israeli fence east of Khuzaa, Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. My mothers heart beats faster than normal on these days, as her children (four sons and me) are all out participating in or covering the weekly protests. She checks the names and pictures of those killed or injured on Fridays once the news trickles in, asking God to keep the names of her children away from such lists and news bulletins.

I woke up early on Friday morning, put on my clothes and readied my press equipment. Just before I left, my brother Mohammed told me, as usual: Maryam, the camera can document things from a distance, so dont get too close to the fence.

Every Friday when the events escalate, I go on air to relay what is happening, which is part of my duty. That day I called my colleague in the news studio, and told him and the viewers that a heavy artillery shell had targeted a monitoring post belonging to the Palestinian resistance east of Khuzaa. There were body parts and injuries but that was all I knew until then. I hung up and rushed to the site in order to find out more about the casualties.

Once I reached the site of attack, I told my other colleague with me that something felt wrong. I saw body parts and blood seeping into the ground as a result of the shelling. At that point I still didnt know who the killed were nor did I recognise anyone. I wish it had remained that way, but now I know the pain and anguish that a relative of someone killed goes through. My brothers remains were lying in pieces in front of me, and I didnt know.

Once the names of those killed were confirmed a few minutes later, I broke down and put down my camera. I called my colleague in the newsroom and told him that my brother was among those killed. I never imagined that I would one day convey the news of a loved ones killing.

The irony is that I was afraid for my other brother, who is a first responder and treats the wounded at the protests. Earlier while I was still at the protest, the Israeli soldiers had fired a barrage of bullets at the peaceful demonstrators and I saw my brother quickly rush towards them to carry out his duties. I remember praying then, hoping he would not be harmed.

My fathers health is deteriorating as a little while ago he underwent a kidney transplant. I tried hard to lessen the blow for him when it came to telling him his son was killed.

This will not deter me from continuing doing my job. I will return to the field with more strength.

My brother Mohammed finished high school and starting working after that with a trader in distributing school and office stationery. Then he had the means to become a merchant and manage his own business in the same field.

He was the source of joy in our lives. Every morning and evening he would joke around, and he was considered the comedian at home. He also provided us with anything we wanted, sometimes without us asking him to.

My brothers keenness on having a say in the matters of the lives of me and my siblings was present in every detail  for example it was he who chose my camera for work. I now see this as a strong incentive to continue my work in memory of him.
Move comes after Ankara ended its two-year state of emergency.

Germany has lifted economic sanctions on Turkey and relaxed its travel advice to the country, German officials said, after Ankara ended its two-year state of emergency.

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A 1.5 billion-euro ($1.7bn) limit on export guarantees to Turkey would not be renewed this year, Germanys economy ministry told the AFP news agency, confirming an earlier report by the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

The measure was imposed in July 2017 as a way to pressure Ankara after the detention of a German human rights campaigner and five other activists, including the head of Amnesty International in Turkey.

Opposition parties in Germany have accused the 1.5 billion-euro limit of being too timid, given that the value of export guarantees increased from 1.1bn euros in 2016 to 1.46bn euros the following year.

Warning removed

Germanys foreign ministry also removed a warning on its website that had said German nationals faced a high risk of arrest when visiting Turkey.

Turkeys state of emergency, which was imposed after a failed 2016 coup and saw the biggest purge of officials in the countrys modern history, came to an end on Thursday.

Turkeys opposition, however, has accused the government of moving to permanently formalise some of the measures harshest aspects.

On Friday, Turkey and the Netherlands agreed to restore relations strained after a diplomatic row last year.
Palestinian sources say at least 1,023 settlers entered the compound under heavy police protection.

Hundreds of Israeli settlers have stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem to commemorate the historic destruction of Jewish temples, referred to in Israel as Tisha Bav.

Palestinian sources said that at least 1,023 settlers entered the compound on Sunday under heavy police protection.

The Al-Aqsa compound, which houses the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque, represents the third holiest site in Islam, while in Judaism it is considered their most holy place.

Yehuda Glick, a far-right Israeli Knesset member, who campaigns for Jewish access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, was seen in the compound.

Firas al-Dibis, an official with Jerusalems Jordan-run Religious Endowments Authority, told Anadolu News Agency that Israeli police stormed the compound before the settlers and carried out security sweeps and search.

Al-Dibis also said Israeli forces denied access to Najeh Bakirat, a scholar at the Endowments Authority, and allowed Muslim worshippers inside the mosque after seizing their IDs.

According to Palestinian local news agencies, a Palestinian boy was arrested after raising the Palestinian flag in the compound.

#Israeli soldiers rushing to arrest #Palestinian boy just for raising the flag of #Palestine inside #AlAqsa mosque yards.

It's the clearest definition of colonialism, where #Israel try to eliminate the cultural and religious identity of the #Palestinian people.#FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/ZzQxtS1MAh  Shehab News Agency (@ShehabAgencyEn) July 22, 2018

Al Jazeeras correspondent Mohammed Jamjoom said that tension was high and that things might get worse.

Palestinian Muslim worshippers consider this always to be a provocation, he said from Jerusalem.

It is nothing new that there are these flare-ups that happen in that area, he continued. But on a day like today  a holiday that commemorates many disasters in Jewish history  youre going to see more settlers who want to access the compound.

On Saturday night, hundreds of settlers organised a march inside the walls of the Old City and at the gates of the Al-Aqsa compound. They performed prayers, danced and shouted anti-Arab and anti-Muslim slogans.

While Jewish visitation is permitted in the compound, non-Muslim worship is prohibited according to an agreement signed between Israel and the Jordanian government after Israels illegal occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967.

However, Israeli authorities regularly disrupt the status quo and allow Jewish visitors to enter the site often under armed guard, while restricting access to Palestinians.
Akbar Khan was beaten to death by a group of so-called cow vigilantes in Rajasthan state while transporting cattle.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, at around 3am, Akbar Khan was laid to rest in his village in northern Indian Haryana state.

The previous evening, Akbars family and villagers had placed his lifeless body out on a road near the Alwar-Delhi highway to protest against his brutal killing.

Akbar, a 28-year-old Muslim man, was beaten to death by a group of so-called cow vigilantes on Saturday in Lalawandi village in western Rajasthan state while transporting cattle, local police said.

His relatives refused to bury him until they had assurances that the government would act against the perpetrators.

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Hindu vigilantes often roam the roads in northern India to protect cows, which they believe to be sacred, frequently resulting in assaults against Indias Muslim population  some 14 percent of the countrys 1.3 billion people.

This is not the first case of anti-Muslim hate crime in Rajasthan state.

Last year, a Muslim dairy farmer called Pehlu Khan was attacked and killed by scores of Hindu cow vigilantes on a highway in Rajasthan, while in June two Muslim men were lynched in eastern Jharkhand state on charges of cattle theft.

Broken ribs

According to local media, an autopsy report following Akbars death said the beating had broken his ribs, causing water to fill his lungs.

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Akbars friend, 30-year-old Aslam Khan, was travelling with him at the time of the attack.

Still shaken, Aslam said they were returning home on Saturday night after buying two cows, when they were accosted by a group of men. Aslam ran and hid in a nearby field while Akbar was clubbed to death.

Me and Akbar had gone to buy cows on July 19 to Khanpur village in Alwar. We bought a dairy cow and a calf for 60,000 rupees ($873). On the night of the 20th, we left Khanpur to head home to Kolgaon, Aslam told Al Jazeera.

Akbar was holding the ropes we had tied to the cow and I was walking behind him. Suddenly, we heard the roar of a motorcycle and some firing in the air. Immediately both of us let go of the cows and ran. I hid in the cotton fields while those men caught up with Akbar and started thrashing him. I could hear him screaming but I fled to save my life, he said.

Aslam Khan was with Akbar at the time of the attack [Mohammed Younus Alvi/Al Jazeera]

Anil Beniwal, a senior police official in Alwar, Rajasthan, confirmed that the state police have arrested three people and are looking for two more suspects.

The charges filed against the accused include that of murder, wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt, he told Al Jazeera.

We have recorded the statement of the second person who ran away from the scene, said Beniwal, referring to Khan. Our probe is ongoing, he added.

There was no dying statement. But as we were moving [Akbar] to the hospital before he died, he told us his name and the place from where he bought the cows.

Growing climate of hate

Cow slaughter is a contentious issue in India with many states, including Rajasthan, outlawing the practice. Some have also banned the sale or transport of beef products.

But cows provide crucial income to many in the Indian countryside. According to his family, Akbar used to sell milk from the cows he owned to dairy owners.

Who will take care of my seven children, all minors, now that their father has been killed?, asked Asmina, Akbars wife.

The guilty should be punished, my husbands killers must be hanged. The government must give me and my family justice, she said.

Akbars eldest daughter is 14 while his youngest child is just two years old.

Cows provide income to many in Indias rural communities, such as Kolgaon village, where Akbar lived [Mohammed Younus Alvi/Al Jazeera]

When will this madness stop? How many widows, how many orphans will satisfy your [cow vigilantes] bloodlust? Zakir Nambardar, a resident of Kolgaon village, said.

A Meo Panchayat, local village council comprising of members of the Meo Muslim community, held an emergency meeting on Sunday afternoon in Alwar district where Akbar was killed to demand justice.

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Activists say Hindu far-right groups have been emboldened by n Prime Minister Narendra Modis rise to power in 2014. Leaders of Modis Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have openly declared India a nation of Hindus, posing a challenge to its multi-faith constitutional commitment.

Earlier this month, Jayant Sinha, a Minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modis government honoured seven men convicted of killing a meat trader in the name of cow protection in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand.

The ruling party has denied allegations of stoking communal tensions.

Thirty-four people have been killed in cow-related violence in India in the past four years since 2014 when the Hindu nationalist BJP came to power, according to data portal IndiaSpend.

According to activist and former bureaucrat Harsh Mander, there is a growing climate of hate in India against Muslims.

These mobs are acting out their hate and prejudice through these hate crimes, he told Al Jazeera.

There is no simple solution to it, there has to be a political push-back. The role of the police in many cases is frightening, the police is either allowing the mob to act or sometimes they are part of the mob. Often, they have registered cases against the victims rather than the lynchers.

About a fifth of Indias 1.27 billion people identify as belonging to faiths other than Hinduism.

Additional reporting from Kolgaon by Mohammed Younus Alvi
Michael Blanc was arrested in 1999 at the airport in Bali with 3.8 kg of hashish hidden inside scuba diving canisters.

A French national who spent 18 years in Indonesian custody for smuggling drugs into Bali is expected to arrive home on Sunday, thanks in large part to his mothers efforts.

Michael Blanc was arrested in 1999 at the airport in Bali with 3.8kg of hashish hidden inside scuba diving canisters.

The now 45-year-old was initially given a life term, narrowly escaping the death sentence handed to some foreign drug traffickers.

In 2008, Blancs prison term was cut to 20 years.

Blancs mother, Helene Le Touzey, later helped secure her sons parole in 2014, despite the fact that Indonesian law does not usually allow the conditional release of foreigners after serving just two-thirds of their sentence.

Blancs three-year parole period ended in July 2017, after which he was required to finish one year of probation.

The former cook arrived at the airport in Jakarta for his deportation on Saturday escorted by Indonesian immigration officials and accompanied by Le Touzey. She gave up her life in France to spend nearly two decades in Indonesia campaigning for his release.

The two departed on a Turkish Airlines flight at 9pm (14:00 GMT). They are expected in Paris on Sunday at about 11am (09:00 GMT).

French criticism

The life sentence handed out by an Indonesian court, which rejected Blancs claim that he was carrying the drug-filled gear for a friend, was criticised in France as overly harsh.

Paris raised the issue at the highest levels, with the then-prime minister Francois Fillon bringing it up during a visit to Indonesia in 2011.

Indonesia has some of the worlds toughest drug laws.

More than 70 people, including 42 foreigners, are facing the firing squad for drug offences, according to the Coalition for the Abolition of Death Penalty in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

Indonesia has executed several drug traffickers since President Joko Widodo took office in 2014.

Among them were foreign nationals, including two Bali Nine members who were arrested in 2005 for an attempt to smuggle heroin from Indonesia to Australia.

The executions of Australian ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran sparked diplomatic outrage and a call to abolish Indonesias death penalty.

Although Jakarta suspended executions last year, Widodo has said the country is facing a drug emergency and previously ordered police to shoot traffickers who resist arrest.

High-profile cases like that of Australian national Schapelle Corby, who spent more than nine years behind bars for smuggling marijuana into Bali, have stoked concern that Indonesia is becoming a drug destination.

Corby was deported in 2017 after several years of parole.
Israeli army takes volunteers and families to Jordan, from where they are expected to be resettled in Western countries.

Hundreds of White Helmets rescuers and their families have been evacuated from Syria to Jordan overnight with the help of Israel, the United States and European countries.

Also known as Syrian Civil Defence, the White Helmets operate in rebel-held parts of war-ravaged Syria.

The request for the evacuation came as the volunteers and their relatives were threatened by advancing forces of the Syrian government in the south of the country.

The evacuees were transported on Sunday to Jordan, from where they are expected to be resettled in Europe and Canada in the coming weeks.

Jordans Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi saidon Twitter that 422 people were evacuated, instead of the initial 800 cleared for the operation.

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A non-Jordanian source familiar with the agreement told Reuters news agency the original plan had been to evacuate 800 people, but only 422 made it out as operations were hampered by government checkpoints and the expansion of Islamic State in the area.

Al Jazeeras Stefanie Dekker, reporting from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, described the operation as a massive multinational and international effort, with the United Nations involved to get this under way.

The Israeli military earlier said it had recently completed a humanitarian effort to rescue members of the Syrian civil organisation and their families after a request of the United States and additional European countries.

It also also tweeted that the civilians were subsequently transferred to a neighbouring country.

Canadian officials told public broadcaster CBC that they agreed to accept 50 White Helmets volunteers and their families, which could mean up to 250 people.

In a similar move, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was quoted by German weekly magazine Bild as saying that 50 of the evacuees would be granted asylum by Berlin.

Raed al-Saleh, head of the Syrian Civil Defence, confirmed to Al Jazeera that some of its volunteers were evacuated.

A number of volunteers were evacuated to their families for purely humanitarian reasons, he told Al Jazeera.

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They were trapped in a dangerous area, he added.

But while some of the White Helmets were allowed to cross into Jordan, tens of thousands of displaced Syrians remain along the border, which the Syrian government is now firmly in control of most of it, said Dekker.

The only pocket that remains that is under opposition control, is controlled by a group that is affiliated with ISIL. There is no deal on the table with them, she added, explaining that deals reached with other groups saw the evacuation of rebels to northern parts Syria.

Weve been seeing throughout the day, quite an active air campaign. We expect this to be the governments final push to take back all of southern Syria, said Dekker.

Advancements in south

The White Helmets came to prominence in 2012 for their work rescuing those trapped in rubble after air raids by Syrian government and Russian fighter jets.

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According to their website, the White Helmets have been directly funded by Mayday Rescue, a UK-based company, and Chemonics, a US government contractor that also works in Rwanda, Honduras and the Maldives, specialising in international development and management.

On Saturday, Canada said it was working with the UK and Germany to ensure the safety of the White Helmets and their families.

Syrian forces, backed by a Russian air campaign, have been pushing into the edges of Quneitra province following a relentless aerial bombardment campaign last month that routed rebels in adjoining Deraa province.

Last week, a deal was reached between the opposition in Quneitra and Russian negotiators acting on behalf of the Syrian government. It provides for the safe passage of residents who do not wish to live under the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

Thousands of rebels and their families had started to arrive in the rebel-controlled northwest on Saturday.

Pro-government forces have recaptured 90 percent of the territory in the south through similar surrender deals with the opposition whereby the latter agrees to also hand over medium to heavy weaponry.
Migrant NGO accuses Libyan coastguard of manslaughter

The Spanish NGO says the Libyan coastguard left three migrants, including a woman and a child, to drown in the Mediterranean sea.
Nicaragua protests: Ortega opponents fear for their lives

Pro-government protesters have taken to the streets as intimidation of anti-government protesters causes many of the presidents opponents to go into hiding.
The killing of Ikramullah Gandapur is the latest in a series of attacks targeting the polling process in Pakistan.

A suicide bombing has killed a candidate in Pakistans general election in the northwestern town of Dera Ismail Khan, the latest in a series of deadly attacks targeting the polling process.

Ikramullah Gandapur was killed after his convoy was attacked in the towns Kulachi area on Sunday, police said.

Gandapurs party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, condemned the attack, but campaigning continued ahead of Wednesdays polls.

Saddened to learn that Ikram Gandapur succumbed to his injuries, tweeted party chief Imran Khan. My prayers go to his family. May Allah give them the strength to bear this loss.

Saddened to learn that Ikram Gandapur succumbed to his injuries. My prayers go to his family. May Allah give them the strength to bear this loss.  Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) July 22, 2018

Dera Ismail Khan, located adjacent to the South Waziristan district, which was once a stronghold of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has seen several such attacks in recent years.

On Sunday, the TTP claimed responsibility for the attack.





Ikram Gandapur was wanted for having been responsible for the killing of tens of Taliban members, alleged Muhammad Khurasani, a TTP spokesperson, in a statement released to the media.

The attack in Dera Ismail Khan was the latest to target candidates or campaign workers.

In the three weeks leading to the vote, at least 179 people have been killed in attacks across the country, but mainly focused on the western Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

On July 11, a candidate from the PTIs rival Awami National Party (ANP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was killed in a suicide attack, alongside 19 others, after an explosion at a rally in Peshawar.

Two days later, a suicide bomber targeted a political rally in the southwestern town of Mastung, killing more than 154 people, police and hospital officials said. That attack was the second deadliest in Pakistans history.

More than 800,000 security personnel  including more than 370,000 army soldiers  will be deployed for security on election day, Pakistans Election Commission said this week.

More than 106 million voters will vote for 272 seats in the countrys lower house of parliament, as well as for the countrys four provincial assemblies.

With reporting by Asad Hashim in Lahore. Follow him on Twitter @asadhashim
The law proposes the creation of a regional parliament and incorporation of Islamic law into the areas justice system.

Cotabato City, Philippines  The indigenous Moro Muslims, a minority population in the predominantly Christian Philippines, are on the verge of securing their own substantially autonomous territory as Congress hands over a law for President Rodrigo Duterte to sign on Monday.

If all goes according to plan, the Bangsamoro Organic Law will establish the Bangsamoro autonomous region on the countrys southern island of Mindanao and may put an end to five decades of violent conflict that has left more than 100,000 people dead. While the law is expected to be signed on Monday, it will still need to be ratified by a plebiscite, which is expected to take place later this year.

The Bangsamoro, which means Nation of the Moro, will replace a nominally autonomous Muslim region which has largely been run by the central government in Manila, and has failed to quell the Moro rebellion.

The law will allow the Bangsamoro government to have its own parliament, retain the lions share of local revenues, regularly receive a fixed portion of the central governments revenues and manage the territorys natural resources.

It will also incorporate Islamic law into the regions justice system.

In return for autonomy, the law will require the rebel group the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to gradually disband its thousands-strong army.

Despite the bill only covering 85 to 90 percent of items originally afforded the rebels in a 2014 peace agreement that foreshadowed the measure, leaders of the MILF say they are satisfied.

This may not be a perfect law but it is good to start with, said Ghazali Jaafar, MILFs second-in-command.

And, God willing, now that we have this government, we can improve the lives of our people.

Historical tensions

The laws passage will cap off 22 years of negotiations between the MILF and the Philippine government.

Moro, a term originating from the Spanish word for Moor, refers to more than 10 million members of several ethnic groups in Mindanao that evaded the Hispanicisation, and Christianisation, of the rest of the Philippines in the 16th to 19th centuries.

The Moro also resisted US colonisation in the early 20th century.

As a result, they retained a culture and heritage quite distinct from the other 90 million Filipinos. This has led to discrimination, neglect and even persecution by the government.

The Moro provinces are among the countrys poorest.

In 1970, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) was formed and started the first organised Moro rebellion against the Philippines in a bid to establish an independent Islamic state.

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When the MNLF settled for autonomy in 1976, a few members split and eventually formed the MILF, which continued fighting for independence.

The MILF first negotiated with the government in 1996 under President Fidel Ramos, but efforts fell through in 1999 when President Joseph Estrada declared all-out war against the group. Negotiations restarted in 2001 under President Gloria Arroyo.

A definitive peace deal was signed between the MILF and President Benigno Aquino in October 2012, followed by a comprehensive agreement in March 2014.

Congress was already drafting a Bangsamoro basic law in January 2015 when a police mission to arrest a target of the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah in Maguindanao province resulted in a firefight with MILF fighters. The fiasco discredited the MILF among legislators, who then dropped the Bangsamoro measure from their priorities.

Duterte, who is from Mindanao and claims to be of Moro lineage, promised to establish the Bangsamoro immediately after taking power in 2016. He plans to sign the law as he delivers his yearly State of the Nation Address on Monday.

Local referendum

But before the Bangsamoro can be set up, the organic law will be up for a plebiscite in provinces that would be included in the autonomous territory. The vote is expected to take place before the end of the year.

Worries that the law is a watered-down version of the Moro rebels demands could prompt voters to reject it.

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The law puts power over the territorys police and military solely in the hands of the central government, and prohibits the Bangsamoro government from purchasing weapons and firearms, to prevent further rebellion.

The MILF had wanted several plebiscites to allow more provinces, cities and towns to join the Bangsamoro, but were denied that request.

Teresita Deles, a peace process secretary under Aquino, warned of renewed violence should the Bangsamoro fail to meet the Moros expectations.

Too many times having hoped for something that doesnt come true, its more painful, she told Al Jazeera.

It makes the situation more hopeless. It may drive people to think of other alternatives.

Other armed groups have splintered from the MNLF and MILF, rejecting autonomy and pushing for secession. If the Bangsamoro turns out to be yet another disappointment, secessionist groups  and bandits  may capitalise on peoples frustration to recruit more fighters and shore up support.

Addressing aspirations

However, legislators said they could not be too liberal with the measure, and had to make sure it fell within the bounds of the countrys constitution.

We had problems along the way precisely because we could not grant everything they wanted, said congressman Rodolfo Farinas after six days of gruelling deliberations on the law.

Leaders of the MILF, who are poised to take top positions in the Bangsamoro government, had made unsuccessful last-minute attempts to get more out of the measure.

But in fairness to [the MILF leaders], they accepted everything, Farinas added.

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri said he was optimistic the agreement would help settle historical tensions in the region.

We are addressing the aspirations of our brothers and sisters in the Bangsamoro for self-governance, he said. So now theyll be able to chart their own path.
Philippines peace: Muslim minority awaits new law

Muslim minority in the Philippines prepares for a presidential order that could end a 40-year war.
Iranian president says US cannot prevent Iran from exporting oil, warns a confrontation would be mother of all wars.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has warned his US counterpart, Donald Trump, not to escalate tensions with his country, saying a confrontation with the Islamic republic would be the mother of all wars.

Do not play with the lions tail or else you will regret it, Rouhani said on Sunday, reiterating that the US cannot prevent it from exporting its crude oil to the international market.

Peace with Iran would be the mother of all peace and war with Iran would be the mother of all wars, he said in a televised speech in Irans capital, Tehran.





Earlier this month, Rouhani hinted that Iran may block regional oil exports if its own sales are halted following the US withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear deal signed with world powers.

The suggestion, which did not mention the strategic Strait of Hormuz, was in reaction to looming US sanctions and efforts by the Trump administration to prevent countries from purchasing Iranian oil.

The narrow strategic passageway is located between Iran and Oman, through which at least 18.5m barrels of oil moved every day in 2016, according to a US energy department report.

The strait is also used by Gulf countries who rely on safe passage through the narrow chokepoint to export their oil and gas.

Is it possible that everyone in the region sells their oil and we stand idly by and watch? Rouhani said.

Do not forget that we have maintained the security of this waterway [Strait of Hormuz] throughout history. We have historically secured the route of oil transit. Do not forget it, he added.

Washington has recently attempted to capitalise on internal public discontent in Iran by launching social media campaigns in a bid to increase dissent against the Iranian government.

You cannot provoke the Iranian people against their own security and interests, Rouhani further said in his speech.

Trump has previously suggested that Iranian leaders are going to request a new deal, but Iran has rejected talks on several occasions.

Under the landmark deal signed in Vienna, six world powers  the US, UK, France, Germany, Russia, China and the European Union  offered Iran more than $110bn a year in sanctions relief and a return to the global economy in exchange for halting its drive for nuclear weapons.

Following the US pullout from the nuclear agreement in May, Iran said it was interested in keeping the deal alive, but only if the remaining powers can guarantee that it will not face economic isolation under Washingtons sanctions.

Europe opposes the US decision to leave the agreement and has vowed to find ways of maintaining its trade ties with Iran.
Second convoy of buses transported rebels from the strategic area that borders the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have recaptured a string of villages straddling the southern provinces of Deraa and Quneitra as they edge closer to a 1974 demilitarised zone with Israel.

The advancements come as more rebel fighters and their families departed southern Syria on Saturday as part of an evacuation deal reached with the government last week.





The first convoy of 55 buses, carrying some 2,800 people, arrived in northern Syrias opposition-held Idlib province on Saturday after rebels in Quneitra agreed to hand over medium to heavy weaponry and surrender the strategic area.

Another 48 buses left Quneitra on Saturday evening as part of the ongoing evacuations, with a final convoy expected to exit on Sunday before loyalist troops assume full control of the territory.

Footage emerged, however, of one of the convoys being stopped by Iranian-backed groups near Homs.

Sources told Al Jazeera the fighters pointed their guns at the buses and asked that the drivers stop the vehicles.

Syrian forces, backed by a Russian air campaign, have been pushing into the edges of Quneitra province following a relentless aerial bombardment campaign last month that routed rebels in adjoining Deraa province.

The Syrian army wants full control over Quneitra province where Israel has deep concerns over the presence of Iranian backed groups in the so-called Triangle of Death area

Western intelligence sources say the area is a bastion of Iranian-backed groups, including Lebanons Hezbollah.

Israel signalled it would not impede the Syrian army presence in Quneitra as long as it steered away from the demilitarised zone, and said it will continue to escalate attacks along its frontier and elsewhere in Syria where it suspects Iranian-backed forces are stationed.

A commander in the regional alliance that backs Assad said the armys victory in southwestern Syria forced Israel to accept the Syrian armys return to the old 1974 armistice lines.





The Israelis has been forced into submission  the file of the south has ended in favour of the Syrian army, the commander was quoted as saying by Reuters, adding that he expected Quneitra would be completely recaptured in the coming days.

White Helmets evacuated

Meanwhile, Israel has evacuated hundreds of volunteers with the Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, and their families from Syria to Jordan overnight at the request of the United States and European countries.

Jordan said on Sunday that it had taken in 800 White Helmets and their families from Israel and plans to transfer them to the UK, Canada and Germany.

Canadian officials told public broadcaster CBC that they agreed to accept 50 White Helmets volunteers and their families, which could mean up to 250 people.

The request came as the White Helmets volunteers and their families were threatened by advancing forces of the Syrian government in the south of the war-ravaged country.
Pakistan passed a landmark law in May, but activists and transgender individuals continue to face discrimination.

Karachi, Pakistan  When Pakistan goes to the polls on July 25, there will be 25 transgender citizens acting as election monitors in 18 constituencies, with the Free and Fair Election Network.

Some 13 transgender candidates will contest the election, with two hoping for a national assembly seat and 11 bidding for a provincial seat.

And thousands of Pakistanis who identify as transgender will vote for the first time as transgender citizens.

This series of firsts comes after a landmark law passed in May. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act allows citizens to self-identify as male, female, or a mix of both genders, and to have that identity registered on official documents. It also guarantees rights such as inheritance and running for public office or assembly and outlaws discrimination.

At least 500,000 people identify as transgender in Pakistan, a country of 207 million, and at least 55 have been killed since 2015, according to the TransAction Alliance advocacy group.

In Karachi, a city of 20 million people, activists and members of the community claim that although the legal framework may be in place, it is not being implemented.

For instance, some transgender individuals told Al Jazeera that they faced challenges at the authority responsible for issuing identity cards to process their documents.

Bindiya Rana heads a transgender advocacy group [Alia Chughtai/Al Jazeera]

Activist Bindiya Rana runs Gender Interactive Collective, an advocacy group for transgender rights.

She bid for a seat in the 2013 election, but will not run this year.

She claims that the form to file her nomination at the election commission office did not include an option for transgender under the gender section.

It was the same [form] as the one from 2013 and there was no gender denoted for us, she told Al Jazeera.

If I am fighting for rights of [transgender citizens] and the nomination paper has no provision for me, then why am I doing this? We are legally entitled to have that, our bill has been passed in the national assembly, so why must we accept only male and female boxes?

A source at the election commission, who did not want to be named, pinned the blame on the National Database and Registration Authoritys administration.

Activist Aradhiya Khan says anti-transgender discrimination has no end in sight [Alia Chughtai/Al Jazeera]

Student activist Aradhiya Khan said she faced difficulties when attempting to organise her identification documents.

I had a previously issued ID card as a male, and it was a lot of trouble of getting a new one. When I went to the National Database and Registration Authority, I was asked for a medical test.

How does a medical test decide if I am a transgender when the government has given me the provision to identify myself as one? The discrimination has no end in sight.

She added that the experience brought back painful memories of her school years, when she would pretend to be a male to cope.

And still during my school years, I was raped by the boys who were older than me, she said. I would hope that we can get reserve seats in the national assembly like women do.

Sixty seats are reserved for women in the national assembly, and 10 for minorities.

Theres no visibility in legislation, and unless we have visibility there is no chance for change, said Khan. Our community will have to step up and come forth and be that change. There has to be inclusiveness, but there also has to be participation from our community.

Faced with continued discrimination despite the change of law, many transgender individuals are forced to beg or earn money by dancing.

Ayesha, Sonam, Munni share one room and earn money by dancing [Alia Chughtai/Al Jazeera]

Ayesha Khan, 23, is a dancer and sex worker.

She lives in a narrow room with two other transgender dancers, Sonam and Munni, who she takes care of under the guru-chela (teacher-student) system, which offers support to transgender individuals.

We are not involved in politics, to be honest, Khan told Al Jazeera. Who has time for [a political system] that doesnt care about us? What have these leaders done for the so-called normal people, and why would they do anything for us?

Sonam, 28, was young and in school when Benazir Bhutto, former prime minister, was assassinated and remembers crying over the killing.

Bhuttos son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, is a candidate for prime minister this year with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

If I do vote, Ill vote for her son now, Sonam told Al Jazeera. I think he has his mothers ability to make the public feel they are important and believes in being inclusive. Its the best option for us.

Sonam claimed that at the last election, after waiting for five hours in a queue, her vote was declared void.

It was such a waste of time. Should I waste another a day on a system that doesnt care about us? she wondered.

Members of the transgender community told Al Jazeera that recently, they were invited to meet a PPP politician to discuss their daily challenges. The PPP leadership was unavailable for comment.

Munni, Khans other roommate, believes that younger, educated politicians are more understanding. The 26-year-old said she will also vote for the PPP.

Nirma is disappointed there are no transgender candidates in her area [Alia Chughtai/Al Jazeera]

Nirma, 37, dances and begs for money.

She said she is often harassed by men or asked for her rate, an insulting experience.

I didnt bother registering my vote, because there is no transgender running in this constituency. We want our own people to come forward, someone who we can vote for, and someone who can carry our issues, she told Al Jazeera. Im an educated person. But dancing at functions doesnt make money every day. Begging is the only option I have.

Marvia Malik is Pakistans first transgender news anchor.

She works in Lahore, the capital of the Punjab province.

In an interview in March, she demanded that the government reserve seats for transgender citizens in the upper and lower houses of parliament.

Its given me a platform, she told Al Jazeera, of her job in the media. In this newsroom, man or woman, everyone is equally respected, and I get paid equally, if not more, compared to other news anchors.

We dont need separation. We need more inclusion, and to be part of the society. We need to be in the same schools and colleges, same hospitals, same opportunities.
Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where abortion is illegal unless pregnancy poses a serious health risk.

More than 170 politicians from the UK and Ireland have signed a letter calling on the UK government to decriminalise abortion in Northern Ireland.

The cross-party letter, published in UK newspaper The Sunday Times, said the current situation for women [in Northern Ireland] cannot be ignored or allowed to continue.

It added: Without urgent action, women and girls living in Northern Ireland will continue to be unable to access safe healthcare at home.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK exempt from the 1967 Abortion Act, meaning abortion is illegal unless a pregnancy poses a serious risk to a womans physical or mental health.

Legislative disparity

Within the UKs other constituent parts  England, Scotland and Wales  a termination may be carried out legally within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy. An abortion may also be carried out past 24 weeks if the pregnancy poses significant health risks to the mother, according to the 1967 law.

In May, the Republic of Ireland voted overwhelmingly in favour of overturning a ban on abortion, clearing the way for the introduction of less restrictive abortion laws and rendering Northern Irelands abortion policies the most restrictive in the British Isles.

Northern Irelands abortion laws are derived from a 157-year old piece of legislation, known as the Offences Against the Person Act (OAPA) of 1861.

Rape or incest survivors do not qualify for access to legal abortion services under the 1861 Act, nor do women carrying a foetus with a fatal abnormality.

The law is one of several points of social policy difference between Northern Irelands devolved powers and the UKs central government in Westminster.

The letter, however, said Northern Ireland should no longer be able to apply a different law in the case of abortion, arguing that the countrys current legislation violates terms set out under the 1999 Good Friday Agreement, on which Northern Irelands devolved powers are based.

An essential first step in delivering this human right would be for the Westminster parliament to repeal sections 58 and 59 of OAPA and decriminalise abortion and we urge Westminster to set out an explicit legislative timetable as to when it will do so, it said.

Accessing legal abortion services

The ongoing legal disparity regarding abortion has meant women regularly travel from Northern Ireland to other parts of the UK in order to have the procedure performed legally.

According to the Department of Health, 919 women made such a journey last year. This marked more than a 25 percent increase in the total from 2016.

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Other women took illegal abortion pills  without the support of a medical professional or faced criminal proceedings for having had an abortion, according to Sundays letter.

Last month, the UKs Supreme Court ruled Northern Irelands abortion laws breached Article 8  the right to respect for private and family life  of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Those responsible for ensuring the compatibility of Northern Ireland law with the convention rights will no doubt recognise and take account of these conclusions, at as early a time as possible, by considering whether and how to amend the law, in the light of the ongoing suffering being caused by it, the courts judgment said.

A violence against women

The judgement came four months after a UN committee said policy in Northern Ireland breached the rights of women.

The situation in Northern Ireland constitutes violence against women that may amount to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, vice chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), said in February.

Denial of abortion and criminalisation of abortion amounts to discrimination against women because it is a denial of a service that only women need, she added.

According to the latest Northern Ireland Life and Times survey, 60 percent of those polled said abortion probably or definitely should be illegal in cases where a pregnant woman does not want to have children.

More than 80 percent of people, however, said abortion should probably or definitely be legal in cases where a foetus has a fatal abnormality and will not survive beyond birth. About 78 percent also agreed abortion should probably or definitely be legal when a woman has become pregnant because of rape or incest.
UNICEF Nigeria praises the release of children suspected of Boko Haram ties from administrative custody.

By
Hell hath no fury like a party scorned. A mounting eruption in one of the largest and bluest U.S. states is proof of it. Out in California, the Democrat establishment is launching its latest dose of venom against President Trump. It's probably not for the reason you think.

No government is more anti-Trump than that of California, which Governor Moonbeam Brown has arrogantly declared a "sanctuary state." What this means, in essence, is that several legislative statutes are now in place to thwart the activities of ICE in deporting illegal aliens who have committed additional crimes.

Despite the growing pushback from numerous California communities, the salons of Sacramento remain fiercely proud of their role as standard-bearers in opposing federal immigration policies. Breaking the law to the point of being sued by the U.S. government seems less important to these politicians than the possibility of whipping up votes. The elimination of ICE  or what liberal-speak euphemistically calls "re-imagining" the agency  would be the next bold step leading to a policy of open borders.

Herein lies the rub. While California liberals are "poised" to carry the banner of progressivism forward into the November gubernatorial election battle  which by sheer voter numbers they are expected to win handily  the press to date has not taken much interest in that political contest.

The question state Democratic honchos are asking is why all reportorial eyes aren't fixed on what will happen in California's ballyhooed November election. The state's madcap jungle primaries concluded six weeks ago. Yet from the present lack of journalistic enthusiasm, you might suspect that the final race had already been run.

Oh, sure, the likelihood of Democrat Gavin Newsom moving into the governor's mansion in Sacramento has never been seriously in doubt, considering the overwhelming advantage in registration Democrats have over a dwindling Republican base in the once Golden State. The fact is that there hasn't been a GOP governor there since Arnold Schwarzenegger  and if he was in any way considered a "party" guy, it was hardy in the political sense.

For California Democrats, however, the crucial political concern has never been about whether Gavin Newsom would be the victor in November. With its party desperate to the point of meltdown and feverishly searching for viable frontrunners for 2020, local gurus figured that the unblemished "blueness" of California would play an important role in the country's political landscape as a whole.

Thus, the attention of the beleaguered DNC was supposed to have been sincerely riveting toward the west in anticipation of future party leadership. Who would be better, after all, to take up the ideological cudgel against Trump than the head of the entrenched Democratic Party of a massive blue state that  depending on one's source  is considered either the fifth or the sixth largest economy in the world?

Yet the attention that must be paid has been agonizingly slow in coming. Plying several search engines, I came up with little on the current race and mountains on the primary fights. Although a "summer hiatus" might be the explanation, California Democrats have already begun to sound the alarm, whining that the failure to excite enthusiasm for the fall race could result in a disappointingly low turnout similar to that in the primaries.

They have decided that the fault for this failure to excite enthusiasm in the contest lies not in their local stars, but in none other than Donald J. Trump. Never mind that his hateful figure did not so much as set foot in California during the presidential campaign; his evil presence is suspected of even now somehow psychologically "meddling" in the forthcoming state election.

From their miffed viewpoint, it's obvious that the media are besotted with Trump, albeit negatively  to the extent that anything he says or does, or doesn't say or do, grabs viewers' attention. It is as though The Donald were constantly tossing chunks of raw news to the pack of salivating reporters, who bark wildly and eat it all up. By comparison, a preordained governor's election in the Land of Fruits and Nuts between a rather drab dark horse Republican and a flashy Bay Area Democrat just doesn't seem to measure up.

Meanwhile, homegrown Democratic bigwigs are looking beyond the 2018 elections to chart Newsom's course. We've had two presidents from California: Nixon and Reagan. Why not another? Polls show that the majority of Democrat voters want a "fresh face." So a glitzy guy like Gavin could be just the ticket to advance to the big time. Think of how his ambition could restore luster to the once Golden State! (Of course, he might have to scramble over the state's junior U.S. senator, Kamala Harris, on his way up the ladder.)

All the more reason to urge a philosophically friendly press to get with the program and provide its share of national publicity. Surely, those Trump-obsessed boobs in the media must realize that in any political power grab, obsession is nine tenths of the law!
Years ago, we flew into Newark airport in New Jersey after almost three years living abroad as expats -- mostly in St. Petersburg, Russia. (I realize that in todays McCarthyesque environment with Robert Mueller at the head of the new Unamerican Activities Committee, that experience could land me in solitary confinement), but back then it was an emerging market and we were explorers on that frontier. While it was a dark, cold, and lonely experience, it was one that I would do again in a heartbeat.

It was living amongst the Russians that I got a glimpse into their soul through what I saw as schizophrenic eyes -- starving for products, stocked store shelves, decent food, shoes that fit, and mostly, the freedom to come and go as they please, vote as they please, and express themselves as they please without the iron fist and heavy boot of the State; and thrilled that the Soviet Empire had collapsed. While so many of them recognized the burden that now lay upon them -- to create a freer society than the one they inhabited for the last seventy-some years, and one that embraced capitalism as opposed to Marxism -- far too many others saw their new reality as a slap in their Slavic faces. After all, they were a superpower! Their man got into space first, they beat back the Nazis, they were more educated and cultured, they dominated the classical music and ballet world, cleaned up in Olympic after Olympic, and had vast natural resources that allowed them to be a nation unto itself without any need for anything from the outside world (except good ideas and groundbreaking innovations and, never mind the fact that they couldnt extract most of those resources safely from the ground or bring them to market). Not only that, they were smarter than the stupid Americans.

These Russians were disgusted that the Americans, liberty, and capitalism had won the Cold War. They never expected to be defeated and yet, here they were on the ash heap of history. They were resentful and fiercely nationalistic with a pride that went beyond patriotism. They dug in their heels waiting for a leader who wasnt the American quisling Yeltsin was.

I also had a front seat view of the vestiges of (Soviet) communism. Creativity and innovation, apart from needs dictated by the state and the innovation that required, had been stifled for so long that, that in some ways, it wasnt part of their cultural fabric anymore. Comrades continued to accept the continued emptiness on store shelves. Many lacked the ingenuity and initiative required to take care of things that the omnipotent State usually took care of. That reminds me of the elderly couple on a 5th-floor walkup whose elevator had broken down. It had been months since they could go downstairs and shop. Every day fellow apartment dwellers brought them food. It never occurred to any of them to find someone to repair the elevator and pay for it out of their own pockets. They just waited for the State to come and fix it. And so they waited for a new leader who would restore Russian pride and dominance. In the meantime, those vast resources remained underutilized and wide open for exploitation and control by unsavory thugs.

The stronger this mafia grew, the greater presence they had in every aspect of the everyday lives of your average ex-Soviet. The wealthier and more influential the oligarchs became, these relics of the Soviet Empire became even more resentful of the West, its puny ideals and irrelevant values. It didnt take long for them to embrace the strongmen because they stocked the shelves and brought petrol to the gas stations and restored pride. This is how a guy like Putin came to and remains in power; this is why most Russians embraced the invasions of Eastern Ukraine, Crimea, and Georgia.

I saw the liberal-progressive-Marxist-socialist mind crushed by policies that benefitted the few and hurt the most. I saw the Soviet soul reduced almost to nonexistence -- where nobody cared when a little boy was disemboweled by some monster, donations for orphans never made it to the orphans but were pilfered and sold by the workers in the orphanages, and speeding motorists unemotionally ran over whoever was in their way crossing the street, including little old ladies and kids. I saw an angry population so used to hard times and heavy-handed leadership from Tsars to Bolsheviks to Commissars to Premiers, and so heavily propagandized, that when the gift horse of freedom was finally thrust upon them, they could only look at its mouth.

They had to blame someone for their woes. So, they blamed the Americans -- at the time, their corporate benefactors, and also the victors.

These observations played a huge role when I walked away from being a registered Democrat who reflexively voted without much thought. And it all came rushing in as we approached the landing strip at EWR. It was a clear day and I had a solid view of the city of Newark where my father was born. I thought about that city and the other municipalities of New Jersey and the many communities scattered across the fruited plains that were run by Democrats, had significant minority populations, and had been funneled billions of taxpayer dollars to fight Lyndon B. Johnsons War on Poverty -- not to mention billions in charitable donations through a multitude or organizations that promised to do good -- and I realized something.

All that money accomplished very little because it really did just keep the black man in his place, in the ghetto, in underperforming schools, on the dole, on bread lines waiting for his handout from the master -- the Democratic Party. The Democrats would funnel as much money as they could to look as if they were helping people when they just continued to enslave them. Their policies didnt help the majority of blacks in these communities; it just perpetuated the status quo, and actually things got worse as literacy rates declined, and single motherhood, the incarceration of young men, and drug trafficking and abuse, got worse.

These communities and the Democrats who created them needed a scapegoat. That scapegoat has two heads: one is white and the other is conservative.

I know as a Trump supporter, a Tea Partier, a white person, a conservative, and a Republican, I am ipso facto a racist, but in the airplane then, and to this very day, I promise you that is not the America I want for Americas blacks. And I dont know any people from any of these demographics that feel that way either. We want all Americans to do well, to thrive, to achieve their dreams. We want the least amount of government with the most amount of liberty for all Americans and all of those striving to become Americans, legally.

The notion that we hate blacks, want to oppress them, lock em all up in chains is just a figment of the Democrats collective imagination. It is a myth (fake news, if you will) perpetuated by the media, our schools, our houses of worship, and the pop culture. It is a mantra created by Democrats to foment discord, resentment, and chaos; to generate votes for DNC candidates and policies; and to create crises that are ripe for them to exploit to garner more votes.

We really dont need the Russians to sow the seeds of discord when we have the Democrats. Whoopie Goldberg told Judge Jeanine Pirro in a rage on The View that she never saw anyone [like Trump] whip up such hate or be so dismissive or who whips up people to beat other people. She kicked her off the show and told her to get the F out of the building -- following marching orders from Maxine Waters to harass Trump supporters. Methinks thou doth protesteth too much, Whoopie. It is the Democrats, their machine, their policies, and their intolerant hate groups that lather up the crowds and turn to violence.

Some black Americans are waking up and walking away (Whoopie isnt one of them) and I have a big grin on my face when I say that. Knowing you have a problem and admitting it is the first step towards a better life, towards enjoying all those freedoms the Democrats keep promising but rarely deliver on. What is the problem for poor rural and inner city black Americans? Dependence that has been cultivated over decades on the handout in exchange for a vote that only benefits the party and the candidates and leaves average Joes way behind.

Trump won because he listened to the people, to the Tea Party, to the grassroots, to the disgruntled Democrats voting for Bernie. He listened to black mothers looking for better schools for their children. He heard the legal immigrants who saw the injustice of open borders. He paid attention to the 92 million Americans of all races, creeds and religions who had stopped looking for work because of Obamas policies.

And then he made promises that he actually kept! He has exposed the leftwing agenda and shown average Americans how a more limited yet more responsive government can work for us. He exposed the double standard in the media, the academy, and the culture. He has thrown chum to the sharks who take the bait and, in their feeding frenzy, reveal just how much they despise the average American, the legal immigrant, the entrepreneur, blue-collar workers, the military, law enforcement, and anyone who isnt in their power base or who defies the hand that feeds them -- if you are Jewish, black, Hispanic, gay, in a union, or educated, you are the worst kind of traitor if youve gone to the Dark Side of Conservatism.

Trump and his supporters, including those who have walked away, will continue to reject Democrat policies that establish a new normal for America where a robust GDP, security, prosperity, and our jobs are a thing of the past. Nor will they be assuaged by promises that what we lost we will gain back being part of a global economy, an evolving culture, and a society of open borders.
In his book The Protestant Work Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904-05, translated into English in 1930), Max Weber first posited the thesis that the Protestant work ethic has opened the door to prosperity through capitalism for the nations that exhibit it: northern Europe; the U.K.; the United States, and presumably Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. What about other nations not known for this religious element?

It can work for them.

In an article titled "The 'Protestant Work Ethic' Really Does Fight Poverty" in Christianity Today, written by Lincoln Lau, director of International Care Ministries, and Bruce Wydick, professor of economics at the University of San Francisco, they summarize a study in this way:

Three years ago, IPA asked ICM to run its normal four-month Transform program in 80 randomly selected communities, incorporating its spiritual values program along with its secular health and livelihood program. Another 80 communities were to run only secular components (health and livelihood) in a government center. A third group of 80 communities ran only spiritual aspects of the program. And a fourth group of 80 communities  a control group  received no intervention at all. ICM was comfortable running this study since it has a backlog of thousands of Filipino pastors who would like to run a Transform program, but it only has resources to run the program in 300 communities at a time. Six months after the conclusion of the Transform program, IPA surveyed all 6,276 families. Those who received Protestant evangelical training experienced increases in household income by 9.2 percent when compared to those in the experiment who did not receive the religious training. The values lessons also appear to have improved hygiene and "grit," or persistence through life's difficulties. Researchers believe that the increased income is caused by the participants working harder and working in higher-income activities.

Let's apply these positive results to this nation in a short historical overview.

Lost in the shuffle in the left-right divide nowadays is the historical fact that religious Protestants founded this country in the seventeenth century. How religious were they? They refused to allow anyone to serve in local governments who would not forswear the "papacy" and allegiance to Rome. Record after record proves it.

Were they religious bigots? Maybe by our modern standards, but all the provinces, which morphed into states, were always nervous about attacks from France and its Indian allies, for they wreaked havoc in New England from Canada often enough. They were genuinely afraid of spies when the French Huguenots settled among them. They were also nervous about a Spanish invasion. Thus, King William of England (his queen was Mary) sent a shipload of gunpowder to Virginia because he was about to declare war on France (King William's War or the Nine Years War from 1688 to 1697 in North America). The Council and House of Burgesses had to scramble to built storage for it. To honor the monarchs, they founded William and Mary College in 1693. The Quakers up in Pennsylvania got the same message from the king; they said they were concerned, though it did not touch them directly. Yet they too made their government official affirm that they put the monarchs in the primary place and recanted any "popery."

It is best to take each generation in its historical context; then we can avoid chronological snobbery.

These people's descendants of the more intellectual variety fought the War of Independence and wrote up the Constitution. But make no mistake: they never lost the Protestant ethos and ethic. Some may have gone in a more non-religious direction (e.g., Jefferson and Franklin), but even those two maintained a basic belief in God from a Protestant point of view. Many others who signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were serious and devout Protestant Christians (and one Catholic signed the Declaration).

It is my private theory that one factor in the founders' framing a small and laconic and razor-thin Constitution is that by religious instinct and training and the air they breathed, they did not like a system many laws because it smacked of medieval Christendom, and some knew about Islamic sharia. Have we left their legal austerity far behind in our massive federal law today? Yes. The gigantic federal bureaucracy violates the spirit of this country. Gradually we are losing this country and our liberties.

Not long after the Constitution was ratified in 1788 and the Bill of Rights was, at the very end of 1791, in the next generation, Cornelius Vanderbilt was born in 1794, when Washington was president, and died in 1877, when Grant was president. Andrew Carnegie was born in 1835 (in Scotland), when Jackson was president, and died in 1919, when Wilson was president. J.P. Morgan was born in 1837, when Jackson was still president, and died in 1913 during the Wilson presidency. John D. Rockefeller was born in 1839, when Van Buren was president, and died in 1937, when FDR was transforming this country  just to name those few. In their life spans, America went from hugging the eastern coast to conquering a nation all the way to the Pacific Ocean. America opened up prosperity that the world had never seen before in just over a hundred years.

None of this accounts for the small yeoman farmers who moved westward (many of your ancestors were part of this Manifest Destiny). The common man could make it without being part of the old European aristocracy. He could own land in his own right. My second great grandfather, William Ryland, settled in Ohio from Pennsylvania in 1815, and in the 1830s, he was part of local county government. His father, John Ryland, fought in the Revolutionary War as a wagon master. America solved her problems locally, without undue dependence on the nation's capital.

Independence. Pioneer spirit. All born from their reading of Scripture.

It could be pointed out that Catholics and Jews were part of this story, and that is true. They were. Let's celebrate it. It could be pointed out that slaves were part of the story, too. That's true. They were. However, the vast majority of Americans from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries were Protestants and did not own slaves. The Protestant storyline dominates all others.

Why is this important? Lau and Wydick state that other religions did not do as well in the experiment in the Philippines.

What is this Protestant message boiled down? Hard work in secular employment is a call from God. Serve others in your work. That's the practical outworking of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Let's not forget about the men and women of yesteryear who put together the framework of this country from a religious point of view. Let's fight a certain side of the political spectrum  the left  that seeks to secularize America. Let's refuse the left-wing bigotry that manifests its ugly head against the Protestant males (and females) who lived the work ethic and the spirit of capitalism for the past 400 years.
Leftists had to have been astonished to hear President Putin's opening remarks at the Trump-Putin summit. Russia's president proclaimed, "The Cold War is a thing of the past[.] ... The era of acute ideological confrontation of the two countries is a thing of the remote past  it's a vestige of the past."

No wonder the American and European left are screaming over the triple reference to the past. No wonder also that old Cold Warriors like John McCain are apoplectic. That is because Putin's words and the Trump-Putin summit possibly signaled the beginning of the end of the left-leaning ideological hegemony that has influenced American international policies for many years.

The fact is that Putin expressed hopes for rapprochement with the West after the fracturing of the Soviet Union, assuming that once the communist party was almost obliterated and a new religious-political paradigm began to take hold in Russia, the West and Russia might have more in common. What Putin had not counted on, perhaps, was the rapid ascendancy of leftist ideology in powerful circles of academia, government, and even churches.

But there was a moment in which a new relationship between the world's two most powerful nuclear powers might have seemed possible. In fact, according to Peter Conradi, author of Who Lost Russia? How the World Entered a New Cold War, there were some expectations that after the fall of the Soviet Union, a new "entente cordiale" might be established between Moscow and the Western nations the old Soviet Union had tried to destroy.

Conradi relates that "soon after Putin came to power in 2000, he asked George Robertson, then NATO Secretary-General, when Russia would be invited to join. When Robertson replied that Russia would have to apply to NATO, just like everyone else, Putin retorted: 'Russia is not going to stand in a queue with other countries that don't matter.' The subject has not been raised since."

It appears now that the prospect of Russia joining NATO is so fantastically remote as to scarcely enter Putin's mind, but he has indicated that some cooperation between the United States and Russia is quite possible under a Trump administration.

The idea of such cooperation is not just foreign to those of the American left, but absolutely repellent, especially since Russia has given every sign its people are imbibing what the left has always detested as "the opiate of the people"  namely, Christianity, as presently characterized by the revival of the Russian Orthodox Church. Putin's admiration and imitation of Russia's tsarist past is also regarded as favorably by modern progressives as garlic and a cross by vampires.

In repudiating the left's embrace of postmodern orthodoxy, both Putin and Trump have assured they will continue to be detested by the Western left ensconced in places of power both in Europe and America. For the postmodern political ideologue, both America and Russia (as well as Israel) are powers that deserve to be destroyed. That is because to be powerful in any way is seen as automatically ensuring oppression of those who are not powerful.

As Naya Lekht observes, Israel, though certainly not the only target of leftist ideologues, serves as a locus for their approbation. The return of the idea of the all-powerful Jewish cabal automatically oppressing disempowered peoples everywhere on the globe, and whose hidden hand is pulling the strings of Washington's puppets, owes much of its renewed impetus to the leftist postmodern interpretation of what entails oppression.

She writes:

And Israel, for all of its manifestations of the very best that a democratic Western country can offer ... has been scorned to be the nadir of human injustice.

Repackaged in the post-modern model of the powerful and the powerless, Jew-hatred has extended beyond academic institutions to movements such as 'Black Lives Matter,' which have become platforms for, among other things, virulent anti-Zionism. Anti-Semitism has not only successfully crept into progressive causes, but has been codified in the language used by the Left: words such as 'social justice' and 'Intersectionality,' which operate around the fundamental understanding of the ontology of power and privilege, have become code words for anti-Semitism, for within the hierarchy of power proffered by intersectionality, the post-1967 Jew does not only find himself at the very bottom, but is the culprit who abuses and exerts his power over the powerless. To boot, his very existence is loathsome.

Anti-Semites ensconced within places of power in academia, government, and many churches are appalled that the diminishment or even destruction of Israel the nation is postponed or will not happen, due at least in part to the Trump-Putin summit.

Caroline Glick explains, writing that before Trump and Putin met, the prospect of war between Israel and Iran or Hezb'allah was almost a certainty, as Iranian-backed forces tried to embed their presence in Syria near Israel's border. Israel would have to go to war in order to protect herself. Though Glick does not add the following, the summit and the reduction of the Hezb'allah threat are probably among the reasons Israel launched an attack on Hamas in Gaza.

Glick notes, "In their remarks, both Putin and Trump said that they are committed to Israel's security." She writes that Trump and Putin have, each in his own way, announced support for Israel against Iranian-backed forces. Trump will fight such, forces and Putin will not ally Russia with Iran should it remain in Syria and choose to fight Israel: "it is clear enough that the summit reduced the prospects of war in the immediate term. And again, if that was the only thing accomplished at the summit, its importance would be incontestable."

But the accomplishments of the Trump-Putin summit go beyond the possibility of war between Israel and Iranian-backed forces to a possible realignment of global alliances. The rejection of the postmodern doctrine that the equitable thing to do is to disempower the powerful so equality may reign is replaced with the idea that alliances among and with powerful nations such as Russia may best serve American interests.

What this may mean in practice is that organizations such as the E.U., which is seen by Trump as exploitative economically, will be opposed as long as their present trade stances prevail. The E.U.'s idea that those in power are inherently racist or colonialist and must pay for sins by empowering formerly colonized minorities also is not one Trump seeks to imitate in his relationship with Mexico and other nation-states that consider themselves deserving of empowerment, or at the very least sanctuary.

It also means that the globalist view of the E.U. and other globalist-leaning organizations is unacceptable to Trump as well as Putin, both of whom do not believe that the destruction of nation-states in order to establish a one-world order is a way to world peace, but which actually would be a sure guarantee that World War III will happen, since a push for global governance will inevitably be resisted by powerful nations.

The idea behind rapprochement between powerful nations such as America and Russia is that each nation should be able to make alliances on certain levels without sacrificing either's national identity or heritage. Alliances among nation-states rather than the pursuit of a new global order are considered more favorable ways to establish order.

In other words, it looks as if Putin and Trump consider it better to make a deal than to continue the Cold War both apparently want ended or at least mitigated. Both seem to be willing to make concessions to existing realities and to avoid more wars by fostering alliances rather than continuing adamantine positions that offer no possibility of rapprochement at all. In the meantime, Trump should recognize that though a leopard may change his spots, nonetheless, a leopard remains a leopard.

While it is true that all summits come with Gordian knots and often with Scylla and Charybdis choices, ultimately, both Russia and America have legitimate reasons for discontinuing the Cold War and for rejecting postmodern political ideology  as well as for making deals that do not compromise either nation's integrity.

Fay Voshell holds an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, which awarded her its prize for excellence in systematic theology. She is a frequent contributor to American Thinker. Her thoughts have also appeared in many online magazines, including LifeSiteNews, The Christian Post, National Review, RealClearReligion, and Russia Insider. She may be reached at fvoshell@yahoo.com.
Israel has just passed a piece of legislation announcing that it is, in fact, a Jewish state, in case anyone didn't already know that. This has produced outrage in the typical corners of the Arab world, but also in America as well, among Jewish groups which are outraged that Israel has declared itself Jewish.

The Anti-Defamation League on Thursday added its voice to a growing chorus of disapproval over Israels controversial Jewish nation-state law, saying the new legislation raises concerns about Israels commitment to its democratic nature, and calling for the law not to be used to discriminate against minorities.

The law says nothing about discriminating against minorities. In fact, Israel's Arab citizens have more rights and are safer than they would be in most Arab countries.

Anti-Defamation Legue poster (source: Facebook)

The ADL is run by Jonathan Greenblatt, a former special assistant to President Obama, a noted non-friend of Israel. I have been saying for a long time that the Anti-Defamation League should change its name to the Anti-Definition League, because it is now impossible to define what this organization is and who or what it advocates for.

On Wednesday night, the Union for Reform Judaism and American Jewish Committee quickly denounced the contentious nation-state bill, claiming the legislation undermines Israels democratic foundation. Shortly after Knesset lawmakers approved the bill overnight Wednesday, which, for the first time, enshrines Israel as the national home of the Jewish people in its quasi-constitutional Basic Laws, American Jewish Committee and Reform movement leaders castigated the measure as codifying a system of discrimination against Arabs and other minorities. This is a sad and unnecessary day for Israeli democracy, said Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, which represents the largest Jewish denomination in the United States. The damage that will be done by this new Nation-State law to the legitimacy of the Zionist vision and to the values of the state of Israel as a democratic  and Jewish  nation is enormous.

Jacobs is saying that a bill calling Israel a Jewish state damages the Jewish nature of the Israeli state. Does this make any sense to anyone?

It's sad that the political leader of the Reform Jewish movement is attacking Israel for declaring itself Jewish. His definition of Zionism is now Anti-Zionism. The doublethink is astounding. Reform Jews, some of whom still support Israel, are not well served by such a leader.

Where are these so-called "leaders" with their talk about concerns for minorities when Jews are being slaughtered in Germany, France, England, and other countries around the world? Why is it these "leaders" have no objections to Muslim countries declaring they follow Islamic law, even when they have non-Muslim minorities in their countries?

It's sad that some Leftist Jews pay lip service to Israel's existence while doing everything they can to oppose it.

Ed Straker is the senior writer at Newsmachete.com.
The gerontocrats running Cuba have cooked up a new public relations line, expecting the Western press will eat it up and everyone will love them.

Reuters, for one, reported the story:

It's such baloney, hardly worthy of headlines, other than to say they've got a new public relations tack. Communism and socialism are essentially the same thing when you get down to it - the USSR after all, was the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics. And this is not the first time communists have used 'socialism' in a charm-offensive aim to seem politer.

So right there, we have a red-flag (to put it that way) about the nonsense at work.

Because right there in the Reuters report, in one of the Cuban party apparatchiks quoted (this is why I don't criticize the Reuters report, its reporter actually tried to find out what these clowns mean), there's a clear statement that nothing changes with this PR move. Reuters reports:

Instead, it simply talks about building socialism, reflecting the fact Cuba has moved into a different era following the fall of the Soviet Union, according to the president of the National Assembly Esteban Lazo. "This does not mean we are renouncing our ideas," Lazo was quoted as saying by state-run media.

O.K., so nothing's changed. The communism to socialism is just cosmetic. What it really looks like is a bid to jump on the Bernie Sanders bandwagon and seem cuddlier. Bernie and his sidekick, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, call themselves 'socialists' too. The Castroites likely want to be part of something that's actually winning.

Here's more evidence that nothing's changed. For all the talk about private property and foreign investment, the communists have other ideas. Here is some proof of that from Babalu's Alberto de la Cruz a few days ago:

To the surprise of no one except the Obama Bros and the Castro-sycophants in media and academia, Cubas communist Castro dictatorship announced on Monday it is tightening its iron grip on private businesses and raising taxes. For those still waiting for the Hope and Change and reforms in Cuba to kick, here they are. As we say over and over and over again: The more things change in Castros Cuba, the more they stay the same. Nora Gamez Torres reports in The Miami Herald: Cuba imposes more taxes, controls on private sector The Cuban government issued new measures on Monday to limit the accumulation of wealth by Cubans who own private businesses on the island. The provisions stipulate that Cubans may own only one private enterprise, and impose higher taxes and restrictions on a spectrum of self-employment endeavors, including the arts. The government announced that it will start issuing licenses to open new businesses  frozen since last August  but established greater controls through a package of measures intended to prevent tax evasion, limit wealth and give state institutions direct control over the so-called cuentapropismo or self-employment sector.

Give you an idea of what they mean by 'socialism'? They want socialism the way Obama practiced it, allowing the existence of nominal private property and private business, but regulating it so badly its existence becomes meaningless. It's as if they have borrowed from Bernie the P.R. and Obama the execution.

Sound like change? Only in Obama's sense of the word 'change.' They're speaking with their usual forked tongues.
Julian Assange, the founder of the hacker site Wikileaks, has been holed up in the Ecuadoran embassy in London since 2012, granted asylum so that he could avoid a warrant from the Swedish government on sexual assault charges. Assange feared - rightly - that if he was taken into custody by the British, he would be extradited to the United States to face potential charges of leaking classified information.

Assange claimed that once on US soil, intelligence agencies would exact their revenge on him for leaking millions of documents on the Iraq and Afghanistan war, among other transgressions. But now, a new president was elected in Ecuador, Lenin Moreno, and his government is finding Assange's presence on their soil an irritant.

His access to the internet had been taken away and for the last several months, lived in virtual isolation. The Intercept is reporting that Moreno is negotiating with the British to release him into their custody.

A source close to the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry and the Presidents office, unauthorized to speak publicly, has confirmed to the Intercept that Moreno is close to finalizing, if he has not already finalized, an agreement to hand over Assange to the UK within the next several weeks. The withdrawal of asylum and physical ejection of Assange could come as early as this week. On Friday, RT reported that Ecuador was preparing to enter into such an agreement. The consequences of such an agreement depend in part on the concessions Ecuador extracts in exchange for withdrawing Assanges asylum. But as former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa told the Intercept in an interview in May, Morenos government has returned Ecuador to a highly subservient and submissive posture toward western governments. It is thus highly unlikely that Moreno  who has shown himself willing to submit to threats and coercion from the UK, Spain and the U.S.  will obtain a guarantee that the U.K. not extradite Assange to the U.S., where top Trump officials have vowed to prosecute Assange and destroy WikiLeaks. The central oddity of Assanges case  that he has been effectively imprisoned for eight years despite never having been charged with, let alone convicted of, any crime  is virtually certain to be prolonged once Ecuador hands him over to the U.K. Even under the best-case scenario, it appears highly likely that Assange will continue to be imprisoned by British authorities.

Assange has chosen to be a prisoner for the last 8 years in order to avoid being prosecuted by the US for being responsible for the largest leak of classified information in US history. "Effectively imprisoned" is a ridiculous assertion by Intercept writer Glenn Greenwald. Assange imprisoned himself.

Needless to say, the Trump administration would dearly love to get their hands on Assange. Making an example of him to other "whistleblowers" who may think they can get away with leaking classified information would be extremely valuable.

For those who believe Assange to be some kind of hero, it should be noted that his publishing of top secret and classified documents has almost certainly led to the deaths of US assets. Most experts believe that the release of that information could have been handled in such a way that assets would not have been placed at risk. But in his eagerness to feed his gigantic ego, Assange didn't care enough to save lives.

Since it isn't likely that the death penalty is on the table for Assange in the US, the British will almost certainly agree to extradite him, unless they negotiate a separate deal with Ecuador regarding his status. For all the damage done to our short and long term interests, Assange should go to prison for many years.
Hot summer day, and Hillary Clinton was spotted again at a public speaking event, wearing voluminous clothes - with curious lumps under them. Jim Hoft's GatewayPundit had the picture sequence, along with a collection of reactions from assorted characters on Twitter, few of them being nice about it. But some were more thoughtful than others, with speculation on what really might be happening. Here is one:

The thread that followed from that tweet (on twitter beyond the GatewayPundit post) was even more interesting as health professionals with knowledge of medical equipment weighed in; here are the two most credible speculations:

As a nurse, it's more like a catheter bag, if its anything at all..

 Bukerbabe  (@Athens7316) July 22, 2018

According to the Cleveland Clinic:

The Foley catheter is a tube that helps drain urine from the bladder. It is used by some patients who have had urological or gynecological surgery, or who have a condition that makes urination difficult. The urinary (Foley) catheter is placed into the bladder through the urethra, the opening through which urine passes.

So aside from the unwieldly appearance of Clinton, the presence of what appears to be medical equipment on her raises more questions about her health, which is relevant in the wake of her continued presidential ambitions.

It also raises questions again about how honest she is, given that she continuously claims she's in good health, with only the most minor of conditions, like allergies.

Already, we know she's fainted in public, most famously during the 2016 9/11 ceremony in New York, at the height of her presidential campaign. She came out and said she was just fine, with just a bit of pneumonia, something nobody believed.

She took abnormally long bathroom breaks during at least one televised presidential debate, returning to her podium strangely late as other candidates carried on without her. This might be related to wearing a catheter.

She's been spotted in thick, heavy winter coats on boiling hot days, which is also odd.

She's been spotted with what appears to be back brace sticking out strangely through her clothing.

She's been photographed in a series of recent stumbles and falls.

Now, I supposed someone who has to wear a catheter isn't going to be anxious to announce it to anyone, and understandably so, because it's one of those embarrassing medical conditions people getting up there in years frequently have to deal with.

But it also could be a good thing for a politician to discuss, too. Being open about it destigmatizes it, and cuts the embarassment factor, and gives a pol a reputation for courage, as Betty Ford once did in admitting she was an alcoholic and seekin treatment. It's the kind of thing that may win over some voters. It also could be argued to be a political strength in another sense: Anyone with as many medical conditions as she has who can still keep up with a hectic public schedule can credibly insist she's got a lot of energy. It can also be argued it's none of anyone's business given that she's out of office.

But the news reports have been steady that she's still out there and she still means to run. In that case, she does need to be upfront about it along with all her health issues. She's not, so she will continue to get these uncharitable catcalls and the steady stream of speculation about her apparent undeclared medical issues, coming as they do as she continues to declare she's in the peak of health. The problem is less the health problems than the continuous denials of health problems. This is why voters don't trust her.
It isn't for the people who will never see the outside of the womb, because Democrats love abortion.

It isn't for the people who believe that marriage between one man and one woman is all that God ordained, because Democrats hate God.

It isn't for the people who know that boys can only become men and girls can only become women, because Democrats have mainstreamed mental madness.

It isn't for the people who believe that their elected officials should represent only them, because Democrats will represent any potential vote, constituents or not, legal or not.

It isn't for the American poor, because Democrats care for only poor homeless illegal aliens.

It isn't for people who place their trust in God, because Democrats voted God out in 2012.

It is for people who want ICE disbanded, because Democrats do not care how drugs, gangs, and human-traffickers harm Americans.

It is for anti-2nd Amendment celebrities with armed guards, living in gated communities.

It is for politicians who consistently vote against school vouchers while placing their own children in private schools at taxpayer expense.

It is for people who, after seeing their three-year-old son play with a doll, dress him as a girl.

It is for drag queens reading stories to kindergarteners.

It is for homosexual Boy Scout leaders.

It is for businesses that offer public restrooms based on sexual identity instead of sexual reality.

It is for the transgenders, the non-binary, the pansexual, the sexually fluid, and people with unknown sexual identities.

It is for illegal aliens who take citizen resources and dare the citizens to complain.

It is for illegal alien criminals who terrorize and kill citizens in sanctuary cities.

It is for drug addicts who leaves syringes and feces on streets where schoolchildren walk.

It is for atheistic educators dedicated to teaching only the lies they believe.

It is for all who embrace their own truth, as long as it is non-biblical, non-judgmental, and nonsense.

It is for Democrats.
Hysteria ruled the days after Helsinki. After a closed-door meeting, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin held a joint press conference. The tone of both leaders was properly diplomatic. This undoubtedly surprised the press  people who didn't really think President Trump was capable of rational speech or behavior. Naturally, the questions addressed to President Putin were suitably obsequious. President Trump received the opposite.

President Trump supposedly made a major tactical mistake when he said he trusted Putin's word over the reports from his intelligence people about Russian interference in our elections. He simply was revealing the fundamental truth of the situation. Former head of the FBI James Comey and his counter-intelligence chief Peter Strzok are well known for their attempts to subvert President Trump, as are former CIA chief John Brennan and former director of National Intelligence James Clapper. It isn't just these individuals who are involved. They had staffs who would have supported their efforts to oppose Donald Trump during the election campaign and thereafter. Many of those people are still embedded in the intelligence organizations.

More than that, President Trump had a highest-level spy in this domestic Cold War cabal. Admiral Mike Rogers, until recently the head of the National Security Agency, apparently informed the newly installed President Trump about what was, and had been, transpiring in the intelligence community. So Donald Trump would have had good reason to continue to mistrust that community regarding domestic affairs, even though he had replaced its top leaders.

On the other hand, Putin's reputation for integrity is solid. Former president Bill Clinton has stated openly that Vladimir Putin was as good as his word. If he made an agreement, he kept it. One must understand something important about Putin: he is a Christian  and, by all accounts, a devout Christian. As president, he is responsible for the future of Russia, a role he takes seriously. As a Christian, he is responsible for his own soul, something real Christians also take very seriously  much to the astonishment of Progressives.

Given all this, Trump's natural reaction to the hostile question from the press was to simply tell the truth. Putin is more trustworthy about American politics than our own intelligence community. So Trump told the truth  and all Hell broke loose.

Trump's later attempt to walk back what he had said merely fueled the fire. That was his real mistake in all this.

The resulting artificially generated hysteria was the deliberate construction of the left. Treason was the new word of the day. It is always fascinating that the people on the left receive their orders about the word du jour and run with it until a new directive comes down from somewhere  possibly the New York Times.

The manufactured hysteria grew to such an extent that even Republican leaders and otherwise sober conservative commentators were caught up in it and lost their powers of reason. Even the usually astute Tucker Carlson completely missed the obvious. While the people he was interviewing were howling "treason," Tucker failed to catch the key issue: no one but Trump, Putin, and the two translators knew what was discussed behind closed doors. Carlson should have asked simple questions of his guests: "What was said in that meeting to betray America?" "Do you know anything that was said in that meeting?" "If so, how did you find out what was said?"

Questions of that sort would have immediately quenched the hysteria. They would also have shown just how irrational, and even downright stupid, our leaders can sometimes be.
It is a huge scandal that the vast, frightening surveillance powers of our intelligence agencies, normally forbidden from snooping on American citizens, were used to spy on a presidential campaign antagonistic to the sitting president. Far too slowly, the underlying documents that permitted this are coming to light. Last night, 412 pages of heavily redacted versions of the original FISA warrant and subsequent renewals used to spy on Carter Page (and others  see below) were released.

Here are 10 preliminary points that need to be understood in evaluating this fragmentary peek at the guts of the scandal.

One:

You can tell that the Department of Justice wants to avoid public scrutiny by the timing of its release. Nobody seeking the publics attention releases anything on a Saturday night. Scott Johnson of Powerline pithily sums up the maneuver:

We are familiar with the Friday afternoon document dump. Its a standard tool of political scandal management. (snip) I say the Saturday night document dump resets best scandal management practices.

Two:

The FISA warrant relies on the discredited Steele dossier almost entirely. It is the first evidence cited and forms the bulk of the evidence. Steele is identified throughout as Source #1

Three:

It is heavily redacted. There are pages and pages that are entirely obscured. Given the history of the DOJ using redactions to cover up embarrassments, not just sources and methods or other legitimately classified material, there is plenty of reason to suspect more embarrassments have been covered up.

Four:

As John Hinderaker notes, the document asserts that Page was a witting agent of Russians, yet he has not been charged with anything.

Moreover, via publicly available documents, Sundance of Conservative Tree House points out that Carter Page was employed as an under cover employee by the FBI in indicting and obtaining a guilty plea from a genuine Russian spy. Yet somehow, he is now a spy himself?

Five:

Surveilling Page is a classic camels nose under the tent maneuver, meaning that other people of much greater interest to people spying on a rival campaign could also be targeted. The warrants use the expression incidentally acquire foreign intelligence information as defined by other subsections of 50 U.S.C. 1801(e)" no fewer than 8 times.

Six:

There are weasel-like evasions. On page 15, we read:

The FBI speculates that the identified US. person was likely looking for information that could be used to discredit Candidate #l's campaign.

Speculates? Why else would the DNC and Hillary campaign spend millions of dollars on it?

As the New York Times points out, a Yahoo News article sourced on the basis of Steele, was included in the warrant, but:

The section of the application that describes the Yahoo News article is titled Pages Denial of Cooperation With the Russian Government to Influence the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election.

This enabled a talking point:

Republicans at the time claimed that the F.B.I. had misleadingly used the article as corroboration for Mr. Steeles claims, while Democrats said that was false and that it was instead included to inform the court that Mr. Page had denied the allegations.

Seven: As Hindraker notes that in addition to the Steele dossier,

the application relies to an astonishing degree on anti-Trump news stories published in the Democratic Party press. Does the FBI really get surveillance warrants on the basis of partisan press accounts?

Eight:

Chuck Ross of the Daily Caller:

the FISA application shows that the FBI and Justice Department believed Steele to be a reliable source. Steele has been compensated for other work by the FBI, and his intelligence has been used in other criminal proceedings, the FISA application says.

Yet, the FBI reveals in a footnote in follow-up applications that FBI ties to Steele were severed after he lied about speaking to news outlets.

Nine: The identity of the FISA court judge or judges who approved these warrants remains secret. He or they have a lot of explaining to do.

Ten:

The identity of the FBI people who assembled the warrant also remains secret.

President Trump has already issued 3 tweets on the report. His last one quotes Andrew McCarthy, who appeared on Fox and Friends this morning:

Andrew McCarthy - I said this could never happen. This is so bad that they should be looking at the judges who signed off on this stuff, not just the people who gave it. It is so bad it screams out at you. On the whole FISA scam which led to the rigged Mueller Witch Hunt!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 22, 2018

President Trump, of course, can declassify the entire document. Sooner or later, we will learn about what has been redacted.

Graphic by Jens Best via Flickr
At a recent NATO breakfast meeting in Brussels, Trump again laid bare his hostile view toward the alliance. He exclaimed to NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg that allies aren't paying enough toward defense and singled out German chancellor Angela Merkel for pursuing the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline deal with Russia.

In response to Trump's criticism of Nord Stream 2, Stoltenberg contended that even during the Cold War, there was trade between Russia and European countries beyond the Iron Curtain.

Trump countered that trade and energy are different, which is true. Trade partners are more replaceable than energy-suppliers, especially countries like Russia, which has the infrastructure to meet large demand and influence prices.

Russia vigorously defends its position as Europe's largest natural gas-supplier. Securing this dominant and lucrative position is partly why Russia's armed forces have intervened in Georgia, Ukraine, and Syria in the last ten years.

But Russia also uses its resources as political leverage against countries dependent on them. The Kremlin has periodically cut off gas to Ukraine over pricing disputes, causing severe panic in Europe. Forty percent of Russian gas to Europe flows through Ukraine before it is delivered to other markets in the E.U.

The E.U. has led efforts to negotiate an end to numerous pricing disputes between Ukraine and Russia, in order to allow natural gas to flow to the rest of the continent. The Kremlin will soon be able to punish Ukraine by withholding gas, without threatening its more profitable markets in the broader E.U.  specifically Germany, its largest buyer.

Four years ago, the EU and NATO imposed economic sanctions on Russia for seizing Crimea from Ukraine, and the E.U. pledged to step up efforts to reduce their dependency on Russian natural gas. Russia provided 50-75% of Germany's natural gas in 2017, and Nord Stream 2 will only increase these numbers.

Ukraine is not a member of the E.U. or NATO, and without Germany leading E.U. attempts to mediate Russian-Ukrainian affairs, Ukraine's position will weaken dramatically. But eastern E.U. countries reliant on Ukrainian pipelines also argue that Nord Stream 2 will allow Russia to isolate all of Eastern Europe, without affecting richer E.U. members farther west.

Also under scrutiny is the questionable role of Germany's former chancellor in the history of pipeline project. In his breakfast lecture, Trump temporarily shifted his criticism from Merkel to former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

Schroeder is a close friend of Putin and was a strong supporter of the original Nord Stream project. Days before he ceded his position to Merkel after losing the 2005 election, he signed off on the Nord Stream deal. Within weeks, he had become chairman of Nord Stream's consortium shareholder committee.

Schroeder jumped around as a board member of several Russian-linked corporate associations until landing positions as chairman of Rosneft and the Nord Stream 2 project. Rosneft is Russia's largest oil company and is currently operating under Western sanctions.

A former German chancellor is now directly implementing a Russian-backed pipeline deal while also at the helm of a sanctioned Russian company. The current German chancellor is downplaying the significance of the project, despite applying those sanctions just four years ago.

This has completely undermined the image of institutional cohesion against Russia that the E.U. has attempted to project since 2014. Germany is often seen as the leader of the E.U., and Schroeder's involvement in Nord Stream has shown that the institution's most vital member is forging its own path.

Barack Obama opposed the Nord Stream 2 project, while E.U. president Donald Tusk has also criticized its development. Trump is similarly justified in displaying his own public disdain toward it, even if it irks a close ally.

Nord Stream 2 will ultimately give Russia more leverage over Europe, despite E.U. pledges to diversify gas supplies. Germany will be the main benefactor from not having to depend on Ukrainian supply routes, but the project will not reduce Russia's gas supply leverage over Germany in any way.

It will also further divide European countries and decrease the desire to act cohesively on sensitive issues. The next time Russia cuts off gas to Ukraine, Germany may be far less affected and will therefore feel less inclined to act.

Germany has pushed for tougher action against Russia in the last few years while seeking constant reassurance from the U.S. Yet it continues to deepen its economic and geopolitical relationship with Russia through a multi-billion-dollar pipeline deal.

If Nord Stream 2 goes ahead, it will drastically decrease Europe's ability to coordinate against Russia's grand strategy to divide the continent. Germany's leaders cannot continue to brush this aside as much as they would like.
Jon Huntsman, US ambassador to Russia, is apparently one of the few top officials in the state department who refuses to play politics with the nation's foreign policy. Citing the "world's most dangerous relationship" between the US and Russia, Huntsman refused a call to resign his post that appeared in his family's own newspaper.

The Hill:

Huntman's family-owned newspaper ran a column urging him to step down after President Trumps joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the piece published in The Salt Lake Tribune, which is owned by Hunstmans brother, Huntsman said that he would stay on the job after conducting an unscientific survey among my colleagues and asking his own naval officer sons if he should resign. The laughter told me everything I needed to know, the ambassador and former Utah governor wrote. It also underscores the fragile nature of this moment. His sons' response, he said, was "unprintable." Huntsman also wrote that he has been around politics long enough to understand the moment we face and the legitimate arguments on all sides. Writer Robert Gehrke had called for Huntsman to resign in a column published in the same newspaper on Tuesday, saying the ambassador works for a pawn, not a president. His column ran one day after Trump sided with Putins denials of Russian election interference during Monday's controversial press conference. Trump later walked back the comments. In his column, Huntsman also cited his hundreds of colleagues who work in Russia, saying they have neither the time nor inclination to obsess over politics, though the issues of the day are felt by all. Their focus is on the work that needs to be done to stabilize the most dangerous relationship in the world, one that encompasses nuclear weapons, fighting terrorism, stopping bloodshed in Ukraine, and seeking a settlement of the seemingly intractable Syrian crisis, Huntsman wrote. Their dedication to service to their country is above politics, and it inspires me to the core. It is my standard.

It's no secret Huntsman is not a huge fan of Donald Trump. He has criticized him numerous times in the past. But give credit to both men that they were able to move beyond the politics of the moment to forge a relationship that many experts believe is good for the country.

Huntsman's response gives us cause to wonder; why can't all state department employees put politics aside and serve the president? Trump has roiled the foreign policy establishment, that's certain. But just who are these state department officials supposed to be loyal to? The establishment or the president?

You can disagree with the president, as I'm sure Huntsman does, without damaging the prestige of the office of president by grandiosly announcing your resignation. That may play at the New York Times and upper east side salons where liberals congratulate themselves for "speaking truth to power."

But in the practical world of working to advance the interests of the United States, it's selfish, stupid, and shallow.
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Facebook and its subsidiary Instagram are planning to start enforcing their under-13 user age policy in a more proactive manner, the social media giant told TechCrunch. Ever since its public launch in 2006, Facebook required its users to be at least 13 years old before signing up for an account but hasnt required any proof-of-age documentation during registration and only investigated underage users if their profiles were specifically reported for breaking that rule. Earlier this week, the company opted for a new policy change that will allow its reviewers to proactively block accounts they suspect are operated by users under 13 for any reason.

Anyone who has their account blocked as part of the new enforcement policy will only be able to regain access to it by providing Facebook with valid proof-of-age documentation, with the same applying to Instagram users as well. The policy change is believed to have been made in response to an undercover report organized by British Channel 4 and Firecrest Films whose reported became a third-party content reviewer for Facebook in Dublin, Ireland. While being employed by CPL Resources, the reporter was told to ignore users whose appearance implies their under 13 so long as they arent provided with an admission. We just like to pretend that we are blind, one official told them.

The move may have a small impact on Facebooks user numbers and revenue figures, though the vast majority of the companys users arent believed to be violating its age policy. The rule itself was originally implemented so as to keep Facebook in compliance with the U.S. Child Online Privacy Protection Act of 2000, a legislation that the firm previously lobbied against. Its still unclear how the company intends to go about handling accounts that were created while their owners were under 13 but are now legal adults, though it most likely doesnt have any plans to sanction those profiles. The worlds largest social media platform recently also came under fire for its decision to launch Messenger Kids specifically targeting pre-teens.
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Samsungs Galaxy Note 9 flagship leaked online yet again earlier today, with its blue variant being shared by tech blog MySmartPrice. While the vast majority of previous reports on the matter indicated this particular version of the device will be darker than the Coral Blue finish the company offered alongside a number of its high-end handsets since the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7, the image that can be seen above is somewhat brighter than the one industry insider Evan Blass shared earlier this week.

The color still isnt identical to the Coral Blue one and older rumors indicate Samsung will be advertising it as Deep Sea Blue. Besides boasting an entirely new finish, this model is also expected to be unique due to the color of its S Pen thats expected to be a yellow-gold affair, whereas other variants will either have black styluses or ones whose colors match those of their host devices. Samsung is said to be offering five Galaxy Note 9 colors in total, with at least two of them being new. Besides the Deep Sea Blue model, the company is also rumored to be working on a Teddy Brown finish, though its presently unclear how the availability of particular variants will differ across markets.

The device itself will otherwise be a largely iterative upgrade over the 2017 Galaxy Note 8 and effectively serve as the Galaxy S9 Plus with a slightly larger screen and an S Pen. Though Samsung is also said to be preparing models with as much as 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage space, those units are extremely unlikely to ever be officially released outside of China and the companys home country of South Korea. The Galaxy Note 9 is scheduled to be announced in New York City on August 9 and should be released on a global level fifteen days later, following a short pre-order period.
A turn to the right with Aznar and Rivera in the background. That would be the title of the canvas that the PPs party conference painted yesterday when 58 per cent of the delegates elected Pablo Casado as their new party leader and candidate in the next Spanish elections. The shadow of Jose Maria Aznar [a hardliner] loomed over the conference and the former Spanish PM seized Mariano Rajoys legacy by inflicting a heavy defeat on Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, Rajoys former deputy and also-ran. Saenz de Santamarias hard-working disposition and sharply-honed intellect as expected in any public prosecutor are widely acknowledged in her party, but her profile is not suited to these times of Spains reconquest. Rajoys right-hand woman is not the real McCoy, as far as the PPs apparatchiks are concerned: they believe she compromises on her principles and she has been accused of lacking an ideology. Sorayas discourse is technocratic, authoritarian and self-centred. She strives to emphasise the way she pronounces the n in Espana and the unity of the Spanish homeland, while claiming that her own views are the same as the PPs. But her opponent, Pablo Casado, is the perfect poster boy of Spains hardline conservatism, now that Ciudadanos and Vox are threatening to occupy the PPs political space. In short, the PPs delegates have elected an Albert Rivera of their own: a young, unencumbered leader who feels right at home when discussing a tougher criminal code, amending Spains electoral law to rein in the peripheral political parties, the preservation of Spains single market as a homogenising instrument and the preponderance of Spanish over any other language. Casados PP is more right-wing than liberal and it likes to talk about family, God, motherland and King. As a matter of fact, the first words in Casados acceptance speech, which won him a long round of applause, were to voice his allegiance to King Felipe.

Casados election as the PPs new leader is bad news for Albert Rivera, the Ciudadanos candidate, who has been losing steam since Rajoy was removed from office following a no-confidence vote. In contrast, it it good news for PM Pedro Sanchez. The PP and Ciudadanos share the same political birthplace and Riveras hitherto advantage being the only photogenic heir to the throne of Spains uncompromising right has now vanished. In time we might see a convergence of the two political parties, as Jose Maria Aznar has argued for on occasion. But that wont happen until we have witnessed a fierce election clash between the real thing [the PP] and the knock-off [Ciudadanos]. In contrast, the PPs shift to the right provides the PSOE with some strategic breathing space and oxygen to grow in the electoral centre, both in economic and political terms.

Casado announced the reconquest of the Spanish homeland starting with Catalonia, of course. He mentioned Badalona, Castelldefels and Tarragona [unionist strongholds], encouraging everyone to follow their lead in Barcelona and across Catalonia. This is further proof that, as far as the PP is concerned, Catalonia has always been the glue that holds together their stale, unitarian, homogenous idea of Spain. It proves that the Partido Popular intends to double up on its efforts to split Catalan society and crack down on independence supporters.

Joaquin Costa, a Spanish intellectual who called for the countrys regeneration at the end of the 19th century, used to advocate industrialisation, building dams and sealing the tomb of El Cid [a myth of Spanish nationalism] with seven padlocks. On Saturday, though, the Spanish right chose to invoke El Cid once again. The PPs party conference has not brought us new ideas, merely new faces. Rather, it is a return to Alianza Popular (1) or Aznars PP. The notion that Spains political transition following General Francos death was an anomaly has triumphed on the right. They believe that preserving a genuine Spain requires stamping out all regional differences in their stale State.

From the PDECat to the Crida

The PPs shift to the right will also have an effect on Catalonias political map. For starters, yesterday PDECat leader Marta Pascal caved in to mounting pressure from her partys critics and stepped down, thus paving the way for a profound change that will lead to the PDECats dissolving into Carles Puigdemonts Crida in the mid-term. The former Catalan president, who can travel around Europe a free man thanks to a German court, is working to build a broad-based movement that will reach beyond the ideological boundaries inherited from the now-defunct Convergencia Democratica. The latest discrepancies between Pascal and Puigdemont affected the position of the PDECats representatives in the Spanish parliament and their support to Pedro Sanchezs vote of no-confidence against Mariano Rajoy. Yesterday Pascal openly admitted that she did not have Puigdemonts blessing to continue leading the PDECat and, two years after the party was founded, she was removed by those who supported her at first plus the ones she defeated as a representative of the moderate liberal right.

The conference manifesto encourages the PDECats members to join Puigdemonts Crida, includes a mandate to set up a steering group with Lluis Puig and the political prisoners to transition towards Puigdemonts new project and enshrines a new leadership that is loyal to the former president, with MP Miriam Nogueras as a key figure from the partys critics.

The aftermath of the battle shows that a new scenario is emerging and political positions are being redefined. The PP has shifted further to the right and is now engaging the far right parties. The PDECat is dissolving into a movement led from Brussels and a prison cell, with the blessing of Catalan president Quim Torra, who will need to roll up his sleeves if he wants to be more than just Convergencias heir.

________

Translators note:

(1) Spains Partido Popular was founded in 1989 and it succeeded Alianza Popular as the countrys conservative party.
Army Recognition editorial team with its Online Defense and Security Web TV news channel was in Peutie military barracks to cover the military parade rehearsal for the Belgian National Day of July 21, 2018. Every year, Belgiums national day is celebrated with a whole range of activities including a military parade of Belgium armed forces, police, civil defense and emergency services in the center of Brussels.



Army Recognition team with its Online Defense and Security Web TV news channel covers rehearsal of Belgian army military parade for National Day 21 July 2018. (Picture source Army Recognition)

The traditional military and civilian parade will take place on Paleizenplein/Place des Palais starting at 4 p.m 21 July 2018. This year, the theme is Respect for the past. Trust in the future.

On the occasion of the centenary commemoration of the end of the First World War, the parade will include a historical element (clothing and equipment from the past). Foreign delegations will also take part, demonstrating their partnerships with Belgium.



Lynx also called LMV Light Multirole Vehicle, the standard armored tactical vehicle used by Belgian army. (Picture source Army Recognition)

The Belgian military parade for the Naional Day of 21 July 2018 will start with three Lynx also called LMV, (Light Multirole Vehicle) is a 4x4 tactical vehicle developed by Iveco, and in service with several countries. The vehicle can carry four military personnel with driver and commander at the front and two more soldiers at the rear . it offers protection against firing of small arms and artillery shell splinters.



This is the standard tactical armored vehicle in service with the Belgian army.



VPC Command Post armored vehicle of French army (Picture source Army Recognition)

This year French army will be part of the parade with one Command post wheeled armored vehicle version of the VBCI (Vehicule blinde de combat d'infanterie - Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicle) in the French Army nicknamed VPC.

The VPC is based on the standard version of the VBCI, but armed with one remotely operated weapon station armed with one 12.7mm heavy machine gun.

Standard equipment of the VPC includes a terminal information system (SIT) FINDERS, developed by Nexter Systems, a regimental information system (SIR), developed by EADS. It has a crew of seven including driver, commander, gunner and 4 soldiers.



VBCI 8x8 armored IFV Infantry Fighting Vehicle of French army (Picture source Army Recognition)

The VPC is followed by tow VBCI's, (Vehicule blinde de combat d'infanterie - Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicle) from the French army (Which unit ?) . The VBCI is a French wheeled armoured infantry fighting vehicle designed and manufactured by the French Companies Nexter Systems and Renault Trucks Defense.

The VBCI is a French-made wheeled armoured IFV Infantry Fighting Vehicle designed and manufactured by the French Companies Nexter Systems and Renault Trucks Defense.



The VBCI in the French Army is equipped with a one-man Nexter Dragar turret armed with a dual feed 25mm NATO cannon type 25 M811 with 150 rounds in the turret and one Belgian FN Herstal coaxial 7.62mm machine gun MAG.



Lynx 4x4 SPS Self-Protection System 4x4 armored vehicle of Belgian army (Picture source Army Recognition)

Another version of the Lynx (LMV) is the Lynx SPX SPS (Self-Protection System) , a 4x4 armoured vehicle used by the infantry units of the Belgian army, fitted with a remotely operated weapon station armed with one 7.62mm machine gun. The vehicle can carry four military personnel.



Piranha IIIC DF-90 Fire support with 90mm cannon of Belgian army (Picture source Army Recognition)

One Piranha IIIC DF 90 from the future armored brigade. The DF-90 is a fire support vehicle based on the a Piranha IIIC wheeled armoured chassis.

The vehicle is fitted with a Belgian CMI two-man turret armed with a Cockerill LCTS 90mm cannon. It can fire at a maximum range of 2.2 km. The vehicle has a crew of three including driver, commander and gunner. 18 vehicles are in service with the Belgian army.



Piranha DF-30 IFV Infantry Fighting Vehicle 8x8 armored with 30mm cannon of Belgian army (Picture source Army Recognition)

One Piranha IIIC DF 30 used by infantry units of the future armored brigade. The DF-30 is an infantry fighting vehicle also based on Piranha IIIC wheeled armoured chassis that can carry 6 military personnel. This vehicle is armed with a 30mm cannon remotely operated weapon station.



Piranha IIIC APC Armored Personnel Carrier vehicle of Belgian army (Picture source Army Recognition)

Two Piranha IIIC APC. The Piranha IIIC Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) is mainly used by infantry unit of armoured brigade. The vehicle can carry a total of 10 military personnel including driver, commander, gunner and 7 infantrymen. It is fitted with a remotely operated weapon station mounted on the roof of the vehicle which is armed with a 12.7mm M2 heavy machine gun.



Dingo 2 4x4 APC Armored Personnel Carrier vehicle of Belgian army (Picture source Army Recognition)

Two Dingo 2 4x4 armored vehicles personnel carrier (APC). The Dingo 2 also called MPPV (Multi-Purpose Protected Vehicle) in the Belgian army, is a 4x4 armored personnel carrier which is in service with the light infantry units.

The vehicle is manufactured by the German Company KMW.

The vehicle is based on the German-made Unimog 5000 light truck chassis. The vehicle provides high level of protection against ballistic and mine threats. In the Belgian Army, the vehicle is fitted with a remotely operated weapon station which can be armed with a 12.7mm or 7.62mm machine gun.



Pandur 1 6x6 armored vehicle used by reconnaissance unit of Belgian army (Picture source Army Recognition)

The reconnaissance units of the Belgian army parades with one Lynx (LMV) followed by two Pandur 1. The Pandur 1 is a 6x6 armoured vehicle used by reconnaissance units of Belgium army . The vehicle was developed by the Austrian Company Steyr-Daimler-Puch now part of General Dynamics European Land System.

The rear part of the vehicle is fitted a telescopic mast with optics to perform observation of the battlefield. The vehicle has a one-man open top turret armed with a 12.7mm machine gun.



Unimog 4x4 light tactical truck SCB Battlefield Surveillance Radar of Belgian army (Picture source Army Recognition)

One Unimog SCB also used by reconnaissance unit. The Unimog SCB (Surveillance Champ de Bataille - Battlefield Surveillance Radar) is 4x4 light tactical truck Unimog fitted with a radar EL/M-2130A mounted at the rear of the crew cab which is used for surveillance, identification and reconnaissance of the battlefield. It can detect people at a maximum range of 14 km and combat vehicles as main battle tanks at a maximum range of 33 km.



Dingo 2 PRV Protected Reconnaissance Vehicle of Luxembourg Army (Picture source Army Recognition)

The Army of Luxembourg is represented with two Dingo 2 PRV. The Dingo 2 PRV is intended to provide a full reconnaissance capability for the Luxembourg army, with a view to detecting, identifying and localizing potential threats or enemies (by day and by night), gathering just in-time data for situational awareness, sharing information with other operational uniting and accelerating decision-taking to support action.

The Dingo 2 PRV Protected Reconnaissance vehicle is equipped with Optronic Head (Margot 5000) with Thermal Imager, CCD camera and Laser Range Finder mounted on a 4 m telescopic mast locate at the rear of the vehicle. For its self-protection the vehicle is fitted with one Kongsbergs Protector remotely-operated turret armed with one 12.7mm heavy machine gun.



Dutch Army Fennek reconnaissance 4x4 armored vehicle (Picture source army Recognition)

Dutch army also presents the Fennek, a reconnaissance armored vehicle operated by a three-man crew and deployed in units of two vehicles. A scout party equipped with this vehicle is able to operate independently for a period of up to five days.



The Dutch reconnaissance vehicles are armed with a 12.7mm machine gun and two containers are mounted at the rear of the vehicle to carry PanzerFaust, a single-shot anti-tank weapon. The vehicle is also equipped with a Rheinmetall Defence Electronics BAA which comprises a thermal imager, a CCD day vision camera and a laser rangefinder and is installed in a sensor head mounted on an extendable mast.



FOX RRV Rapid Response Vehicle from the Special Forces Group of Belgian army (Picture source Army Recognition)

The Special Forces Group of the Belgian army presents two vehicles, the JACAM and the FOX RRV.

The FOX RRV (Rapid Reaction Vehicle) has recently entered in service with the Belgian, it will be used by the Special Forces Group but also by the new Special Operations Regiment.

The Fox Rapid Reaction Vehicle (RRV) is a of light tactical vehicles based on Toyota 4x4 chassis designed and manufactured by the British Company Jankel. In January 2016, Belgian armed forces have awarded a contract to the British Company Jankel for the delivery of 108 FOX Rapid Reaction Vehicles (RRV).

For the Belgian Army, the vehicle will be delivered in two variants named Command (48) & Liaison and Reconnaissance (60). The first variant will be armed with one 7.62mm mounted on swivel station fitted on the right side of the vehicle that can operated by the commander of the vehicle. The reconnaissance version has a ring mounted located on the superstructure of the vehicle that can be armed with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun or 40mm automatic grenade launcher.



JACAM light tactical truck from Special Forces Group of Belgian army (Picture source Army Recognition)

The second vehicle showed by Belgian Special at the military parade is the JACAM, a 4x4 light tactical truck base Unimog chassis especially designed to perform long-range reconnaissance missions. The vehicle is armed with one 12.7mm heavy machine gun and three 5.56 /7.62 mm machine gun mounted on swivel station located at the front and the rear of the chassis.



Mercedes sprinter of airborne engineer troops with trailer carrying Kayaks (Picture source Army Recognition)

The engineers from airborne troops at the Belgian military parade 2018 presents different types of vehicles including 1 Mercedes Sprinter light truck with trailer carrying Kayaks used by the Special Operations Regiment.

Second vehicle is an Unimog 4x4 light truck with trailer carrying Zodiac RHIB Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat



Dingo 2 4x4 armored of artillery unit towing one LG1 105mm light gun of Belgian army (Picture source Army Recognition)

In the field of artillery, Belgian army presents one mre time one Lynx (LMV) followed by two two Dingo 2 armoured vehicled towing one LG1 105mm light gun. The LG1 is a modern 105 mm towed howitzer designed and produced by GIAT Industries (now Nexter group) of France. It can fire at a maximum range of 19.5 km with a rate fire of 12 rounds per minute.



Unimog light 4x4 tactical truck towing one 120mm mortar of Belgian army (Picture source Army Recognition)

Second vehicle of artillery unit is an Unimog 4x4 light truck towing one 120mm RT F1 mortar designed by the French Company Thomson-Brandt. It has a firing range of 8,000 m with standard projectile and 12,850 m with rocket projectile.



Mercedes-Benz G Wagon 4x4 light tactical vehicle from the Dutch army towing one 120mm mortar (Picture source Army Recognition)

Dutch army is another foreign nation that participates to the Belgian military parade for National Day of 21 July 2018 with one Mercedes-Benz G G-Wagon 4x4 light tactical vehicle towing one 120mm mortar. The roof of the vehicle is fitted with a ring mount armed with one 7.62mm machine gun.



Dingo 2 4x4 armoured vehicle of German army in PsyOps configuration (Picture source Army Recognition)

German army parades with two combat vehicles including the Dingo 2 PsyOps (Psychological Operations). The Psychological operations (PSYOP) are planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to audiences to influence their emotions, motives, and objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of governments, organizations, groups, and individuals.



The Dingo 2 offers protection against firing of small arms and artillery shell splinters. It has a crew of four. The roof of the vehicle is fitted with a remote weapon station FLW 100 armed with one MG3 7.62mm machine gun. The Vehicle-Mounted PSYOPS Loudspeaker Equipment will replace the short lightweight all-terrain loudspeaker team truck for loudspeaker equipment installation kit which has been used up to now.



Eagle IV 4x4 armoured vehicle of German army in CIMIC configuration (Picture source Army Recognition)

The second vehicle of the German army is an Eagle IV 4x4 armored vehicle from the German army, from CIMIC (Civil-Military Co-operation) unit. Civil-Military Co-operation (CIMIC) is the means by which a military commander connects with civilian agencies active in a theatre of operations.



The Eagle IV is a wheeled armoured vehicle made by the Swiss Defense Company Mowag, now a subdivision of General Dynamics. The MOWAG Eagle IV was developed as a private venture. It has a crew of four and the roof of the vehicle is fitted with a remote weapon station FLW 100 armed with one MG3 7.62mm machine gun.



IVECO trucks of Belgian army with fuel tank container (Picture source Army Recognition)

Support units of Belgian Army display different types of all-terrain military trucks including IVECO Astra and Euro Trakker truck with new fuel tank containers manufactured by the German Company WEW mounted at the rear of the chassis.



This new support vehicle will provide the Belgian Army with a significant improvement in fuel delivery capability. After unloading the container the system can be operated independently using its autarkic diesel-driven pump.



Dingo 2 ambulance armored vehicle of Belgian army medical unit (Picture source Army Recognition)

The medical unit of Belgian army uses two types of ambulance armored vehicles, the first one is the Dingo 2 medical support vehicle using the same chassis that the Dingo 2 armored vehicle used by the light infantry unit, but the rear part of the vehicle is designed to carry wounded soldiers.



One of the most important tasks of paramedics on the battlefield, is to recover wounded soldiers as quickly as possible, ensuring first aid treatment and the following corresponding medical care. Under enemy fire, they often risk their own lives. In its different ambulance versions, the DINGO 2 makes a vital contribution to the improvement of the protected transport of wounded persons.



Piranha IIIC 8x8 armored vehicle in ambulance configuration used by medical unit of Belgian army (Picture source Army Recognition)

The second vehicle is the Piranha IIIC in ambulance version which is used to evacuate wounded soldiers from the battlefield under armour of the vehicle. The rear part of the vehicle can accommodate four stretchers or six seats.
The Netherlands Ministry of Defense signed an agreement with the U.S. on July 17, 2018, for the acquisition of four unarmed MQ-9 Reaper Block 5 medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at the Farnborough International Airshow in England.



U.S. Air Force MQ-9A Reaper (Picture source Wikipedia)

The purchase had been in the works since 2003, but was postponed and put into abeyance several times (2005, 2010 and 2015) in the following years due to fiscal pressures. With the signing of a Letter of Acceptance (LoA) by the head of the Dutch Defense Materiel Organization (DMO) the procurement will now move forward.

In February 2015, the U.S. State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Netherlands for MQ-9 Reapers and associated equipment, parts and logistical support for an estimated cost of $339 million. The sale proposal included 4 MQ-9 Block 5 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft, 4 Mobile Ground Control Stations Block 30 (option Block 50), different types of optics and communication systems.

Delivery of the Dutch Reapers is expected to begin in summer 2020, enabling the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNAF) to be the third operator of the Block 5 variant alongside Spain and the U.S. The Dutch Reapers will be assigned to the 306 Squadron and operate from Leeuwarden Air Base.

The MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations, developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) primarily for the United States Air Force (USAF).

On 24 May 2012, General Atomics conducted the successful first flight of its upgraded MQ-9 Block 1-plus Reaper. The Block 1plus version was designed for increased electrical power, secure communications, automatic landing, increased gross takeoff weight (GTOW), weapons growth, and streamlined payload integration capabilities. A new high-capacity starter generator offers increased electrical power capacity to provide growth capacity; a backup generator is also present and is sufficient for all flight-critical functions, improving the electrical power system's reliability via three independent power sources. New communications capabilities, including dual ARC-210 VHF/UHF radios with wingtip antennas, allow for simultaneous communications between multiple air-to-air and air-to-ground parties, secure data links, and an increased data transmission capacity. The new trailing arm main landing gear allows the carriage of heavier payloads or additional fuel. Development and testing were completed, and Milestone C was achieved in September 2012. Follow-on aircraft will be redesignated MQ-9 Block 5. On 15 October 2013, the USAF awarded General Atomics a $377.4 million contract for 24 MQ-9 Block 5 Reapers. The MQ-9 Block 5 flew its first combat mission on 23 June 2017.
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
Hi, When I called the Australian Embassy ( Australia ) they told it will take 11 monthsfor child visa 101...I have paid the fee through my Immi Account and got the online receipt. Have sent all the needed documents through post. Its been 4th week now. But haven't got any acknowledgement from the dept. But when I checked with the postal account, they got delivered the next day. Is there any way we can get the acknowledgement that they got the papers ? Any thoughts please.
The machine we have here comes dressed in British Racing Green (BRG), a shade that suits is retro styling perfectly. The car, which comes with Satin Aluminum wheels, has recently landed in Monaco, with the owner taking the time to explain its configuration.I chose BRG over the others because Brewster Green for example is so dark that it often looks black, and Irish green is quite light. BRG was the perfect balance between them, we are being told.If we look past the details mentioned above, we'll notice the yelow brake calipers, which means the Porscha features carbon-ceramic brakes. We must also mention the Xenon adaptive headlights and the foldable sport bucket seats.Oh, and here's the owner again, delivering more details on how he came to choose these goodies for this rear-engined toy.The car features foldable bucket seats which was a must in order to easily place bags in the rear. Also wanted to go for the satin aluminum wheels to have a more classic look with the green, but then have that sporty touch with the ceramic brakes, yellow seat belts, and the seats. As for the color, I always dreamt to have a sports car in green, so I tried to request the Touring in 21D and it was accepted, the man explains.We'll continue to keep an eye out for GT3 TP specs and bring them to you as soon as we get our keyboards on them. Meanwhile, don't forget to use the swipe feature for the Instagram post below, to fully enjoy the Porscha.
The pilot of de Havilland Venom jet warbird was killed, two people on the ground were injured and about 50 calves had to be euthanized when the aircraft crashed into a calving barn on a dairy farm near Sheboygan, Wisconsin, on Friday. The aircraft, owned by the World Heritage Air Museum in Detroit, was one of dozens of warbirds taking part in the Great Air Clinic, a gathering of antique aircraft held at Sheboygan County Memorial Airport. The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff and came to rest on the farm less than a half mile from the airport. The pilot was killed instantly and has not been identified.

Witnesses said the aircraft was one of two aircraft that took off from the airport as part of the clinic. Hundreds of spectators line the airfield at the clinic each day. The event culminates with a departure for AirVenture Oshkosh, which begins Monday. The clinic also trains pilots to take part in the mass arrival of T-28 Trojans to AirVenture. A total of 865 Venoms were built in the late 1940s and early 1950s and there are a handful left flying. AirVenture lists a Venom as part of the event marking the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force but it hasnt been confirmed that this aircraft was to be in the show.
Regular attendees at AirVenture know theyll be seeing the latest wares and offerings from the industry this weekwith a healthy dollop of aviation history just to keep things in perspective.

Right across the field, however, Basler Flight Service combines both cutting-edge technology and aviations rich history in one big, highly successful package.

Since 1988, the company has been finding and refurbishing decades-old DC-3s and C-47sbringing these stalwart airframes into the 21st century with turbine power and updated avionics.

The Basler Turbo 67 (BT-67) conversion expands the DC-3 fuselage for a 35 percent increase in space, adds all new fuel, hydraulic, electrical and avionics systems in a package that yields a 43 percent increase in payload. The conversion increases maximum takeoff weight from 26,900 pounds to 30,000 pounds and lowers approach and stall speeds. The BT-67 is, according to the company, designed to be a robust, reliable and versatile transport aircraft.

Baslers conversion project had modest beginnings.

Warren Basler was born six miles south of OSH airport in 1926. He started flying early, soloing at 17 in a Piper Cub. Basler Flight Service was founded by Warren and his wife Pat, opening at Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1957, a dozen years before the EAA fly-in that would become AirVenture found its longtime home at the field.

Warren and Pats FBO offered a nice array of amenitiesfuel (both full- and self-service), ramp and hangar space, flight planning and conference space, pilots lounge and free transportation to the EAA museum. Warren and Pat ran the FBO together for almost forty years. For his contributions to aviation, Warren was inducted into the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame in 1993.

Sadly, Warren and three Basler employees were killed in a midair collision on a photo flight in 1997. He had logged more than 26,000 flight hours, more than 10,000 of which were in the DC-3. Pat stayed active in the business until her retirement in 2002. She passed away in 2007.

Basler Turbo Conversions

Where most people saw nothing but corroding hulks in the aging fleet of DC-3s and C-47s, Warren saw a business: The DC-3 was a beautiful, stable and virtually indestructible airframe going to waste, he is quoted as saying. We realized that by turbinizing and modernizing the airplane it would go on for many years. He received STC approval for the conversions in 1990 and production began the same year.

Once Basler acquires an airframe, it is inspected, re-engineered and strengthened to achieve zero accumulated fatigue damage. The old 1,200-HP Pratt & Whitney R-1830 engines are switched out for 1,424-HP P&W Canada PT6A-67Rs and five-bladed Hartzell propellers are added. The result is an aircraft with a maximum cruise speed of 215 knots, a 24 percent improvement on the piston DC-3.

On the avionics side, the typical package includes a Garmin GTN 750 navcomms, GWX 70 weather radar, BendixKing KN-63 DME and KCS55A compass system, Sandel SN3500 navigation display and NAT/AMS 43 audio panel. The avionics can also be customized to customer specifications.

Basler offers plenty of other options for the BT-67 as well. In addition to comfort choices like a lavatory and air conditioning, the company can outfit an aircraft for military missions including cockpit armor, 40-place troop seating and covert ops lighting. On the science mission side, they offer zone specific climate control, multiple high capacity operator stations, and nose and tail booms. For general use, long-range fuel tanks, a cargo winch and autopilot are all on the list of possibilities. The BT-67 can also be outfitted with retractable skis and heat blankets for polar operation and certified for flight into known icing. Given the wide array of possibilities, its no surprise that BT-67s have been sold all over the world.

When the remanufacture is complete, Basler says that every component, assembly and system on the aircraft is either new or like-new. The work takes about six months and 35,000 to 45,000 man-hours to complete. The company has produced more than 50 BT-67s in its nearly three decades of operation.

Notable Events

AirVenture service and turbo conversions arent Baslers only claims to fame. The FBO saw use as a film set in 2008, when scenes from Public Enemies (2009), starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, were shot there. For the film, the Basler hangar was transformed over a five-day period into a 1930s version of itself.

Basler Flight Service also got significant attention for a three-year legal battle over fuel pricing, which was resolved in 2006. A second FBO, Orion Flight Services, opened on the field in 2002. In 2003, Orion sued Basler, alleging that the company had violated Wisconsins minimum markup law on vehicle fuel, which requires that motor vehicle fuel prices must include a profit of up to 9.18 percent. The case went to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and was decided in Baslers favor. Basler acquired Orion in 2014.

These days, things change a bit when EAAs annual AirVenture comes to town. Every available parking space at Basler is filled, with the company taking parking reservations as early as January. Self-service fueling is closed. And traffic at the FBO goes from an average of 200 aircraft per month to roughly 4,000 in a single week. Event service makes up about 30 percent of the FBOs annual business. Basler says they typically hire as many as 50 additional employees just for AirVenture.

So when that Basler fuel truck pulls up to top your tanks prior to departure, its nice to know the company is part of AirVenture history that reaches back to a time when the DC-3 was the pinnacle of aviation technology.

The folks at Basler continue to prove it still is.
Former President Raul Castro, who heads a commission that drafts constitutional changes, has proposed amendments that would limit the age of future presidents to 60 and open the path to same-sex marriage, reports the Miami Herald.

Why it matters: Castro, 86, has often called for a "generational change" in the country's leadership, and the move to allow same-sex marriage is a major reverse in a country that once persecuted homosexuals, but later apologized for doing so before advancing LGBT rights.

The details: The changes would also remove the word "Communism" from the Constitution. But maintains that the countrys socialist system is "irrevocable" and the Communist Party is the only legal one.

The draft limits presidents to only two terms, and requires them to be no older than 60 at the start of the first term. It also called for a division of power at the government's top leadership, per the Herald.

Parliament will continue to elect the President, rather than voters  a change many Cubans want.

The president will be less of a "ceremonial" position and have tangible authority and nominate a prime minister.

The draft has to be approved by the National Assembly and then voted on through a referendum.

The backdrop: This comes three months after Miguel Diaz-Canel, Castro's hand-picked successor, became president. He is the first leader not named Castro in six decades. Castro, who succeeded his brother Fidel as president in 2006, has remained head of the Communist Party. Diaz-Canel's role is largely symbolic for the time being.
Eritrea has appointed an ambassador to its southern neighbor Ethiopia for the first time in two decades, the country's information minister announced on Twitter.

Why it matters: Earlier this month, the leaders of the two African nations announced an end to a war that had left 80,000 dead between 1998 and 2000 and hostilities frozen in the years since. The relationship has quickly thawed under the leadership of Ethiopia's new reform-minding prime minister, Abiy Ahmed.
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May ruled out the prospect of Northern Ireland remaining in the EU's shared "customs union" and "single market" during a speech in Belfast on Friday, reports BBC News.

Why it matters: The "backstop" arrangement to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is a key part of Brexit negotiations proposed by the EU. On an island where peace and borders are inextricably linked, the vulnerable prime minister is staring down some high-stakes Brexit complications.

The backdrop: The EU's status as a customs union with a single market defines all qualifying countries as one territory without internal borders, allowing for the free flow of people, goods and services without regulatory obstacles.

This special status played an important role during the Northern Ireland peace process of the 1990s, WashPost's Henry Farrell writes, as it eliminated the need for border controls and promoted integration between Northern Ireland and the Republic without the delicate implication of political unity.

Before Brexit negotiations began, the EU and the Republic of Ireland agreed to a "backstop" compromise under which Northern Ireland would remain in the single market and customs union in the event that a better arrangement could not be reached. Facing pressure from pro-Brexit hardliners, May has now ruled that option out.

"The economic and constitutional dislocation of a formal 'third country' customs border within our own country is something I will never accept and believe no British prime minister could ever accept".

 Prime Minister Theresa May

The big picture: The hardliners are forcing May's hand and pressuring her to adopt a tougher stance on the Irish border, against the wishes of the EU and republicans in Northern Ireland. In her speech on Friday, May called on the EU to "evolve their position" as negotiations continue, with the growing threat of a "no deal" Brexit looming overhead.

What to watch: As Brexit talks whip up a storm at the highest levels of government, the emergence of new dissident groups in Northern Ireland, including one that calls itself the "New IRA," is causing some of the country's worst outbreaks of violence in years, reports The Economist.

Go deeper: Theresa May will need a break from Brussels on Brexit.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristjen Nielsen faced a mini-firestorm after her interview at the Aspen Security Forum Thursday: Some listeners (and news coverage) understandably but inaccurately saw her as contesting that Russia's 2016 election-tampering was meant to help the Trump campaign.

Between the lines: Nielsen danced around providing a clear soundbite to that effect  though she did say she agreed with the intelligence assessment saying exactly that. But much of the criticism she faced is based on misunderstandings of security jargon that the Aspen audience would know.

What she said, part one: I havent seen any evidence that the attempt to interfere in our election infrastructure was to favor a particular political party,

What that means: The key word here is "infrastructure."

The Department of Homeland Security uses "election infrastructure" to refer to the voter databases and machines controlled by states.

The DHS website specifically reads: "Election Infrastructure does not include: Political action committees[,] Campaigns[,] Or any other non-state or local government election related group."

What Nielsen is saying is that attacks on voter databases that happened in Arizona and Illinois were likely not meant to favor either party. There's no public evidence now that any attack on voter databases was meant to favor a political party.

The attacks on the Democratic National Committee and other political targets, social media campaigns and propaganda efforts are not included in that statement. And it's the propaganda and leaked emails that most clearly benefitted Trump.

What she said, part two: "What weve seen on the foreign influence side is they were attempting to intervene and cause chaos on both sides."

What that means: In context, "foreign influence" refers to social media campaigns.

Nielsen followed that line by citing the massive Russian bot efforts on the subjects of Charlottesville and Syria as examples of campaigns meant to "sow discord and get us all to fight against each other."

While there isn't public evidence showing Charlottesville campaigns targeting both sides of the debate (private researchers largely found evidence of a pro-right wing campaign), it's clear Nielsen is discussing the broader issue of social media.

Russian-sponsored Facebook ads did target both sides during the election to further divide Americans.

None of this means DHS doesn't see Russian activity. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies  including DHS  agree that Russian information attacks on social media are continuing. It's just that DHS isn't seeing an attack on the infrastructure that allows elections to move forward.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday issued a stern warning to President Trump against provoking Tehran through sanctions, telling Trump that "America should know ... war with Iran is the mother of all wars," Reuters reports.

Mr Trump, dont play with the lions tail, this would only lead to regret"

 Rouhani says, per Reuters, citing state new agency IRNA.

The backdrop: This comes as Iran faces impending sanctions after Trump in May withdrew the U.S. from a 2015 deal, under which the country has scaled back its nuclear program in exchange for international sanctions relief.
1 big thing: The childless, aging future

Since the dawn of humans, we have had to figure out how to support a rising population. But in a momentous change, that age-old challenge is reversing: The population of most countries is shrinking  for many of them, at an alarming pace  and at the same time aging, writes Axios Future Editor Steve LeVine.

Much of the world teeters on the cusp of a childless, elderly future.

Why it matters: A growing, youthful population is typically a bedrock sign of vitality. In the industrial age, that's included a growing economy, greater opportunity, advancing technology, and a more comfortable retirement for older people. The turnaround on all continents except Africa means supporting an increasing number of retired people with many fewer workers, and confronts the world with two primary solutions, both of them controversial:

Loosen up currently fraught politics around migration.

currently fraught politics around migration. Or populate our countries with robot helpers.

Whichever the case, almost no one seems prepared. People are going to have to work longer, experts say. And the U.S. requires "major reforms" in its programs for the elderly, says Richard Cincotta, director of the Global Political Demography Program at the Stimson Center, and fofrmerly a lead demographer for the U.S. intelligence community. But the government "seems to be nowhere near making the social security reforms that are needed."

Largely because of Africa, the global population is forecast to continue rising through the century, past 11 billion. But according to the United Nations, there is a 23% chance the world population will stabilize or fall by then in a phenomenon that some demographers call "peak human."

Digging underneath the numbers:

By 2100, the population of the world's poorest countries will more than triple, from 954 million in 2015 to 3.2 billion.

the population of the world's poorest countries will more than triple, from 954 million in 2015 to 3.2 billion. Minus immigration, the populations of the U.S., Japan and all of Europe are shrinking. By 2050, 48 countries or areas will have fewer people. Several will see a 15% decline, including Japan, the Balkans and the Baltics, and some much more.

the populations of the U.S., Japan and all of Europe are shrinking. By 2050, 48 countries or areas will have fewer people. Several will see a 15% decline, including Japan, the Balkans and the Baltics, and some much more. In 2016, the fertility rate in the United States was the lowest it has ever been, according to the Centers for Disease Control. It was 1,765 births per 1,000 population, below the replacement rate (the number needed to replace the current population, factoring in mortality) of 2,100.

At the same time, there will be more old people: Forecasts include a spike in the number of people 80 and over.

Global life expectancy will rise from about 70 in 2015 to 83 in 2100, according to UN figures.

will rise from about 70 in 2015 to 83 in 2100, according to UN figures. Except in Africa, by 2050 about a quarter of the world population will be 60 or older. At about 900 million now (about 13% of the population), their numbers will rise to about 3.2 billion in 2100. By 2080, those 65 or older will be 29.1% of the global population  and 12.7% will be 80 or over, Eurostat said.

The most worrying figure: The world will not have sufficient working-age people to support the elderly. Currently, North America has just under four workers per retired person. Seven European countries have three, and Japan has just a bit more than two.
Russia is seeking the release of Maria Butina, the Russian national accused of accessing U.S. political organizations in an attempt to influence prominent Republicans and gain information to report back to the Russian government, the New York Times reports.

The details: Since Butina's indictment by the Justice Department, the Russian government has made a vast effort in demanding her release. On Saturday, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov reportedly called Mike Pompeo and argued that the charges against Butina were "fabricated."
Russias governing party, United Russia, has proposed legislation seeking to impose an $800,000 fine on websites for "inaccurate" posts if they fail to remove the content, and will hold social networks accountable for comments users post the government deems erroneous, reports the New York Times.

The details: Critics see the legislation, which passed one of three series of votes in Parliament, as a crackdown on digital rights. Internet companies, who would be required to remove such posts, argue that the number of posts and comments by readers make it impossible for for moderators to thoroughly review within 24 hours, per the Times. Under current law, social media users could be prisoned or face a fine for content that promotes homosexuality, seen as a threat to public order or "extremist" in nature.
President Donald Trump has expressed private frustrations over the lack of immediate progress in nuclear talks with North Korea, the WashPost reports.

The details: The North Koreans, trained in "the art of delay and obfuscation," have made life difficult for U.S. officials by repeatedly canceling meetings and failing to maintain communications, as intelligence reports suggest Pyongyang may be be working to hide key details of its nuclear program. Trump, meanwhile, has fumed privately to aides while publicly touting the success of his meeting with Kim Jong Un.
By Trend

Azerbaijan is an active partner of both Russia and Russian public organizations, Vladimir Zorin, a member of the Russian Presidential Council on Interethnic Relations, told "Vestnik Kavkaza" during the Congress of the Peoples of Russia, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the public organization of the Assembly of the Peoples of Russia.

"I think, we will constructively interact further on this site. Azerbaijan is one of the most prominent, visible states on the Eurasian space, which plays a very large role both as a moderator and as a platform for dialogue in the Caucasus region", he said.

Zorin stressed that Azerbaijan's participation in the Assembly of Peoples of Eurasia has a great perspective.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
President of Moldova Igor Dodon has received Secretary General of Nizami Ganjavi International Center Rovshan Muradov.

They discussed the activity of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, as well as its future projects, the 6th Global Baku Forum, Azertag reported.

President Igor Dodon stressed the importance of projects carried out by the Center across the last years. The President also noted the Center`s initiatives have particular significance in strengthening the intercultural dialogue, as well as ensuring the peace and security in the world.

President Igor Dodon was informed that one of the priorities of the Center is supporting the initiatives served to settlement of the global problems.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Richard Bacon has told how his death scare came during what had been the most healthy year of my life.

The broadcaster, 42, fell ill while flying to Britain from the US and was taken off the plane in a wheelchair.

He was admitted to hospital two weeks ago and placed in a medically-induced coma.

Me and my lad @richardpbacon Hes getting there  pic.twitter.com/4ozkG6U3dh  Christine Bacon (@xtinebacon) July 20, 2018

Bacon, who has been living in the US, told Radio 4s Broadcasting House that he had visited the gym twice a day in Los Angeles.

But the ex-Blue Peter presenter said he came close to death during the early part of his stay in the London hospital because of the still-mystery illness.

He told how he began feeling unwell during the flight, saying: I started to feel very, very cold and slightly hallucinogenic

I felt like I was sitting in a field in winter and I was rocking back and forth. I was in such a state that when we landed after 10 hours that they had to get me off the plane in a wheelchair.

Cleared for take off. Gone within the hour. I dont know whether I see this as the bed I nearly died in or the bed that saved my life. Either way. I wont miss it. But I will miss the 50 staff of Lewisham Hospital who definitely saved my life. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. pic.twitter.com/bOslPowxN4  richard bacon (@richardpbacon) July 19, 2018

But Bacon said: This is where being in good shape worked against me. I think because I knew I had worked hard this year I thought, Ill be alright so I didnt go straight to A&E which was a mistake.

He said: I was short of breath and what I should have done, and what I would urge anyone to do if ever short of breath through reasons they cant ascertain, is you go straight to A&E.

The next morning I went to A&E and even then I didnt treat it very urgently. I just did a walk-in.

He said during the first two nights in hospital the infection was winning and my lungs were losing and he has since found out he came quite close to death during this time.

I have had a couple of moments of feeling slightly haunted by it, he said.

Bacon said doctors will never know what he was struck by but added: Im fixed, its gone.

Last day visitors pic.twitter.com/PucJpsf07K  richard bacon (@richardpbacon) July 19, 2018

He told the Radio 4 show: I must have been injected 250 times in the last two weeks because they didnt know what it was.

He added it was the most shocking moment of my life.

Bacon thought he would have one night in hospital but the consultant told him: I need to put you into an induced coma so that we can control your breathing and if I dont do that youre probably going to die.

To start with it was profoundly shocking and then I was immediately at peace with it because hed taken the decision away

Within minutes its a new reality.
The mother of TV presenter Richard Bacon has thanked NHS staff for saving her sons life after he was placed in a medically-induced coma.

Bacon, 42, fell ill while flying to Britain from the US and was taken off the plane in a wheelchair before being admitted to hospital two weeks ago.

The former Blue Peter presenter is now recovering at home.

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Christine Bacon praised staff at University Hospital Lewisham in south-east London.

Expand Close Richard Bacon was pictured leaving Lewisham Hospital in south east London with his wife Rebecca (Dominic Lipinski/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Richard Bacon was pictured leaving Lewisham Hospital in south east London with his wife Rebecca (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

She told the newspaper: He was incredibly poorly. We think it was double bronchitis. Its a good job he was in this country. Had he been in LA I wouldnt have been able to see him.

The NHS have done a great job He was in a coma, with loads of wires in him and we knew it was critical.

Being a mother, you cant imagine losing your kids. As a mother you cant let yourself really consider that youre going to lose him, theres nothing worse.

Me and my lad @richardpbacon Hes getting there  pic.twitter.com/4ozkG6U3dh  Christine Bacon (@xtinebacon) July 20, 2018

On Saturday, Mrs Bacon tweeted a touching picture of the pair together, with her arms draped over the TV presenter.

She captioned the image: Me and my lad @richardpbacon Hes getting there.

Bacon wore sunglasses and had a plaster on his neck.

On Thursday, he emerged from hospital accompanied by his wife Rebecca, walking with the aid of a frame.

Cleared for take off. Gone within the hour. I dont know whether I see this as the bed I nearly died in or the bed that saved my life. Either way. I wont miss it. But I will miss the 50 staff of Lewisham Hospital who definitely saved my life. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. pic.twitter.com/bOslPowxN4  richard bacon (@richardpbacon) July 19, 2018

Before leaving the ward, Bacon, father to Arthur, six, and Ivy, four, tweeted that he was cleared for take off, along with a picture of his hospital bed.

He added: Gone within the hour. I dont know whether I see this as the bed I nearly died in or the bed that saved my life.

Either way. I wont miss it. But I will miss the 50 staff of Lewisham Hospital who definitely saved my life. Every. Single. One. Of. Them.

Last day visitors pic.twitter.com/PucJpsf07K  richard bacon (@richardpbacon) July 19, 2018

On Wednesday, the radio and TV presenter marked his last full day in hospital and, paying tribute to Rebecca, said: How will I ever thank her?

He added: I was in a coma for nine or 10 nights (I just learned). Thats a lot of staring at your husband and his pipes. And a lot of worry.

He shared a picture of his hand intertwined with hers on the bed.
It's been claimed an average of 28 women a week travel from Northern Ireland to England for an abortion.

Figures from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, obtained by Labour MP Stella Creasy, suggest 342 women crossed the Irish Sea between March and May this year. Official government figures show that 833 women travelled to England or Wales for an abortion in 2015.

On Sunday more than 170 politicians from across the spectrum in the UK and Ireland called on the British Government to reform Northern Ireland's abortion laws

The group, including Conservative, Labour and Lib Dem MPs and peers, Stormont Assembly members and Irish TDs and senators, said it is a matter of protecting women's human rights and honouring the Good Friday Agreement.

According to the group, nearly 1,000 women and girls were forced to travel to Britain for safe terminations in 2017, while others had to take illegal abortion drugs at home.

Calls for Northern Ireland's abortion laws to be reformed have intensified after a referendum in the Republic of Ireland resoundingly backed liberalising legislation south of the border.

Downing Street has previously said abortion law is a devolved issue, however the absence of a power-sharing agreement at Stormont has placed pressure on Westminster to act.

Prime Minister Theresa May's allies in the DUP, on whom she relies for her Commons majority, are staunchly opposed to relaxing abortion laws.

In a letter to the Sunday Times, the group has urged the UK Government to repeal sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 that makes it a crime for a woman to cause her own abortion in Northern Ireland.

They wrote: "This is the first and critical step to ending the treatment of British and Irish women living in Northern Ireland as second-class citizens, who do not enjoy the same access to healthcare as their counterparts do across these islands.

"We therefore call for our respective governments to act to ensure that the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement is upheld and the human rights of the women living in Northern Ireland are respected."

Conservatives Sarah Wollaston, the chairwoman of the Commons Health and Social Care Committee, former women and equalities minister Nicky Morgan and former party chairwoman Baroness Warsi were among nine Tory MPs and peers to back the calls.

Sinn Fein leaders, Michelle O'Neil and Mary Lou McDonald also signed the letter, along with Fine Gael Senator Catherine Noone, who chaired a committee that recommended changing the law in the Republic.

Labour deputy leader Tom Watson, Lib Dem deputy Jo Swinson and Home Affairs Select Committee chairwoman Yvette Cooper also provided cross-party support to the call.
Snow and ice could cause problems

The road has been closed.

Follow the latest updates from our travel feed below

The Dobbin Road in Armagh has been reopend folowing an earlier crash.

Diversions are in place and traffic is being diverted onto the Vicarage Road, delays are expected.

Our live updates from across Northern Ireland are compiled by @TrafficwatchNI, @BBCNITravel and @PSNITraffic.
The DUP's Sammy Wilson attacked the BBC for having the "brass neck" to suggest Ian Paisley should be sacked by his party, saying the MP had been punished enough.

The East Antrim Member of Parliament went on the offensive when questioned if Mr Paisley should be the DUP candidate if a by-election is called.

He said there was "parallels" between Ian Paisley's Commons sanction for not declaring lavish family holidays and advocating on behalf of the Sri Lankan Government and the BBC losing its privacy case against Sir Cliff Richard.

"If you are suggesting we sack him, you've a bit of a brass neck," the MP told Mark Carruthers on the Sunday Politics show.

"I want to know what the BBC stance is when people do wrong, when they get fined."

Mr Carruthers said he would need to ask "someone a lot more important than me," adding "I think people can see through this."

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Turning to the matter of Mr Paisley and his House of Commons 30-sitting day suspension, Sammy Wilson said there should be no further sanction from his party.

On Saturday DUP party officers met to discuss the matter. It's thought the outcome of the disciplinary process will not be known for some time. Last week leader Arlene Foster dodged a question of supporting the MP, saying the matter rests with the party officers.

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The Sunday Life reported the MP could be suspended from the party which would likely end before any by-election allowing him to stand as a DUP candidate.

"As far as I am concerned Ian Paisley has been punished by the House of Commons," said Sammy Wilson.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Sammy Wilson also asked if Sinn Fein had ever requested the resignation of Gerry Adams. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Sammy Wilson also asked if Sinn Fein had ever requested the resignation of Gerry Adams.

"He has been punished very severely. He has admitted he did wrong and he has apologised to the party, to parliament and to his constituents.

"I don't believe there should be any additional sanction imposed on him. I believe he has admitted he was wrong, he didn't try to hide it, he stood up and publicly apologised for it and has been punished very severely for it."

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Asked if Ian Paisley should be the party candidate for DUP should a by-election be called, the MP said he "deserved" to be a candidate aand he was a "great MP".

"The reason why he has a massive majority is because people in his constituency know he works hard for them," he added.

"I watch him in the House of Commons, he is a diligent MP, I think he deserves to be a candidate."

The House of Commons is to consider a motion recommending Ian Paisley's suspension. It will likely be upheld.
Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has indicated the UK could refuse to pay its 39 billion divorce bill to Brussels if it does not get a trade deal (Kirsty OConnor/PA)

Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has accused the EU of irresponsibly ramping up pressure in withdrawal negotiations.

The comments came as Mr Raab indicated he was still trying to persuade all members of the Cabinet that Theresa Mays Chequers compromise agreement was the best plan to get the best deal.

As Mr Raab, who has said a deal with the EU can be reached by October, readied to return to Brussels for more Brexit talks on Thursday he signalled that Britain could withhold its 39 billion divorce bill if it did not get a trade deal in return.

80% of the UK-EU withdrawal agreement is settled says Brexit Secretary @DominicRaab #marr pic.twitter.com/65ctgVGPba  The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) July 22, 2018

And Tory former prime minister Sir John Major became the latest prominent Conservative to leave the door open to a new referendum, insisting that such a vote would be morally justified.

Mr Raab was scathing about comments from Brussels stating that a no deal scenario would mean there would be no specific arrangements in place for UK citizens living on the continent, or for EU migrants in Britain after withdrawal.

Mr Raab told BBC1s The Andrew Marr Show: Well, I think thats a rather irresponsible thing to be coming from the other side.

We ought to be trying to reassure citizens on the continent and also here.

There is obviously an attempt to try and ramp up the pressure.

New Brexit Secretary @DominicRaab on UK government preparations for 'no deal' with the EU #marr pic.twitter.com/wRk0eepC97  The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) July 22, 2018

The Brexit Secretary said there had to be conditionality under the Article 50 withdrawal mechanism between settling Britains exit payment and creating a new relationship with the EU.

He told the Sunday Telegraph: Article 50 requires, as we negotiate the withdrawal agreement, that theres a future framework for our new relationship going forward, so the two are linked.

You cant have one side fulfilling its side of the bargain and the other side not, or going slow, or failing to commit on its side.

So, I think we do need to make sure that theres some conditionality between the two.

The comments appeared at odds with Chancellor Philip Hammond, who said of the divorce payment last December: I find it inconceivable that we as a nation would be walking away from an obligation that we recognised as an obligation.

That is not a credible scenario. That is not the kind of country we are. Frankly, it would not make us a credible partner for future international agreements.

Mr Raab also defended the controversial Chequers Cabinet compromise on withdrawal aims, insisting he wanted to persuade voters and Cabinet colleagues that it is the way forward.

The Brexit Secretary said: I want to make sure we can persuade everyone  grassroots, voters, parliamentary party and ministers, including in the Cabinet  that weve got the best deal and the best plan to get the best deal.

Asked if reports the Government was planning to stockpile food for a no deal outcome were true, Mr Raab told the BBC: No. That kind of selective snippet that makes it into the media I think is  to the extent that the public pay attention to it  I think is unhelpful.

Pressed on claims the M26 in Kent could partially become a lorry park, the Brexit Secretary said: Well, no. But of course if we have no deal we will want to make sure that were prepared at the border with the knock-on effects that that would have if on the EU side they take the worst case scenario approach, which is frankly irrational. Im confident we wont get there.

But even if we did we will have the planning in place, the preparation in place, the operational matters in place, from the infrastructure to the planning laws, to deal with that.

No wonder Dominic Raab can talk so casually about a No Deal Brexit on #marr.



People like him will be fine. It's the poorest - those he has belittled so many times in the past - who will be financially crippled.  David Lammy (@DavidLammy) July 22, 2018

On a second referendum, Sir John told The Andrew Marr Show: I mean, frankly, a second vote has democratic downsides. It has difficulties.

But is it morally justified? I think it is.

A referendum isnt an easy option, but its not one at this stage that I would rule out.

Sir John said he feared the hardline stance of a group of arch-Brexiteer Tory MPs could now see the UK crash out of the EU without a deal.

Former Conservative PM Sir John Major is asked whether the party's factions can continue to co-exist #marr pic.twitter.com/2WwrelLLuR  The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) July 22, 2018

Former Brexit secretary David Davis has urged the Prime Minister to reset her negotiating strategy.

Mr Davis, who quit as Brexit secretary in protest at the Chequers agreement, said the PM needed to start again on withdrawal plans.

Were going to have to do a reset and come back and look at it all again, he told the Sunday Express.

I think when we get to the autumn, if we are in the situation where we dont have any degree of agreement, were going to have to start again.

Preparations for no deal need to accelerate from the current position of consult and cajole to command and control, he told the paper.

By the end of the summer it should be plain we are making proper preparations for this, he said.

On Sunday sugar maker Tate & Lyle, which backed Brexit, said the Prime Ministers white paper was confusing.

The comments came as a new poll suggested only 16% of voters think Mrs May is handling negotiations well, while 34% believe former foreign secretary Boris Johnson would do a better job.

Conservative former minister Dominic Grieve said no deal would be absolutely catastrophic for the UK, adding on Sky News Sophy Ridge on Sunday: We will be in a state of emergency  basic services we take for granted might not be available.

Mr Grieve said he did not believe Mrs May is at risk, but added: The only group that could possibly bring the Prime Minister down is if the group of my hard Brexit colleagues so lose the plot that they decide that is an effective way for them to proceed.
The UK could refuse to pay its 39 billion divorce bill to Brussels if it does not get a trade deal, Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has signalled.

Mr Raab said there had to be conditionality under the Article 50 withdrawal mechanism between settling Britains exit payment and creating a new relationship with the EU.

Meanwhile, he indicated he was still trying to persuade all members of the Cabinet that Theresa Mays Chequers agreement was the best plan to get the best deal.

Former Brexit secretary David Davis has urged the Prime Minister to reset her negotiating strategy.

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Raab suggested the divorce bill could be used as leverage in the talks with Brussels.

He said: Article 50 requires, as we negotiate the withdrawal agreement, that theres a future framework for our new relationship going forward, so the two are linked.

You cant have one side fulfilling its side of the bargain and the other side not, or going slow, or failing to commit on its side.

So, I think we do need to make sure that theres some conditionality between the two.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Raab: No trade deal no cash for EU #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/pKppFOFz36  Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) July 21, 2018

Pressed on whether he would put such a provision into legislation, Mr Raab said: Certainly it needs to go into the arrangements we have at international level with our EU partners. We need to make it clear that the two are linked.

The comments appeared at odds with Chancellor Philip Hammond, who said of the divorce payment last December: I find it inconceivable that we as a nation would be walking away from an obligation that we recognised as an obligation.

That is not a credible scenario. That is not the kind of country we are. Frankly, it would not make us a credible partner for future international agreements.

Mr Raab also defended the controversial Chequers Cabinet compromise on withdrawal aims, insisting he wanted to persuade voters and Cabinet colleagues that it is the way forward.

The Brexit Secretary said: I want to make sure we can persuade everyone  grassroots, voters, parliamentary party and ministers, including in the Cabinet  that weve got the best deal and the best plan to get the best deal.

The Brexit Secretary said critics were mistaken to think Mrs May would not walk away without a deal if she had to.

Theyre wrong. No bluffing.

The ball is now in the EUs court, and dont get me wrong, there will be plenty more negotiations, Ive made that clear, but if they show us the same level of ambition, energy, pragmatism, this deal gets done in 12 weeks.

Mr Davis, who quit as Brexit secretary in protest at the Chequers agreement, said the PM needed to start again on withdrawal plans.

Were going to have to do a reset and come back and look at it all again, he told the Sunday Express.

I think when we get to the autumn, if we are in the situation where we dont have any degree of agreement, were going to have to start again.

Mr Davis suggested the Government draws up fresh proposals based on an amalgamation of the best bits of deals the EU has already struck with other countries, such as Canada, South Korea, Switzerland and New Zealand.

Meanwhile, preparations for no deal need to accelerate from the current position of consult and cajole to command and control, he told the paper.

By the end of the summer it should be plain we are making proper preparations for this, he said.

On Sunday sugar maker Tate & Lyle, which backed Brexit, said the Prime Ministers white paper was confusing.

Gerald Mason, senior vice president at Sugars, said told BBC Radio 4s Broadcasting House: In theory the white paper allows the UK to have an independent trade policy, in practice the mechanism that will be used to jointly police the UKs and EUs tariffs is what we are confused about.

If that is designed in a way that works for businesses like ours and we really can take advantage of trade deals that the UK strikes then thats great, if its not then its true, we would have a trade policy in principle but not in practice.

The comments came as a new poll suggested only 16% of voters think Mrs May is handling negotiations well, while 34% believe former foreign secretary Boris Johnson would do a better job.

And 38% of people would vote for a new party on the right that was committed to Brexit, while 24% are ready to support an explicitly far right anti-immigrant, anti-Islam party, according to the You Gov survey for The Sunday Times.

The poll found that one in three voters are prepared to back a new anti-Brexit centrist party.
Business owners and residents gather to protest at the lack of access to their properties since last months Glasgow School of Art fire in the historic Mackintosh Building in Glasgow.

Residents and business owners have staged a protest demanding access to their properties within the cordon around Glasgow School of Art.

Businesses and 33 homes within the cordon zone remain evacuated following the blaze which tore through the Mackintosh Building on the night of June 15.

Glasgow City Council said that parts of the building are at risk of sudden, unannounced, collapse and it is being dismantled on safety grounds.

Locals have been left frustrated that they cannot access their property to retrieve possessions.

Expand Close Work continues to dismantle the Glasgow School of Arts Mackintosh building (David Cheskin/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Garnethill Displaced Residents Group and Sauchiehall Street Inner Cordon Business circulated A Notice of Entry form demanding entry to their properties on Sunday, however Glasgow City Council warned that anyone who tries to breach the cordon faces arrest.

Around 30 people took part in a protest at the cordon on Sunday.

They included Iram Shafiq, 21, who has not been able to get into the property she shares with her mother and three siblings for the past five weeks.

She said: I have a sister with autism and epilepsy and a brother with autism and they dont understand whats happened.

We have lived there for over 12 years. We just want to get into our home for 10 to 20 minutes just to get the essential stuff we need, put it in a bag and get out as soon as possible.

Its frustrating, it really is.

Expand Close Police at the cordon at the Glasgow School of Art (PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Chris Colins, community councillor for Blythswood and Broomielaw, said people were feeling angry about the situation.

He said: People have not been allowed any access to their properties or businesses. There are people with car keys who cannot get to work, people cannot get their bank cards, passports, ID to show banks.

Theres a man who tunes musical instruments and he cant get in to get his tools. Businesses are going to go under and 350 people could be out of a job.

The fire took hold during a major restoration project following another large blaze at the Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed art school in 2014.

Nearby properties including music venue the O2 ABC were also affected by the latest fire.

Expand Close The fire could be seen from across the city (@banpo_monkey/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook

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Annemarie ODonnell, chief executive of Glasgow City Council wrote to the two groups on Friday warning people they should not breach the cordon until Glasgow City Councils building control officers have declared that the art school and ABC buildings are no longer dangerous.

She added: This is because the building may be subject to a sudden, unannounced, collapse.

The building has suffered significant trauma, as a result the walls have moved in ways which will certainly lead to parts of the building collapsing.

That collapse could happen without warning. Anyone in any adjacent buildings in the path of falling masonry would be at risk of death.

She said that police may arrest anyone who tries to breach the cordon.

Expand Close Glasgow School of Art after the fire (Andrew Milligan/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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The local authority is making a hardship fund available in co-operation with the Scottish Government, with each affected household able to apply for 3,000.

The council said it has also been writing to insurers to confirm that residents and businesses cannot access their property as it is within a public safety cordon.

Police said that officers remain at the cordon for public safety purposes and confirmed that anyone breaching it may be arrested.
The announcement marked the first such Israeli intervention in Syrias civil war (SANA via AP)

The Israeli military has evacuated 800 defence volunteers and family members from a Syrian border area to Jordan.

The volunteers, known as White Helmets, had been stranded in the border area with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights following the latest Syrian government offensive in southwestern Syria.

Jordan confirmed that 800 Syrian citizens have entered its territory to be resettled in Western countries.

Following an Israeli Government directive and at the request of the United States and additional European countries, the IDF recently completed a humanitarian effort to rescue members of a Syrian civil organization and their families  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 22, 2018

The civilians were evacuated from the war zone in Southern Syria due to an immediate threat to their lives. The transfer of the displaced Syrians through Israel is an exceptional humanitarian gesture  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 22, 2018

The Israeli military said the overnight operation was an exceptional humanitarian gesture done at the request of the United States and its European allies due to an immediate threat to the (Syrians) lives.

The military said its actions did not reflect a change to Israels non-intervention policy in Syrias war, now in its eighth year, where all the warring parties are considered hostile.

The Syrians would remain in Jordan for three months before moving on to the UK, Germany and Canada, the Jordanian Foreign Ministrys spokesman Mohammed al-Kayed said.

The request was approved based on pure humanitarian reasons, he added.

Expand Close The White Helmets have enjoyed backing from the United States and other Western nations for years (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP, File) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Raed Saleh, head of the Syrian Civil Defence as the White Helmets are also known, said a number of volunteers and their families were evacuated from a dangerous, besieged area and had reached Jordan. He did not elaborate on the numbers of those evacuated.

The Associated Press first reported on Friday that US officials were finalising plans to evacuate several hundred Syrian civil defence workers and their families from south-west Syria as Russian-backed government forces closed in on the Quneitra province, along the Golan Heights frontier.

The officials said the White Helmets, who have enjoyed backing from the United States and other Western nations for years, were likely to be targeted by Syrian forces as they retook control of the south-west. Evacuation plans were accelerated after last weeks Nato summit in Brussels.

Since the Syrian government offensive began in June, the area along the frontier in the Golan Heights has been the safest in the south-western region, attracting hundreds of displaced because of its location along the disengagement line with Israel, demarcated in 1974 after a war. Thousands of civilians had taken shelter near the frontier to escape the government offensive.

The civilians were subsequently transferred to a neighboring country. Israel continues to maintain a non-intervention policy regarding the Syrian conflict and continues to hold the Syrian regime accountable for all activities in Syrian territory  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 22, 2018

The Syrian government is unlikely to fire there or carry out air strikes for fear of an Israeli response.

The White Helmets have typically operated in opposition-held areas across Syria, places where government services are almost non-existent, voluntarily risking their lives to save hundreds of civilian lives during government air strikes and bombardments.

The government and Russia view the White Helmets as agents of foreign powers and have regularly accused them of staging rescue missions or chemical attacks.

Over the last month, Syrian government forces aided by Russian air power have swept through south-western Syria to consolidate government control over this strategic corner of the country that straddles the border with Jordan and the frontier with Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

With its new advances, government forces are, for the first time since the civil war began in 2011, retaking this territory from the rebels and restoring their positions along the disengagement line in the Golan Heights.
A top US intelligence official has said he meant no disrespect to President Donald Trump in a televised interview discussing the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Director of national intelligence Dan Coats said his comments at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado were not intended to be critical of the presidents decision to invite Mr Putin to a meeting in Washington later this year.

Some press coverage has mischaracterised my intentions in responding to breaking news presented to me during a live interview, Mr Coats said. My admittedly awkward response was in no way meant to be disrespectful or criticise the actions of the president.

Mr Coats has been under scrutiny since he said he wished Mr Trump had not met one-on-one with the Russian leader and expressed dismay that the president had publicly undermined US intelligence agencies.

OK. That's going to be specialDan Coats upon learning Mr Trump had invited Mr Putin to Washington

Mr Coats issued a rare statement rebutting the presidents comments during a press conference with Mr Putin doubting the findings of the intelligence community on Russian election interference.

White House aides were fearful that he might resign over the presidents comments, and the president spoke positively of Mr Coats in a television interview on Wednesday.

But Mr Coats display of surprise upon learning that Mr Trump had invited Mr Putin to Washington this autumn for a follow-on meeting drew the presidents ire.

Say that again, Mr Coats said, cupping his hand over his ear on live television. He took a deep breath and continued: OK. Thats going to be special.

Expand Close Donald Trump met Vladimir Putin with just interpreters in Helsinki (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Mr Coats also revealed in the interview with NBCs Andrea Mitchell that he was unaware of what transpired in the private meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Putin in Helsinki, and restated without equivocation his belief that Russia continues to pose a threat to the American electoral system.

Basically, they are the ones that are trying to undermine our basic values and divide with our allies, Mr Coats said of Russia. They are the ones who are trying to wreak havoc over our election process.

Mr Coats, who oversees the nations 17 intelligence agencies, also said that if he had been asked, he would have advised Mr Trump against meeting Mr Putin alone, with just interpreters.

Thats not my role. Thats not my job. It is what it is, Mr Coats said.
15 jobs will be created over two years at technology start-up TenderScout.

A 1m investment, including a 300,000 backing from Enterprise Ireland, is part of the Dublin-based tech company's planned expansion.

TenderScout is a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform that provides end-to-end support to businesses competing for Government tender opportunities all over the world.

It is hiring for technology, customer service, and sales and marketing roles and plans to further expand across Europe and the US next year.

Founder Tony Corrigan explained the company's ethos: Essentially, we simplify Government contracting opportunities for small and medium businesses, saving them time trawling through tender alert lists and figuring out their likelihood of winning the contract.

The core problem TenderScout solves, according to Mr Corrigan, is that globally SMEs are missing out on revenues from the public procurement market worth $13 Trillion.

Around 90% of SMEs dont participate at all in public tendering because they lack the expertise to compete and decide its too hard or time-consuming and generally inaccessible to small business, he said.

The Irish company gives SMEs the ability to participate in public tenders, regardless of their scale or tendering expertise.

Niall McEvoy, High Potential Start-ups, Enterprise Ireland, says it supports innovative Irish companies like TenderScout that have real potential to realise their global ambition by expanding into new markets and growing business.

TenderScout is an excellent example of an indigenous company that has identified a need within the SME sector and addressed it effectively. Enterprise Ireland has worked with Tenderscout since 2014, and we look forward to supporting to them through their next phase of growth.

Digital Desk
More than 170 politicians from across the spectrum in the UK and Ireland have called on the British Government to reform Northern Ireland's abortion laws.

The group, including Irish TDs and senators, UK Conservative, Labour and Lib Dem MPs and peers, and Stormont Assembly members, said it is a matter of protecting women's human rights and honouring the Good Friday Agreement.

According to the group, nearly 1,000 women and girls were forced to travel to Britain for safe terminations in 2017, while others had to take illegal abortion drugs at home.

Calls for Northern Ireland's abortion laws to be reformed have intensified after the referendum resoundingly backed repealing the Eighth Amendment.

Downing Street has previously said abortion law is a devolved issue, however the absence of a power-sharing agreement at Stormont has placed pressure on Westminster to act.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May's allies in the DUP, on whom she relies for her Commons majority, are staunchly opposed to relaxing abortion laws.

In a letter to the Sunday Times, the group has urged the UK Government to repeal sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 that makes it a crime for a woman to cause her own abortion in Northern Ireland.

They wrote: "This is the first and critical step to ending the treatment of British and Irish women living in Northern Ireland as second-class citizens, who do not enjoy the same access to healthcare as their counterparts do across these islands.

"We therefore call for our respective governments to act to ensure that the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement is upheld and the human rights of the women living in Northern Ireland are respected."

173 MPs, Peers, MLAs, TDs, Sentaors from Ireland, Northern Ireland & Britain have signed a letter calling on the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference to agree a pathway to adequately provide for human rights in NI  incl abortion access. #NowForNIhttps://t.co/kGhP6O4GAW pic.twitter.com/4qfpuUdaCS  London-Irish ARC (@LdnIrishARC) July 22, 2018

Sinn Fein's leaders, Michelle O'Neil and Mary Lou McDonald signed the letter, along with Fine Gael Senator Catherine Noone, who chaired a committee that recommended changing the law in Ireland.

Conservatives Sarah Wollaston, the chairwoman of the Commons Health and Social Care Committee, former women and equalities minister Nicky Morgan and former party chairwoman Baroness Warsi were among nine Tory MPs and peers to back the calls.

UK Labour party deputy leader Tom Watson, Lib Dem deputy Jo Swinson and Home Affairs Select Committee chairwoman Yvette Cooper also provided cross-party support to the call.

PA & Digital Desk
Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has raised concerns about the North being left in limbo without peace and infrastructure funds amid efforts to avoid a hard border.

Speaking in Donegal, at the MacGill Summer School this evening, Mr Ahern also suggested that Britain after Brexit would undermine its own market as a destination for Irish agri-food exports.

His remarks come as negotiations between the EU and Britain resume this week on attempts to agree a withdrawal deal and therefor avoid a cliff edge scenario for Brexit.

Mr Ahern, delivering the 18th Annual John Hume lecture in Glenties, said:

I would strongly urge the European Union to continue to support future peace programmes in Ireland, post the British departure from the European Union.

Discussing Brexit at the opening of MacGill this evening, the former Fianna Fail leader said there was no reason why the European Union cannot continue to support the peace process in Ireland within the changing new political architecture of the European Union.

EU funding has helped government agencies in the North as well as public bodies, private sectors companies and the farming community there.

Under the Common Agricultural Policy 2014  2020, farmers in the North will receive in excess of 2.6bn in direct payments during this period. This accounts for 87% of total farm income in the North.

Mr Ahern added:

In other words, how much money will the British government allocate post 2020 to substitute EU financed programmes that operate in Northern Ireland at this time?
Update 6.45pm: The Department of Foreign Affairs is providing consular assistance after an Irish woman died in a car crash in Canada.

It happened in Maidstone in the central province of Saskatchewan on Wednesday.

Police and emergency services responded to the single vehicle collision and she was found dead at the scene.

Broadcaster CBC says she was the only person in the car.

Earlier: Irish woman (21) dies in car crash in Canada

A 21-year-old Irish woman has died in a car crash in Canada, according to reports.

The single-vehicle crash occurred on a highway north of the town of Maidstone in Saskatchewan on Wednesday at 10.30am (4.30pm Irish time).

The woman, who was the sole passenger of the vehicle, was found dead at the scene.

Maidstone Royal Canadian Mounted Police, emergency medical services and fire services responded to the scene.

According to Canadian police, they are investigating the incident and the victim's family has been notified.

Digital Desk
The funeral of former Fianna Fail minister Dr Martin O'Donoghue will take place tomorrow in Dublin, it has been confirmed.

He died peacefully surrounded by family at St Vincents Hospital on Friday, July 20th, aged 85.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin has led tributes to the fomer minister and staunch opponent of Charlie Haughey who represented the constituency of Dun Laoghaire between 1977 and 1982. He went on to be a Seantor until 1987.

A professor of economics at Trinity College Dublin, Mr O'Donoghue was previous to his time as a TD an economic advisor to Taoiseach Jack Lynch and was appointed a minister on his first day in the Dail.

It was his masterminding of Fianna Fail's giveaway manifesto in 1977, largely centered around the abolition of domestic rates, which saw the party achieve a large overall majority.

But to many critics it was the beginning of the deeply damaging cycle auction politics in the modern day.

Fianna Fail Leader Micheal Martin expressed his sympathy following the news of Mr O'Donoghue's death.

I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former Minister Martin ODonoghue. I knew Martin and he was a true gentleman. He was a committed public representative who had a long and distinguished career in national politics, he said.

Mr O'Donoghue was appointed as minister on his first day , Mr Martin said, in recognition of his abilities.

He was appointed to serve as Minister on his first day in the Dail. He was Minister for Economic Planning and Development from 1977 to 1979 and helped steer Ireland through a challenging economic environment, Mr Martin said.

Martin was widely respected as having a commanding knowledge of his brief. He was subsequently appointed Minister for Education in 1982, he added.

Martin also had a highly successful career outside of national politics. He was a Professor of Economics in Trinity College Dublin until his retirement in 1995. Martin later went on to become a Director of the Central Bank of Ireland from 1998 to 2008. On my own personal behalf and on behalf of the Fianna Fail organisation I want to extend my deepest condolences to Martins wife Evelyn, children Audrey, Raphael and Tressan and brother Tom, he said.

Sinn Fein Leader Mary Lou McDonald expressed her condolences saying both as a politician and as an academic, he demonstrated a great depth of ability.

I have no doubt that he will be deeply missed by those who loved him and by those he worked hard to represent. Ar dheis de go raibh a anam, she said.

I want to express my sympathies, and those of Sinn Fein, to the wife, children, wider family, and friends of Martin ODonoghue at this sad time. As a Minister, TD, and as a Senator, he was a dedicated public servant and committed representative of the people of Dun Laoghaire, she added.

Independent Senator Victor Boyhan said Mr O'Donoghue was a "distinguished public representative for Dun Laoghaire " a man of great wit, who was "fair and political tough" when needed to be.

Mr O'Donoghue remains will be reposing at Fanagan's Funeral Home, Lower Kimmage Road on Monday ahead of a removal Tuesday morning to the Church of St. Paul of the Cross, Mount Argus, Harolds Cross for his funeral mass.
Fine Gael Senator Catherine Noone has called for more online counselling services to be available for teens.

The creation of a Mental Health App to provide a service is what she believes is needed.
One person has been taken to hospital after an apartment fire in Cork city.

Fire crews from Angelsea Street and Ballyvolane attended the blaze at Great William O'Brien Street.
The six students who were killed in the Berkeley balcony collapse have been remembered in the US.

A special ceremony has been held for them in California.

The tragedy unfolded early in the morning of June 16, 2015, when a balcony collapsed in Berkeley, California, killing six students.

Olivia Burke, Eoghan Culligan, Lorcan Miller, Niccolai Schuster and Eimear Walsh from Dublin lost their lives in the tragedy, along with American Ashley Donohoe from California.

A memorial plaque was unveiled in California last night in their honour.

Honoured to be part of plaque unveiling for the Berkeley balcony collapse victims. The continued solidarity of this community is inspiring pic.twitter.com/ew0vkXDVEJ  Consulate General of Ireland, San Francisco (@IrelandinSF) July 21, 2018

Their families have attended a ceremony to remember them, close to where the balcony fell at Kittredge Street.

Ireland's Ambassador to the United States Dan Mulhall has tweeted that the Berkeley balcony collapse was a terrible tragedy and one which had an enormous effect on Ireland.

He says the depth of grief, shock and sorrow was immense  six young lives so tragically and prematurely ended and serious injury inflicted on so many.

Amb @DanMulhall:The Berkeley balcony collapse of June 2015 was a terrible tragedy and one which had an enormous effect on Ireland. The depth of grief, shock and sorrow was immense  six young lives so tragically and prematurely ended and serious injury inflicted on so many. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/LBvXngomlV  Embassy of Ireland USA (@IrelandEmbUSA) July 21, 2018

Digital Desk
Daniel McConnell, Political Editor

British Government threats to refuse to pay its 39bn divorce bill to the EU are an empty threat but disappointing, Dublin has said.

Speaking yesterday, the UK's new Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, a prominent Leaver, said the UK could refuse to pay its 39 billion divorce bill to Brussels if it does not get a trade deal.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph and also speaking on BBC television, Mr Raab said there has to be an element of conditionality to the exit deal and how the UK's future relationship with the EU is determined.

However, such talk received a cool response from the Irish Government side yesterday.

Neale Richmond, Fine Gael's Brexit Senate spokesman who is regularly rolled out to addresss the UK media, described Mr Raab's comments as deeply disappointing.

They are quite disengenuous too. It is not a once off payment with no return to the UK.

The whole divorce bill sees out the UK's contribution to the multiannual financial framework in 2020. They get a return on that, he told the Irish Examiner.

He said were the UK not to pay that then research scientists would not get grants, their farmers would get no payments under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), or any peace funding.

Not to mention devastating UK farmers who would get to enjoy CAP payments till 2020 #brexit - how the DUP spin this in rural Ulster? https://t.co/s4IoA2blDC  Neale Richmond (@nealerichmond) July 21, 2018

It really is an empty threat. This was something that was agreed early on in the negotiations. To be holding that over is going back on what has already agreed. That was the subject of intense negotiation and took a long time. This is something that nailed in stone, Mr Richmond said.

To put that back on the table is really disappointing, he said.

Mr Raab accused the EU of "irresponsibly" ramping up pressure in withdrawal negotiations.

The comments came as Mr Raab indicated he was still trying to persuade all members of the Cabinet that Theresa May's Chequers compromise agreement was "the best plan to get the best deal".

And Tory former prime minister Sir John Major became the latest prominent Conservative to leave the door open to a new referendum, insisting that such a vote would be "morally justified".

Mr Raab was scathing about comments from Brussels stating that a no deal scenario would mean there would be no specific arrangements in place for UK citizens living on the continent, or for EU migrants in Britain after withdrawal.

New Brexit Secretary @DominicRaab on UK government preparations for 'no deal' with the EU #marr pic.twitter.com/wRk0eepC97  The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) July 22, 2018

Mr Raab told BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show: "Well, I think that's a rather irresponsible thing to be coming from the other side.

"We ought to be trying to reassure citizens on the continent and also here.

"There is obviously an attempt to try and ramp up the pressure."

The Brexit Secretary said critics were mistaken to think Mrs May would not walk away without a deal if she had to.

"They're wrong. No bluffing."
TD Enda Kenny will today launch his campaign to become the next leader of Fine Gael.

The Mayo deputy is so far the only pro-John Bruton candidate to emerge from the former leaders overthrow.
A Sydney magistrate has launched a blistering attack on alcohol-fuelled violence by women, telling one eastern suburbs woman that "it's about time sentences are imposed [on] females that are imposed on males for the same thing.

Magistrate Michael Barko on Wednesday handed British national Elizabeth Hasler 250 hours of community service for attacking her Gai Waterhouse colleague in what he called a "drunken rage of jealousy".

Elizabeth Hasler, 27, was given 250 hours of community service for assaulting her fellow stablehand in a drunken jealous rage Credit:Facebook

According to the agreed police facts, Hasler and her co-workers were having drinks at The Doncaster Hotel in Kensington on March 3 after a race meeting at Royal Randwick racecourse.

Hasler and the victim, both stablehands, left the pub together just before midnight, when she shouted at the victim: "What the f--- are you looking at? She claimed the victim had been looking at Hasler's fiance throughout the night.
His father Les Jackson shared news of his son's recognition in the 2018 Civilian Gallantry List on social media, saying it was a "bittersweet moment".

Mr Jackson was also attacked and stabbed multiple times. He died a week later in hospital.

Tom Jackson and Daniel Richards protected and cared for Mia Ayliffe-Chung as she bled to death after being allegedly stabbed repeatedly by Frenchman Smail Ayad.

Two British backpackers who rushed to protect a third backpacker after she was fatally stabbed at a Queensland backpacker's hostel in 2016 have been honoured with the Queen's Gallantry Medal.

"We so wish Tom was here to receive the award himself - we are inestimably proud and grateful that his actions on that awful day have been recognised in this way. He will always be our hero," Mr Jackson wrote.

The Queen's Gallantry Medal is a British award recognising civilian courage in the face of danger. In the summary of the award, Mr Jackson and Mr Richards were described as "untrained, unprotected and unarmed during the attack".

"Both Thomas Jackson and Daniel Richards were aware of the danger that the attacker posed, as they had seen that Mia Ayliffe-Chung had been attacked when coming to her aid.

"Their actions were to protect the victim, and assist her in the first floor bathroom. Thomas Jackson tried to calm the attacker down. The attack on him was unexpected, and he was unable to prepare for it.

"Daniel Richards was aware of the danger, demonstrated by stab wounds that victims received during the incident. He protected a third party throughout the attack, and at risk to his own safety."
It was the first time the expo had been held in Brisbane, having previously run in Sydney, Perth and Melbourne. Expo director Kevin Mack said he had been planning to bring the event to Brisbane for several years, but he hadn't expected to see such strong crowds already. Interstate shows have drawn crowds of up to 15,000 over the three days. "Our biggest shows have 380 tattooists at them, and this show has just been a great success," Mack said. "We can envision in two years this [Brisbane] show will operate just as high."

National and international tattoo artists were in the room, iconic names within an industry and community that is still not well understood outside the main doors. But, Mack said, the tide is turning  even his mother now has full-sleeve tattoos. Mack predicts a time when everyone could be tattooed, with no more stigma between those who get inked and those who don't. Doctors, lawyers, skateboarders and bike riders: almost anyone can have a tattoo (or 20) these days without the judgment that would have followed even 20 years ago.

"The society has changed, there's been a big shift in society," Mack said. "People like to express themselves in that way, they have the luxury now to go and find a tattoo artist  quite a talented artist, there's some artists that are world-renowned painters." But why get a tattoo, a permanent fixture on skin for as long as a person lives, at all? "Anyone that gets a tattoo, they get a tattoo for whatever their reason is," Mack said. "It's how they express themselves, and now they can have really great art on themselves forever.

"The culture and society has changed now, we've accepted people not fitting into society." With the increasing acceptance of tattooing in mainstream culture comes rising recognition of the talent, training and hard work behind it. Tattooing has expanded into countless different styles, from the realistic to the abstract, tribal to modern, Japanese to blackwork. Artists can be booked out for months in advance, as people take their time searching and choosing just the right tattooist. Artists such as Nikko Hurtado, a California-based tattooist and oil painter, can spend their time touring the world, and have developed a strong following.

For those who decide to get a tattoo, Mack said the most important thing is finding the connection between tattooist and tattooee. "Essentially, we've created an entire new industry in this country," Mack said. "Tattooists have to try and create a connection with their client. "The origin of tattooing is like a ritual, so you're kind of connecting a piece of yourself to them for the rest of your life -- and their life.
Her childhood friend Amara Gai said she had a 'heart made of gold'.

"She was such an amazing girl... she cared for her everyone around her she made everyone feel loved and she was always there for her friends and family."

"I still cant believe we lost a beautiful soul, she didnt deserve this at all. We want Justice for Laa Chol."

She was like a sister to me, one friend wrote in a public Facebook post.

Now my heart is in two. I think about you constantly... you're gone now, but you will always remain our hearts until the day we all meet again.

Another friend wrote, "You didnt deserve to die this cruely [sic] ... [You] always showed love to everyone around you and anyone new you met. You never failed to make me laugh. R.I.P beautiful".

Laa Chol was remembered by her soccer club Skye United FC as a "very skilful and hardworking winger who was an integral part of the senior womens team".

"Her big smile and personality will be greatly missed by all her teammates and friends at the club," the club said in a statement.

Laa Chol was remembered by her soccer club as a talented footballer with a big smile. Credit:Skye United FC / Facebook

Police believe that all those involved are of African-Australian descent, and community leaders have taken to social media to call for calm.

Achol Marial, a youth affairs officer for South Sudanese Community Association in Victoria, urged people not to take revenge.

Tributes for 'beautiful soul' Laa Chol are flowing on social media.

"My community, please do not take matters into your own hands ... there is no need to revenge or avenge kill," she said in a Facebook post.

Ms Marial told Fairfax Media that such reprisal attacks did occur "from time-to-time" in South Sudan.

She said, however, that these generally occurred in rural areas where the rule of law was weak and among uneducated and poverty-stricken people.

Ms Marial said she had never heard of such revenge attacks occurring in Australia and that the South Sudanese community here had confidence in Victoria Police's investigation.

On Sunday afternoon police were yet to make arrests in relation to the killing of Ms Chol.

Police have seized the CCTV footage from the high rise apartment block on A'Beckett Street and a group of 12 individuals are helping police with their inquiries. None of this group is believed to be involved in the woman's death.

The official cause of death has not been confirmed by police, however, it is understood that the young woman was stabbed during a fight that broke out in the 56th-floor apartment.

The woman was treated by paramedics, but died at the scene from her injuries about 5.15am on Saturday.

Police said a group of African-Australian youths was inside the short-stay rental apartment at the EQ Tower on A'Beckett Street overnight when a second group arrived.

On Sunday evening police said that they did not believe the second group was invited to the gathering by either the person who booked the apartment, or the deceased, Ms Chol.

"How they came to be at the gathering is still being investigated," a police statement said.

Police do not know if the second group was invited or if they forced their way into the 56th floor of the building where the assault took place.

Her family said Laa Chol was in the 'wrong place at the wrong time'.

Ms Chol's death comes days after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull renewed the debate over crime among African-Australian youths.

On Sunday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews described the crime as a great tragedy and reiterated his governments efforts to tackle youth crime.

Mr Andrews said engaging families and communities, getting disengaged youth into education, training and jobs, combined with punitive measures had turned around crime rates in the state.

But federal Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton linked the "tragic and needless" death to a major law and order problem in Victoria, which he blamed on the Premier.

He said the problem would not be fixed until the Mr Andrews recognised Sudanese gangs existed and strengthened pathetic bail laws.

Residents in that street heard shouting about 4am and 5am, as did residents from the EQ Tower.

Victoria Police commander Tim Hansen said he understood the attack was not random. Police have not confirmed if there was a pre-existing rivalry between the groups.

Federation of South Sudanese Associations in Victoria chairman Kenyatta Dei Wal visited the family of the victim on Saturday.

"Her very young life has been cut short and the community is deeply distraught and in shock," he said."The parents are deeply devastated."

Friends described Laa Chol as a 'beautiful soul'

The one-year-old apartment building has a high density of short-term rentals. A real estate agent who works with properties at the tower said it was made up of about 75 per cent owner-occupiers and 25 per cent short-term rentals, but some residents said the short-term rental percentage was higher.

Residents have said they have been concerned about the loud parties thrown in the rental apartments for months, saying the youth gatherings have been "getting out of control".

Youth Worker Achol Marial has been vocal on social media, worried that those close to Ms Chol may attempt to take justice into their own hands.

"Allow law enforcement to take their course, there is no need to revenge or avenge kill," Ms Marial wrote.

"We need to practise this skill here in Australia if we are to take the same mindset back home. We should also preach the same perspective to our families back home in South Sudan.

"We should stop supporting avenge deaths; I know it's painful, I know it's hard but it doesn't make the situation easier for the family members who are involved. South Sudan is falling apart purely because of this and we need to do better!"

With AAP
Latest News Capital cities mark their second-busiest auction week for the entire year However, Sydney stands to drop below 80% in its final clearance rate

NAB named as best lender at PEXA Awards Major lender rewarded as fastest to verifying property settlements by industry giant

With new ownership, new products and new rates, Bluestone's Royden DVaz, talks about bringing new lending solutions to a broader customer base

A tightening of lending conditions isnt the best news that a borrower  or broker  can receive. Beyond personal lending, the negative effects can echo through the economy for years as they did when the post-GFC credit crunch hit the US, UK and Europe. A decade on, house prices, economic growth and even public spending are still muted.

In Australia, where pace and sentiment have dampened somewhat in recent months, the impact is now being felt in the housing market, with the combined capital cities recording their first decline in property values since 2012. Add business lending to the mix and even the Reserve Bank is braced for a decline in GDP within a year.

However, for every door that closes another door opens, and for the alternative, non-bank lenders, business is booming. Australias alternative finance market experienced year-on-year growth of 136% from 2015 to 2016, and in the three years to 2017 small business lending by the non-banks doubled. According to KPMG, Australia is fast becoming a regional leader in the alternative finance space.

Currently, Australias alternative finance market is the second largest in the Asia-Pacific region behind China. Figures published by KPMG valued the Australian sector at US$610m in 2016, with sharp increases across balance sheet business lending, P2P lending and invoice trading of 80%, 250% and 16% respectively.

What Im really happy and excited about is that the non-bank sector is really making an impact and increasing their market share, says Royden DVaz, national head of sales and marketing at Bluestone.

We are doing really well and brokers like dealing with us. In the past we havent had that opportunity to compete or be spoken about in the same context as the mainstream lenders, but now we have better rates, better ability to serve the customer, and we are giving brokers and their customers outcomes they are looking for, he says.

These trends arent exclusively pegged to the banks lending criteria. Even before credit started to tighten, borrower profiles were changing drastically  and rapidly  and therefore swathes of applicants no longer fit the typical vanilla loan profile.

Data published by the ABS confirms the number of sole traders and gig economy workers is rising steadily, and while these self-starters do not lack ambition, they often lack the paperwork required to give their enterprise or personal life a cash boost.

In addition, people experience unplanned life events such as divorce, illness and bereavement  which can negatively impact a borrowers credit score.

People just want to be understood and have someone take their situation into consideration. Brokers should embrace this growing part of the market and help these customers find solutions by becoming familiar with the products that we provide, DVaz says.

Getting down to business

The last 12 months have seen major developments at Bluestone. In February, New York-based Cerberus Capital Management acquired Bluestone APAC, consisting of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines  along with its $6bn loan book.

Giving Cerberus a foot in Australias lucrative lending market, the deal also paved the way for Bluestones diversification from specialist lending to near prime.

Marking its entry into the space, Bluestone launched the Crystal Blue portfolio in April of this year, comprising full- and alt-doc products geared to support established self-employed borrowers and PAYG borrowers with a clear credit history.

Near-prime borrowers are those that dont fit the mainstream lenders criteria and have a clear credit history, and in the last few months the criteria of mainstream has tightened, DVaz explains.

The opportunity has always been there; it is just that the solution comes from a different angle now Royden DVaz, national head of sales and marketing, Bluestone

Its for people with unusual income; its for people who have been in employment for a short amount of time or who are self-employed. Any unusual policy item where a customer doesnt fit the credit score cards or the lending guidelines of the majors or the mainstream lenders, they have to give it a crack with us.

For an alternative lender that built its name in the specialist space, the move into near prime is a significant expansion of both the operations and values of the wider brand. To grab the industrys attention, the lender cut rates by 225 basis points across the entire product suite.

There are a lot of people who have been with their banks for many years, coming out of their interest-only [term] or their investment lending, and the banks arent willing to redo their loans for them. Brokers should know there are options available for these borrowers, and we want to position in that space, says DVaz.

So high is demand from near-prime borrowers that Bluestone is now breaking its own monthly volume records in a week, and because record results demand record investments, focus is now falling on showing the world that Bluestone means business.

In April, the lender moved into new offices in central Sydney and is now focused on expanding the team in order to meet the growing demand for its products. To date, three new BDMs have joined both the NSW and Victoria teams, and one new BDM has been appointed in Queensland. The head count of the credit team has also increased, and there are plans for further growth. From there, DVaz says it is likely the next development will see Bluestone move into auto, equipment and commercial finance.

The volume is coming in and were focused on getting the near-prime message out. We cant lose the momentum, we cant let the back end fall away, because then were sending the wrong message, DVaz says.

There are many things we are working on. We want to make sure that whatever we do is fully scoped and fully resourced, and thats very important.

High-touch philosophy

Helping brokers get a handle on near prime, Bluestone has taken the decision to make its underwriters, as well as BDMs, available to answer questions, field queries and walk brokers through the process, DVaz says.

Brokers are starting to see more of our type of deals every day; the onus is on our teams to remove any fear, uncertainty or doubt they may have, if they havent dealt with us in the past.

Under what DVaz describes as a high-touch model, the aim is to nurture collaboration between lender and broker and give brokers a second chance at customer satisfaction when their clients are declined elsewhere.

Brokers can call our underwriters, explain and clarify parts of an application, and the underwriter can mostly mitigate their concerns on the spot. Then the broker can go back and tell the customer what is happening with more detail than before. If you ask us what our unique proposition is, I would say its that, DVaz says.

The way we deliver our products to the borrower is so important to make the broker look good in the customers eyes.

Offering such clarity at a time of almost overwhelming levels of change in the broking industry is invaluable, to say the least. Observing growing fatigue and information overload following the royal commission and Sedgwick report, DVaz maintains that the focus for brokers moving forward should remain on customer outcomes, clear communication, and their own continued education regarding the products and solutions in the marketplace.

His message to the industry is clear: The opportunity has always been there; it is just that the solution comes from a different angle now. Brokers need to be aware that there are other lenders who will do a deal.
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This year, the July 14-22 period has been dedicated to Jagannath and to his annual Ratha Yatra, which has been described somewhat inadequately as the Chariot Festival.

The rites associated with the journey of Jagannath and his two companions from the great temple and their return nine days later has been recalled. But can we look beyond the trappings and festivities of this annual ritual of the Hindus, and grasp the essence of an eternal Indian tradition of accommodation? Once we succeed in extricating ourselves from the hold of these very attractive ...
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is studying the feasibility of a dividend policy for itself. One which will require it to transfer a pre-determined portion of the surplus it earns to the government.

The latter, on its part, seems confident that amendments to the RBI Act, which will provide legal backing for such a policy, will be placed for Parliaments consideration in the winter session. RBI will study examples of central banks of other countries which pay a set dividend to their governments. Surpluses paid in the past, as well as the recommendations of the ...
Most likely, this is the best-known picture of a flag ever taken: Buzz Aldrin standing next to the first U. S. flag planted on the Moon.

For those who knew their world history, it also rang some alarm bells. Only less than a century ago, back on Earth, planting a national flag in another part of the world still amounted to claiming that territory for the fatherland. Did the Stars and Stripes on the moon signify the establishment of an American colony? When people hear for the first time that I am a lawyer practicing and teaching something called space law, the question ...
Britain will only pay its EU divorce bill if the bloc agrees on the framework for a future trade deal, the new Secretary warned in an interview published Saturday.

Dominic Raab, who replaced David Davis after he quit the role earlier this month in protest over the government's strategy, said "some conditionality between the two" was needed.

He added that the Article 50 mechanism used to trigger Britain's imminent exit from the European Union provided for new deal details.

"Article 50 requires, as we negotiate the withdrawal agreement, that there's a future framework for our new relationship going forward, so the two are linked," Raab told the Sunday Telegraph.

"You can't have one side fulfilling its side of the bargain and the other side not, or going slow, or failing to commit on its side.

"So I think we do need to make sure that there's some conditionality between the two." The British government has sent mixed signals so far on the divorce bill.

Prime Minister Theresa May agreed in December to a financial settlement totalling 35-39 billion pounds ($46-51 billion, 39-44 billion euros) that ministers said depended on agreeing on future trade ties.

But cabinet members have since cast doubt on the position.

Finance minister Philip Hammond said shortly afterwards he found it "inconceivable" Britain would not pay its bill, which he described as "not a credible scenario".

The country is set to leave the bloc on March 30, but the two sides want to strike a divorce agreement by late October in order to give parliament enough time to endorse a deal.

Raab met the EU's top negotiator Michel Barnier for the first time on Friday, where he heard doubts over May's new blueprint for the future relationship.

But Barnier noted the priority in talks should be on finalising the initial divorce deal.

A hardline stance by the British government on the financial settlement could complicate progress, with Raab insisting on the link with the bill and a future agreement.

"Certainly it needs to go into the arrangements we have at level with our EU partners," he told the Telegraph.

"We need to make it clear that the two are linked." May's plans formally unveiled in early July envisages a customs partnership for goods and a common rulebook with the EU.

It has faced severe criticism in Britain, including from within her own cabinet and Conservative Party.

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson and Davis both resigned in opposition.

A new YouGov poll published by the Sunday Times showed just 12 per cent of people backed the proposals as "good" for Britain while 43 per cent thought they were "bad".
The eye-witness, in the Alwar lynching case on Sunday recalled the spine-chilling turn of events when his friend was lynched to death on suspicion of smuggling cows.

Aslam, who had a narrow escape told ANI, "We (him and the deceased )both were going with our two cows, on seeing a speeding bike the cows ran into the fields where 6-7 people were present who fired at us, I ran away from the spot to save my life, later found that my friend was killed."

This comes barely a week after the Supreme Court urged Parliament to enact a law against lynching.

28-year-old Akbar Khan along with his friend was taking some cows to his village through a forest near Lalawandi area in the Alwar district of Rajasthan when some locals allegedly thrashed him brutally, suspecting him to be a cow smuggler.

The police immediately rushed the victim to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

Police have, so far, arrested two suspects and launched a manhunt for other suspects.

In a similar incident, 50-year-old Pehlu Khan was beaten to death by cow vigilantes in the same district in April last year.

Just on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged state governments to take stringent action against the culprits of mob lynching.

The cases of mob fury have been on a rise in India. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, 45 persons were killed by mob in 40 cases across nine states between 2014 and March 03 this year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In the ongoing Comic-Con International Convention in San Diego, Hollywood star Chris Pratt evaded questions on director James Gunn, who was recently fired from 'Guardians of Galaxy Vol. 3'.

During a question and session round for the movie 'The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part', Pratt avoided replying to anything on Gunn.

Notably, Pratt became famous for the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' superhero movie series, which was directed by Gunn himself.

Pratt and Elizabeth Banks, who attended the session, showcased a clip from the animated film, including a clip that had the aesthetics of Hollywood film 'Mad Max: Fury Road'.

On a related note, Gunn was fired after his tweets on jokes related to controversial topics like paedophilia and rape resurfaced.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Sunday expressed confidence that the party can win three times more seats in the 2019 general elections by further boosting its presence in 12 states where it already has a strong foothold. The Congress currently has 48 members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha.

Addressing the Congress Working Committee (CWC) in the Parliament Annexe Building here, Chidambaram emphasised the need to strengthen the party's presence in the 12 states to boost up the numbers.

In rest of the states, the senior leader pitched for aligning with regional parties to further improve the party's position, sources told ANI.

Earlier Congress President Rahul Gandhi chaired the Congress Working Committee (CWC) for the first time since he became the president of the party. There was a rejig in the CWC recently in which Digvijaya Singh, Shashi Tharoor and Kamal Nath amongst many were dropped.

Addressing the CWC, Gandhi reminded the party supporters "the role of Congress as the voice of India" and the "responsibility of the party as BJP attacks institutions, Dalits, tribals, minorities and the poor."

He also described the CWC as an "institution comprising experience and energy, as a bridge between the past, present and the future."

Giving a clarion call, the party president urged the Congress men and women "to rise and fight for India's oppressed."

The CWC meeting comes just a few days after an united Opposition faced a decisive defeat from the ruling Narendra Modi government during the monsoon session of Parliament in Lok Sabha on Friday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In the wake of reports regarding the detention of 52 Sikhs at a United States detention centre, Indian-American businessman Sant Singh Chatwal said an investigation is underway into the "unfortunate" incident.

"The matter is under investigation. We are checking on their involvement (with the contingent of illegal immigrants who are seeking asylum). I am sure that the US will make a fair decision. What happened there is an unfortunate thing. I can't say much, but if an Indian in the US gets into a problem, we help them," he told ANI.

Chatwal then went on to explain how he himself was embroiled in a huge case in the States.

"I also had a case where I gave money to Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton for some political interests. A judge, who was 92 years old told me that it was not illegal and there were no implications. In America, there is a justice system. If that thing wasn't there, then I would have been in jail today," he said.

Talking about the strict immigration rules imposed by the Donald Trump administration, Chatwal implied that such regulations have to be relaxed and modified.

Last week, reports emerged that 52 immigrants, mostly Sikhs were being held at a detention centre in Oregon for being part of a contingent of illegal immigrants seeking asylum.

The revelation was made when a group of Democratic Party lawmakers visited the detention centre and later told the media about the alleged ill-treatment of the immigrants, according to several media reports.

The 52 immigrants, who are from different states of India, are getting legal assistance from a law firm in the jail in Oregon (Sheridan).

External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj had sought a report from the Indian embassy in the US on the matter on July 16.

Thereafter, Navneet Kaur, who accompanied members of the above mentioned law firm to the detention centre, said, "According to the information I have, there are about 52 detainees from different states of India. These men, whose ages range from 18 to late 30s, have been in prison for almost two months".

"When they were transferred to Sheridan, these men went through hardships, but their condition has considerably improved due to the intervention of organisations like American Civil Liberties Union, Interfaith Movement for Immigration Justice, interfaith communities and Innovation Law Lab," she added.

Kaur also noted that the prisoners were being prepared for 'Credible Fear Interviews', whereby a person who demonstrates that he or she has a credible fear of returning to his or her home country cannot be subject to deportation from the US until the person's asylum case is processed.

"On Tuesday (July 17), Asit Dutta, from CGISF (Consulate General of India, San Francisco) visited the prison. He also met with the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officer on the premises," she continued.

Kaur has assured the parents of the 52 immigrants that "Americans are standing up for their sons".

"If on one hand, interfaith communities are organising prayer events for their sons, non-profit organisations like UNIDOS are collecting and depositing funds in their commissary accounts. If on one hand, pro bono attorneys are representing their sons, translators and interpreters are offering their services free of cost," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel have taken up the responsibility of imparting to children in a Naxal-affected village here.

Children feared attending school due to Naxal presence in the area and the dire state of roads. Also, there was just one teacher for over 30 junior and middle school students.

To address the issue, four ITBP personnel, since last month, have taken up the responsibility of conducting classes for the school. Also, dozens of personnel are posted outside the school every day to ensure security.

Apart from academics, students are also given Judo and Karate lessons.

Following this, the number of students attending school has also increased from 33 to 88

Speaking to ANI, the teacher of the school hailed the security personnel's efforts.

"There has been a huge difference since the ITBP personnel have come. They conduct classes for the students which is great. Earlier it was difficult as I was the only teacher. Now, even the students who did not come to school have started attending classes regularly," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Border Security Force (BSF) gunned down a suspected Pakistani intruder on Sunday in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district.

The incident took place at 6:30 am at the Bobiya border outpost in Hiranagar sector, when personnel of the 173 battalion of the BSF noticed a person entering inside the Indian territory. The security personnel warned the 'intruder' who did not respond, following which he was gunned down.

The body of the suspected Pakistani intruder was recovered by the security personnel and was taken to the Hiranagar hospital for postmortem. Pakistani currency was recovered from his possession.

The identity of the intruder is yet to be confirmed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Minister of State (MoS) in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh on Sunday said that killing of local security personnel could be a conspiracy to discourage the Kashmiri youth from joining the security forces.

Speaking media, Singh said, "One after the other, our security forces are successfully moving ahead in their anti-militancy operations, but killings of local security personnel can be a conspiratorial design to discourage the local Kashmiri youth to join the security forces."

Earlier in the day, the Jammu and Kashmir police confirmed that one of the terrorists who was gunned down in Kulgam today belonged to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Director General of Police (DGP) SP Vaid informed that two AK-47 rifles were also recovered from the terrorists.

Three terrorists were gunned down in the encounter with security forces in Wani Mohalla area of Kulgam's Khudwani locality.

Since last few months, the state has witnessed a spurt in terror activities.

Terrorists had abducted a police constable from Kulgam on Friday night. Later his bullet-riddled body was recovered from Qaimoh Gath area in the district. The constable was identified as Mohd Salim.

Earlier this month, the body of another police constable was found by locals at Pariwan village in Kulgam, a day after he was abducted from a medical shop in Shopian. The constable, identified as Javaid Ahmad Dar, was a resident of Vehil village.

On June 14, another person, Aurangzeb, was abducted from Pulwama by terrorists and later his bullet-ridden body was recovered on. Aurangzeb belonged to 44 Rashtriya Rifles, and was posted in Shopian district.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jharkhand police on Sunday arrested a school teacher for allegedly raping a minor student, and later forced her to abort the foetus.

The police registered a complaint against the accused under POCSO act following a complaint by the victim.

The SHO, Chatra, Ram Awadh Singh, told ANI that he would call for strict action against the accused.

"FIR was registered on the complaint of the victim and police responded quickly and arrested the accused. The crime committed is grave and we will propose a strict punishment for the accused in the court," Awadh Singh said.

On a related note, this is not the first time that the accused teacher had sexually exploited minor girls.

Earlier, a minor girl had made a serious allegation against the teacher of sexually exploiting her and giving her the wrong medicine after she got pregnant leading to her abortion.

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Afghanistan's Interior Ministry confirmed that at least 16 people were killed and 60 others wounded in Sunday's suicide bombing outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

According to TOLO News, the explosion happened outside the airport's entrance at around 5 PM, after First Vice President Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum had left in an armoured convoy.

Dostom was on his way to the first vice president's office, where he was welcomed by officials and supporters.

At least 10 ambulances arrived in the area after the blast and helped shift the casualties to a nearby hospital.

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In a bid to encourage tourism in Kashmir, a team of Kashmiri students, studying engineering in Chandigarh's Aryans Group of Colleges have made a solar boat for Dal lake.

The two-seater boat, with the load carrying capacity of 150 kg, was launched today in function held at Nehru Park in Srinagar.

The innovation was carried out by 12 B.Tech students, mostly from Kashmir valley along with other team members from Jammu.

The boat which is made up of Deodhar frame and plywood body with a front steering system, is seven feet two inch long, three feet six inch wide and one feet four inch deep.

Danish Rafi, one of the members of the team told ANI about the working of the boat.

"The boat's battery gets charged by the solar light. This battery then gives power to the motor. There is a throat a lot steering behind the boat which is used to give direction to the boat," he added.

Rafi further said that it took 40 days to make the boat and its cost was Rs. 80,000.

"We are still going to do modifications in it. We are going to include rotary panel and increase the length and width of the boat. Right now it just has a capacity of two people, later it will increase to 5-10 people. Moreover, as Kashmir witnesses winter most of the times, we have given the facility to charge the battery directly through electricity," he added.

Meanwhile, Syed Abid Rasheed, Srinagar Deputy Commissionerapplauded the hard work of students and staff.

"Dal lake is one of the most renowned freshwater lakes and the way the students have used their creativity to bring a new innovation is commendable. We must encourage such innovations and make sure they become marketable in the near future. We will do whatever we have to do in the administration in order to promote these kids," he added.

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Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Sunday claimed that his remark on mob lynching was "misinterpreted".

He took to his Twitter handle today and said he 'deeply condemn' such incidents.

"I again reiterate that my statement is completely misinterpreted by few sections of media. We deeply condemn the incidents of mob lynching & @HMOIndia has issued an advisory to the state government in 2016 n July 2018 for taking strict action in such cases," Meghwal Tweeted.

While alluding that detractors are trying to defame the central government, Meghwal yesterday more lynching incidents will happen with the rise in popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The more popular Modi ji becomes, the more such incidents will happen. In Bihar election it was 'Award Wapsi', in Uttar Pradesh elections it was mob lynching. In 2019 elections it will be something else. Prime Minister Modi gave several schemes, their effects can be seen, this (lynching) incident is just one reaction to it," Meghwal said.

The union minister termed the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 as the biggest case of mob lynching in India.

He said, "we condemn mob-lynching but this isn't a single incident. You have to trace this back in history. Why does this happen? Who should stop this? What happened with Sikhs in 1984 was the biggest mob lynching of this nation's history."

The union minister had made the remark yesterday while reacting on alleged mob lynching of a man in Rajasthan's Alwar over suspicion of cow smuggling on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.

The police immediately had rushed the victim to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

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Former Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur on Saturday were declared as absconders by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in connection with a money laundering case.

A two-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Saqib Nisar, took suo motu notice of the FIA's investigation into the Pakistani (Rs.) 35 billion money-laundering scam.

Also, 20 others including Zardari's close aide Anwar Majeed and his son were declared as absconders by the FIA.

On July 18, the names of Zardari and Talpur were removed from the Exit Control List (ECL) by Pakistan's Interior Ministry, according to sources.

Prior to this, Zardari and Talpur's names were placed on the ECL on the orders of Pakistan's Supreme Court, sources told Geo TV earlier.

However, on July 12, the country's apex court had refuted reports that it did not place the brother-sister duo on the ECL and did not issue directives to prevent them from leaving the country in connection to their alleged involvement in the money-laundering scam.

Earlier on July 10, the FIA had issued notices to Zardari and Talpur, in regards to the case involving swindling of (Pakistani) Rs. 35 billion.

They were also summoned by the FIA for questioning. However, the country's top court had directed the agency to take up the case after the general elections on July 25.

At least, 32 people are under legal scanner by the FIA for laundering money from fictitious accounts. Zardari, however, has denied such allegations.

On July 6, the FIA had arrested Stock Exchange of Pakistan chairman Hussain Lawai, who is considered to be Zardari's close aide.

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Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is reportedly 'on the verge of a kidney failure', and a medical board has urged for his immediate transfer to a hospital from Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.

Sources told The Express Tribune that the urea nitrogen in Sharif's blood has climbed up to dangerous levels, his heartbeat is irregular and he is suffering from dehydration and excessive sweating.

According to the report, the hospital in jail does not have a facility where Sharif could be given intravenous fluid. It is necessary to take him to the hospital, and failing to do so could create a situation of emergency at night.

The interim Pakistan government is likely to take a decision soon on the same.

A medical board has reportedly examined Sharif inside the jail today, The Express Tribune quoted insiders, as saying.

A caretaker government source said that the three-time prime minister has been medically examined on a regular basis in Adiala jail and his medical tests appeared to be normal.

On July 6, Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz were convicted in the Avenfield reference case by the Accountability Court.

While Sharif was given ten years of imprisonment and fined eight million pounds, Maryam was awarded eight years in jail and fined two million pounds.

Also, Maryam's husband, Captain (Retd) Muhammad Safdar was given a one-year sentence without any fine.

Upon their arrival at Lahore on July 13, the father-daughter duo was taken to Islamabad by a special chartered flight, from where they were taken to Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.

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Hollywood rapper Offset has been released on bail after he was arrested for alleged possession of firearm.

According to TMZ, he was bailed out after paying a fine of $ 17000 (Around Rs 11.68 lakh).

The rapper was released after appearing before a judge at an Atlanta courthouse on charges of possessing three guns and cannabis in his car.

His rapper wife Cardi B took to Instagram to post a shot of the two enjoying their time at home.

On a related note, he was earlier arrested under four different charges-- possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of a weapon during a crime, possession of marijuana (one ounce or less), and an improper lane change.

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A petition has been filed by a retired army officer before the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Central government to take effective steps to reduce pendency of cases from 15 years to three years.

The apex court will hear the petition next week.

The retired army officer, Anil Kabotra, through his lawyer, Ashwini Upadhyay, in his petition sought a direction to the Ministry of Law to take appropriate steps to reduce the pendency of cases in line with the 2009 resolution, namely, the Consultation for Strengthening the Judiciary towards Reducing Pendency and delay.

The petition also sought a direction to the Ministry of Finance to allocate sufficient funds from resources to meet the demand of the State Judiciary in line with the recommendations of the Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution.

The 98-page petition, accessed by ANI, sought a direction to the Ministry of Law to take appropriate steps to implement the National Litigation Policy and ensure strict adherence.

The petition also sought a direction to the Secretary General to plan the annual calendar in a way that the courts function at least 225 days per year and six hours per day till the pendency of cases is reduced to three years.

Kabotra, in his petition also sought that advocates shall not be appointed as the judge in the same High Court where they have practiced or where any of their blood relative is practicing as a counsel.

Getting speedy justice and trial is the fundamental right of every citizen and is also the fundamental requirement of good judicial administration, the petition claimed.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a state visit to three African countries, namely Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa, over five days, starting today.

The Prime Minister will first arrive at Rwanda, marking the first ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister, a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

Thereafter, Prime Minister Modi will proceed to Uganda, where he will undertake engagements from July 24 to 25. The visit will mark the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in over 20 years.

Finally, Prime Minister Modi will pay a visit to South Africa from July 25 to 27 to attend the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit.

Prime Minister Modi's official engagement in Rwanda and Uganda will include bilateral meetings with the presidents of both the nations, delegation-level talks and meetings with the business and the Indian communities respectively, the MEA statement added.

In Rwanda, the Prime Minister will visit the Genocide Memorial and participate in an event on "Girinka" (one cow per family), a social protection scheme of Rwanda, which is personally initiated by Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

In Uganda, Prime Minister Modi will deliver a keynote address at the Parliament of Uganda, a first for any Indian Prime Minister.

In South Africa, Prime Minister Modi will have a bilateral meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and will attend the BRICS summit and other BRICS-related meetings.

Also, bilateral meetings with participating countries on the sidelines of BRICS meetings are planned, the statement continued.

Various issues such as - inclusive growth, health and vaccines, peacekeeping, and sustainable development will be the core agenda during the BRICS summit.

The MEA statement said, "India shares close, warm and friendly relations with Africa which are cemented by robust development partnership and a large presence of the Indian diaspora. A number of agreements and MoUs in the areas of defence, trade, culture, agriculture and dairy cooperation are scheduled to be signed during the visit."

"Africa has been the top priority of India's Foreign Policy. The visit of the Prime Minister to Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa will further strengthen our relations with the African continent," it added.

Over the last few years, there has been a significant intensification of India's engagement in various fields with African countries and there have been as many as 23 outgoing visits to Africa at the level of President, Vice President and Prime Minister in the last four years.

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Inspired by the rich culture of Kashmir Valley, a couple from Poland, hosted their wedding reception at banks of river Jhelum here.

The ceremony, that took place on Saturday, was held according to Kashmiri customs.

The couple, Bata and Wlodek, chose to dress up in traditional attires for the occasion.

"We were inspired by the culture and the cuisine of the Valley," said Bata, the bride.

She also added that she has been visiting Kashmir for the past three years and loved the culture of the place.

The couple cited their love for Kashmiri culture and food as the reason for holding the reception here.

Talking about the couple's traditional Kashmiri attire, Bata said, "We wanted to look like Kashmiris so we choose this attire. I love everything about Kashmir.

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British Royal family's most adorable prince has turned 5 today!

The Kensington Palace shared a portrait of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - Prince William and Kate Middleton's eldest son, Prince George to mark his big day.

"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to share a new photograph of Prince George to mark his fifth birthday - thank you, everyone, for your lovely messages," read the caption.

Clicked by royal photographer Matt Porteous, the picture shows George, the third in line to the throne, sporting one of his biggest smiles as he stands against a wall wearing a white polo shirt and dark blue shorts.

On the same day, The Royal Mint is all set to launch a commemorative 5 coin in order to celebrate George's birthday.

The silver coin will feature an image of England's patron saint, St. George battling it out with a dragon.

In addition to George, Kate and William are also parents to Princess Charlotte,3, and Prince Louis who is two months old.

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Pulitzer Prize-Winning food critic, Jonathan Gold, has died at the age of 57.

Gold's wife, Laurie Ochoa informed that Jonathan died of pancreatic cancer in Los Angeles on Saturday, after first being diagnosed with the disease earlier this month, reported the Hollywood Reporter.

He wrote for the Los Angeles Times and had previously written for LA Weekly and Gourmet, apart from being a regular on KCRW's Good Food radio program.

The American food critic often chose small, ethnic restaurants for his reviews, although he covered all types of cuisine. He also authored the book Counter Intelligence: Where to Eat in the Real Los Angeles.

In 2007, he became the first food critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.

He is now survived by his wife Laurie Ochoa and two children.

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Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the controversial Rafale deal, alleging he "squirms" when asked about the prices of the fighter aircraft.

Alleging that there was surely a "scam" in the deal with France, Gandhi accused Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of doing a "flip-flop" on the secrecy clause. He tweeted, "Our Defence Minister said she would, but now she won't. She flip flops between "it's-not-a-secret" & "it's-a-BIG-secret". The PM squirms when asked about the price of RAFALE and refuses to look me in the eye. Sure smells like a scam. #RAFALEscam".

Gandhi's fresh attack on the government came two days after he raised the controversial Rafale deal during No-Confidence Motion debate in Parliament while accusing Sitharaman of lying to the nation quoting the 'secrecy clause' in the pact.

Gandhi in his speech in the Lok Sabha on Friday, questioned the Modi government that if "Rafale sold same 48 aircrafts to Egypt and Qatar in 2015 for Rs 1319.80 crore per aircraft then why did India pay Rs 1670.70 crore per Rafale aircraft?"

Reacting to Gandhi's charges on the deal, Prime Minister Modi in his speech in the Lok Sabha debate said, "Attacking two nations at the same time with some childish allegations, what kind of maturity is this? Rafale issue was discussed. I can't believe the truth can be crushed like this. Both the nations were forced to issue statements over this childish behaviour. They are screaming without any proof. People have given you a chance to improve. Every soldier would have been wounded by the words of the Opposition."

France too, meanwhile, has clarified that there was a 2008 security agreement between the two countries in this regard that legally binds the two nations to protect classified information.

In a statement, the spokesperson of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs in Paris said, "We have noted the statement of Mr Rahul Gandhi before the Indian Parliament. France and India concluded in 2008 a Security agreement, which legally binds the two States to protect the classified information provided by the partner, that could impact security and operational capabilities of the defence equipment of India or France. These provisions naturally apply to the IGA concluded on 23 September 2016 on the acquisition of 36 Rafale aircraft and their weapons. As the President of the French Republic indicated publicly in an interview given to India Today on 9th March 2018, "In India and in France, when a deal is very sensitive, we can't reveal all details."

Even after France denied Gandhi's claim, he remained defiant by tweeting against the Prime Minister Modi government.

During the Lok Sabha debate on Friday, Gandhi said: "Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman earlier said that she will tell the country about the cost. However, later she said it's a secrecy pact between both the countries (India and France). I asked the French President about this secrecy pact, but he denied the existence of any such pact. He even told me that he has no issues in making the cost public."

"The Defence Minister has clearly lied under pressure from the PM. Everybody knows the relationship that Prime Minister Modi has with a few business people, and everyone can see the amount of money that goes into his marketing. One of them was given the Rafale contract. Prime Minister Modi has not been truthful and that is a fact," Rahul added.

Replying to the allegations Sitharaman said that Rahul was misleading the House. She added that a Secrecy Agreement with France was signed in 2008 (under the Congress-led government) and the Rafale deal was also covered in it.

"It is an Agreement, which was signed during the previous Government on 25 January 2008. The Agreement of Secrecy is an umbrella agreement, which was signed by the then honorable Defence Minister, Shri A. K. Antony," Sitharaman said in her reply to Gandhi's allegations.

"As per the Article 10 of the inter-Governmental Agreement between Government of India and Government of France on the purchase of Rafale Aircraft, the protection of the classified information and materials exchanged under the IGA shall be governed by the provisions of Security Agreement signed on 25 January 2008," Sitharaman read the clause.

"That is the agreement I am showing you with the signature of the then honorable Raksha Mantri, Shri A.K. Antony. It is that which we are following.When a question was asked to the French President, if commercial details about Rafael could be revealed, the French President in that interview to an Indian media house has said this: "You have these commercial agreements and obviously you have competitors, and we can't let them know the details of the deal." These are the words of the French President," the Defence Minister said adding that what he said to Gandhi was immaterial. "There is no record, there is no proof. He has just thrown it at me. It is absolutely wrong," Sitharaman added.

The NDA government had signed a deal with France based Dassault Aviation to purchase 36 Rafale jets, which is slated to be one of the world's biggest military procurements in recent history and could cost the Indian government USD 15 billion.

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Congress president Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack at the BJP-led government as he chaired the meeting of the recently-constituted Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Sunday.

This is Congress president's first CWC meet after taking over the rein of the Sonia Gandhi.

During the meeting held in Parliament Annexe Building, Rahul, in his opening remark, reminded the party supporters "the role of Congress as the voice of India as also its responsibility of present and future."

Rahul also hit out at the BJP saying that the party "attacks institutions, dalits, tribals, backwards, minorities and poor". He also urged the Congressmen and women "to rise and fight for India's oppressed."

He further described the CWC as "institution comprising experience and energy, as a bridge between the past, present and the future."

Former party president and UPA chairman Sonia Gandhi also criticised the Modi government and said the "reign of despair and fear heaped upon India's deprived and poor."

She further slammed the central government for its "failures" and said, "the rhetoric of PM Modi shows his desperation reflecting that reverse countdown of the Modi government has begun."

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh also trained guns at the ruling Centre and said, "It's a culture of constant self-praise and jumlas as against solid policy framework for driving the engine of growth."

He also raised question over Centre's promise of doubling farmers' income by 2022 and said the Modi government's claim will require an agricultural growth rate of 14 percent "which is nowhere in sight."

Earlier this week, Rahul rejigged the committee and dropped senior party leaders like Digvijaya Singh, Kamal Nath, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Mohan Prakash, CP Joshi and Shashi Tharoor from the committee. He also appointed some new members including Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasada, Tarun Gogoi, Siddaramaiah, Sheila Dikshit, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge.

The new CWC includes 23 members, 19 permanent invitees, and nine special invitees.

The CWC meeting comes just a few days after a joint opposition faced a decisive defeat from the ruling Narendra Modi government in the no-confidence motion vote held in Lok Sabha on July 20.

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Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be the party's prime ministerial candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

In response to a media query on who will be prime ministerial face for the general elections, at a press conference following the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Sunday, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "Naturally, the Congress president would be the only face to be projected. The Congress would fight this election by putting forward our leader."

On Alliance, Surjewala said, "We expect to better our performance of 2004. People will decide. Once the Congress party becomes the single largest party, touching the same magic figure of 200 or more, naturally the Congress party will be leading, and whoever else wants to come and walk hand in hand (are welcome)."

On the CWC meeting, senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "The meeting was to strengthen the party and to discuss the issue of alliance for 2019 Lok Sabha elections."

Echoing the similar sentiments Congress leader Sachin Pilot said, "We are here to make strategies to improve the present condition of the country which is worsening day by day. There is no greed for a post in the Congress. The country is important for us."

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar told ANI that the party committed to fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party's ideology (BJP) and save the Constitution.

"We believe that Congress party is the one which can give fight to BJP's ideology. If the RSS has ever lost to someone it is the Congress party's Idea of India. We should keep this in mind and take everyone along to save the Constitution," Babbar said.

Former Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister M. Veerappa Moily called Rahul Gandhi's speech "dynamic". Moily said, "Rahul's speech today was excellent and dynamic as expected. Now, he knows that on what direction the Congress should go. Modi should be thrown out and the unity among all Opposition parties is a must. The focus of today's CWC meeting was on how to strengthen the party. The ultimate goal is to defeat the present government."

Rahul Gandhi on Sunday confirmed that the party is setting up a group look into the alliance issue for 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress chief said, "We are setting up a group that is going to do that (alliance)."

Gandhi has been authorised to form election campaign committee and take decisions on the pre-poll and post-poll alliance, AICC general secretary Ashok Gehlot confirmed.

At the meeting the party kept had focused discussion on how to strengthen the party, the issue of alliance, how to highlight failures of the Narendra Modi government effectively, etc.

Among those present at the meeting include former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, top Congress leaders AK Antony, Motilal Vora, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge and Ashok Gehlot among others.

Earlier this week, Rahul rejigged the CWC and dropped senior party leaders like Digvijaya Singh, Kamal Nath, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Mohan Prakash, CP Joshi and Shashi Tharoor from the committee. He also appointed some new members including Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasada, Tarun Gogoi, Siddaramaiah, Sheila Dikshit, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mallikarjun Kharge.

The new CWC includes 23 members, 19 permanent invitees, and nine special invitees.

The CWC meeting comes just a few days after a joint opposition faced a decisive defeat from the ruling Narendra Modi government in the no-confidence motion vote held in the Lok Sabha on July 20.

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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday launched the Student Police Cadet (SPC) programme for nationwide implementation at a ceremony in Gurugram, Haryana.

In his address, the Home Minister expressed hope that the SPC would lead to a silent revolution over the years by focusing on character building by imparting moral values to budding minds.

He further expressed concern that these days stresses more on mere book reading with little attention being paid towards character building of students, which shows negative effects on society in terms of increased crime.

Rajnath Singh said that in order to cope with rapid modernization and cut-throat competition, schools have focused all their attention towards building careers and rising incomes, creating tremendous pressure among the young minds.

While the dawn of new technologies, internet and social media have helped our children keep pace with the changing times, it has adversely impacted our society as we witnessed the breakdown of the traditional family system and worrying rise in incidents of crimes and rapes, he added.

Singh also said the SPC programme would help in making students responsible citizens by inculcating values of respect to the elderly, discipline, social responsibility and through police-student interaction along with providing a healthy interface between schools and police peace and inculcate in the students aspects of public safety, discipline, patience, tolerance, empathy, respect of senior citizens, social harmony, traffic sense and a corruption-free environment.

He said that the youth of tomorrow who emerge out of such programme would bear ethical values of social commitment and be aware of social evils such as drugs, alcohol abuse, intolerance and vandalism. Singh also expressed confidence that this programme would result in overall development of a student's personality and bring big change in society.

The Home Minister appealed to all stakeholders- teachers, parents, students, police and officials- to participate with enthusiasm and execute the SPC as a Mission Mode project. The SPC project will also help the police assess their image in the public eye and strive for improving confidence and winning trust of the people. SPC initially will be launched as pilot programme in all States and Union Territories.

Earlier, the Home Minister launched the theme song and training manual of the SPC prepared by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D). He also presented cash awards to winners of Logo and motto competition. He also handed over the SPC flag to Haryana Platoon Commander.

The SPC programme focuses on students of Classes 8th and 9th and special care has been taken to ensure that it does not lead to increase in the workload of the students.

The programme does not have any prescribed textbook nor is any exam envisaged. Only one class in a month is proposed. The programme seeks to cover broadly two kinds of topics, - crime prevention and control; and values and ethics.

Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar said that SPC is a very good initiative which will be launched initially in Government schools and later expanded to cover all schools.

He said talent alone is not sufficient for success and that students need discipline and hardwork which will be imparted through SPC. He said SPC will cover around 4 crore students.

Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Ministe Manohar Lal said the SPC will assist in social construction through personality building of students. He said the students having undergone SPC training will be given advantage in police recruitment.

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Australian writer and director, David Stevens, best known for his work in The Sum of Us, A Town like Alice, and Breaker Moran passed away at the age of 77.

His partner, Loren Boothby Stevens told The Hollywood Reporter died of cancer in a hospice in Whangarei, New Zealand.

Stevens co-wrote Breaker Morant with Bruce Beresford and Jonathan Hardy, earning an Oscar nomination.

He wrote the play The Sum of Us, which ran in New York for a year and won the Outer Critics Circle Award.

It was adapted it into a feature film, featuring Russell Crowe and Jack Thompson, which won an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Screenplay.

Stevens directed the Emmy Award-winning mini-series A Town like Alice and wrote three novels - The Waters of Babylon, and two in collaboration with Alex Haley: Queen and Mama Flora's Family, which he then adapted into TV miniseries.

In addition to Boothby, survivors include his sisters Eve and Maureen.

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The Jammu and Kashmir police confirmed on Sunday that one of the terrorists who was gunned down earlier in the day belonged to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Speaking to the media, Director General of Police (DGP) SP Vaid informed that two AK-47 rifles were also recovered from the terrorists.

"These terrorists were involved in abduction and killing of one of the police constables, Mohammad Saleem on Saturday. Bodies of the terrorists and two AK-47 rifles have been recovered from their possession. One terrorist was associated with LeT, other two were locals," he said.

Three terrorists were gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Wani Mohalla area of Kulgam's Khudwani locality.

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Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Saturday visited Hapania area in the outskirts of Agartala for inspection of the spot to set up All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the state.

This is the second spot that the Chief Minister has visited for the purpose. He was accompanied by the Health Minister Sudip Roy Barman, local MLA Ram Prashad Paul and several officials.

Recently, Union Health Minister JP Nadda approved the proposal of the Tripura government to set up AIIMS in the state so that people do not have to go out of the state for better treatment.

"I had seen a land at Bodhjungnagar and here also there is a land which is quite big and moreover, we've sent a proposal from the Tripura government to the Centre so that it can be set up at the earliest," said Deb.

"Narendra Bhai Modi is working for the northeast in that direction. Now, after spot verification, I will sit with the Health Minister Sudip Roy Barman and other officials including the Health Secretary and Principal Secretary," he added.

The area is though less than the desired 200 acres, but it is suitable for setting up AIIMS keeping in mind the hilly Northeaster region state, the Chief Minister said.

Earlier, Deb had visited Budhjungnagar area for the same purpose.

People from neighbouring country Bangladesh, part of Assam, Mizoram, and Manipur would also be benefitted if AIIMS comes up in Tripura.

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The indefinite hunger strike by students of Calcutta Medical College and Hospital here entered the 13th day on Sunday even as authorities appealed to them to withdraw their agitation for hostel rooms.

Members of civil society and student organisations gathered on the hospital premises to express solidarity with the agitators.

The students began their strike on July 10 after authorities at the 183-year-old state-run medical college notified that the new 11-storey hostel building would be allotted to freshers only.

The college administration on Sunday appealed to the students to withdraw their strike, saying that additional students will be accommodated in the new hostel building subject to approval from higher authorities.

In his written appeal, new Officiating Principal Ashok Bhadra informed the students about his Saturday meeting with Director of Medical (DME), student representatives and heads of different departments.

"There will be open and transparent counselling for hostel accommodation if the DME approves the request made to him in the meeting," said Bhadra, who took over after R. Sinha resigned on Friday.

The agitating students, however, said that they will withdraw the strike only after receiving a written approval from the DME's office.

Members of leftist Democratic Youth Federation of India and Students Federation of India held a convention on the campus to protest what they called the state government's indifference on the issue.

"The Chief Minister is holding massive rallies in the heart of Kolkata but does not have time to meet striking students. How far is Esplanade from the Medical College?" CPI-M MP Mohammad Selim remarked.

--IANS

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Rapper Cardi B says that her husband and rapper Offset, who was arrested, has been released from jail.

Offset aka Kiari Kendrell Cephus was arrested on Friday in Georgia for an improper lane change, marijuana possession, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime.

Cardi B took to her Instagram account on Saturday and uploaded a story in which she can be seen posing next to Offset, reports variety.com.

The 25-year-old captioned it: "Home and for the record, Offset is not on probation."

Offset was also arrested in 2016 for driving with a suspended license in Atlanta. He also spent time in jail in 2015 after being arrested on drug and gun charges during a concert at Georgia Southern University.

--IANS

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A civilian was injured on Sunday in an accidental firing during the funeral of a slain militant in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, informed sources said.

Eyewitnesses said civilian Fayaz Ahmad was injured in the foot in Katrasoo village when the rifle of a militant went off accidentally during the funeral of Mudaser Bhat, who along with two others were killed in Khudwani area of the district in a gunfight with security forces earlier.

The injured was shifted to a Srinagar hospital.

--IANS

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Virtually kicking of its campaign for the 2019 elections, the Congress on Sunday said it will oust the BJP-led alliance from power and authorised party chief Rahul Gandhi to take a final decision on both pre and post-poll alliances.

Rahul Gandhi was also announced the party's face and Prime Ministerial candidate.

The Congress' decision to forge state-to-state alliances as also a larger alliance was taken at the meeting of an extended Congress Working Committee, also attended by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which discussed a poll strategy with a heavy focus on farmers, youth, women, minorities, backward classes and other weaker sections.

The decision about Rahul Gandhi being the final word on alliances came amid perceptions that Sonia Gandhi had a wider acceptability among present and potential allies and was better placed to negotiate with them.

The CWC discussed preparations for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls as also its readiness to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh - where elections will be held at the end of this year. It also discussed Mizoram where elections are due this year.

With the party having suffered electorally due to "indiscreet remarks" of some of its leaders close to elections, Rahul Gandhi emphasised on "gravitas of the language and conduct" and to keeping the party line in mind while making statements.

While he asked party workers not to leave any stone unturned to oust the "failed" Narendra Modi government, party sources said several leaders stressed the need to strengthen the party at the booth-level, and outpace the BJP in poll management.

Announcing the decisions on alliances, Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said the party President was also authorised to form a small committee for the purpose, if needed as well as campaign committees and other panels for 2019 elections.

Sources said Gandhi is likely to form a committee with a leader from each state to get feedback on alliances.

The issue of alliances, which is crucial for Congress to come to power again, saw "widespread discussion at the CWC meeting," said Surjewala, adding that Rahul Gandhi told the meeting that he will negotiate in this regard "without compromising on the interests of Congress" as also the national interest and had no hesitation in forging a "larger alliance".

Asked about party's stance to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's call to people to give all 42 Lok Sabha seats to Trinamool Congress, Surjewala said her statement should not be taken as final posture.

Asked if Rahul Gandhi will be face of the election, he said: "Congress will fight this election under the stewardship, leadership and by putting forward our leader Rahul Gandhi. On that we neither have a doubt, nor we have any second thoughts.

"Naturally the people of India will decide once the Congress becomes the single largest party, touches the magic figure of 200 or more... Naturally the Congress President will be the only face to be projected.

Meanwhile, in her remarks at the meeting, Sonia Gandhi cited "the reign of despair and fear heaped upon India's deprived and poor" and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rhetoric "shows his desperation reflecting that reverse countdown of Modi government has begun".

Manmohan Singh said the BJP-led NDA was unlikely to reach the average growth rate achieved by the UPA government.

The CWC also decided to support demand for special category status to Andhra Pradesh, while

Surjewala said it identified some core issues affecting people - farmers' distress, unemployment, performance of economy, "atrocities" on Dalits, tribals, and women, "indifference" to OBCs, "failure on foreign policy", continued disturbance in Kashmir, "lack of institutional integrity" and situation in the northeast - and decided to build a mass movement.

About 35 members spoke in the meeting that lasted nearly five hours and was the first of the CWC re-constituted by Rahul Gandhi.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that a group will be formed to take a call on alliances in the run-up to 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"We are setting up a group to do it," Gandhi told reporters after a meeting of Congress Working Committee, the party's highest decision making body, which authorised him to decide on pre and post-poll alliances.

The party's decision is being seen as an unambigious message to all present and potential allies that he will take all crucial decisions for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls including on seat sharing.

Some leaders, including Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, are learnt to have more comfort level in interacting with Rahul Gand'i's mother Sonia Gandhi, who is UPA chairperson.

Sonia Gandhi had hosted a dinner for like-minded opposition parties in March this year to explore the possibility of forging a broader unity. Earlier, she had taken the initiative to bring senior opposition leaders together to put up a common candidate in Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections.

On the other hand, the Iftar he hosted was skipped by most opposition stalwarts.

The CWC decision is being seen as an indication that Rahul Gandhi should emerge as the face of larger opposition in the 2019 electoral battle.

Alliances are crucial for the Congress to defeat the BJP, which won a majority on its own in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and has since won several state assembly polls.

While Congress has a direct contest with BJP in several states, it has a difficult choice in forging alliances in some others, like West Bengal, where it state unit is divided on whether it should ally with the Trinamool Congress or the Left parties.

Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that her party would like to win all 42 seats, leaving little scope for a tie-up, but not aligning with her will have its own implications as she is emerging as pivot for a Federal Front.

Then in Uttar Pradesh, where the Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party have talked of an alliance, the Congress may be left with very few seats.

Sonia Gandhi had deftly forged alliances before the 2004 Lok Sabha polls and had ousted the BJP-led NDA in an unexpected outcome.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The fear of drought looms large over Bihar once again as it has received 48 per cent deficit rain this monsoon so far but the state is ready to tackle the situation, a state official said on Sunday.

"A drought-like situation is in the making in the state due to deficit rainfall. The state government is (however) ready to face it," Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar told the media here after a high level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar reviewed the situation.

He said that another review meeting will be held on July 31.

Contrary to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast of a near normal monsoon in 2018 in Bihar, the state has so far witnessed poor monsoon.

Of Bihar's 37 districts, 22 have received 60 per cent less rainfall. Only six districts have recorded normal rainfall.

There is widespread fear of drought-like situation among millions of farmers who have faced similar situation thrice in the last seven years. Poor monsoon has affected sowing of paddy, which is in its peak season.

Monsoon normally hits the state between June 12 and 14. But it was delayed by 12 to 14 days in 2018.

"The Chief Minister is keeping a close watch on the situation. He will review the situation on July 31 and is likely to take a decision whether to announce a drought or not," the Chief Secretary said.

The official said that Public Health and Engineering Department has been directed to arrange 500 water tankers to deal with drought-like condition, adding that the state is fully alert to the situation and to deal with it.

According to him, farmers will be provided 18 to 20 hours of power supply for irrigation.

--IANS

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In a clear warning to some of its "loose cannons", President on Sunday stressed that it expected its leaders and workers to "toe the party line" on larger political issues and maintain discipline in their public interactions.

Sources said former President Sonia Gandhi also expressed concern over discipline in the party, terming it "the need of the hour".

In the meeting of the newly formed Working Committee (CWC) meet, party President and AICC General Secretary Ashok Gehlot both emphasised in their respective addresses that party leaders and workers should observe discipline.

Recently, a controversy raged over Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's remark that a Hindu Pakistan would be created if the BJP returned to power. The Congress had advised him and its leaders to "exercise restraint, caution and choose their words and statements wisely".

"The Congress President clearly said, he gave a friendly advice, and he hopes that all leaders of Congress party in view of the larger goal, that is, 2019 elections, will maintain discipline in both their language and conduct," Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said while briefing the media after the meet.

"There is full freedom of expression but as far party line (on various issues) is concerned, the Congress leadership will expect from its leaders and workers that they maintain the dignity of the language as well as that of conduct," he added.

Surjewala said that Gehlot, in his address, underlined that first this discipline would be expected from the leaders and then from the workers.

Sources said Gandhi also asked the party leaders if they had any issues, grievances or wanted to express anything with regard to the party, they should talk to him personally instead of airing their views in the media.

He also said if any leader gives a wrong remark, he will not hesitate to take action against the person, said a source.

In the past, certain comments by some Congress party leaders have cost the party dearly with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) quickly encashing on the same, such as the BJP starting its "chai pe charcha" (discussion over tea) campaign in 2014 after Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "chaiwallah" (tea vendor).

According to a source, CLP leader from Uttar Pradesh Ajay Kumar Lallu made a very important observation in the CWC meeting, saying that after Congress forms a government in any state, the party loses connect with its workers. This was agreed by all the members present in the CWC meeting and stressed that such an attitude needs to be changed.

Senior party leader Kamal Nath raised the issue of booth management during elections and said Congress was not on par with BJP in this regard. Many other leaders raised concerns over strengthening booth management of the party during elections.
Third-seeded Fabio Fognini of Italy won the Swedish Open title on Sunday after defeating fourth-seeded Richard Gasquet of France 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, lifting his second trophy in 2018.

Fognini, world No. 15, needed one hour and 46 minutes to earn his second win over Gasquet, world No. 29, in their fourth career match, reports Efe.

Playing his third final of 2018, Gasquet struggled on serve, putting only 57 percent of the first serve in play, and won only 57 percent of the second delivery.

The Italian player took advantage of the Frenchman's difficulties, creating 11 break points, five of which were enough to earn his seventh career title despite conceding his service game three times.

After recovering from a shaky start, a service break included, Fognini won five consecutive games to clinch the first set a few games later.

The second set seemed to be a carbon copy of the first, as Fognini fought back from a service break in the early stages, but Gasquet built up another break and went on to draw level at a set apiece.

However, two service breaks in the third set were all Fognini needed to seal the win.

--IANS

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has many distinctions that give the tiny state nestled in the Himalayas between India and China a larger-than-life profile. It is the only organic state in India, is litter- and defecation-free, has high literacy and has the best working conditions for women. But the challenge of it faces is huge which has made many embrace to not just generate jobs for themselves but to provide employment to the state's aspirational youth.

Amid negligible presence of the private sector and government employment opportunities already saturated, a small but dedicated band of young entrepreneurs is meeting the challenge head-on -- using innovative start-ups to generate jobs. Home to nearly 610,000 people, boasts of being the third-richest state (after Delhi and Chandigarh) by per capita income in the country.

In 2008, became India's first open defecation-free state. Eight years later, it became the country's first and the only organic state. A nationwide survey in 2016 said the state had the best working conditions for women in India. The literacy rate is seventh highest and its young are educated but, without jobs, drifting into drugs and despair.

The state has the second-highest rate in the country after Tripura, also in the Northeast. The rate per 1,000 people aged more than 15 years was at 136 in 2016-17 in the state, according to the Annual Employment and Unemployment Survey report. Another singularity this least populated state in India holds is that 10 per cent of its population is in government jobs -- which is way above the average of 3.5 per cent.

That is why Chief Minister Pawan Chamling has an advice for thousands of youth waiting for jobs in the state: They should overcome the desire to get government employment and, in fact, help the state to create jobs for others. Some of the youth have taken a cue from the Chief Minister who has been ruling the state for a quarter of a century now.

Among them is serial entrepreneur Rewaj Chettri, who has launched over 30 enterprises -- the most recent being the taxi aggregator app, NE Taxi. He started the app with Rs 300 that he spent on purchasing a domain name www.netaxi.in, using shared hosting two years ago. NE Taxi is a tourist cab service catering to travellers in the northeast. He now employs 26 people and has his "annual turnover crossing Rs 3 crore", making it to the Forbes list of Asia.

"We are a bootstrapped company and all the profits are pumped back to grow the business. We are set to expand to North India by the end of 2020," Chhetri told IANS.

"I feel that the state government was a platform provider and opportunity creator... We all just need to grab it," he said, referring to the government's start-up scheme that aims to disrupt mindset of the youth and instil spirit among them.

Through the start-up scheme, the government provides financial assistance in terms of seed capital of 25 per cent of the project cost -- even 35 per cent in certain cases -- entailing total investment up to Rs 2 million.

The remaining portion of the project cost has to be arranged from banks by way of loans.

Chhetri and other budding entrepreneurs have started what they call an "Entrepreneurs' Hub and Consultation Centre" where they build sustainable robust start-up ecosystem in Sikkim with the government's support.

Among some 3,000 beneficiaries of the initiative is Devika Kerongay, the founder of Fidgety Fingers, a social enterprise that "empowers" women by teaching them craft and knitting, "teaching them how to fish rather than giving them fish to eat", Kerongay said, adding she needed no investment and took no finances.

"It was started to empower underprivileged and rural women financially and socially... and to reintroduce and preserve the vanishing art form of fibrecraft," she told IANS.

ALSO READ: Maharashtra to support over 500 startups under Fintech Policy

Women mainly belonging to underprivileged families -- school drop-outs, young mothers, urban poor and from rural areas -- are trained free of cost to knit, crochet and craft at her enterprise of fibrecraft -- the art of making useful and decorative objects by hand or by using only simple tools.

After training, the women either start their own enterprises or work with Fidgety Fingers that markets their products.

"We have always received encouragement and moral support from the government. The government acquires our products for their officers as well as various of its official functions. The support has been incredible."

Yougan Tamang is a researcher, journalist, blogger and also a social entrepreneur. A gold medalist in anthropology and a Sikkim State Awardee 2013, Tamang now owns a digital media house Sikkim Chronicle that he co-founded with his friends Nirmal Mangar and Kabita Sharma last year.

"I (always) wanted a job from which I would never retire. provided me with one. My love for travelling, meeting new people and learning and sharing ideas led me to start Sikkim Chronicle."

It doesn't stop there. Tamang wants to expand the Chronicle into a bigger media house "not just in Sikkim but in the entire Northeast".

The way out of unemployment through entrepreneurship and skill development is also helping the otherwise "golden state" with all-round development battle depression and suicidal tendencies of its youth. Sikkim, according to a report, has one of the highest suicide rates in the country.

According to a 2016 study by Indian Journal of Psychiatry, some 1,604 suicide cases were recorded from 2006 to 2015 in the state that also battles a scourge of drug abuse. A majority of those who killed themselves were found unemployed.
Cooperation in development aid and trade were among the issues discussed during a bilateral meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi held with his Laos counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith here on Friday.

"Long-standing, friendly and mutually supportive relations," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

Kumar said Modi and Thongloun discussed development cooperation and partnership in trade and human resource development.

India-Laos trade stood at a little over $233 million in 2016-17.

India is a major development aid partner of Laos and Laos supports New Delhi in major international issues, including its claim for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.

Earlier, Thongloun was among the 10 Heads of State or government of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (Asean) members who attended this year's Republic Day celebrations here as guests of honour, a first in independent India's history.

The Laos leader, who arrived here on Wednesday, participated in the Commemorative Summit hosted by New Delhi on Thursday to mark the 25 years of the India-Asean Dialogue Partnership.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday called for practical measures by the European parties toward the 2015 nuclear deal to save the accord, the media reported.

Zarif pointed to recent talks between Iran and the European parties to the deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and said that "alongside the statements and pledges they give, the Europeans must act to save this agreement", Tasnim news agency reported.

"We have not seen sufficient practical measures by the Western powers and the remaining parties" to the JCPOA following the US pullout on May 8, he was quoted as saying, Xinhua reported.

Iran will continue talks with the Europeans, but will not wait too long for them, Zarif said, referring to Europe's resolve to propose a package of economic measures to offset US withdrawal from the JCPOA.

On Friday, a ministerial meeting on the Iran nuclear deal was held in Vienna. The meeting, chaired by Federica Mogherini, EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, was attended at ministerial level by China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Iran.

The JCPOA, sealed in July 2015, restricts Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for the easing of the sanctions on the Islamic republic.

US President Donald Trump has urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to widen its inspections on Iran's military sites after his decision to quit the deal. The demands have been rejected by Iran.

--IANS

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An arbitration tribunal has rejected the claim of former Spicejet owner Kalanithi Maran and his company Kal Airways for Rs 1,323-crore as damages from Spicejet.

In a stock exchange filing on Saturday, Spicejet said that the tribunal constituted by the Delhi High Court in 2016 rejected Maran's claim to damages of Rs 1,323 crore for not issuing warrants to him and KAL Airways, but awarded him a refund of Rs 579 crore with interest.

The tribunal, comprising retired Supreme Court Judges Arijit Pasayat, Hemant Laxman Gokhale and K.S.P. Radhakrishnan ruled on Friday that there was no breach of a share sale and purchase agreement reached between Maran and the current Spicejet promoter Ajay Singh in January 2015.

The tribunal upheld SpiceJet's defence that it failed to issue the relevant convertible warrants and preference shares due to lack of approval from the authorities concerned.

"The tribunal has held that there was no breach by the company (Spicejet) in pursuing the approval from relevant authority and since the same was not received for reasons not

attributable to the company, it cannot be held to be in breach or be

made liable for damages," the filing said.

"The tribunal has, however, held that since the warrants/shares cannot be issued any longer, the amount of about Rs 308 crore earlier received by the company as advance towards subscription of warrants is to be refunded to the claimants along with interest of 12 per cent per annum for a period of 30 months.

"Accordingly, no further warrants/shares are required to be issued by the company

to the claimants," it added.

Following a severe cash crunch suffered by Spicejet in 2015, Maran and his KAL Airways, transferred their 58.46 per cent share in SpiceJet for Rs 2 to Singh, who, as a co-founder of the low-cost carrier, assumed its liabilities.

As part of the agreement, Maran and KAL Airways said they paid SpiceJet Rs 679 crore for issuing warrants and preference shares.

Maran filed a case in the Delhi High Court against Singh and SpiceJet after he said that neither convertible warrants and preference shares were issued nor his money refunded.

The warrants, if converted into equity, would have given Maran and KAL Airways ownership of 24 per cent stake in Spicejet.

"The company will like to clarify that the aggregate principal amount payable,

including the amount of Rs 270 crore towards CRPS (if and when the same becomes

payable) has already been deposited by the company with the Registrar General of the Delhi High Court in September 2017," Spicejet said.

Singh and his family currently hold 60.25 per cent in SpiceJet.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An anti-narcotics court in Pakistan has awarded life imprisonment to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi in an eight-year-old ephedrine case.

According to the judgment, issued late on Saturday night, Hanif Abbasi, the PML-N candidate against Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid, failed to defend himself, and the charges levelled against him proved to be true, The Express Tribune reported.

The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) officials later arrested the PML-N leader -- who also stands disqualified from the July 25 polls due to his conviction -- from the court premises.

Abbasi was reportedly shifted to Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail, where ousted premier Nawaz Sharif, his daughter, and son-in-law are also imprisoned.

The court had reserved the judgment, which was announced after a delay of several hours at 11 p.m. (Pakistan time).

Strict security arrangements were made at the court with the deployment of a large a large numbers of police officials.

PML-N workers and supporter were also present in the court area in large number started protesting at the court's central gate after the announcement of the verdict. They also broke glass panes of the building and raised slogans.

Speaking to Daily Express, Abbasi said that he was neither sorry nor disappointed by the judgment.

"I will challenge the verdict in the high court," he said. According to a TV channel, the ANF officials took Abbasi into custody and escorted him through the door into the judge's chamber, rather than using the court's central gate.

Abbasi was arrested from the premises of the court soon after the sentence was announced.

The case involved illegal allocation of ephedrine quotas worth 7 billion Pakistani rupees to two pharmaceutical companies -- Berlex Lab International and Danas Pharmaceutical.

Besides Abbasi, Ali Musa Gilani -- son of former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani, and former health minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin were also accused in the case.

--IANS

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The mastermind of the gang rape of five women in Khuti district of Jharkhand a month ago was arrested on Sunday in West Singhbhum district along with another accused, police said.

"Mastermind Junas Tudu was arrested along with Balram Samad from the Chakradharpur railway station. Junas had instigated the Maoists belonging to People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI) to commit the crime," Inspector General of Police Naveen Kumar told reporters in Khuti.

The five women -- who were creating awareness against human trafficking -- were abducted and gang-raped at Kochang village on June 21. Junas was absconding since then.

Police has already arrested PLFI member and main accused Baji Samad alias Takla, Roman Catholic Church father Alphons Aiad, and two others.

According to police, Samad has confessed that he and others gang-raped the women on the instigation of Junas and Balram. Based on his confession, police seized five rifles from a forest in Khuti district.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Even as the indefinite hunger strike by students of Calcutta Medical College and Hospital here entered the 13th day on Sunday, authorities appealed to them to withdraw their agitation for proper hostel accommodation.

"I assure the students that appropriate steps are being taken to improve and renovate the hostel rooms," Debashis Bhattacharya, Director of Medical Education, said in a release.

"Medical students are part and parcel of the hospital. It is a place to provide heath services to the people. I request the students to withdraw their strike... and see that health services to the people are not hampered," he added.

Earlier in the day, members of civil society and student organisations gathered on the hospital premises to express their solidarity with the agitators.

The students began their strike on July 10 after college authorities notified that the new 11-storey hostel building will be allotted to freshers only.

In his written appeal, new Officiating Principal Ashok Bhadra informed the students about his Saturday meeting with Director of Medical Education, student representatives and heads of different departments.

"There will be open and transparent counselling for hostel accommodation if the DME approves the request made to him in the meeting," said Bhadra, who took over after R. Sinha resigned on Friday.

The agitating students, however, said that they will withdraw the strike only after receiving a written approval from the DME's office.

Members of leftist Democratic Youth Federation of India and Students Federation of India held a convention on the campus to protest what they called the state government's indifference on the issue.

"The Chief Minister is holding massive rallies in the heart of Kolkata but does not have time to meet striking students. How far is Esplanade from the Medical College?" CPI-M MP Mohammad Selim remarked.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The 'Bahuda Yatra' or the return journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra was on Sunday celebrated at Mayapur, the global headquarters of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Nadia district here along with other parts of West Bengal.

Following their stay in Gundicha temple at Prabhupad Ghat in Mayapur for nine days, the three deities went back to Rajapur temple in their opulently decorated chariots on Sunday.

The Gundicha temple was packed with people since morning as devotees were seen busy cleaning the chariots and organising the journey.

"More than 30,000 people comprising of devotees, guests and pilgrims from India as well as several countries like Australia, Spain, America, Peru, Britain, France, Brazil, Russia, China took part in the celebrations by pulling the chariots," a ISKCON spokesperson said.

"On way back the chariots were greeted by enthusiastic crowds belonging to different communities who stood on both sides of the road. Two grand tableaus depicting Narsimha Lila and Ramchandra Lila were the special attraction in the procession," he said.

In Kolkata, thousands of devotees pulled the chariots from Outram Road, JL Neheru Road and CIT Road to reach the city branch of ISKON temple, to celebrate the occasion of Lord Jagannath's return, also known locally as 'Ulto-rathayatra'.

Children across Kolkata and suburbs pulled miniature versions of the chariots to observe the occasion.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a bid to strengthen the expertise and capabilities of the employees of North-Eastern Railways, Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha on Sunday inaugurated Regional Rail Training Institute (RRTI) at Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur.

He also inaugurated the newly constructed washing pit at Ghazipur City station, according to a official statement.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Sinha said the RRTI was constructed within the stipulated time and will immensely add to the development of the area.

"This training institute will give strength to the country's and state's development. It will provide modern training facilities to the railway employees and would enhance their efficiency," he said.

The institute, built with the cost of Rs 21 crore, is equipped with modern training facilities, an advanced model hostel, computer room, cafeteria and other necessary facilities.

Sinha said that the 400 metre washing pit was built at a cost of Rs 19.62 crore.

The minister said that doubling of railway tracks, their electrification and other passengers amenities are being developed in the area on priority basis.

"We will soon complete the other projects," he said mentioning the status of the projects of Tadighat to Mau via Ghazipur rail route, doubling of Chapra-Allahabad, Bhatni-Aurihar, Aurihar-Jaunpur, Indara-Phephna and Mau-Shahganj rail routes.

--IANS

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's five-day, three-nation tour of Africa starting on Monday will see India reaching out first bilaterally and then multilaterally under the BRICS umbrella to the continent.

"The visit to Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa will further strengthen our relations with the African continent," the External Affairs Ministry said.

Over the last few years, there has been significant engagement in various fields with African countries. There have been 23 outgoing visits to Africa by the President, Vice President and Prime Minister in the last four years.

"Africa has been the top priority of India's foreign policy," the statement said.

Cooperation in defence and agriculture will be Modi's priorities during his bilateral visits to Rwanda and Uganda before he goes to South Africa for the annual Brazil, Russia, India China, South Africa (BRICS) Summit.

This will be Modi's second visit to mainland Africa after he visited Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya in 2016.

Modi will reach Rwanda on July 23 in what will be the first ever Prime Ministerial visit from India to the East African nation.

India elevated its ties with Rwanda, seen as an important gateway to eastern Africa, to that of a Strategic Partnership in January last year.

Briefing the media, T.S. Tirumurti, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the External Affairs Ministry, said India will open its first mission in Rwanda very soon. India's current High Commissioner to Rwanda has residence in Kampala, Uganda.

Rwanda is also a recipient of Indian lines of credit of nearly $400 million and of Indian training and scholarship programmes.

During Modi's visit, two more lines of credit are expected to be signed - one of $100 million for industrial parks and a similar amount for agriculture and irrigation.

"We expect agreements to be concluded in the areas of defence, dairy cooperation, leather, agriculture and culture," Tirumurti said.

In Rwanda, Modi will visit Rweru model village to gift 200 cows as part of a programme overseen by President Kagame wherein the poorest families get dairy cows from the government and the first female calf born of the cow is gifted to a neighbour to promote brotherhood.

From Rwanda, Modi will reach Uganda on July 24 in what will the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister in 21 years.

Tirumurti said training and capacity building had been the focus of defence cooperation between India and Uganda. India has an Indian military training team stationed in Jinja since 2010.

Apart from calling on Ugandan President Yowei Museveni and holding delegation-level talks, Modi will take part in an India-Uganda joint business event and address the Ugandan parliament, the first ever by an Indian Prime Minister.

He will also address members of the Indian community in Uganda.

"We expect to extend two lines of credit for the first time to Uganda of $141 million regarding electricity lines and sub-stations and $64 million for agriculture and dairy production," Tirumurti said.

From Uganda, Modi will reach South Africa on July 25 on the third and last leg of his visit.

Besides the BRICS Summit, Modi will also hold a bilateral meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa, who assumed office in February.

South Africa is organising the 10th BRICS leaders' Summit under the theme "BRICS in Africa: Collaboration with Developing Countries for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the Fourth Industrial Revolution".

Modi, along with other BRICS leaders, will participate in the restricted session, plenary session, leaders' retreat, outreach with leaders from Africa and outreach with leaders from the global South.

In the BRICS-Africa outreach, those invited include Rwanda, Uganda, Togo, Zambia, Namibia, Senegal, Gabon, Ethiopia, Angola and the African Union Chair.

In the BRICS-plus outreach, the invited countries of the global South include Argentina, Turkey, Indonesia, Jamaica and Egypt.

On the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, Modi will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. This will be the third meeting between the two leaders this year.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In an attempt to make gender neutral laws, the Women and Child Development Ministry has brought in amendments in the existing Pocso law to cover sexual abuse of the boy child and these will be sent for Cabinet approval very soon, a ministry official said.

"Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act has always striven to develop gender-neutral laws. While the Cabinet has already given its nod proposing death sentence for convicts raping girls below 12, the same has been proposed for boy victims," the official said.

The Law Ministry has cleared the amendments to enhance punishment in cases of sexual assault against young boys and it will be sent to the Cabinet in next 2-3 days, the official added.

Woman and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has been pushing for bringing in the amendment and had earlier also written to the states batting for equal rights to male child victims of sexual abuse.

Gandhi earlier had also supported a petition on Change.org by film-maker-activist Insia Dariwala, who said, "male child sexual abuse is an ignored reality in India".

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The police have stepped up protection to a convent near here which is home to a nun who had alleged that she was sexually abused by a Catholic bishop.

"The increased police protection has been given after the police team probing her complaint asked for it," said the official who did not wish to be identified.

Trouble began for Franco Mulakkal, the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar (Punjab) in June when the nun alleged that she was sexually abused by him several times between 2014 and 2016.

An FIR was registered against the bishop and a 114-page detailed statement was taken from the nun and other inmates of the convent at Kuruvalangadu. She alleged that the abuse took place at the convent.

Mulakkal maintains that he has done no wrong.

A police team is now in Bengaluru to meet a few nuns who previously resided in the convent.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress President Rahul Gandhi congratulated Asharam Choudhary, the son of a ragpicker in Madhya Pradesh, who cracked the AIIMS MBBS entrance test in his first attempt and hoped that he would contribute to nation-building and inspire many in future.

"I congratulate you on clearing the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) entrance test in your first attempt and getting selected at Jodhpur AIIMS to pursue Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)... I extend my best wishes to you and hope you will contribute to nation-building," Gandhi said in the letter.

"I am aware that despite all challenges you were able to secure good rank. It is a testament to their dedication and your hard work that you have performed so well," he said, adding it gave him immense pleasure to note how Asharam's village doctor and parents inspired him in his journey and Dakshana Foundation supported him financially.

Choudhary also cleared the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), conducted on May 6, bagging the 803rd rank in the OBC category and 2,763 overall.

In his letter, the Congress President said, "I hope one day, you will also be in a position to inspire other children to take up medical profession and serve the people of India. You remind me of Mahatma Gandhi who used to say: 'Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from the indomitable will'."

In another letter to Chief Election Commissioner O. P. Rawat, Gandhi said:"I write this letter to commend you on the excellent initiative of the Election Commission in Karnataka. The issuance of the Braille EPIC cards to the visually impaired voters is a step in the right direction, which will make elections and voting accessible to all voters."

--IANS

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Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that he smelled a scam in the Rafale deal, claiming Prime Minister Narendra Modi "squirmed" when questions over the price of the fighter planes were raised in Parliament.

"The PM squirms when asked about the price of Rafale and refuses to look me in the eye. Sure smells like a scam," Gandhi said on Twitter.

He also took a dig at Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for "flip flops" on revealing details of the Rafale deal.

During the debate on no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha on Friday, Gandhi had said that French President had told him personally that there was no secret pact between the two government while Sitharaman said there was.

"Our Defence Minister said she would, but now she won't. She flip flops between 'it's-not-a-secret' & 'it's-a-BIG-secret'," 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.)
In a major decision concerning the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress on Sunday said that party chief Rahul Gandhi will take the decision on both pre and post-poll alliances.

The party also said that he will be the face of the party in the campaign to oust the BJP and he will be the party's Prime Ministerial candidate.

The decision to authorise Rahul Gandhi to take final call on alliances was taken at the meeting of an extended Congress Working Committee, where UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were among senior leaders present.

The decision about Rahul Gandhi being the final word on alliances comes amid perceptions that Sonia Gandhi has wider acceptability among present and potential allies and will be better placed to negotiate with them.

Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, who briefed reporters after the CWC meeting here, said that the opposition party was prepared for a "larger alliance" to oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the next general elections.

"The CWC authorised Gandhi to take appropriate decision for pre- and post-poll alliances as well as to form a small committee for the purpose, if needed," he said, adding Gandhi may involve senior colleagues in negotiations.

The issue of alliances, which is crucial for Congress to come to power again, was discussed in detail at the CWC meeting. The Congress suffered a debacle in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and has since lost several key states to the BJP.

Rahul Gandhi told the meeting that he will negotiate on alliances "without compromising on the interests of the Congress" as also the national interest.

Surjewala said Congress was fighting "the forces of subjugation and suppression who were denigrating democracy" and it was like the second freedom struggle.

"That ideology must be fought and India should be put back on the path of progress, peaceful coexistence and harmony," he said, adding that the party will seek to bring focus back on youth, farmers, Dalits, minorities, women and other weaker sections.

Noting there is always give and take in alliances, he said: "Alliances can never be formed on rigidity and absolute stances and Congress President will decide."

Asked about the party's reaction to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's call to people to give all 42 Lok Sabha seats to her Trinamool Congress, he said her statement should not be taken as final posture.

"When we talk to her, what decision is taken, we will inform you," he said.

Asked if Rahul Gandhi will be the party's face, Surjewala said: "Congress will fight this election under the stewardship, leadership and by putting forward our leader Rahul Gandhi. On that we neither have a doubt, nor we have any second thoughts.

"Naturally the people of India will decide once the Congress becomes the single largest party, touches the magic figure of 200 or more. Naturally the Congress will be leading and whoever wants to come...naturally the Congress President will be the only face to be projected," 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.)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have discussed prospects of Russia-US relations and possible cooperation on Syria and the Korean Peninsula, Russia's Foreign Ministry said.

During a telephonic conversation on Saturday, Lavrov and Pompeo exchanged views on the prospects for further normalizing relations between the two countries "on an equal and mutually beneficial basis", a statement said, Xinhua reported.

The diplomats also discussed a number of pressing international issues, including, in particular, possible interaction of Russia and the US with other countries to address humanitarian problems in Syria as well as to promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, according to the statement.

On July 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump held a full-fledged summit in Finland's capital Helsinki, at which the two leaders discussed a wide range of topics including Russia-US relations, national security and top international issues.

Pompeo on Friday confirmed Trump's continuing of talks with Putin and said that the two leaders began discussing the return of millions of Syrian refugees.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
South Korea has asked the US to exempt its vehicles from the new 25 per cent tariffs Washington is planning to impose on imported vehicles and spare parts, officials said on Sunday.

South Korean Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon made the request to his US counterpart Steve Mnuchin in a meeting on Saturday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Efe news agency reported.

According to an official statement by the finance ministry, Kim asked Mnuchin that South Korean vehicles be excluded from the new tariffs the White House is planning to impose on national security grounds.

The South Korean official reminded his US colleague of the positive impact the Asian country's automobile industry has had on employment and investments in the US.

Currently, South Korean vehicles entering the US market are not subject to import tariffs under the free trade agreement signed by both countries in 2012.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif has said that people can change his name if he does not take Pakistan ahead of its arch-rival India after coming into power.

Addressing a rally in Sargodha late on Saturday, the PML-N chief said: "If I do not end load shedding crisis in six months, you can change my name," adding "they (Indians) will come to Wahga Border and call Pakistani's their master."

The former Punjab CM said that he would bring Pakistan at par with Malaysia and Turkey. He added that he would visit Mahathir Mohamad and Tayyip Erdogan to learn from them and make Pakistan a great nation again, the Express News reported.

Shehbaz said that Pakistan cannot become a great nation by voting leaders like Imran Khan who have made false promises to "our nation".

"Imran Khan alleged corruption against the Punjab government but not a single penny has been proved against me," he said adding "In fact, a corruption case has surfaced from Peshawar metro."

The PML-N President while defending his elder brother and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said he came back to Pakistan leaving his ailing wife in London. He said the elder Sharif along with his daughter Maryam Nawaz were arrested and were not even allowed to meet Sharif's mother.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Los Angeles Police have arrested a suspect who earlier barricaded himself in a supermarket with people inside, the media reported.

"We have successfully taken the suspect into custody without incident," the LAPD tweeted on Saturday, saying officers were "clearing the location", BBC reported.

People were earlier seen running from the Trader Joe's shop. One person was injured, reports say.

The suspect earlier fired shots after a police pursued his car. He crashed the car, running inside the shop.

A woman was taken from the crashed car and transported to a local hospital, the US media reported.

The police pursuit began after the suspect shot his grandmother and girlfriend, reports say.

US President Donald Trump tweeted that he was watching the situation "very closely".

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
South African police said on Sunday that they are investigating a deadly shooting at a taxi which led to 11 deaths.

South Africa Police Service said that on Saturday night, a taxi from Gauteng province transporting people who attended a funeral came under fire between Colenso and Weenen. Unknown suspects jumped into the road from the bushes and opened fire, it said.

Xinhua news agency quoted a police spokesperson as confirming that there had been 11 fatalities while four people were seriously injured.

The victims were allegedly from a taxi association in Gauteng.

South Africa taxi operators often clash with each other for ranking facilities and routes.

--IANS

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Three militants, who tortured and killed a trainee police constable on Saturday, were killed on Sunday in a gunfight with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district, police said.

A police statement said that in a significant breakthrough, concerted efforts of the security forces resulted in the elimination of the prime accused involved in Saturday's abduction and killing of Constable Muhammad Saleem.

The constable had come home on leave from Kathua Police Training School.

The security forces launched searches in Redwani area in Kulgam early in the morning after getting credible inputs about the presence of the terrorists in a cluster of houses.

"As the security forces advanced, the hidden terrorists fired, resulting in a brief encounter in which the three terrorists were killed."

Police said no collateral damage occurred in the encounter.

The dead militants were identified as Muawiya, a Pakistani, Suhail Ahmad Dar of Redwani Balaa and Mudassar alias Rahaan of Katarsoo.

As per police records, the slain terrorists were affiliated with the outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen.

"Mauwiya's involvement was established in a number of civilian killings. Suhail, who was working as a labourer earlier after he had dropped out from school, had later joined a terror outfit," the police statement said.

Those involved in the operation included the police, Army and Central Reserve Police Force.

The police are ascertaining the complicity of the other co-conspirators who assisted in the commission of the gruesome crime leading to the death of Constable Saleem.

"Some arms and ammunition including but not limited to 2 AK 47 rifles and a carbine have also been recovered from the site of encounter," 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.)
Three militants were killed on Monday in a daylong gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir's Badgam district.

Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said that searches were still going on in the area.

The exact identity of slain men was being ascertained, police said.

Security forces had started a cordon and search operation on Monday in the Hapatnar forests of Chrar-e-Sharief area of Badgam following information about the presence of militants there.

The militants fired at the security forces, triggering a gun battle.

Meanwhile, protests broke out near the gunfight site between civilian protesters and security personnel who used tear smoke canisters to quell the mob.

Authorities suspended mobile Internet services in Badgam district as a precaution.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The US Department of State has said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to discuss Helsinki meeting fruits and issues over bilateral and regional concerns.

According to a statement issued by State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert on Sunday, the phone conversation took place on Saturday when the two foreign ministers discussed a broad range of issues, "some of which were following up from the meeting between President Trump and President Putin" in Finland on July 16, Xinhua reported.

Among the topics discussed was the situation in Syria.

The two also discussed how to implement ideas on counterterrorism process coordination and the mutual goal of establishing business-to-business dialogue between private, non-governmentally controlled entities in the two countries, another deliverable of the Trump-Putin meeting.

Pompeo and Lavrov also discussed "the need for Russia to provide equal diplomatic access to the US, at a level that is fair and reciprocal".

US White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said Thursday that Putin will be invited to Washington in the autumn, and "those discussions are already underway".

Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said on Friday in response that that his country is open to a new meeting between the two presidents.

Trump has been widely attacked after his meeting with Putin on July 16, due to his reconciliatory remarks that many saw as a sign to side with Moscow against US intelligence community's conclusion that Russia meddled in the 2016 US elections.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A woman has been killed in a Los Angeles grocery store siege in which a gunman held multiple people hostage, police said on Saturday.

The suspect has been taken into custody and an investigation is underway, Efe news agency reported.

The incident began when a shooting occurred at 1.30 p.m. in Newton Division after which the suspect fled the scene, the Los Angeles Police Department said on Twitter.

Police located the suspect and a pursuit ensued "at which point the suspect fired multiple rounds at pursuing officers," it added.

"The suspect then crashed his vehicle at which point an officer involved shooting occurred. At the termination of the pursuit, the suspect fled into the Trader Joe's," police said.

"Inside the Trader Joe's, a female victim was struck by gunfire. She was pronounced dead at scene," it added.

The suspect held multiple people hostage in the store before the suspect walked out and "asked that he put handcuffs on himself," police said.

He was then taken into custody.

It was not clear how many people were inside the store in Silver Lake neighbourhood and whether there were any other casualties.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti had earlier said on social media that 100 firefighters and 18 ambulances had been deployed as well as the Mayor's Crisis Response Team "to provide emotional support and resources to victims of #Silverlake #TraderJoes incident."

US President Donald Trump said on Twitter he was "watching Los Angeles possible hostage situation very closely. Active barricaded suspect. L.A.P.D. working with Federal Law Enforcement."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Women politicians, cutting across party lines, have welcomed the government's decision on scrapping GST on sanitary napkins.

Reactions flowed in from many women politicians after Finance minister Piyush Goyal announced that sanitary pads are now 100 percent exempt from tax.

"In a remarkable move, Piyush Goyal during the 28th GST Council Meet announced to exempt Sanitary Napkins from the GST. Indeed, this will give the required thrust to our Menstrual Hygiene initiatives and will transform lives of many Women," Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi tweeted.

Sanitary pads, which were initially taxed at 18 per cent, were brought down to 12 per cent under GST that was launched in July 2017. Gandhi, however earlier had justified the imposed tax saying that scrapping it would kill the indigenous pad makers.

Congress MP Sushmita Dev who last year had launched an online petition with Change.org demanding total removal of taxes on pads welcomed the government's move saying that it is a victory of more than four lakh citizens who had signed it.

"Some journeys take longer than others. And so here we are bearing the victory torch a year after our campaign 'tax free wings. This is monumental in the step towards improving the accessibility, availability and affordability of the product to millions of women," Dev said.

Union Textile minister Smriti Irani too tweeted thanking the Finance Minister for exempting sanitary napkins from GST.

"A welcome step towards encouraging menstrual hygiene among young girls and women. Good and Simple GST," she wrote.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Like the present debate on the Rafale deal, governments have often taken refuge in the interests of national security to ward off giving details of the differences in the deals concluded by them. But the Opposition of today could well be the government of tomorrow and will have access to all the details. Now if they feel that the deal can be cancelled and a new deal entered into, we will only have deals and no aircraft.

The air force and the security of the country will suffer. But do they care? And let me add  nothing is so secret. There are enough details in books ...
Even as all eyes are set on how the NDA resolves the thorny seat-sharing issue, the rival Mahagatbandhan in Bihar is busy stitching a rainbow coalition to defeat the BJP-led combination in the

Efforts are on to cobble up unity and distribute 40 Lok Sabha seats among Mahagatbandhan rainbow coalition partners comprising the RJD, the Congress, the NCP, the HAM (Hindustani Awam Morcha), the Left and Sharad Yadav.

Senior leaders of the constituent parties have been meeting away from the media glare to discuss seat-sharing among them based on "realistic" ground level strength of a party in a constituency, sources in the RJD, Congress and HAM of former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi said.

HAM president had a fruitful meeting with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi early this week, its spokesman Danish Rizwan told PTI.



Congress general secretary in charge of organisation, Ashok Gehlot had met Lalu Prasad in Patna on July 12. His son Tejashwi Yadav has also met Rahul Gandhi several times.

Sources insisted that "in all likelihood" the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) of Union minister Upendra Kushwaha would be part of the Mahagatbandhan.

Kushwaha, Union Minister of state for HRD in the Narendra Modi cabinet, had not responded to an overture of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav to join them. But, the sources insisted Kushwaha would ultimately move to their camp.

Sources said according to talks so far, out of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, Lalu Prasad's RJD would have almost half of them.



The Congress would get 10, HAM and RLSP 4 each, NCP and Left would get one seat each. Veteran socialist leader Sharad Yadav may field his son on RJD symbol from Madhepura, they claimed.

The Congress is seeking more seats claiming that its support base has increased in the state after the 2015 Assembly election.

"The Congress wants to field its candidates on more than 12 seats it had fought in 2014 in alliance with RJD," its state chief spokesman H K Verma said, adding this was based on the fact that its support base had expanded now.

Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot, during his meeting at BPCC headquarters in Patna on July 12, faced a demand by some leaders like Rajya Sabha MP Akhilesh Singh that the party should insist on a respectable seat-sharing formula and not remain content with whatever was left over by the RJD.

Following this Gehlot had said it was a "majboori" (compulsion) for the party to hold talks with parties like the RJD and earlier with the JD(U) for an alliance in Bihar and batted for strengthening the party so that it could win elections on its own.



The RJD had hit back, saying they were themselves worried about the "bad shape in which the Congress is".

Even HAM is eyeing for a fifth seat.

The sources said that former JNU President Kanhayia Kumar might be fielded as a Left party candidate from his native Begusarai constituency.

NCP general secretary Tariq Anwar might be repeated from his Katihar seat.

RJD spokesman Mritunjay Tiwari said that "there is no 'kitch-kitch'(rumbling) on seat-sharing which would be sorted out by senior leaders of the constituents."



According to the arrangements in the Mahagatbandhan in 2014, the RJD had contested 27 seats while Congress had put up nominees at 12 places and NCP I.

The RJD, which relies on "M-Y" (Muslim-Yadav) support base, had managed to win four seats then while the Congress bagged two and NCP's Tariq Anwar emerged victorious from Katihar.

The NDA camp had maximum numbers with BJP winning 22, LJP 6 and RLSP 3. The JD(U) with two seats has joined them now.

But, out of the four seats won by the RJD, Madhepura MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav left it to float his own Jan Adhikar Party (JAP).

The Araria seat orginally won by Mohammad Talimuddin is represented by his son Sarfaraz Alam now after his death. In addition, Lalu Prasad's party has its representatives from Bhagalpur and Banka seats.

The Congress has its MP in Ranjeet Ranjan (wife of Pappu Yadav) from Supual and Mohammad Asararul Haque from Kisanganj.

The RJD ranked second on 20 seats in Bihar in the last Parliamentary poll, while the Congress had ended as runners up in 8 places. The HAM is a new entrant in the camp.



Its chief and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi had walked out of the NDA on the eve of the Araria Lok Sabha bypoll early this year and joined hands with Lalu Prasad's party.

Both Manjhi and Kushwaha have felt marginalised after re-entry of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party JD(U) in the NDA camp following disintegration of the Grand Alliance ministry last year.

Former state Assembly speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary, who has left Nitish Kumar, is moving in the company of RJD and former Union minister Yashwant Sinha, who quit the BJP, is also with the Mahagatbandhan and could be fielded by the RJD.

After ice breaking breakfast and dinner meetings with BJP president Amit Shah in Patna on July 12 last, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had exuded confidence that the seat-sharing proposal would come from the BJP in four-five weeks.

The NDA in Bihar comprises the JD(U), the BJP, the LJP and the RLSP.
Gold weighing 1.12 kg worth Rs 34.5 lakh suspected to have been smuggled from Colombo has been seized from a passenger at the international airport here, DRI said today.

Acting on tip off, officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) intercepted a passenger who arrived by a flight from Madurai yesterday.

Upon examination it was found that the passenger was carrying two packages in his hand luggage containing paste weighing 1850 grams, which had 1,120 grams of gold content, a DRI release said.

Investigation revealed that the passenger was entrusted with the job of retrieving the gold paste during the domestic run of the flight.

Whereas the said gold paste was smuggled from Sri Lanka and concealed in the aircraft by his associate on its international run from Colombo to Madurai, so as to avoid customs checks at the international airport, it said.

A total of 1120.780 grams of gold was extracted from the gold paste, valued at Rs 34.57 lakh and has been seized under the Customs Act, 1962.

Further investigation is in progress, the release added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Eighteen people have been killed in an attack by suspected Boko Haram jihadists in the Lake Chad region, a Chadian military source said today.

"Boko Haram elements attacked a village south of Daboua," not far from Chad's border with Niger, at around 9:00 pm (2000 GMT) on Thursday, the military source said.

The assailants "cut the throats of 18 people, wounded two others and kidnapped 10 women".

Boko Haram's Islamist insurgency has devastated the region since it took up arms in 2009 in Nigeria, leaving at least 20,000 people dead, displacing more than two million others and triggering a humanitarian crisis.

Chad, Cameroon and Niger have all joined the military effort by Nigeria to crush Boko Haram.

Chad has seen a recent increase in attacks by the group.

In May, six people were killed, including four government officials and a soldier, in a Boko Haram attack on a Chadian army checkpoint on an island in Lake Chad.

Niger's army said yesterday it killed "ten terrorists" after one of its military positions in the southwest of the country was attacked by Boko Haram.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two women related to NRI industrialist Ajay Gupta's younger brother Atul, died in a road accident here today, while five other family members, including two children, were seriously injured, police said.

The seven members related to Atul Gupta's wife were returning home in Saharanpur's Madho Nagar from Delhi when around 11 am their car collided with a stationary truck on the Saharanpur-Mazzaffarnagar state highway near Deoband, they said.

Manju Gupta (70) and Namita Gupta (32) died in the crash, while Anshul Gupta (45), Rajiv Gupta, Shaily Gupta (40), Mahi Gupta (12) and Bhavya (10) sustained injuries, SP (Rural) Vidyasagar Mishra said.

Manju Gupta was Anshul's mother, while Namita was his wife. The injured were airlifted to a hospital the police officer said.

Earlier in the day, the women and children had landed in Delhi after attending the engagement ceremony of Ajay Gupta's nephew in Dubai. Anshul Gupta and his brother-in-law Rajiv Gupta had gone to pick them up from the airport, Mishra said.

Rajiv Gupta was driving the car when the incident occurred, the SP said, adding the impact of the crash was such that the front half of the compact sedan was reduced to a mangled heap of metal.

The Gupta family consisting of brothers Ajay, Atul and Rajesh is one of the wealthiest NRI business families, and is based in South Africa and Dubai. Their business interests include computers, media and mining.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least 20 people were injured today in a grenade attack targeting an election office of the Baluchistan Awami Party in Pakistan's restive Baluchistan province.

Unidentified men riding on motorcycles hurled hand grenades at the BAP election office, injuring 20 people.

This is the second terror attack on the BAP in the province after the party suffered massive casualties on July 13 when a suicide bomber killed around 150 people and injured some 200 at a election meeting in Mastung district.

The suicide bomber also killed BAP candidate Nawab Siraj Raisani.

Earlier in the day, a senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party, Ikramullah Gandapur was killed in a suicide bomb attack on his vehicle in Dera Ismail Khan.

Gandapur was targeted near his residence as he was going to a election corner meeting.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Three minor girls ran away from their home in Shamli and came to Delhi as they were unhappy with the management of a government-aided school, a police official said today.

The girls, who went missing last night, were traced from a railway station in Delhi and handed over to their families, said Additional SP Shlok Kumar.

They had joined the school on July 15, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Four 'undocumented' Indian crew members of an Iran-bound merchant ship have been rescued by immigration officials during a check after it docked here and its captain arrested on charges of trying to hide them, police said today.

The four crew members, including one from Tamil Nadu, were found kept hidden in the engine room of the Panama-registered crude oil carrier "Rise Dignity" when immigration officials searched the vessel yesterday reportedly after a tip-off by a relative of one of them, they said.

The vessel with 40 crew members, including the four Indians, arrived at the port on its voyage from Dubai in United Arab Emirates to Iran.

Captain of the ship Pavan Kumar, who allegedly did not include the names of four in the list of crew members and tried to hide them from Immigration officials, had been arrested, the police said.

R Prakash of Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu, A Suresh Kumar from Andhra Pradesh, Thejos Pukkot from Kerala and Punit from Uttar Pradesh were rescued and handed over to the Harbour Police and later allowed to go (to home towns), according to police.

According to a complaint filed by 24-year old Prakash with police, he and other three Indians were 'cheated' by their Mumbai-based employer and the captain and brought onboard the vessel.

While working in vessel Rise Express, they were told by their owner to work for bigger ship 'Rise Dignity' on June 2. They were cleaning oil tanks among other works.

They handed over their original travel documents, including passports, to Rise Dignity's Captain Pavan Kumar.

"When we learnt that our names were not in the list of crew members. We asked them and all they said was they will manage... but the captain and other crew members hid us four in engine room to avoid being caught," he said.

They informed the immigration officials about the entire situation, Prakash said in the complaint.

Further investigation was on, police said.

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A five-storey under-construction building collapsed here today, killing at least one person and injuring several others, officials said.

The building was located in the Akash Nagar area of the Masuri police station limits.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel were pressed into service soon after the incident and rescue and search operations were underway, police said.

"So far, we have pulled out one dead body and rescued one person trapped in the debris," an NDRF official told PTI.

The Ghaziabad Police tweeted that some labourers were rescued and sent to a hospital for treatment.

There was no reports of more people being trapped in the collapsed structure, it said.

An Uttar Pradesh government spokesperson said in Lucknow, "Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the district magistrate and the senior superintendent of police of Ghaziabad to visit the site of building collapse and take immediate action for rescue, along with NDRF personnel."



Adityanath also asked the district authorities to lodge an FIR and take action against the guilty.

The incident comes within a week of a six-storey under-construction building having collapsed on another five-storey building in Greater Noida.

The twin-building collapse in Shahberi village had claimed nine lives, including that of a toddler and two women.

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A five-storey under-construction building collapsed here today, killing at least one person and injuring seven, officials said.

District Magistrate Ritu Maheshwari said the building was being constructed illegally.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered an inquiry into the incident. A magisterial probe has also been initiated into the collapse of the illegal structure in the Akash Nagar area, she said.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel were pressed into service soon after the incident and rescue and search operations were underway, police said.

"So far, we have pulled out one body and rescued one person trapped under the debris," an NDRF official told PTI.

Director General of Police O P Singh in a statement identified the deceased as Rahul.

The Ghaziabad Police tweeted that some labourers were rescued and sent to a hospital for treatment.

There were no reports of more people being trapped in the collapsed structure, it said.

"Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed the district magistrate and the senior superintendent of police of Ghaziabad to visit the site of building collapse and take immediate action for rescue, along with NDRF personnel," an Uttar Pradesh government spokesperson said in Lucknow.

Adityanath also asked the district authorities to register an FIR and take action against the guilty.

Local MP and Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh reached the spot and took stock of the rescue operation.

Maheshwari said police were trying to trace the land owner and the builder.

"An FIR will be registered and they will be booked under the National Security Act. Stringent action will be taken against officers responsible for the illegal construction," she said.

"The government will give Rs 2 lakh as ex-gratia to the family of the victim and Rs 50,000 each to the injured," Maheshwari said.

The incident comes within a week of a six-storey under-construction building having collapsed on another five-storey building in Greater Noida.

The twin-building collapse in Shahberi village had claimed nine lives, including that of a toddler and two women.

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Age is just a number for 59-year-old BJP MLA Phool Singh Meena who has enrolled himself in a graduation course as he had to drop out from school his father's death.

BJP MLA from Udaipur rural, Meena, is a father of four daughters, who encouraged him to study again.

"After death of my father, I had to drop school and take up farming to take care of my family," Meena told PTI.

During a campaign to educate young tribal girls in the area, the MLA said he felt the need to get educated and was encouraged by her daughters to get back to school.

He filled the examination form from an open board for class 10 in 2013, but could not take the test due to his busy schedule as an MLA. But he appeared for exams in 2016 and cleared it. Then in 2016-2017, he passed class 12.

Meena said he was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Beti Bachao Beti Padao campaign and encouraged ST and SC girls in his constituency to enrol themselves in schools. He announced free plane ride to Pink city Jaipur for girls scoring more than 80 per cent in secondary and higher secondary examinations.

He said, "Two students were provided free plane rides to Jaipur in 2016 and six in 2017. They were felicitated by the chief minister and her cabinet colleagues and also given a tour of the state Legislative Assembly."



The MLA said, due to this campaign, the performance of girl students has improved.

Now, to motivate girls belonging to general category in his constituency, he has announced free plane rides for them also.

He said that though he encouraged others to get educated, he felt deep pain that he himself could not continue his studies beyond class 7.

"While encouraging others to study, I felt deep pain that I did not complete my My daughters sensed the pain and motivated me to go back to school," He said.

Meena, who recently appeared for BA first year exams, believes if the people's representatives are educated than only they can motivate others.

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The Tripura government has introduced Aadhaar-based biometric attendance system at the state secretariat aiming to bring in more discipline among staff and encourage minimal use of paper for official work.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said his government was working on reducing "unnecessary workload" and increase efficiency and accountability among employees.

We have 996 employees working in the state secretariat. All of them are very enthusiastic about the new system, the chief minister said.

He also said the central government pays huge sums to buy paper used in official work. Judicious use of the commodity can save a lot of money, he said.

The biometric attendance system would go a long way in curbing unnecessary use of paper, he said.

Earlier this month, the BJP-IPFT (Indigenous People's Front of Tripura) government imposed a set of restrictions on use of paper in government offices.

In an office memorandum issued by the Department of General Administration (Secretariat Administration) on July 16, Secretary TK Chakma said the state government has adopted a decision to give stress on importance of economic use of paper in government offices.

Deb said attendance log books were things of the past as nobody needed to keep record of employees attending the office and store them in secure lockers, which makes the entire process lengthy.

The new system will be robust, self-dependent and easy to use. Depending on others for attendance and other regular chores were done in old days. Now, everyone has to take responsibility. Tripura has to be made a model state in the next three years, Deb said, reiterating his aim to develop Tripura well ahead of the end of his tenure as chief minister.

Deb became the Chief Minister of Tripura in March this year.

Deb also said digital attendance and other digitized services would be good for everyone and would put an end to babu culture.

The state government hopes to extend digital attendance services to other offices in a phased manner.

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The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is likely to finalise a deal with the Gujarat government by next month for the proposed Rs 2,000 crore Dholera airport, a senior state official said.

"We have already sent the proposal to them (AAI) and they have accorded in-principle approval for it. We hope that by mid-August we will be able to finalise it," chief secretary, Gujarat government, Jagdip Narayan Singh told PTI here.

The airport is set to come up in greenfield city under the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project at Dholera and will be built over four years.

"We are hopeful that the project will also move to the Department of Economic Affairs for further approvals by that time," he added.

Speaking about the need for the airport, Singh explained that Ahmedabad already has heavy traffic and needs an alternative.

He said Dholera would be the next growth centre for the state, with a need for robust transport infrastructure.

"This airport will not just improve connectivity but will also become a catalyst for growth of the greenfield city," he said.

The total cost of the project is expected to be around Rs 2,000 crore and an equity participation between AAI and Gujarat has been agreed at 51 per cent and 49 per cent, respectively.

In its initial proposal, the government had offered to maintain 74 per cent stake in the project, which AAI refused to accept.

Dholera Industrial City Development's managing director Jai Prakash Shivahare said many companies have already shown interest to set up businesses in this new city, which it plans to make a hub for defence manufacturing.

"In the defence sector, companies require huge land parcels like 400 to 500 hectares. Such large land parcels are not available anywhere else in the country now," he said.

"We have land parcels as large as 750 hectares and are hopeful of completing the work for the first phase of development by 2019. We are getting many queries from potential investors from the defence sector," Shivahare added.

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BPO firms Aegis and StarTek on Sunday announced completion of their merger, with the combined entity having revenue of over $700 million and workforce of 50,000 employees across 13 countries, including India.

The combined entity, which will remain publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the name 'StarTek, Inc', will be now headed by Lance Rosenzweig as the Global Chief Executive Officer.

"This transaction is expected to be value accretive for the new company with access to world's most rapidly growing markets, multi-lingual offerings, strong footprint and the institution of operational excellence capabilities and industry best practices," Aparup Sengupta, chairman of the Board of Directors of the combined business, said in a statement.

Capital Square Partners, parent firm of Aegis, will own 55 per cent and StarTek shareholders will hold around 45 per cent stake in the resultant entity.

Aegis in India employs over 28,000 people across over 27 BPO centres. It's major verticals include telecom, e-commerce and BFSI (banking, finance services and insurance).



There is no overlap in the geographic presence as StarTek has over 12,000 employees across the US, the Philippines, Honduras and Jamaica while Aegis has over 45,000 employees across India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Australia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Argentina and Peru, an Aegis spokesperson said.

The newly-appointed CEO Rosenzweig said: Our employees have been the core of our success and with this alignment, we are excited to integrate talent, experience, products and services in order to be able to transition into a global leader in the BPM (business process management) space."





The company has entered into an employment agreement with Rosenzweig which provides for the grant of an inducement equity award to him outside of StarTek, Inc, the statement added.

The inducement grant to Rosenzweig will consist of options to purchase 584,000 shares of the company's common stock, with the option to have a ten-year term and an exercise price equal to the fair market value of a share on the date of grant.

The options will be scheduled to vest in equal quarterly installments over three years following Rosenzweig's start date, subject to his continued employment with the company on the applicable vesting dates, according to the statement.
Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum is expected to return to Kabul today, more than a year after fleeing the country during an investigation into the rape and torture of a political rival.

The powerful ethnic Uzbek leader and former warlord, who is linked to a catalogue of human rights abuses in Afghanistan, will fly from Turkey to Kabul where he will be welcomed by high-ranking officials at a special ceremony, Afghan officials said.

"At 4:00 pm (1130 GMT) today General Dostum's flight will land at Kabul international airport," Jamal Nasir Farahmand, a spokesman for Dostum, told AFP.

Dostum's return, which has been the subject of much speculation, comes amid violent protests in several provinces across northern Afghanistan -- his traditional power base.

Thousands of Dostum's supporters have taken to the streets in recent weeks, shuttering election and government offices and blocking sections of highways, demanding the release of a pro-government militia leader and calling for Dostum's return.

Observers say President Ashraf Ghani gave the green light for Dostum to come back to Afghanistan to quell the unrest.

Dostum left Afghanistan in May 2017 after he was accused of organising the rape and torture of a political rival.

He had denied the allegations and said his departure was for medical check-ups and family reasons.

Ghani, an ethnic Pashtun, described Dostum as a "known killer" in 2009. Yet he chose the ethnic Uzbek to be his running mate in the 2014 presidential election, underlining the ethnic realities of Afghan

Dostum's return from exile comes ahead of the 2019 presidential election that Ghani, who is deeply unpopular among non-Pashtuns, is widely expected to contest. Presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri said Saturday that Dostum had been "treated" and would resume his duties upon his return.

Seven of Dostum's bodyguards have been convicted of the sexual assault and illegal imprisonment of Ahmad Ishchi, a former governor of northern Jowzjan province, in 2016.

Dostum allegedly had Ishchi abducted in Jowzjan and then kept him hostage in his private compound for several days, where the captive was said to have been tortured and sodomised.

Chakhansuri deflected questions about whether Dostum would face charges over the incident, saying "the judiciary is an independent body, the government does not interfere in their decisions".

Dostum is one of several controversial figures that Kabul has sought to reintegrate into mainstream since the US-led invasion in 2001.

His heroic status in the north belies the extreme barbarities he is known for.

Dostum, who helped the United States oust the Taliban regime in 2001, allegedly allowed hundreds of Taliban prisoners to be suffocated to death in shipping containers.

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Another person was arrested today in connection with the lynching of a man in Rajasthan's Alwar district, police said.

This is the third arrest in the case. Yesterday, two persons were nabbed by police.

"Naresh Singh, a resident of Lalawandi village, was arrested today. Police are on the lookout for another accused," SHO, Ramgarh Police Station, Subhash Sharma said.

He said Naresh and other arrested accused, Dharmendra Yadav and Paramjeet Singh Sardar, were produced before a court, which sent them to five days' police remand.

Akbar Khan, 28, was allegedly lynched by a group of people who accused him of smuggling cows, police said.

Khan and his friend Aslam were taking two cows to their village in Haryana through a forested area near Lalawandi in Alwar district last night when five men attacked them, Sharma said.

They suspected that Khan was smuggling cows but the allegation is yet to be verified, Sharma said.

Dharmendra and Paramjeet were arrested yesterday.

Earlier today, the investigation into the case was handed over to an additional SP rank officer by the IG of Jaipur range.

Inspector General (Jaipur range) Hemant Priyadarshy said an impartial investigation would be carried out. No culprit would be spared nor would any innocent be framed, he added.

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A third arrest was made on Sunday in the case of of a 28-year-old man in Rajasthan's Alwar district which was handed over to an additional SP-rank officer for investigation.

"Naresh Singh, a resident of Lalawandi village, was arrested today. Police are on the lookout for another accused," SHO, Ramgarh Police Station, Subhash Sharma said.

Two persons were nabbed by police on Saturday.

Sharma said Naresh and other arrested accused, Dharmendra Yadav and Paramjeet Singh Sardar, were produced before a court, which sent them to five days' police remand.

Akbar Khan, 28, was allegedly lynched by a group of people who accused him of smuggling cows, police said.

Khan and his friend Aslam were taking two cows to their village in Haryana through a forested area near Lalawandi in Alwar district last night when five men attacked them, Sharma said.

They suspected that Khan was smuggling cows but the allegation is yet to be verified, Sharma said.

Dharmendra and Paramjeet were arrested yesterday.

Earlier today, the investigation into the case was handed over to an additional SP-rank officer by the IG of Jaipur range.

Inspector General (Jaipur range) Hemant Priyadarshy said an impartial investigation would be carried out. No culprit would be spared nor would any innocent be framed, he added.
The investigation into the lynching of 28-year-old Akbar Khan by a mob in Alwar was today handed over to an additional SP rank officer by the IG of Jaipur range.

Inspector General (Jaipur range) Hemant Priyadarshy said an impartial investigation would be carried out. No culprit would be spared nor would any innocent be framed, he added.

Two people were arrested and three others were yesterday identified in connection with the lynching of Khan on suspicions of cow smuggling in Ramgarh area of Alwar.

Khan and his friend Aslam had reportedly purchased the cows from Ladpura village and were taking them to their village in Haryana through a forested area near Lalawandi in Alwar district when the accused attacked them.

Aslam manage to flee but an injured Akbar died at a hospital in Alwar.

In April last year, a 50-year-old dairy farmer, Pehlu Khan, was also beaten to death by vigilantes suspecting him to be a cow smuggler.

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American officials are meeting former Afghan Taliban leaders amid intensifying efforts by the Trump administration to seek a negotiated settlement of the country's longest war, according to a media report.

The talks have occurred at undisclosed locations in Qatar, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, the NBC claimed, citing Taliban sources.

Quoting one negotiator, it said Taliban delegations had been joined by "never more than five" Americans for a series of meetings in hotel suites in Doha, Qatar.

The gatherings were "very friendly" with "tea and cookies" being served, the report said, Quoting the "Doha meeting participant".

The negotiator said security is "very tight in and outside," with hotel staff not allowed to enter.

According to the report, the Taliban often use a "network of former commanders and political leaders" as interlocutors. Some of those used as interlocutors have previously been imprisoned by the US or Afghanistan and no longer have active roles.

The Taliban delegates are taking steps to not be identified by the intelligence services of Russia, China and Arab countries.

"We don't go to the hotel together," the negotiator said. "We never go to the meeting place first. Once they (the Americans) reach the meeting place, then we go there one by one. We use the elevator for some of the floors and then take the stairs out of security considerations."



The source said hotels were chosen because the Taliban and US officials initially "didn't trust each other."



Quoting an Afghanistan-based Taliban commander, the report said that another gathering happened earlier this month in the United Arab Emirates.

"Americans are meeting with our former members in the UAE and Kabul," he said. "Those former Taliban then convey to us their messages from the talks with multiple options."



"Our stance is quite clear and that's the same old one," he said. "The US would need to withdraw its military forces from Afghanistan and exchange prisoners and let the Afghan people decide their issues as per their culture and traditions," the Taliban commander said.

US officials were taking an "unprecedented" interest in the peace process in recent months, the commander added.

A State Department spokesperson did not confirm that any meetings had taken place, but did say the Trump administration was eager to resolve the conflict.

"The US is exploring all avenues to advance a peace process in close consultation with the Afghan government," the spokesperson said.

The US has lost more than 2,400 soldiers in Afghanistan since late 2001, when it invaded the country after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

President Donald Trump is keen to withdraw the approximately 14,000 American troops who remain in Afghanistan, a promise he made on the campaign trail.

Last month, Pompeo said the US was ready to "support, facilitate and participate" in discussions with the Taliban over the role of international forces in Afghanistan but that the peace process would be Afghan-led.

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BJP president Amit Shah today met melody queen Lata Mangeshkar at her home here as part of the party's "contact for support" campaign.

Shah was scheduled to meet Mangeshkar on June 6 but the visit was cancelled as she was down with food poisoning.

Shah, who was on a day's visit to Mumbai, addressed party meetings and in the evening, met Mangeshkar at her residence.

He was accompanied by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, state BJP chief Raosabheb Danve and Mumbai unit party president Ashish Shelar.

On June 6, Mangeshkar had tweeted in Hindi that she had spoken to Shah over phone and expressed her inability to meet him since she had suffered food poisoning. She also requested that they can meet during his next visit to Mumbai.

In today's meeting, Shah presented the 88-year-old Bharat Ratna awardee with a booklet on the achievements of the Narendra Modi government in the last four years.

On June 6, Shah had called on actress Madhuri Dixit and industrialist Ratan Tata as part of his party's "Sampark for Samarthan" (contact for support) campaign.

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The Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) today welcomed the GST Council's decision to allow input tax credit refund, a long-pending demand of the textile industry, and thanked Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani for taking up the issue.

In a letter to Irani, AEPC Vice-Chairman A Shaktivel thanked her on behalf of the apparel industry for her "splendid support" toward reviving the industry.

The minister had successfully taken up the issue of ITC Refund with GST Council, which has now now agreed for the long standing demand, he said.

These initiatives would help revival of the apparel sector and to become competitive globally, he added.

The GST Council met yesterday and took various decisions including cutting tax rates on 88 items such as footwear, refrigerator.

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The region is on track to meet only one of the 17 Goals by 2030, a senior UN official has warned, underscoring that the global success in achieving the 2030 development agenda is "highly reliant" on India's performance.

The Goals (SDGs), otherwise known as the Global Goals, are a universal call by the Development Programme (UNDP) for action to end poverty, protect the planet, improve health, education, and ensuring that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.

"When we look across the SDGs right now, as a whole is on track to meet only one of the 17 SDGs. We are only going to meet the SDG on

"While that is a great achievement -- universal in a region as vast as the -- it is not enough," UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) Deputy Executive Secretary Kaveh Zahedi told here.

Zahedi was in to participate in the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on at UN headquarters last week that reviewed progress towards several of the SDGs.

As nations across the world implement national development programmes in line with development goals, the UN official emphasised that success in the SDGs will in large part depend on its success in

He noted that the success on the Millennium Development Goals, to some degree, could be attributed to China's poverty reduction and its efforts in lifting millions out of poverty.

"We are highly reliant on India's success to demonstrate the global success on achieving the 2030 Agenda. It is going to depend on ambition and vision at the highest level of government and also depends on money and investment," he said.

Zahedi raised concern over the region "moving backwards" on parameters of inequality besides the emerging "digital divide" within and between countries.

"The region is becoming more unequal. Not only are we not going to achieve the SDGs, we are moving in the wrong direction. I don't think any of the countries will say that they are hundred per cent on the track to meet SDGs just yet," he said.

He noted that inequality in the region is not just in income and wealth, but also in terms of access to vital services like education, health, social protection, environmental degradation and impact of disasters.

"We also see a digital divide emerging within countries and between countries, which, in a way, is setting the pattern for future inequality when people will rely on mobile, services to access education, services," he said.

Referring specifically to the SDG on access to affordable and clean energy, he said while in the past 20 years access to has increased, access to clean fuel, especially clean cooking fuel, has not. About 2.2 billion people in the Asia Pacific region still cook with traditional bio mass fuel and a majority of those people live in and India, he noted.

Zahedi, however, lauded India's efforts towards increasing the component in its overall mix. is undertaking the transformation of its energy mix towards renewable energy, with particular emphasis on expanding the use of solar and wind power, including off-grid.

By 2022, plans to produce 175 GW of that will include 100 GW of solar power. The rate of expansion in this sector in India is highest in the world.

India has also partnered with and other countries to launch the Solar Alliance as a tangible contribution to the ongoing collective global efforts on climate action. More than 60 countries have already joined this alliance, which has now been registered at the UN as a multilateral treaty.

"Countries need to set a vision and ambition for themselves. India has done that (in the energy field). From the 100 GW of solar ambition by 2022 to putting in place the solar alliance, it is a statement of intent from India that is absolutely vital," he said.

Zahedi also said that countries need to increase their investments if they are to achieve the SDGs.

"Regionally, we need an investment of up to 1.7 billion dollars to achieve universal access to energy. It's an extraordinary investment that is needed but it is not happening right now. We see that the major investments are not aligned with the SDGs," he said.

Highlighting an urgent need for nations to speed up development efforts, he said economic growth alone will not bring the results that the countries are seeking.

"Just economic growth will not help with sustainable and inclusive development. If we have a challenge when it comes to inequality, we cannot just grow out of that problem. We need to invest in overcoming that problem, we need to invest in education, healthcare, reducing the vulnerability of various populations and those that constantly get dragged back into poverty after each financial crisis and extreme weather events," he said.

"The message is that economic growth alone really will not resolve our problems and has not resolved our problems. It is important but it is not enough. We have to see investments in the SDGs, in building the social safeguards, in building the resilience that will bring ultimately the SDGs success," he said.
With over 10,000 admissions taking place in the BA programme in this year after the fifth cut-off list, it has become the most sought-after course.

Professors at the varsity say BA programme is no longer the poor cousin of honours degree courses and is not a back-up option.

Manmohan Kaur, the principal of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College, said admissions to the course for the general category were closed after the third cut-off list.

Nidhi Bhandari, convener of BA programme committee at Kamla Nehru College, said students want to keep their options open for MA courses and it allows them greater flexibility.

"They study two main discipline subjects and apart from that, they have skill enhancement courses and generic courses. Skill enhancement courses help enhance their knowledge of the two main discipline subjects while in generic courses, they get to study subjects other than their main subjects," Bhandari said.

She added that students can choose a combination of their choices like Maths and Sociology, English and Political Science, etc. thus making them eligible for all the competitive exams.



Another reason for the course being a hit with the students is there being a perception that it is helpful for civil services examination.

"During admission time, many students come to us with queries about how BA programme is helpful for the preparation of civil services examination," said a professor.

"There are lots of combinations available under the programme and students are not only restricted to studying one subject for three years like an honours degree course," the professor said.

Rajib Ray, a philosophy professor at Kirori Mal College, said students who have done their BA programme from the varsity are doing well and have progressed well in their careers.

"It is inter-disciplinary in nature. Many people feel they have wider choice with the BA programme.

"Students have this perception that they need a bit of preparation for civil services examination right from graduation and with a heavy honours degree course, it would be difficult and they can do better with a BA programme," he added.

Kaur said the course's popularity can be attributed to herd mentality.

"This is a cycle. When we were students, Science was the most popular course and then came the phase of Commerce. Currently, it is the situation with BA programme that others are doing, so I will do. They feel that they will have better-informed choices," she added.
Buoyed by strong performance in the first quarter of this fiscal, is planning to increase its share to 20 per cent in domestic motorcycle market in the next two quarters, according to a senior company official.

Besides, with African markets on a rebound after witnessing downturn for nearly three years, the Pune-based firm expects to continue the momentum of high double-digit growth witnessed in the first quarter.

"In the domestic market our current market share is 16.3 per cent. Our target is that in the next two quarters it should be around 20 per cent," President (Business Development and Assurance) S Ravikumar told PTI.

In the first three months of the fiscal, sold 5,94,234 motorcycles in the domestic market as against 4,26,562 units in the year-ago period, a growth of 39 per cent.

The total industry sales of motorcycles during the quarter stood at 36,51,542 units, according to Siam data.

"While base effect played a role in Q1, our growth has also been on the basis of our aggressive play in the entry-level segment with CT 100, which has been our price warrior, and targeted approach to increase our Pulsar numbers," he said.

Going forward, Ravikumar said Bajaj Auto would continue the approach while taking "product actions" on other brands such as Platina, Avenger and V, without disclosing details.

On the export front, he said, "Our performance in the first quarter gives us a good idea of what will happen in the time to come."



Bajaj Auto had posted its highest ever quarterly exports of 5,37,976 units in Q1 this fiscal as against 4,09,525 units in the year-ago period, at a growth of 31 per cent.

"This is mainly Africa-led growth, although we have done well in the Philippines as well. Major markets like Nigeria and Egypt have rebounded with all macroeconomic factors stabilised after nearly three years of downturn," he said.

In Nigeria, the company's sales more than doubled to over 119,000 units in Q1 from nearly 46,000 units in the corresponding quarter last fiscal.

Similarly, exports to Egypt also stood at around 42,000 units, up from about 19,000 units in the first quarter last fiscal.

Ravikumar said the company has also entered new market like Malaysia where it now sells Pulsar and Dominar brand of bikes.

"Even in relatively new markets like Cambodia and Iraq, where we sell three-wheelers, we are picking up. On the whole, all our export markets are looking up," he said.
The Bihar government today hiked subsidy on diesel by Rs 10 a litre to Rs 50 that will be given to farmers for irrigation purpose in view of the drought-like situation prevailing in the state.

Delayed onset of monsoon in Bihar has led to a 48 per cent rainfall deficit so far, officials said.

The decision was taken today at a high-level meeting of ministers and officials chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar said that a slew of measures have been taken to tide over the drought-like situation which is looming large over the state.

"It has been decided to increase the diesel subsidy for farmers from current Rs 40 to Rs 50 per litre for irrigation purpose. The distribution of diesel subsidy would start from tomorrow (Monday) in the state in order to provide succour to the farmers," Kumar told reporters here.

Officials of India Meteorological Department, who were present during the meeting, told the CM that the state is likely to witness rainfall next week.

The state has witnessed an unusually long dry spell this season.

Besides, it has also been decided at the meeting to reduce the power tariff from existing 96 paise to 75 paise per unit for agriculture purpose, Kumar said adding that distribution of transformers, which in normal course is replaced within 72 hours, will now be done within 48 hours.

The power tariff has also been decreased to 75 paise per unit for the state government tubewells, he said.

Agriculture department officials have been asked to visit villages and assess the situation after taking farmers' feedback, the chief secretary said adding that seeds for alternative crops will be supplied by July 28 to every block especially in areas which have received deficient rainfall.

Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) has been asked to increase the number of tankers to 500 from the existing 175, he said.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has told the officials that there was no paucity of funds as disaster victims have the first right over the state's coffers, he said and added that the CM would hold meeting again on July 31 to review the drought-like situation and if need arises, he may also declare drought.

Nitish was apprised about the preparedness for tackling a drought by officials from the departments of agriculture, water resources, energy, PHED, disaster management, and forest, revenue and land reforms, animal and fish resources and Food and Consumer Protection.

PHED Minister Binod Narayan Jha and Disaster Management Minister Dinesh Chandra Yadav participated at the meeting apart from CM's Advisor Anjani Kumar Singh, Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar, Development Commissioner Shashi Shekhar Sharma and principal secretaries and secretaries of various departments.

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The BJP today took a dig at the Congress, saying the CWC meet presided by Rahul Gandhi was rather a "Congress non-working committee" meeting headed by the party's "non-performing" chief.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said that the CWC meeting was more of a "Congress darbari meeting" and it was aimed at promoting the interests of a single family.

"Today, the CWC, rather Congress non-working committee, met under non-performing president Rahul Gandhi. After losing the no-confidence motion badly on the floor of Parliament, this was a meeting chaired by Rahul Gandhi, which was previously being chaired by Sonia Gandhi for 20 long years," he said.

Referring to Sonia Gandhi's statement that reverse countdown of the Narendra Modi government has begun, Patra said those who had driven this country in reverse gear for 10 years, should not make such a comment.

"The reverse countdown of dynastic politics, appeasement and caste has begun," he said, adding that one decision taken at the CWC meeting was that "we do not want to win and our sole aim is to defeat Modi".

Terming it as an "negative sentiment", he said, "This country is an intelligent country which only gives way to positive and not negative politics.".

He also attacked Sonia Gandhi for accusing the prime minister of indulging in rhetoric and said the country has witnessed the politics of "hug and wink" and the rhetoric on the floor of Parliament.

Patra also took on former prime minister Manmohan Singh over his remarks on "self praise and jumlas", saying those who had reduced the post of the prime minister to a "jumla", should not talk about it.

India is marching ahead and the country has emerged as the sixth largest economy in the world and GST rates have also been reduced further, he said.

He said that senior Congress leader P Chidambaram played an important role in the meeting of the CWC which was more of a "out on bail committee".

"Many of those occupying high positions were either out on bail or almost on installments of protection from court," he said.

He said Chidambaram, who has been chargesheeted, stated during the CWC meeting that at best the Congress could contest 150 seats. If a party is looking at contesting only 150 seats, how can it dream of getting the prime minister's post? Patra asked.

He said in this "namdhari committee meeting", the sole point of the Congress was that the party was ready to play second, third or even the fourth fiddle.

The Congress has "almost accepted that they have become a new regional party and have lost their national character", the BJP spokesperson said.

He claimed that the Congress has made a self-declaration that it was no more a national party.

Attacking Rahul Gandhi and the Congress for raising doubts over electronic voting machines (EVMs), Patra said they also did not have faith in the Indian Army and had questioned the surgical strike.

They also do not have faith in the Supreme Court as they had moved an impeachment motion against the chief justice of India, besides in the Reserve Bank of India and the World Economic Forum, he said.

"Actually, the country does not have faith on Rahul Gandhi's leadership," he said.

He also hit out at Rahul Gandhi for not taking any action against Congress leader Shashi Tharoor for his "Hindu Pakistan" remark.

Tharoor had recently kicked up a row with his remarks that if voted to power again, the BJP will rewrite the Constitution and pave the way for creation of a "Hindu Pakistan".

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The body of a 35-year-old missing woman was found in a village here, police said today.

The victim, identified as Kavita, was missing since yesterday, they said, adding that the body was found at a field in Jasoee village under the Titawi police station area.

Police said preliminary investigation suggested that she was strangled to death.

The woman had set out to go to the fields yesterday but she never returned. The husband of the deceased is absconding and police are on the lookout to nab him, officials said, adding that an investigation was underway.

In a separate incident, a 30-year-old farmer was stabbed to death by the unknown miscreants in Bijopur village under Chapar police station here today, officials said.

The body was sent for postmortem and investigation was on, they added.

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Reduction of border crimes and smuggling of drugs besides erection of border fencing in the unfenced areas figured prominently at the four-day meeting of Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) that began at the BSF frontier here today.

"It is a routine periodic meeting and the issues related to border fencing, border crimes and coordination between the two border guard organisations", BSF officials said.

A 14-member delegation of the BGB, led by Regional Commander Javed Hassan, arrived here through Akhaura check post today to participate in the meeting.

"We have come to talk about border-related issues. Our relation with BSF is now very cordial," Hassan told reporters.

The Indian side is being led by IG Meghalaya, L Mohanty.

Sector Commanders of BGB's Sarail and Chittagong regions and IGs of BSF's Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram-Cachar frontiers' are participating in the meeting.

After the first phase of the meeting, the BSF and BGB officials would go to Kolkata to meet Special Director General of the BSF (Eastern Command), Nasir Kamal.

Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam share 1,880-km international border with Bangladesh.

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Chinese censors today deleted articles and postings about the vaccine industry as an online outcry over the country's latest vaccine scandal intensified.

Regulators said last week that they had halted production of a rabies vaccine at a large pharmaceutical company in the northeast after finding fabricated records and other problems during an inspection.

It was just the latest in a series of health and safety scandals which have fuelled fear over the safety of basic food and medicine and anger at regulators asleep on the job.

China's censors and regulators struggled to stay abreast of the public's response, deleting posts on WeChat as state media tried to take control of the narrative.

On Sunday night China's Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) announced it had ordered all production stopped at the vaccine maker and launched an investigation.

Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology is China's second largest maker of the rabies vaccine and a subsidiary of a large publicly-traded vaccine maker.

Anxiety grew over the weekend as an essay alleging corruption and murky practices in the vaccine industry spread across WeChat. Netizens reposted the self-published essay as censors swooped in to delete the content.

The CFDA said last week that the problematic rabies vaccine had not left Changsheng's factory.

The company said in a stock exchange filing Sunday that it had already halted production of another vaccine -- for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis -- which regulators found last year to be sub-standard and which had also become the focus of public attention.

Still the action aroused concern that other problematic vaccines had already been administered to children. In Beijing, an unnamed official at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention told local website The Paper that parents in China's capital need not worry: "Beijing does not have either of these two vaccines in question, the public can be at ease."



Regulators in Guangdong and Sichuan, cited by state broadcaster CCTV, told residents that Changsheng's problematic vaccines had not been made available in their provinces.

But CCTV acknowledged that 250,000 doses of the problematic vaccine had been sold to the eastern province of Shandong. Communist Party mouthpiece the People's Daily said on Sunday that local regulators must "rapidly take action, do a complete investigation and announce authoritative information in a timely manner to pacify public anxiety".

CCTV listed questions the public needed answering and noted that the local regulator overseeing Changsheng had hung up on journalists' calls or declined to answer the phone.

A similar scandal erupted in Shandong in 2016, involving the improper storage, transport and sale of tens of millions of dollars' worth of vaccines -- many of them expired.

For parents it also has parallels to China's most notorious incident of recent years. Some 300,000 children fell ill, six of them dying, in a 2008 case involving milk powder contaminated with melamine.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Rwanda, the second stop in his latest tour of Africa.

President Paul Kagame has welcomed Xi as the first Chinese president to visit the East African country. Xi is expected to visit a memorial for Rwanda's 1994 genocide and sign bilateral agreements later today.

The Chinese leader then moves on to South Africa to participate in a summit of the BRICS emerging economies that starts on Wednesday. Finally, Xi will visit the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius.

China is Africa's largest trading partner, and it now seeks closer military ties.

China opened its first military base on the continent last year in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti.

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A class 4 student of a prestigious boarding school in West Bengal's Darjeeling district was found hanging in a hostel room, police said today.

The hostel superintendent of the school found the boy hanging from a iron rod in the room last night. The boy was rushed to Darjeeling district hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead, they said.

The boy, a native of Patna in Bihar did not had his dinner last night. So the hostel superintendent went in search of him and found him hanging, the police said.

The boy's family said it was impossible for a class 4 to commit suicide by hanging. They alleged that he was killed and then hanged from the iron rod. They have lodged a murder complaint with the police.

The police said they are investigating the matter and are questioning the school officials.

The postmortem of the boy was conducted at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri today, they added.

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The indefinite hunger strike by the students of Calcutta Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), demanding accommodation in a new hostel building, entered its 13th day today even as Ashok Bhadra, the new officiating principal, appealed to the students to end the stir.

In his written appeal, Bhadra told reporters today, he has also informed the students about the proceedings of yesterday's meeting on the issue with Director of Medical (DME), the student representatives and heads of different departments.

The strike over hostel rooms were initiated by six students on July 10 after the authorities at the state-run college notified that the new 11-storey building would be allotted only to the freshers.

Fifteen more students joined the strike on July 19 as the medical college administration refused to relent, despite several requests.

The old hostel, the protesters alleged, was in a "dilapidated" condition and did not have sufficient space to accommodate all senior students.

The officiating principal said he has requested the DME for a middle-path, keeping interests of everybody in mind.

"During the meeting... it was observed if the number of applicants exceeded the present vacancies of aforesaid hostels, then the excess students will be accommodated in the new hostel in a maximum of three floors, including one floor from the guest accommodation, subjected to approval from higher authorities," the appeal signed by Bhadra said.

Bhadra took over as the officiating principal as his predecessor R Sinha resigned on Friday.

Sinha, too, had taken charge only on July 17 after Principal Uchhal Bhadra fell sick in his office during the students' agitation and was admitted to SSKM hospital in the southern part of the city.

There will be an "open and transparent counselling for hostel accommodation" if the DME approves the request made to him in yesterday's meeting, Bhadra asserted.

The students, on their part, said they would call off the protest only after receiving a written consent from the DME's office.

Three of the 21 students - Aniket Chatterjee, Sumit Dhara and Debasish Barman - fell ill during the course of 12-day protest.

"One of them had been admitted to hospital while conditions of two others were being monitored by a medical board that has been posted at the site of protest. The agitators have decided to continue the strike till the DME gives in to their demands," Sayantan Mukuty, a student supporting the stir, said.

Several health organizations, affiliated to Left parties, are scheduled to hold a convention today before the administrative block of the medical college, in support of the agitating students.

Thespian Soumitra Chatterjee, in an audio message yesterday, alleged the administration was not sensitive to the condition of the protesters.

"That the students had to resort to fast to press for their rights is unfortunate," the veteran actor said, seeking a speedy resolution to the impasse.

Film director Anik Dutta has also come in support of the students while CPI(M) MLA Sujan Chakraborty said he will seek the intervention of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee into the matter.

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The RBI has directed co-operative banks of all categories to create Investment Fluctuation Reserve (IFR) with a view to guard against unforseen fluctuations in market and remain solvent.

"...with a view to building up adequate reserve to guard against market risks, henceforth, all co-operative banks shall build IFR out of realized gains on sale of investments, and subject to available net profit," the RBI said in a recent notification.

Further, all Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs), irrespective of their liabilities, will be required to maintain IFR.

As per the notification, all State Co-operative Banks (StCBs) and District Central Co-operative Banks (DCCBs) "shall also be required to maintain IFR on similar lines, minimum threshold in which shall be computed with reference to their investment in Current category".

The RBI also said that with a view to address the systemic impact of sharp increase in the yields on Government Securities, it has decided to grant UCBs (which are not mandatorily required to create IFR) the option to spread provisioning for mark to market (MTM) losses on investments held in AFS (Available for Sale) and HFT (Held for Trading) category for three quarters up to June-2018, only.

The provisioning for each of these quarters may be spread equally over up to four quarters, commencing with the quarter in which the loss was incurred, the RBI added.

The RBI has been watching the performance of co-operative banks closely. Earlier, this month it cancelled licence of Alwar Urban Co-operative Bank, Alwar, Rajasthan as it had inadequate capital as well as earnings. It also failed to comply with provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

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The commerce ministry has urged the plastic industry to formalise an export strategy to double its share in the overall merchandise exports, from less than 3 per cent at present.

Speaking on the sidelines of an exports award function here, Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry joint secretary Shyamal Misra told PTI, "It (plastic exports) was less than 3 per cent of overall merchandise exports in FY18 and we need to work towards doubling this share."



Calling upon the industry to sit together and formalise an export strategy to take the plastic exports to the next level, he said, "Plastic exports have phenomenal potential and we need to enhance the presence in existing markets namely France, Japan, Germany and discover new markets such as Latin America, Africa, CIS and Asia."



Misra pointed out that the proportion of raw materials in exports is still very high and the industry should increase exports of value added products such as engineering plastics, bio-plastics and bio-polymers.

"We urge experienced captains of the industry to mentor new players and encourage them to excel. We hope plastics exporters help India become a USD 5-trillion economy," he said.

Maharashtra's industries and mining minister Subhash Desai, who was also present at the event, said the plastics industry has a big role to play in the economy, pointing out that the state government has taken several initiatives in research and development, technology and encouraging entrepreneurs.

"We have announced plans to develop 10 textile parks and five defence manufacturing facilities in the state. We are also actively considering a special cluster for plastics industry where common facility centres will be available to all types of plastic manufacturers and exporters for accessing these facilities," he said.

Desai also urged the industry to think of innovative ideas to recycle plastics.

Plastics are among the fastest growing industries in the country, experiencing a double-digit growth rate on an average, the Plastics Export Promotion Council (PLEXCONCIL) chairman A K Basak said.

The industry is making significant contribution to the economic development and growth of various key sectors like automotive, construction, electronics, healthcare and FMCG, he said.

The US, China and the United Arab Emirates were top three destinations for the country's plastic products during 2017-18, together accounting for 25.7 per cent of the total plastic exports by value, he said.

"We are targeting an export value of USD 10.6 billion in 2018-19 and by 2025, we hope to increase India's share in the global plastics export market worth USD 850 billion to 3 per cent from the current size of less than 1 per cent," said Basak.

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The Congress today said Rahul Gandhi will be its prime ministerial face for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls with the extended Congress Working Committee authorising him to forge alliances with "like-minded" political parties to take on the ruling BJP.

The decision to authorise Gandhi was taken at an over five-hour meeting of the extended working committee attended by CWC members, Pradesh Congress Committee chiefs and Congress Legislature Party leaders, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi also warned leaders at the CWC to abstain from making "irrelevant" statements in public that could derail its political discourse and harm the party's prospects.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi claimed "reverse countdown" had begun for the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and said people of the country had to be "rescued from a dangerous regime" that was "compromising" with India's democracy.

Manmohan Singh rejected what he called the "culture of constant self-praise and jumlas" and underlined the need for a solid policy framework to address the issues facing the country.

Singh said he would support Rahul Gandhi in the task of "restoring" India's social harmony and economic development.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said after elaborate discussions, the CWC identified some core issues that affect people of the country and the party will be building a mass movement by launching a 'Jan Andolan' unitedly across India by building a consensus on it with other parties.

He said the party sounded its poll bugle for next year's general election.

AICC general secretary Ashok Gehlot said the CWC authorised Rahul Gandhi to take a decision on forging alliances with other parties and to form a committee, which the Congress chief later said "would be formed soon".

He claimed an atmosphere of distrust is being created in the country due to the of hate and anger.

The CWC decision indicates the opposition party will forge alliances on state-to-state basis and will project Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial face for the next election as the party expects to better its 2004 performance.

"The Congress will fight this election under the stewardship, under the leadership and putting forward our leader Rahul Gandhi. On that we neither have doubt nor we have any second thoughts," he said on Rahul Gandhi being projected as the PM face.

Surjewala said though the people of India will decide, but once the Congress becomes a single largest party touching a figure of 200 or more.

"But naturally, the Congress party will be leading the alliance and the Congress president will be the only face to be projected," he said.

Giving a clear warning to party leaders not to make "loose remarks" and toe the party line while making utterance on key issues in public, "Rahul Gandhi gave a friendly advice to partymen that in view of the larger goal - 2019 elections, they will maintain discipline in both their language and their conduct," Surjewala told reporters.

He said party leaders should maintain a balance of decorum and dignity of language and their conduct.

Surjewala said Rahul Gandhi told partymen to not loose sight of the goal and of people's issues and their pains and sufferings and not be guided by a "failed" prime minister and his government, "which has nothing to offer, except for the poisonous, venomous, divide and rule policy".

"That is why he said gravitas of language and conduct is expected by the people of this country of Congress leaders and they should adhere to it," he said.

Certain comments of Congress leaders have embarrassed the party in the past and harmed its interests at the hustings.

These include Mani Shankar Aiyar's "chai-walla" and "neech aadmi" barbs at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The party had also distanced itself from Shashi Tharoor's recent "Hindu Pakistan" remark.

Surjewala said in 2019 polls, the fight for the party is not against any individual, but against an ideology of suppression and subjugation, denigration and humiliation, both of institutions and sections of people.

"That ideology must be fought and India must be put back on the path of progress, peaceful co-existence, mutual cohabitation and harmony," he said.

Surjewala said wherever an alliance is to be formed, there will be "real-time negotiations" and "some give and take", as alliances can never be fought on rigidity or on absolute stands and "that is why the Congress president will decide on this and take a call".

"We are committed to make alliances work and we are all with Congress president Rahul Gandhi in this endeavour. We have to rescue our people from a dangerous regime that is compromising the democracy of India," Sonia Gandhi said in her address.

"Expansion of our party vote base is one of our biggest tasks. In each constituency, we have to find people who have not voted for us and develop a strategy to reach out to them and win back their trust," Rahul Gandhi said at the meeting.

Congress leader P Chidambaram gave a detailed presentation on how the party can be strengthened with the help of allies in various states.

Party sources said Chidambaram highlighted that the Congress is strong in 12 states and it can triple its current strength of 48 members in Lok Sabha with help from allies and can even touch the 300-mark if it forms formidable alliances.

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Union minister Jitendra Singh today said a conspiratorial design to dissuade the local youth from joining the armed forces could be behind the abduction and killing of local security personnel in Kashmir.

Asked about the latest killing of a policeman after being abducted by terrorists in south Kashmir's Kulgam district yesterday, Singh said whether it was DSP Mohammad Ayoub, Army Lieutenant Fayaz Dar or Aurangzeb, this is happening at a time when the youth of Kashmir wants to move ahead and become a part of Modi's development journey.

"It is important to take note of this (abduction and killing of local security personnel by terrorists in Kashmir). It could be a conspiratorial design to discourage the local Kashmiri youth from joining the security forces," the minister of state in the prime minister's office told reporters here.

Referring to the killing of three terrorists involved in the killing of the policeman in an encounter today, Singh said security forces deserve to be complimented for their achievements.

Lashing out at the separatists, he claimed they have ensured that their own children enjoyed the best of both worlds while they discourage other children form joining the security forces or from availing job opportunities made available by the Modi government.

On former Congress president Sonia Gandhi's statement that the prime minister's speech in Parliament reflected his old rhetoric, the Union minister said by speaking like that the Congress was actually abusing the mandate of 130 crore people of the country who have by popular will elected Modi as the prime minister.

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The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) is set to undergo a mega restructuring exercise in which it will have digital systems to monitor projects real-time and assess performance of staff online.

The CPWD, which comes under the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, has engaged a London-based agency to conduct a comprehensive study to establish the new system.

The move is intended to ensure transparency, accountability and work quality in the department, CPWD Director General Prabhakar Singh told PTI.

"The CPWD is in the process to undergo a complete restructuring exercise under which various initiatives will be taken by us. The initiatives include 100 per cent digitisation and real-time monitoring of ongoing projects to ensure their timely-execution," he said.

According to the infrastructure building agency, it has around 400 projects centres across the country, which can be monitored through online software.

"We have hired an agency to carry out a study on how to restructure the CPWD through a proper system.

"As per the plan, Annual Performance Assessment Report (APAR) of CPWD officials from bottom to top will also be done through the designated software, Singh said.

The new system is expected to come into effect by October, 2019, according to the director general.

The CPWD is the government's largest construction agency and it looks after maintenance of central government buildings and erecting of fences on the country's international borders, among others.

The agency also carries out projects in foreign countries under friendship programmes with India.

The CPWD will build a 124-bed mental hospital in strife-torn South Sudan under a friendship programme between the two countries.

The agency will build the hospital at an estimated cost of Rs 120 crore.

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The reconstituted Congress Working Committee today authorised party president Rahul Gandhi to forge alliances with "like-minded" political parties for the 2019 Lok Sabha election to take on the ruling BJP.

The decision to authorise Rahul Gandhi was taken at an over five-hour meeting of the extended working committee attended by CWC members, Pradesh Congress Committee chiefs and Congress Legislature Party leaders.

The CWC - the party's highest decision-making body - was reconstituted on Tuesday with a blend of young and old leaders.

Rahul Gandhi had, however, dropped veteran leaders such as Digvijay Singh, Janardan Dwivedi and Kamal Nath from the CWC while including A K Antony, Ahmed Patel and Ambika Soni.

Today, the party also authorised Rahul Gandhi to constitute a committee to work out alliances with other parties that could unseat the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

AICC general secretary Ashok Gehlot said the CWC has authorised Rahul Gandhi to take a decision on forging alliances with other political parties for the election.

"Rahul ji has been authorised to a committee and take decisions on pre-poll and post-poll alliances," he said.

The CWC decisions make apparent that the opposition party is willing to go for separate alliances in the states.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the important point discussed at the meeting was to seek a larger goal for the party in 2019.

"For the 2019 polls, the fight for the Congress party is not against any individual, but against an ideology, that is the ideology of suppression and subjugation, denigration and humiliation, both of institutions and sections of people.

"That ideology must be fought and India must be put back on the path of progress, peaceful co-existence, mutual cohabitation and harmony," he said.

Surjewala said the CWC decided that wherever an alliance has to be formed, there will be "real-time negotiations" and "some give and take".

"Alliances can never be fought on rigidity or on absolute stands and that is why the Congress president will decide on this and take a call," he told reporters.

During the meeting, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi said the Congress was committed to forming alliances with "like-minded parties to defeat the BJP".

"We are committed to make alliances work and we are all with Congress president Rahul Gandhi in this endeavour. We have to rescue our people from a dangerous regime that is compromising the democracy of India," Sonia Gandhi said in her address.

"Expansion of our party vote base is one of our biggest tasks. In each constituency, we have to find people who have not voted for us and develop a strategy to reach out to them and win back their trust," Rahul Gandhi said at the meeting.

Surjewala said the CWC made it clear that the party would not compromise on national interest and its ideology. It would "with an open mind" form alliances on state-to-state basis to "save democracy" and to protect interests of the country and its people, he said.

Asked if Rahul Gandhi would lead any such alliance at the national level, Surjewala said the Congress has its presence across India and it expects to better its performance in the next general election.

"The people of India will decide this, but naturally, the Congress party will be leading the alliance and the Congress president will be the only face to be projected," he said.

Gehlot claimed an atmosphere of distrust was being created in the country due to the of hate and anger.

More than 35 Congress leaders spoke at the conclave and stressed that the party should play the lead role in forging an anti-BJP front.

Some leaders said Rahul Gandhi, being the leader of the principal opposition party, should be the face of a national alliance.

On this issue, Ambika Soni said, "Naturally, he is the leader of the main national (opposition) party and we would want our leader to be the face of the opposition alliance."



Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram gave a detailed presentation on how the party can be strengthened with the help of allies in various states.

Party sources said Chidambaram highlighted that the Congress is strong in 12 states and it can triple its current strength of 48 members in Lok Sabha with help from allies.

According to the sources, Chidambaram said the Congress can even touch the 300-mark if it forms formidable alliances with regional and national political parties in various states.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress president Rahul Gandhi today alleged there was certainly a "scam" in the controversial Rafale jet deal with France and accused Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of doing a "flip-flop" on the secrecy clause.

Gandhi also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue, alleging he "squirms" when asked about the prices of the fighter aircraft.

"Our Defence Minister said she would, but now she won't. She flip flops between it's-not-a-secret & it's-a-BIG-secret. The PM squirms when asked about the price of RAFALE and refuses to look me in the eye. Sure smells like a scam. #RAFALEscam (sic)," he tweeted.

Gandhi's fresh attack on the government over the deal comes two days after he told Parliament during the debate on no-confidence motion that French president had conveyed to him that there was no problem in sharing details relating to the Rafale, contrary to what the government has been saying.

"The Defence Minister has clearly spoken an untruth," he had said.

Referring to Prime Minister Modi, he had said, "I can see him smiling. There is a touch of nervousness. He is looking away, not looking into my eyes."



The truth is that Modi is not a "chowkidar" (guard) but a "bhagidaar" (collaborator) in the wrong-doings, the Congress chief had said.

"I personally met the French president and asked him if there is such a pact between the French and Indian governments. The French president told me that there is no such pact between the French and Indian governments," Gandhi had said.

"This is the truth, and he told me that I have no objection to it (details of Rafale deal) being made public, you can tell it to entire India."



Prime Minister Modi had called these charges as "distortion of truth".

After Gandhi's claims, the French government had issued a statement, saying a security agreement it concluded with India in 2008 legally binds the two countries to protect the classified information relating to operational capabilities of defence equipment.

However, it did not clarify whether the provisions of the pact restrict the Indian government to disclose price details of the Rafale deal.

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Terrorist violence has come down in Jammu and Kashmir substantially ever since the state has been placed under Governor's rule but incidents of stone pelting have increased marginally, official data show.

According to the data compiled by the Home Ministry, there has been a decrease in attacks carried out by terrorists since June 16 to July 15 in comparison to the month of Ramzan when the suspension of operations was in force.

While the suspension of operations was announced for a month with the beginning of Ramzan on May 16, Governor's rule was imposed in Jammu and Kashmir on June 20 after the BJP withdrew support to the Mehbooba Mufti-led coalition government in the state.

As many as 47 terrorist incidents took place in past one month, but the number of such incidents during the suspension of operations in previous month was 80, half of which were grenade throwing and random firing.

Fourteen terrorists and five security personnel were killed during the Governor's rule as compared to 24 terrorists and 10 security personnel killed during the suspension of operations.

During the one month of Governor's rule, 95 cases of stone pelting were reported while during the one month of ceasefire, 90 incidents were reported.

As many as seven civilians were killed in operations carried out by security forces during Governor's rule as compared to four civilian deaths during the one month of suspension of operations.

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Being a 'do-gooder' may sometimes backfire, say scientists who found that highly cooperative and generous people can attract hatred, especially in competitive circumstances.

"Most of the time we like the cooperators, the good guys. We like it when the bad guys get their comeuppance, and when non-cooperators are punished," said Pat Barclay, a psychology professor at University of Guelph in Canada.

"But some of the time, cooperators are the ones that get punished. People will hate on the really good guys. This pattern has been found in every culture in which it has been looked at," said Barclay.

Some people like to bring cooperators down a peg, especially if they think the good guys make them look bad in the workplace, boardroom or other organisation, he said.

The study, published in the journal Psychological Science, found that cooperative behaviour attracted punishment most often in groups whose members compete with each other.

This was even the case when punishing or derogating the do-gooder lessened benefits for the entire group, including the punisher.

However, without competition, cooperation increased, the study said.

Being suspicious, jealous or hostile toward those who seem better or nicer or holier than us appears to run deep in the psychological makeup of humans, Barclay said.

Anthropological evidence from egalitarian hunter-gatherer societies suggests a similar social phenomenon prevented excellent hunters from dominating the group, Barclay said.

"In a lot of these societies, they defend their equal status by bringing down somebody who could potentially lord things over everybody else," he said.

"You can imagine within an organisation today the attitude, 'Hey, you're working too hard and making the rest of us look bad.' In some organizations people are known for policing how hard others work, to make sure no one is raising the bar from what is expected," he added.

The same social dynamic may affect actions to protect the environment, which requires acting both individually and cooperatively for the good of all, Barclay added.

People who do nothing for the environment risk damaging their reputation, and may instead choose to attack the motives of environmentalists, he said.

"It is a way of bringing those people back down, and stopping them from looking better than oneself in their attempts to protect the environment or address social inequality," Barclay said.

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4 killed in Bajhang landslide

Four people, including three members of a family, died after a landslide buried them at Bayana in Khaptad Channa Rural Municipality-6 of Bajhang district on Saturday.
A 16-year-old girl from here was allegedly raped by eight youths from Villupuram district in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, the police said today.

The girl, a school dropout, had developed intimacy with one of the accused from Vazhudavoor in Villupuram district during her frequent visits there to meet her grandparents.

The accused allegedly took the girl to an isolated place at Vazhudvaoor recently and raped her. He also filmed the act on his mobile phone and threatened the girl with dire consequences if she informed anyone about it, the police said.

He then told his seven friends about the girl and then blackmailed her to come to a palm grove in the district, where the eight youths allegedly raped her, they said.

The girl informed her parents about the incident, who took her to the government hospital here. The hospital authorities informed the Child Welfare Committee for suitable action.

A team of officials of the committee recorded the statement of the girl at the hospital and informed the police at Tirukanoor in Puducherry who registered a case under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, a police official said, adding all the eight accused are absconding.

Special police teams have been formed to apprehend the eight youths, he said.

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finance chief Pierre Moscovici fired a barb at US President on Sunday as he called on both sides of an ongoing global trade dispute to "act as allies."



The US and have been at loggerheads since Trump angered European allies by announcing tariffs on steel and aluminium as he launched trade restrictions targeting China in particular.

Referring to Trump branding the EU, alongside China and Russia, as trade "foes," Moscovici said the is "willing to build bridges." "What I stressed several times in my meetings here is that the EU is certainly not the author of major trade imbalances," Moscovici told reporters during the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Saturday spoke at the conference about wanting to "balance" the country's trade relationships with China and the EU, calling on both to respect "free, fair and reciprocal trade." But Moscovici said that "we believe that targeting us is certainly inappropriate... and that we must act with the US as allies -- not foes but allies." "These meetings take place in an context which is changing," he said.

"The multilateral system of which the G20 is a central piece is under significant pressure, trade tensions are high and threaten to escalate further. All of this creates uncertainty for the economic outlook." He added: "We must remain cool-headed."



Trump's protectionist policies have come under fire from all sides at the summit, which brings together finance ministers and central bankers from the world's 20 largest economies.

French finance minister Bruno Le Maire on Saturday called on Trump to "return to reason." As well as imposing tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium, Trump stuck a 25 per cent levy on $34 billion of goods from China with an additional $16 billion on the way.

He has threatened to target European automotive exports and to impose duties on the entire $500 billion of goods the US imports from China.

"The impact of protectionist measures already implemented has been, luckily, so far limited, but the risk of escalation is there," said Moscovici.

The Monetary Fund predicts that in a worst-case scenario, $430 billion -- or a half percentage point of global GDP -- could be cut in 2020 if all tariff threats and retaliations are carried out.

"Further trade escalation conflicts would negatively affect welfare in all countries involved -- in the US also," said Moscovici.

Protectionism, he said, benefits no one, creating "no winners, only casualties." IMF chief Christine Lagarde had warned on Wednesday that the US was "especially vulnerable" to trade conflicts "because so much of its global trade will be subject to retaliatory measures.
A woman who had accused former BJP MLA Jayanti Bhanushali of raping her on several occasions claimed today that he had also forced her to sign a document stating that she did not know him.

"I am a student and had an interest in fashion designing. I met (Jayanti) Bhanushali and he said he will get me admission (in a fashion designing course). He called me to Ahmedabad with documents. He then sexually exploited me and blackmailed me," she told reporters today.

"(Bhanushali) made my video clip and forced me to sign on a document which said that I did not know him. I signed under pressure," she claimed.

The woman alleged that this document was then submitted to Sarthana police station.

"In the last three days, it appears as if I am the accused. I have been visiting the police station, hospital and I feel I am being raped again," the woman said.

An FIR was registered on July 19 against Bhanushali at Sarthana police station in Surat.

The 21-year-old victim, a resident of Surat, had written to the police on July 10 seeking registration of a rape case against the Bhanushali who represented the Abdasa constituency between 2007 and 2012.

In the wake of the allegations, the 53-year-old leader from Kutch district had to step down as the party's state vice-president. In his resignation letter, however, Bhanushali denied all allegations against him.

In her complaint, the victim alleged that the former MLA raped her on several occasions between November and March after promising to get her admitted to a reputed fashion design institute.

The act was videographed by one of his assistants and Bhanushali raped her on several occasions by threatening to circulate the video, she alleged.

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the USA, which conducted an audit of India's aviation watchdog DGCA, has made certain "observations" related to regulatory and guidance material, on which time-bound action will be taken, an official statement said today.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in the statement said the FAA, under its International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) programme, conducted the audit between July 16 and July 20 in areas covering aircraft operations, airworthiness and personnel licensing.

It did not elaborate on the observations or the concerns flagged by the US regulator, but said the FAA team will come for a final consultation within 65 days wherein the DGCA shall present the action taken on the observations.

"Overall, the audit has been very satisfactory. According to the FAA's established process, a written report will be provided within next 30 days and thereafter an FAA team will come for final consultation within 65 days, wherein the DGCA shall present the action taken on the observations," the statement said.

The observations raised by FAA assumes significance as it comes against the backdrop of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), an UN body, giving a low score to India following an audit programme for the country, placing it below Pakistan, Nepal and many other nations.

The DGCA statement issued today said during the course of the IASA audit, the FAA team was shown regulations including extensive technical guidance in the areas of operations, airworthiness, surveillance and enforcement for the use of safety inspectors of DGCA to carry out licensing, certification, and approval obligations along with certification records.

The training programme provided to the technical officers and inspectors and records therein was also shown to the FAA audit team, the statement said, and underlined that the DGCA is commencing action on the observations made during the verbal out-brief given by FAA team and is very confident to addressing all those within a specific timeline.

It said that the FAA team gave a "verbal out-brief listing the observations" which relate to regulatory and guidance material issues within DGCA.

This was the third audit by the US regulator since 2013. In that year, the FAA had downgraded the safety ranking of the Indian aviation sector and it was restored only in 2015.

ICAO carried out the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme for India in November 2017, and another team of the regulator came in February this year. The audit result showed that the country's score declined to 57.44 per cent from 65.82 per cent earlier.

With the falling score, the government had last week said that it would soon empower the DGCA to regulate air traffic controllers.

The decline was mainly due to ratings of air traffic controllers being given by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which is also the provider of air traffic control services, officials had said.

In a briefing following the ICAO's observation, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha, Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey and senior DGCA officials had emphasised that there are no safety concerns for the country's civil aviation space.

Now, it has been decided that the DGCA would carry out regulatory and safety oversight of air traffic controllers, Choubey said.

According to officials, the ICAO had told the ministry that there was a need for an independent regulatory oversight by the DGCA on the AAI with respect to air traffic controllers.

DGCA chief B S Bhullar said if the ICAO had not taken this aspect into consideration, then India's score after the audit would have been 71.13 per cent.

The UN aviation watchdog's score was based on eight audit areas, including primary aviation legislation and aviation regulations, civil aviation organisation, personnel licensing and training.

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said he has cancelled his visit to a temple in Pandharpur town for a key religious event tomorrow in view of the proposed protest seeking reservation for Maratha community in government jobs.

Explaining the reason for calling off his visit, Fadnavis said he feared for the lives of nearly 10 lakh people expected to be at the temple town in Solapur district tomorrow on the occasion of 'Ashadhi Ekadashi'.

He said if throwing stones at him can get the reservation for Maratha community, he was ready for it and that he took the decision of not to offer prayers at the temple to avoid any law and order problem.

As part of a long-standing tradition, the chief minister every year offers prayers at the temple dedicated to Lord Vitthal and Rukmini in Pandharpur, located around 400 km from here, on the occasion of 'Ashadhi Ekadashi'.

The auspicious day of performing puja is decided as per the lunar calendar and this year it falls on July 23.

Some Maratha community leaders have threatened to disrupt the religious event if their demands, including reservation in government jobs and education, are not accepted by the government.

Fadnavis said such things were very disappointing.

"Police have intercepted some messages, like 'will release snakes among devotees', 'could create a situation that would lead to stampede', among others. Such kind of plans are being worked out and it is highly disappointing," he told reporters here.

A pro-quota leader of the community had announced a couple of days ago in Pandharpur that if Fadnavis visits the temple town on July 23, "they will hold a massive protest there and disrupt the puja".

Fadnavis said such a move was a shame for a "progressive" state like Maharashtra.

"The puja is beyond any politics. But some 10 lakh people are there. Efforts are being made by some organisations and people that could create a life-threatening situation in Pandharpur," the chief minister said.

The chief minister said only the court can take a decision on the issue of grant of reservation to the Maratha community.

"Some (pro-reservation) organisations are aware of it; still they are instigating the community. If throwing stones at me can get the reservation for Maratha community, then I am ready for it," he said.

"Nobody can stop me from performing the puja. I have Z-plus level police protection. I can do it under police protection but then I fear that lives of devotees could be in danger and hence I have cancelled my visit," he said.

The chief minister said for the last three years he was performing the puja at the Pandharpur temple, as per the tradition.

"But some organisations opposed me, which is a wrong thing," he said.

"As a server of Lord Vitthal, the state chief minister performs the puja at the temple. Only five-six times this tradition was not followed," Fadnavis said, without elaborating.

Fadnavis said he will be performing the puja of Lord Vitthal at his house.

"Those who hold devotees to ransom cannot be called followers of late Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj," he said, pointing at organisations which claim to draw inspiration from the 17th century Maratha warrior king.

The Maratha community leaders had earlier taken out several rallies in various districts to highlight their demands. Last year, a huge rally was organised in this regard in Mumbai.

Despite assurances from Fadnavis to fulfil the demands, nothing concrete has been done till now, the community leaders have claimed.

Ekadashi marks the culmination of a pilgrimage, called 'waari', that devotees undertake from across the state on foot to reach the temple town in western Maharashtra.

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The first tender for the 1,000-megawatt (mw) solar capacity in the Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR) in Gujarat is likely to be issued next month, a senior official has said.

The DSIR is proposed to have a 5,000-mw solar park, at an estimated cost of Rs 25,000 crore, and spread across 11,000 hectare.

"This is going to be the largest single-location ultra mega solar park of 5,000 mw in the country. We are hopeful of inviting bids for the first 1,000 mw in the next one month," Dholera Industrial City Development Corporation (DICDC) managing director Jai Prakash Shivahare said at a select media interaction here over the weekend.

He further said the greenfield project is expected to generate more than 20,000 jobs.

Gujarat Power Corporation (GPCL), Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam (GUVNL) and Gujarat Electric Transmission Corporation (GETCO) along with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) are implementing the project.

Gujarat principal secretary to the chief minister, MK Das, said the state expects good response for the bids.

"After we decided to go slow on the solar power capacity addition due to higher costs, we are now getting back to it in a big way. Also now that the prices have come down, we want to take advantage of this market," he said.

Das said, "We expect very good response as the capacity we are offering is massive, which will not only give economies of scale to the developers, but also benefit from the development happening in the Dholera region ."



Meanwhile, a 200-mw wind park has also been planned in Dholera, which would attract an additional investment to the tune of Rs 1,400 crore.

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Five people, including three women of a family were washed away while taking bath in river Cauvery in Salem district, about 120 km from here, today, police said.

Despite warning issued by the district administration against venturing into the river, six people entered the river near Reddiyur, some 80 kms from Salem, for taking bath.

All of them were washed away in the gushing waters, they said.

However, a college student, Thanushree, was rescued by locals on the river bank and rushed to hospital for treatment.

Police along with Fire and Rescue Services personnel department searched along the river and retrieved four bodies while a search is on for another one.

Salem District Collector, Rohini and senior officials rushed to the spot.

The collector had already warned people not to venture into the river, which is in the spate due to heavy inflow of water from Karnataka and also release from Mettur dam.

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Four persons were killed and three injured when a speeding truck hit them in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district today, police said.

The driver of the speeding truck lost control over the vehicle in Usti area of the district, they said.

The truck first hit some people waiting in the bus stand and then crashed into the cow shed of a house.

The injured have been rushed to hospital, police said, adding one of the injured was in serious serious.

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Toy manufacturer Funskool India is planning to set up a new manufacturing plant in Tamil Nadu, to be operational by the end of this fiscal as it aims to increase share of exports to 50 per cent by 2021-22.

The company, which exports to the UK, Europe, Australia and the US, is looking at tapping more countries to increase its exports basket.

"At present, exports account for 20 per cent of our sales but we are aiming to increase that to 50 per cent by 2021-22. This new plant built with capex of Rs 25 crore will specifically cater to the export market. We are looking at new markets such as the Gulf region, covering whole of the US and Africa," Funskool India CEO K John Baby told PTI.

Currently, Funskool India has two plants - in Tamil Nadu and Goa.

In the previous fiscal, exports from Funskool India stood at USD 10 million. In 2017-18, Funskool India had a turnover of Rs 250 crore.

Talking about the challenges faced by the Indian toy industry, Baby said there is a lack of infrastructure and auxiliary facilities for toy manufacturing in India.

"The government should appreciate and recognise the potential of the toy industry to create employment and bring revenue to the country.

"Hong Kong and China has brought 50 billion of toys to the world. India has brought only 100 million and there is a long way for India to go and toy industry which can bring foreign exchange, revenue and create employment for the country's population," he added.

Vivek Jhangiani, Director of the All India Toy Manufacturers Association (TAITMA), said almost 90 per cent of toys in India are imported and only 10 per cent are locally made.

"Out of these 90 per cent imported toys, 95 per cent are from China," he added.

Spielwarenmesse eG, a fair organizer and marketing services provider for the toy sector and other consumer goods markets is scheduled to organise Kids India exhibition in Mumbai in September this year.

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A 10-year-old girl, who was abducted from outside her home seven months ago, has been reunited with her father in Rajasthan, police said today.

The girl was spotted crying by a local media person on a road in Antah town of Baran district on Friday evening, following which he took the minor to the police station, said Antah police station Station House Officer Ramanand Yadav.

The police had yesterday informed the Baran child welfare committee (CWC), where the girl revealed about her abduction from outside her home in the state's Sawai Madhopur city, the SHO said, adding that four people, including two women, have been arrested. According to her father's missing complaint on January 2, the minor went missing on December 23 last year.

Revealing her ordeal, the girl said she was abducted by three persons and brought to Antah -- 154 km from her home -- where she was living with a family on the outskirts of the town. The minor was forced to carry out all household works, but somehow managed to flee on Friday, CWC chairman Ashok Pradhan said.

The girl was handed over to her father, Bhole Rana -- a native of Madhya Pradesh and working as a daily-wage labourer in Sawai Madhopur, Pradhan said.

The CWC has asked the police to identify the other accused involved and probe the abduction of other children in the area, he added.

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Gautam Buddha Intl Airport project makes visible progress, ADB likely to rejoin

The much-delayed upgradation of Gautam Buddha Airport in Bhairahawa has achieved 50 percent of physical progress in June and the international airport is on track to open by July 2019, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (Caan) said.
The Congress today alleged that Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was behind "changing" the FDA report that had earlier "confirmed" the presence of high levels of formalin in fish imported to the coastal state.

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) had initially confirmed the presence of formalin, a preservative that causes cancer, in fish, but later withdrawn its own findings.

After a hue and cry over the issue, the state government last week banned import of fish from other states till end of this month.

The Congress has been stalling the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly over the formalin issue since last two days.

Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Girish Chodankar demanded that import of fish be banned completely, saying the state can harvest fish locally and that the people should not be compelled to consume "chemically-poisoned fish".

"I strongly feel that the chief minister is involved in changing the (FDA) report. He has taken control of the FDA," Chodankar told reporters here.

He also alleged that the chief minister was acting "at the behest of the ruling BJP's alliance partner the Goa Forward Party (GFP) which is close to the people indulged in the wholesale fish trade".

Chodankar said Parrikar's "silence" on the investigation into "fish mafia" is an act to save his government from being toppled by the alliance partner.

He alleged that the chief minister has lost his grip over the state Cabinet and had "surrendered" to the demands of the GFP president and agriculture minister Vijai Sardesai.

"Be it on the issue of regional plan 2021 or outline development plan or formalin fish or fish mafia, Parrikar wants to ensure that his chair is safe and for that he has compromised on interest of the people," Chodankar alleged.

He demanded that the government impose certain restrictions on export of fish.

"Only those varieties of fish that are not consumed locally be allowed to be exported," Chodankar demanded.

Responding to a query on whether the CM's health prevented him from taking strict action on such important issues, Chodankar replied in affirmative.

"That is true. I had advised the chief minister to take a break as he is not in position to handle pressure. Parrikar is not just an administrative head but also a political head. It seems that after his return from US (where he had gone for medical treatment), the CM is ignoring the issues which are against the public interest," he claimed.

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The government is unlikely to go ahead with the Commerce Ministry's proposal for merger of trading firms and STC, a senior official said.

"It has been long that the forwarded the final cabinet note for the government's approval. It looks unlikely now," the official added.

State Trading Corporation (STC), Project & Equipment Corporation of India (PEC) and Metals & Minerals Trading Corporation of India (MMTC) are under the administrative control of the

According to the proposal, the merger of the two trading firms would result in the synergy of operations, which somewhat overlap.

The ministry had also suggested that the government bear the expenses for VRS (voluntary retirement scheme) to be offered to about 600-700 employees of STC.

While the government wholly owns PEC, it has about 90 per cent stake in and STC.

and STC were created in 1963 and 1956, respectively. PEC Ltd was carved out of STC in 1971-72.



According to industry observers, state trading like MMTC and STC have lost their relevance as well as a business following liberalisation.

MMTC used to be a canalising agency for import and export of non-ferrous metals and fertilisers. Similarly, STC was an agency for import of essential items of mass consumption such as wheat, pulses, sugar and edible oils.

PEC was engaged in export and import of machinery and railway equipment.

For the full 2017-18 financial year, MMTC posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 375.2 million compared to a net loss of Rs 297.6 billion in the previous financial year. STC too posted a profit of Rs 375.2 million in 2017-18 against a net loss of Rs 1.66 billion in preceding financial year.
The National Green Tribunal has said that illegal withdrawal of groundwater by hotels cannot be permitted if environment has to be protected and scarce



resources saved for future generations.

Voicing concern over illegal water extraction, a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said authorities must ensure that as per the May 18, 2010 notification issued by the Lt Governor "no person, group, authority, association, institution" should withdraw groundwater through borewell or tube-well without permission of Central Ground Water Authority.

"The illegal drawing of ground water by hotels for their commercial interest is not something which can be permitted if environment has to be protected and scarce resources are to be saved on the principle of inter generational equity," the bench, also comprising Justices Jawad Rahim and R S Rathore, said.

The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by city resident Shailesh Singh seeking directions to immediately stop withdrawal of groundwater by five star hotels without permission.

The green panel noted that for want of one or the other information proceedings could not be completed so far in the case and asked lawyers appearing in the case to cooperate in deciding the issue and not put forward the plea of "personal convenience or non-availability".

The tribunal had earlier issued notices to three five-star hotels, Central Ground Water Authority, Delhi Jal Board, New Delhi Municipal Council, Central Pollution Control Board.

Singh had alleged that various five-star hotels including Hotel Taj Palace, The Leela Palace, Hotel Jaypee Vasant Continental were using several lakh litres of ground water and the sources of water are not visible in their premises.

The plea had alleged that according to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, one of the hotels was extracting 2,22,600 litres of water from supply and is having two bore-wells to extract ground water.

Earlier, the tribunal had imposed a fine of Rs 7.5 lakh on one of the hotels after it found unsatisfactory rain water harvesting systems in their premises.

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Greening vacant urban land significantly reduces feelings of depression and improves overall mental health for the surrounding residents, a study has found.

The findings, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, have implications for cities across the US, where 15 per cent of land is deemed "vacant" and often blighted or filled with trash and overgrown vegetation.

The study found that people living within a quarter of a mile radius of greened lots had a 41.5 per cent decrease in feelings of depression compared to those who lived near the lots that had not been cleaned.

Those living near green lots also experienced a nearly 63 per cent decrease in self-reported poor mental health compared to those living near lots that received no intervention.

"Dilapidated and vacant spaces are factors that put residents at an increased risk of depression and stress, and may explain why socioeconomic disparities in mental illness persist," said Eugenia C South, an assistant professor at University of Pennsylvania in the US.

"What these new data show us is that making structural changes, like greening lots, has a positive impact on the health of those living in these neighbourhoods," said South.

For the trial, 541 vacant lots in Philadelphia were randomly assigned to one of three study arms: greening intervention, a trash clean-up intervention, or a control group with no intervention.

The greening intervention involved removing trash, grading the land, planting new grass and a small number of trees, installing a low wooden perimeter fence, and regular monthly maintenance.

Two sets of pre-intervention and post-intervention mental health surveys were performed among 342 people, 18 months before revitalisation and 18 months after.

Participants were asked to indicate how often they felt nervous, hopeless, restless, depressed, that everything was an effort, and worthless.

Results were most pronounced when looking only at neighbourhoods below the poverty line, with feelings of depression among residents who lived near green lots decreasing significantly - by more than 68 per cent.

Analyses of the trash clean-up intervention compared to no intervention showed no significant changes in self-reported mental health.

"The lack of change in these groups is likely because the trash clean-up lots had no additional green space created," said John MacDonald, a professor at University of Pennsylvania.

"The findings support that exposure to more natural environments can be part of restoring mental health, particularly for people living in stressful and chaotic urban environments," said MacDonald.

The study shows transforming blighted neighbourhood environments into green space can improve the trajectory of the residents' mental health, the authors said.

Adding green space to neighbourhoods should be considered alongside individual treatments to address mental health problems in low resource communities.

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South African police say gunmen have opened fire on a minibus carrying members of a taxi drivers' association, killing 11 people and critically wounding four others.

Police Brig. Jay Naicker says the victims of yesterday's night attack had attended the funeral of a colleague and were returning home when the ambush occurred.

He says the attack happened between the towns of Colenso and Weenen in KwaZulu-Natal province and the victims were from Gauteng province.

Police are investigating possible motives.

Tensions between groups of taxi drivers vying for the same routes sometimes spill into deadly violence in South Africa.

South African media reported the deaths of 10 people in violence related to rivalries among minibus taxi drivers in Cape Town over one weekend in May.

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"Love is blind and an innate humane instinct. It is all about individuals and their freedom," the Kerala High Court has said, quashing a Kochi college order expelling a woman and her senior for being struck by Cupid and eloping.

In a recent judgment, Justice A Muhamed Mustaque observed that the love affair and eloping termed as immoral amounting to a breach of discipline by the college was based on moral values of the persons in the management.

"It is a sin for some and not a sin for others. In law, it is the choice of freedom which is the essence of liberty," the judge said.

The authorities of the college in Kollam district failed to understand that intimate personal relationship was the matter of privacy of individuals upon which they had no authority to interfere, Justice Mustaque said.

"Love is blind and an innate humane instinct. It is all about individuals and their freedom. Is love a freedom or fetter is the question that is raised in this writ petition in the context of imposition of academic discipline," he said.

The judge allowed petitions by the 21-year-old man and the 20-year-old woman, both BBA students, and directed the college to allow her to continue the course and return the academic records of the other petitioner as sought by him.

The woman, who had joined the course for 2016-17 academic year, fell in love with her senior.

The college authorities and their parents had objected to their love, following which they had eloped.

However, the parents of the woman later retracted their opposition and stood by her to court a marriage.

The judge said the role of the court was not to endorse moral choices of college authorities or students, but to recognise the freedom to have a choice.

"What concerns the court is whether the action has any nexus with the object for which such power is conferred. The right to privacy is an element of human dignity which includes the right to make an essential choice which would affect their course of life as declared by Supreme Court in K S Puttaswamy Vs Union of India (case)," Justice Mustaque said.

Except "bald allegations" that the petitioners were found engrossed in an intimate relationship in the campus, there were absolutely no materials or evidence relied on to arrive at such a finding, he said.

In the absence of evidence, that it had affected the classes conducted by the college or the congenial environment for learning, no action can be taken on the ground of indiscipline, he said.

Noting that whether to have an affair or not to have an affair with another was a personal choice, the judge said such choice was fundamental to the liberty guaranteed under the Constitution.

"Choosing a life partner or choosing a way of life is the discretion based on individual autonomy. Except with legislative essentials (legal paternalism), no regulation can be made to regulate the behaviour of men on moral values, the court said.

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The AIDS epidemic risks resurging and spiralling out of control unless billions of extra dollars are pumped into prevention and treatment, experts warned today on the eve of a major world conference.

An alarming rate of new infections, coupled with an exploding population of young people in hard-hit countries, meant the world could be steering for "a crisis of epic proportions," said Mark Dybul, an American AIDS researcher and diplomat.

"Bad things will happen if we don't have more money," he told a special event organised a day before some 15,000 delegates attend the opening of the International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam.

The world was "probably at the highest risk ever of losing control of this epidemic because of demographics and because of countries not paying attention the way they once did, or never did in some cases," warned Dybul.

UNAIDS last week reported a record number of HIV-positive people using life-saving antiretroviral therapy (ARV), and lower rates of deaths and new infections -- though not low enough according to campaigners. And even this progress risks being overturned.

Speakers warned that donor and domestic funding has dropped significantly, and would likely continue declining. Under Donald Trump, the US administration has proposed massive spending cuts, though these have failed to pass through Congress so far. The US is by far the biggest funder of the global AIDS response.

According to UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe, there was a funding gap of almost USD 7 billion. "If we don't pay now we will pay more and more later," he told the meeting.

Experts lamented that the successful rollout of life-saving, virus-suppressing drugs may have diverted necessary attention, and cash, away from the need to curb new HIV infections.

ARVs are also increasing being used, mainly in rich countries, to prevent contracting the virus from sex.

To meet the UN goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, infections must be limited to 500,000 per year globally in just two years' time.

Last year's 1.8 million new infections showed that "unless we did something completely drastic, we will not get anywhere near" the goal, said Nduku Kilonzo of Kenya's National AIDS Control Council.

"Condoms work!" she underlined, but only when they are available. Investment in condom distribution has dropped, and less than half the need was being covered, she said.

"We are far, far, far away from our goal of prevention, not just elimination," Kilonzo warned. "We have a crisis and it is a prevention crisis." David Barr, a senior treatment advocate who is himself HIV positive, agreed that access to drugs, without prevention, "will not end AIDS".

"When I last spoke in this conference centre in 1992, I could never have imagined that I would be standing here 26 years later alive and well," he told delegates.

"I could never have imagined that 21 million people around the world would be on very effective HIV treatment, I could never have imagined that we will have such effective tools to prevent HIV transmission." Yet, the success is "incredibly fragile", warned Barr.

"We can lose our opportunities and the tools we have created if we fail to use them effectively. If we lose them, then we're back to the horror of 1992" when infections and deaths were skyrocketing.

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The Home Ministry has purchased 5,000 rape investigation kits which would be given to police stations across the country for speedy probe in sexual harassment cases, according to a senior Women and Child Development official.

The official said that for now, five kits each would be provided to randomly-selected police stations and states have also been asked to chip in with their contribution.

The kits are designed to carry out immediate medical investigation and aid the evidence-gathering exercise in sexual assault and rape cases.

"The Home Ministry has procured 5,000 rape investigation kits that would be distributed to randomly selected police stations across the country for speedy probes in sexual harassment cases," he said.

Each kit comes with a set of test tubes and bottles and costs Rs 200 to Rs 300, the official said.

Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi last week urged states to buy such kits and arm their police station with them.

The official said the states have responded positively and the Haryana government has even approved their procurement.

"It is often seen that compromised evidence reach forensic laboratories in such cases. So in a bid to overcome that, rape investigation kits would be distributed to all police stations," the official said.

Explaining the functioning of these kits, he said it would be used to collect various samples -- such as blood, semen and sweat -- of the victim which will be locked and sent to the forensic laboratory. It will carry the time of sealing of the samples and also the names of the police officer and the doctor involved.

Gandhi had said there was no forensic analysis in 13,000 rape cases every year as the country's laboratories lacked the capacity. She had also said her ministry has been looking to plug loopholes in the system to ensure rape cases are investigated expeditiously.

"The first ones we found were in the forensic department. We just have the forensic ability for 1,500 people. We used the Nirbhaya fund and with the help of the Ministry of Home Affairs, we are building five new forensic laboratories that will increase the capacity from 1,500 to 20,000," she said.

"At times the forensic laboratories receive compromised evidence, that is why there is a need to distribute the rape investigation kits in every police station," she had said.

As many as 1,10,333 cases of rape were registered in the country between 2014-16, according to government figures.

The figures say that 38,947 cases of rape were registered in 2016, 34,651 in 2015 and 36,735 in 2014.

Altogether 3,38,954 cases of crime against women were registered in 2016, while 3,29,243 such cases were registered in 2015 and 3,39,457 in 2014, according to the government figures.

Rape accounts for about 12 per cent of all crimes against women, according to the figures.

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Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today welcomed the GST Council's decision to cut tax rates on 88 items and exempt sanitary napkins from the levy, saying it would provide a much-needed relief to the middle class and benefit women's health and hygiene.

The GST Council on Saturday cut tax rates on 88 items, including footwear, refrigerator, washing machine and small screen TV. Sanitary napkins, which attract 12 per cent tax, and fortified milk, which was taxed at 18 per cent, have been exempt from the new indirect tax.

Thakur also said that the decision to allowed businesses with turn over of up to Rs 5 crore to file quarterly returns have relieved small businesses from the pressure of filing so many returns.

The GST council also allowed businesses with turn over of up to Rs 5 crore to file quarterly returns -- a move which will benefit 93 per cent of the GST registered taxpayers. They will have to, however, pay taxes monthly. So far, businesses with turnover of up to Rs 1.5 crore were permitted to file returns quarterly.

About 75 to 80 per cent businessmen in the state run small businesses and they would be immensely benefitted from this decision of the Centre, the chief minister was quoted as saying in a release.

Thakur also said the decision to reduce GST rates on washing machines, refrigerators mixers, footwear and other items would also provide much-needed relief to the middle class and exempting sanitary napkins from the indirect tax would have a positive effect on the health and hygiene of women.

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Inc on Sunday welcomed the Council's decision to cut rates on several items and simplification of return filing process for businesses, saying the move will boost compliance and benefit consumers.

In his first Council meeting since he took charge as the Finance Minister in May this year, Piyush Goyal allowed businesses with a turnover of up to Rs 50 million to file quarterly returns -- a move which will benefit 93 per cent of the registered taxpayers. They will have to, however, pay taxes monthly.

So far, businesses with a turnover of up to Rs 15 million were permitted to file returns quarterly.

In a statement, the Confederation of All Traders (CAIT) said the single page return form to be filed quarterly for traders having turnover up to Rs 50 million is a bold step which will ease miseries of traders.

"The decisions relating to simplification of returns and especially keeping the interests of small taxpayers are noteworthy. This would facilitate ease of doing business both for small and large taxpayers," said.

He further said that the decisions would increase compliance, widen the base and are in the right direction to achieve the objectives of GST.

In its meeting on Saturday, the also cut rates on 88 items, including footwear, refrigerator, washing machine and small screen TV, while the widely demanded sanitary napkins have been exempted from the levy.

"Exemption of GST on Sanitary napkins is welcome as it is a great step towards empowering women as sanitary napkins are necessary for female hygiene. This is a big step towards encouraging menstrual hygiene among young girls and women as scrapping of GST from Sanitary napkins will make napkins more affordable and more women will be able to use them," Pinky Reddy, President, Ladies Organisation (FLO) said.

Harpreet Singh, Partner Indirect Tax, in said that rate rationalisation on so many products is nothing short of being akin to the annual budget announcements.

"While rate rationalisation would definitely bring cheer for the industry and consumers, what would be interesting to see is how the would try and compensate the revenue loss on account of tax rate reductions," Singh said.

He said rate cuts on handicrafts items such as deities made of stone, marble and woods, phool jharoo, Rakhis etc. was a long pending demand of the sector.

"Imposition of rate of 5/12 per cent, added to the woes of sector which is already dwindling. Exemption from GST may provide much needed impetus to the industry which is a key contributor to rural employment," Singh said.

Quarterly returns for taxpayers with turnover of up to Rs 50 million, which comprise of 93 per cent of taxpayers, would definitely reduce the compliance burden of small dealers and assist them in channelising their in doing business rather than worrying about monthly tax filings, he added.

Consumer appliance maker Dinesh Chhabra appreciated reduction in the GST rates from 28 to 18 per cent on food grinders, mixers, storage water heaters, water coolers, water heaters, electric ironing machines, among others.

"These are basic appliances and are required in every household on a daily basis. This move ahead of the festive season will certainly bring cheer to consumers and lead to a spur in the growth of the appliances category," Chhabra said.

Ernst & Young Services India tax Partner Abhishek Jain said that the 28th meeting was positive with some very significant rate rationalisations.

"Big relief for hotels as GST rate of 28 per cent would not apply if the actual tariff value is less than 7,500 even though the published tariff may be more than 7,500; this will also ease the IT systems for hotel players.

"Reduction in GST rate of ethanol for use by companies to 5 per cent is again welcome as major petroleum products are outside GST and this would help reduce their cost," Jain said.
ANN picks Chon Shi-yong as new chair

Chon Shi-yong, the chief editorial writer of The Korea Herald, has been elected as new chairman of the Asia News Network (ANN), an alliance of 24 leading media organizations in 21 countries across Asia.
India's export of finished steel slumped by 33.7 per cent to 1.351 million tonnes (MT) during the first quarter of the current fiscal, according to a report.

The country had exported 2.037 MT finished steel during the same quarter a year ago, the Joint Plant Committee said in its latest report.

The JPC, under the Ministry of Steel, is the only institution in the country that collects and maintains data on domestic steel and iron industry.

"At 1.351 MT, export of total finished steel was down by 33.7 per cent in April-June 2018 over same period of last year," the report said.

Union Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh had earlier said that India should export at least six to seven per cent of its total steel production.

As against the export, import grew by 10.9 per cent to 1.893 MT in April-June quarter of 2018-19, compared to 1.707 MT in the year-ago period.

The total output of finished steel for sale in the quarter under review stood at 26.720 MT, up 4.4 per cent from 25.605 MT the country had produced in the three-month period last year.

India's consumption of total finished steel surged 8.4 per cent to 23.422 MT during April-June 2017 as against 21.598 MT in the same period last fiscal.

"The consumption of total finished steel saw a growth of 8.4 per cent in April-June 2018 at 23.422 MT over same period of last year, under the influence of a rising supply side as both production for sale and imports increased in April-June 2018 over same period of last year," the JPC said.

The Union Cabinet, in May last year, approved National Steel Policy (NSP) 2017 that envisages Rs 10 lakh crore investment to take India's steel capacity to 300 MT by 2030-31 to give a boost to the sector.

The NSP also aims at more than doubling the per capita steel consumption to 158 kg by 2030-31, from about 65 kg at present.

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An Indian-origin entrepreneur's UK-based start-up that uses a machine-learning algorithm to sift fact from fiction is set to combat fake around the world, including plans for a project specifically targeted at India.

Lyric Jain, a Cambridge University engineering student originally from Mysore, set up Logically last year and has since developed the West Yorkshire-based start-up into a machine-learning platform to filter real from fiction.

The platform, which is currently going through technology trials with partners and advisors, will have its full public launch in September for the UK and the US, and hit India by October.

The aim is for the service to work as a aggregator as well as an indicator of factual accuracy.

"The Logically platform gathers the biggest stories from over 70,000 domains and determines the credibility of the claims across each article. It does this by using a machine learning algorithm that is designed to detect logical fallacy, political bias, and incorrect statistics," the 21-year-old techie explains.

"By illuminating the quality of information across these articles, Logically provides users with a transparent and insightful view that allows them to determine how trustworthy the news they read really is," he said.

With a growing number of cases of fake news being exchanged over the WhatsApp messaging service in India, his start-up is exploring ways for artificial intelligence (AI) to accurately assess the validity of information faster than any human can.

India has over 200 million WhatsApp users and with the system being encrypted, it becomes extremely difficult for law enforcement to intervene and stop fake stories from spreading.

"Because of the highly emotive nature of these stories, people are quick to react. This means the time it takes to disprove compelling fake news stories is often too long to prevent action being taken," Jain said.

"We are still exploring options such as an instant verification chatbot on WhatsApp and will announce our plans by the end of the year," he said.

Logically has a board of advisers made up of alumni from both Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US and Cambridge University in the UK and has raised 1 million pound in funding. It employs 38 people across the UK, India and the US and is planning to almost double that figure.

Jain believes there is an urgent need for greater education around the issue of fake news and misinformation being spread, largely via online networks.

"The technology we are developing will equip people with the tools they need in order to navigate a complex and confusing information landscape better than before, but governments still need to do a better job educating people on the real dangers of interacting with misinformation," he said.

His platform, which combines AI and human intelligence as well as complex analytics, is planned as a first-of-its-kind "intelligent news feed" that he believes may prove to be the future of journalism.

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Nearly one lakh Indian tourists were among 5,20,000 foreigners who visited Nepal in the first six months of 2018, according to the Himalayan nation's Department of Immigration.

"The latest data shows that 96,372 Indian tourists visited Nepal in the period while the number of Chinese was 71,379. The number of tourists from the US was 43,816, while the number Japanese tourists stood at 13, 851," the Himalayan Times reported, citing the Department of Immigration figure.

As many as 5,20,000 foreigners visited Nepal in the first half of this year, marking a 13 per cent rise in tourist arrivals over the same duration last year.

A total of 4,60,304 foreign tourists had visited the country during the first six months last year.

Nepal also hosted tourists from South Asia and European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, among others, it said.

Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) officials said the rise in the number of foreigners even during off season was good for tourism entrepreneurs.

"The contribution of the private sector to the country's tourism cannot be ignored," NTB Chief Executive Officer Deepak Raj Joshi said.

In 2017, Indians had accounted for the maximum 17.1 per cent of the total tourist arrival figures in Nepal, ahead of Chinese (11.1 per cent) and Americans (8.44 per cent), according to the Economic Survey released earlier this year.

Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha and a UNESCO world heritage site, was the most visited tourist destination in Nepal in 2017.

"Altogether 1.5 million tourists (domestic and foreign) had visited Lumbini in 2017, which was an increase of 21 per cent compared to 2016," the survey stated.

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A 15-year-old Indonesian who was raped by her brother has been sentenced to six months in prison for abortion.

Singgih Hermawan, deputy chief of Batanghari police in Jambi province, said that both the girl and brother were convicted on Thursday.

The 18-year-old brother received a two-year prison sentence for sexual offence against the minor. Prosecutors had demanded a one-year prison sentence for the girl and seven years for the brother.

It was revealed in court that the girl was raped eight times since September.

In May, residents discovered a headless fetus near a palm oil plantation. Their mother is facing separate charges of aiding abortion.

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Iran's president Hassan Rouhani has urged US President Donald Trump to "make peace" with Iran, the semi-official ISNA agency reported today.

The report quotes Rouhani as saying "American must understand well that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace and war with Iran is the mother of all wars."



Rouhani warned Trump to stop "playing with the lion's tail" and threatening Iran, "or else you will regret it."



Trump earlier this year pulled the United States out of the international deal meant to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon and ordered increased American sanctions.

Trump has suggested Iranian leaders are "going to call me and say 'let's make a deal'" but Iran has rejected talks.

Rouhani has previously lashed out against Trump for threatening to re-impose the sanctions, as well as for moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and banning travel to the U.S. from certain Muslim-majority countries.

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An Iranian couple was apprehended at the Delhi airport for allegedly using a fake ticket to enter the terminal area, a senior official said today.

Md Pirazizi and Y Yasdanzoo were intercepted by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel as the couple was about to leave the Terminal-3 building of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) around 2 pm, the official said.

They were stopped and questioned as exiting the terminal area is not usually permitted for passengers, he said.

The couple, who had an Iranian passport, told the security personnel they used a cancelled ticket to enter the terminal area to see off their daughter who was travelling to Tehran, the official said.

They were subsequently handed over to the police as their ticket was fake and charged with alleged trespass, he said.

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Israel evacuated 800 White Helmets rescuers and their families from Syria to Jordan overnight at the request of the United States and European countries, army radio said today.

The request came as the volunteer rescuers were threatened by advancing forces of the Syrian regime in the south of the war-ravaged country, the radio station reported.

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The Jammu and Kashmir Police foiled a weapon-snatching bid in the state's Pulwama district tonight, an official said.

Militants attacked a guard post at a protected person's residence in Pulwama in south Kashmir in order to snatch weapons of the cops on duty, a police official said.

The attack was, however, successfully repulsed by the alert policemen. Further details of the incident are awaited, the official added.

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BJP leader Choudhary Lal Singh today launched the Dogra Savabhiman Sangathan, saying the "apolitical" organisation would fight against the alleged discrimination faced by the community in Jammu region.

Singh, a legislator from Basholi Assembly Constituency, released the new outfit's vision document and flag at an event in Jammu to mark the 100 days of his campaign demanding a CBI probe into the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl from a nomadic community in Kathua district in Jammu region.

The body of the girl from a nomadic community was found on January 17, a week after she had gone missing, triggering public outrage across the country.

It had also led to political unrest in Jammu and Kashmir.

Singh and his party colleague Chander Prakash Ganga had to resign from the council of ministers in the previous PDP-BJP government after questions were raised on their participation in a rally organised in support of the people arrested in the rape-murder case. The Jammu Bar Association had alleged that Dogra community members were targeted by the crime branch.

"Dogra Savabhiman Sangathan is the outcome of a vigorous campaign to restore the pride of Dogras, which was hurt by labelling them pro-rapist and pro-criminal. The apolitical group will fight for the rights of Dogras...," Singh said.

"We want justice for the little victim who united the people of Jammu region. We are demanding CBI probe to ensure that justice is done in the case," he said, accusing former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti of mishandling the matter.

He said he had decided to float the new group as people of Jammu region were "betrayed" by their politicians.

Listing the 21 points mentioned in the vision document, he said the group would also work to fulfil the aspirations of refugees from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and ensure their honourable settlement.

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Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra reviewed the arrangements for the ongoing Amarnath Yatra today and directed the officials to ensure that there was no impediment in the pilgrimage till its scheduled conclusion on August 26.

The governor, who is also the chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, visited the Baltal base camp, Domel access control gate and Neelgrath helipad to assess the arrangements made for the annual pilgrimage and the difficulties, if any, being faced by the pilgrims, a Raj Bhavan spokesperson said.

He added that the governor visited the hospital at the base camp, where he met doctors from Delhi and Rajasthan who are serving at the 40-bed medical unit since June 28.

He also visited a few "langars" and shrine board huts and reviewed the functioning of the sewage treatment plant at the base camp, the spokesperson said.

Vohra spent considerable time to review the sanitation and cleanliness arrangements within and outside the camp and gave necessary directions to the officials, he added.

The governor also met the camp directors and all the officers involved in the conduct of the "yatra" and reiterated his earlier directions to ensure maintenance of sanitation at the camps as well as along both the routes of the pilgrimage, the spokesperson said.

Vohra directed all the officers concerned of the Ganderbal district administration to ensure that there was no impediment in the pilgrimage till its conclusion on August 26.

Later, the governor inspected the heli-operations at the Neelgrath helipad and inquired about the services from the pilgrims.

Considering the "progressive decline in the strength" of the pilgrimage, the governor would convene a meeting, involving all the security forces, next week on the management of the pilgrimage, the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police S P Vaid visited Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district today and took stock of the security and communication arrangements made for the annual "yatra", a police spokesperson said.

He added that the DGP was accompanied by Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, S P Pani during the visit. The DGP was received by senior police officers deployed for the "yatra" and jurisdictional officers.

Vaid visited the joint police control room and wireless communications centre set up for the pilgrimage and took stock of the fast communication system brought in for the "yatra" at Pahalgam, the spokesperson said.

The DGP was briefed by the senior officers about the security measures taken to ensure a smooth and peaceful "yatra". Vaid interacted with the officers and jawans and appreciated their dedication, the spokesperson added.

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End Dr KCs strike through talks: NCP youth, student wings

Youth and students organisations of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) have urged the government to end the indefinite hunger strike of Dr Govinda KC through talks.
A leading jewellery chain today withdrew a one-and-a-half minute long advertisement featuring bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and his daughter after it came under attack from a bank union which said it was aimed at creating 'distrust' in the banking system.

"We sincerely regret the inadvertent hurt caused and withdraw the advertisement from all media with immediate effect," Executive Director of Kalyan Jewellers, Ramesh Kalyanaraman said in a statement here.

He said, "we understand that the advertisement has hurt sentiments of some people including members of our esteemed banking community. Any such hurtful interpretation being drawn is unintended."



"We state that the creative advertisement was a work of fiction and not a reflection of banking employees at large.

Along with crores of Indians, we acknowledge the valuable contribution of the banking community to our country," the statement said.

All India Bank Officers' Confederation, an organisation claiming to have membership of around 3,20,000 officers, last week threatened to sue Kalyan Jewellers accusing it of "casting aspersion and hurting the sentiments of millions of personnel" through the advertisement.

AIBOC general secretary Soumya Datta had alleged that the theme, tone and tenor of the Ad were "disgusting, derogatory, to say the least and is aimed to create distrust in the banking system, for pure commercial gain."



However, Kalyan Jewellers had rejected the allegation, saying it was "pure fiction."The advertisement features Bachchan as an old man and Shweta Bachchan Nanda as his daughter.

In the ad, Bachchan, depicted as a person with integrity and honesty, is seen visiting a bank branch along with his daughter to return the extra money credited in his pension account and his bitter encounter with bank employees in the process.

"The advertisement portrays banks in bad light, casting aspersion, hurting the sentiment of millions of personnel, stakeholders and is a direct attempt to ruin the trust and confidence of billions of citizenries in banks," Datta had said.

Bachchan had tweeted the video of the ad, saying "Emotional moment for me.. tears welling up every time I see it.. daughters are the best !!"



Popular Malayalam actress Manju Warrier acted as his daughter in the advertisement's Malayalam version.

AIBOC had said in the ad, Bachchan tried to exhibit his honesty by drumming around that "Honesty doesn't mean when everyone is watching, rather it is about being honest when nobody is looking at you.

But, Mr Bachchan perhaps was unaware that in the process of doing so on screen, he has made a mockery of the entire bankers' community in the ad which is deplorable and culpable."



Datta had said "we express our strong resentment against the management of Kalyan Jewellers and Mr Bachchan who have manifested a negative and false image of the Banks in the ad for their personal aggrandisement."



"We deem it as a case of defamation to all the banks as a whole," it had said.

Demanding an unconditional apology from the jewellery group, the AIBOC had said if the advertisement was not withdrawn, suitable "organisational action, including dharnas and litigation" would be initiated.

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The mastermind behind the alleged gang-rape of five women activists and the abduction of four policemen from a BJP MP's residence in Jharkhand was arrested from East Singhbhum district today, along with another accused, a senior police officer said.

The second person was arrested from Khunti district for his alleged involvement in both the incidents, zonal IG (Ranchi) Naveen Kumar Singh told a press conference here.

With the arrest of the two, a total of seven persons have been nabbed by the police in connection with the gang-rape case.

"The mastermind behind the Kochang gang-rape case and the June 26 kidnapping of four constables, who were deployed at the residence of BJP MP Karia Munda, has been arrested. He has been identified as John Johnsas Tidu," Singh said.

Another person, identified as Balram Samad, was also arrested, he added.

Both the accused were residents of Kurunga village under the Arki police station in Khunti district, the zonal IG said.

Tidu was wanted in 12 cases, while Samad was wanted in eight criminal cases in Khunti district, he added.

The police had formed multiple teams following the rape and kidnap cases and during the raids carried out by the teams, Tidu was arrested from a place under the Potka police station in East Singhbhum district and Samad was arrested from Jeevan Tola under the Murhu police station in Khunti district.

The five women had gone to Kochang village in Khunti district to raise awareness on migration and human trafficking on June 19, when they were allegedly abducted from R C Mission School and later, gang-raped at gunpoint.

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The labour ministry has proposed changes in Trade Unions Act (1926), with an aim to give them wider recognition at central and state level.

It has been alleged that the central and state government do not give due weightage to trade unions or their federation in the absence of any statutory backing, other than by the labour ministry.

As per the existing rules, the trade unions are first verified by the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), consequent to which the Ministry of Labour and Employment provides recognition. There are 13 recognised central trade unions/ federations at present in the country.

The verification is done on the basis of executive guidelines and a code of discipline for recognition of trade unions operating in a particular establishment or the industry.

By way of the recognition given by the labour ministry, these 13 trade unions are allowed to have representation in national and international conferences or committees.

"It has been represented by trade unions that the other central government ministries and state government do not give due weightage to these central trade unions (CTUOs) in the absence of any statutory backing of this verification and recognition procedure," the ministry said in its proposal.

It has been getting representations from various stakeholders for providing a statutory backing either in the Act or through rules of recognition or the CTUOs.

"In view of above, an amendment to the Trade Unions Act, 1926 to incorporate the provision of recognition of trade unions/federation of trade unions at central and state level is necessary. Accordingly, it is proposed to amend the Trade Unions Act, 1926 to incorporate new Sections 28A and sub-section (2A) after Section 29 (2) of the Act," it said.

The ministry has invited comments on the Draft Trade Unions (Amendment) Bill, 2018 by August 10 from the stakeholders to finalise the changes.

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Lords Hotels & Resorts today said the company is planning to add 14 properties to take the total to 40 by 2020, and will foray into new geographies including the east and south.

"The premium mid-market hotel chain expanding to have 40 properties by the end of 2019-20 financial year and is exploring markets in the east and south. We are looking to venture into new geographies and focus on niche segments," Lords Hotels and Resorts Chief Operating Officer P R Bansal said here.

Currently, the company has 26 operational hotels and four more scheduled to commence operations later this year.

In the current financial year, the hospitality chain has plans of establishing hotel properties in Kolkata and Bhubaneswar in the East, and in Hyderabad and Chennai in the South.

"We have identified potential projects in the east where we have not made a mark yet and also in the south where we see tremendous growth in the coming years," Bansal said.

About 30 per cent of the company's hotel portfolio will be in the pilgrimage segment, he said.

"Our next big focus is to serve the pilgrimage tourist for whom today the stay options fall largely in the unorganised domain," Bansal added.

There are close to 200 iconic and sacred places of worship in the country and these sites receives around 1.5 million tourists footfalls annually, Bansal said.

While many of the top pilgrimage destinations today have branded hotels, a majority of the sites are served by stand-alone hotels which leave tourists with no option but to manage with what is available, Lords Hotels & Resorts Vice President Rishi Puri said.

"We are very keen on developing a focused offering to the pilgrimage tourist segment. Out of the 26 properties that we currently operate, 7 are in the heart of such pilgrimage destinations and we are aiming at maintaining at least 30 per cent of our portfolio for pilgrimage tourists. The designated tourism circuits will include pilgrimage sites including identified Katra, Mathura, Vrindavan and a couple others for our upcoming projects," he added.

The company has four brands, including Lords Plaza, Lords Inn, Lords Eco Inn and Lords Resorts.

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The police have told the Delhi High Court that loudspeakers were permitted under noise pollution rules which only lay down restrictions, like timings and decibel level, to regulate their use.

The Delhi Police made the submission before a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar which was hearing a PIL seeking ban on use of loudspeakers at religious places in the national capital.

The Delhi government additional standing counsel, Gautam Narayan, told the court that under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 use of loudspeakers was permitted and it only lays down conditions regulating or restricting their use.

The police, in an affidavit placed before the bench, said that if the petitioner, activistSanjjiiv Kkumaar, wanted a ban on loudspeakers, he should challenge the rules.

The court listed the matter for further hearing on October 16 to give time to the petitioner to file his response to the affidavit of Delhi Police.

The plea has said loudspeakers were never part of any religion as the instrument came into existence only in 1924.

It also claimed that loudspeakers were never part of any religion whether Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism or Zoroastrianism.

The petitioner has also said the use of loudspeakers takes away the right of the citizens to speak with others, their right toread or think or the right to sleep.

The plea has sought directions to the authorities to remove loudspeakers atop any religious structures, saying they violated citizens' rights including those of minors andelderly people.

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The government employees in Maharashtra are set for a pay hike from Diwali this year.

The state government will implement recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission for its employees from Diwali (which falls in November this year), finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar told PTI today.

"The Seventh Pay Commission will be our Diwali gift to employees," he said.

The decision will benefit 19 lakh government employees across the state.

It will put a financial burden of Rs 21,530 crore on the state exchequer, Mungantiwar said.

"The finance department made provisions of Rs 10,000 crore in its annual budget presented in March this year," he said.

The remaining provisions will be made through supplementary demands or in the next year's budget, he said.

The government is also considering the demand for granting child care leave (CCL) for two years (730 days) to women government employees and 15 days paternal leave for male staffers, Mungantiwar said.

The state government is also studying a proposal to start a five-day week working system for its employees, he said.

"The proposal for increasing the working hours of government employees by 15 minutes against a weekly off on every Saturday is being studied," he added.

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A man remanded in police custody in connection with a case died in a hospital after he complained of uneasiness and was rushed there from the police lock-up, an official said today.

Vidyadhar Kini (46) was arrested by Palghar police yesterday and was remanded in police custody till July 24, he added.

"However, while in the Arnala police station lock-up last night, he complained of uneasiness and was rushed to a local hospital. Doctors there declared him dead on arrival," an official said.

Further investigations into the circumstances surrounding his death are underway, the official added.

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Delhi Police said today they have arrested a man involved in eight cases of robbery from Govindpuri area.

A country-made pistol with one live cartridge, a stolen motorcycle and 21 mobile phones have been seized from Faizal Ali (19), police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (south-east district) Chinmoy Biswal said Ali, a school-drop, was arrested on Tuesday. He used to escape on the motorcycle after committing crimes.

Ali was previously arrested when he was a juvenile and was sent to an observation home. After his release from the home, he again started committing crimes, the DCP said.

Ali used to target people in dark, secluded streets, he said.

Police said Ali used to sell snatched mobile phones to a person he has identified as Sunny.

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A two-wheeler repair shop owner was shot at near Jyoti Nagar area here today due to an old enmity, police said.

Islam was at his shop near JP underpass when some bike-borne men came and opened fire at him, the police said.

He was rushed to SMS government hospital where his condition was stated out of danger.

One of the accused has been identified as Farid and being searched, the police said, adding, the incident is connected to an old enmity.

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HIDCL taking the initiative to create a hedging fund

Hydroelectricity Investment and Development Company Limited (HIDCL) has taken the initiative to establish a hedging fund in order to mitigate the foreign exchange risk that comes along with foreign direct investment (FDI) in public infrastructure project.
Hundreds of people today held protest rallies in Nepal and began a mass relay hunger strike to protest the government's crackdown on the supporters of a prominent doctor and activist who has been fasting for nearly a month, demanding reforms in the country's medical sector.

Dr Govinda KC, 61, a noted orthopedic surgeon and professor, has been fasting since June 30, demanding better health care services to the people of all economic backgrounds and restrictions on mushrooming private medical colleges in the country.

Yesterday, dozens of protesters were injured in clashes with police at a demonstration outside the country's parliament in support of the hunger-striking doctor.

Police fired multiple rounds of teargas shells and resorted to baton charge after the protestors raising anti-government slogans tried to enter the restricted area near the Parliament building at Nayabeneshwor.

Various groups today staged protests in Kathmandu and Jajarkot district in far-west Nepal to oppose yesterday's crackdown on the massive protest rally.

A large number of supporters of the fasting doctor Govinda KC today began a mass hunger strike at Basantapur courtyard in Kathmandu.

Dr KC has been staging his 15th hunger strike demanding reforms in country's medical sector.

Nepal Tarun Dal, youth wing of opposition Nepali Congress organised protest rally in Khalanga of Jajarkot to protest against police's action during the yesterday's rally.

Addressing the protest rally in Jajarkot, Tarun Dal president Harishchand Basnet said they would continue the protest against the crackdown by "autocratic" Oli led government to protect democratic rights in the country.

Dr KC was last week forcibly airlifted to Kathmandu from Jumla where he had been on an indefinite hunger-strike.

He began his fast after the government introduced a Bill on medical education in Parliament, which, according to him, went against the spirit of previous negotiations and understandings reached with him.

He has been demanding that universities should stop giving affiliations to private medical colleges in Kathmandu.

His other demands were that each region should have one medical college, in which reasonable fees and scholarships to the poor were guaranteed.

The doctor has gone on hunger strike 15 times over the past six years in an attempt to pressure the government to improve healthcare.

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The suicide bomber who recently killed nearly 150 people at an election meeting in Pakistan's troubled Balochistan province had studied at a religious seminary in Karachi before tarvelling to Afghanistan for militant training, police confirmed today.

Hafeez Abbasi struck at an election meeting of the Baluchistan Awami party in Mastung on July 13, killing nearly 150 people and injuring some 200 others in one of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan's history.

Nawab Siraj Raisani, a candidate from PB-35 (Mastung), was among those killed in the attack, claimed by the Islamic State terror group.

"We uncovered the identity of the bomber and his details by matching finger prints of an unclaimed body in the Mastung bomb blast," an official in the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Sindh Police said.

"We matched it with the record available with the National Database and Registration Authority. It was confirmed that the alleged suicide bomber was a resident of Gharibabad Mohalla in Dhabeji, Thatta," he said.

"A special CTD team went to Thatta and was told by the bomber's father that Hafeez had been shifted to the Spin Boldak area of Afghanistan," he added.

Another official said the bomber's father Muhammad Nawaz had revealed that not only his son, but his wife and two other sons and three daughters had also gone to Afghanistan.

"According to the father his son studied at a seminary in Shah Faisal Colony in Karachi where he was put on the path to militancy," the official said.

The official said it was confirmed that the three sisters of the suicide bomber were religious scholars in Afghanistan and had married ISIS militants there.

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The North Eastern Hill University has decided to set up an incubation centre for business start-ups in the state as part of its promotional activities to secure a position in the National Institutional Ranking Framework, an official said today.

The university intends to provide funds and mentor sustainable social business models over the next two years, the official said.

The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is a methodology adopted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development to rank institutions of higher education in India.

Headed by university vice chancellor SK Srivastava as its chief patron and faculty member S R Rao as chairman, the centre is looking forward to signing an agreement with the state government for the initiative through active partnership with the Meghalaya Institute of Entrepreneurship (MIE), B Mohapatra, one of its members, said.

The centre will offer active incubation support to the new ventures for a period of one to two years, Mohapatra said.

"It will provide technical knowhow to these ventures, helping them to become efficient, competent models eligible for formal funding support from donors, philanthropists, network partners and impact investors," he explained.

The funding for the initiative will be sourced from the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, Development of North Eastern Region, North Eastern Council, University Grants Commission, the state government and interested donors, Mohapatra said, adding that aspiring entrepreneurs could send in their applications to the centre by July 24.

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Three militants, including a Pakistani, involved in the abduction and killing of a police constable were killed by security forces in an encounter in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir today, the police said here.

Constable Mohammad Saleem Shah, who was on leave, was abducted by militants from his residence in Mutalhama area of Kulgam in south Kashmir on Friday.

His body was recovered from a nursery near village Redwani Payeen yesterday. The body bore severe torture marks indicating that he was brutally tortured to death by the militants, a police spokesman said.

The spokesman said a joint patrol of security forces launched searches at Redwani area in Kulgam district in south Kashmir this morning after receiving credible inputs about the presence of the militants in a cluster of houses.

As the security forces advanced, hiding terrorists fired resulting in a brief encounter in which three terrorists were killed. No collateral damage occurred during the encounter, the spokesman said.

Concerted efforts of the security forces resulted in the elimination of the prime accused involved in yesterday's abduction and killing of Constable Saleem Shah at Kulgam, a police spokesman said.

He said on the basis of the incriminating materials seized, the killed militants were identified as Muawiya, a foreigner of Pakistani origin, Suhail Ahmad Dar, a resident of Redwani Balaa and Mudassar alias Rehaan of Katarsoo.

All of them were involved in the killing of Constable Saleem. As per police records, the terrorists were affiliated with the proscribed terror outfit LeT (Lashkar-e-Toiba) and HM (Hizbul Mujahideen), the spokesman said.

He said Muawiya's involvement was established in a number of civilian killings. Suhail, who was working as a labourer earlier after he had dropped out from school, had later joined a militant outfit.

Police probe is on for ascertaining complicity of the other co-conspirators who assisted in the commission of the gruesome crime leading to the death of police person Saleem, he said.

Some arms and ammunition including, but not limited to, two AK 47 rifles and a carbine have also been recovered from the site of encounter, the spokesman said, adding police have registered a case and investigation has been initiated into the matter.

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Miscreants looted at least Rs 25 lakh cash from four ATMs of different banks in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district, police said today.

The burglars looted the currency notes stacked in the ATMs at Baripada town last night by using gas cutters, said Abhimanyu Nayak, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Baripada.

While two ATMs of Axis Bank located at Station Bazar and Gosala Chhak were targeted, those of United Bank of India and Bank of India were looted at Palbani and Podastia respectively, the SDPO said.

A case has been registered in connection with the incident in Baripada Town Police Station and investigation is in progress, Nayak added.

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Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray today accused Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of "misleading" Marathas over reserving posts for the job aspirants from the community in the proposed mega recruitment drive.

"The chief minister is lying. He is misleading the people by saying that the government will allot 16 per cent of 72,000 posts to the Maratha candidates in the form of backlog if the Bombay High Court allows quota for the community. He is misleading the common people," Thackeray said in a press conference.

The MNS chief is currently on a tour of Marathwada region in a bid to expand the base of his party.

Members of the Maratha community have been demanding 16 per cent quota under OBC category in government jobs and education. Marathas have been organising protest rallies since last year to push for their demand. The matter is currently pending before the Bombay high court.

"Only 2 per cent jobs are created in the government departments. How can such low number of jobs solve the problem of reservation?" he questionned.

Thackeray termed as "exaggerated" the claim of the CM that a total of 1.20 lakh wells have been dug in the state under the BJP rule.

He also attacked the state government over it claims on making Maharashtra Open defecation Free (ODF) by constructing toilets.

"What is the use of constructing toilets if the state government could not provide water and electricity to the people?" he questionned.

Responding to a query on Congress president Rahul Gandhi embracing Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha during a debate on no-confidence motion last week, Thackeray said there was nothing wrong in the gesture.

The MNS chief also hit out at the Shiv Sena which had abstained from voting on the motion despite being a constituent of the BJP-led NDA governments at Cenrte and in Maharashtra.

"The Sena seems confused about the party ideology. Its alliances in the Centre and state seem shaky," he said.

Thackeray also attacked Narendra Modi government on a string of issues.

"With the kind of majority they possess, the Narendra Modi government could have done wonders but the prime minister squandered the opportunity by launching demonetisation, GST and 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan'. He (the PM) could not clean the river (the Ganga) in his own constituency (Varanasi)," Thackeray said.

In the wake of Maratha community leaders threatening to not let the CM perform the annual pooja of Lord Vitthal in Pandharpur on the occasion of "Ashadhi Ekadashi" tomorrow, Thackeray appealed that the ritual should not be disturbed as lakhs of 'varkaris' or devotees have gathered in the temple town.

The chief minister had already cancelled his visit to Pandharpur tomorrow to avoid any law and order problem.

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A mob attacked policemen and the security personnel of a state-run agency here after the death of a youth at the Sion Hospital which they blamed on "torture by police" and "negligence" of doctors, an official said today.

Two police constables and three personnel of the Maharashtra State Security Corporation (MSSC), including a woman, were injured in the incident, the police official said, adding that the mob also damaged four police vehicles.

Denying the allegations, the official tonight cited medical reports and said that Sachin Jaiswar (17), a resident of the Dharavi area, had died yesterday due to suspected leptospirosis, a bacterial disease.

Suspecting that he died due to the alleged police torture in custody and negligence of doctors at the hospital, around 100 people gathered outside the hospital late last night and started hurling stones at the policemen, their vehicles and MSSC personnel, the official said.

The protesters also tried to barge into the hospital but were stopped at its gate.

The mob then allegedly beat up the on-duty policemen and MSSC personnel (generally deployed at the state government offices and organisations), he said.

A 31-year-old police constable, Kishore Kumar Kadam, sustained serious head injuries in the attack.

He and the other injured personnel were undergoing treatment at a hospital.

A traffic police outpost, located near the hospital, was also allegedly vandalised by the mob, he said.

Police officials rushed to the spot to pacify the mob and told members of the crowd that Jaiswar had died of the bacterial disease.

Leptospirosis is contracted in humans through direct contact with urine from infected animals or through water, soil or food contaminated with their urine.

Jaiswar's postmortem was conducted at the J J Hospital to ascertain the exact cause of his death, the official said, adding that the autopsy report was awaited.

The family members of the deceased have refused to take possession of the body demanding action against police officials who had called the youth for questioning.

The official said that Jaiswar was questioned by the Dharavi police on July 13 in connection with the theft of the mobile phone handset of a pedestrian and was allowed to go home.

The next day, Jaiswar ran a fever and went to the hospital. He was sent home after medication, the official said.

Jaiswar was admitted to the hospital on July 16 after he ran a fever again and started vomiting, he said, adding that the youth died yesterday.

The official said that police had received reports of the deceased's medical investigation from Kasturba Hospital in central Mumbai which suggest that he was suffering from leptospirosis.

No injury marks were found on the body, he said.

The official said Jaiswar was jobless as he had quit school when he was in Class 9.

Last year, police had filed a case of voluntarily causing hurt against Jaiswar.

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A mob allegedly vandalised police vehicles, and attacked policemen and security personnel of a state-run agency following the death of a 17-year-old boy at the Sion Hospital here, a police official said today.

Two police constables and three personnel of the Maharashtra State Security Corporation (MSSC), including a woman, were injured in the incident, he said.

Sachin Jaiswar, a resident of the Dharavi area here, died at the civic-run hospital located in central Mumbai, while undergoing treatment yesterday, he said.

Two days before being admitted to the hospital, he was questioned by the Dharavi police in connection with a criminal case and was later allowed to go, the official said.

While at home, the boy fell sick and was admitted in the hospital, where he died during treatment.

Suspecting that his death was due to the alleged police torture in custody and negligence of doctors at the hospital, the mob of around 100 people gathered outside the hospital late last night and started pelting stones at the policemen, their vehicles and MSSC personnel, he said.

The protesters also tried to barge into the hospital but were stopped at its gate.

The mob then allegedly beat up the on-duty policemen and MSSC personnel (generally deployed at the state government offices and organisations), he said.

At least two constables and three MSSC personnel, including a woman, were injured and four police vehicles damaged in the stone-pelting, the official said.

A 31-year-old police constable, Kishorekumar Kadam, sustained serious head injuries in the attack.

He and the other injured personnel were undergoing treatment at a hospital.

A traffic police outpost, located near the hospital, was also allegedly vandalised by the mob, he said.

Police officials rushed to the spot to pacify the mob and told members of the crowd that Jaiswar had died of suspected leptospirosis, a water-borne disease.

The police have sent the body for postmortem at the state-run J J Hospital to ascertain the exact cause of the death, the official said.

The family members of the deceased have refused to claim the body and some of his relatives are still in the hospital premises, he said.

Meanwhile, the police were scanning CCTV footages to identify rioters, he said.

Offences were registered against 100 unidentified people under Indian Penal Code sections pertaining to rioting, unlawful assembly, and assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duty, among others, he said.

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A London-bound Jet Airways flight from Mumbai was today diverted to Bucharest in Romania due to a medical emergency, but it remained stranded there reportedly for more than four hours, passengers complained.

Author Suhel Seth was one of the passengers on the flight. He took to Twitter to vent his anger.

"The commander of @jetairways 9W 116 which is now stranded at Bucharest tells us that while all local clearances have been given, they are waiting for the goddamn DGCA to give them an approval and that too from Bombay? How stupid can things get?" he tweeted.

In another tweet, Seth said, "Passengers on @jetairways 9W 116 have been sitting in the plane at Bucharest which has now been on the Tarmac for four hours. Waiting for some stupid chap in the DGCA BOMBAY to give us an approval to take off for London. What's going on @jayantsinha and @sureshpprabhu?".

Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu reacted to his tweet: "I am getting this looked into and sorted out immediately."



Minutes later, the Ministry of Civil Aviation tweeted that no permission from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was required but they were awaiting clearance from Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer, as the flight had landed with excess fuel weight.

"There is no permission pending from DGCA. However, since the landing was with excess fuel weight (en route London), clearance has been sought from the manufacturer (Boeing) so that there is no technical safety issue on take-off. Should take off as soon as the clearance is received," the tweet read.

A Jet Airways spokesperson said flight 9W116 from Mumbai to London Heathrow, with 328 people on board, was diverted to Bucharest, Romania due to a medical emergency.

The people have now been shifted to a local hospital for further treatment. Jet Airways, along with local authorities, is making all necessary arrangements for the flight to continue its onward journey to London Heathrow, the spokesperson said.

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Navy chiefAdmiral Sunil Lanba called on Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra here today and discussed a range of issues relating to national security, an official spokesman said.

He said the governor and the Navy chief discussed a range of issues relating to effective national security management, including the challenges being faced in J-K.

Vohra thanked Admiral Lanba for the invaluable role played by the Navy during the 2014 floods in the Valley, the spokesman said.

He said the governor also sought the Navy chief's advice regarding the recovery of Wular and Dal Lakes and how a large number of boys and girls from the Valley could be enabled to join the Indian Navy.

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Illegal Nepalis opt to return from Malaysia

As the Malaysian government goes harsh with clampdown on illegal migrant workers, undocumented Nepali migrant workers have started going through the procedures to return home.
The Navy today pressed into service a Seaking helicopter to help plug a gas leak at an ONGC platform in the Arabian Sea, a Navy release stated.

It informed that a repair team of the ONGC was flown onto platform S1-6 in the afternoon today, in challenging circumstances including strong winds of over 30 knots, and winched down to fix the leak as the helipad on the platform was small.

"The ONGC's field helicopter could not undertake the mission due to adverse weather conditions. The Indian Navy was requested for assistance," the release said.

"The Indian Navy launched a Seaking 42C helicopter to transfer the ONGC technical team to the platform so that repairs could be undertaken," the official communication stated.

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Leading dialysis service provider NephroPlus is looking to invest around Rs 200 crore to open up to 120 new centres across India and 40 centres oversees by the end of 2020 as part of its expansion plans, a top company official said.

The company currently operates 141 centres in 86 cities across 18 states in India.

"We will be setting up to 120 new centres in India and around 40 centres internationally by the end of 2020. We will have close to 300 centres overall by that time," NephroPlus Founder and CEO Vikram Vuppala told PTI.

The 40 international centres will be in countries in South East Asia, Middle East and Africa, he added.

Vuppala said, "NephroPlus would be investing around Rs 1 crore per centre in India, while it would be between Rs 2 crore to Rs 2.5 crore for the international centres."



On being asked how the company plans to fund the expansion, he said, "It will be mainly through internal accruals. We are also in initial conversations for next round of funding which will help us for international expansion."



The company is profitable at a network level, he added.

When asked about the locations of the new centres, Vuppala said the focus would be mainly on tier II and tier III cities in the country as these places still lack the proper dialysis facilities.

The dialysis provider has already completed three rounds of funding till date.

NephroPlus had raised Rs 100 crore in a series C round of funding, led by SeaLink Capital Partners (SCP) and International Finance Corporation (IFC) in August 2016.

It had earlier received USD 10 million in a series B round of funding from IFC and existing investor Bessemer Venture Partners in 2014, and USD 4.25 million in a series A round led by Bessemer Venture Partners in 2011.

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Congress President Rahul Gandhi is today chairing his first meeting of the newly constituted Congress Working Committee (CWC) after taking over as party chief in December last.

The crucial meeting of the revamped CWC is underway in Parliament House Annexe and comes two days after the no confidence motion in Lok Sabha which the Opposition lost.

The committee, which was announced last week after Gandhi deliberated on its composition for close to seven months, is expected to take stock of the current political, economic and internal and external security situation of the country besides discussing party strategy for the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament.

There is also a likelihood of the new committee members brainstorming on the strategies to be adopted to counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi led BJP in the run up to assembly elections later this year and General Elections 2019.

Gandhi has set the tone for the Congress strategy by going forward and hugging Prime Minister Modi during the no confidence motion discussions in Lok Sabha and by proclaiming that he will counter the BJP's hatred and anger with Congress' love and compassion.

Among those present at today's meeting include former prime minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, top Congress leaders AK Antony, Motilal Vora, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge and Ashok Gehlot among others.

This is the meeting of extended CWC which also consists of all state party chiefs and legislature party leaders apart from the regular CWC members, permanent and special invitees to the committee.

Gandhi's CWC has 23 regular members instead of 25 allowed by the party constitution. It has 18 permanent and eight special invitees.

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The Nagaon District Administration and the National Highway Authority of India today decided to suspend the toll gate on NH-37 at Raha following protests by Akhil Gogoi-led KMSS and half a dozen other organistaions.

"The protesters cited a rile regarding setting up of a toll gate on highways and claimed that the Raha toll gate is illegal. We have requested the NHAI and protesters to settle the issue through discussion," Nagaon Additional Deputy Commissioner Lachit Das told PTI.

Accordingly, the NHAI has decided to suspend toll collection from the gate for the next 24 hours, he added.

Gogoi pointed out that all toll gates across the country are set up as per the National Highway Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, which says a toll plaza can be established beyond a distance of 10 kilometres from a municipal or local town area limits.

"But the Raha toll gate is located at two kilometres from the main town. In fact, the gate falls at the Ward No 7 of the Raha town committee. So, it is an illegal structure by rules of the NHAI itself," he added.

The Raha toll gate was opened in 2015, but could run only for three days as NHAI had to shut it down due to protests from Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS).

It was reopened on July 12 this year, evoking strong protests from all quarters and political parties barring the ruling BJP and AGP.

Earlier during the day, Gogoi-led thousands of protesters marched toward the toll gate from Raha town, but were stopped by the district administration before about 100 metres of the toll plaza.

Apart from KMSS, supporters of Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chhatra Parishad (AJYCP), All Tai-Ahom Students' Union and All Koch-Rajbongshi Students' Union (AKRSU) among others took part in the protest demanding closure of the toll gate.

Officials said all to and fro vehicles on the NH-37 were diverted from Raha through the Bebejia-Barapujia-Dharamtul road, which is in a very bad condition.

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Hundreds of protesters marched in Nicaragua's capital in defiance of an iron-fisted crackdown on dissent by President Daniel Ortega that includes a new law threatening them with up to 20 years in prison for "terrorism".

Yesterday's rally, for which police were absent, passed off peacefully, unlike in previous days and weeks when Ortega's police and paramilitary forces violently attacked student demonstrators in Managua and a nearby opposition stronghold city, Masaya, with live ammunition.

More than 280 people have been killed since April in the unrest shaking the small Central American nation of six million people.

"The people united will never be defeated," yelled the crowd. They reiterated widespread demands that Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, step down.

Many of those taking part hid their faces behind masks.

But they said they were still turning out despite a law passed last Monday that carries prison terms of 15 to 20 years for those found guilty of vaguely defined actions deemed to constitute "terrorism".

"This law doesn't matter to us," one 23-year-old protester who gave her name as Maria told AFP. "It's a risk, but as with every big insurrection there's a risk." She added: "The protests aren't going to stop. We will continue in the streets demanding freedom."



The legislation bolstered perceptions that Ortega, 72, and his government were acting in increasingly undemocratic ways.

Ortega and Murillo, though, say their government is fighting a "coup" attempt by US-financed "satanic terrorists" and that stern action is required.

Their supporters held a rival rally in Managua yesterday in which they demanded justice for "victims of terrorism" -- mainly for dozens of police officers killed in the months of bloodshed.

The United States, the Organization for American States and the European Union have all condemned the violence in Nicaragua and backed calls for dialogue trying to have Ortega agree to early elections to help solve the crisis.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said as he arrived in Argentina for a G-20 meeting of finance ministers that more US sanctions could be levelled at Nicaragua.

Two EU nations, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, announced the suspension of millions of dollars in aid projects to Nicaragua because of the rights violations reported there.

But Ortega is showing no signs of ceding power.

On top of sending his forces out to quash protest hubs, he has dismissed Catholic bishops mediating the talks as biased collaborators with the opposition.

Murillo on Friday also signalled no quarter would be given in punishing those challenging the government.

"We can pardon but never forgive these crimes against Nicaragua," she said.

She vowed that arrested "coup-mongers" would face justice. "They have to pay for the destruction of so many lives."



Yesterday, rights groups evacuated relatives away their makeshift camp outside a notorious Managua jail complex called El Chipote where protesters were locked up, as pro-government heavies turned up to intimidate them.

"Masked armed men came and told us that if we didn't leave they'd kill us," one woman who didn't give her name told AFP.

Many of the relatives were mothers and wives of the detainees. They were taken to Managua's cathedral for shelter.

The unrest in Nicaragua is the biggest challenge to Ortega's authority since he returned to power 11 years ago.

Until this year, Nicaragua was a relative haven of public safety and economic stability in Latin America.

But the protests and crackdown have put an end to that.

Triggered by ill-judged cuts to the cash-strapped social security system, demonstrations quickly grew into widespread protests cutting across society.

For many -- even erstwhile allies and a previously compliant business sector -- Ortega's increasing autocracy and a belief he was grooming Murillo to take over from him were too much, and it was time for him to go.

The opposition says elections originally scheduled for 2021 should be brought forward to next year.

Nicaragua's economy is fragile and dependent on foreign investors and tourism. Instability means it could soon crumble perilously.

"The problem is that the economic crisis will get even worse and he won't be able to govern like that. It is impossible that Ortega will make it to 2021," a sociologist, Oscar Rene Vargas, said.

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Niger's army said it killed "ten terrorists" after one of its military positions in the southwest of the country was attacked by fighters from the Boko Haram jihadist group.

"In the night from Thursday to Friday, the military station of Baroua was attacked by the terrorist group Boko Haram," Niger's defence ministry said in a statement.

According to a preliminary toll, one army soldier was killed and two others injured. "On the enemy's side, 10 terrorists were killed," the statement added.

The ministry said the area was still being searched by security forces.

Baroua is in Niger's southeastern Diffa region, near the border with Nigeria, and has been the target of numerous attacks by Boko Haram.

At the beginning of July, six Niger soldiers were killed in an attack at a military post in the same area.

The previous month, three suicide bombers blew themselves up in Diffa town, killing six people.

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Improving connectivity in northeastern states is the key to the success of the 'Act East' policy that seeks to strengthen India's ties with countries in the Asia-Pacific region, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said.

Ever since India transformed its 'Look East' policy to 'Act East' policy, there have been continuous efforts to make this relationship result-oriented and practical, he said at a seminar here yesterday.

The aim of 'Act East Policy' is to promote the country's economic cooperation, cultural ties and develop strategic relationship with countries in the Asia-Pacific region through continuous engagement at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels.

It was originally conceived as an economic initiative, but has gained political, strategic and cultural dimensions, including establishment of institutional mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation.

At the 'National Security Dialogue' organised at the Maharaja Sayajirao University here, Singh called for greater connectivity between the northeast states and South East Asia with the aim to build ties with the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries.

"Connectivity is the most crucial factor in furthering India's relations with South East Asia. Therefore, it is imperative to focus on improved airways, roadways, waterways, railways and information ways in this region," he said, adding India's northeastern states are active stakeholders in the country's Act East policy.

"Continued development of relevant infrastructure, both within the (northeastern) states and at international borders, is necessary with a view to enhance trade, investment, tourism and people-to-people ties," Singh said.

Greater connectivity and economic integration of India's northeast with its eastern neighbours is considered a key focus area for growth and development of the region, the Union minister said.

It is in the interest of ASEAN members to develop infrastructure projects in their respective countries with India's help as the cost will be three times lower as compared to projects executed by Chinese firms, Singh said.

Talking to reporters before the seminar, he called for improving air links between ASEAN and BBIN (Bangladesh- Bhutan-India-Nepal, a sub-regional grouping) countries.

"Among the connectivity projects already envisaged is a four-lane trilateral highway linking India (Moreh in Manipur) with Mae Sot (Thailand) via Myanmar which will be expanded to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam," the minister said.

This highway can only be sustained through movement of goods and also economic activity along the route through Myanmar. Hence, the growth of northeast states in important, he said.

For this, it is essential to focus on development and connectivity in India's northeast states itself, with new roads and rail links, opening of multi-modal transport, including river navigation, and setting up industrial corridors and 'haats' or local markets, Singh said.

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Ahead of the publication of NRC in Assam, Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said there was no need to panic and all bonafide Indians will be given adequate opportunities to prove their citizenship.

In a series of tweets, the home minister said the NationalRegister of Citizens (NRC), a list of Assam's citizens,is being updated in accordance with the 'Assam Accord' signed on August 15, 1985 and is being carried out as per the directions of the Supreme Court, which is constantly monitoring the process.

"There is no reason for panic or fear. No person will be allowed to be harassed.We will ensure that every individual gets justice and is treated in a humane manner," he said.

Singh assured that the NRC exercise is being carried out in a totally impartial, transparent and meticulous manner and will continue to be so.

"All individuals will have sufficient opportunity for all remedies available under the law. Atevery stage of the process, adequate opportunity is given to all persons to be heard," he said.

The home minister said the entire process is being conducted according to law and due procedure is being followed.

Singh said the central government wants to make it clear that the NRC, to be published on July 30, is only a draft and after draft publication, adequate opportunity for claims and objections will be available.

"All claims and objections will be duly examined. Adequate opportunity of being heard will be given before disposal of claims and objections. Only thereafter, final NRC will be published," he said.

The home minister said the Citizenship Rules provide that any person who is not satisfied with the outcome of claims and objections can appeal in the Foreigner's Tribunal.

Therefore, there is no question of anyone being put in a detention centre after the publication of NRC, he said.

Singh said the Assam government has been asked to ensure that law and order is maintained and no one is allowed to take law into their hands, and all possible arrangements are made to ensure safety and security for all.

"The central government will provide all necessary help to the state government of Assam in this regard," he said.

The first draft of the NRC, a list of the state's citizens, was published on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1 last where names of 1.9 crore people out of the 3.29 crore applicants were incorporated.

The massive exercise aimed at identifying illegal immigrants in the state that borders Bangladesh is being carried out following a decision in 2005 after a series of meetings between the central and state governments and the influential All Assam Students' Union (AASU).

Assam, which faced influx of people from Bangladesh since the early 20th century, is the only state having an NRC, first prepared in 1951.

The current exercise, started in 2005 under the then Congress regime, got a major push after the BJP came to power in the state with illegal immigration from Bangladesh as a poll plank.

When the NRC was first prepared in Assam way back in 1951, the state had 80 lakh citizens then.

The process of identification of illegal immigrants in Assam has been debated and become a contentious issue in the state's politics.

A six-year agitation demanding identification and deportation of illegal immigrants was launched by the AASU in 1979.

It culminated with the signing of the Assam Accord on August 15, 1985, in the presence of the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

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A Catholic nun has blocked the car of Kerala Forest Minister K Raju to complain about elephant menace suffered by her convent in forest-fringe Sholayar in northern Palakkad district.

A video of sister Rincy blocking the Minister's car passing through the water-logged road in front of the convent recently has gone viral on the social media today.

She waited till the minister's car arrived and moved forward, blocking the vehicle.

The sister told the minister, who was on his way to attend a programme nearby, that she had a grievance.

The nun also requested the minister to get down there and see the destruction caused by the wild jumbos which intruded into the convent campus.

"Sir, we are finding it very difficult to live here due to frequent wild elephant menace. You should find us some solution," she said.

Though the minister did not get out of the car, he said he would look into her complaint.

The organisers of the function, which the minister was scheduled to attend, also rushed to the spot and assured the nun that her grievances would be addressed.

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Onida, which has brought back its iconic 'devil and Owners pride' campaign, is planning to reignite the brand image in the minds of people through big investment in advertising.

Besides, the company is "strategically revamping" its operations after coming back into black after two years, said a top company official.

Mirc Electronics, which owns brand Onida, has plans to spend around Rs 40 crore this fiscal on advertising for making 'devil and Owners pride' campaign as brand face, which will cut across all the product segments be it TV, Washing Machine, AC and Microwave.

"Continuous focus on advertising year on year basis is going to take our brand to next level and will reach out to each and every household in the country. We would like to reignite our brand in the minds of people who had lived this brand for more than 30 years," MIRC Electronics MD Vijay Mansukhani told PTI.

Besides, Onida expects its over overall revenues to grow by 10-12 per cent CAGR for next three years as the company senses a great opportunity in the domestic market in segments such as -- washing machines, air conditioners and TV Panels -- on account of low penetration.

Onida had successfully ran its 'Neighbour's envy, owner's pride' campaign with the iconic 'devil' in 90s but couldn't keep up with competition from the multinational firms such as Samsung, Sony and LG.

"This is the biggest change the brand has brought in -- bringing back 'devil and Owners pride' in our advertisements with big bang investment in advertising," Mansukhani said.

The 'devil' campaign made a brief appearance in the IPL last year, where Onida spent around Rs 25 crore and another Rs 10 crore on other mediums like print and online.

"During the current financial year, we intend to spend about Rs 35-40 crore towards advertisements based on our budgeted allocation of 5 per cent of total expenses. Investment share pertaining to digital side will be greater as we focus on new millennium," said Mansukhani.

Mirc Electronic is revamping its operation as part of its turnaround strategy.

"We have been strategically revamping our operations and building ONIDA brand as a part of our turnaround strategy. Our efforts on gaining market shares, re-branding, cost control and improving efficiencies in our operations through automation started turning the things around for us," he added.

The company reduced its debt and has been able to post improvement in margins and profitability in FY 2017-18.

The company is expecting overall revenues for the company to grow by 10-12 per cent CAGR in next three years, he said.

"We are expecting our turnover to grow by 10 -12 per cent for the current fiscal year. This will happen on account of good growth in our washing machines segment, which is going to grow by 100 per cent during the current year to Rs 160 crore and expecting good growth even in our television sales during the coming festival season, which will start from Ganesh Chaturthi and go up to Diwali and Christmas," said Mansukhani.

Presently TV Panel, AC and washing Machine contributes 45, 28 and 27 per cent revenue, respectively, in Onida's fold but the company expects this to change in coming years as it is betting big on washing machine.

"The ratio is expected to change in coming year as washing machine sale is expected to grow faster than the other categories," he said.

In 2017-18, Mirc Electronics had a revnue of Rs 736.37 crore and reported a net profit of Rs 23.49 crore. The company has reported loss for two financial years -- 2016-17 and 2015-16. It had a net sales of Rs 1,070.62 crore in 2014-15 and Rs 1,295.12 crore in 2013-14.

"Our growth in the last three years on revenues front has been flat. However, we have made substantial improvement in our profits. We have declared a profit of Rs 23.5 crore in FY 2017-18 as compared to loss in FY 2016-17, which is a big achievement for the company," he said.

The company is also expanding its sales network.

"We have currently 4,000 dealers spread across India and we are adding 1,000 more dealers and small and medium shops every year in metros and mini-metros to expand our presence," he said.

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Mass hunger strike in support of Dr Govinda KC

Supporters of anti corruption crusader Dr Govinda KC on Sunday began a mass hunger strike at Basantapur courtyard.
Only one third of India's states have notified rules under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act since it was was notified for enforcement in April last year.

The first-ever 23-state National Disability Consultation on the RPWD Act, held on Thursday, revealed only about 10 out of the 29 states have notified rules after the Act was passed by both houses of Parliament during the winter session in 2016 and subsequently notified for enforcement in April 2017.

And then the rules for the implementation of the Act was notified by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in June last year.

Organised by National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) and supported by DFID, UK, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice, Mphasis, Axis Bank and Leonard Cheshire - the consultation was one of its attempts to examine the Act's impact and progress.

"Only one third of India's states have notified rules under the RPWD Act since it was notified. Some of the states which have notified the rules include Telangana, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Meghalaya.

"This, despite the fact that all 29 states were supposed to do so, within six months of commencement of the Act," an NCPEDP member said.

Shakuntala Gamlin, secretary DEPwD, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, said RPWD is a Federal Act, but disability is a state subject.

"...The states must ensure they circulate the rules. India is one of the only countries in the world, that has a job reservation for persons with disabilities," she said at the consultation.

Som Mittal, chairman, NCPEDP, said the consultation recognised that disability is a cross-cutting issue and has direct relevance across several ministries including Human Resource Development, Home Affairs, Finance, Rural and Urban Developments, Health and Family Affairs, Women and Child Development.

The Act provides for raising reservation in government jobs for persons with benchmark disabilities from 3-4 per cent and in higher education institutes from 3-5 per cent.

Also every child with benchmark disability between the age group of 6 and 18 years will have the right to free education.

Under the amended Act, the types of disabilities have been increased from seven to 21.

The newly-added types include mental illness, autism, spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, chronic neurological conditions, specific learning disabilities, multiple sclerosis, speech and language disability, Thalassemia, hemophilia, sickle cell disease, multiple disabilities including deaf blindness, acid attack and Parkinsons disease.

Also, disability has been defined based on an evolving and dynamic concept and government will have the power to add more types of disabilities to the list.

As per the Act, assaulting, insulting, intimidating, denying food to a person with disability or sexually exploiting a differently-abled woman and performing a medical procedure on such woman without her consent which may lead in termination of pregnancy will draw a jail term up to five years.

Any person who contravenes any provision of the Act will be punished with a maximum fine of Rs 5 lakh.

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Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today accused the Opposition of misleading people on the SYL canal issue and the Swaminathan Commission report.

"The Opposition is misleading people on the issue of the SYL canal and the Swaminathan Commission report... But it is your responsibility to separate the grain from the chaff, and play the role of a watchman. You all know how the Opposition has been playing a negative role," he said while addressing a public meeting here in Kurukshetra district.

Khattar lashed out at the Opposition, saying jobs were earlier given to favourites through chit system, but the present state government had put an end to it and recruitment was done to about 26,000 posts on merit basis.

"People can inform me if anyone has taken money in the name of giving them jobs. Action would be taken against the guilty," he added.

The chief minister said the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) had to be increased for progress and development of the country.

At present, the GDP rate of Haryana is 8.2 whereas national GDP is 7.8.

"In order to increase the country's GDP, we will have to increase the GDP of Haryana up to 10," he said.

Khattar said there was shortage of water in southern Haryana and asked farmers to opt for less water-guzzling crops.

"Therefore, some other crops, which need less irrigation, should be sown," he said.

Khattar said five lakh LPG connections have been issued in Haryana under the Ujjwala Yojana of the central government.

When the chief minister asked the public if anyone still had not gotten an LPG connection, three people raised their hands.

He directed the deputy commissioner and the sub-divisional magistrate to issue LPG connections to them within two days.

Speaking on the occasion, Haryana Agriculture Minister O P Dhankar said as chairman of the BJP's Kisan Morcha earlier, he used to raise the demand for implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report, but the Congress Government did not pay any attention.

"The present government has given more than what the report recommended and the government is working to double the income of farmers," he added.

Haryana's Minister of State for Labour and Employment Nayab Singh said the farmers were "exploited during the last 70 years".

"It is Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has honoured farmers by giving them remunerative prices," he said, and demanded that the prime minister be honoured with the 'Kisan Ratan Award'.

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With a view to promote organic



farming in Haryana, an organic certification agency will be set up for grading and authentication of produce near the farms to ensure reliability of products.

This decision was taken at a review meeting of various projects chaired by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar here.

The chief minister gave directions to the concerned officers to constitute an organic certification agency, which will reach the source -- farms -- and certify to assure the consumer that the product is purely organic.

According to an official release, officials said that 20 clusters had been formed in 11 districts of the state where 674 farmers were doing organic farming.

Khattar said that more and more farmers should be encouraged for adopting micro irrigation as this would result in saving of water.

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Pakistan and Afghanistan today held their first Working Groups' meeting in Kabul under a comprehensive mechanism to sort out their differences and build stronger ties.

Pakistan Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua led a 28-member delegation for inaugural meetings of the five Working Groups (WGs) under the Afghanistan and Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) in Kabul, said Foreign Office in a statement.

The Afghan delegation was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai in the talks.

The high-level Pakistan delegation included officials from foreign and interior ministries, commerce, railway, communications, among others. Personnel of intelligence agencies and Pakistan armed forces were also part of the delegation.

The delegation comprised officials of five Working Groups on politico-diplomatic, military, intelligence, economic & trade and refugees issues.

Afghan deputy foreign minister and foreign secretary of Pakistan led their respective sides in the politico-diplomatic WG meeting besides co-chairing the opening and closing sessions of the APAPPS.

In the inaugural joint meeting of the WGs, the Afghan and Pakistani side assessed prospects for the APAPPS forum that covers all areas of mutual interest including counter terrorism and security, peace and reconciliation, bilateral trade and transit, connectivity, Afghan refugees' repatriation and promoting people to people contacts.

Following the APAPPS inaugural session, five WGs held their respective group meetings at the level of relevant ministries and departments.

The WGs, besides discussing important issues in each area, also deliberated on the TORs for future course of action and the agenda items for their next round of meetings to be held in Islamabad at mutually agreed dates.

The concluding session noted the great importance of APAPPS to deliver on the commitments made under this forum within the mutually agreed time frame.

The APAPPS framework instituted in February provides for a comprehensive and structured mechanism to enhance engagement between counterpart institutions of the two countries.

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A former provincial minister and senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was today killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up near his car in the troubled Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, police said.

Ikramullah Gandapur, a candidate for the provincial assembly seat from PK-99 constituency, was on his way to an election meeting when the bomber targeted his vehicle in Dera Ismail Khan district.

His driver was also killed in the attack while three bodyguards were badly injured, Dera Ismail Khan DPO Manzoor Afridi said.

Gandapur had sustained critical wounds in the suicide blast this morning and was rushed to a Peshawar hospital by helicopter, however he succumbed to his injuries during treatment after fighting for his life for over four hours.

Gandapur had served as the provincial agricultural minister in the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

He was elected through a by-election on the Dera Ismail Khan PK-67 seat, after it was vacated following the death of his brother and law minister Israrullah Gandapur in a suicide attack.

Afridi said Gandapur was returning after attending a corner meeting in Kulachi tehsil when the suicide bomber blew himself up close to his vehicle in a narrow muddy street.

Soon after the blast the police and officials of the security forces cordoned off the area and started search operation.

Around the same time that Gandapur came under attack, Jamiat-Ulema-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Akram Khan Durrani, a former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, also survived a second assassination attempt in less than 10 days.

Durrani was to address a political convention when his vehicle was ambushed by unknown gunmen in his home district Bannu, bordering North Waziristan district.

The gunmen opened indiscriminate fire on Durrani's vehicle from the front. However, he remained unhurt in the attack.

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Facing criticism, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) today restricted the magisterial powers of military personnel set to be deployed at the polling stations during the July 25 general elections.

The ECP had issued a notification on July 10, giving extended powers to the armed forces personnel to be deployed at polling stations across the country from July 23 to July 27.

At least 371,000 armed forces personnel will be deployed at polling stations to provide security and the ECP had conferred on them wider powers to check malpractice.

Granting magisterial powers to the armed forces personnel was criticised by several senators.

The ECP took strong exception to the comments and criticism of the senators and termed it based on disinformation.

However, the ECP through a notification limited the army's magisterial powers to offences of personification and capturing of a polling station or polling booth by anyone.

In all other cases, the armed forces would first inform the presiding officer of a polling station before taking any action.

The power withdrawn included the offence of canvasing or soliciting voters within radius of 400 metres of the polling station.

Also the powers of police officer under section 194 of Election Act 2017 given to the army personnel has been withdrawn in which any person could be arrested without arrest warrants if that person removes a banner, removed by the presiding officer but commits an offence inside the polling station.

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The Pakistan election authorities today ordered arrest of four officials in Sindh province for trying to open up postal ballots ahead of the elections.

The incident of opening of the secret postal ballots with alleged involvement of local assistant returning officers (AROs) had been reported from Sanghar and Sehwan districts.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ordered arrest of the four AROs, taking a serious note of the breach of secrecy.

An ECP press release said the two AROs from Sanghar and two others from Sehwan were attempting to open the postal ballots.

The Pakistan electoral laws provide for voting through postal ballots for those officials who cannot visit their home constituencies to cast their votes.

The ECP action came amid the rising pressure by political parties to ensure a free and fair elections, scheduled for July 25.

Meanwhile, the presiding officers in-charge of various polling stations were administered today an oath to maintain neutrality in the poll process.

The oath was administered by district returning officers in each district under the provisions of a newly enacted law, the Election Act 2017.

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A Pakistani intruder, believed to be a guide of terrorists, was shot dead by Border Security Force (BSF) personnel along the International Border in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir today, a spokesman of the border guarding force said.

BSF troops, guarding the IB in Hiranagar sector, observed a man intruding into Indian territory around 0700 hours and challenge him, the spokesman said.

Instead of paying any heed to the warning, the individual tried to take cover in the nearby undulating ground. BSF sentry shot the individual foiling any chance of possible infiltration or escape of the individual back to Pakistani territory, the spokesman said.

He said, It is assumed that the intruder was guide of the terrorists who were waiting for his clearance signal. Body of individual has been recovered and legal formalities are in hand.

A police official said the deceased was around 24 years of age and some Pakistani currency was recovered from his possession.

The identity of the deceased was not known, he said.

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A plea has been moved in the Delhi High Court seeking directions to strike down a provision of law that allegedly distinguishes between a poll candidate of a political party and an Independent with regard to expenses allowed to be incurred during campaigning.

The petition, filed by lawyer Amit Sahni, claimed that according to section 77 (account of election expenses and maximum thereof) of the Representation of the People (RP) Act, there was no limit on the campaign expenditure for the candidates of political parties, while there was no such benefit for an Independent nominee.

It sought a direction to declare as "ultra vires" (beyond one's legal powers or authority) the said section, which provides that the expenditure incurred by the leaders of political parties, while campaigning for a candidate, shall not be considered as the expenditure of such a nominee.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar is likely to hear the petition tomorrow.

The petition alleged that the provision was "arbitrary" as it distinguished between a person contesting elections from a political party and an Independent, thus, denying the latter a level-playing field.

"The Election Commission of India cannot pass any order setting aside the infirmity created by section 77 of the RP Act, 1951, as the Act itself created the said inequality by giving an edge to political parties over Independent candidates," it said.

The petition has made the Centre, through the Ministry of Law and Justice, and the Election Commission parties to it, saying they had a constitutional obligation to protect such rights of the citizens.

The object of the RP Act was to curb the illegal practice of spending money during polls and not to give an advantage to political parties over those not affiliated to any outfit, the petition said.

It claimed that the political parties spent huge amounts of money on organising rallies and advertisements and did not calculate such expenses in a candidate's campaign expenditure.

"It is an open secret that these political parties' and their candidates' expenses are more and much beyond the ceiling limit for expenditure (prescribed in the Act) under the garb of the said section. The Independent candidates are not provided a level-playing field in elections," the petition said.

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Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief has said that he would make better than its arch-rival after coming into power, according to a media report on Sunday.

Addressing a rally in Sargodha district of his stronghold of Punjab on Saturday, Sharif said that people can change his name if he does not take ahead of after coming into power, The Express Tribune reported.

"They (Indians) will come to Wahga Border and call Pakistanis their master," 65-year-old Sharif was quoted as saying by the paper.

The former Punjab chief minister said that he would bring Pakistan at par with Malaysia and Turkey. He added that he would visit Malaysian Prime Minister and Turkish President "to learn from them and make Pakistan a great nation again".

He said that Pakistan cannot become a great nation by voting leaders like who have made false promises to "our nation".

"The U-turn signs should be removed from roads and should be replaced by the picture of Imran Khan," he said, adding that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief's is based on baseless allegations and false promises.

"Khan alleged corruption against the Punjab government but not a single penny has been proved against me," the PML-N president said.

He said his elder brother came back to Pakistan leaving his ailing wife in London but Sharif and his daughter were arrested at the airport.

" was not even allowed to meet his mother," he added.

Both Sharif and Maryam have been sentenced by a court to 10 and seven years in prison, respectively, for corruption charges. Maryam's husband Muhammad Safdar was jailed for one year.
They tell the story of the Australian encounter (often more of a collision) with New Guinea, a land so unexpected and exotic that even ordinary people found themselves doing extraordinary, and sometimes exotic, things.

Cumulatively, his books amount to a substantial contribution to the understanding of an important period in the development of PNG, and Australias critical involvement in the creation of this nation.

When Sinclair died late last year aged 89, he bequeathed an opus of 35 works and an indelible reputation as the great recorder of PNGs colonial history, especially after World War II.

Sinclairs oeuvre was the exploration and development of PNG, a pursuit augmented by his vast knowledge and great love of its Highlands, the middle kingdom of the title.

Burt could have been describing James Patrick Sinclair, whose final and monumental work about Papua New Guinea, Middle Kingdom, crowns 50 years of writing about Australias erstwhile colony.

NOOSA - British journalist Joshua Burt has written of great scholars endlessly returning to excavate old terrain, to carefully study it from all angles and prod it gently with a stick.

Jim was a forthright and inspirational leader much esteemed by the people in the communities he served, says former patrol officer Will Muskens, who served under him in the 1960s. He was one of the very special group of Australian explorers who endured considerable hardship and deprivation (not to mention danger) leading government patrols into the previously uncontrolled and unexplored interior of the New Guinea mainland.

The beautifully produced Middle Kingdom, described by the author as a huge beast of a book, offers Sinclairs final and splendid fanfare to a mammoth feat of nation-building, particularly in the 30 years of change between the end of the war and PNGs independence in 1975.

The large-format, hard-cased book, rich in information and with hundreds of photographs, many taken by Sinclair, offers the story of the misty and mysterious PNG Highlands from before the days of early Australian colonial exploration (which occurred only in the 1930s) to the colonisers lachrymose farewells when the new nation, one of the last significant colonies to be relinquished, achieved independence.

Sinclair was born in Dubbo, NSW, and in 1947, aged 19, joined the administration of what was then the Australian Territory of Papua and New Guinea. After attending an orientation course at the Australian School of Pacific Administration in Sydney, he landed in PNG in August 1948 as a cadet patrol officer, pikinini kiap in pidgin English. These young men, selected for their enterprise and physique, were tasked to explore, placate and introduce government to PNGs 800 tribes.

Sinclair conducted exploratory and pacification patrols in the Highlands, opening Koroba station in 1955 and Lake Kopiago base camp in 1956, and exploring uncontrolled tribal lands in the far west of the territory. He steadily rose through the kiap ranks, finishing his career in 1975 as the last Australian district commissioner presiding over the fertile, populous and sometimes volatile Eastern Highlands region.

What he saw and experienced during his 26 years in the service of Pax Australiana was to influence and engage him for the rest of his life. His first book, Behind the Ranges, appeared in 1966, telling the story of his early exploratory patrols. It set a standard for thoroughness in research, insight and literary craftsmanship still evident 50 years later when he sat down to write Middle Kingdom.

Behind the Ranges almost came to nothing. Not long after he married Jan in 1959, Sinclair was struggling with the manuscript and doubted his capacity to complete the book he had envisaged. Late one afternoon, Jan saw him tearing apart a huge sheaf of papers held together by long bolts. She asked what he was doing and Sinclair replied, Just some stuff Ive written; everyone in New Guinea writes stuff. Jan Sinclair stopped the destruction and prevailed on him to continue the task.

Sinclairs first six books were published while he was still in PNG and, when he retired from the administration in 1975, it was an easy transition to full-time authorship and the prolific recording of colonial history. That said, his works remain unknown to most Australians who, after PNG independence, tended to lose interest in our nearest neighbour and our one great colonial experience.

Tony Crawford, whose Adelaide imprint published Middle Kingdom, first met Sinclair in the 70s, when Crawford worked at the PNG National Museum.

He was after some photographs for one his early books on the art of Papua New Guinea and we built up a wonderful rapport as publisher and author that lasted till the last day, Crawford says. His superb photography and knowledge of PNG instilled a valuable history in many people worldwide: academics, historians, travellers and those who lived in PNG during the good old times.

This 40-year relationship between publisher and author reaches its apotheosis in Middle Kingdom, which Crawford has produced with care and acumen.

The book fluently guides the reader from the early days of exploration (illustrated with many historic photographs), through the Pacific War, the greater urgency of post-war development and the challenges and turbulence of an independence that, in the view of many colonisers and most of the Highlands people, came far too early.

Middle Kingdom is as detailed and well researched as a history should be, but the anecdotes, illustrations, maps and superb index offer an outstanding experience for the reader. It is a book for every location between the coffee table and the university library, a wonderful compendium of a critical time in the history of PNG written by a man who understood the significance of the period in which he was both an important participant and an acute observer.
NC youth wing shut down highway, picket govt offices in Nawalparasi

Cadres of Tarun Dal and Nepal Student Union, youth wings of Nepali Congress, shut down government offices and obstructed vehicular movement at East West Highway on Sunday.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Shehbaz Sharif has said that people can change his name if he does not take Pakistan ahead of India after coming into power, according to a media report today.

Sharif, the PML-N prime ministerial candidate, made the remarks while addressing a rally in Sargodha district in Punjab province yesterday.

He said that people can change his name if he does not take Pakistan ahead of India after coming into power, The Express Tribune reported.

"They (Indians) will come to Wahga Border and call Pakistanis their master," 65-year-old Sharif was quoted as saying by the paper.

The former Punjab chief minister said that he would bring Pakistan at par with Malaysia and Turkey. He added that he would visit Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan "to learn from them and make Pakistan a great nation again".

He said that Pakistan cannot become a great nation by voting leaders like Imran Khan who have made false promises to "our nation".

"The U-turn signs should be removed from roads and should be replaced by the picture of Imran Khan," he said, adding that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief's is based on baseless allegations and false promises.

"Khan alleged corruption against the Punjab government but not a single penny has been proved against me," the PML-N president said.

He was the chief minister of Punjab province from June 2013 to June 2018. He was elected as PML-N president in March after his elder brother Nawaz Sharif was disqualified as the party president following a Supreme Court verdict in the Elections Act 2017 case.

The PML-N chief said Nawaz Sharif came back to Pakistan leaving his ailing wife in London but Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz were arrested at the airport.

"Nawaz Sharif was not even allowed to meet his mother," he added.

Both Sharif and Maryam have been sentenced by a court to 10 and seven years in prison, respectively, for corruption charges. Maryam's husband Muhammad Safdar was jailed for one year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Shehbaz Sharif today said that if his party comes to power, it would create an environment for Kashmir to join Pakistan on the pattern of the reunification of East and West Germany.

Shehbaz, the PML-N prime ministerial candidate and the brother of jailed former premier Nawaz Sharif, said this in an interview to Geo TV when asked what would be his policy on Kashmir if his party is voted to power after the July 25 general elections.

He attacked India for "inhumane treatment" of Kashmiris and said "Kashmir would become part of Pakistan through peace and development."



"I believe that it will be like the Berlin Wall being pulled down. It was the prosperity in West Germany that united the two parts, he said.

The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) West and East Germany respectively united on October 3 in 1990.

Yesterday, while addressing a rally in Sargodha district in Punjab province, he said that people can change his name if he does not take Pakistan ahead of India after coming into power.

"They (Indians) will come to Wahga Border and call Pakistanis their master," 65-year-old Shehbaz said.

The former Punjab chief minister said that he would bring Pakistan at par with Malaysia and Turkey. He added that he would meet Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan "to learn from them and make Pakistan a great nation again".

He said that Pakistan cannot become a great nation by voting leaders like Imran Khan who have made false promises to "our nation".

"The U-turn signs should be removed from roads and should be replaced by the picture of Imran Khan," he said, adding that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief's is based on baseless allegations and false promises.

"Khan alleged corruption against the Punjab government but not a single penny has been proved against me," the PML-N president said.

He was the chief minister of Punjab province from June 2013 to June 2018. He was elected as PML-N president in March after his elder brother Nawaz Sharif was disqualified as the party president following a Supreme Court verdict in the Elections Act 2017 case.

The PML-N chief said Nawaz Sharif came back to Pakistan leaving his ailing wife in London but he and his daughter Maryam Nawaz were arrested at the airport.

"Nawaz Sharif was not even allowed to meet his mother," he added.

Both Sharif and Maryam have been sentenced by a court to 10 and seven years in prison, respectively, for corruption charges. Maryam's husband Muhammad Safdar was jailed for one year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Government agencies and political parties are investing millions of dollars to exploit social media platforms for spreading fake news, exercising censorship, and undermining people's trust in media, public institutions and science, an Oxford study has found.

Manipulating public opinion over social media platforms has emerged as a critical threat around the world, despite efforts to combat computational propaganda, scientists say.

A report from Oxford University in the UK has found that the problem is growing at a large scale.

"The number of countries where formally organised social media manipulation occurs has greatly increased, from 28 to 48 countries globally," said Samantha Bradshaw, co-author of the report.

"The majority of growth comes from political parties who spread disinformation and junk around election periods," Bradshaw said.

"There are more political parties learning from the strategies deployed during Brexit and the US 2016 Presidential election: more campaigns are using bots, junk news, and disinformation to polarise and manipulate voters," she said.

This is despite efforts by governments in many democracies introducing new legislation designed to combat fake on the internet.

"The problem with this is that these 'task forces' to combat fake are being used as a new tool to legitimise censorship in authoritarian regimes," said Phil Howard, lead researcher on the project.

"At best, these types of task forces are creating counter-narratives and building tools for citizen awareness and fact-checking," Howard said.

Another challenge is the evolution of the mediums individuals use to share news and information.

"There is evidence that disinformation campaigns are moving on to chat applications and alternative platforms," said Bradshaw.

Automated bot accounts still continue to be a well-used tactic. Online commentators and fake accounts are used to spread pro-party messages, as well as being used to strategically share content or post using keywords to game algorithms and get certain content trending.

They are also being used to report legitimate content and accounts on a mass scale, causing them to be taken down temporarily.

"We suspect new innovation will continue to emerge as platforms and governments take legal and regulatory steps to curb this type of activity," said Howard.

Overall, the use of organised social media manipulation campaigns is a big business.

"We estimate that tens of millions of dollars are spent on this type of activity," said Howard.

"Some of the money may be spent on legitimate advertising on social media, but there is certainly a growing industry for fake accounts, online commentators, and political bots," he said.

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Nearly 100 members of pro-Dalit outfits today took lunch at the house of a Dalit woman, expressing solidarity with her, days after she was prevented from cooking noon meal at a government school in neighbouring Tirupur district.

P Pappal, who was posted as a cook at Ochampalayam village in Tirupur district for the last two years, was shifted to the government primary school in her native Thirumalaigoundanpalayam village a week ago at her request.

Some upper caste Hindus belonging to the Gounder community protested against her posting as she was a Dalit, police had said.

Parents of children of Gounder caste also exerted pressure on the authorities concerned to transfer her, they had said.

Bowing to the pressure from the community, the Block Development Officer had then cancelled the transfer and deputed Pappal back to her previous school in Ochampalayam.

Following a hue and cry by various outfits, the district administration cancelled the transfer order and reinstated her at Thirumalaigounderpalayam again.

However, the parents of 30 children refused to sent their wards to school from then on-wards.

In order to protest against caste discrimination, members of Thanthai Periyar Dravida Kazhakam, Adi Tamizhar Peravai and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi visited the house of Pappal, police said.

She served them lunch and explained the 'humiliation' and 'mental agony' she had faced in the hands of 'casteist groups,' they said.

The National Commission of SC/ST had already issued summons to Tirupur District Collector, Superinetendent of Police and Chief Education Officer to appear before it for an inquiry on July 30 at Delhi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A probe was ordered against a government primary school in the state for following a peculiar practice of remaining closed on Fridays instead of Sundays, an official said today.

Acting on a complaint against the principal of the school in Navalpur in Deoria, district magistrate Sujit Kumar directed the basic shiksha adhikari ( officer) (BSA) Santosh Kumar Dev Pandey to probe the matter and take appropriate action.

"A report has been sought from the BSA regarding the closure of the school on Fridays. It is a serious issue that the school remains closed on Fridays instead of Sundays without any order or direction. Strict action will be taken against those responsible for this," Kumar told PTI.

"The school will now remain closed on Sundays, and instructions have been issued to take action against the principal of the school... A detailed probe will be done," he added.

The complaint against principal Khurshid Ahmad was received by block officer of Salempur block, Gyanchand Mishra who then sent a team of two officers to the school.

"The officials reached the school on Friday at around 9.45 am. They found the school to be closed and Islamia primary school, Navalpur was written outside the building instead of primary school, Navalpur," Mishra said.

The block officer then called up Ahmad who justified the practice arguing that 95 per cent of the students were Muslims hence, the school remained closed on Fridays instead of Sundays, officials said.

Ahmad also claimed that the practice was prevalent before he joined the school in 2008.

"The principal's claim about the practice being in existence before he joined will be probed as well," Pandey said.

There are five teachers in the school including Ahmad, assistant teachers Badruddin Ansari and Shabnam Ara, and shiksha mitras Saira Bano and Shakeela Khatoon. About 90 students are enrolled in the primary school.

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Private power producers have slammed a proposed amendment to the electricity tariff policy as "regressive", saying re-introduction of cost-plus regime for calculating cost of power produced by PSUs like NTPC shields them from competition and is "anti-consumer".

The Association of Power Producers (APP), in a July 13 letter to the Power Minister R K Singh, said the preference for the cost-plus regime, where a generator is compensated for its entire cost plus a mark up, has led to purchasing of power from state-owned power plants at Sholapur and Barh Stage-2 at Rs 5.30 and Rs 5.68 per unit respectively against private power owners willing to supply the same for Rs 3-3.25.

Greenfield projects commissioned after 2010 of NTPC generate power for Rs 5-7 per unit as compared to a maximum cost of Rs 4.17 of a private generator, it said.

"Presently, with sufficient generation capacity available, such exemption from competitive framework is neither needed nor desirable. It would act as an obstacle for development of power market and different market products therein which can serve the diverse needs of power by different consumer categories," it said.

The Association cited the example of renewable energy sector which has successfully migrated to competitive procurement and has seen substantial drop in cost of power.

It said the Tariff Policy, 2006 stipulated all future requirement of power is to be procured through competitive bidding with exemption for public sector projects for five years, that is till January 2011.

"This was in line with the objective of Tariff Policy, 2006 to ensure availability of electricity to consumers at reasonable and competitive rates. The five year moratorium was given to NTPC to get adjusted to competitive regime of power procurement," it wrote. "With the proposed amendment, the de facto situation should not be converted to de jure situation with reversing of the earlier progressive framework of 2006."



NTPC had requested for extension of January 2011 timeline which was not agreed to by the Ministry of Power based on CERC advice dated September 16, 2010 that said tariffs discovered through competitive bidding route significantly lowered cost of electricity than regulated ones under cost-plus regime.

Giving illustrations, the Association said in the last 8-9 years, all components of the cost of supply that are controlled by government monopolies have seen an increase of up to 300 per cent while the cost of generation (where private sector has contributed significantly) has come down by 21 per cent due to enhanced efficiency.

"Despite the fact that cost-plus regime has not led to reasonable and competitive rates, it is surprising to note that contrary to the advice of CERC, the Ministry of Power is again proposing to reintroduce this regressive provision of cost plus regime for Central sector generating stations," it wrote.

The proposed policy framework should in fact move forward and bring the state sector generating stations also in the competitive bidding framework, it wrote.

"We request you to consider the continuation of earlier framework for promoting competition in power generation segment, as in the current scenario, exemption of any generation entity from competition would be against the provisions of the Electricity Act, as well as the overall objectives of improving efficiency and reducing cost of power," APP Director General Ashok Khurana wrote.

The proposed amendment to the Tariff Policy of 2006 is "a very regressive provision" that protects Central sector generating stations from competition and reintroducing cost-plus regime which is " discriminatory and anti-consumer".

"The proposed amendment would have wide ranging impact on investments in power sector and especially in generation segment," it said, adding that the proposed provision discriminates on the ground of ownership -- public vis-a-vis private.

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The BJP today took a dig at Rahul Gandhi, saying the Congress president might forcibly hug Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but the people of the country would not embrace him in next year's Lok Sabha election.

Attacking the Gandhi scion over his speech at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting today, BJP's national media in-charge Anil Baluni said the people will reject him in the next general election.

In a series of tweets, he also claimed that the Congress had decided to contest only 150 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, while Gandhi was dreaming to become the prime minister.

"Heard that desperate and disappointed Congress at its meeting today has set a target of contesting 150 Lok Sabha seats, while its president Rahul Gandhi is dreaming to become prime minister," Baluni tweeted in Hindi.

Referring to the Congress chief's hug to Modi during the debate on the no-confidence motion against the government in the Lok Sabha on Friday, the BJP leader said it was done forcibly.

"Rahulji, you forcibly hugged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament but people will not hug you in the 2019 general election. You should prepare yourself for bringing a no-confidence motion in 2024," he tweeted.

Reacting to former prime minister Manmohan Singh's attack on Modi at the CWC meet, Baluni said while the aim of the government led by the former was to increase corruption, the current NDA dispensation was aiming to double the farmers' income.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi today gave a clear warning to the leaders of the party, asking them not to make "loose remarks" and to toe the party line while making utterance on key issues in public.

Addressing party leaders at the extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, he asked them to abstain from making "irrelevant" statements in public that could derail the political discourse and harm the party's prospects at the hustings.

Sources said even UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi made a reference to such utterances during her brief address, giving a clear signal to the "loose cannons" in the party to fall in line.

AICC general secretary in-charge of organisation Ashok Gehlot also emphasised that the leaders and workers of the party should maintain discipline and not speak out of turn.

"Congress president Rahul Gandhi clearly pointed out and gave a friendly advice to the partymen that in view of the larger goal -- the 2019 (Lok Sabha) election -- they should maintain discipline in both their language and conduct," Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters here.

"There is freedom of expression, but as far as toeing the party line is concerned, it is expected of the Congress workers and the entire leadership that they will maintain the balance of decorum and dignity of language," he added.

Surjewala said the Congress chief pointed out that aspirations were being crushed in the country, voices subjugated, hopes were lying shattered and the discourse was being made poisonous by way of a concerted conspiracy by the ruling BJP.

"In that context, he pointed out and told the Congress leaders to not lose sight of the goal and people's issues, their pains and sufferings. Let us not be guided by a failed prime minister and a failed (Narendra) Modi government, which has nothing to offer, except for the poisonous, venomous, divide and rule policy.

"That is why he said gravitas of language and conduct is expected by the people of this country of Congress leaders and they should adhere to it," he added.

Surjewala said Gehlot told the gathering that discipline started with the leader and percolated down to the workers and one could expect it from the workers only when the leaders showed the path.

Certain comments of Congress leaders have embarrassed the party in the past and harmed its interests at the hustings.

These include Mani Shankar Aiyar's "chai-walla" and "neech aadmi" barbs at Prime Minister Modi.

The party had also distanced itself from Shashi Tharoor's recent "Hindu Pakistan" remark.

Surjewala said the Congress was fighting the fascist forces of subjugation and suppression, who were denigrating democracy, adding that it was like a second freedom struggle to protect the foundational values of India.

"Congress leaders, keeping in mind the larger goal of 2019, will maintain the dignity of their language and conduct," he quoted Rahul Gandhi as saying at the meet.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress President Rahul Gandhi today congratulated Asharam Choudhary, the son of a ragpicker in Madhya Pradesh who cracked the AIIMS MBBS entrance test in his first attempt, and hoped that he would contribute to nation-building and inspire many in the future the same way he was motivated by his village doctor.

In a letter to the teenager from Dewas in Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi said the fact that despite challenges Choudhary was able to secure good rank is a testament to the dedication of his parents and the hard work put in by him.

Choudhary (18), whose house does not have electricity or a toilet, secured the 141st rank in the OBC category and 707 rank overall in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences entrance test held on May 27.

He also cleared the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), conducted on May 6, bagging the 803rd rank in the OBC category and 2,763 overall. Choudhary left for Jodhpur today to pursue MBBS at the AIIMS there.

"I congratulate you on clearing the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) entrance test in your first attempt and getting selected at Jodhpur AIIMS to pursue Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)... I extend my best wishes to you and hope you will contribute to nation-building," Gandhi said in the letter.

"I am aware that despite all challenges you were able to secure good rank. It is a testament to their dedication and your hard work that you have performed so well," he said, adding it gave him immense pleasure to note how Asharam's village doctor and parents inspired him in his journey and Dakshana Foundation supported him financially.

Choudhary's story of travails and triumphs has a hero - Durga Shanker Kumawat, a doctor in his village, who inspired him to dream big.

In his letter, the Congress president said, "I hope one day, you will also be in a position to inspire other children to take up medical profession and serve the people of India. You remind me of Mahatma Gandhi who used to say: 'Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from the indomitable will'."



Choudhary said he wanted to do Masters in Surgery (MS) in Neurology and would not go abroad.

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Workers of power companies in Rajasthan will go on an indefinite strike from Tuesday to press for their various demands, including higher pay scale.

The general secretary of the federation of Rajasthan state electricity workers, Amar Singh Sankhla, alleged that the state Energy Minister Pushpendra Singh had agreed upon the 21-point charter of demands in principle, but no progress ever happened.

"The minister (Pushpendra) said that the government has agreed in principle, but we want a written assurance and execution. Despite repeated demands, the government is not ready to fulfil our demands. Therefore, we are forced to go on an indefinite strike from July 24," Sankhla said. Their demands include a grade pay of Rs 2,400 to ITI diploma-holder technical employees from the date of their appointment and no privatisation of state electricity distribution utilities.

Sankhla declared that a 'mahapadav' (mega dharna) would be held here, where workers from all over the state would participate. "Electricity-related works will be affected and people will suffer due to the strike," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nepal to rescue 38 workers stranded in Saudi Arabia

The government has started its mission to rescue 38 Nepali migrant workers stranded in Saudi Arabia for months.
The Rajasthan Police has recommended a CBI probe in the gun-licensing racket after role of public officials, especially some IAS officers from Jammu and Kashmir, came to the fore during investigations carried out by the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS), officials said.

Director General of Rajasthan Police O P Galhotra has written to the state's home department suggesting "transfer of the case to the CBI without any further delay, they said.

The state police chief said the case pertains to the issuance of arms licenses in "fraudulent manner by various authorities in Jammu and Kashmir".

"In view of the large scale of the scam, involvement of public officials of Jammu and Kashmir and the implication on the national security, the police headquarters had recommended in December 2017 that the case need to be transferred to the CBI for comprehensive investigation.

"The decision of the government in this regard is still awaited," Galhotra said, while drawing attention towards the recent deliberations with the Rajasthan home minister to seek early transfer of the case to the CBI.

On July 20, the case was sent to Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's office to refer the file to Department of Personnel and Training, the nodal ministry for the CBI, the officials said.

The ATS probe so far has indicated involvement of some IAS officers of the Jammu and Kashmir cadre in issuance of arms licenses on forged documents.

According to the police probe, around 4.29 lakh arms licences have been issued in the last one decade from various districts of the militancy-hit state.

Taking cognisance of the ATS' requests, pending since last year, the Jammu and Kashmir government issued a notification on July 12 asking divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners to submit a detailed report on arms licences issued last year.

The deputy commissioners of all districts have been barred from issuing any further arms licences till further orders, it said.

According to ATS officials, 1,32,321 of the 1,43,013 licences in Jammu region's Doda, Ramban and Udhampur districts were issued to those residing outside the state. The figure for the entire state is 4,29,301, of which just over 10 per cent were issued to residents in the state.

The brother of a senior IAS officer from Jammu and Kashmir was arrested by the ATS in Gurugram, Haryana, after it was alleged that he had received Rs 40 lakh from the arms lobby, they said.

The probe had also brought over 3,000 gun licenses that had been issued in the name of purported army personnel who had served in Jammu and Kashmir under the scanner of ATS who had asked the army to verify the names following suspected involvement of a gang to procure them illegally, they said.

The case dates back to November last year when the Rajasthan police's ATS carried out an operation, codenamed "Jubaida", and arrested 52 people for their alleged involvement in getting gun licenses issued from various districts of Jammu and Kashmir under suspicious circumstances. The licenses included 3,367 in the name of purported army personnel, the officials said.

Letters were written in this connection to the Army, Indian Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, seven para-military forces including the Border Security Force(BSF) and the Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF), National Cadet Corps (NCC), Railway Protection Force(RPF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

While most of them have replied, a comprehensive response from the army was still awaited, notwithstanding the reminders, the officials said.

As far as other organisations are concerned, the Navy informed the police that out of the list of 26 personnel submitted, only 14 cases were genuine, the officials said, adding this will help to find out how the remaining 12 people allegedly posing themselves as Navy personnel got the gun license from J and K.

The IAF was provided with a list of 39 people by the ATS out of which the credentials of only 17 were found to be correct. Similarly, of the 548 BSF personnel, records for 471 were received out of which cases of only 336 personnel were found correct, the officials said.

The CRPF list stood at 424 out of which 237 were found correct, the officials said, adding, among other forces, only 154 out of 387 were found correct for the Central Industrial Security Force(CISF), Seema Sashtra Bal(SSB), Indo-Tibetan Border Police(ITBP), National Security Guards(NSG), Coast Guard, Railway Protection Force(RPF), National Cadet Corps(NCC) and the NDRF.

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Amid reports of power tussle between CBI Director and the second senior most officer, the Central Vigilance Commission has given the go ahead for extending the tenure of some key officers in the premier investigating agency including those who have worked closely in some high profile cases as part of special director Rakesh Asthana's team.

Among those whose tenure have been extended by a panel headed by Central Vigilance Commissioner K V Chowdary included a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) rank officer, who was recently repatriated to his cadre state Tripura, officials said today.

However, the officer was called back to the agency soon after.

Apart from this, the panel has cleared extension in deputation tenure of two other senior IPS officers who worked closely with Asthana in probing important cases including the one involving fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya, they said.

The development comes days after the CBI wrote to the CVC saying that Asthana, a Gujarat cadre IPS officer, (and second senior-most officer) is not allowed to attend the panel's meeting in absence of the agency's director Alok Verma, they said.

The CBI director is an invitee to the panel headed by the CVC.

Those granted extension include two Joint Directors A Y V Krishna and Sai Manohar Aramane.

Aramane is part of a Special Investigation Team handling politically-sensitive bank fraud case involving Vijay Mallya, headed by Asthana, the officials said.

The competent authority has approved extension in tenure of Aramane, a 1995 batch IPS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, from July 17, 2018 till April 2019, a recent order issued by the Personnel Ministry said.

Aramane's batchmate Krishna has also been given extension from July 18, 2018 till January 17,2020, it said.

The competent authority has approved extension in tenure of Manish Kishore Sinha from April 3, 2018 to November 30, 2018, the order said.

Sinha, a 1996 batch IPS officer of Jammu and Kashmir cadre, is undergoing training at National Defence College, the officials said.

He is Joint Director in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The tenure of another senior IPS officer Anish Prasad, who was in May repatriated to his cadre state Tripura and called back soon after, has also been extended from June 3, 2018 to May 5, 2020, according to another order by the Personnel Ministry.

He is posted as Deputy Director (Administration) in the CBI headquarters here.

The tenure of IPS officer Prem Kumar Gautam, associated with coal blocks scam probe, has also been extended.

The approval of competent authority is conveyed for extension in the central deputation tenure of Gautam for a period from January 27, 2018 till the date CBI gets permission/further direction from the Supreme Court, it said.

The apex court, which is monitoring probe in the multi-crore coal block scam involving some politicians, businessmen and former bureaucrats, has said that no officer associated with the investigation should be removed from the team without its permission, according to the officials.

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Lakhs of devotees from across the country and abroad witnessed Lord Jagannath's 'Bahuda Yatra' - the return car festival - which was held in this seaside pilgrim town amid tight security today.

The three deities - Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Lord Balabhadra and their sister Devi Subhadra end their annual nine-day sojourn to Sri Gundicha Temple, their birth place, and return to Sreemandir or Shri Jagannath temple on three majestic wooden chariots during 'Bahuda Yatra'.

Special rituals were performed before the deities were taken out of the Sri Gundicha temple and placed on the three colourfully decorated chariots for the return journey, amid chants of 'Jai Jagannath' and 'Hari Bol'.

The deities were taken to their chariots in an elaborate ritual called 'Pahandi' to the beating of gongs, cymbals and blowing of conch shells.

Lord Jagannath was ensconced in the largest of the three chariots - the 45-feet high 'Nandighosh', Balabhadra in 44-feet high 'Taladhwaja' and Subhadra in 43-feet high 'Darpadalan'.

Gajapati Maharaja of Puri Dibyasingha Deb performed the 'Chhera Pahanra' ritual. He offered prayers to the deities and then swept the platforms of the chariots with a golden broom and sprinkled flowers and fragrant water.

The chariots were then pulled by devotees amid gaiety and devotion on 'Bada Danda' - the grand avenue leading to Shri Jagannath temple - up to the Lion's gate in front of the Jagannath temple, where they would be stationed till July 25.

The deities, who had embarked on the nine-day sojourn to the Sri Gundicha Temple during Rath Yatra on July 14, would finally re-enter the 12th century shrine and again be placed on the 'Ratna Simhasana', the bejewelled throne, following a ceremony called 'Neeladribije'.

Ahead of 'Neeladribije', the deities would be decorated with 'suna besha' or golden attire tomorrow on their chariots, which attracts a large number of devotees.

Over 3,000 police personnel were deployed in the pilgrim town besides central para-military forces to ensure smooth celebrations of the 'Bahuda Yatra', a senior police officer said.

A large number of CCTVs were also installed on 'Bada Danda', he said.

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Veteran actor Robin Williams' personal belongings, movie memorabilia and art work are set to be auctioned in New York.

The Sotheby's auction confirmed that hundreds of items, including paintings by Banksy and up to 40 watches from the Oscar-winning actor's personal collection will come under the hammer. They will be sold along items belonging to his second wife, the movie producer Marsha Garces Williams.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, much of the proceeds from the auction will be going to charities the couple supported.

Another collection item eligible for bidding includes a first edition of Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" in original printed wrappers with fine copies of the first English and first American editions.

The editions are estimated to be auctioned for USD 1,500- USD 2,500. The copies reflect a moment in which Williams starred in the Mike Nichols' production of "Waiting for Godot" at Lincoln Center with Steve Martin in 1988.

Other items set to be auctioned also include the Hollywood Walk of Fame star presented to Williams in 1990, a white gold Tonneau-Form Minute Repeating Tourbillon wristwatch and a Gryffindor robe worn by Daniel Radcliffe in the 2001 film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

The auction, scheduled to happen on October 4, will be preceded by an exhibition located at Sotheby's auction house in New York and will open to the public on September 29.

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Actor Ryan Reynolds has expressed his desire to explore Deadpool and his alter-ego Wade Wilson's pansexual side in the future projects.

During a panel at the 2018 Comic-Con International: San Diego, the actor said he hopes the Deadpool universe can feature more LGBTQ characters.

"I certainly think that this universe needs to represent and reflect the world in very real ways," Reynolds said when asked by a bisexual fan if future Deadpool movies will feature more gay or bi characters.

"The great thing about Deadpool is that we're allowed to do things that other superhero movies don't necessarily do. It's something that I'd love to see more of, certainly through Wade, certainly through this universe because it's something that we're building out more," he added.

"Deadpool 2" featured one gay character. Negasonic Teenage Warhead, who is depicted in the film as happily in a relationship with another woman.

Brianna Hildebrand, who essays the role, said she want producers of the movie to make sure that they depicted her same-sex relationship "the way it is and not be a big deal.

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president on Sunday held a closed-door assessment meeting of senior party leaders here with the focus on the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and strengthening the cadre in

After attending the meetings, Shah met melody queen Lata Mangeshkar at her home in south Mumbai as part of the party's "contact for support" campaign.

Earlier in the day, the chief, who was supposed to reach Mumbai before noon, landed at the city airport at 1 PM due to some developments in New Delhi.

He spent the entire day in 'Vasant Smruti' building, the headquarter, in south-central Mumbai, a BJP official said.

At the meeting, Shah laid down a 23-point working strategy and discussed issues such as increasing the party strength, addressing new voters' groups based on their profession, gender, likings etc and a regular follow up of the voters by the local party workers.

"The president plainly stated that the strategy has to be implemented in all the Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in the state. At present, the BJP shares its political space with the and a couple of smaller allies. It is a message that says 'prepare for contesting elections alone'. We will have to rush as the general election are now less than a year away," said a senior BJP minister who attended the meeting.

Shah also reviewed the BJP's performance of 2014 polls, as is the second largest state in the country going by the number of Lok Sabha seats after Uttar Pradesh.

Of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, BJP had won 23, the (18), the four, the Congress two, and the Swabhimani Paksh, a former ally of the BJP, one.

Apart from meeting the 'Vistaraks' of the party whose mandate is to increase the network of the BJP in different geographies, Shah also interacted with the members of the 'Lok Sabha Toli', a group that consists of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, state unit chief Raosaheb Danve, Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, ministers Sudhir Mungantiwar, Chandrakant Patil and Pankaja Munde, Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar, among others.

"The mandate of the group is to identify weaknesses of the party in certain areas, (ways) to overcome them and the current key issues related to the people of The candidates who had contested and won the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and the current image of the candidates in the same constituency was also discussed at the general-level in this meeting," the BJP official said.

He said the BJP is also mulling over holding some events with a view to demonstrate its strength and communicate with the people.

"...It could be in the form of discussions, holding bike rallies as well as some innovative ways of reaching out to certain groups of people," the official said, without elaborating.

After the meetings concluded at 8.30 PM, Shah left for the party's "Sampark Abhiyan" under which he met Mangeshkar (88).

The BJP chief was scheduled to meet Mangeshkar on June 6, but the visit was cancelled as she was down with food poisoning.

He was accompanied by Fadnavis, Danve and Shelar to Mangeshkar's house.

On June 6, Mangeshkar had tweeted in Hindi that she had spoken to Shah over phone and expressed her inability to meet him since she had suffered from food poisoning. She also requested that they can meet during his next visit to Mumbai.

In today's meeting, Shah presented the Bharat Ratna awardee with a booklet on the achievements of the Narendra Modi government in the last four years.

On June 6, Shah had called on actress Madhuri Dixit and industrialist Ratan Tata as part of his party's "Sampark for Samarthan" (contact for support) campaign.
A fresh batch of 1,179 pilgrims - the smallest batch since the Amarnath yatra started - left the base camp here today for the cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas.

The number of pilgrims turning up for the annual pilgrimage has shown a decline, officials said.

The 60-day yatra commenced from the twin routes of Baltal in Ganderbal and Pahalgam in Anantnag districts on June 28 and over 2.30 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the shrine, housing the naturally formed ice-shivlingam, till last evening.

The 22th batch comprising 1,179 pilgrims including 248 women and 47 'sadhus' left in a convoy of 41 vehicles and two motorcycles under tight security from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in the early hours today, officials said.

They said this was the smallest batch of pilgrims leaving for the twin base camps in the valley from here since the commencement of the yatra.

While 797 pilgrims are heading for the Nunwan base camp to undertake the yatra from the traditional 36-km Pahalgam track, 382 pilgrims are heading for Baltal base camp after choosing the 12-km shorter route to the shrine, the officials said.

A total of 2.6 lakh pilgrims offered prayers at the shrine last year.

The number of pilgrims visiting the shrine usually comes down during the later part of the yatra owing to melting of the ice-lingam at the shrine but this time the yatra has witnessed frequent disruptions due to inclement weather which has forced authorities to suspend the yatra several times in the past 24 days.

The MET office has predicted another spell of wet weather across Jammu and Kashmir till Wednesday.

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A year since the high-profile launch of its satellite phone services, BSNL has sold 4,000 handsets, majority to government agencies, and expects the number to reach 10,000 by March 2019 riding on fresh demand from corporates and states for the premium service, its Chairman Anupam Shrivastava said.

"The satellite phone business is doing well, and we have sold 4,000 satellite phone handsets to defense, army, Border Security Force (BSF), disaster management agencies, ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation), Railways and some in the private sector," Shrivastava told PTI.

A satellite phone offers communication services via satellites, as opposed to terrestrial mobile towers. Satellite phones are used in situations and locations where terrestrial mobile service may not be available.

Satellite phones can work in any part of the country, inside flights and on ships too, as they depend on signals directly from satellites located about 35,700 kms above the Earth.

Traditional mobile networks cover around 25-30 kms around towers and can transmit signals to phones placed equal to or below the height of the tower.

Besides the agencies handling disaster management, the state police, railways, BSF and others, even multinational companies are now feeling the need to stay connected anywhere and anytime, notwithstanding the fact that while the handset itself is expensive, even the services come at a premium -- tariffs hover about Rs 25-30 per minute.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) says it has earned Rs 100 crore revenue from this business, that was unveiled in May 2017.

"We have already hit a revenue of Rs 100 crore in one year from satellite phones, annualised business will remain Rs 100 crore even if we don't do anything further. But we see a lot of potential and headroom for growth," Shrivastava said.

The telecom PSU, which began satellite phone services by targeting government agencies, has now opened up these offerings even for non-government outfits, he said.

"The demand from government agencies was so huge that in the first phase we decided to cater to that segment and transfer all the satellite communication of government to BSNL. We have now opened up services to others," he said.

For 2018-19, BSNL has set a target of 10,000 handsets to be sold.

"Additional business is coming from the navy, hotels, fishing trawlers...fishing industry will be amongst the biggest users of satellite phone. We are seeing interest from state governments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu for the fishing industry," Shrivastava said.

The satellite phone services were launched through INMARSAT. The International Mobile Satellite Organization which (INMARSAT) was set up under aegis of United Nations in 1979 and India is one of its founding members.

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Applying ultrasound waves to the whole brain can improve cognitive function patients dementia and Alzheimer's disease, say scientists who conducted a study in mice.

The team, led by Hiroaki Shimokawa from Tohoku University in Japan, found that applying low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) to the whole brain of the mice improved blood vessel formation and nerve cell regeneration without having obvious side effects.

"The LIPUS therapy is a non-invasive physiotherapy that could apply to high-risk elderly patients without the need for surgery or anaesthesia, and could be used repeatedly," said Shimokawa.

Dementia affects about 50 million people worldwide, with 10 million new cases occurring every year. But there are currently no curative treatments available for vascular dementia or Alzheimer's disease, the most common causes of dementia.

Also, the cells lining the brain's blood vessels are tightly packed, forming a blood-brain barrier that prevents large molecules from crossing into the brain tissue. This limits the types of drugs and cell therapies that could be made available to treat dementia.

Researchers had conducted previous studies showing that LIPUS improved blood vessel formation in pigs with myocardial ischemia, a condition where there is reduced blood flow to the heart.

Other studies have reported that LIPUS increases the production of proteins involved in nerve cell survival and growth, in addition to a role in promoting nerve regeneration.

Focusing LIPUS treatment on a region in the brain called the hippocampus, which is involved in memory, has also been found to improve dementia in mice, but the details of how it does this need to be more fully investigated.

The team wanted to find out if whole-brain rather than focused LIPUS is effective in treating mouse models of dementia, and if it was, what was happening at the molecular levels to achieve this.

They found that cognitive impairment markedly improved in mice with conditions similar to vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease when LIPUS was applied to the whole brain three times a day for 20 minutes each time.

The mice with vascular dementia received the treatment on the first, third and fifth days following a surgical procedure that limited the brain's blood supply.

The mice with a condition simulating Alzheimer's disease in humans received 11 LIPUS treatments over a period of three months.

At the molecular level, genes related to the cells lining blood vessels were turned on. Also, there was increased expression of an enzyme involved in blood vessel formation and a protein involved in nerve cell survival and growth.

The study, published in the journal Brain Stimulation, provides the first experimental evidence that whole-brain LIPUS therapy markedly improves cognitive dysfunctions without serious side effects by enhancing specific cells related to dementia's pathology.

The first clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the LIPUS treatment are already underway, researchers said.

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Space crunch poses a major challenge in augmentation of the power distribution network in densely-packed unauthorised colonies, and discoms have identified nearly 700 such places in the city, officials said.

In a coordinated effort involving the power department of the Delhi government, distribution companies and other stakeholders, land has been made available for installing power infrastructure such as transformers and electric poles, an official of the department said.

"Out of the 700 places identified for space crunch, the BSES discoms have managed to get space after working with government authorities and residents," he said.

Discoms are joint ventures of the Delhi government with private companies.

They have deployed innovative solutions such as 'double decker sub stations' and 'electronic houses' in congested areas to augment the distribution network.

Such innovative solutions take 40-50 per cent less space than conventional sub-stations, thus making them ideal for congested areas like unauthorised colonies.

The areas facing space crunch in boosting power network include the unauthorised colonies of Shaheen Bagh near Sarita Vihar, parts of UttamNagar, Gandhi Nagar, RPS Colony, Khirki Extension, Krishna Nagar, Yamuna Vihar, Harsh Vihar, Ghitorni, Bijwasan and Rajpur Khud, Karawal Nagar, Daryaganj, Chandani Chowk, Mahipalpur, Mahrauli and Kishangargh, officials said.

Encroachment is another area of hindrance for discoms in these places.

This is a "menace" in many areas in Delhi, but its sheer scale in colonies like Shaheen Bagh is overwhelming, a source said.

It is not even sparing the electricity infrastructure in the area. Many electricity poles in the area many of them even hosting transformers have been covered, removed or damaged due to illegal constructs, he said.

"It is a common sight to see an electricity pole, literally inside or merged with a flats balcony due to encroachment. Not only this, the illegal extensions have brought the balconies of houses within handshaking distance of the distribution box or transformer fuse exposing the residents and the property to grave danger," the source said.

It is in everybody's interest, including the locals as well as the government, to provide space for adequate expansion of the infrastructure and meet the growing number of power consumers in the city, the officials said.

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NRA work stalls without a CEO

The process of extending deadline for obtaining second tranche of housing grant has been in limbo as the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) is without Chief Executive Officer.
The outbound tourism from India is on the rise, going by the steady year-on-year increase in visa applications in the last few years, a report has said.

The US, the UK and China were among the top tourist destinations for which the maximum visa applications were received in the last two years, said the report by VFS Global, an outsourcing and technology services firm.

There was a 10 per cent increase in visa applications from India in 2017 at 4.7 million compared to 4.3 million applications in 2016, according to data compiled by VFS Global.

The company manages millions of applications across five continents for its 59 client governments.

"We have been seeing a year-on-year increase in visa applications from India. It is evident that foreign travel is no longer the domain of a privileged few in the country.

"More Indians are travelling abroad today than ever before, and are keen to explore even off-beat destinations," VFS Global Regional Group COO Middle East, South Asia and China, Vinay Malhotra, told PTI here.

Top five destinations for which visa applications were processed (in 2016 and 2017) were - the US, Malaysia, the UK, Canada and China, according to the data.

The report said visa applications for Thailand witnessed the sharpest increase in 2017 compared to 2016.

Schengen (European) destinations continued to be popular among Indians. Emerging tourist markets like Czech Republic, Turkey and Japan also witnessed growth, the report said.

"Emerging destinations showed positive trend in 2017, with significantly more applications processed for these destinations than in the previous year," it added.

"New trends among Indian travellers, particularly their willingness to explore off-the-beaten-track destinations, have resulted in many of these destinations becoming increasingly keen to woo the Indian traveller," the report said.

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A suicide bomber killed at least 11 people and wounded 14 at the entrance to Kabul international airport today, officials said, as scores gathered to welcome home Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum from exile.

Senior government officials, political leaders and supporters were leaving the airport after greeting the powerful ethnic Uzbek leader and former warlord when the explosion happened.

Dostum, clad in a Western suit and sunglasses and travelling in an armoured vehicle, was unharmed, said his spokesman Bashir Ahmad Tayanj.

Kabul Police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said 11 people had been killed and 14 wounded. He did not give a breakdown.

The suicide bomber was on foot, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said, adding that civilians, including a child, and security force members were among the casualties.

Dostum, who is linked to a catalogue of human rights abuses in Afghanistan, was mobbed like a celebrity as he left the chartered plane from Turkey where he has lived since May 2017.

His return, which has been the subject of much speculation, comes amid violent protests in several provinces across northern Afghanistan, his traditional power base.

Thousands of Dostum's supporters have taken to the streets in recent weeks, shuttering election and government offices and blocking sections of highways to demand the release of a pro-government militia leader and call for Dostum's return.

Expectations of the return did little to quell the unrest, with protesters vowing Sunday to continue demonstrating until the burly leader of the Uzbek ethnic minority tells them otherwise.

"We don't trust the government. We will continue our protests unless General Dostum tells us to stop," Ehsanullah Qowanch, a protest leader in Faryab province, told AFP.

Qowanch also repeated calls for the release of Nezamuddin Qaisari -- a district police chief and Dostum's provincial representative in Faryab -- whose arrest earlier this month ignited the protests.

Another protester, Massoud Khan, said: "We have been on the streets for 20 days now. We are not going to stop our protests unless our demands are met."



Observers say President Ashraf Ghani, an ethnic Pashtun, gave the green light for Dostum to come home to stabilise the north and secure Uzbek support before next year's presidential election, which he is widely expected to contest.

Dostum left Afghanistan in May 2017 after he was accused of organising the rape and torture of a political rival.

He had denied the allegations and said his departure was for medical check-ups and family reasons.

Ghani in 2009 described Dostum as a "known killer". Yet he chose him as his running mate in the 2014 presidential election, underlining the sometimes uncomfortable ethnic realities of Afghan politics.

Presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri said yesterday that Dostum had been "treated" and would resume his duties upon his return.

Seven of Dostum's bodyguards have been convicted of the sexual assault and illegal imprisonment of Ahmad Ishchi, a former governor of the northern province of Jowzjan, in 2016.

Dostum allegedly had Ishchi abducted in Jowzjan and then kept him hostage in his private compound for several days, where the captive was said to have been tortured and sodomised.

Chakhansuri deflected questions about whether Dostum would face charges over the incident, saying "the judiciary is an independent body, the government does not interfere in their decisions".

Dostum is one of several controversial figures whom Kabul has sought to reintegrate into mainstream politics since the US-led invasion in 2001.

His heroic status in the north belies the barbarities for which he is known.

Dostum, who helped the United States oust the Taliban regime in 2001, allegedly allowed hundreds of Taliban prisoners to be suffocated in shipping containers.

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Writers and leaders of political parties today rallied behind noted Malayalam author S Hareesh, who withdrew his novel being serialised in a weekly after alleged threats from right-wing groups, with the Kerala government asking the publishers to go ahead with the work.

An array of eminent Malayalam writers, including M Mukundan, K Satchidanandan, Anita Nair,Unni R and K R Meera, expressedanguish over the development and said it was a threat to freedom of expression.

Kerala Minister G Sudhakaran said the writer has the support of the government and asked the publishers not to stop serialising the novel.

Hareesh yesterday withdrew the novel, saying there was a cyber attack against him and his family amid allegations by certain right-wing activists that it portrayed women visiting temples in a poor light.

Extending solidarity with Hareesh, veteran CPI-M leader V S Achuthanandan asked him to reconsider his decision to pull out the novel 'Meesha' (moustache)' surrendering to the "threat of the sanghparivar".

"The writer and the publishers 'Mathrubhumi' (weekly) should be ready to go ahead with the novel', the former chief minister said in a statement.

He also urged people from all walks of life to come forward in protecting the right and freedom of writers.

CPI-M politburo member M A Baby said it was a "disgrace" for Kerala to withdraw the novel of Hareesh who was a noted writer in the new-generation.

"It is an attempt by RSS and Sanghparivar to threaten free thought in Kerala," he charged.

Leader of the Opposition in the assembly Ramesh Chennithala said the development was a shame for entire Kerala.

The Congress leader also said it was an act of intolerance to attack the writer by citing certain dialogues by a character in the novel.

Meanwhile, a group of writers held a protest in front of the venue of the ongoing international documentary film festival here, extending support to Hareesh.

The situation that led to the withdrawal of the novel by Hareesh was a dark indication of threat being faced by freedom of expression from the right wing, Satchidanandan said.

He wanted all writers to come together against such threats.

The novel courted controversy after three parts of series came out in the weekly.

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Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri said he is "supremely optimistic" that the BJP will retain power in the 2019 general elections.

"On 2019, I am supremely optimistic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is delivering goods and services at a scale which is unprecedented," Puri told PTI in a recent interview here.

The minister was in the city last week to attend the UN High-Level Political Forum, which is reviewing progress towards several of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Puri said his party is going to do "very well" in the next Lok Sabha elections.

"I'm looking at a figure much higher than what we had last time. A figure I have been saying is 350 because this one is about delivery of goods and services. This one is about delivering tangibles," he said, referring to the number of Lok Sabha seats he is confident the party and its alliance can win.

"You contrast this with what," he said, asking what the "narrative" is "on the other side - a certain desperation to get into power?"



Puri listed India's massive urbanization programme, the number of toilets constructed under the Clean India Mission, access to health insurance and other infrastructure development undertaken in the country as he highlighted the NDA government's performance.

India hopes to complete the building of 11 million homes by 2019 in what is the world's largest affordable housing program. Puri has stressed that this new urban infrastructure will be green and resilient.

He added it will be hard to comprehend that these developments would have been possible without growth or without employment generation. The Prime Minister's economic management team is also focussed on ensuring that the country's growth catapults from the current about 7.7 per cent to 10 per cent plus, he said.

Answering a question about concerns over slow pace of job creation, Puri said there is a problem in measuring data in the informal sector.

"The measurement was wrong earlier and the measurement is wrong now because you need a mechanism which captures the growth of jobs" in areas such as agriculture and construction, he said.

Puri added that in sectors such as agriculture and construction, people are often employed on a short term basis and there is need to be able to capture this employment.

"I have no doubt that in so far as the employment scenario is concerned, we can always do more things but in the short run we must know how to measure the employment generation in the informal sector," he said.

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Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav today attacked the Bihar government for its "failure" to protect the girls at a shelter home at Muzaffarpur and in other places.

The senior RJD leader alleged that the state government was protecting the accused persons.

"Since March, Bihar Govt is aware about repeated rapes committed against 40 minor inmates of Muzaffarpur shelter home by politicians, officials for years. Many had forced abortions. No action has been taken but cover up is on at war footing," the RJD leader said in a release.

He further alleged that that "40 minor girls of 7 to 17 year were repeatedly raped under one roof for months in a state sponsored shelter home. The patron of the NGO is close to whos who of government... After the disclosure, few girls went missing, a girl was found murdered, buried."



Sexual exploitation of inmates of a shelter home at Muzaffarpur had come to light more than a month ago in a report of a Mumbai-based social science institute which had conducted an audit of the state-funded establishment run by an NGO.

More than 10 people, including all staff members of the shelter home and some government officials, have so far been arrested in this connection while all the inmates have been shifted to other districts.

Police have launched a search for the body of an inmate of a state-funded shelter home for girls here who was allegedly beaten to death by staff members.

Taking swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav said that such incidents of repeated rapes even at state sponsored shelter home "could not shake collective conscience of the nation, antaratma babu, beti bachao PM, sensationalist media and other citizens of the country."



Stating that appalling incident at Muzaffarpur shelter home is not an exception, he said that "exploitation of girls has been reported from other orphanages, shelter and remand homes in Motihari, Siwan and Hajipur.

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The conviction of 21 Indian-origin persons by a US court in a multimillion-dollar India-based call centre scam is expected to help investigators of a similar racket in the city build a watertight case against the accused, Thane Police officials said today.

Thane Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh said, "They (American investigators) have quoted from our case (in the US court). We will seek details (from the FBI). DCP Crime (Abishek Trimukhi) will coordinate."



He said, "We will see what kind of evidence was presented (in the US court) and if we can use it in our case."



A team of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had visited Thane in 2016 and met police officials after the scam came to light.

ACP (Crime) Mukund Hatote, who is leading the prosecution case in a court here, said, "The Thane Police should obtain the entire (US) judgement and evidence presented there to make its own case strong and ensure conviction of the accused."



In October 2016, the Thane Police had busted a multi-crore fake call centre scam wherein US-based taxpayers were allegedly conned by Indian telecallers.

The racket, which operated in the city since 2013 through half-a-dozen call centres in Thane, targeted at least 15,000 US-based tax payers. One Sagar Thakkar alias 'Shaggy' was identified as the alleged mastermind of the racket, according to the police.

The police had then put the scam amount at USD 300 million and arrested nearly 300 people spread over several months in connection with the scam. Thakkar (24) was arrested in Mumbai in May 2017.

Subsequently, Thane Police teams raided five call centres in Ahmedabad which were part of the racket.

"Shaggy was also named as an accused in the US case (he was however not among the convicts)," the police commissioner said.

The prison sentences for the 21 people convicted in the US this week ranged from four to 20 years.

According to US officials, the racket defrauded thousands of US residents of hundreds of millions of dollars.

According to various admissions made in connection with the guilty pleas, between 2012 and 2016, the defendants and their conspirators perpetrated a complex fraud and money laundering scheme.

As part of the scam, individuals from call centres located in Ahmedabad impersonated officials from the Internal Revenue Service or US Citizenship and Immigration Services in a ruse designed to defraud victims located throughout America.

Using information obtained from data brokers and other sources, call centre operators targeted people in the US who were threatened with arrest, imprisonment, fines or deportation if they did not pay the alleged money owed to the government.

Victims, who agreed to pay the scammers, were instructed how to make a payment, including by purchasing stored value cards or wiring money.

A similar modus operandi was used in the Thane call centre racket, officials said.

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In an apparent attack on the Centre and the Delhi Lieutenant Governor, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said that those creating hurdles in building government schools were "traitors" while the one who is constructing educational institutions is a "patriot".

He made these remarks after inaugurating the work for replacing water supply lines at Mubarakpur road in Kirari assembly constituency which was a cause of contamination of water in the area.

Though, Kejriwal did not name the Centre or the L-G Anil Baijal, he and his colleagues in the AAP dispensation have been accusing them of stalling several of the city government's projects.

"There will be 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' when there is work for imparting quality education to children," he said. "Those who are creating hurdles in building schools are traitors and the one who is building schools is a patriot," he added.

Kejriwal claimed that condition of government-run schools have improved since the AAP dispensation has come to power.

"There would be no 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' when people's works were prevented. It would be so only when hospitals and schools were built," he said.

There are a total of 104 unauthorised colonies in Kirari and water supply network are laid in all of them. In 85 unauthorised colonies, the existing water line has outlived its utility, frequently causing leakage and contamination of water in the area.

Due to this, the Delhi government has decided to replace these existing water supply line from Kirari underground reservoir to Mubarakpur village.

The total cost of the project is Rs 10.07 crore and it would be completed within a year.

After the project is completed, it will address the problems affecting the people, Kejriwal said. The project is estimated to benefit over 2.50 lakh people.

Kejriwal announced that soon 20 mohalla clinics would be opened in Kirari.

The chief minister reiterated that Baijal has not been following the order of the Supreme Court on division of power in the Union Territory.

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Thousands have signed an online petition asking Walt Disney Co to rehire "Guardians of the Galaxy" writer-director James Gunn, who was fired from the threequel.

The development came a day after a series of old offensive tweets made by the filmmaker resurfaced on social media.

In the old tweets, screenshots of which are available online, the 51-year-old director cracked crude jokes dealing with pedophilia and rape. The screenshots of Gunn's tweets, which ranged from 2009 through 2012, were shared by a conservative website The Daily Caller.

The petition, titled 'RE-HIRE JAMES GUNN' on website change.org was started by a Chandler Edwards, has gained over 30,000 signatures in Gunn's support.

Edwards writes he agrees that the studio had "full right" to sack the director from the job but the argument does not hold water as Gunn was not working for Disney when he had shared those tweets.

"I agree on the point that if people say a bunch of stupid shit while working for a studio, the studio has full right to fire him over the possible controversy. This situation is very different though as he made these jokes years before he was working for Disney and also the fact that they were jokes," the petition read.

Fellow director Joe Carnahan ("The Grey", "Smokin' Aces") also shared the petition on Twitter.

After being sacked, Gunn, who has been quite vocal in his criticism of US President Donald Trump, issued an apology on Twitter and claimed that he has changed over the years.

"It's not to say I'm better, but I am very, very different than I was a few years ago; today I try to root my work in love and connection and less in anger. My days saying something just because it's shocking and trying to get a reaction are over," he said in another tweet.

The filmmaker also issued a statement where he "regretted" the tweets and stressed that "they don't reflect the person I am today".

Actor Dave Bautista, who plays Drax the Destroyer in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise, took to Twitter to defend the director.

"I will have more to say but for right now all I will say is this..@JamesGunn is one of the most loving, caring, good natured people I have ever met.

"He's gentle and kind and cares deeply for people and animals. He's made mistakes. We all have. I'm not ok with what's happening to him," Bautista said.

David Dastmalchian, who played Kurt in "Ant Man" and its sequel, also came out in support of the filmmaker, calling Gunn "one of the most amazing people I've known".

"Guardians of the Galaxy" lead Chris Pratt, however, evaded questions related to Gunn during a Q&A session round for "The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part" at San Diego Comic-Con.

Gunn was in the middle of writing the script for the third film, which was scheduled to begin shooting in Atlanta in the fall for a 2020 release date.

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The top US intelligence official said he meant no disrespect to President Donald Trump in a televised interview discussing the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said his Thursday comments at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado were not intended to be critical of the president's decision to invite Putin to a meeting in Washington later this year.

"Some press coverage has mischaracterised my intentions in responding to breaking presented to me during a live interview," Coats said. "My admittedly awkward response was in no way meant to be disrespectful or criticise the actions of the president."



Coats has been under scrutiny since he said he wished Trump had not met one-on-one with the Russian leader and expressed dismay that the president had publicly undermined US intelligence agencies.

Coats issued a rare statement yesterday rebutting the president's Monday comments during a press conference with Putin doubting the findings of the intelligence community on Russian election interference. White House aides were fearful that the former lawmaker might resign over the president's comments, and the president spoke positively of Coats in a television interview Wednesday.

But Coats' display of surprise upon learning that Trump had invited Putin to Washington this fall for a follow-on meeting drew the president's ire.

"Say that again," Coats said, cupping his hand over his ear on live television. He took a deep breath and continued: "OK. That's going to be special."



Coats also revealed in the interview with NBC's Andrea Mitchell that he was unaware of what transpired in the private meeting between Trump and Putin in Helsinki, and restated without equivocation his belief that Russia continues to pose a threat to the American electoral system.

"Basically, they are the ones that are trying to undermine our basic values and divide with our allies," Coats said of Russia. "They are the ones who are trying to wreak havoc over our election process."



Coats, who oversees the nation's 17 intelligence agencies, also said that if he had been asked, he would have advised Trump against meeting Putin alone, with just interpreters.

"That's not my role. That's not my job. It is what it is," Coats said.

The statement yesterday from Coats, more than 48 hours after the initial interview, capped a week of public walk backs by the Trump administration relating to Russia.

Trump's public doubting of Russia's culpability for interference in 2016 though he tried to "clarify" his remarks a day later sparked bipartisan condemnation in Washington and sparked congressional lawmakers to look once again for ways to tighten sanctions on the longtime US foe.

Coats, a former GOP senator from Indiana, has until this week been a largely invisible figure in Trump's Cabinet. Earlier in the administration, his voice was drowned out by the more outspoken Mike Pompeo, who was CIA director before Trump tapped him as secretary of state. Now with Pompeo heading the State Department, Coats has been thrust into the limelight as the voice of the intelligence community.

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Deep in the tropical forests of Meghalaya, an uncharted territory even two decades ago, the aerial root bridges that bear testimony to the ingenuity of Khasis are dying a slow death, overburdened by tourist inflow.

The living-root bridges, which surfaced in popular imagination only a few years ago, have now become a hotspot for tourist selfies, say local residents.

People come to visit the suspensions bridges regularly, but not much is done to preserve these "botanical architectures", said Morningstar Khongthaw, a resident of Rangthylliang, who along with a group of local youths, has taken up the task of creating awareness on the issue.

The root bridges were conceived by the Khasis centuries ago for crossing turbulent streams, especially during the monsoons. The locals trained the roots of fig trees on either side of the river to grow laterally, forming a suspension bridge over a period of 10 to 15 years.

Khongthaw, who established Living Roots Foundation here, said mass tourism has greatly affected the bridges as people come here in hordes.

"There are a number of living bridges along the southern slope of the state, especially in the Khasi Hills region, the most photographed among them being the double-decked bridge at Nongriat below Sohra," he said.

The activist, who dropped out of school a few years ago due to poverty, travels to nearby villages with his team to encourage local people there to build more such bridges, besides protecting the existing ones.

"The double-decked bridges at Nongriat and Nohwet villages have come under threat as there is no mechanism to control the number of visitors. Also, the bridges are badly in need of maintenance," he asserted.

Last month, a drive was initiated on World Day to build at least five new living bridges in the Khasi Hills region, Khongthaw, who is in this early 20s, said.

"There are about 50 root bridges that we have identified for preservation. We are working closely with the stakeholders at these villages to give them an idea about controlling crowd on the bridges. Besides, they would also guide the tourists about the place, its history and significance," he added.

Lauding the initiative, Tourism Department officer B Nongkynrih said the present government's objective is to harness the untapped rural tourism prospects of the state.

"The Tourism Department is focusing on rural tourism to generate employment opportunities and promote sustainable livelihoods in villages. In such a scenario, organizations, such as Living Roots Foundation, would go a long way in sustaining environment," he claimed.

Satyajit Rao, a scientist at the North Eastern Hill University told PTI that some of the bridges in these tropical forests of southern Meghalaya are believed to be hundreds of years old.

"A proper study is yet to be conducted on the bridges to determine their exact age," he added.

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Sankrityayans Nepal vision

The scholar opens up new avenues by redefining spheres of culture, language and art
A loaded trailer truck lost control and crashed into a market on the Lucknow-Varanasi national highway, killing six people and injuring four, police said today.

Three people were crushed under the truck in the market while three more died when their motorcycles rammed into the vehicle from behind, the police said.

"A trailer truck fell on people after the driver lost his control over the vehicle. The accident took place this morning at Jalalpur market. Three persons riding a motorcycle were also rammed into it," Circle Officer (city) Nripendra said.

The deceased were identified as Prince alias Munna (22), Rajji Devi, Tannu (5), Ajay Singh (50), Phoolchand (45) and Anwar (51). The four injured were referred to a hospital, the police said, adding the bodies were sent for post-mortem.

District Magistrate Arvind Mallapa Bangari said of the six deceased, three were farmers from Jaunpur.

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Throwing its weight behind the beleaguered vice-chancellor of Manipur University, A P Pandey, a tribal students' body has called for an indefinite hill bandh from tomorrow, coinciding with the Manipur University Students' Union's (MUSU) decision to disrupt the Assembly session for not discussing the impasse at the institute.

Ever since he assumed charge, Pandey worked with efficiency and maintained transparency, the Joint Bodies of Tribal Students, Manipur said in a statement yesterday.

The body, a conglomerate of tribal students' unions, said Pandey's removal must be based on the findings of the probe by the committee appointed by the government, adding, "We are also against the prolonged closure of the university."



The university remained closed for the 52nd day today.

The decision of the tribal students' association followed the MUSU resolution on Friday to disrupt the last day of the ongoing Assembly session tomorrow as the House had not taken up the crisis in the university as well as the ruling BJP's "failure" to take a stand on the issue in its agenda.

As a precautionary measure, a large number of security personnel has been deployed in the high-security zones here in the state capital, including in front of the main BJP office, Raj Bhavan, Secretariat and Assembly complex, the police said.

Iron barricades with barbed wires were also kept ready, they added.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh, after consulting with Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on July 17, has re-constituted a fact-finding committee comprising a retired chief justice of the Meghalaya High Court and representatives of the UGC and the HRD ministry to probe the allegations of financial irregularities and administrative negligence against Pandey.

The students' union, teachers' association and staff association of the central university have rejected the move and demanded an independent inquiry into the matter.

Earlier, the students' union, supported by various civil bodies, had called a two-day general strike from July 17. The strike was by and large peaceful till the second evening, when clashes broke out between the bandh supporters and security personnel.

In view of the situation, the state government has suspended mobile internet and SMS services to curb rumour-mongering for five days, starting July 19.

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President Donald Trump today said he had a "great" meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, alleging that the mainstream US media is trying and disparage the Helsinki summit.

I had a GREAT meeting with Putin and the Fake used every bit of their energy to try and disparage it, Trump said in a tweet.

So bad for our country! rued the president who has been slammed by the US media and political opponents after his joint press conference with Putin in Helsinki, Finland last week. This was the first US-Russia summit under the Trump administration.

Trump's opponents continued to be very critical of his relationship with Russia.

He's taken a series of steps that had Vladimir Putin dictated them, he couldn't have mirrored more effectively. What his motivations are, I think is a legitimate question, one that I trust that the Special Council is investigating, former US national Security Advisor, Susan Rice, told ABC in an interview.

But the policies that this president has pursued globally have served Vladimir Putin's interest in dividing the west, undermining democracy, increasing fissures within NATO and has done very little to advance US interests, she said.

Rice alleged that Trump has taken decisions that have served Russian interests as opposed to US interests. It was also reinforced sadly this week by that tragic display of sycophancy in Helsinki where the president called into question yet again, standing next to Vladimir Putin - a dictator - the integrity of our intelligence community, she said.

He offered for -- or he seemed to be willing to consider an offer to hand over our ambassador to Russia, former ambassador Michael McFaul and others to -- the Russians for questioning. I mean, it was a series of extraordinary capitulations that really do legitimately call into question what is going on, Rice said.

Rice said it is ridiculous when asked about Trump being critical of former president Barack Obama's Russia policy. That kind of language is ridiculous, it's offensive and it doesn't frankly reflect well on President Trump. Any American president should stand up for the United States of America, in the present and historically when meeting with Vladimir Putin. It was President Obama who led the United States and our European allies to impose very strong sanctions on Russia for its annexation of Crimea and its invasion of Ukraine, she said.

It's President Trump who has suggested that Crimea belongs properly to Russia and that he'd be prepared to consider some accommodation for Russia vis-a-vis Ukraine, Rice said.

So, President Trump can throw all kinds of epithets around. It seems that's how he likes to govern, but the facts are the facts and the reality is that the United States, on a bipartisan basis, needs to be unified in its opposition to Russia's policies, to its efforts to undermine our democracy, and our domestic political discourse, and we shouldn't be casting aspersions on one's predecessors, we should be looking Putin squarely in the eye and delivering the message that supports United States' interests, not Russian interests, Rice said.

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Two minor boys drowned while they were taking bath in a pond in Bihar's Nalanda district today, police said.

The deceased have been identified as Ankush (7) and Aditya (8), both cousins and residents of Vasvaniya village of the district, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Nishit Priya said.

The incident occurred when the two boys had gone to take bath in a pond located at Vasvaniya village under the jurisdiction of Harnaut block and slipped into deep waters and drowned, the SDPO said.

The boys' relatives found their clothes near the pond after which local divers were pressed into service.

The bodies have been sent to Bihar Sharif Sadar Hospital for post-mortem, the SDPO added.

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The UK police's watchdog is investigating allegations of "serious corruption and malpractice" within Scotland Yard's own ranks, the largest police graft inquiry in 40 years.

The probe was launched by the UK's Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after whistleblowers raised concerns that senior officers in the Metropolitan Police's Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) were interfering with investigations and turning a blind-eye to wrongdoing, The Sunday Times reported.

Gross misconduct notices have been served on three officers, while "a number" of other officers are being assessed, according to the IOPC.

IOPC director Jonathan Green said claims of racial discrimination within the Met were also being investigated.

It is claimed there are officers in the DPS who are said to have interfered with or curtailed investigations, according to Green.

"The investigation includes alleged interference in, and curtailment of, investigations by potentially conflicted senior officers, failure to investigate allegations of wrongdoing, systemic removal of the restrictions of officers under investigation and racial discrimination," he added.

"As part of this investigation, three officers have been served with gross misconduct notices and one of those officers is also under criminal investigation."



"Assessments on the status of a number of other officers remains ongoing."



According to The Times, three whistleblowers from the Met approached the IOPC to allege members of the DPS were shielding officers from a range of allegations.

"The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has referred allegations regarding the conduct of a number of MPS personnel to the IOPC which is conducting an independent investigation," a Met Police spokesperson said.

"The MPS is fully cooperating with the IOPC investigation.

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Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik today said that if appointments were being made in the state's universities despite being put on hold by the UGC, then the matter will be probed.

Interacting with the media on the completion of his four years in office, Naik said the Universities Grants Commission (UGC) had recently asked all universities to put the appointment process of teachers on hold.

"When there is a guideline of UGC, it should be adhered to. But, if appointments are being made... It should be stopped. This is my order as well," Naik, who is also the Chancellor of state's universities said.

"If the appointment process is continuing in any university, I will gather information through a probe," added Naik.

On July 19, the appointment of academic staff in higher institutions (HEIs) was put on hold by the UGC till the Supreme Court issues its verdict on the special leave petition filed by the HRD Ministry against a court order curtailing reservation for SC/ST and OBCs.

The UGC had announced in March that an individual department should be considered as the base unit to calculate the number of teaching posts to be reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates following an order by the Allahabad High Court in April last year, which was upheld by the SC.

On the recent violence, which took place on the campus of Lucknow University, the UP Governor said, "The High Court has taken suo motu cognizance of the incident and the matter is in court, and hence I do not want to comment on this."



"The onus of maintaining peace on the university campus is of teachers, students, society and journalists," he added.

Refusing to react to comment on the allegations levelled by Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav that he doesn't criticise the BJP government in the state, Naik that during previous regimes too, he saw scope for improvement in the law and order situation of the state and similar was the case under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Naik informed that in his fourth year of office, he had met 6,724 citizens, and wrote 450 letters to the chief minister on various issues.

The Governor also informed that in 2017-18, he had given his assent to 15 ordinances and 24 bills. He had also ordered release of 79 prisoners after examining 808 mercy petitions submitted to him.

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The Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry is set to move a proposal before the Cabinet this week for enhanced punishment in cases of sexual assault of male children, a senior official said.

The Law Ministry has cleared the proposal to amend the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, for enhancing punishment in cases of sexual assault against young boys, officials said.

The POCSO Act deals with sexual offences against those below 18 years of age.

"Amendments to the POCSO Act for enhanced punishment for sexual assaults of young boys have been approved by the Law Ministry. It will be sent to the Cabinet in two-three days, the WCD Ministry official said, without elaborating on the details of the proposal.

Sources said that the ministry was working on the proposal to amend the Act to make rape committed against any child below 12 punishable with the death penalty.

The move is being seen to bring in a gender-neutral law while dealing with cases of sexual assaults.

Earlier, WCD Minister Maneka Gandhi supported a petition on Change.org by film-maker-activist Insia Dariwala, who said, "male child sexual abuse is an ignored reality in India".

Change.org stated that Gandhi, to whom the petition was addressed, had replied to the plea through Decision Maker response.

"Child sexual abuse is gender neutral. Boys who are sexually abused as children spend a lifetime of silence because of the stigma and shame attached to male survivors speaking out. It is a serious problem and needs to be addressed, she had said in April.

The Union Cabinet last week decided to introduce a bill that provides stringent punishment, including death penalty, for those convicted of raping girls below the age of 12 years.

In 2007, the ministry had sampled 12,447 children in families, schools, at work and living on the street. It had found that more than half had faced sexual abuse, and 53 percent of victims were boys.

For Delhi, the figure was 60 per cent.

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Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi today said he would ban liquor in the state but permit tribals to consume it as it was part of their culture, if his party forms government.

The former bureaucrat-turned-politician, who has always been considered a strong tribal leader, said he would contest all 90 Assembly seats in the state in the upcoming polls.

He said if his party comes to power in the state, they would impose a ban on booze in all areas of the state except those inhabited by tribals.

Jogi said in some of the families, it has been reported that men spend all their earnings in buying alcohol.

"So a booze ban is required. But alcohol will not be banned in tribal areas as they consider it as part of their culture," Jogi told PTI in an interview.

However, when asked about the two yardsticks on banning liquor, he said he would gradually impose the prohibition in tribal areas too.

Jogi said his party would make the poor condition of farmers and women, and unemployment in the state the main poll issues.

"There are 20 crore unemployed people in the country. The condition of women and farmers is not good in the country. We will work for their upliftment," Jogi said.

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The chief of the Congress women's wing has said the party would support the instant triple talaq bill if the Centre includes a provision of alimony.

All India Mahila Congress president Sushmita Dev alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party government was trying to strike a quid pro quo with the passing of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill and the women's reservation bill.

"We were never against the instant triple talaq bill. But the bill, in its present form, would be harmful to the interests of the Muslim women. It should have a provision of alimony for the victim," Dev told PTI.

"I tabled an amendment in the Lok Sabha for the provision of alimony in the bill, but it did not get passed. If the amendment is accepted, then we would definitely support the bill," she said.

Dev said the aim of the bill was to ensure justice for the Muslim women and end the practice of instant triple talaq. "But what will happen to the livelihood of the women if their husbands go to jail?" she asked, adding that this aspect should be kept in mind.

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017, was passed in the Lok Sabha, but is pending in the Rajya Sabha.

Last Monday, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him to ensure the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

A day later, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad responded to the letter with a "new deal" of equality and adequate representation by joining hands to pass the bills on women's reservation, instant triple talaq and nikah halala.

"The government is indulging in dealings. Did they say in their manifesto that the they would pass both the bills together? We didn't have the majority. But they have clear majority. If the Congress and BJP both support the women's reservation bill, then it can be passed," Dev added.

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The Bombay High Court has granted protection from arrest to a city-based woman, accused by her lesbian partner of committing a criminal breach of trust and another offence under the SC/ST Act.

Justice A M Badar, in a judgement delivered last week, granted anticipatory bail to the woman, who had filed an appeal against an order passed by the trial court last year rejecting her request for protection from arrest.

He said the complainant, who belongs to a Scheduled Caste, failed to establish that the petitioner had committed any offence under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

As for the allegation of breach of trust, the complainant had alleged that despite being in a relationship with her, the petitioner had continued to maintain "sexual relations with her husband and with other men".

Justice Badar, however, noted that the allegation of breach of trust was questionable since the legality of their relationship could not be considered by the high court in an application of pre-arrest bail.

As per the petitioner's plea, she and the complainant woman had been friends since 1997.

"The acquaintance developed into an intimacy and subsequently into a homosexual relationship" between them, the plea reads.

But after an argument in December 2016, the complainant registered a police complaint against the petitioner on charges of outraging her modesty, criminal intimidation, and criminal breach of trust.

She alleged in the FIR that the petitioner cheated her since she had gone back on her promise to divorce her husband.

In February 2017, the complainant lodged another FIR against the petitioner, this time alleging that she had called her names and thrown casteist slurs at her that would constitute an offence under the SC/ST Act.

The complainant told the police that she had gone to the petitioner's house soon after the first FIR, asking her to return gold jewellery and six dresses.

At that time, the petitioner's husband had screamed at her and thrown her out of the house, she alleged.

Justice Badar, however, noted that shouting at her and throwing her out of the house did not make for an offence under the SC/ST Act.

He observed that the second FIR seemed to have been lodged by the complainant as an afterthought to restrict the petitioner's chance of securing anticipatory bail.

He also noted that both the women had lodged multiple complaints against each other with the police.

"This chequered history of lodging of complaints and cross-complaints shows that while both women were earlier in a lesbian relationship, the relationship has now turned sour, and developed into extreme enmity," Justice Badar said.

The first FIR lodged by the complainant deals principally with the fact that the petitioner committed a breach of trust by indulging in sexual relationships with her husband and other men despite being in a relationship with her, he noted.

"How such a relationship is legal is a question that need not be considered in this application. However, it suffices to say that the first version of the complainant's FIR has no averments to any offence under the SC/ST Act," Justice Badar said.

It seems that the FIR (by the complainant) came to be lodged only because the petitioner lost interest in the relationship, he observed.

The FIR also seems to be motivated and averments regarding an offence under the SC/ST Act came to be made belatedly and with no explanation for such delay, he said.

"Viewed from this angle, such motivated allegations cannot come in the way of enjoyment of personal liberty by the petitioner," Justice Badar said.

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Scores hurt as Tarun rally turns violent

A rally led by Tarun Dal, in solidarity with Dr Govinda KCs demands, turned violent on Saturday, leaving scores of participants injured as police fired teargas shells following clashes with the protesters.
Fiat Chrysler named on Saturday its Jeep division boss Mike Manley to take over immediately from Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne, who is seriously ill after suffering major complications following surgery. The carmaker said British-born Manley, who also takes responsibility for the North America region, will push ahead with the mid-term strategy outlined last month by Marchionne, who had been due to step down next April. Marchionne, 66, was credited with rescuing Fiat and Chrysler from bankruptcy after taking the Italian carmaker's wheel in 2004. On Saturday he was also ...
By Anthony EspositoMEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican bread-maker Bimbo on Saturday said that it had suspended some delivery routes in the violent state of Guerrero, the latest company to scale back its operations in what was once a glamorous tourist hub.To guarantee the security of its employees, Bimbo has temporarily suspended nine routes in the resort town of Acapulco, a spokesman told Reuters. The affected routes represent less than 1 percent of the company's distribution in Guerrero, the spokesman added. The company made the decision after two of its delivery trucks were burned. Bimbo has ...
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Members of Mexico's incoming and outgoing presidential administrations gathered on Saturday to begin collaborating before a series of key meetings on trade, the foreign ministry said in a statement.Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray and Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo spoke with Marcelo Ebrard, Graciela Marquez and Jesus Seade, who have been designated by president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador as foreign minister, economy minister and NAFTA negotiator, respectively. Lopez Obrador, a former Mexico City mayor, won the country's July 1 presidential election in a ...
About 74 per cent automated teller machines (ATMs) of public sector banks are running on outdated software - which makes these machines highly vulnerable to frauds. The revelation came in response to a question in the Parliament on whether the softwares used for the ATMs are supported.

Currently, India has over 2 lakh ATMs and approximately 70 per cent of them still run on Windows XP - which Microsoft itself stopped supporting in 2014.

Earlier in June, the Reserve Bank of India gave all the banks strict timelines to upgrade their ATMs or else face action. As per the timeline, banks have to implement a host of security measures by August and upgrade all ATMs with supported version of operating in a phased manner by June 2019.

Last year In April, the RBI through a confidential circular to banks had highlighted concerns about the ATMs running on Windows XP and/or other unsupported operating systems. "The slow progress on the part of the banks in addressing these issues has been viewed seriously by the RBI," the central bank said in a circular to heads of banks and white label ATM operators.

The central bank said that the vulnerability arising from the ATMs operating on unsupported version of operating system and non-implementation of other security measures could potentially affect the interests of the banks' customers adversely.

"It may be noted that any deficiency in timely and effective compliance with the instructions contained in this circular may invite appropriate supervisory enforcement action under applicable provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 and/or Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007," it said.

Banks and white label ATM operators have been asked to implement security measures such as basic input/output system (BIOS) password, disabling USB ports, disabling auto-run facility, applying the latest patches of operating system and other softwares, terminal security solution, time-based admin access by August. The banks will have to implement anti-skimming and white listing solution by March 2019.

Further, all the ATMs have to be upgraded with supported versions of operating system. The RBI has asked all the banks to upgrade not less than 25 per cent of their ATMs with supported operating system by September and 50 per cent by December. All the ATMs should be upgraded by June 2019.

Banks were also asked to take the circular before the board of directors at ensuing meeting, along with the proposed action plan for implementation of the measures, and report to the RBI by July. "The progress made in implementation of these measure should be closely monitored to ensure meeting the prescribed timelines," the circular had added.

The instruction was issued in wake of increasing number of ATM frauds.

(With inputs from PTI)
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Phoebe Hettinger loves animals, particularly snakes, unicorns and dogs. But her passion for the latter was tested when she was bitten on the face by an American Staffordshire-Border Collie cross at the O'Connor shops when she was three. Phoebe and her parents had approached the dog's owner to ask permission to pat the animal. It was granted - but the dog attacked Phoebe, tearing open an area above and on her mouth and cheek. She was hospitalised and treated by a plastic surgeon. Now seven, Phoebe's scars are barely visible, save for a line like a puzzle piece that runs around her mouth. But the memories and anger continue to run deep. "I am still so bitter and twisted," her mother, Donna, said. "The attack itself I can safely say is the worst moment of my life, but what has made it worse is everything else that happened around it." Ms Hettinger has spoken after the Sunday Canberra Times reported Domestic Animal Services had responded to 218 dog attacks between January and late May, including 94 on humans. In Phoebe's case, the owner of the dog, a NSW resident, was fined $1000 in the ACT Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to a charge of being the carer of a dog which attacked a person. Ms Hettinger said she remained disappointed the dog's owner - whose lawyer said he was genuinely remorseful for the incident and at a loss at to why the dog had attacked - was charged with a lesser offence. At the time, the prosecutor explained the man had been charged with a minor offence as a more serious charge could not be proven. Ms Hettinger said paramedics called ACT Policing immediately following the attack but the job was initially cancelled. And the dog was not declared dangerous - only last week was Ms Hettinger told that Canberra's Domestic Animal Services had the power to declare interstate dogs such. " ... where an attack occurs in the ACT, regardless of where the dog is registered (or not registered), or where its owner resides, Domestic Animal Services can respond and take action against both the dog and its owner," a Transport Canberra and City Services spokesman said. "Even if the owner takes the dog back into NSW, depending on the severity of the attack, Domestic Animal Services can declare the dog as dangerous and under national mutual recognition arrangements, the dog will be recognised as a dangerous dog in its home state or territory." Ms Hettinger said: "That makes me even angrier [to know it could've been declared dangerous]. "We were let down in so many ways." This year's dog attacks have ranged from minor nips to serious bites with 80 dogs seized by May. Sixty-six incidents involved an attack on a person, 124 were attacks on animals and 28 involved both a human and an animal. "Dog attacks are the highest priorities for response by Domestic Animal Services rangers," a Transport Canberra and City Services spokeswoman said earlier this month. "Domestic Animal Services has a 24 hour/seven day week operation for the community to report dog attacks via Access Canberra on 13 22 81." The number of attack investigations held by Domestic Animal Services has skyrocketed in recent years, increasing from 85 in 2012-13 to 93 in 2013-14, 245 in 2014-15, 360 in 2015-16 and 389 in 2016-17. The ACT government introduced new legislation in December 2017 aimed at protecting the community from dangerous dogs and holding irresponsible dog owners accountable. Amendments introduced in March would mean anyone handling a dog was responsible for its behaviour, not just its registered owners.

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news, act-politics

Welcome to a new week, Canberra. A very chilly start to it, as well. It dropped below minus 7 this morning and the forecast is to reach a top of 13, with areas of frost and fog in the morning. It's not expected to be nearly that cold for the rest of the week. Here's what's making news in the national capital this morning. Chandan Paul's dreams for permanent residency fell apart in June, when without warning and less than a month before he would have fulfilled the requirements, migration rule changes barred him. He moved to Canberra in July last year, after the ACT government opened the door to live, study and work in the territory for a year in order to be nominated for a permanent residency visa. Last month, the ACT government website encouraging migrants to choose Canberra as their home was updated to say he was no longer able to apply, leaving him unsure if he will find a way to stay in Australia without committing to an expensive masters degree. Sally Whyte with this story on the changes affecting migrants in the ACT. The ACT government is already under pressure over its approach to public housing. This may not exactly ease as the taskforce responsible for building it is constructing homes to sell to Defence Housing Australia on public housing sites for "financial efficiency". The government refuses to say how much money it will get from the sales, after it began building 15 townhouses in Gungahlin town centre and 18 townhouses in Taylor to sell to the federal government-controlled housing company. Housing Minister Yvette Berry has said the decision to sell what were originally expected to be homes for public housing tenants was about creating a better social mix of residents on the public housing sites. Daniel Burdon with this story about the ACT government deal with DHA. The dry is causing problems for Canberra's population of kangaroos. ACT rangers are being called to a record number of crashes involving roos as the animals come into Canberra's suburbs looking for a feed. As just 69.6 millimetres of rain was recorded at Canberra Airport between March and June, a 14-year low for that period, and temperatures plummeted, greater numbers of kangaroos have been moving out of the bush and towards roads in search of greenery. Often with fatal consequences. Blake Foden spoke to ACT Parks and Conservation about the problem. You might have heard them before you even saw them. The Knafeh Bakery was the star attraction at The Souq , a festival of culture at the National Museum of Australia, on Sunday. It was a chilly start to the day for Sydney's famed bearded bakers as they brought their singing, dancing, drumming container bakery to Canberra. But the cold didn't deter them from dishing the moves and treats. Han Nguyen went along to speak to them. The explosives contractor at the centre of the fatal 1997 Canberra Hospital blast still holds a licence for demolition in the ACT despite links to subsequent safety breaches in other jurisdictions. Rodney Douglas McCracken was fined $15,000 under ACT health and safety laws following the botched Royal Canberra Hospital demolition, which resulted in the death of 12-year-old schoolgirl Katie Bender. A manslaughter charge against Mr McCracken was dropped. Although he holds a demolition endorsement in the ACT, Mr McCracken is not licensed for explosive demolition, a planning directorate spokeswoman said. Steven Trask with this report.

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The explosives contractor at the centre of the fatal 1997 Canberra Hospital blast still holds a licence for demolition in the ACT despite links to subsequent safety breaches in other jurisdictions. Rodney Douglas McCracken was fined $15,000 under ACT health and safety laws following the botched Royal Canberra Hospital demolition, which resulted in the death of 12-year-old schoolgirl Katie Bender. A manslaughter charge against Mr McCracken was dropped. Although he holds a demolition endorsement in the ACT, Mr McCracken is not licensed for explosive demolition, a planning directorate spokeswoman said. Katie Bender was among about 100,000 onlookers who gathered to watch as the hospital was demolished to make way for the National Museum of Australia in July 1997. The event was intended as a celebration, but shrapnel was accidentally propelled more than 400 metres from the site, with a piece of steel fatally striking Katie in the head. Until December last year Mr McCracken was the chief executive of Queensland-based company Southern Cross Demolition. Although he retired from Southern Cross Demolition around Christmas, Mr McCracken said he was still involved in some demolition consulting work. Health and safety authorities in New South Wales and Queensland said Southern Cross Demolition had been issued with 9 compliance notices since 2009. The compliance notices issued in Queensland included four prohibition notices and two improvement notices between 2009 and 2017, a Queensland government spokesman said. Three improvement notices were issued to Southern Cross Demolition in NSW in 2013, and one prohibition notice was issued in 2012 although this was later withdrawn, a NSW government spokesman said. Prohibition notices typically concern more serious health and safety risks, while improvement notices are less urgent. Mr McCracken currently holds a building licence in the ACT with a demolition endorsement, according to the ACT's construction licence register. The ACT government granted his licence in 2005 under a mutual recognition program with NSW. The licence he holds has conditions restricting demolition to mechanical means only, ie using an excavator, or by hand, ie hand tools. Explosives cannot be used, an ACT government spokeswoman said. There is no suggestion Mr McCracken has used explosives in breach of that condition. Mr McCracken said he agreed to temporarily suspend his demolition work out of respect during the inquest into Katie Benders death in 1998. He said he went back into demolition once the inquest had finished. Southern Cross Demolition made headlines in 2013 following the explosive demolition of the Redbank silos in Brisbane. The blast initially failed to fell the building, which stood at awkward an angle until diggers were called in to finish the job manually. In 2011 Southern Cross Demolition was fined $40,000 after an accident in Queensland, which resulted in a man having his toe amputated. Mr McCracken said Southern Cross Demolition had a robust safety record and was proactive in dealing with safety issues. The company had done a lot of government contracts in Queensland and New South Wales and had worked for some of Australias biggest mining companies, he said. In 2011 Southern Cross Demolition made a submission on Safe Work Australias code of practice for demolition work, arguing for stronger safety measures concerning demolition work near water. Southern Cross Demolition was sub-contracted for the demolition of Wagga Wagga Hospital in New South Wales in 2016. Lawyer Bernard Collaery, who has acted for the Bender family, said licensing authorities had a heavy responsibility to determine Mr McCrackens ability in the wake of the Canberra Hospital tragedy. Everyone is capable of redemption and the past, tragic as it is, should not just of itself be held against him, he said.

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Silent protest to save Bagdurbar

Heritage conservationists and activists on Saturday peacefully protested at the gate of Bagdurbar in Sundhara seeking reversal of Kathmandu Metropolitan Citys (KMC) plan to demolish the historic building.
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Matthew Toohey is no stranger to hospitals. The Canberra resident said he's experienced three rounds of brain surgery and many MRI and CT scans due to a neurological condition. "I have a condition called hydrocephalus, which basically means that I have too much fluid in my brain," Mr Toohey said. "It can cause severe headaches and other symptoms as well. I had four days in Canberra Hospital because I had a migraine that was so bad [doctors] thought I had a stroke." Despite the complexities of his medical condition, the Narrabundah resident said he does not want to have a personal health record detailing his medical history stored online. Mr Toohey is one of thousands of Australians who have already opted out of the federal government's My Health Record scheme. An online medical record will be created for all Australians, unless they opt-out before October 15. The opt-out period began on Monday, with an estimated 20,000 people electing to not store their records online on the first day alone. The system will allow for records to be accessed by almost 13,000 health organisations and up to 900,000 health professionals. While Mr Toohey said such a scheme could be helpful to those with complex medical conditions or for those who change GPs or addresses, he said he's worried about a potential data breach. "I don't think there are enough protections there and I'm also concerned about the privacy," he said. "Not enough has been done to assure us that the data will be secure and won't be used for purposes other than that of health professionals. "The concept is good, but the execution of it is poor." It's estimated almost 6 million Australians already have a My Health Record created. A spokesman for the Australian Digital Health Agency said de-identified data will only be used for population health research and health services planning, and no information will travel between the parties until at least 2020. "My Health Record is built with strong privacy and security features including strong encryption, authentication, firewall protection and is protected by law," the spokesman said. "We actively monitor and respond to threats and risks within the cyber security environment. To date there has never been a security breach of the My Health Record system." Those with a record can receive information on healthcare providers who view their information, with penalties of $126,000 and up to two years in jail if a person accesses a record without authorisation. The spokesman for the agency said many authentication steps are in place in order for a doctor to view a My Health Record. The privacy concerns surrounding My Health Record comes as a new consumer survey of more than 2000 people from comparison website finder.com.au revealed 68 per cent of people with health insurance had no problems in handing over medical history to providers for cheaper insurance. Insights manager Graham Cooke said 70 per cent of women and 65 per cent of men would be willing to divulge their medical records, according to the survey. "The new system of giving the government access to personal data does raise the question about privacy," Mr Cooke said. "However, it shows that a monetary incentive goes a long way, given the majority of ACT residents are willing to give up their health information in exchange for lower insurance premiums." Mr Toohey said while he will still have many checkups and medical tests in coming months, he's not prepared to have his medical history online. "It would be very useful to have that sort of information to different people treating me, but I'm still not prepared to run the risk of a breach of privacy."

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Patrick Bacon is unfortunately used to pulling illegal nets out of Canberra's waterways. He's just not used to them being so big. The Access Canberra environment protection officer on Tuesday pulled a 25-metre net from Franklin Pond in Gungahlin after a concerned community member reported what they rightly suspected was illegal fishing activity. The find was, in every sense, the largest net of Mr Bacon's career. Im taking this to the EPA national conference," Mr Bacon said. "Im going for the world record." Mr Bacon said the net could have been from a commercial fishing trawler. When he pulled the monster catch and its four-metre cousin from the pond off Nullabor Avenue it had snagged only a couple of mouldy yabbies, some plastic bags, bait and and an old fishing reel. Mr Bacon said the find could've been much more serious, with turtles, platypus and other aquatic mammals at risk from illegal fishing activity. "Whoever it was I think has come off the trawlers in Queensland and brought their gear down here," he said. "Its an illegal activity but we at the EPA are here to regulate it. "Were not saving the Amazon but its the tangible victories like that which really give heart to what we do for a living." If caught, the owner of the net could face a $5000 fine. Mr Bacon reminded Canberrans to take pride in their environment. "It doesn't matter if your home backs on to the Franklin ponds or the Murrumbidgee, they're all connected," he said. Fish traps, enclosed nets and set lines are not allowed in the ACTs lakes and rivers. Other fishing is legal in certain areas of the territory. More information is available on the Access Canberra website or by calling 13 22 81.

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whats-on, music-theatre-arts

With its distinctive architecture rising symbolically out of the landscape, its not unusual to hear Canberras Parliament House described as a work of art. But when architect Romaldo Giurgola set out to create and build the home of Australias government, he also set in train an ambitious program of art and craft, commissioning contemporary artworks, furniture and installations by Australians artists and craftspeople to be integrated across the vast building and its surrounds. A new exhibition at Canberra Museum and Gallery takes some of that art out of the house and into a gallery space, to tell the story of how many styles and influences would eventually inform the iconic building. Director of Parliament Houses vast art collection Justine van Mourik said the building had been designed as an immersive experience, making some of the individual pieces difficult to appreciate. I'd always wanted to see the collection, and an examination of the art-craft program in a traditional museum or gallery space, she said. It's very hard within this building...You don't really get a sense of it as a cohesive whole, or even a sense of the scale of what it meant, that immense commissioning program, what it meant to an entire generation of artists across Australia. Although she eventually declined to curate the 30th anniversary exhibition herself - her instinct would have been to include too much, so that task fell to CMAG curator Mark Bayley - she said going through some of the rarely-seen artistic documentation of the building process had been fascinating. We could have done a whole show just on the construction photography - 30 photographers coming at it from different angles, she said. Instead, visitors can see photographs by renowned Australian artist Fiona Hall - taken early in her career - and a show-stopping installation of images and collage by Grace Cochrane. The work, which in its entirety takes up an entire wall in the gallery, has only ever been displayed once, at Cochranes graduating exhibition at the University of Tasmania in the 1980s. It was a favourite of ABC personality and Parliament House aficionado Annabel Crabb, in town to the launch the exhibition. She researched and presented a six-part television series on Parliament House, which aired last year, and said she was constantly surprised by what the building and its history had to offer. Actually, the story of the building is quite reminiscent of the story of Australia, full of lunacy and unexpected moments of beauty, she said. I think one of the most beautiful elements of this sort of layered history of artistic enterprise that lurks in that building for anyone who cares to have a look, is that it is this expression of hope and faith by all of these artisans from all over Australia using these extraordinary Australian materials, building a place that is about beauty and hope, as well as about the brutal business of compromise and debate that is politics. That's a really special thing. Crafting the house on the Hill: Art, Design and the Building of Australian Parliament House is showing at Canberra Music and Gallery until November 4.

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The ACT government's public housing taskforce is building homes to sell to Defence Housing Australia on public housing sites for "financial efficiency", but the government has refused to say how much money it will get from the sales. The taskforce, which was originally set up to build new public housing to replace over 1000 public housing units, has begun building 15 townhouses in Gungahlin town centre and 18 townhouses in Taylor to sell to the federal government-controlled housing company. Housing Minister Yvette Berry has said the decision to sell what were originally expected to be homes for public housing tenants was about creating a better social mix of residents on the public housing sites. The deal to sell the 33 townhouses to DHA comes at a time when average rents in Canberra are among the highest in the country, and ACT public housing is going only to those facing the most dire circumstances. Ms Berry has been working on a new affordable housing strategy for the ACT for more than 18 months. It is expected to be revealed at some point in the next five months, though the government will not name a specific date. Asked why the public housing taskforce expanded its remit to build homes to sell to a third party, rather than only continue building homes for some of Canberra's most vulnerable people, Ms Berry's spokeswoman said the deal had also been done for financial efficiency. "From the ACT government's point of view, the partnership was an opportunity for financial efficiency in the construction process and to support DHA in its mission to house Defence personnel and their families," she said in a statement. Greens MLA Caroline Le Couteur, who has been urging the government for several months to increase its affordable housing targets and build more public housing, said the minor party backed achieving a better social mix. She said that if "financial efficiency" meant the money would be fully reinvested in public housing, it should lead to a net increase in public housing stock, which Canberra desperately needed. But it is unclear exactly what the "financial efficiency" was that was created through the taskforce's deal with DHA, and the government has refused to explain how much revenue it expects to bring in through the deal, or whether the funds will go to more public housing or Treasury. The government did say the 33 properties the taskforce was building for DHA were in addition to the 1288 dwellings it is building to replace public housing that has been, and continues to be, torn down around the city. The DHA houses will be built alongside the public housing dwellings being built on Block 1, Section 248 and Block 4, Section 249, Gungahlin town centre east and 32 dwellings Block 3, Section 37 and Block 9, Section 39 in Taylor. There would be seven townhouses for DHA alongside 32 public housing dwellings in a multi-unit apartment block on each of the two Gungahlin sites, and 32 public housing dwellings in a multi-unit apartment block on Block 3, Section 37 Taylor. There are 26 public housing dwellings in another multi-unit apartment block on Block 9, Section 39, Taylor. Ms Berry's spokeswoman said the taskforce had developed significant expertise in building new homes under the program and DHA signing up to buy the townhouses was a strong endorsement of the taskforce's work. But she said the taskforce had no further plans to sell any taskforce-built homes to any private companies, emphasising DHA was a Commonwealth government business enterprise.

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Green waste bins will continue to pop up in their thousands around Canberra as the rollout progresses to Belconnen in September. The ACT government's green waste bin program had 22,400 residents in Tuggeranong and Weston Creek signed up by the end of June. Of that, 9700 were in the pilot areas of Weston Creek and Kambah. More than 3100 tonnes of green waste had been collected in green bins to June 30, a Transport Canberra and City Services spokesman said. The waste is processed into high quality mulch and compost at the Corkhill Bros facility at Mugga Lane. The spokesman said the green material collected to date had maintained a very low contamination level, recorded as 0.01 per cent of the total collection. Canberra green waste service providers voiced their concerns when the rollout began with fears the government program would destroy their businesses. Tom's Trash Paks Tuggeranong franchisee Lyal Keir said his business had taken a noticeable hit since the green bin rollout. "In the first few months I was losing clients hand over fist but it has plateaued a bit since then," Mr Keir said. "Look, if I'm honest it was probably not as severe as I was suspecting." Despite the impact not being as great as he first imagined, Mr Keir said he had still lost about 30 per cent of his client base. Mr Keir surveyed clients when they asked to leave the service, and found that of the past 30 surveys he collected about 26 of them had put the government's green bin program as their reason. He said it had also put a freeze on new clients taking up the service with only two joining in the past five months. He has had to reduce his work days from five to three each week because of the downturn in business. "It's starting to catch up with me," Mr Keir said. "I'm currently trying to find casual work to keep my head above water. "No one's going to buy a business that's going backwards." In December city services minister Meegan Fitzharris said the government would work with operators like Mr Keir to identify other opportunities as the ACT waste industry progresses. A Transport Canberra and City Services spokesman said talks were ongoing. Canberrans still have the option of doing business with providers like Toms Trash Paks," she said. "The government is continuing to talk with these providers. It is anticipated Belconnen residents will be able to sign up for the government's green bin program in August with collections expected to commence in September. There is a one-off $50 fee for a green waste bin which will remain in place as the rollout extends across all of Canberra. Eligible concession card holders are exempt.

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An Australian company is testing whether medicinal cannabis product could be used to treat medical conditions in family pets. After a successful trial of cannabis-based medicine to help treat conditions in dogs, CannPal is now expanding its testing to cats. The company's managing director Layton Mills, who was previously based in Canberra, said the products could be used to treat a range of illnesses. "For dogs, we've been able to treat conditions like osteoarthritis and hip dysplaysia and skin health and other areas like epilepsy and behavioural issues," Mr Mills said. "When we talk about what can be treated, at the moment the sky is the limit as we're learning more about the plant. "No one has done this in Australia before." CannPal recently announced it would work with Eurofins Animal Health to develop pain treatments using cannabis products for cats, with approvals being carried out. The first trial involved 11 dogs; eight were given active compounds containing cannabinoids while the other three were given placebos. Mr Mills said no adverse effects had been recorded in the initial trial. "Dogs are a lot easier to develop a drug for than cats because cats internal systems are known for being very finicky," he said. "We found that we have a good safety profile with the formulation and now we're able to expand." Medicinal cannabis for human consumption is already legal in Australia, but patients looking to use it have to go through several approval processes with the Therapeutic Goods Administration, federal and state governments. Among the conditions treated in humans are epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain and chemotherapy-induced nausea. It isn't only the company that's excited by the prospect of cannabis-based medicine for pets. The Australian Veterinary Association said research in the area represented a lot of potential. Veterinary association president Paula Parker said the medicine could provide many benefits once it had been fully tested. "We're seeing pets live longer and as a result we're seeing more geriatric diseases in pets like osteoarthritic diseases or cancer," Dr Parker said. "There's a lot of potential for treatment using effective compounds and the right dosages." It's estimated 60 per cent dogs between seven and 11 will develop arthritis and one in two will form some kind of cancer. In cats, 61 per cent of those over the age of six have arthritis in at least one joint. "There's a recent trend of the humanisation of pets, where they are treated as good, if not better, than children," Mr Mills said. "Pets are being treated a lot better and getting better medical care and are living longer, but a negative result from this is they're developing a lot of age-related issues." Dr Parker said little was known about the effective of cannabis-derived medicine's effect on pets due to cannabis being illegal in Australia, and little research had been done in the area. She was looking forward to further research in Australia, and findings coming from overseas. "What our colleagues in the US and Canada have found is as cannabis has become legalised and its becoming more common in homes there, we're seeing an increase in dogs and cats treated for toxicity," Dr Parker said. "We're seeing more edible cannabis products, and with pets being scavengers, they can go after the edible products and can become intoxicated quite easily." Since trials began of testing cannabis-derived products to treat conditions in dogs, Mr Mills said he had been inundated with correspondence from pet owners across the country. CannPal's founder said the next step in the process was getting the drugs approved and distributed only through registered vet specialists. While the trial with dogs was labelled a success, the upcoming one involving cats would be treated carefully. "Pending the next six to 12 months of the studies going well, we'll have a really good idea of the success rate of the drug and we'll have a good idea of if the product is going to be approved," Mr Mills said.

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Chandan Paul moved to Canberra in July last year, after the ACT government opened the door to live, study and work in the territory for a year in order to be nominated for a permanent residency visa. His dreams were dashed on June 29, when without warning, and less than a month before he would have fulfilled the requirements, the ACT government website encouraging migrants to choose Canberra as their home was updated to say he was no longer able to apply. There was no indication of whether the change was permanent, or if it was temporary, how long it would last. "I was so close to lodge my file," Mr Paul said. "Because I moved here on July 24 last year." The 27 year old from Bangladesh originally moved to Australia to gain an accounting degree in Melbourne. He moved to Canberra in a bid to qualify for permanent residency after eligibility requirements for a visa sponsored by the ACT were changed last year. His recent graduate visa expires in October, and he is not sure if he will find a way to stay in Australia without committing to an expensive masters degree. "I have no back up plan. I have no idea to be honest," he said. State and territory governments across the country can nominate potential migrants to apply for permanent residency in Australia if they work in a field that is in demand in that jurisdiction under the subclass 190 visa. After being nominated by a state or territory, the potential migrant then makes the final application through the Department of Home Affairs. In early July last year the ACT government widened the criteria for nomination for those whose occupation is not on the "open" list of in-demand jobs, if they already lived in Australia. The ways in which people with a skilled occupation could prove a connection to the city included the ability for those on student or recent graduate visas to live in the ACT for at least 12 months and complete a Certificate III or higher at a local institution. It was through this opportunity Mr Paul and many others streamed into the ACT. Less than 12 months after the criteria changed, the door was closed. At the same time, the Department of Home Affairs increased the points needed on a scale measuring skills and eligibility to live in Australia, again with little warning. Mr Paul is concerned his English score is too low to meet the new hurdle. Mr Paul estimates he is one of hundreds, if not thousands, to move to the ACT in an attempt to gain the permanent residency visa. He estimates he has spent tens of thousands of dollars to move and enrol in a course at a private college in Canberra. Also affected, Klaus Mic moved to Canberra in 2014 to finish a degree in international relations at the Australian National University. A Romanian and New Zealand citizen, Mr Mic finished his degree and began work as a public servant, but he felt his career options in his field were limited because he wasn't an Australian citizen. He began the process to apply for permanent residency through a Subclass 190 visa in the hope he would eventually become a citizen in the country where his brother and parents also now live. After receiving a final sign off from his employer on Wednesday, June 27, Mr Mic had only to lodge his paperwork with the ACT government, but he missed out because there was no warning. "Had I applied that morning I wouldn't be in this position," Mr Mic said. "I'm stuck." "A nice warning would have sufficed, just so I could have saved starting this whole process." Mr Mic's younger brother was successfully nominated for the visa by the ACT government just one week before the eligibility changed. The ACT government said recent changes to Home Affairs legislation changing criteria and costs for employer-nominated visas had put pressure on the territory's nominated visas. A government spokeswoman said the program regularly opened and closed applications for visa nominations due to demand. The change isn't permanent, but there's no word on when people who had been preparing to apply could do so again. "This is a temporary measure so that the ACT government can investigate alternative options to effectively manage the increased demand for the ACT 190 nomination program," the spokeswoman said. Around 300 applications received last financial year have been grandfathered into this year's allocation and will continue to be assessed, the spokeswoman said. The ACT government doesn't believe the increased demand for the visa was caused by changes to its own eligibility criteria, but by changes made by Home Affairs. Demand for the program in the ACT had been increasing steadily, and was set to increase further with changes to eligibility for nomination. In 2015-16, 640 nominations were processed, increasing to 930 the following year and 1140 nominations last year. According to Home Affairs, 825 applications were successful last year. Are you affected? Email sally.whyte@fairfaxmedia.com.au to share your story.

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news, act-politics

Simon Banks, Labor lobbyist and former adviser to a string of Labor leaders including Kevin Rudd and Mark Latham, is considering contesting the new seat of Canberra. Mr Banks has been phoning members of the ACT branch of the party to test the waters, and said on Sunday he would make a decision probably in the coming week. If he stands, he will present a real challenge to St Vincent de Paul Society chief executive, John Falzon, who was confirmed as the Left's candidate last week, and throw another complication into a contest that already has some rough battles. Katy Gallagher (left faction) is trying to wrest back her Senate seat from incumbent David Smith (right), who became senator in May after Ms Gallagher was forced to resign when the High Court judged she had been a dual citizen at the 2016 election. Senator Smith is fighting back and will not relinquish the seat easily. In the lower House, Canberra is a new seat, adding to the other two held by Gai Brodtmann (right) and Andrew Leigh (unaligned). Kel Watt, a lobbyist who led the fighting against Canberra's greyhound racing ban, is contesting the new seat. But his candidacy has sparked another stoush after a dirt-sheet was distributed last week to female members of the party in a bid to discredit him. Members of the local right faction wanted an independent investigator to investigate the smear but the local executive refused and instead tried to set up a panel to investigate. Now, the national executive has stepped in and is expected to meet on Tuesday. ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr's staffer Jacob Ingram is also contesting the seat. Mr Ingram and Mr Watt are from the party's right faction. Some in the party had pushed for two contests - to decide the candidate for the Senate seat first, then the lower house seat. The move would have allowed Senator Smith if ousted by Ms Gallagher, or Ms Gallagher in the opposite turn of events, to contest the seat of Canberra. But it now appears the candidates for both seats will be decided at once, leaving one of the pair out in the cold. Mr Banks, who describes himself as progressive socially and economically, is not a member of either faction, but worked as chief of staff to former right faction Labor leaders Simon Crean, Mark Latham, Kim Beazley and Kevin Rudd, including chief of staff to Mssrs Rudd and Crean. He managed the online side of the 2007 Kevin07 campaign and ACT republic campaigns and is now with lobbyist Hawker Britton. Mr Banks said he moved to Canberra as a baby when his father took up a post at the Australian National University and has lived in the city on and off since. He studied law at the ANU. In a Crikey profile, Mr Banks said he had toyed with entering politics when he was a young Labor activist, but had since decided he belonged in the back room. But on Sunday he confirmed he was considering standing. "I haven't made a decision," he said, while confirming he had been calling members to test support. "We'll see."

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Tara Air adds new aircraft to its fleet

Tara Air has added a new Viking DHC6-400 Twin Otter aircraft to its fleet. The Viking 400 Twin Otter aircraft arrived on Friday at Kathmandus airport after its ferry flight from Seychelles via the Maldives and India.
Photo: File photo

The actions of some striking Gateway Casino workers may be harming more than their employer.

Some 130 BCGEU members walked off the job across the Okanagan four weeks go in a labour dispute involving better pay.

While union members picket Gateway, there may be some collateral damage to businesses around the Anderson Subdivision casino in Vernon.

Castanet has heard of at least two businesses that say striking workers are harassing customers who drive through the parking lot that is shared with Gateway.

But a local union representative said are being to make sure they do not interfere with other businesses.

Chelsea Leece said she has heard of problems at other sites, but for our location it is a little tricky because our main entrance way is a shared entry way.

But I can tell you my picketers have been told not to stand in front of cars. We're doing our best to patronize these businesses as well so we want to ensure we all stay friends here. We're not here to impede their business, we are here to impede Gateway's business.
Photo: BC Gov't

The provincial government has announced the addition of 431 new campsites across the province.

The announcement was made Saturday in honour of Canadas Parks Day, and includes new sites in the Okanagan, although specific locations were not listed.

The new sites will be in areas of high demand, including the Okanagan, Kootenay Rockies, Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, bringing the total across B.C. to almost 11,000.

The sites range from backcountry to group camping at BC Parks and forestry recreation sites.

Upgraded facilities also include road work, new water taps, power, dishwashing stations, accessible toilets, trails and a new large shower building at the Hampton campground in E.C. Manning Provincial Park. A new playground has been installed at Shuswap Lake.

People are passionate about spending time in our beautiful provincial parks, and that has increased demand for camping opportunities, said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. The additional campsites, combined with upgrades to existing facilities, will improve the overall experience of B.C.s natural beauty and provide a range of camping opportunities for everyone to enjoy.

B.C.s provincial parks system is the third-largest in North America, behind only the U.S National Park Service and Parks Canada, receiving more than 21 million visits annually.
Photo: Nicole Hemeon

Okanagan wildfires still threaten hundreds of homes across the Valley.

Five properties remain on an evacuation order while 92 are under an alert due to the Mount Eneas wildfire along Highway 97 north of Summerland and the Meadow Valley area north-west of Summerland.

Thirty properties remain on an evacuation order in the northern area of Garnet Valley due to the Mount Eneas wildfire. Another 108 properties remain on an evacuation alert within the District of Summerland (Garnet Valley area and along Bridgeman Road.)

An Emergency Social Service reception centre in Summerland is open at the Summerland Curling Club at 8820 Jubilee Road East.

For more information on the hours of the Summerland Reception Centre please go online or call 250-486-3765.

The Penticton Indian Band declared a local state of emergency on July 18 due to the Mount Conkle wildfire. Homes in the Penticton Indian Band remain on an evacuation alert due to the forest fire.

The Mount Conkle wildfire still burns within its guard.

BC Hydro service has been cut off by the Mount Eneas Wildfire in the RDOS Electoral Area F, in the vicinity of Faulder and Meadow Valley.

About 244 BC Hydro customers are impacted by the power outage. When safe to do so, BC Hydro crews will access the area and make plans to repair the damage.

Residents without power should be prepared for the outage to continue through the rest of the weekend and into early next week.

For more information go online or call 1-800-224-9376.

The Regional District of Central Okanagan has placed properties on the border of the two areas on an evacuation Alert. For more information on properties on an evacuation alert and order within the RDCO click here.

The campground at Okanagan Lake Provincial Park remains under an evacuation alert.

Other Provincial Parks in the RDOS are partially impacted by wildfire including Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park, Cathedral Lake Provincial Park and the Snowy Mountain Protected Area.
The Stranger

Sometimes I would see the stranger, a silhouette of a man by the window who was, perhaps, also looking at me. I did not wave and neither did he
The Widow

She had been through a lot in life. She could have been anything, she could do anything, but here she wasa nokarniwho had failed to please her maliks
Greg Laurie Describes 'Charismatic' Antichrist, Rapture Christian Post Contributor | 21 July, 2018 by Stoyan Zaimov

Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, described in an end times message on Sunday what the antichrist will be like when he comes on earth.

"He is sent by Satan himself," Laurie said in his sermon, titled "America, Antichrist, and the End of Days," as he preached from the books of Daniel, 2 Thessalonians and Revelation.

"Satan is effectively an imitator, he always copies. Whatever God has, the devil will have his imitation," the California megachurch pastor continued.

"There is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and there is Satan who wants to be in the place of God, and if Satan had a son, that would be the antichrist."

He went on to describe the antichrist in more detail, saying, "When this man emerges on the scene, he may not be what you would expect. He will not be dressed in head to toe in black, with glowing red eyes and steam coming out of him, and the Darth Vader theme song playing when he walks into a room.

"In fact, he will be a very charismatic world leader. A great orator, very convincing, probably very handsome.

"Think 'The Devil Wears Prada,'" he quipped.

"He is going to do things that no world leader has ever done before. He is going to solve the Middle East conflict, and is he is going to rid the world at least temporarily of terrorism. He is going to be hailed as the greatest peace talker that ever lived," Laurie warned.

The antichrist, he said, will even "get the Jewish nations and the Arab nations to sign a peace treaty that will pave the way for the long awaited Third Temple. The antichrist will be a satanic superman. But it's all a mask hiding who he really is, [namely] the most evil man that ever lived."

Laurie pointed out that there are over 100 passages in the Bible that talk about the antichrist. Summarizing some of the most important things to know about the figure, he said that the antichrist "is coming to defy and to take the place of Jesus."

"The antichrist is coming to declare war on believers and to dominate the globe," he warned, stating that he will "get his powers from Hell," as he is "the devil's disciple, Satan's son."

He said that before all that will happen, however, Jesus Christ will first come for His church. The pastor urged believers to have hope in the rapture, when Christians will be caught up together in the air.

He insisted that the rapture is good news because it means that people living at the time will be brought up to Heaven and meet their loved ones who have passed away.

"The rapture will be faster than the twinkling of an eye. That's why we should study Bible prophecy. There is no theology without doxology. That's another way of saying 'how does this affect me,' (and answering) 'because I will see my loved ones again.' That's why there is a rapture," Laurie explained.

The pastor said that the rapture can come at anytime, and slammed those who claim they can predict an exact date.

"It could happen at any moment, we don't know when that will be. It will be a glorious day," he concluded. "Get right or get left. Get right with God."

Back in May, Laurie told The Christian Post that believers are capable of understanding Bible prophecy.

Read more about Greg Laurie Describes 'Charismatic' Antichrist, Rapture on The Christian Post.
Law Group Outraged After Pastor Andrew Brunson Returns to Turkish Prison in 'Sham' Case Christian Post Contributor | 21 July, 2018 by Stoyan Zaimov

American pastor Andrew Brunson is facing several more months in prison after being remanded by a Turkish court on Wednesday, in what a U.S. law group is calling a "fabricated" and "ridiculous" trial that again failed to produce evidence against him.

"We are very upset that he was not released, outraged that Turkey is allowed to continue to carry on this sham," American Center for Law and Justice Senior Counsel CeCe Heil told The Christian Post on Thursday.

Following the July 18 hearing, Heil noted that the whole world can now see that Turkey's court case against Brunson is little more than a sham.

"From the beginning, we have known that there is no case against pastor Brunson. The fact that it took them over a year-and-a-half to even get an indictment out and really officially charge him with any crime  we knew that they were trying to fabricate a case," she said.

"Now we have seen three trial dates, April 16, May 7, and July 18, yesterday, where anybody can see that there is no case against pastor Brunson."

Brunson has been in prison since October 2016, when he was arrested and later indicted on terrorism charges relating to alleged connections with Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania but is accused by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of staging a failed coup in the country in the summer of 2016.

The pastor, who led Izmir Resurrection Church for over two decades before his arrest, has denied all charges, arguing that he is being held for his faith in Jesus Christ.

"The prosecution's witnesses are secret witnesses and they have been completely discredited. They have no witnesses; not one witness has been able to provide a shred of evidence to back up their ridiculous allegations, and pastor Brunson has basically and effectively been denied [the opportunity] to put on a defense," Heil told CP.

"So what had happened yesterday is not a shock, in that we know that there is no real trial going on here."

Pastor Bill Devlin from Infinity Bible Church in New York City traveled to Aliaga for the hearing. He told CP that a pastor and a woman were allowed to testify in defense of Brunson on Wednesday but the prosecution brought forward three "false witnesses" who didn't offer any firsthand information about the accusations against Brunson.

Significant hopes had been raised in the weeks leading up to Wednesday's hearing that Brunson might be released.

Turkish newspaper the Hurriyet Daily News even reported that diplomats in Ankara, the capital, were expecting his potential release, given the pressure U.S. lawmakers are putting on Turkey.

Read more about Law Group Outraged After Pastor Andrew Brunson Returns to Turkish Prison in 'Sham' Case on The Christian Post.
Ohio Restaurant Ends Church Discount After Atheists Complain About Discrimination 21 July, 2018 by Leonardo Blair , |

A newly opened Ohio restaurant that offered a Sunday discount to churchgoers for several weeks was forced to end the offer after owners were warned by an atheist organization that the discount could be discriminatory under the law.

Justin Watson, who opened the Starters Cafe on Glenmore Avenue in Cheviot in June, said he was just trying to attract business from at least seven churches within a 1-mile radius of his restaurant when he decided to offer the discount, according to KCBY.

"What we did was make an offer on social media to give a 10 percent discount to anyone that gave a church bulletin to us on Sunday for brunch," Watson told KCBY.

For several weeks, the special pricing was welcomed by the community and no concern was raised about the restaurant discriminating.

"Nobody has said a word to me in any way, shape or form. So as far as you know, thinking that that was any type of discriminatory act or anything offensive to anybody seemed completely absurd to me," Watson explained.

He told 10TV that the discount wasn't even based on one religion.

"Any congregation, any religion, any area, whatever  as long as you brought me a church bulletin, I would give you 10 percent off your meal for the day. It seemed pretty simple and here we are," he said.

Someone reportedly complained about the special on Yelp, saying he was discriminating against non-religious people.

Then a letter from the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation followed.

"I realized there may actually be legal repercussions for this. So in the end, I ultimately (ended up) recanting the offer and also issuing an apology to the lady," Watson said.

Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the FFRF, told KCBY that she was "shocked" at the lack of understanding people have about civil rights laws.

Read more about Ohio Restaurant Ends Church Discount After Atheists Complain About Discrimination on The Christian Post.
School Threatens to Call Police on Person Handing Out Bibles to Elementary Students Christian Post Contributor | 21 July, 2018 by Samuel Smith

An Illinois school district has sent a cease and desist letter to a community member who was handing out Bibles to students on school property and has threatened to call the cops if Bible distribution continues.

At the request of the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, the La Harpe Community School District has ordered an elementary school principal to stop placing Bible verses on official school correspondence and has also told an unnamed evangelist to stop passing out Bibles on school property.

In May, FFRF sent a letter to Superintendent Ryan Olson to voice two complaints about Christianity being promoted on school grounds in ways that the group claims violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The first complaint involved La Harpe Elementary School Principal Lila McKeown. The principal was accused of using her position to promote her Christian faith through flyers distributed to teachers at staff meetings. The flyers included Bible verses and some were related to holidays such as Easter and Christmas.

One flyer read: "Easter is the celebration of God's greatest gift  salvation through Jesus Christ." Another flyer called for the homes of staff members to be "filled with loving presence of our almighty God."

Secondly, the group accused McKeown of allowing outside adults to distribute Bibles at the school doors. The organization believes that the individuals could be affiliated with Gideons International, an evangelical Christian evangelistic organization.

FFRF requested that the school district take action to stop the practices going on at La Harpe Elementary.

The school district's attorney responded to FFRF's request by stating that McKeown was not aware of the Bible distribution but assured that she will no longer be allowed to place Bible verses in staff communication.

According to Christian conservative columnist Todd Starnes, the school district's attorney explained that it is likely the Bibles were being distributed in the street that splits the school campus in half. The road was previously maintained by the city but has been maintained and owned by the school district since 2013. However, the attorney explained, many community members still think that it is a city road.

In his letter to the school district, FFRF Staff Attorney Ryan Jayne argued that courts have held that it is unlawful to distribute Bibles to students during instructional time and cited a 1993 Seventh Circuit ruling disallowing Gideons International from distributing Bibles in classrooms.

"Religion is inherently divisive and has no official place in a public school where staff and young students hold varied beliefs  and no belief at all," FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor said in a statement. "It's commendable that the district has investigated and remedied these violations."

According to FFRF, the school district sent a "cease and desist" letter to the individual who was responsible for handing out the holy book and said that it would contact the police "should he or any affiliated persons come onto the School District campus for the purpose of distributing Bibles to students."

The school district has reportedly gone as far as to enact a new policy requiring staff members to notify school administration if they see someone handing out Bibles.

FFRF regularly pressures school districts and local government entities into taking action against any conceivable government entanglement with religion.

Last month, a Kansas high school principal agreed to stop using his platform at graduation ceremonies to encourage graduating students to look to Jesus to find success in life. Great Bend High School by Principal Tim Friess came under fire from FFRF following his remarks at a May 20 graduation ceremony.

Earlier this year, another Illinois school district banned a school principal from inviting parents and community members to the school's flagpole for an annual prayer event. The move by the El Paso-Gridley Community Unit School District No. 11 came after FFRF filed a complaint about the matter.

Read more about School Threatens to Call Police on Person Handing Out Bibles on The Christian Post.
Thousands rally in support of Dr KC

The Solidarity for Dr Govinda KC Alliancea loose coalition of supporters of the physicians indefinite hunger strikeorganised a rally in Kathmandu on Saturday to press the government to address his demands. On the 22nd day of Dr KCs 15th hunger strike, they also chanted slogans against the leftist governments autocratic moves.
When Cultural Relativists Defend Human Sacrifice 21 July, 2018 by Eric Metaxas & G. Shane Morris , |

"Hey, don't judge." We hear those words a lot. But it takes real commitment to say them while staring at 130 thousand murder victims.

Imagine walking into the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan in the year 1519. Situated on an island in the middle of an ancient lake where Mexico City now stands, Tenochtitlan was spectacular, even in a region known for its pyramids and plazas.

But what really caught the attention of the Spanish conquistadors was the tower of human skulls that stood in front of the temple of the Aztec gods. Known as Tzompantli, this gruesome structure reportedly contained the skulls of some 130 thousand victims of human sacrifice, performed to ensure that the sun would continue to rise and rain would continue to fall.

For many years, historians considered Spanish tales of the Aztec tower of skulls exaggerations or fabrications, invented to justify the conquest of Tenochtitlan two years later. That is until 2015, when archaeologists began finding skull fragments under a Colonial-era house in Mexico City.

They have now uncovered hundreds of intact skulls of people who were neatly defleshed and decapitated. Archaeologists are piecing together a picture of a city built around ritual slaughter on an unimaginable scale. They estimate the Tzompantli was over a hundred feet long, forty feet wide, and fifteen feet tall. And as new victims were sacrificed regularly, it was always freshly-stocked. If anything, the old stories fell short of just how monstrous this monument to Aztec religion was.

Now, you'd think we could all agree that human sacrifice is a horrific evil. But the author of the Science Magazine article about this tower of skulls begs to differ. Lizzie Wade took to Twitter to chide her readers for not seeing things from the Aztecs' perspective!

The people who built the Tzompantli, she writes, saw the skulls of their victims as "seeds they planted to insure the existence of future generations of people." She continues, writing that human sacrifice may seem "weird and violent and gruesome to our Western colonial gaze. But don't for a second think that's the only way to see it, or the 'right' way to see it." What's so fun about archaeology, she concludes, is "trying to understand a worldview that is fundamentally, deeply different than the one we have been trained to think is natural and right. Try it sometime."

Wade's tweet storm should help us understand a worldview that is fundamentally, deeply different, but it's not the worldview of the Aztecs. It's the worldview of cultural relativism, which rejects ultimate claims about right and wrong, good and evil, and insists that everythingeven the immorality of human sacrificeis culturally relative. Those from one culture shouldn't condemn those from another culture where right and wrong are different. Or that's the idea.

The problem is Wade doesn't seem to believe it herself. Her tweets are peppered with remarks about "colonial oppression and destruction," giving the impression that she won't judge Mesoamerican human sacrifice, but she's perfectly willing to judge the Europeans who put an end to it.

Now obviously, the behavior of Spanish conquistadors was indefensible. That's not the point. The point is it's impossible to live as a consistent cultural or moral relativist.

Read more about cultural relativism on The Christian Post.
When Is an Apologetic Dialogue No Longer Worth Pursuing? Christian Post Contributor | 21 July, 2018 by Randal Rauser

Is it worth debating people if you can't change their mind?

Over the years, I have often heard atheists pose the question, "What kind of evidence would it take you to give up your Christian belief?" In many cases, the assumption behind the question seems to be that the Christian should have some clear threshold of evidence in mind. And failure to state what that threshold is would call into question the rationality and intellectual seriousness of the Christian.

Atheists aren't the only ones posing this kind of demand. I recently came across a similar view expressed by Christian apologist Max Andrews in the following tweet:

"When dialoguing with your interlocutor, ask them, 'What must obtain so that your position be changed or that you're convinced of my position?' If they fail to present conditions or claim that nothing will, discard the conversation and neglect the casting of pearls before swine." (source)

I disagree strongly with Mr. Andrews' sentiments and in this article, I'm going to explain why by considering what it means to have an open-mind and whether the possession of an open-mind is essential for worthwhile conversation.

Does Having an Open Mind Require You to Know When it Would Change?

First up, Andrews, assumes that having an open-mind about a belief entails having the ability to state the conditions under which one would give up that belief. But I see no reason to think that is true.

Consider the example of Calvinism. After growing up a default Arminian, I became a Calvinist in 1999. Two years later, I rejected Calvinism and returned to an Arminian position, albeit a post-critical Arminian position.

While I am an Arminian once again, I certainly think I'm open-minded on this topic and I know many Calvinists who would agree with me. Despite that fact, I can't say what exactly would persuade me to change my mind on the question: new exegesis of Romans 9? A novel argument in favor of soft determinism or perhaps the incompatibility of libertarian free will with divine foreknowledge? I'm not sure. Anyone of these could change my mind, but without having the evidence presented to me, I can't be sure.

I do suspect that if I were to change my mind and accept Calvinism again, it would likely come about as the result of a gradual process in which various arguments or lines of evidence would slowly erode my commitment to Arminianism leading to the moment when I suddenly come to realize, "Hey, I'm a Calvinist again!"

The fact is that this is typically how major belief conversions occur: slowly, over time, by way of multiple small steps culminating finally in one big change. But the ability to anticipate precisely the moment when that change would occur on a particular topic is typically something we don't know.

To conclude my first objection, it seems to me that the ability to identify the point at which you'd abandon a belief is not an essential hallmark of open-mindedness.

Read more about When Is an Apologetic Dialogue No Longer Worth Pursuing? on The Christian Post.
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I believe the Church is a steward of righteousness and have stated the reasons in a previous post. The Church is made up of people who have been forensically declared to be righteous by God. As such we are called to practice righteousness. But what does that righteousness look like in our everyday life? How do we, as Christians, do righteousness?

John 3:7 tells us "Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous." The practice of righteousness is not an option for Christians "For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds" (Psalm 11:7). Thus, righteousness is something that we do, and we work diligently to become good at it. In fact, being saved from sin we "have become slaves of righteousness" (Romans 6:18), which means we are bound to righteousness and must be recognized by our deeds. This is very important to know and understand, especially with the current religiopolitical state of the Christian community.

According to Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, the regular use of the everyday Greek word for righteousness "fixes the meaning in the sphere of a life in conformity to a known standard or law." This is in relation to the "covenanted" people of God and infers adherence to honesty and legality, and doing God's will. This means there is a standard of conduct that Christians, as individuals and as the body of Christ, must abide by in the public discharge of our responsibilities.

Here is what we must understand: we cannot compromise on righteousness. Proverbs 21:3 says, "To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice." Over the past two years we have seen Christians sacrifice truth, integrity, biblical values, moral standards and character for what they perceive to be good. Some will object that they did what was necessary and acted according to their conscience, but they do not understand that their actions undermined their righteousness. We are responsible to ensure that our deeds are above reproach, "So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil" (Rom. 14:16).

The practice of righteousness means having the courage to maintain our integrity regardless of the circumstance. In spite of all he had endured, Job declared that the righteous will maintain his ways (17:9). We cannot compromise our righteousness because we fear the outcome of someone else's actions. "Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked" (Prov. 25:26). We must never be so desperate that we will turn our backs on our values. Our God will supply all that we can ever need (Phil. 4:19), and can deliver us out of all our troubles (Psalm 34:17).

The practice of righteousness means rejecting the fruits of the ungodly. Proverbs 12:12 says, "Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers, but the root of the righteous bears fruit." We have been willing to cross morally questionable lines to win. We may not have personally done those things, but we gladly accepted the spoils. The Lord did not accept the spoils of war from Saul because they were the fruits of disobedience. Yes, the bounty were of high quality - the best of the spoils - but they were not fruits of righteousness. A thing may be intrinsically good, but the means of obtaining it can make it unacceptable.

The practice of righteousness means speaking up for and defending the poor. "A righteous man knows the rights of the poor; a wicked man does not understand such knowledge" (Prov. 27:7). We cannot ignore the plight of those within our society who are burdened by policies that do more to suppress their humanity, health and economic development than lift them up. It is up to us to "speak truth to power" and let our government leaders know that this is not right. Therefore, "Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy" (Prov. 31:9).

The practice righteousness means not aligning ourselves with those who deprive the innocent. Proverbs 18:5 says, "It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice." Christians cannot take the side of those who profit at the expense of others. Those who deny the poor or ethnic people basic sustenance and fair opportunities, are wicked, and no Christian should to stand by them or make excuses for them. "He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord" (Prov. 17:15). When the poor are getting poorer because the rich and powerful enact policies and laws to that effect, believers should not continue to support those responsible (James 2:1-13).

The practice of righteousness means rejecting all falsehoods. Proverbs 13:5 says "The righteous hates falsehood, but the wicked brings shame and disgrace." One of the most disconcerting revelations of the past two years is the ease with which some in the Christian community embraced falsehoods that were easily refuted. Even when proven to be false, a significant number stubbornly propagate those falsehoods and hiss at those who call them out. All liars will face certain judgement (Rev 21:8). We show that we value our righteousness when we call out those who continue to spread falsehoods, even if we are their supporters.

We run a very real risk of slipping into evil ourselves if we continue to abide with those who persist in evil. Everything that righteousness stands against is evil. If we are not practicing righteousness, then we are starving our spirits and feeding the evil desires of our flesh. This, Paul says, prevents us from doing the right thing (Gal. 5:17). It is not enough to say that we only like the good things an evil person does and do not approve of the rest. If our actions enabled the spread of evil, we cannot only plead to the "good" things. Nothing but a clean break will suffice, and that by practicing uncompromising righteousness.

What we discussed to practice above are all fruits of righteousness. That is what pleases and delights the Lord. "Thus says the Lord: 'Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight,' declares the Lord" (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

Marvin G. Thompson has, over the past 38 years, served as youth leader, church officer, assistant Sunday School Superintendent and teacher, and presently as a deacon and preacher, serve men's and small group ministry leadership and. Started the Berean Fundamentals blog on Christian Post to challenge Christians to live consistently with the teachings of Scripture.
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Americans are having fewer and fewer babies, and the New York Times wants to know why.

We've talked quite a bit on BreakPoint over the past few months about the declining fertility rate in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the average American woman will have 1.76 children during her lifetime.

To put that in perspective, that's lower than the largely secular Western European countries of France, Norway and Sweden. It's only 10 percent higher than China, with its history of forced abortions and the "one-child," now "two-child" policy.

The decline in fertility has become so serious that even outlets like the New York Times have started to ask what's behind this decline. In fact, the Times recently ran an article entitled "Americans are having fewer babies. They told us why."

The answer was, in a word, "economics." Four of the top five answers cited financial or economic reasons, led by "Child care is too expensive." The top two non-economic reasons were "Want more time for the children I have" and "Want more leisure time."

I don't doubt at all that the respondents were sincere. Financial and economic considerations of course play an important role in the choices people make as to when to have children and how many children to have.

But the key words are "when" and "how many." Nothing in the Times' article challenges the cultural assumptions that even more than the economic considerations are driving down fertility rates in the Western world.

The first assumption to consider is what we mean in the West by "the good life." In Luke 12, Jesus says, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." In Colossians 3, Paul calls covetousness a form of idolatry.

But modern ideas about the good life turn this on its head. Covetousness is the means by which commercials sell us things. It is the dominant marketing strategy in our nation. In fact, we're not even sold stuff anymore; we're sold experiences, self-fulfillment, novelty, and most of all, freedom from any restraint and consequences.

And that's especially true when it comes to sex. The personal freedom we're sold denies any inherent connection whatsoever not only between sex and marriage, but between marriage and children. As one liberal commentator put it, for many Americans having kids is a discretionary activity, like collecting classic cars or visiting every parrot sanctuary in the world.

Unfortunately, "many Americans" includes Christians. The indissoluble link between sex, marriage, and children may be the single most-ignored, most obvious biblical principle in Christian circles.

I know this because every time we bring up the subject of contraception, or surrogacy, or the call to have children, we catch a lot of flak. Especially when I talk to young Christians, I can get them to acknowledge a link between sex and marriage, but the idea that sex, marriage, and children arefor the Christiana package deal, is a really hard sell.

Christians, of all people, should understand that self-sacrifice is at the heart of what the Bible calls the good life. The only way to save our life is to lose it. For many Christians, that should start with children.

As we've said before, marriage, "from the beginning" in God's plan for humanity has unitive and procreative functions. It's why we mourn with couples who experience the deep pain of infertility. We know something is wrong. On the other hand, intentionally childless marriages are incompatible with God's intention for marriages. This would be true even if our fertility rate were three times what it is now.

But, of course, it isn't, which leaves me wondering if we aren't taking our cues from the wrong sources: a culture that worships self, pursues freedom from restraint and consequence as the good life, and ultimately separates the pleasures of sex from the contexts of marriage and procreation.

Originally posted at Breakpoint.
Context

I was preparing our house for repainting recently and made a somewhat difficult decision to give away a substantial part of my library. In my spirit however I sensed that there was something more significant in this than making more living space at home.

As I began to seek the Lord about what this might significance might be I became a little embarrassed. Insight came as I was attending a celebratory meeting for a Christian organisation. An outstanding and highly decorated leader was presented with a plaque and it was suggested he could hang it up in his hall of fame; a passageway lined with numerous degrees and rewards.

Then the Lord showed me that my books were totemic and needed to be moved on for a serious spiritual reason.

Totems Totems Everywhere

We are probably familiar with images of totem poles from Native American religion. Totems are physical objects believed to provide a spiritual connection to some power beyond them. The spiritual danger associated with totems can be more subtly dangerous than the open worship of gods represented by idols.

I needed to dispose of my theology books because they represented identification with intellectual ability; an emphasis unhealthy for my spiritual life because it took my eyes off Jesus as the source of all true knowledge (Colossians chapter 2 verse 3).

Whilst our society has inherited the Greek love for knowledge the Bible categorically says God is love. (1 John chapter 4 verse 8). To the degree that I loved what my books represented to that degree they needed to be removed. Fair enough you might think; but are totems really everywhere?

I was reading an article recently whose author justified the smashing of church statues during the Reformation because they obscure the image of God truly located only in Jesus (Colossians chapter 1 verse 15).

His logic was that anything which is venerated as though God inhabits it in some way deserves to be destroyed because it is deceiving Gods people. But I could sense that the author venerated his own Reformed theological tradition as if it were the final word about God. On the Pentecostal side of things, Hillsong fans surely act at times as if the Spirit was somehow contained in our times of singing.

There is no real difference between these unconscious attitudes and the belief that the bread and wine at the Lords Supper literally hold Christ in them. Rounding out my examples, progressive (liberal) Christians sometimes speak as if the Lord is especially with them because they are fundamentalists. In all these cases something other than Jesus is looked upon to validate Christian identity.

Totems are everywhere, because they fill peoples minds. Thats why Paul exhorts us to resist every lofty opinion...and take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 5). When was the last time you took one of your own thoughts captive to submit to Jesus?

A Kind Shaking

In his kindness the Lord sometimes sovereignly intervenes to shake to pieces the totemic structures we love. He most effectively brings down ungodly pillars of significance in our lives by shaking them at their foundations. This might be a shaking that comes from losing job security, a breakdown in relational trust, shattered finances, a decline in good health or conflict at church.

In every painful situation Gods intentions for us are good because we are better off totem free; which means being free for the Lord himself.

Shake me Please

If we are spiritually discerning we will see that the Spirit is always working to shake us; now he has promised, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens....in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. (Hebrews chapter 12 verse 26-27).

Unless we are arrogantly confident that our lives are fully totem free we would be wise to ask the Lord to shake up and expose these subtle spiritual powers. Since God is faithful (1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 9) he certainly will oblige any request for a shake up.

An aged apostle wrote these final words to a people he deeply loved; Little children, keep yourselves from idols. (1 John chapter 5 verse 21). Attention to this exhortation is urgently needed by all of us.

The Rev. Dr John Yates is an Anglican minister in Perth and has 5 children and 7 grandchildren. He spends time in praying, mentoring and writing.

John Yatess previous articles may be viewed at

http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/john-yates.html
A federal lawsuit by Texas officials earlier this year seeking to order the end of the federal immigration program called the Deferred Act for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, will have "immediate, irreparable injury" to Texas businesses and cost the state's economy billions of dollars, according to a coalition of pro-business organizations.

Seven Texas-based chambers of commerce, two pro-business consortiums and four prominent companies  including Southwest Airlines  filed an unprecedented court brief late Saturday asking a federal judge in Houston to reject Attorney General Ken Paxton's argument that the DACA program be ended and dismantled.

Lawyers for Vinson & Elkins, which represents the business coalition that includes the Texas Association of Business, argue that Paxton's case  if successful  would significantly damage their operations, deprive them of much needed work expertise and cost the state of Texas tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues.

Texas and six other states filed the lawsuit in May asking the court to "immediately rescind and cancel all DACA permits currently in existence," which legal experts say would lead to the deportation of more than 126,000 young Texans  widely referred to as "Dreamers"  who were brought into the U.S. when they were small children.

In a 20-page legal brief filed Saturday just before midnight, lawyers representing the coalition of businesses argue that the state's lawsuit is legally flawed and should be denied.

The pro-business groups say that Paxton's lawsuit will cost the Texas economy to lose more than $6 billion in gross domestic product  $2 billion of it from the Houston area economy.

"Dreamers are important to the health of the Texas economy, and enjoining the DACA initiative will have significant negative consequences for Texas businesses," Texas businesses argue in their newly filed court documents.

"Dreamers are active participants in the Texas economy, creating jobs, contributing to Texas businesses as employees, supporting Texas businesses as consumers, and paying taxes to the State to support important programs," V&E lawyers Harry Reasoner, Tom Leatherbury and Beto Cardenas argue for their clients.

"Researchers have estimated that if Dreamers could no longer be granted deferred action under the DACA guidelines, the United States would lose approximately $460 billion of its GDP over the next decade, and the State of Texas would lose more than $6 billion to its annual GDP."

The pro-business consortium signing the brief includes the Hispanic chambers of commerce in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, Midland, Brazoria County and Rio Grande Valley, as well as Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Laredo-based International Bancshares Corp. and College Station-based Marek Brothers Construction. Combined, they represent tens-of-thousands of businesses that employ hundreds of thousands of Texans.

The court document cites studies showing that more than 8 percent of Dreamers over the age of 25 start their own business. The brief also estimates that the presence of the 126,000 Dreamers living in Texas and their combined purchasing power has led to the existence of 5,800 manufacturing jobs.

"Granting young immigrants deferred action under DACA brings them out of the shadows and gives them the ability to participate fully in the Texas economy, which benefits Texas, in part, through higher tax revenues," V&E lawyers argue.

The brief states that DACA individuals are expected to contribute about $244.7 million in Texas taxes in 2018.

"Enjoining the DACA initiative would damage the Texas economy by forcing Texas's Dreamer consumers to the sidelines and reducing the revenues of Texas businesses," the pro-business brief states. "The instability of life as an undocumented immigrant who might be subject to deportation at any time discourages those Texans from spending their money freely.

The pro-business brief states that about 1,000 Texas-based Dreamers are employed as critical first responders, including police officers, fire fighters and emergency healthcare personnel. Many are public school teachers.

Houston Methodist Hospital, according to the brief, employs 57 Dreamers as lab technicians, nurses and pharmacists. The document quotes the hospital's president, Dr. Marc Bloom, saying that Dreamers are "essential" to the nation's health workforce.

The business organizations point out that DACA was initiated by the Obama Administration in 2012, but the fact that Texas and the six other states suing waited until 2018 to challenge the program is a major legal argument in favor of keeping the status quo.

"The States waited almost six years after the announcement of the DACA guidelines before challenging them in Court, despite challenging similar initiatives implemented after DACA in 2015," V&E lawyers argue. "Since an injunction is an equitable remedy, it may be denied on the basis of laches if an unreasonable delay by the party seeking injunctive relief works to the disadvantage or prejudice of another party.

"The States' delay has substantially impacted businesses in Texas, who have, as described above, come to rely upon Dreamers as valued employees, customers, and fellow members of the business community and now stand to incur significant costs if DACA is enjoined," the brief states. "The States' delay also undercuts any claim they have to immediate, irreparable injury, since they have been living with the status quo for six years."

The federal judge hearing the case, Andrew Hanen of Brownsville, is scheduled to hold a hearing on the matter in Houston on Aug. 8.
Dear Abby:

As a child, I suffered a lot of abuse from my parents until I finally, at 13, opened up to a teacher. I was removed from my house and spent the remainder of my youth in various foster homes. I never felt like I had a home or family until I was an adult and made my own.

I have cut all ties with my biological family, as I am happier and more sane without them. They have never shown remorse for their abuse, and I feel my childrens safety would be jeopardized if I were to rekindle a relationship with them.

The problem is, co-workers and sometimes even strangers at my retail job ask me about my childrens grandparents. When I explain that we have a strained relationship, they often tell me I need to get over it, learn to forgive or that Ill regret not mending things. Am I wrong for wanting to maintain a distance? How can I assert my position firmly without giving too much detail?

Cut Off by Choice in Kentucky

Dear Cut Off:

You are not obligated to give a detailed response to these individuals, who may only be trying to make conversation when they ask. All you need to say is that the grandparents are not involved. There could be many reasons for it, but you dont have to share them. If you are questioned further say, Id rather not discuss it.

P.S. While forgiveness may work in some situations, when a family is so dysfunctional that the children must be removed from the home, those children are not obligated to forgive what was done to them!

Dear Abby:

I married right out of high school, 20 years ago. We have two amazing kids in their late teens  a son in college and a daughter in her last year of high school.

I havent been in love with my wife for a very long time. I have tried everything to bring those feelings back, including talking with her about it, but the feelings just arent there anymore.

When I first realized I was no longer in love with her, I was going to file for divorce, but my kids were little. I didnt want to put them through that, so I pushed my happiness aside. Now the kids are doing great, Im still miserable and I dont know what to do anymore.

Sometimes I feel I dont deserve to be happy, but doesnt my happiness count? Must I continue putting on a fake smile and pretending to be happy, or is it time for me to look out for my happiness?

Miserable in Maine

Dear Miserable:

Talk to your wife again about the fact that you havent been happy for many years. Unless you are an Academy Award-winning actor, she probably wont be shocked. Delay separating until your daughter has left for college, and in the meantime, give marriage counseling a shot, even if you already have. If, after that, nothing has improved, try to keep the divorce as amicable as possible for the sake of everyone concerned. A divorce mediator may be able to help you through the process.

DearAbby.com

Dear Abby

P.O. Box 69440

Los Angeles, CA 90069

Andrews McMeel Syndication
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, can be caused by a constellation of circumstances  some affecting millions of folks, like the 9/11 terrorist attacks; others intensely personal, such as a sexual assault, bullying or physical trauma from a sports-related injury or car accident. Its commonly found in victims of gun violence, combat veterans and first responders.

In short, PTSD can happen to anyone.

Researchers at the National Center for PTSD estimate that 7 or 8 of every 100 Americans will have PTSD at some point in their life, and 8 million adults will have PTSD during any given year.

Among veterans, the numbers are much higher: We know that around 11 to 20 percent of those who served in Iraq developed PTSD; in Vietnam the rate hit about 30 percent. Today we have more than 1.3 million active servicemen and servicewomen in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines with Special Operations forces deployed in more than 145 countries, according to The Nation and Stars and Stripes. While 31 service members died in actions overseas in the first 11 months of 2017, according to Defense Department data, 20 vets a day commit suicide  often a result of untreated PTSD.

The latest cause of PTSD that we are hearing about is from taking children away from their parents at U.S. border crossings. The reason many of these families are here is because theyre fleeing extreme violence in Central American countries like San Salvador and Honduras. Now theres a double trauma for each child to process, and theres a good chance that the resulting PTSD may accompany them for years and result in many behavioral problems, ranging from depression, anxiety and drug abuse to rage and violence.

And what about the parents?

Ever seen the film Sophies Choice? Adapted from the William Styron novel, the 1982 film told the story of the Polish holocaust survivor Sophie Zawistowski (Meryl Streep won the Academy Award for Best Actress  maybe best ever!) and what happened after she had to choose which of her two children to leave behind and then deal with her later separation from her son at the Auschwitz concentration camp. She survives the camp, but later when she is living in Brooklyn, she doesnt survive the PTSD.

No matter the trigger, symptoms of PTSD may include sleep problems; becoming quick to anger and other intense emotional outbreaks; flashbacks; recurring upsetting memories; and thoughts of suicide.

Treatment with a trained therapist will help you open up about your experience and also may include instruction in meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, tai chi and acupuncture. A good therapist will use some of the newer therapies, including virtual reality exposure and wise use of medications to temporarily treat anxiety and depression. If you cannot get to a therapy session in person, explore telemedicine (the Department of Veterans Affairs is doing a lot of this) and internet-delivered cognitive behavioral treatment for PTSD.

There soon may be a new medical treatment for PTSD that promises to be quite effective.

The results of a Phase II clinical trail are in, and it seems that using MDMA (otherwise known as Molly and ecstasy) with adjunctive psychotherapy in a controlled setting may be somewhat effective and well-tolerated in reducing PTSD symptoms in veterans and first responders. A 12-month follow-up found sustaining benefits.

More information will become available over the coming months. But for now, if youre suffering the effects of PTSD, see a therapist. If someone you know has PTSD, offer support and understanding.

Lets not be a country that creates PTSD in children or their parents. The Statue of Liberty harbors the words, Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Breathing free  thats the dream of everyone who has to contend with PTSD.

Q: I know people who have developed Type 2 diabetes who arent particularly overweight or sedentary. Does that mean anyone can get it? What can I do to make sure I dont develop it?

Gracie R., Roanoke, Va.

A: Thats a great question  and theres new research thats helping to provide answers.

Type 2 diabetes starts either with the inability to use insulin properly or when your body doesnt produce enough of it to regulate your blood sugar levels  even when it produces more insulin than normal. That can happen because of inflammation, changes in the gut biome and even exposure to antibiotics. Genetics may make you vulnerable, as do lifestyle choices, such as eating high-fat, overprocessed foods; being sedentary; and not getting enough good-quality sleep.

But the latest research shows that air pollution, which triggers bodywide inflammation and reduces insulin production, also is a risk factor, and it contributed to around 3.2 million new diabetes cases globally in 2016. Another recent study found that women who work more than 45 hours a week are 63 percent more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than women who work 30-40 hours weekly. This probably is related to a chronic stress response that amps up inflammation, disrupts sleep and causes unhealthy eating schedules and choices.

Your best moves to avoid Type 2?

Get seven to eight hours of quality sleep nightly.

Maintain a healthy eating schedule, which includes seven to nine servings of produce daily.

Get at least 30 minutes of physical activity daily and try not to exercise in highly polluted air.

Install air filters at home.

If you work long hours and cant curtail them, find time for daily meditation and physical activity to dispel stress and improve sleep quality.

So, theres a lot that contributes to developing the disease and a lot you can do to avoid it. Dont forget Dr. Mikes tip: Drinking four cups of coffee over the course of a day will reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes by 50 percent!

Q: I need to change several of my doctors because I changed jobs and my old doctors dont take my new health insurance. What am I supposed to do?

William C., Wooster, Ohio

A: Its a problem with todays U.S. health care system, and no one seems to have an answer. A new, major British study that reviewed outcomes in 22 countries with different health care systems has found that staying with the same doctor(s) for a long period of time leads to better health and longevity and is better for the docs, too. But dont worry, even though that was the conclusion, if you become your own best patient advocate, you will emerge from this change in doctors as a healthier you. Heres how to do it:

Specialization is increasing, so your GPs job is offering important baseline health monitoring (annual physicals, vaccinations) and giving you referrals to specialists like cardiologists and orthopedic surgeons. The key is to have your medical records available to your new GP, and all your GPs records available to any specialists, so they will know if you have health issues that affect their care of you.

Your task: Have every doc give you both a digital and printed copy of your records; review them and correct any mistakes. And make sure the doctors are communicating your records to one another digitally; its the best way to protect yourself from medical oversights when you change docs.

The British research study mentioned that patients who stay with their docs for long periods of time had what they termed a greater adherence to medical advice. In other words, folks who move around from doc to doc are less likely to follow their docs advice. So act like a member of the care team from the start: Be an engaged patient, ask questions, be polite to the staff, show you care about quality care and youll get it.

Contact Drs. Oz and Roizen via sharecare.com.
Using innovative technology, one college campus has found a way to make reading a more than 100-year-old novel new again.

A Lone Star College-University Park professor, teaching a literature course in which students were reading Dracula, made a replica of the vampires castle with a 3D printer.

Then, the students could tour his lair by way of virtual reality.

This happened in the colleges Innovation Room, which launched last spring but has recently added nine 3D printers and an Internet of Things station to its fleet of advanced technology devices and software.

The rooms existence was orchestrated by Misty Sabol, an assistant business professor, and Christina Cross, an assistant computer information technology professor. They wrote the first grant for the room a few years ago and have been working on adding pieces and gaining more funding since.

Before she taught, Sabol worked in corporate finance, where she said she hired more people with IT degrees than finance degrees.

I saw that the people who could grasp technology were the ones who were more sustainably successful in their careers. I wanted students to be comfortable with technology, Sabol said.

So, what started out as just a few iPads for students to use has grown into three different hands-on labs with devices such as virtual and augmented reality headsets, sensor-building kits, a vinyl-printing machine and a 3D printing lab.

Organizations use technology to transform their businesses and to gain competitive advantage, so our goal in this room is that were transforming student employability and helping them to be more competitive in the job market, Sabol said.

Cross said that they also wanted a safe space for students to explore this technology  because they need to be comfortable with these devices changing constantly.

With the tech industry, what we see today will not be what our students will encounter in the workforce 10 years from now, Cross said.

The labs arent open to students only pursuing technology focused degrees, either. Students and professors from disciplines such as psychology, education and history have made use of the equipment.

Student-workers like Andrew Everett supervise the activity and help others learn to use it.

Everett said he even saw a student change their major to graphic design because they got to experiment with the vinyl printer and programs such as Photoshop and Illustrator.

Sabol said that this makes it feel like the room is transforming the way faculty are teaching students on campus.

Its almost like a library. You can come in and touch or do anything with some supervision or none, depending on what (technology) it is, Sabol said.

Cross teaches a semester-long class that helps students become more familiar with these devices.

Students start out by exploring the rooms devices and their functions. Then, they focus on one device and build a business case for implementing the technology in the workplace.

They come up with ideas and cost estimates and evaluate the risks and ethics. By the end of the semester, they have to do a presentation on whether the technology should be implemented, Cross said.

For example, one students project focused on using virtual reality goggles to have busy executives test-drive cars instead of going to a dealership to do so.

Ive gotten a lot of comments that (the students) are much more comfortable with seeing something new and then going back and applying to what they already know, Cross said.

Its not just students who are learning new things: the room leaders have created two workshops for teachers to learn how to implement the devices into their curriculum.

One workshop run by Sabol and assistant business professor Maurica Vickerson is called Teaching with Innovative Learning Technologies, or TILT, where professors can create custom content and assignments.

We really want the teachers to come in and get the three-hour certification so they can master how to use the technology and teach it in the classroom, Vickerson said.

The other workshop, taught by Sabol and Cross, is focused on smaller, ready-to-teach lessons that teachers can pick up and apply to their existing courses.

About 300 class assignments have been completed using the room since it opened.

LSC- University Park president Shah Ardalan said that these workshops enable teachers to supplement theory with projects.

As technology evolves, our teaching methods must be ahead of the curve, and our faculty are leading the way by transforming teaching and learning using innovation, Ardalan said.

jane.stueckemann@chron.com
Cleveland City Council approved providing support for the Bridgehaven Childrens Advocacy during the July 17 meeting.

Bridgehaven Childrens Advocacy is a nonprofit organization that helps to minimize the trauma associated with child abuse investigations.

Bridgehaven Executive Director Paula Torres spoke before city council to discuss the organizations function.

We provide services to child abuse victims in both Liberty and Chambers counties, she said.

Torres says Bridgehaven does everything it can to assist children during investigations with children involved in the case.

We work very closely with law enforcement including Cleveland Police Department, said Torres. Whenever a report of child abuse is made to CPS or to law enforcement, we also receive that report and we coordinate with those investigative agencies to get the child to our facility.

The facilities are designed to be child friendly where a child abuse victim can be somewhere that is neutral and comfortable.

My staff is hearing all of these horrible things happening to children, said Torres. Primarily sexual abuse, physical abuse, theyre witnesses to severe crimes.

Some of these severe crimes include homicide. Bridgehaven also looks out for children-at-risk and has an onsite therapist that provides counseling and advocates.

Bridgehaven educates schools on what to do in issues of reported child abuse situations.

Theres still a need, said Torres. Its a staff of 13 now at our little facility in Dayton.

Torres says Bridgehaven is working hard to hire more staff members to better help local children. She brought forward statistics to show how prevalent child abuse is among boys and girls.

One in four girls will be sexually abused by the time they reach their 18th birthday, said Torres. One in six boys will be sexually abused by the time they reach their 18th birthday.

Statistics for Cleveland shows 2,995 boys in the population.

Thats a probability of 495 being sexually abused by the time they reach their 18th birthday, she said.

The young girl population sits at 2,738, which puts the probability of 685 girls being sexually abused by their 18th birthday.

Torres asked city council to keep Bridgehaven in mind as it discusses its budget in future meetings.

City council approved giving a $3,000 contribution to Bridgehaven.

jmcadams@hcnonline.com
Vehicle imports via ICP, Birgunj customs soar

The import of automobiles through Birgunj customs and integrated check post (ICP) has increased sharply in the last fiscal year, ending mid-July.
Representatives all around Liberty County met in Cleveland on July 19 for a joint meeting between its city councils and economic development corporations with discussions on recent developments in the cities, preparations learned from Hurricane Harvey and an update the Grand Parkway.

Chief Nim Kidd of the Texas Division of Emergency Management spoke on what the state of Texas has learned from Hurricane Harvey and the damage it caused last year. He opened by asking the audience how many of them knew the name of their emergency management director.

The law says that mayors and judges are the emergency management directors for their communities, he said. They appoint or can appoint emergency management coordinators.

Kidd discussed other areas of how Texas handles disasters.

The governor can declare the disaster for the next 30 days, said Kidd.

The Texas Legislature can meet and cancel the governors declaration. Local government officials such as county judges and mayors can declare disasters for a period of seven days before requesting for an extension on the eighth day.

Hurricane Harvey proved to have a powerful impact on the State of Texas and taught lessons for future disasters.

We really need to plan financially for our next disaster, said Kidd. Our citizens deserve it.

Kidd explains the necessity for having funding for First Responders, public health, public work, law enforcement, firefighters, EMS and shelter operations during a disaster situation.

According to Kidd, the general population rarely does what emergency management tells them to do in a disaster situation.

You need to hear what might go wrong or whats probably going to go wrong, he said. When you think it cant get any worse folks, it can.

Cleveland City Manager Kelly McDonald discussed some of the major changes to the city of Cleveland. She began with the Cleveland Municipal Airport.

We are under construction, three new T-hangars at this time, she said. Weve already got a waiting list longer than what we can fill with those hangars.

McDonald says changes such as these can bring in new people to the Cleveland area. New businesses have already moved into the industrial area near the Cleveland Municipal Park.

We have a sand plant that is in total operation, she said. We have an aircraft maintenance company that is under construction now.

Another major development in Cleveland is the new residential area called the Grand Oaks Reserve. Some homes are expected to open up in two or three months.

Its coming along quite nicely, said McDonald.

Omar DeLeon of Texas Department of Transportation finished the meeting with an update on the Grand Parkway construction.

The concept has been around for many years, said DeLeon.

The Grand Parkway is designed to be a 180-mile loop that surrounds and interconnects the Houston area much like Beltway 8 and the 610 loop. A portion of it is open in the New Caney area.

I know the cities are excited, said DeLeon.

New Caney and Baytown are the two priority areas for the project according to DeLeon. The Grand Parkway development is expected to contribute to the growth in the surrounding areas, which includes Liberty County.

jmcadams@hcnonline.com
By Sam Ssebuliba.

Government has been asked to take extra care before committing money in huge ventures that were proposed many years ago.

This comes at a time when Uganda is still pushing for a standard gauge railway and Uganda airline yet Kenya posted a 100 million dollar loss from its railway transport that connects Nairobi to Mombasa.

Speaking to kfm, Dr Fred Muhumuza a renowned economic analyst says that ventures like Uganda airline was proposed many years back, but government is still depending on the same to resurrect the national carrier.

He adds that even though the Uganda airline will bring back Ugandas pride, it might not be economically viable.
LOS ANGELES  A woman was shot and killed when a gunman ran into a busy Los Angeles supermarket where he held dozens of people hostage for about three hours Saturday before handcuffing himself and surrendering to police.

About two hours before taking the hostages, police say the man shot his grandmother seven times and wounded another woman, who he forced into a car. Police chased the vehicle and exchanged gunfire with the man, who crashed into a pole outside the Trader Joes in the citys Silver Lake section and ran into the store.

Frightened customers and workers dove for cover as police bullets fired at the suspect shattered the stores glass doors. Some inside the supermarket climbed out windows as scores of police and firefighters and 18 ambulances converged on the scene and prepared for mass casualties.

Heavily armed officers in riot gear stood along the side of the store and used mirrors to look inside as hostage negotiators tried to coax the man into freeing his 40 to 50 hostages and surrendering.

At about 6:30 p.m., about three hours after the standoff began, the man agreed to handcuff himself and walked out the front door, surrounded by four of the hostages. The unidentified man, who police said is about 28, was immediately taken into custody. Police said he had a wound to his arm.

Mayor Eric Garcetti congratulated police and firefighters for their work and mourned the loss of life at the Trader Joes he and his wife regularly shopped at when they lived in the neighborhood.

The heroism that was shown today was second to none and the teams that were able to respond, secure the perimeter and engage in conversation with the suspect no doubt saved lives today, he said, adding our hearts go out to everyone who has been traumatized.

Among those who survived the harrowing afternoon was 91-year-old Don Kohles. He was walking into the supermarket when the suspect crashed into the pole and police began firing.

He and others inside took cover and laid on the floor as the suspect ran into the store.

Those bullets went right over the back of me as he was running right down the main aisle, Kohles said. After about 30 minutes of terror and sobs, police came inside and rushed out Kolhes and others near him.

By Christopher Weber and Michael Balsamo are Associated Press writers.
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A teenager in a stolen car crashed through a fence in Near Northside after he was shot in the face early Sunday, according to police.

The gunman is still at large after fleeing the scene near Fletcher and Carl.
Houston officials plan to open cooling centers on Sunday as a heat wave pushes temperatures past 100 degrees.

Residents who don't have access to air-conditioned buildings can seek shelter at five cooling centers, which will be open between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday. Residents who don't have transportation can call 3-1-1 to request a free ride to the cooling centers from METRO.

The city-run cooling centers are located at:

Acres Homes Multi-Service Center: 6719 W. Montgomery Road

Kashmere Multi-Service Center: 4802 Lockwood Drive

Southwest Multi-Service Center: 6400 High Star Drive

Sunnyside Multi-Service Center: 9314 Cullen Blvd.

Houston Public Library (Downtown): 500 McKinney St.

The city's effort comes as the National Weather Service issued its third heat advisory in as many days. Temperatures on Sunday are expected to peak between 100 and 103 degrees with heat indices at or above 108 degrees.

RELATED: Texas' heat wave is going to be brutal this weekend, says National Weather Service

Officials are urging high-risk groups, such as adults ages 55 and older, children under the age of 5 and residents with chronic illness to seek shelter inside air-conditioned buildings during the hottest part of the day.

Residents are also urged to drink plenty of water, take frequent cool showers or baths, and wear light-colored and loose-fitting clothing. They are also urged to look out for signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, and seek medical attention immediately if there are signs of a throbbing headache, hot and dry skin, nausea or vomiting, loss of consciousness and a rapid, strong pulse.
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Page: 1 2 3 Be Prepared To Shake The Earth If Julian Assange Is Arrested Loud Sneeze

lop guest

User ID: 397577

07-22-2018 04:46 AM











Post: #1 Be Prepared To Shake The Earth If Julian Assange Is Arrested

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How many indeed? For all the viral, click-friendly wailing and rending of garments about Donald Trumps war on the press because he says fake news and picks on Jim Acosta, does anyone expect the so-called free press to rush to the defense of a journalist who is being actively and aggressively persecuted with the full might of the western empire for publishing authentic documents about that very same empire?



We are about to find out if this is the part of the movie where the empire rips off the mask of freedom and democracy and reveals its true tyranny. Assange is a soft target, a controversial figure who has been on the receiving end of wildly successful smear campaigns marketed to every major political faction across the western world. He is the logical place to begin a crackdown on press freedoms and make a public example of what happens to those who shine the light of truth upon Big Brother.



If we allow them to imprison Julian Assange for practicing journalism, thats it. Its over. We might as well all stop caring what happens to the world and sit on our hands while the oligarchs drive us to ecological disaster, nuclear annihilation or Orwellian dystopia. If we, the many, dont have the spine to stand up against the few and say No, we get to find out facts about you bastards and use it to inform our worldview, you dont get to criminalize that, then we certainly dont have the spine it will take to wrest control of this world away from the hands of sociopathic plutocrats and take our fate into our own hands.



The arrest of Julian Assange would be the fork in the road. It would be where we collectively decide as a species whether we want to survive into the future, and if we deserve to.



https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2018/07/20/...-arrested/ The above report that UK and Ecuador are preparing to turn Assange over to UK appears to be true, commented journalist Glenn Greenwald on Simonyans statement. Big question is whether the US will indict him and seek his extradition, the way Sessions and Pompeo vowed they would. Cant wait to see how many fake press freedom defenders support that.How many indeed? For all the viral, click-friendly wailing and rending of garments about Donald Trumps war on the press because he says fake news and picks on Jim Acosta, does anyone expect the so-called free press to rush to the defense of a journalist who is being actively and aggressively persecuted with the full might of the western empire for publishing authentic documents about that very same empire?We are about to find out if this is the part of the movie where the empire rips off the mask of freedom and democracy and reveals its true tyranny. Assange is a soft target, a controversial figure who has been on the receiving end of wildly successful smear campaigns marketed to every major political faction across the western world. He is the logical place to begin a crackdown on press freedoms and make a public example of what happens to those who shine the light of truth upon Big Brother.If we allow them to imprison Julian Assange for practicing journalism, thats it. Its over. We might as well all stop caring what happens to the world and sit on our hands while the oligarchs drive us to ecological disaster, nuclear annihilation or Orwellian dystopia. If we, the many, dont have the spine to stand up against the few and say No, we get to find out facts about you bastards and use it to inform our worldview, you dont get to criminalize that, then we certainly dont have the spine it will take to wrest control of this world away from the hands of sociopathic plutocrats and take our fate into our own hands.The arrest of Julian Assange would be the fork in the road. It would be where we collectively decide as a species whether we want to survive into the future, and if we deserve to. Blastbeat Industries

Registered User

User ID: 434340

07-22-2018 04:47 AM



Posts: 1,695









Post: #2 RE: Be Prepared To Shake The Earth If Julian Assange Is Arrested

Loud Sneeze Wrote: (07-22-2018 04:46 AM) The above report that UK and Ecuador are preparing to turn Assange over to UK appears to be true, commented journalist Glenn Greenwald on Simonyans statement. Big question is whether the US will indict him and seek his extradition, the way Sessions and Pompeo vowed they would. Cant wait to see how many fake press freedom defenders support that.



How many indeed? For all the viral, click-friendly wailing and rending of garments about Donald Trumps war on the press because he says fake news and picks on Jim Acosta, does anyone expect the so-called free press to rush to the defense of a journalist who is being actively and aggressively persecuted with the full might of the western empire for publishing authentic documents about that very same empire?



We are about to find out if this is the part of the movie where the empire rips off the mask of freedom and democracy and reveals its true tyranny. Assange is a soft target, a controversial figure who has been on the receiving end of wildly successful smear campaigns marketed to every major political faction across the western world. He is the logical place to begin a crackdown on press freedoms and make a public example of what happens to those who shine the light of truth upon Big Brother.



If we allow them to imprison Julian Assange for practicing journalism, thats it. Its over. We might as well all stop caring what happens to the world and sit on our hands while the oligarchs drive us to ecological disaster, nuclear annihilation or Orwellian dystopia. If we, the many, dont have the spine to stand up against the few and say No, we get to find out facts about you bastards and use it to inform our worldview, you dont get to criminalize that, then we certainly dont have the spine it will take to wrest control of this world away from the hands of sociopathic plutocrats and take our fate into our own hands.



The arrest of Julian Assange would be the fork in the road. It would be where we collectively decide as a species whether we want to survive into the future, and if we deserve to.



https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2018/07/20/...-arrested/

Noodz and classified documents or GTFO. Noodz and classified documents or GTFO. Kanye West used to be the real vice-president.

Censorship is still un-American. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 451546

07-22-2018 04:48 AM











Post: #3 RE: Be Prepared To Shake The Earth If Julian Assange Is Arrested

poor assange..the world he tried to save pure evil trash is going to let him be offered as sacrifice Corosive

Resident Time Wizard

User ID: 433154

07-22-2018 05:16 AM



Posts: 3,785









Post: #4 RE: Be Prepared To Shake The Earth If Julian Assange Is Arrested

Never put a face to a leak. The Assange crap has to end. It's so distorted and torn, the very word Wikileaks has lost all meaning. It was cute at first, but just like anything that opposes the mainstream agenda, once it gets popular enough it loses its message and ends up corrupted.



It's time for Assange to come and go. \_(  )_/



If it can be destroyed by the truth, it deserves to be destroyed by the truth (This post was last modified: 07-22-2018 07:30 AM by Corosive .) LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 451607

07-22-2018 05:33 AM











Post: #5 RE: Be Prepared To Shake The Earth If Julian Assange Is Arrested

Assange tells the truth in his news media and gets imprisonment and CNN and others cover up everything like 911 and the ME False Flags to perpetuate wars and face NO consequences ! Loud Sneeze

lop guest

User ID: 397577

07-22-2018 05:51 AM











Post: #6 RE: Be Prepared To Shake The Earth If Julian Assange Is Arrested

LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 05:33 AM) Assange tells the truth in his news media and gets imprisonment and CNN and others cover up everything like 911 and the ME False Flags to perpetuate wars and face NO consequences !

This planet is retarded as f*#k. This planet is retarded as f*#k. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 451570

07-22-2018 07:29 AM











Post: #7 RE: Be Prepared To Shake The Earth If Julian Assange Is Arrested

LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 05:33 AM) Assange tells the truth in his news media and gets imprisonment and CNN and others cover up everything like 911 and the ME False Flags to perpetuate wars and face NO consequences !





arseange is a lying sack of dogshit and so are you arseange is a lying sack of dogshit and so are you Corosive

Resident Time Wizard

User ID: 433154

07-22-2018 07:32 AM



Posts: 3,785









Post: #8 RE: Be Prepared To Shake The Earth If Julian Assange Is Arrested

Loud Sneeze Wrote: (07-22-2018 05:51 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 05:33 AM) Assange tells the truth in his news media and gets imprisonment and CNN and others cover up everything like 911 and the ME False Flags to perpetuate wars and face NO consequences !

This planet is retarded as f*#k.

Money and the need for MORE of it is what's retarded. Greed is the only reason sh*t is so f**ked up. How much do you really need lol? Did you know that the majority of wealth is literally just sitting somewhere safe and picking up dust? The super rich are hoarders, and the only thing they really hoard is money. Money they don't even use or spend. But godforbid if you try to take any of it. Money and the need for MORE of it is what's retarded. Greed is the only reason sh*t is so f**ked up. How much do you really need lol? Did you know that the majority of wealth is literally just sitting somewhere safe and picking up dust? The super rich are hoarders, and the only thing they really hoard is money. Money they don't even use or spend. But godforbid if you try to take any of it. \_(  )_/



If it can be destroyed by the truth, it deserves to be destroyed by the truth LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 451570

07-22-2018 07:34 AM











Post: #9 RE: Be Prepared To Shake The Earth If Julian Assange Is Arrested

when he gets arrested hope they punp him full of that truth serum to find out who he works for LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 246147

07-22-2018 07:38 AM











Post: #10 RE: Be Prepared To Shake The Earth If Julian Assange Is Arrested

<---- Turn that terrorist into soup Hell no. I hope that Israeli agent gets exactly what he deserves. He's an enemy combatant vs the USA. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 246147

07-22-2018 07:39 AM











Post: #11 RE: Be Prepared To Shake The Earth If Julian Assange Is Arrested

LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 05:33 AM) Assange tells the truth in his news media and gets imprisonment and CNN and others cover up everything like 911 and the ME False Flags to perpetuate wars and face NO consequences !

Assange says the official story of 9/11 is the truth and that 9/11 truthers "annoy" him.



He's an Israeli/Mossad asset. Why would you defend an enemy combatant? Assange says the official story of 9/11 is the truth and that 9/11 truthers "annoy" him.He's an Israeli/Mossad asset. Why would you defend an enemy combatant? Corosive

Resident Time Wizard

User ID: 433154

07-22-2018 07:43 AM



Posts: 3,785









Post: #12 RE: Be Prepared To Shake The Earth If Julian Assange Is Arrested

LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 07:39 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 05:33 AM) Assange tells the truth in his news media and gets imprisonment and CNN and others cover up everything like 911 and the ME False Flags to perpetuate wars and face NO consequences !

Assange says the official story of 9/11 is the truth and that 9/11 truthers "annoy" him.



He's an Israeli/Mossad asset. Why would you defend an enemy combatant?

Assange was always too good to be true. I used to think he was really fighting the good fight, but once people like that start talking more you start to get a whiff of their BS. Just like Q, except early Assange was more believable than "trusting the plan" Assange was always too good to be true. I used to think he was really fighting the good fight, but once people like that start talking more you start to get a whiff of their BS. Just like Q, except early Assange was more believable than "trusting the plan" \_(  )_/



If it can be destroyed by the truth, it deserves to be destroyed by the truth LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 444782

07-22-2018 08:31 AM











Post: #13 RE: Be Prepared To Shake The Earth If Julian Assange Is Arrested

I'm not giving a flying f*#k about Rapey.



Assange worked with Russian Intelligence to traffic stolen material to undermine free and fair elections. Talk about transparency all you want, these are facts. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 444782

07-22-2018 08:33 AM











Post: #14 RE: Be Prepared To Shake The Earth If Julian Assange Is Arrested

LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 07:39 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 05:33 AM) Assange tells the truth in his news media and gets imprisonment and CNN and others cover up everything like 911 and the ME False Flags to perpetuate wars and face NO consequences !

Assange says the official story of 9/11 is the truth and that 9/11 truthers "annoy" him.



He's an Israeli/Mossad asset. Why would you defend an enemy combatant?

Working for GRU and Mossad is not mutually exclusive.



Israel to U.S.: Opposing Russia would endanger our security

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-de...m-1.585555



Russia protects Israel from UNESCO condemnations

http://www.timesofisrael.com/russia-prot...emnations/



Putin Surprised Netanyahu With Expression of Support

http://www.algemeiner.com/2013/12/20/rep...f-support/ Working for GRU and Mossad is not mutually exclusive.Israel to U.S.: Opposing Russia would endanger our securityRussia protects Israel from UNESCO condemnationsPutin Surprised Netanyahu With Expression of Support LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 451624

07-22-2018 09:01 AM











Post: #15 RE: Be Prepared To Shake The Earth If Julian Assange Is Arrested

LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 07:39 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 05:33 AM) Assange tells the truth in his news media and gets imprisonment and CNN and others cover up everything like 911 and the ME False Flags to perpetuate wars and face NO consequences !

Assange says the official story of 9/11 is the truth and that 9/11 truthers "annoy" him.



He's an Israeli/Mossad asset. Why would you defend an enemy combatant?

Because I know he is just wrong about 911 ! Being WRONG about something does not make him the enemy ! Because I know he is just wrong about 911 ! Being WRONG about something does not make him the enemy ! Advertisement


















BAY VILLAGE, Ohio -- Drunken driving, Obsorn Road: Shortly before 1 a.m. July 14, an officer suspected that a driver was impaired and stopped his Subaru on Osborn west of Forest Drive.

In addition to the driver, there were three passengers in the car.

The driver, who stated that he was the designated driver, failed sobriety tests and was arrested for operating a vehicle while impaired. The three passengers were released at the scene.

The 25-year old Cleveland man was processed at the station before being released on personal bond to a sober adult.

The Bay Village Police Department noted in a press release that designated drivers should abstain from alcohol.

Argument, Knickerbocker Road: A resident called police at about 9:50 p.m. July 11 to report that a man and woman were having a verbal argument.

The caller stated that at one point, the woman had been on the hood of the vehicle involved.

When officers arrived, they found a 23-year old Westlake man and a 21-year North Royalton woman standing next to a silver Audi. They both agreed that there had been some yelling related to their recent breakup. The woman claimed that her ex-boyfriend had slapped her and bitten her thumb, according to police. When he had tried to leave, she had gotten onto the hood of the Audi in order to detain him.

Officers found no evidence of physical injury. Pictures and information for a report are to be forwarded to the prosecutor, according to police.

Impaired driving, Winsor Drive: Officers responded at about 1:50 p.m. July 12 to the area of Winsor and Bayview for a report of a verbal dispute.

The caller stated that it was between the occupants of two vehicles last seen heading east on Winsor toward Bassett. The first arriving officer found a Mercedes stopped on Bassett near Foote.

As the officer positioned his patrol car behind the Mercedes, he saw the driver and two passengers exit the vehicle and begin pushing it into a driveway. Other officers pulled up to assist, and as they approached the driver, he took off running.

Police eventually found him hiding in a brush area behind a home on Applewood. When asked why he ran, the 30-year from Ravenna said it was because he was driving under suspension. He also had warrants from two separate law enforcement agencies, according to police.

While police processed the man at the station for operating a vehicle while impaired and other charges, the man asked officers numerous times to take off their badges so he could fight them, according to police. He was held for video arraignment with Rocky River Municipal Court.

To comment on this story, visit Saturday's crime and courts comments page.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Republicans running for office in the 2018 midterms were given an "October Surprise" in July when President Trump doubled-down on his treasonous Helsinki remarks by inviting Russian despot Vladimir Putin to The White House this fall.

Traitor Trump extended the invite the same week it was reported that two weeks before his inauguration, Trump was shown hard evidence that Putin ordered Russia's cyber-attack on the 2016 presidential election.

The invitation follows Special Counsel Robert Mueller's detailed indictment against 12 top Russian intelligence officers for meddling in the U.S. elections. The indictment also detailed that information on hundreds of thousands of American voters was accessed by Putin's hackers.

National Intelligence Agency Director Dan Coats learned of Trump's Putin invite not from President Trump or Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, but in an interview with NBC's Andrea Mitchell.

Coats is among the Trump administration foreign policy, security, and intelligence officials who still don't know what Trump discussed in his nearly two hour private meeting with Putin.

Coats has warned that "red lights are blinking" for ongoing Russian cyber attacks aimed at US election systems. Coats also said the U.S. must be prepared against a cyber attack the equivalent of 9/11.

The White House has described Coats has "going rogue." It's the Commander-in-Chief who has gone rogue by giving aid and comfort to enemy of the United States, The European Union and NATO -- Vladimir Putin.

What's next? Will Trump invite Putin to sleep in The Lincoln Bedroom? Will he take the former KGB colonel on a tour of the CIA? Have him waterboard Robert Mueller in The Oval Office to find out what he knows?

If the Russian cyber attack on the U.S. had been a missile attack, and Trump sided with Putin and invited him to the White House, Trump would be out of office and headed to jail.

Timing of Putin visit couldn't be worse for Republicans.

Republicans running in the midterms have to be hoping April Fools has become July Fools and the Putin invite is just some bad Trump joke.

The timing of a Putin visit couldn't be worse. The midterm elections will be in full swing. The trials of Russian connected Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort will be going on or wrapping up with almost certain convictions. More damning tapes from Michael Cohen could be released. And more indictments from Mueller, this time of Americans, could be coming on the eve of Putin's visit.

Traitor Trump's man crush on Putin has led to jokes about Trump possibly being a Manchurian Candidate being taken more seriously. But maybe Trump inviting Putin to the White House during the midterms is further proof Trump is a Manchurian Candidate brainwashed to ultimately help the Democrats.

Trump has already turned the Republican Party into the Trumplican Party, now he may turn it into the Putin Party. How long will it take the Republican Party to recover from the destruction that Trump is doing to it?

Putin should be greeted at the White House not with a welcome mat, but with handcuffs for meddling in the U.S. elections.

The red carpet for Putin is stained with blood of the innocent people he has had killed.

Traitor Trump is inviting a man who has had opponents poisoned and killed into The White House where is wife and son sleep. Think about that.

Traitor Trump isn't making "America Great Again", he's making it endangered again.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Embers from the Glenville riot still smolder. Memories run hot for some of the young baby boomers who lived through the violent civil disturbance 50 years ago this week. Van Thomas, 64, was a teenager when Glenville exploded into gunfire, arson and looting.

When I recently asked my friend to recall a personal memory of the deadly riot that erupted on the evening of July 23, 1968, his face instantly transformed. His warm and sunny disposition vanished. For a moment, Thomas bore the look of a man who could clearly recall the fear and uncertainty of a 14-year-old schoolboy.

"Seeing that tank coming down the street changed my life forever, man. I was waiting to catch a ride to a summer school class, when the tank rolled right by me," said Thomas Thursday evening.

"I knew that there was trouble in Glenville. Police were everywhere. You could hear gunfire, and see smoke from all the fires. But a tank! I ain't gonna lie. It scared the crap out of me.

"I had only seen tanks on 'Hogan's Heroes' (a '60s sitcom). I couldn't make sense of what was happening in my neighborhood," he said.

After a gun battle broke out between a group of black nationalists and Cleveland police on the evening of the 23rd, the Ohio National Guard was sent in to help quell the deadly violence that had erupted. Unlike the Hough riot that had erupted in Cleveland two years earlier, the Glenville riot was more scripted and premeditated.

It was also more deadly. It claimed the lives of three Cleveland police officers, three civilian suspects and at least one innocent bystander. It caused more than $2.5 million in property damage.

How can one possibly measure long-term damage to a city or to a human? How can we calculate the lasting harm that the riot inflicted on the psyche of the once proud and prosperous Glenville neighborhood?

Darryl Badley, who has known Thomas since both men were toddlers, is another child of the riot. While Badley's memory of the police and guardsmen remain vivid, his immediate post-riot experience was far different than that of Thomas.

While Thomas' parents remained in Glenville for years after the unrest, Badley's working-class parents had seen enough. The Badley family became part of an early wave of black Clevelanders who not only left the city but also left Cuyahoga County.

"After the riot died down, my mother said we're leaving Glenville. I was 14 and didn't want to leave Cleveland. But my parents found a new housing development out in Wickliffe that was being marketed to blacks. We moved into a brand-new split-level, and I have to honestly say it changed my life," Badley said.

The adjustment away from Glenville wasn't a walk in the park. Wickliffe had long boasted a small but vibrant black population, but still provided racial challenges for a young black transplant from an inner-city neighborhood that had recently burned.

"I'll never forget my introduction to Wickliffe High School. I overheard an Italian guy use a racial slur to describe a pair of shoes that someone was wearing. I don't think the slur was directed at me, but the kid deliberately said it loud enough for me to hear it. That's why I got into a fight during my first day of school," said Badley.

"But, all in all, the experience in Wickliffe was great. My parents' decision to move our family out to Lake County was probably the best thing they could have done for their children,'' Badley said.

Looking back a half-century, both Badley and Thomas continue to take pride in their Glenville roots. Even though both men left the neighborhood years ago, they still claim their Glenville heritage.

"I love Glenville. It will always be home. I believe the neighborhood will make a comeback. But I'll tell you what I'll never forget," said Thomas.

"I'll never forget trying to go to school and watching a tank rolling by me on St. Clair Avenue."
Key General Assembly Republicans are unhappy with their fellow Republican, Gov. John Kasich, for what his own press release termed "aggressive new action" to protect Lake Erie from agricultural runoff in western Ohio's Maumee River basin.

On Wednesday, responding to Kasich's July 11 executive order, House Speaker Ryan Smith, a Republican from Gallia County's Bidwell, and other top Republican lawmakers asked Kasich to rescind it.

Kasich's order names eight "watersheds in distress" and asks the Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Commission to confirm the designations, allowing the state to toughen requirements for thousands of farmers in those watersheds. (The commission instead called for more study Thursday.)

House Republicans want Kasich to "come to the table to communicate with all stakeholders, most importantly Ohio farmers." The goal, as stated by Smith: to fashion "a legislative fix that improves water quality without making farmers' jobs harder."

True, "Ohio's food and agriculture industry contributes $105 billion to the economy each year and provides jobs to one in seven people on or off the farm," as state Agriculture Director David T. Daniels wrote in his 2016-17 annual report.

True also, everything else equal, talk is better than conflict, especially because there's a lot at stake, in terms of rural Ohio's incomes and urban Ohio's food prices.

But the fertilizer that farm bounty requires, and the manure it generates, gets into farm runoff. And runoff imperils Ohio's greatest single natural resource, Lake Erie. Phosphorous, derived from fertilizer and manure, feeds algae. Algae pollutes the lake. One awful result: The toxic algal bloom that imperiled Toledo's drinking water in 2014.

According to an Ohio Environmental Council report, the amount of solid and liquid manure annually produced in Ohio's western Lake Erie watershed by concentrated animal feeding facilities is "greater than the fecal waste produced daily by the entire metro areas of Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Cincinnati combined."

As with motherhood and the flag, virtually every General Assembly member will salute Lake Erie's importance. But that's just talk. Taking on the agribusiness lobby - that's a risk. Kasich's on the right track. Even if he doesn't come right out and say it, Lake Erie's protection doesn't need more Statehouse palaver. It needs doing. Now.

******************

Speaking of General Assembly members' rhetoric, term limits, not just egomania, may be the reason legislators seem to talk more and more, but do less and less.

The legislatures of 16 states, including Ohio, have some form of term limits. Ohio voters approved General Assembly term limits in 1992. (The fad's died out: In the 22 years since 1996, no state has term-limited its legislature.) Voters also tried imposing term limits on Ohio's members of Congress, but only an amendment to the U.S. Constitution could limit congressional terms. (Don't hold your breath waiting for Congress to submit such an amendment to the states.)

Here's the nonpartisan Legislative Service Commission's explainer of Ohio's term limits: "A person cannot hold the office of [state] Senator for longer than two successive four-year terms. A person cannot hold the office of [state] Representative for longer than four successive two-year terms. Terms are considered to be successive unless they are separated by four or more years."

A recent study ("How Do Electoral Incentives Affect Legislator Behavior?") by Alexander Fouirnaies, of the University of Chicago, and Andrew B. Hall, of Stanford University, adds to the evidence that General Assembly term limits are a bad deal for taxpayers. Fouirnaies and Hall found that when a term-limited legislator is serving his or her last term, that legislator tends to slack off:

"Once term-limited, we have shown, incumbents sponsor fewer bills, provide less committee service, and are absent for more roll-call votes, on average," they reported. "These effects are larger in states [unlike Ohio] where term limits permanently ban legislators from seeking reelection, and, for states where these bans are only consecutive [as in Ohio], are larger for legislators who never again run for reelection. They are also larger in state legislatures that pay higher salaries" - and Ohio is among those.

Among the 16 term-limited legislatures, Ohio's base pay (132 members, $60,584) ranks third. Only California's legislature (120 members, $107,241 base pay) and Michigan's (148 members, $71,685 base pay) pay more than the Ohio General Assembly.

Fouirnaies and Hall's sum-up: "Whatever the mechanisms, our investigation reveals a striking ability for elections to influence the behavior of legislators .... incumbent state legislators work harder when anticipating future elections."

But if term limits are unseating them, it's naptime.

Thomas Suddes, a member of the editorial board, writes from Athens.

To reach Thomas Suddes: tsuddes@cleveland.com, 216-999-4689

Have something to say about this topic? Use the comments to share your thoughts. Then, stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the "Follow" option at the top of the comments, and look for updates via the small blue bell in the lower right as you look at more stories on cleveland.com.
CHARDON, Ohio -- Ansly Damus had another birthday in a windowless cell inside the Geauga County Safety Center in Chardon last week. It's not likely he celebrated.

It tends to spoil the party when you've spent 21 months in lockup, and counting, having committed no crime and having followed this country's immigration protocols to the letter. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is still holding Damus, 42, even though the immigration court in Cleveland has twice granted him asylum status in this country.

If I could make a birthday wish for Damus, it would be this: For the United States government to stop acting un-American, to follow its own immigration policies, to heed the two separate rulings from a U.S. immigration judge granting Damus asylum here, and to release the man.

If only it were as easy as blowing out the candles.

Before we go further, this is not the story of someone illegally crossing any border, or about an undocumented worker. It has nothing to do with immigration raids. There's plenty of necessary debate in this country about those issues. But this is not an argument in those debates.

This is about a man who followed U.S. immigration law and surrendered his freedom for it.

According to court filings in a class-action suit against the government in which Damus is the lead plaintiff, his story is this: He was an ethics teacher in Haiti who criticized the wrong local official during one of his seminars. A gang loyal to that politician beat Damus, set his motorcycle on fire and threatened his life. He fled first to Brazil, and, when he had the chance to travel here, to the United States, where he presented himself for asylum at the California border in October 2016.

The first step in asylum is to obtain a determination that you have a "credible fear" of persecution or torture. The U.S. asylum officer granted that. Damus was sent to Ohio and jailed as his case worked through immigration court.

On April 3, 2017, an immigration judge in Cleveland granted him asylum in this country, believing his claim that his life would be in danger should he return to Haiti, where his wife and two children still live.

The government appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals, asserting that he couldn't request asylum here because he had settled in Brazil before coming the the U.S.

The appeals court sent the case back to immigration court, telling the judge to take a fresh look in light of the government's objection. Damus argued he had not set down roots during his 18 months in Brazil, never obtained a passport, lived in a refugee camp and then a rented shared apartment, and felt discrimination and fear during his time there immediately after fleeing Haiti.

Judge Alison M. Brown of the immigration court in Cleveland sided with Damus, ruling that he hadn't firmly resettled in Brazil and granted his asylum claim for a second time in January of this year. The government appealed again. He remains locked up.

It's a travesty. When will the government listen to a judge whose job is to determine these things? Will it take three rulings? Six? 10?

And why can't he be free in the meantime? He has no history of violence or crime, he has tons of local support, and an offer of a place to stay. A Cleveland Heights couple, Gary Benjamin and Melody Hart, who learned about his incarceration and formed a support group, visits him each Sunday and will board Damus. A roster of local lawyers and clergy have pledged to support him in letters. More than 700 people signed a petition calling for his release.

The American Civil Liberties Union suit in which Damus is lead plaintiff contends the government now refuses to release hundreds with credible asylum claims, though ICE's own policy says that should happen provided certain conditions are met. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled this month that the government must review each of those cases to determine whether release is appropriate.

They should do that now.

Damus's lawyer, Elizabeth Ford, who is working to win his release, declined to comment as did a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Fine. We're beyond time for talking.

Below is the latest asylum grant issued by a U.S. Immigration Court judge:
WESTLAKE, Ohio -- Weapon and drugs, Interstate 90: A Westlake police officer stopped a car for equipment violations at about 12:30 a.m. July 14 on I-90 at the Avon border.

The officer learned that the 22-year-old Euclid driver had a suspended license and three outstanding warrants for his arrest.

The driver and two passengers, none of whom had valid licenses, were removed from the vehicle and questioned.

Officers searched the car and discovered a loaded semi-automatic handgun and high-capacity magazines, suspected marijuana and a digital scale. The driver admitted that he had hidden the weapon in the car, according to police.

Police charged him with felony carrying a concealed weapon, possessing a weapon under disability, possessing marijuana and several misdemeanor charges. The other two occupants were released without charges.

Receiving stolen property: At about 1:30 p.m. July 15, an officer ran the rear license plate of a suspicious car. The plate had caught the officer's attention because it was propped up in the rear window of the Audi. It turned out that the license plate had been entered as stolen out of Cleveland.

The officer stopped the car and questioned the driver, a 19-year-old Westlake woman. She said the vehicle was recently purchased off Craigslist from an unknown seller. She claimed that an acquaintance she couldn't name gave her the license plate, according to police.

Police towed the car and arrested the driver for felony receiving stolen property.

Garage fire, Smith Avenue: A man called 911 about 1 a.m. July 16 to report that his neighbor's garage was on fire.

Officers arrived to find a detached garage fully engulfed by flames. Westlake firefighters doused the blaze while officers evacuated nearby residences.

The garage and two vehicles inside were a complete loss, and neighboring garages were damaged. No one was injured. The fire appears to be an accident.

Burglary, Clemens Road: Police received a report at about 3:30 a.m. July 18 that an unknown man had unlawfully entered the hotel room of a guest at Sonesta Suites.

The man assaulted the complainant and stole items from the room before fleeing.

Officers and detectives determined that other hotel rooms also had been entered unlawfully. Officers located two other victims of thefts from hotel rooms, but those rooms were unoccupied.

After reviewing surveillance video, officers found the suspect on an RTA bus after leaving the scene. The 19-year-old Cleveland man was still in possession of some of the stolen items, according to police.

Officers arrested him a little over four hours after the initial report and charged him with several felonies, including aggravated burglary.

Drug trafficking, Columbia Road: At about 11:15 p.m. July 18, an officer witnessed a driver commit a traffic violation that almost caused a collision with another vehicle.

Officers stopped the suspect's car on Columbia between Detroit and Hilliard roads.

The driver apologized for the mistake, but the back-seat passenger seemed out of it.

Police learned that the passenger, a 22-year-old North Olmsted man, had an active warrant. When he stepped out of the vehicle, he left behind a small baggie of suspected marijuana on the seat, according to police.

A search of the car yielded mason jars of suspected marijuana, a scale and various narcotic pills.

Officers arrested the passenger and the driver, a 19-year-old from Westlake, on felony drug trafficking charges.

To comment on this story, visit Saturday's crime and courts comments page.
A cutout of former President Barack Obama with pro-Susan Wild decorations sits in Shirley Morganellis Bethlehem living room. Jacob Pramuk | CNBC

Democratic activists in Bethlehem, Pa., have convinced themselves that the stakes can't get any higher. If they are not successful in winning over voters in the city of about 75,000, their goals are more than likely to fall short. They see this fall's midterm elections, just a little more than four months away, as the best and maybe last shot to push back against President Donald Trump and his agenda. It's hard to disagree with them. Democrats' road to winning back the House this fall begins in Pennsylvania, where a third of the 18 seats up for grabs are considered tight. The party needs to win 23 seats nationwide to flip the House and seize the majority. At a week-ago meeting of Lehigh Valley ROAR  the Rally of American Resistance  local women discussed the problems they say the GOP-controlled government has created: inhumane immigration policy, rising health-care costs and more strained relations with global allies, among others. Gathered in the Bethlehem living room of nurse Shirley Morganelli  complete with decorated cutouts of 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama  about 20 members listened to Democratic House candidate Susan Wild talk about how they can help her bid for Pennsylvania's 7th District seat through volunteering and word of mouth. The area is a key swing district in this year's fight for House control. Some locals see aiding the Democrat as their most effective way to change the national discourse. "She's our hope," one group member said of Wild. "Not to put too much pressure on you," Morganelli responded, to laughter around the room. The exchange underscored how many on the political left see the midterms as a potential turning point in the effort to push back against Trump and Republicans in Congress. For Democrats to take the majority in the House, they will need to win a number of districts roughly split by party allegiance. Those include eastern Pennsylvania's 7th District, which Wild hopes to represent, and the neighboring 1st District northeast of Philadelphia, where GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick aims to defend his seat. The combination of the state Supreme Court revising a GOP-drawn congressional map and a midterm environment favorable to Democrats gives the party an opening to flip multiple House districts in Pennsylvania alone. Democrats in both the 7th and 1st Districts have enthusiasm to spare. They have also employed a strategy that the party considers a winning one in close races this year: tying the Republican tax law to efforts to cut social safety net programs.

Eastern Pennsylvania races appear tight

Scott Wallace Source: Scott Wallace

Wild, the former solicitor for the city of Allentown, faces Republican Marty Nothstein, a former Olympic cyclist and a member of the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners. The 7th District appears to be a strong pickup opportunity for Democrats. Clinton narrowly won the district, which includes the cities of Allentown and Bethlehem, and incumbent GOP Rep. Charlie Dent is retiring. In the 1st District, the first-term Rep. Fitzpatrick will try to hold off Democrat Scott Wallace in another area Clinton won. The representative has tried to build a moderate brand amid a tough re-election bid. Top nonpartisan election analysis sites consider the 7th District race either a toss-up or favoring Wild. CNBC could not find public polling for the contest. Wild had roughly $700,000 in cash on hand at the end of June  compared with nearly $200,000 in the bank for Nothstein. The same nonpartisan handicappers believe the 1st District race is either a toss-up or leans Fitzpatricks way. A June poll from Monmouth University found a 1 percentage point lead for both Fitzpatrick and Wallace using two separate models of midterm turnout. Wallace, a wealthy philanthropist who focuses on efforts such as clean energy, had loaned nearly $5 million to his campaign by the end of June and had about $1.7 million on hand. Fitzpatricks campaign has raised significantly less than Wallaces, but had spent much less and had $1.6 million on hand at the close of last month. While both eastern Pennsylvania swing districts are critical for the major parties hopes for a House majority, the candidates and issues at play have already made them vastly different races months before the general election.

A unique race with some common ground

Scott Wallace supporter Lynda Mintz holds a repurposed campaign sign for Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. Jacob Pramuk | CNBC

Wild and Nothstein are running in a pivotal race made more competitive by redistricting. Dents retirement also threw another wrench into the race. On Election Day, voters will cast ballots for two races: one to fill Dents old, more Republican 15th District seat through January, and another to elect the new districts representative starting next year. While both candidates acknowledge the conditions have created complications, they say they have focused on trying to meet the concerns of voters in their ideologically split district. Wild flatly rejected mounting talk from national Republicans that Democrats have gone too far left to win in moderate areas. She said she will focus primarily on policies that will boost working families and young people. Each one of us who are elected to the House of Representatives, our job is to represent the people of our district, not the people of San Francisco, or Texas, or whatever. And thats what Im going to do, Wild said last weekend outside the ROAR event in Bethlehem. Nothstein admitted that he faces a difficult bid for Congress. The numbers dont favor us, he said. Still, he thinks he can relate to some of the more moderate Democrats who live in the district. I think there are a lot of conservative Democrats in this district, Nothstein said at his Bethlehem campaign office last week. These are hard-working, blue collar families and individuals. The same way I was raised. I can relate to them. I know what matters most to them. The candidates have distanced themselves from one another on many key policy issues. For one, Wild opposes the Republican tax plan passed in December, saying the real benefit goes to corporations and high earners rather than the working class. She worries the GOP will offset lost revenue from the backs of working people by trimming so-called entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

These are hard-working, blue collar families and individuals. The same way I was raised. I can relate to them. I know what matters most to them. Marty Nothstein Republican House candidate

Nothstein wants to make the individual tax cuts contained in the GOP law permanent. He said he has concerns about deficits, but argued that the U.S. has a spending problem. Nothstein said the U.S. should look at a lot of stuff across the board when considering whether to trim spending. On health care, Wild said she wants to protect the Affordable Care Act and the protections it provides, such as those for patients with pre-existing conditions. Nothstein wants to repeal the law. One area where the candidates overlap is on Trumps tariff policy. Both the Democrat and Republican have taken a measured approach  saying they understand the White Houses desire to target alleged unfair trade practices by China but worry about damage to businesses or consumers.

From 'despondent' to enthusiastic

Though Wild, the Democrat, will likely need to appeal to moderates to win the 7th District, enthusiasm in blue areas such as Allentown and Bethlehem will determine if she can prevail in November. ROAR started when despondent friends got together following Trumps election, said Morganelli, who hosted the group's recent event. The group then decided to donate to causes such as womens health organization Planned Parenthood and back candidates for office. Members, who meet once a month, will focus on helping Wild get elected by efforts including canvassing, volunteering at her campaign office and helping to set up events. Morganelli, who said she has known Wild for 25 years, said the organization of more than 80 members has supported six candidates, including Wild, since November 2016. The previous five candidates on the local level won their races, she said. Amy Scott, a Bethlehem nurse practitioner, attended her first ROAR meeting last weekend. She cares about issues such as the Trump administrations separation of migrant children from families and the upholding of Roe v. Wade, the ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. We just need to get a lot more blue going, she said.

A Republican tries to build a moderate brand

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., talks with guests during a town hall meeting in Bensalem, Pa., on August 22, 2017. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call Group | Getty Images

Nearby in the 1st District, Republican Fitzpatrick tries to withstand a separate Democratic push. The first-term representative has taken on a tough re-election environment by trying to build a moderate brand. He voted against the GOP health-care plan last year and recently received an endorsement from a gun-control group backed by ex-Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords, who survived a 2011 assassination attempt. He received the backing of the influential labor group AFL-CIO. Fitzpatrick has also repeatedly called for a bipartisan immigration reform plan. Still, Democrats have plenty of gripes with him. He voted for the GOP tax plan last year. And while Fitzpatrick opposed a National Rifle Association-backed concealed carry reciprocity bill last year, a Mother Jones report suggests he views the issue differently in private. Many Democrats in the 1st District do not believe Fitzpatricks effort to put distance between himself and Republican leaders is genuine. I think Fitzpatrick is another enabler of Trump, said Wendy Miller, who volunteers for the Democrat Wallaces campaign. Fitzpatricks campaign did not respond to requests for an interview.

A rich Democrat runs into controversy
A popular protection strategy against the U.S.-China trade dispute may soon collapse.

Mayflower Advisors' Larry Glazer warned recently that a lot of investors are setting themselves up for pain by paying an "absurd and ridiculous premium" for small cap stocks.

"Investors are fearful, and theyve been positioning for the smallest stocks they can get their hands on, and the most domestic stocks they can get their hands on in hopes of escaping this trade war," the fund manager said Thursday on CNBC's "Futures Now."

So far this year, the Russell 2000 Index of small cap stocks has ripped nearly 11 percent year-to-date, while the broader Index is up almost 5 percent.

Smaller companies have been captivating investors because they do most of their business in the United States and, therefore, insulated from trade war fallout. In addition, they've been big beneficiaries of President Donald Trump's massive tax reform package that passed late last year.

Glazer, however, is doubtful that game plan will work. He contended the trade war will likely dissipate before the midterm elections, and spark a sudden, "massive rotation" in the market  thus hurting a lot of investors.

"Hes [Trump] going to make a deal," Glazer said. "The only people who want a trade war less than the American voters are the American politicians going into mid-term elections. And, the only people who want a trade war less than the American politicians and the voters, are the Europeans, the Mexicans, and the Canadians," he said.

"So weve got all the cards, all the recipe for lets make a deal, truce or dare  Trump style," the investor added.

With about $3 billion in assets under management, he believes the best play is to go big. According to Glazer, the biggest beneficiaries this year will ultimately be large cap multinational companies, emerging markets such as Mexico and Canada and financials.

"The long-term story in a war is buy on the sound of cannons, and you sell on the sound of trumpets. Well, we have cannons. You know there is a trade war going on. So, now is the time for investors to recognize that valuations trump all else," Glazer said.
A suspect wanted in connection with a shooting was barricaded inside a Trader Joe's supermarket in the US city of Los Angeles on Saturday, police said, in what US media reported was a possible hostage situation, on July 21, 2018.

A woman was shot and killed when a gunman ran into a busy Los Angeles supermarket where he held dozens of people hostage for about three hours Saturday before handcuffing himself and surrendering to police.

About two hours before taking the hostages, police say the man shot his grandmother seven times and wounded another woman, who he forced into a car. Police chased the vehicle and exchanged gunfire with the man, who crashed into a pole outside the Trader Joe's in the city's Silver Lake section and ran into the store.

Frightened customers and workers dove for cover as police bullets fired at the suspect shattered the store's glass doors. Some inside the supermarket climbed out windows as scores of police and firefighters and 18 ambulances converged on the scene and prepared for mass casualties.

Heavily armed officers in riot gear stood along the side of the store and used mirrors to look inside as hostage negotiators tried to coax the man into freeing his 40 to 50 hostages and surrendering.

At about 6:30 p.m., about three hours after the standoff began, the man agreed to handcuff himself and walked out the front door, surrounded by four of the hostages. The unidentified man, who police said is about 28, was immediately taken into custody. Police said he had a wound to his arm.

Mayor Eric Garcetti congratulated police and firefighters for their work and mourned the loss of life at the Trader Joe's he and his wife regularly shopped at when they lived in the neighborhood.

"The heroism that was shown today was second to none and the teams that were able to respond, secure the perimeter and engage in conversation with the suspect no doubt saved lives today," he said, adding "our hearts go out to everyone who has been traumatized."

Among those who survived the harrowing afternoon was 91-year-old Don Kohles. He was walking into the supermarket when the suspect crashed into the pole and police began firing.

He and others inside took cover and laid on the floor as the suspect ran into the store.

"Those bullets went right over the back of me as he was running right down the main aisle," Kohles said. After about 30 minutes of terror and sobs, police came inside and rushed out Kolhes and others near him.

The hostage situation that played out on live television began around 1:30 p.m. when the suspect shot his grandmother and another woman in South Los Angeles and then forced the other woman into his grandmother's car, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said. The grandmother was in critical condition.

Officers were able to track the car using LoJack  a stolen vehicle tracking system  and officers tried to stop the car in Hollywood, but the man refused to pull over, Moore said. During the chase, the suspect fired at officers, shooting out the back window of his car, before he crashed.

Outside the store, the man exchanged gunfire with police again and a woman was shot and killed, Moore said. It was not clear if she died from police gunfire or was killed by the gunman.

Christian Dunlop, a real estate agent and actor who lives nearby, said he was watching from the corner when he saw four people flee out the front of the store. An employee dragged an injured woman by the hands out the front door, he said.

The suspect made a "series of demands" during the standoff but crisis negotiators believed they could convince him to surrender peacefully, Moore said.

"Our hostage negotiators believed they had established a good rapport with him," the chief said.

Around 6:30 p.m., the suspect walked out.

Fire officials said six people, ranging from 12 to 81 years old, were taken to the hospital. None had been shot and all were in fair condition.

In a tweet before the arrest, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was watching the possible hostage situation very closely.

"Active barricaded suspect. L.A.P.D. working with Federal Law Enforcement," Trump wrote.
On Saturday, r abruptly replaced CEO after nearly a decade at the helm, based on his worsening health.

The company has been notably reticent with details about Marchionne's condition, but his health appeared to worsen after undergoing shoulder surgery approximately three week ago. The Italian-born 66-year old, who led the company out of its government bailout into an impressive era of prosperity, will also step down from his dual role as CEO of , the race car manufacturer spun off from Fiat more than 2 years ago.

The move to replace Marchionne came just days before Fiat Chrysler is scheduled to report second quarter earnings. In an emotional letter, company president John Elkann hailed Marchionne's tenure, sought to reassure employees about the future, and rally them around newly appointed CEO Mike Manley. The jeep executive will usher Fiat Chrysler into its new era.

Below is the full text of the communication Elkann sent to staffers, obtained by CNBC on Sunday:

Dear Colleagues,

This is without a doubt the most difficult letter Ive ever had to write.

It is with great sadness that I have to tell you that our CEO Sergio Marchionne, who recently underwent surgery, unfortunately experienced complications that have worsened in recent hours and will prevent his return to FCA.

For the last 14 years, first at Fiat, then at Chrysler, and finally at FCA, Sergio has been the best CEO that anyone could ask for and, to me personally, a true mentor, partner and close friend.

We met at one of the darkest moments for our company and it was his intellect, perseverance and leadership that saved Fiat. He also achieved a remarkable turnaround at Chrysler and, through his courage in forging the cultural integration of the two companies, he established the foundations for a more secure and brighter future for us to take forward. For what Sergio has been able to accomplish, turning the impossible into the possible, we will be forever grateful.

But as he himself has said more than once, The true value of a leader is not measured by what he has gained during his career but rather by what he has given. It is not what you accomplish today, but the legacy you will leave behind.

Since the first evening we spent together, when we talked about the possibility of him taking the helm at Fiat, what really stood out to me, beyond his exceptional and extraordinary professional ability, were his human qualities. I saw these qualities in his eyes, in his demeanor, in the way he dealt with those around him.

He taught us to have the courage to challenge the status quo, to break with convention and go beyond the tried and tested. He has always pushed everybody to learn, to grow and to excel  often beyond their own limits  starting always with himself. The legacy he leaves with us speaks to what really mattered to him: the pursuit of excellence, the idea that there is always a better way.

His lessons, his impulse never to accept the status quo, never to be satisfied with good enough have become a core part of our culture within FCA: continually setting high standards and never settling for mediocrity.

Sergios definition of a leader is truer today than ever. What really matters is the kind of culture he leaves behind. The best way to judge a leader is by what the organization does after him.

This is yet another example of the true, rare kind of leader Sergio was.

We started years ago working on a succession plan that would ensure continuity and preserve the unique culture embedded in FCA.

With that plan already established, we are now moving ahead with the process and today the Board of Directors has named Mike Manley as the new CEO of FCA.

Mike has been one of the major contributors to FCAs success and he has a remarkable track record of accomplishments.

Under his leadership, the Jeep brand has gone through a profound transformation and an unprecedented period of development, from a few hundred thousand units a year to several years of record sales, passing the million-vehicle mark in each of the past four years, becoming not only one of the fastest growing brands in the world but also the most profitable in the company.

Mike has held roles of increasing responsibility over the years, accumulating extensive leadership experience across all of our operating regions globally, achieving remarkable results in every position and always demonstrating determination in achieving his vision.

I am sure you will all provide your full support to Mike, so that we can work with him and the leadership team to execute our 2018-22 business plan with the same commitment and integrity that have already carried us so far.
Michael Avenatti, lawyer of adult-film actress Stormy Daniels speaks to media as he exits the United States District Court Southern District of New York on May 30, 2018 in New York City.

The lawyer for porn actress Stormy Daniels claimed on Sunday that he was aware of more potentially incriminating secret recordings between President Donald Trump and his former lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Michael Avenatti, Daniels attorney, suggested on ABCs This Week that there was more than one taped conversation between the president and his former legal counsel. Last week, a report in the New York Times said Cohen had recorded at least one conversation that addressed the possibility of paying off a woman who alleged an affair with Trump before he was elected.

"I know the substance of some of the tapes," Avenatti told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, which raised speculation that he could be coordinating with Cohen. The latter is being investigated as part of a wide-ranging probe into Trumps ties with Russia.

There would appear to be no obvious reason why Avenatti would have access to Cohen's recordings, unless both camps were somehow in communication with one another to represent the interests of their respective clients.

Yet in a statement, Brent Blakely  one of Cohens lawyers  insisted that there was no coordination between the two.

Neither myself or Mr. Cohen have provided any information to Mr. Avenatti, are in any way cooperating with Mr. Avenatti, or have any interest whatsoever in cooperating with Mr. Avenatti to the detriment of President Donald Trump, Blakely said in a statement released to NBC News. Mr. Cohens legal matters will not be tried in the court of public opinion, but in a court of law.

Cohens recording was uncovered amid a seizure of the New York attorneys records. In the tape, Trump discusses the possibility of making a payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claims she had an affair with Trump that lasted nearly a year.

On Saturday, Trump blasted for secretly recording him, suggesting that doing so may have been illegal. Yet it was Trump's own legal team that decided to release a tape of the two men discussing a possible payment to a Playboy model  which had been deemed "privileged" in a federal court, a source with knowledge told CNBC on Saturday.

This person said that Trump's legal team waived the protection, which would have allowed the tape to remain hidden from prosecutors. Lawyers reached out to the judge presiding over court proceedings involving a raft of materials seized from Cohen during FBI raids in April, according to the source.

Doing so gave Trump's current lawyer, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the ability to release "his version of the tape's contents," the source said.

"It is ironic that Trump would complain about a privileged tape that would not have been released and then chooses to make it public himself," the source said. It was a "very foolish strategy by Team Trump," he added.

--CNBC's Kevin Brueninger and Dan Mangan contributed to this article.
Supporters of head of Pakistani militant organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Hafiz Saaed look on and listen as they meet the members of the newly formed political party Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek, during a campaign meeting in Islamabad, on July 21, 2018, ahead of the general election. - Pakistan will hold the general election on July 25, 2018. AAMIR QURESHI/AFP/Getty Images

Pakistani cleric Hafiz Saeed is one of the United States' most-wanted terrorist suspects, accused over the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people. At home, his charities are banned, as is a new Islamist political party launched by his followers. None of that has stopped Saeed from hitting the campaign trail for Pakistan's July 25 general election, denouncing the outgoing government as "traitors" and whipping up support for the more than 200 candidates he backs. "The politics of the American servants is coming to an end!" Saeed thundered at a rally this month in the eastern city of Lahore, where supporters showered him with rose petals. The main race in Wednesday's vote is between the party of now-jailed former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, which is seeking a second consecutive term despite its leader's downfall on corruption charges, and the party of former cricket star Imran Khan, perceived as the favorite of the powerful military. But a bumper crop of ultra-Islamist groups are also contesting the poll, with the potential to reshape the political landscape of the nuclear-armed Muslim country of 208 million people with anti-Western rhetoric and calls for ever-stricter interpretation of sharia, or Islamic law. The proliferation of religious parties appears to be a fulfillment of a proposal made by Pakistan's military to "mainstream" armed Islamists and other extremists into politics, though the parties and the army deny any links. Even if, as expected, they win few seats, liberal and secular-minded Pakistanis say the sheer number of religious party candidates, combined with their ultra-conservative rhetoric, has already shifted the agenda in their direction. With the new parties routinely accusing opponents of blasphemy or treason, mainstream parties have echoed their language in attacking Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). "The ostensible attempt to mainstream the religious right-wing is not making these parties take relatively moderate positions," said Saroop Ijaz, a lawyer for Human Rights Watch. "But rather, it's radicalising the mainstream."

Violent rhetoric

Religious parties  some new, others established  are fielding more than 1,500 candidates for national and provincial assemblies, compared with a few hundred in 2013. While Pakistan has always had Islamist parties, the new entries are notable for their alleged links to militants and their rhetorical attacks on mainstream politicians' piety or patriotism. Pakistan's three main parties all stress devotion to Islam, but the new religious parties portray them  especially the PML-N  as leading Pakistan down a Western-inspired path away from the country's Islamic values. One new party, Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan, campaigns under the rallying cry "death to blasphemers" and is fielding 566 candidates. Its candidates rail against the PML-N as blasphemers for a small abortive change last year to election law, which was quickly reversed after nationwide protests in which at least seven people were killed. The change was to the swearing-in oath for candidates  from a religious vow to a simple declaration  stating the Prophet Mohammad was God's last messenger, a central tenet of Islam. In May, a man police identified as a Labaik supporter shot and wounded then-Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal as he left a meeting. He told interrogators Iqbal had to die because he was a blasphemer. Tehreek-e-Labaik leader Khadim Hussain Rizvi condemned Iqbal's shooting. But this month, he said the party could not be held responsible. "We didn't instigate anyone. These are the emotions of the nation," Rizvi told Reuters, adding. "In a way, it rightly happened." Leaders of the mainstream opposition parties all condemned the attack on Iqbal. Still, Imran Khan has also invoked the blasphemy controversy in campaign speeches, defending such language in a recent interview with Reuters. "You cannot be a Muslim if you don't believe that the Prophet, our Prophet, is the last prophet," Khan said. "So to reiterate and support it is just standing with your faith."

Banned groups
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Page: 1 2 Deep state much bigger threat than Russia fnord

lop guest

User ID: 337000

07-22-2018 03:14 PM











Post: #1 Deep state much bigger threat than Russia

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We all live in the midst of people who could kill us in a second if they wanted to. The same is true of Russia. If we don't attack first, they will not attack us.



link Many people are beginning to realize that the biggest threat to the American people is the Narco-Intelligence-Military-Industrial-Banking War Monger establishment.We all live in the midst of people who could kill us in a second if they wanted to. The same is true of Russia. If we don't attack first, they will not attack us. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 451653

07-22-2018 03:18 PM











Post: #2 RE: Deep state much bigger threat than Russia

Knickertwister

lop guest

User ID: 444626

07-22-2018 03:34 PM











Post: #3 RE: Deep state much bigger threat than Russia

Threat to the American People.Very provincial thinking American People are number 1 .Try thinking like this .The biggest threat to humanity at large....I realize Geography is not taught in our schools.but Jesus wept there are more than Americans on this planet. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 451624

07-22-2018 03:35 PM











Post: #4 RE: Deep state much bigger threat than Russia

Russia has been TRYING to be a friend of America since the bloody collapse of the USSR ! LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 451670

07-22-2018 04:31 PM











Post: #5 RE: Deep state much bigger threat than Russia

It's really simple, if any government official does not stand behind every part of the constitution, take them for a military sedition trial and put them to death. Not even a need for a new law to do it. Its really that simple, if you are not behind it 100%, you are an open traitor, die. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 448800

07-22-2018 04:43 PM











Post: #6 RE: Deep state much bigger threat than Russia

The puppetmasters behind the lot of them.... JEWS!!! GrimShaw

Asinus Asinum Fricat

User ID: 447734

07-22-2018 04:45 PM



Posts: 32,482









Post: #7 RE: Deep state much bigger threat than Russia

Trump wants to know why you're trying to defend ANIMAL ASSAD op LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 450820

07-22-2018 05:14 PM











Post: #8 RE: Deep state much bigger threat than Russia

At least you can see the threat and opportunities better than those who have come before. Kudos for playing it straight, by the book, with full jurisprudence. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 412093

07-22-2018 05:29 PM











Post: #9 RE: Deep state much bigger threat than Russia

LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 04:43 PM) The puppetmasters behind the lot of them.... JEWS!!! The fake joos & The r*thsch*lds.



Revelation 3:9

Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. The fake joos & The r*thsch*lds.Revelation 3:9Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 444782

07-22-2018 05:33 PM











Post: #10 RE: Deep state much bigger threat than Russia

fnord Wrote: (07-22-2018 03:14 PM) Many people are beginning to realize that the biggest threat to the American people is the Narco-Intelligence- Military-Industrial-Banking War Monger establishment .

We all live in the midst of people who could kill us in a second if they wanted to. The same is true of Russia. If we don't attack first, they will not attack us.



[url=http://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/a

Senate passes $700 billion defense policy bill, backing Trump call for steep increase in military spending

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/18/senate-p...nding.html



If you didn't realize that Trump is part of this establishment, you're a f*cking moron. If you didn't realize that Trump is part of this establishment, you're a f*cking moron. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 444782

07-22-2018 05:35 PM











Post: #11 RE: Deep state much bigger threat than Russia

LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 05:33 PM) fnord Wrote: (07-22-2018 03:14 PM) Many people are beginning to realize that the biggest threat to the American people is the Narco-Intelligence- Military-Industrial-Banking War Monger establishment .

We all live in the midst of people who could kill us in a second if they wanted to. The same is true of Russia. If we don't attack first, they will not attack us.



[url=http://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/a

Senate passes $700 billion defense policy bill, backing Trump call for steep increase in military spending

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/18/senate-p...nding.html



If you didn't realize that Trump is part of this establishment, you're a f*cking moron.

FFS, Trump made his admin Goldman Sachs' outpost.



Are all ya'll Trump cultists mentally ill? FFS, Trump made his admin Goldman Sachs' outpost.Are all ya'll Trump cultists mentally ill? LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 352770

07-22-2018 05:37 PM











Post: #12 RE: Deep state much bigger threat than Russia

Trump is the deep state idiot backed by the oligarch classes of US and Russia LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 352770

07-22-2018 05:38 PM











Post: #13 RE: Deep state much bigger threat than Russia

Russia did attack the US you blithering fool



Boris, how is the Internet research agency treating you these days? LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 337000

07-22-2018 05:39 PM











Post: #14 RE: Deep state much bigger threat than Russia

GrimShaw Wrote: (07-22-2018 04:45 PM) Trump wants to know why you're trying to defend ANIMAL ASSAD op

All people are animals.



We're not vegetable or mineral.



Mr. Assad is one of the most courageous people in the world.



He has steadfastly done everything in his power to defend his country against a concerted attack by mercenaries from the USA, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, paid in large part by the Oil Companies and the governments that they own. All people are animals.We're not vegetable or mineral.Mr. Assad is one of the most courageous people in the world.He has steadfastly done everything in his power to defend his country against a concerted attack by mercenaries from the USA, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, paid in large part by the Oil Companies and the governments that they own. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 444782

07-22-2018 05:56 PM











Post: #15 RE: Deep state much bigger threat than Russia

LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 04:43 PM) The puppetmasters behind the lot of them.... JEWS!!!

Here we go again



Every time Trumanzees / Kremlin shills going to pull Jewish / Israeli card in defense of Trump, I'll C/P this:



Poll: Only Israel and Russia prefer Trump to Obama

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-and...ver-obama/



How the Trump Administration Gave in to Goldman Sachs

https://www.wnyc.org/story/government-goldman/



Donald Trumps AIPAC Speech: I Love Israel

https://www.mondialisation.ca/donald-tru...el/5516675



President Elect Donald Trump Endorsement for Prime Minister Netanyahu









Sheldon Adelson: the casino mogul driving Trump's Middle East policy

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018...ast-policy Here we go againEvery time Trumanzees / Kremlin shills going to pull Jewish / Israeli card in defense of Trump, I'll C/P this: Advertisement


















South Carolina GOP Congressman Mark Sanford, who lost a primary to a conservative insurgent backed by President Donald Trump, warned on about the presidents autocratic style that was eroding political discourse.

In a broad panel discussion on Saturday at New Yorks Ozy Fest, Sanford broke down several of the reasons why he was defeated by Katie Arrington in Junes primary for South Carolinas First District.

The beauty of the American political experiment is we can agree to disagree. You might have a very liberal perspective, I might have a conservative perspective, but we can sit at the table and begin to hash out ideas, Sanford said.

The danger I believe of Donald Trump is he is autocratic in style," said Sanford, who's been a frequent critic of Trump. That tendency "is not conducive to the open debate of ideas which has been the hallmark of Americans, he added.

Sanford is a former governor who was once speculated as a potential presidential contender, but resigned in scandal after admitting to an extramarital affair. He then revived his political career with a successful bid for Congress.

That came to a screeching halt after Trump backed Arrington, an unapologetic defender of the president.

He went after me in my primary and I lost my primary, Sanford said on Saturday. During her victory celebration, [Arringtons] words were, We are the party of Donald Trump and I could not disagree more, Sanford said.

He added that the Republican party risks turning itself into a a cult of a personality based on Trump. Our Founding Fathers were so deliberate in forming a nation of laws and not men, and if we go against that in the slightest form, we are playing with fire, Sanford added.

Sanford noted that with a deficit of more than $1 trillion, the U.S. is flirting with a new financial crisis that Trump may not be able to manage.

Trump is an economist populist. Telling you what you want you want to hear and selling a lie that he knows cant come true, Sanford added.

Trump has courted controversy with his base by stoking trade wars with most of the U.S.s most important economic allies. People ostensibly aligned politically with the president have expressed concerns about how the multi-pronged dispute will affect their livelihoods, which include vast swaths of ranchers, farmers and whisky makers.

Grover Norquist, founder and President of Americans for Tax Reform who was also on the panel Saturday, weighed in on the subject of global tariffs.

Tariffs are simply taxes. There not something special or different they are just stupid and destructive taxes on the American consumer, said the GOP activist. When we put up tariffs we hurt Americans.

Rachel and Amanda Wylie, two sisters who attended the OZY discussion, largely agreed with Norquist.

"Is it worth that trade off for corporations to benefit and not the American people to benefit? In my opinion its not, Rachel Wylie said.

Its a target against our own people and what we are able to contribute into our economy while diminishing the relationships that we have had for decades and centuries with countries like Canada, UK and other places in Europe. As relationships disintegrate, this makes it easier for our enemies to get into our system here in the U.S, she added.


President Donald Trump (R) waves as he and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un look on from a veranda during their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on June 12, 2018.

The top U.S. military commander on the Korean peninsula said Saturday that the material needed for North Korea to make nuclear bombs is still intact, even after an historic summit in Singapore aimed at denuclearizing Pyongyang.

North Korea's nuclear "production capability is still intact," Army Gen. Vincent Brooks, the commander of U.S. forces in South Korea, told the Aspen Security Forum via teleconference. We haven't seen a complete shutdown of production yet. We have not seen a removal of fuel rods."

Brooks comments come a little more than a month after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sat down for the first time with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss denuclearization. They also echoed a Washington Post report on Sunday, which detailed Trumps private frustrations with the lack of progress between Washington and Pyongyang since the Singapore meeting.

"There has to be demonstrable action in that direction, or we cannot be satisfied and we probably can't be friends and we probably won't be at peace," Brooks said, speaking about the North's path to give up its nuclear weapons.

"Thus far, those steps have not been taken," Brooks added.

Read more: A timeline of North Korea's defiant rocket launches in 2017

Brooks noted that it was important to not "overreact to things like that" while diplomats work to resolve tensions, and build trust between Washington and Pyongyang.

"Building that trust while that pressure continues and while the efforts for diplomacy continue is the order of the day. In many ways the lack of trust is the enemy we now have to defeat," Brooks said. "That's really where we are right now," he added.

Last month an NBC News report, citing U.S. intelligence assessments, said that North Korea had increased production of fuel for nuclear weapons at multiple secret sites in recent months. Sunday's report in the Post cited unnamed diplomats saying that North Korean officials have canceled follow-up meetings, demanded more money and failed to maintain basic communications.

The BBC and Post's reporting appeared to counter sentiments expressed by Trump, who tweeted after the unprecedented June 12 summit with Kim that there is no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea.

TWEET

Meanwhile, under Kim, the reclusive state has conducted its most powerful nuclear test, launched its first-ever intercontinental ballistic missile, and threatened to send missiles into the waters near Guam.

Since 2011, North Korea has fired more than 85 missiles and four nuclear weapons tests  which is more than what his father, Kim Jong Il, and grandfather, Kim Il Sung, launched over a period of 27 years.

What's more, North Korea is the only nation to have tested nuclear weapons this century.

--CNBC's Javier E. David contributed to this article.
Fewer than 4 in 10 voters approve of President Donald Trumps handling of foreign trade policy, treatment of immigrant families at Americas southern border and relations with Russia, a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll has found.

The survey, conducted last week as Trump concluded an international trip by meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, showed those controversies havent yet harmed his overall popularity. The 45 percent who approved of his job performance, compared with 52 percent who disapproved, represented a slight uptick since June.

That brings Trumps popularity more in line with those of his Oval Office predecessors, after he recorded historic lows for a new president in 2017. One major asset: By 50 percent to 34 percent, voters approve his handling of the strong economy.

But the presidents setbacks on policy flashpoints that have emerged in recent months are adding to political uncertainty as the fall midterm elections grow closer.
The battle for SpiceJet is likely to get interesting going ahead. The airlines former promoter Kalanithi Maran wants to takeover the reigns from current promoter Ajay Singh, who bought it back from Maran after it was grounded for months. Maran will be soon approaching the Delhi high court to regain control of SpiceJet.

SpiceJets former promoter, Kalanithi Maran of Sun Group, will contest the ruling of an arbitration panel that rejected his claim of damages and repossession of control of the airline after a bitter share transfer dispute.

Maran and his KAL Airways will move the Delhi High Court to pursue the more substantive claim under Section 65 of the Contract Act seeking restitution so as to regain control of the airline, Sun Group chief financial officer SL Narayanan told CNBCTV18.com . We are in discussions with our lawyers and we believe we have a very strong case, he said.

On Friday, the tribunal rejected Marans claim of damages of Rs 1,323 crore for not issuing warrants to him and KAL Airways, but awarded him a refund of Rs 579 crore plus interest. The tribunal, which was created in end 2016 on the orders of the Delhi High Court to adjudicate the share transfer dispute, held that there was no breach of a share sale and purchase agreement reached between Maran and current promoter Ajay Singh in January 2015.

The tribunal, comprising retired Supreme Court judges Arijit Pasayat, Hemant Laxman Gokhale and KSP Radhakrishnan, sided with SpiceJets defence that it failed to issue convertible warrants and preference shares  the bone of contention between the two sides  due to lack of approval from relevant authorities. No further warrants or shares are required to be issued by the company to Maran and KAL Airways, SpiceJet said in a stock exchange filing on Saturday.

Maran and KAL Airways, his investment vehicle, transferred their 58.46 percent in SpiceJet, to Singh, the current chairman and managing director, for Rs 2 in February 2015 after its operations were hobbled by a severe cash crunch. Singh, a co-founder of SpiceJet, assumed the airlines liabilities of around Rs 1,500 crore.

As part of the agreement, Maran and KAL Airways said they paid SpiceJet Rs 679 crore for issuing warrants 18.91 crore at a conversion price of Rs 16.30  and preference shares. Maran launched litigation in the Delhi High Court against Singh and SpiceJet after he said neither the convertible warrants and preference shares were issued nor the money was returned.

Maran, who runs the Sun TV network, claimed he incurred losses due to the failure to issue warrants. He argued that if there is no compensation coming, he should be allowed to regain SpiceJets ownership.

The warrants, if converted into equity, would have given Maran and KAL Airways ownership of 24 percent stake in the airline.

A SpiceJet official said the amount the airline has been asked to pay is in fact already deposited in an escrow account on the orders of the High Court. So, there will be no impact on the companys balance sheet, he said asking not to be named.

Narayanan, also a director of KAL Airways, said the arbitration award addresses only a part of the reliefs that they had sought. We are happy that our legitimate claims have been ordered by the panel of arbitrators to be repaid in full with interest, he said.

Singh and his family currently hold 60.25% in SpiceJet. He owned around 2 percent before Maran exited the airline.
Raab promises that Brexit divorce bill will be formally conditional on EU fulfilling its side of bargain

He vows no trade deal, no payment  Mail on Sunday

UK could refuse to pay the 39bn bill  Observer

May to send cabinet ministers to European capitals over summer to try to sell Chequers plan

Britain will refuse to pay its 39 billion divorce bill to Brussels if the European Union fails to agree a trade deal, the new Brexit Secretary pledges today. Dominic Raab told The Sunday Telegraph that he would make the vast payment formally conditional on the EU fulfilling its side of the bargain. The promise will be welcomed by leading Brexiteers after the Government said in May that there were no plans for a legally enforceable link between the bill and a future trading relationship.  In his first newspaper interview since his appointment, Mr Raab said that Article 50, the exit mechanism triggered by the UK, called for a trade deal as well as the withdrawal agreement, which includes the 39 billion divorce bill.  Sunday Telegraph

An embattled Theresa May has ordered senior cabinet ministers to go on mini European tours during parliaments summer break to promote her controversial Chequers agreement on Brexit, as opposition to the deal appears to be hardening in EU capitals and among grassroots Tory party members at home.  A detailed timetable of summer visits by cabinet members to European capitals has been drawn up by No 10 in the knowledge that only about four weeks of full negotiating time will be left to reach a Brexit agreement once the political holiday season ends. With many MPs resigned to the prospect of a no deal outcome, May will take the lead with a whistle-stop tour this week during which she will meet the Austrian chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, the Czech prime minister, Andrej Babis, and the Estonian prime minister, Juri Ratas. Later in July the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, David Lidington, will visit Paris, and the foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, will travel to Germany. The home secretary, Sajid Javid, will go to Spain, and the business secretary, Greg Clark, to Italy. These visits will be complemented by a raft of other ministerial activity across the EU, and by visits from European ministers to London during what promises to be a summer of unrelenting Brexit activity.  Observer

Shell start off the tour this week  The Sun on Sunday

Raab indicates hes still trying to persuade cabinet members about the plan  Observer

Varadkar says people need to get on with it  Sunday Express

 as polling shows that voters are implacably opposed to the plan and think Johnson could do better Brexit job than May

Only 12 per cent like the plan  Sunday Express

Constituency chiefs gave it thorough thrashing  The Sun on Sunday

Meanwhile 40 per cent of people have no trust in the Commons  Sunday Telegraph

Theresa May is facing an unprecedented political crisis, according to a new poll that reveals voters are implacably opposed to her Brexit plan and are prepared to turn to Ukip or parties of the far right. In a survey that will spark unease in Downing Street, the YouGov poll found that the public believes Boris Johnson, the former foreign secretary, is better placed to negotiate with Brussels and lead the Conservatives into the next election. The poll will prompt Tory MPs to demand changes to Mays Brexit proposal thrashed out at Chequers earlier this month. Just one in nine voters (11%) would support her plan in a new referendum and only 12% think it would be good for Britain, while 43% disagree. Mays position will be further eroded by public support for Johnson, who resigned to oppose the Chequers deal, which would lead to the UK permanently accepting EU rules on the sale of goods. Just 16% of voters think the prime minister is handling Brexit well; more than twice as many (34%) think Johnson would do a better job.  The Sunday Times

Editorial:

Chequers plan is widely seen as a dud  The Sunday Times

Comment:

Second referendum is now only plan  Dan Hodges, Mail on Sunday

>Today: ToryDiary: Our snap survey. Tory member support for Mays Brexit plan falls. Two in three are now opposed to it

Is Grayling about to resign? And what about Mordaunt and McVey?

The Transport Secretary, who orchestrated the Prime Ministers leadership campaign, is understood to have told friends he will not tolerate any more softening of Brexit. His fellow Cabinet Brexiteers Penny Mordaunt and Esther McVey are also on resignation watch having expressed their dissatisfaction with the Governments proposals, set out in its controversial White Paper. Its contents prompted Brexit secretary David Davis and foreign secretary Boris Johnson to resign after it was presented during a Cabinet away day at Chequers. In an interview with the Sunday Express, Mr Davis said Ms Mordaunt, the International Development Secretary, and Work and Pensions Secretary Ms McVey were the next most vehemently opposed to the plans.  Sunday Express

Clarke accused of being double agent against Eurosceptics  Mail on Sunday

Editorial:

Brexiters need to take the fight to May  Sunday Express

Davidson: Its time to get behind May

I wanted her to go, but now isnt the time  Grant Shapps, The Sun on Sunday

It seems unlikely the 48 letters will come in the last two days  Adam Boulton, The Sunday Times

The year ends with a whimper of relief  Andrew Rawnsley, Observer

May needs to understand the sense of betrayal that is felt  Andrea Jenkyns, Mail on Sunday

Davis: I wouldnt expect the government to be particularly welcoming of Canada plus, plus, plus today, but well be in a different position after the summer

Theresa Mays Chequers plan for Brexit, it is fair to say, has come in for some flak over the past fortnight since it was published.  We have a duty to serve the public in the national interest, to deliver the Brexit referendum result in a way that mitigates risks and maximises opportunities, and keeps the fabric of our own United Kingdom together. That means compromise, whichever side of the debate we were on two years ago. And, for all the siren voices, in those two years no one has brought forward a serious, detailed alternative plan. The Prime Minister has one on the table. Yes, it requires compromise, but it is now crunch point. We are sending our Prime Minister to negotiate on the nations behalf against the massed ranks of 27 other countries and the entire apparatus of the EU. It is time to get behind her.  Mail on Sunday

 Vowing to fight very hard from the outside for the Brexit 17.4 million people wanted, the former SAS-trained soldier believes the UK would vote 60-40 to leave if there was a second referendum tomorrow. He also boasts that Dominic Raab, his successor at the Department for Exiting the European Union (Dexeu), is in constant contact, describing him as my boy. In this political interview of the year, he reveals in his own words the inside story of Brexit and what really happened at that dramatic Chequers meeting.  Because this is a thousand moving parts, it is impossible to tell you the individual way through, there will be half a dozen possibilities. Peoples minds change in accordance with the pressure thats put on them and the more high pressure the negotiation is, the more theyll look around for other options. Today, I wouldnt expect the Government to be particularly welcoming of Canada plus, plus, plus  but I think, come the autumn, well be in a different position.  Sunday Express

He says no deal wouldnt be end of world  The Sun on Sunday

Editoral:

May must plan for no deal  The Sun on Sunday

Rees-Mogg says I think we are heading to WTO and I think WTO is nothing to be frightened of

Was Fox almost blocked from talking trade with US because of Juncker timing clash?  Sunday Express

Hardline Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg has said Britain is heading for a no deal exit from the EU. The prominent Tory MP insisted that leaving on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms was now likely. Presenting a phone-in on LBC, Mr Rees-Mogg said: I think we are heading to WTO and I think WTO is nothing to be frightened of. But he said talks should continue with Brussels, stating: I think we should carry on negotiating until the end. I dont think we necessarily need the theatrics of walking away, but the truth is that WTO is likely to be all that they will offer us. The comments came as Theresa May was digging in on her Brexit deal offer to Brussels after the EU publicly doubted the controversial proposals were workable.  Herald

Comment:

Maybe Rees-Mogg is portending the apocalypse..  Kevin McKenna, Observer

Hammond talks of upsides and downsides to recent resignations

Britains hopes of a Brexit deal may have been boosted by the Cabinet exit of Brussels bogeyman Boris Johnson, according to Philip Hammond. The Chancellor claims that the resignations of Brexiteer Ministers Mr Johnson and David Davis could ease negotiations because of the EUs hostility to both men. But while it could make talks easier, the revolt by Mr Johnson and Mr Davis had raised fears that Mrs May could find it impossible to win Conservative backing for any EU agreement, the Chancellor fears. Mr Hammond told friends the resignation of the two men in protest at what they saw as Mrs Mays soft Brexit had upsides and downsides. The upside was that the two main (EU) bogeymen have been taken off the board, he said, comparing the Cabinet to company directors. The downside was there are now serious questions we can deliver on a deal.  Mail on Sunday

He calls Johnson and Davis bogeymen  The Sun on Sunday

Lowry: I quickly concluded there was no way Northern Ireland could have the best of both worlds, EU and UK

No. Its all very simple  Rod Liddle, The Sunday Times

Even I, who lives in Northern Ireland, briefly wondered if there was a way in which the Province could have the best of both worlds, EU and UK, post Brexit in the form of some special status, before quickly concluding we couldnt. Regulatory or customs divergence from Great Britain would be too great a breach and it would be irreversible. It would be the effective end of NI in the UK if, at a future date, Britain and the EU diverged more sharply (such as if Brexit began to be a success and the UK decided it could afford an even more independent relationship). So it was in this relatively recent tradition of establishment unionism that Theresa May yesterday tried to assuage unionist anxieties, and did so in Northern Ireland.  Belfast News Letter

More Brexit

Morgan admits there wasnt contingency planning for if Leave won  Sunday Express

Cable missed key vote to do centrist party planning  The Sunday Times

MPs call for Cummings again  Observer

Government to table motion on proxy voting after criticisms of whip  The Sunday Times

MPs say Brexit is chance to ban sales of fur  Sunday Telegraph

More Conservatives

Leadsom reveals online abuse she suffered  Mail on Sunday

May asked whether she knew about bullying allegations against Griffiths  Observer

Williamson speaks of poor historic deals as its revealed that RAF planes are being used as passenger jets  Mail on Sunday

Davies interviewed by police about forgery allegations  Mail on Sunday

Why dont people recognise the evils of communism?  Daniel Hannan, Sunday Telegraph

>Today: Michael Tomlinson in Comment: I voted Leave. But as MPs leave Westminster this summer, we must look wider than the EU debate  and deliver social justice for Britain

Labour MPs and peers planning extraordinary act of defiance over antisemitism definition

Labour MPs and peers are planning an extraordinary joint act of defiance against Jeremy Corbyn and the partys ruling national executive committee (NEC) that would see them incorporate the full internationally accepted definition of antisemitism into their own official rulebooks, putting them directly at odds with the party leadership. The moves by Labour members of both Houses of Parliament look set to fuel an already explosive row that erupted last week, after the NEC refused to ditch a controversial new code of conduct on antisemitism that many MPs and peers say does not go far enough. In the hope of forcing the NEC and party leadership into a U-turn, Labour MPs will on Monday push an emergency motion at a meeting of the parliamentary Labour party that would, if passed, amend its rulebook to include an obligation on members to accept and abide by the full International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism, including all of its accompanying examples.  Observer

Javid backtracks on tweet after Corbyn threatens libel  Mail on Sunday

>Yesterday:

News in Brief
Michael Tomlinson is MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole.

During the last week in Westminster, passions have been running high in the Conservative Party, and the debate about Brexit is at fever pitch. Despite voting Leave and my keen involvement in the debate, I know that I did not come into politics simply to debate Britains EU membership. There is no doubt that it is our job to ensure that Brexit is done; is done properly, and that we leave successfully.

But the people have spoken, we are coming out of Europe, and those of us who want to help shape the future now need to look beyond Brexit. Of course we must ensure that we are a global nation trading with all corners of the earth. Absolutely. And if we fail to get it right, we will be punished at the ballot box.

However, it is not good enough just to be talking about our relationship with the EU when our opponents claim that child poverty will rise under our watch. It is not good enough just to be talking about it when care leavers are five times more likely to be excluded from school, and five times more likely to end up in prison than their peers. It is not good enough when nearly eight out of ten young offenders sent to custody go on to commit yet further offences.

Now is the time to lift our eyes and raise our expectations. What does a modern, compassionate and Conservative future look like? How can we best support the poor, the vulnerable and the sick; young people trying to get into work; or victims of crime  and even criminals themselves?

Modern Compassionate Conservatives

Why is it that we go into politics? Almost all politicians, of whatever stripe, go into politics for the right reasons: to help shape our communities and our country for the better. Of course, politics is less of a job and more of a calling, and I believe that our aim as politicians  and in particular as Conservatives  should be: to help the weak, the poor, and the vulnerable to reach their full potential, whilst enabling the strong to grow and flourish.

This is where we need to be as a Party: speaking up for those who cant speak for themselves, and for the rights of the poor and the needy, whilst letting the strongest get on and prosper. There should be a golden thread running through all of our policies: everyone must be treated as unique, individual human beings, able to flourish and fulfil their God-given potential. All of our systems, all of our responses, all of our energy must be channelled in that direction and must acknowledge that truth. This is the way we Conservatives should respond to poverty, to the most vulnerable. We are not looking to create a client state, which is the rather patronising view from the Left, bu rather to enable people to help themselves.

During and immediately after the 2017 election it was said by our political opponents that the Conservatives had run out of ideas. This is of course complete nonsense, and there is an abundance of clear thinking coming from our Party. But the last election did highlight the importance of ensuring that all of our parliamentary talent is used, both in constructing, devising and testing policy, and also in persuading the public.

It is clear that we failed to get our message out sufficiently, because that there was a superficial attraction towards Jeremy Corbyns Labour Party. And there still is. We need to set out clearly our modern conservative response to the age-old problem of socialism, and Corbyns particularly Marxist brand of socialism. For I believe that his politics is a real threat to our country, and has not had a sufficient or sustained challenge to date.

But it will not be enough, and nor is it right, simply to resort to personal and ad hominem attacks. Yes, his ideas and proposals are dangerous. Yes, I believe that they would be a disaster for our country, and that must be clearly set out. But equally those policies must be met with our positive ideas of what we believe this country is and should be about.

As passions run at fever pitch and Brexit risks consuming our Party, we need to show equal and even greater passion as Conservatives about the importance of social mobility, and far more vocal support for a modern, compassionate conservatism.

So let us embrace such issues as poverty, the family, prisons and young people. Not because we believe them to be vote winners, or the key to electoral success. In and of themselves they are not. But we do so because as Conservatives we care about the most vulnerable in our society, about opportunity, and because they will help not only individuals, but their families and communities as well.

And as we leave Westminster behind this summer, concentrating on social justice will be a welcome break from Brexit.
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Page: 1 2 Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia Lock the usurper up!

lop guest

User ID: 451672

07-22-2018 04:56 PM











Post: #1 Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia

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President Obamas former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, came clean on CNN and stated that former President Obama was behind spying on President Trump!





President Obamas former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, came clean on CNN and stated that former President Obama was behind spying on President Trump!



James Clapper was on CNN yesterday and he stated that Obama was behind spying on President Trump and all the corrupt and criminal actions involving the government, including the Mueller investigation 



According to Obamas former spy chief, James Clapper, who appeared on CNN to say it was Obama who set the entire Russia witch-hunt into motion by tasking the intelligence community assessment.



Clapper said 





https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/07...itch-hunt/ Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia Witch Hunt!President Obamas former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, came clean on CNN and stated that former President Obama was behind spying on President Trump!President Obamas former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, came clean on CNN and stated that former President Obama was behind spying on President Trump!James Clapper was on CNN yesterday and he stated that Obama was behind spying on President Trump and all the corrupt and criminal actions involving the government, including the Mueller investigation According to Obamas former spy chief, James Clapper, who appeared on CNN to say it was Obama who set the entire Russia witch-hunt into motion by tasking the intelligence community assessment.Clapper said  LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 451670

07-22-2018 04:57 PM











Post: #2 RE: Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia

Well, this news wont be received well here, they hate facts. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 450243

07-22-2018 05:01 PM











Post: #3 RE: Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia

It doesn't matter the MSMs programming is complete.



At this point they could reveal that Obama operated human slave trades from the ME, South America and North Korea, operated multiple gun and drug rings, engaged in satanic human sacrifices and as long as he didn't even once agree with or support Trump he is still a god.



That's because we have fallen so very very far as a society into a deep deep pit of immorality. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 444782

07-22-2018 05:04 PM











Post: #4 RE: Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia

Lock the usurper up! Wrote: (07-22-2018 04:56 PM) Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia Witch Hunt!

President Obamas former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, came clean on CNN and stated that former President Obama was behind spying on President Trump!





President Obamas former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, came clean on CNN and stated that former President Obama was behind spying on President Trump!



James Clapper was on CNN yesterday and he stated that Obama was behind spying on President Trump and all the corrupt and criminal actions involving the government, including the Mueller investigation 



According to Obamas former spy chief, James Clapper, who appeared on CNN to say it was Obama who set the entire Russia witch-hunt into motion by tasking the intelligence community assessment.



Clapper said 



https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/07...itch-hunt/

Clapper said 



If it werent for President Obama we might not have done the intelligence community assessment that we did that set up a whole sequence of events which are still unfolding today including Special Counsel Muellers investigation . President Obama is responsible for that. It was he who tasked us to do that intelligence community assessment in the first place...



Apparently, Obama DID try to prevent Russian interference, unlike Trump's claim that Obama haven't anything to prevent it. Clapper said Apparently, Obama DID try to prevent Russian interference, unlike Trump's claim that Obama haven't anything to prevent it. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 444782

07-22-2018 05:05 PM











Post: #5 RE: Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia

LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 05:04 PM) Lock the usurper up! Wrote: (07-22-2018 04:56 PM) Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia Witch Hunt!

President Obamas former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, came clean on CNN and stated that former President Obama was behind spying on President Trump!





President Obamas former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, came clean on CNN and stated that former President Obama was behind spying on President Trump!



James Clapper was on CNN yesterday and he stated that Obama was behind spying on President Trump and all the corrupt and criminal actions involving the government, including the Mueller investigation 



According to Obamas former spy chief, James Clapper, who appeared on CNN to say it was Obama who set the entire Russia witch-hunt into motion by tasking the intelligence community assessment.



Clapper said 



https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/07...itch-hunt/

Clapper said 



If it werent for President Obama we might not have done the intelligence community assessment that we did that set up a whole sequence of events which are still unfolding today including Special Counsel Muellers investigation . President Obama is responsible for that. It was he who tasked us to do that intelligence community assessment in the first place...



Apparently, Obama DID try to prevent Russian interference, unlike Trump's claim that Obama haven't done* anything to prevent it.

* FIFM * FIFM Looky

lop guest

User ID: 441568

07-22-2018 05:07 PM











Post: #6 RE: Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia

LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 05:05 PM) LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 05:04 PM) Clapper said 



If it werent for President Obama we might not have done the intelligence community assessment that we did that set up a whole sequence of events which are still unfolding today including Special Counsel Muellers investigation . President Obama is responsible for that. It was he who tasked us to do that intelligence community assessment in the first place...



Apparently, Obama DID try to prevent Russian interference, unlike Trump's claim that Obama haven't done* anything to prevent it.

* FIFM Thank you for highlighting the obvious lie. Disinformation by CNN, fits the pattern. Thank you for highlighting the obvious lie. Disinformation by CNN, fits the pattern. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 451507

07-22-2018 05:14 PM











Post: #7 RE: Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia

Wowza LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 451507

07-22-2018 05:22 PM











Post: #8 RE: Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia

LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 412093

07-22-2018 05:24 PM











Post: #9 RE: Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia

Obama is a criminal, and always has been. Narcissistic, compulsive lying, criminal. GrimShaw

Asinus Asinum Fricat

User ID: 447734

07-22-2018 05:34 PM



Posts: 32,482









Post: #10 RE: Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia

LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 05:04 PM) Lock the usurper up! Wrote: (07-22-2018 04:56 PM) Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia Witch Hunt!

President Obamas former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, came clean on CNN and stated that former President Obama was behind spying on President Trump!





President Obamas former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, came clean on CNN and stated that former President Obama was behind spying on President Trump!



James Clapper was on CNN yesterday and he stated that Obama was behind spying on President Trump and all the corrupt and criminal actions involving the government, including the Mueller investigation 



According to Obamas former spy chief, James Clapper, who appeared on CNN to say it was Obama who set the entire Russia witch-hunt into motion by tasking the intelligence community assessment.



Clapper said 



https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/07...itch-hunt/

Clapper said 



If it werent for President Obama we might not have done the intelligence community assessment that we did that set up a whole sequence of events which are still unfolding today including Special Counsel Muellers investigation . President Obama is responsible for that. It was he who tasked us to do that intelligence community assessment in the first place...



Apparently, Obama DID try to prevent Russian interference, unlike Trump's claim that Obama haven't anything to prevent it.

NOOOO BUT BUT OBAMA



C'mon dude you're messing with their efforts to disseminate election season fakenews propaganda. Stop it :( NOOOO BUT BUT OBAMAC'mon dude you're messing with their efforts to disseminate election season fakenews propaganda. Stop it :( LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 444782

07-22-2018 05:40 PM











Post: #11 RE: Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia

Looky Wrote: (07-22-2018 05:07 PM) LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 05:05 PM) * FIFM

Thank you for highlighting the obvious lie. Disinformation by CNN , fits the pattern.

I literally cited The Gateway Pundit, you mindless colostomy bag. I literally cited The Gateway Pundit, you mindless colostomy bag. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 451507

07-22-2018 05:43 PM











Post: #12 RE: Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia

LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 05:24 PM) Obama is a criminal, and always has been. Narcissistic, compulsive lying, criminal.

Go to 5:45 and tell me what you hear.







Go to 5:45 and tell me what you hear. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 444782

07-22-2018 05:43 PM











Post: #13 RE: Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia

GrimShaw Wrote: (07-22-2018 05:34 PM) LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 05:04 PM) Clapper said 



If it werent for President Obama we might not have done the intelligence community assessment that we did that set up a whole sequence of events which are still unfolding today including Special Counsel Muellers investigation . President Obama is responsible for that. It was he who tasked us to do that intelligence community assessment in the first place...



Apparently, Obama DID try to prevent Russian interference, unlike Trump's claim that Obama haven't anything to prevent it.

NOOOO BUT BUT OBAMA



C'mon dude you're messing with their efforts to disseminate election season fakenews propaganda. Stop it :(

I know, right?



Those who believe absurdities will commit atrocities -- Voltaire I know, right?Those who believe absurdities will commit atrocities -- Voltaire LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 451507

07-22-2018 05:56 PM











Post: #14 RE: Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia

LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 05:04 PM) Lock the usurper up! Wrote: (07-22-2018 04:56 PM) Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia Witch Hunt!

President Obamas former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, came clean on CNN and stated that former President Obama was behind spying on President Trump!





President Obamas former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, came clean on CNN and stated that former President Obama was behind spying on President Trump!



James Clapper was on CNN yesterday and he stated that Obama was behind spying on President Trump and all the corrupt and criminal actions involving the government, including the Mueller investigation 



According to Obamas former spy chief, James Clapper, who appeared on CNN to say it was Obama who set the entire Russia witch-hunt into motion by tasking the intelligence community assessment.



Clapper said 



https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/07...itch-hunt/

Clapper said 



If it werent for President Obama we might not have done the intelligence community assessment that we did that set up a whole sequence of events which are still unfolding today including Special Counsel Muellers investigation . President Obama is responsible for that. It was he who tasked us to do that intelligence community assessment in the first place...



Apparently, Obama DID try to prevent Russian interference, unlike Trump's claim that Obama haven't anything to prevent it.

What Obama did was illegally spy on Trump while he campaigned for his opponent in historical proportions. What Obama did was illegally spy on Trump while he campaigned for his opponent in historical proportions. Looky

lop guest

User ID: 441568

07-22-2018 06:00 PM











Post: #15 RE: Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia

LoP Guest Wrote: (07-22-2018 05:40 PM) Looky Wrote: (07-22-2018 05:07 PM) Thank you for highlighting the obvious lie. Disinformation by CNN , fits the pattern.

I literally cited The Gateway Pundit, you mindless colostomy bag.

Do you feel better? Let's see if you can figure this one out on your own.



I want Obama in jail, but this is all smoke and mirrors. Do you feel better? Let's see if you can figure this one out on your own.I want Obama in jail, but this is all smoke and mirrors. Advertisement


















CORNWALL, Ontario  On Saturday, Aug. 11, the Ride for Hospice in support of Hospice Cornwall is taking off from the St. Lawrence Blvd Pub on Second St. W. in Riverdale.

The ride is being organized by the Seaway Valley Riders.

Weve all had friends here, relatives, said Brian Hannan of the Seaway Valley Riders.

This will be the first event of many for us, said Mike Dagenais. This is a cause thats near and dear to us.

The Seaway Valley Riders have around 30 members and this is their first time doing a ride like this.

To participate costs $20 per-rider and $5 for a passenger. Those without motorcycles are invited as well. Dagenais and Hannan said that cars and bicycles are welcomed to participate.

One-hundred percent of the funds raised by the ride will go to Hospice Cornwall.

There will also be a BBQ with donations accepted and a variety of items donated by local businesses that will be auctioned off.

Registration for the ride will open at 9 a.m. on Aug. 11 and the ride will leave from the St. Lawrence Blvd Pub at 10:30 a.m.

The first stop on the ride will be The Atlantic Pub in Alexandria, then off to the St. Alberts Cheese Factory before returning to the St. Lawrence Blvd Pub.

Anyone who knows Hospice, knows it is a good cause, said Dagenais.
FAIRFIELD  Three juveniles were arrested after reportedly leading police on chase through town and into Bridgeport early Sunday morning.

According to Fairfield police, around 3:30 a.m. Sunday, a caller reported four black males going through vehicles, then fleeing in a sport utility vehicle. A Fairfield officer arrived on scene and police said that a Honda, occupied by four people, attempted to ram his vehicle, striking it but causing little to no damage, then fled south on Grasmere Avenue.

A second Fairfield officer reportedly spotted the Honda on the Post Road heading into Bridgeport, where a pursuit began. At Fairfield Avenue and Interstate 95, the vehicle skidded out and all occupants ran.

Police said a female who had exited the passenger side of the vehicle, unknown as to front or rear, was arrested. A firearm was located on the ground just outside the front passenger door.

A Fairfield officer allegedly chased a male from the vehicle and captured him a short distance away.

According to a release from the police, a perimeter was immediately set up with the assistance of Bridgeport police and the Connecticut State Police, covering I-95 and the ramp.

Police said a Fairfield officer with a canine began searching the area, and the dog alerted the officer to the exact position where one male suspect was hiding in deep brush along side of I-95. He instantly surrendered, police said.

The fourth suspect, a black male wearing a red sweatshirt, was not located. The suspects are from the New Haven area, familiar to this department for similar activities. At least two of the three in custody have outstanding warrants. The Honda had been stolen from West Haven Saturday with the keys in it.

No additional firearms have been located as of this time. Its unclear whether the suspects took anything from the cars they were seen rummaging through.
Benjamin Franklin sailed home from France in 1785 carrying an awkward goodbye gift from King Louis XVI: an oval-shaped gold box that held a miniature portrait of the king, surrounded by 408 diamonds.

The extravagant box created a dilemma for Franklin. Goodbye presents to diplomats, customary in France, were banned by the United States. Fearful of the corrupting influence of wealthy Europe, the young country had adopted a strict rule: American officials could not accept gifts or second incomes from foreign governments. Careful not to violate the rule, Franklin offered the box to Congress, which let him keep it.

Today, 233 years later, the same rule that bound Franklin threatens to ensnare President Donald Trump. He's facing three lawsuits alleging that foreign governments' payments to his businesses are the modern version of Louis XVI's gold boxes. Last month, a federal judge in Maryland heard arguments on whether the Trump Organization's business dealings with foreign governments - including diplomats who have stayed at Trump International Hotel in Washington - violate the foreign emoluments clause of the Constitution.

Until Trump's election, few Americans were familiar with the term "emolument." But the Founding Fathers saw the foreign emoluments clause as a key defense against other nations corrupting their new government. Part of the Constitution's Article 1, Section 9, it reads, "No person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under [the United States], shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State." The law, which guards against conflicts of interest and potential bribes, was invoked often in early American history.

The ban dates back to America's first constitution, the Articles of Confederation. (Its inspiration was a 1651 Dutch requirement that foreign ministers reject diplomatic gifts.) The delegates at the 1787 Constitutional Convention included the ban in the new Constitution after Charles Pinckney of South Carolina "urged the necessity of preserving foreign ministers and other officers of the U.S. independent of external influence."

At Virginia's 1788 convention to ratify the Constitution, framer Edmund Randolph cited foreign temptations and Franklin's dilemma as reasons for the clause. "A box was presented to our ambassador by the king of our allies," Randolph told the delegates. "It was thought proper, in order to exclude corruption and foreign influence, to prohibit any one in office from receiving or holding any emoluments from foreign states."

Because of the foreign emoluments clause, presidents including Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln turned to Congress for instructions when foreign governments sent them gifts. Congress denied Jackson's 1830 request to keep a gold medal from Colombian President Simon Bolivar. Lincoln alerted Congress after King Mongkut of Siam sent him a sword, two elephant tusks, and pictures of the king and his daughter. In 1862, Congress ordered Lincoln to deposit the gifts with the Interior Department.

Martin Van Buren, the nation's eighth president, dealt with the 1800s' largest, liveliest emoluments-clause dilemma.

In summer 1839, at the American consulate in Tangier, trumpets announced the arrival of a procession of soldiers, sent by Abd ar-Rahman, the sultan of Morocco. The soldiers came bearing gifts: an "enormous, magnificent" lion and lioness.

The harried American consul, Thomas N. Carr, tried to refuse the lions, protesting that he - and the president - were barred by law from accepting them. The sultan's emissary didn't take no for an answer. "It will cost my head if I disobey," the emissary said, according to Carr's beleaguered letter to the secretary of state. "I shall leave them in the street." Stuck, Carr put the lions up in a room in the consulate and wrote home, saying he would "anxiously await instructions."

While the lions paced in the consulate, in spring 1840, the ship Sultanee sailed into New York City, bearing presents for Van Buren from Seyyid Said, the Sultan of Oman: two Arabian horses, a Persian rug, some cashmere shawls, pearls and a sword. Apologetically, Van Buren wrote to the sultan (also known as the Imam of Muscat) that "a fundamental law of the Republic . . . forbids its servants from accepting presents from foreign States or princes." The ship's captain insisted that the gifts should go to the U.S. government instead.

"I deem it my duty to lay the proposition before Congress," Van Buren wrote to the Senate, "for such disposition as they may think fit to make of it."

John Quincy Adams, the former president turned congressman, protested that Congress should refuse to consent to the gifts. "The president should receive no presents from any foreign power," Adams argued on the House floor in June 1840. Despite Adams' opposition, Congress authorized Van Buren to accept and sell the gifts from both sultans. The lions, shipped from Morocco to Pennsylvania, were auctioned off in Philadelphia's Navy Yard in August 1840 for $375. The pearls, which weren't sold, are in the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

Today, federal law prohibits U.S. government employees, including the president, from accepting gifts worth more than $390 from foreign officials. Justice Department opinions warn that the foreign emoluments clause prohibits most federal employees from earning second incomes from foreign governments.

Before President Barack Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, he got clearance from Justice Department lawyers who concluded that it wouldn't violate the emoluments clause. (The Norwegian parliament appoints the nonprofit Nobel Committee, but Justice lawyers found that Norway's government has "no meaningful role" in funding the prize or choosing its recipients. Obama gave the prize's $1.4 million award to charity.)

Can federal officials, including the president, do business with foreign governments? Three lawsuits against Trump argue that the emoluments clause prohibits that, too. A case filed by Maryland and the District of Columbia has proceeded the farthest so far. Lawyers in the case debated 18th-century dictionary definitions of "emolument" in court in June. Trump's lawyers argued for definitions that refer to profit from employment, while Maryland and Washington's lawyers argued that the more prevalent definition in the late 1700s included any profit or advantage. The judge has said he'll rule this month on whether the case can proceed.

In court, Trump's lawyers also brought up a 225-year-old land deal struck by George Washington. In 1793, while Washington was president, he bought four plots of land in the District of Columbia from the federal government, in a land sale conducted by the D.C. commissioners, his appointees. "I had no desire . . . to stand on a different footing from every other purchaser," Washington wrote to them.

Trump's lawyers argued that Washington's land deal is relevant to understanding the constitutional definition of an emolument. There's also a domestic emoluments clause in the Constitution, which says that the president can't receive "any other emolument" besides his salary from the U.S. or state governments. No one in 1793 treated Washington's land deal as an emolument, Trump's lawyers argue. So, they say, rent from a Chinese state-owned bank at Trump Tower isn't an emolument either, nor are foreign diplomats' bookings at the Trump International Hotel. (Still, just in case, the Trump Organization donated $151,000 to the U.S. Treasury in March, for unidentified "profits from foreign government patronage at our hotels and similar business" in 2017.)

But Washington's example can go both ways. The first president often used the term "private emolument" in his letters, to mean personal profit. In April 1776, as the American commander in the Revolutionary War, Washington issued a proclamation warning that colonial merchants who furnished British warships with "supplies of provision" would be treated as enemies. In doing so, Washington evoked the same fears of divided loyalties and private gain that would soon give rise to the Constitution's emoluments ban. "Sundry base and wicked persons," Washington called the merchants, "preferring their own, present private emolument to their country's weal."

- - -

Part of a continuing series about events of the past that remain relevant.

- - -

Erick Trickey is a Boston-based freelance writer who teaches magazine journalism at Boston University.
HAMDEN  Three people were killed in a crash early Sunday morning near the intersection of Whitney Avenue and Route 40.

Police did not release the names of the people killed, but said they were a 21-year-old Monroe resident, a 26-year-old Bridgeport resident and a 29-year-old Bridgeport resident.
NORWALK  For 30 years, Cynthia Barnett worked for Norwalk Public Schools.

She was an elementary school teacher, a guidance counselor, and eventually a high school assistant principal. But when she retired in 2003, she wasnt finished educating students.

I read an article that said women were not going into the sciences. I wanted to break that cycle, Barnett said Friday in a hallway of Nathan Hale Middle School, where the weeklong all-girls STEM camp, Camp Invention, was wrapping up.

A few feet away, a group of campers walked robotic dogs in the makeshift dog park, a section of hallway between two classrooms demarcated by dog houses created by each of the girls.

Robotic dogs is one of several segments of the camp that enforces STEM skills. On the first day of camp, each of the girls is given a robotic dog, which is then deconstructed, and reconstructed, in what amounts to a hands-on physiology lesson.

The students name the dogs, and then are faced with a series of dog-related problems.

Each day theres something wrong with the dogs and they have to figure out why, said Holly Hellman, one of the programs two teachers.

The students perform urinalyses on the dogs (the urine is not real) and examine their bone marrow, using the toy Orbeez in place of marrow. The also learn basic architectural skills by building

The bone marrow extract was fun because we got to play with the Orbeez, said seventh-grader Gabriela Lopez, who named her dog Coco. Its just fun seeing how to build things.

The camp, now in its fourth year, is open to girls aged 6 to 12. According to Barnett, there were roughly 50 attendees this year, broken into two groups, based on grade level, and complete a series of STEM-related tasks.

In a classroom, taught by Bonita Maddox, down the hall from the dog park, a group of students was presenting their mini-mansions. The small model homes were created by teams of two one room at a time over the course of the week, using materials from the Recycle Room, where students across the program could select from a store of supplies that included cardboard, plastic and milk crates. Eventually, the they furnished the mini-mansions, installed lights and presented the homes.

In the Stick to It room next store, students were first tasked with making a garment of some sort, and then were allowed to build a creation of their choosing.

We made a robot unicorn, said fifth grader Aisha Jean-Pierre, of the creature she created with her group mates.

Barnett started her first STEM program in 1996, with the co-ed nonprofit Saturday Academy. She later rebranded and created Amazing Girls Science, in 2009, of which Camp Invention is one of many educational programs offered for young girls, all aimed to increase engagement with science.

This is my calling, Barnett said. I feel that learning should be fun.

Camp Invention teachers are aided by a group of eight volunteers, some of whom were once campers.

One, Lillie Dehamer, is a recent high school graduate who has been with the program since she was a child.

I remember trying something and having it not work, and the progression to fix it, said Dehamer, of her time at the camp. She keeps returning, she said, because of the energy and imagination of the campers.

Especially younger kids dont see the roadblocks that we do, they still have these limitless ideas, Dehamer said.

To learn more about Camp Invention and Amazing Girls Science, visit amazinggirlsscience.com.

justin.papp@scni.com; @justinjpapp1; 203-842-2586
Von_Zolta

harshtog#@Queezie?

User ID: 417346

07-23-2018 12:01 AM



Posts: 687











Post: #1 Obamas "Director of National Intelligence"-Obama Behind Entire Russia Witch Hunt

Advertisement

I suppose Brennan will be next to be throwing BHO under the BUS.



Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia Witch Hunt!



President Obamas former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, came clean on CNN and stated that former President Obama was behind spying on President Trump!

James Clapper was on CNN yesterday and he stated that Obama was behind spying on President Trump and all the corrupt and criminal actions involving the government, including the Mueller investigation 

According to Obamas former spy chief, James Clapper, who appeared on CNN to say it was Obama who set the entire Russia witch-hunt into motion by tasking the intelligence community assessment.



Clapper said 

If it werent for President Obama we might not have done the intelligence community assessment that we did that set up a whole sequence of events which are still unfolding today including Special Counsel Muellers investigation. President Obama is responsible for that. It was he who tasked us to do that intelligence community assessment in the first place.



ss   @PriscillasView

James Clapper admits to Anderson Cooper that Obama set off the sequence of events that led to the Mueller investigation by tasking the intelligence community assessment

12:04 PM - 19 Jul 2018



Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia Witch Hunt!

by Jim Hoft July 22, 2018 825 Comments



President Obamas former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, came clean on CNN and stated that former President Obama was behind spying on President Trump!

James Clapper was on CNN yesterday and he stated that Obama was behind spying on President Trump and all the corrupt and criminal actions involving the government, including the Mueller investigation 

According to Obamas former spy chief, James Clapper, who appeared on CNN to say it was Obama who set the entire Russia witch-hunt into motion by tasking the intelligence community assessment.



Former Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper admitted in a CNN interview Saturday that former President Obama instigated the ongoing investigations into Donald Trump and those in his orbit.

Speaking with CNN's Anderson Cooper, Clapper let slip:

If it werent for President Obama we might not have done the intelligence community assessment that we did that set up a whole sequence of events which are still unfolding today including Special Counsel Muellers investigation. President Obama is responsible for that. It was he who tasked us to do that intelligence community assessment in the first place.



Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia Witch Hunt! ss   @PriscillasView 2h2 hours ago

Obama was behind the whole thing.





ss  @PriscillasView



James Clapper admits to Anderson Cooper that Obama set off the sequence of events that led to the Mueller investigation by tasking the intelligence community assessment.





Clapper said 

If it werent for President Obama we might not have done the intelligence community assessment that we did that set up a whole sequence of events which are still unfolding today including Special Counsel Muellers investigation. President Obama is responsible for that. It was he who tasked us to do that intelligence community assessment in the first place.



The cat is out of the bag.

I had to piece things together here - sorry if it appears a bit disjuncted.I suppose Brennan will be next to be throwing BHO under the BUS.James Clapper was on CNN yesterday and he stated that Obama was behind spying on President Trump and all the corrupt and criminal actions involving the government, including the Mueller investigation who appeared on CNN to say it was Obama who set the entire Russia witch-hunt into motion by tasking the intelligence community assessment.If it werent for President Obama we might not have done the intelligence community assessment that we did that set up a whole sequence of events which are still unfolding today including Special Counsel Muellers investigation. President Obama is responsible for that. It was he who tasked us to do that intelligence community assessment in the first place.ss   @PriscillasViewJames Clapper admits to Anderson Cooper that Obama set off the sequence of events that led to the Mueller investigation by tasking the intelligence community assessment12:04 PM - 19 Jul 2018by Jim Hoft July 22, 2018 825 CommentsPresident Obamas former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, came clean on CNN and stated that former President Obama was behind spying on President Trump!James Clapper was on CNN yesterday and he stated that Obama was behind spying on President Trump and all the corrupt and criminal actions involving the government, including the Mueller investigation According to Obamas former spy chief, James Clapper, who appeared on CNN to say it was Obama who set the entire Russia witch-hunt into motion by tasking the intelligence community assessment.Former Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper admitted in a CNN interview Saturday that former President Obama instigated the ongoing investigations into Donald Trump and those in his orbit.Speaking with CNN's Anderson Cooper, Clapper let slip:If it werent for President Obama we might not have done the intelligence community assessment that we did that set up a whole sequence of events which are still unfolding today including Special Counsel Muellers investigation. President Obama is responsible for that. It was he who tasked us to do that intelligence community assessment in the first place.Obamas Former Director of National Intelligence Says Obama Behind Entire Russia Witch Hunt! ss   @PriscillasView 2h2 hours ago3:04 PM - Jul 19, 2018If it werent for President Obama we might not have done the intelligence community assessment that we did that set up a whole sequence of events which are still unfolding today including Special Counsel Muellers investigation. President Obama is responsible for that. It was he who tasked us to do that intelligence community assessment in the first place.
What the no-trust motion in Parliament couldnt consolidate, Mamata Banerjee aspires to do.

If she manages to convince all the leaders of the opposition parties, the nation will see the face of the united Opposition in Kolkata on January 19, next year. For the first time.

All leaders of the oppositions parties will participate in a rally in Kolkata on January 19, Mamata said. ( Photo: India Today )

The TRS and BJD did not support the no-confidence motion in Parliament on Friday. But their leaders will attend the rally in Kolkata, the chief minister sounded confident when she announced the date of the proposed rally, while addressing the Martyrs' Day assembly on July 21; an annual occasion to pay homage to 13 Youth Congress activists killed in police firing in 1993.

Will CPM be there in January 19 rally?

Whether the rally of the united Opposition will have room for Mamata's arch-rival in the state, the CPM, is not yet clear. Similarly, there is studied silence about the presence of the Congress. (The party sided with the Congress in the no-confidence motion in Parliament, but happily welcomed the defectors from the Congress at the July 21 gathering.)

Sources said that Mamata will meet MK Stalin next month and invite him to the rally.

Mamata will address a public rally at Jhargram on August 9. (Photo: India Today )

Countering BJPs slogan of Ebar Bangla (This time West Bengal), the TMC will start campaigning with its slogan BJP Hothhao, desh Bnachao (Drive away the BJP, save the nation) from August 1. The party has also planned a public meeting on the same ground where PM Narendra Modi addressed a rally. Mamata will address another public rally at Jhargram on August 9.

July 21: A day to welcome turncoats

Since 2011, the year the TMC came to power in West Bengal, July 21 has been an occasion to officially welcome new members to the party.

With another year left for the Lok Sabha elections, this year the ritual gained in importance as Chandan Mitra, a close aide of LK Advani, joined the TMC.

The two-time Rajya Sabha MP and the editor-in-chief of The Pioneer, Chandan Mitra, who was as cornered in the BJP as Advani is, resigned from the party a few days ago.

Mamata expressed her concerns for the Bengalis being persecuted in Assam and Manipur

Apart from Ritabrata Banerejee, who had been expelled from the CPM for his wayward ways, about 56 elected representatives from Jhargram crossed over to the TMC. Significantly, BJP had performed well in that particular belt in the Panchayat elections.

Soft Hindu line?

At a time when Congress MP Shashi Tharoors Taliban Hindu comment has triggered political debates, Banerjee too resorted to the same metaphor, as she said, The way lynching is happening everywhere in the country, they (BJP, RSS) are creating Talibanis among people. In BJP and RSS, there are good people whom I respect but some are playing dirty games.

As the BJP heavyweights (Modi and Amit Shah) campaigning in Bengal have started admiring iconic Bengali figures like Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Abanindranath Tagore, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Kshudiram Bose, Matangini Hajra, Mamata, who is already known for her obeisance for the cultural icons, took one step further and expressed her concerns for the Bengalis being persecuted in Assam and Manipur.

In what may come across as a stark departure from her usual Muslim appeasement, she invoked Devi Durga, Ganapati, Vaishno Devi, Santoshi Maa in her speech.

Was the crowd thinner this time?

The number game

The number of people who gather at this annual event of flaunting strength matters the most to the party. The authenticity of the number can never be relied upon, but it is rarely below 10 lakhs.

This year, however, the crowd was not as thick as it used to be. The CM said the party could not rent a train to transport people from various districts to Kolkata.

Is there more than meets the eye? Only time will tell.

Read this story in Bengali

Also read: Martyr's Day: Why Mamata Banerjee's TMC is commemorating the death of Congress workers in 1993
The following companies are subsidiares of Laboratory Co. of America: 1957285 Ontario Inc. dba Quality Underwriting Services, 2089729 Ontario Inc., 2248848 Ontario Inc., 3065619 Nova Scotia Company, 3257959 Nova Scotia Company, 896988 Ontario Limited, 9279-3280 Quebec Inc., Accupath Diagnostic Laboratories Inc., Alpha Medical Laboratory LLC, Assets of Pathology Inc, Beacon LBS IPA Inc., Beacon Laboratory Benefit Solutions Inc., CannAmm GP Inc., CannAmm Limited Partnership, Center for Disease Detection International, Center for Disease Detection LLC, Centrex Clinical Laboratories Inc., Chiltern, Clearstone Central Laboratories (U.S.) Inc., Clearstone Holdings (International) Ltd., Clipper Holdings Inc., Colorado Coagulation Consultants Inc., Colorado Laboratory Services LLC, Correlagen Diagnostics Inc., Covance Inc., Curalab Inc., Cytometry Associates Inc., Czura Thornton (Hong Kong) Limited, DCL Acquisition Inc., DCL Medical Laboratories LLC (DE), DCL Medical Laboratories LLC (FL), DCL Sub LLC, DIANON Systems Inc., DL Holdings Limited Partnership, Decision Diagnostics L.L.C. (aka DaVinici/Medicorp LLC), Diagnostic Services Inc., DynaLifeDX, Dynacare - Gamma Laboratory Partnership, Dynacare Company, Dynacare G.P. Inc., Dynacare Holdco LLC, Dynacare Laboratories Inc., Dynacare Laboratories Limited Partnership, Dynacare Northwest Inc., Dynacare Realty Inc., DynalifeDX Infrastructure Inc., Endocrine Sciences Inc., Esoterix Genetic Counseling LLC, Esoterix Genetic Laboratories LLC, Esoterix Inc., Execmed Health Services Inc., FirstSource Laboratory Solutions Inc., GDML Medical Laboratories Inc, Gamma Dynacare Central Medical Laboratories GP Inc., Gamma Dynacare Central Medical Laboratory Limited Partnership, HHLA Lab-In-An-Envelope LLC, Health Trans Services Inc., Home Healthcare Laboratory of America LLC, IDX Pathology Inc., Impact Genetics Corp, Impact Genetics Inc., Kaleida LabCorp LLC, Lab Delivery Service of New York City Inc., LabCorp BVBA, LabCorp Belgium Holdings Inc., LabCorp Central Laboratories (Canada) Inc., LabCorp Central Laboratories (China) Inc., LabCorp Central Laboratories (Singapore) Pte., LabCorp Development Company, LabCorp Employer Services Inc., LabCorp Health System Diagnostics LLC, LabCorp Indiana Inc., LabCorp Japan G.K., LabCorp Limited, LabCorp Michigan Inc., LabCorp Nebraska Inc., LabCorp Neon Ltd., LabCorp Neon Switzerland S.a.r.l., LabCorp Specialty Testing Billing Service Inc., LabCorp Specialty Testing Group Inc., LabCorp Staffing Solutions Inc., LabCorp Tennessee LLC, LabCorp UK Holdings Ltd., LabWest Inc., Laboratoire Bio-Medic Inc., Laboratory Corporation of America, Lifecodes Corporation, LipoScience Inc., Litholink Corporation, MEDTOX Scientific Inc., MNG Laboratories, Medical Neurogenitics LLC, Medtox Diagnostics Inc., Medtox Laboratories Inc., Monogram Biosciences Inc., Monogram Biosciences UK Limited, Myriad Autoimmunes Vectra Testing Business, NWT Inc., National Genetics Institute, New Brighton Business Center LLC, New Imaging Diagnostics LLC, New Molecular Diagnostics Ventures LLC, Orchid Cellmark Ltd., Orchid Cellmark ULC, PA Labs Inc., Path Lab Incorporated, Pathology Associates Medical Lab LLC, Pee Dee Pathology Associates Inc., Persys Technology Inc., Pixel by LabCorp, Princeton Diagnostic Laboratories of America Inc., Protedyne Corporation, ReliaGene Technologies Inc., SW/DL LLC, Saint Josephs-PAML LLC, Sequenom Biosciences (India) Pvt. Ltd., Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine LLC, Sequenom Inc, Sequenom Inc., Southern Idaho Regional Laboratory, Tandem Labs Inc., The LabCorp Charitable Foundation, Tri-Cities Laboratory LLC, Viro-Med Laboratories Inc., Visiun, and Yakima Medical Arts Inc..
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The following companies are subsidiares of American Tower: 10 Presidential Way Associates LLC, 3267351 Nova Scotia Company, 3286208 Nova Scotia Company, 3298099 Nova Scotia Company, 52 Eighty LLC, 52 Eighty Partners LLC, 52 Eighty Tower Partners I LLC, ACC Tower Sub LLC, AT Kenya C.V., AT Netherlands C.V., AT Netherlands Cooperatief U.A., AT Sao Paulo C.V., AT Sher Netherlands Cooperatief U.A., AT South America C.V., ATC Africa Holding B.V., ATC Africa Shared Services (Pty) Ltd, ATC Antennas Holding LLC, ATC Antennas LLC, ATC Argentina C.V., ATC Argentina Cooperatief U.A., ATC Argentina Holding LLC, ATC Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., ATC Atlantic C.V., ATC Atlantic II B.V., ATC Atlantic III B.V., ATC Backhaul LLC, ATC Brasil  Servicos de Conectividades Ltda., ATC Brazil Holding LLC, ATC Brazil I LLC, ATC Brazil II LLC, ATC Burkina Faso S.A., ATC CSR Foundation India, ATC Chile Holding LLC, ATC Colombia B.V., ATC Colombia Holding I LLC, ATC Colombia Holding LLC, ATC Colombia I LLC, ATC EH GmbH & Co. KG, ATC Ecuador Holding LLC, ATC Edge LLC, ATC Ethiopia Infrastructure Development Private Limited Company, ATC Europe B.V., ATC Europe LLC, ATC European Holdings Inc., ATC Fibra de Colombia S.A.S., ATC France Cooperatief U.A., ATC France Holding II SAS, ATC France Holding SAS, ATC France Reseaux SAS, ATC France SAS, ATC France Services SAS, ATC GP GmbH, ATC Germany Holdings GmbH, ATC Germany Services GmbH, ATC Ghana ServiceCo Limited, ATC Global Employment B.V., ATC Heston B.V., ATC Holding Fibra Mexico S. de R.L. DE C.V., ATC IP LLC, ATC India Infrastructure Private Limited, ATC Indoor DAS Holding LLC, ATC Indoor DAS LLC, ATC International Cooperatief U.A., ATC International Financing B.V., ATC International Financing II B.V., ATC International Financing II Holding LLC, ATC International Holding Corp., ATC Iris I LLC, ATC Kenya Operations Limited, ATC Kenya Services Limited, ATC Latin America S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.N.R., ATC MIP III REIT Iron Holdings LLC, ATC Managed Sites Holding LLC, ATC Managed Sites LLC, ATC MexHold LLC, ATC Mexico Holding LLC, ATC Niger Wireless Infrastructure S.A., ATC Nigeria C.V., ATC Nigeria Cooperatief U.A., ATC Nigeria Holding LLC, ATC Nigeria Wireless Infrastructure Limited, ATC On Air + LLC, ATC Operations LLC, ATC Outdoor DAS LLC, ATC Paraguay Holding LLC, ATC Paraguay S.R.L., ATC Peru Holding LLC, ATC Polska sp. z o.o., ATC Ponderosa B-I LLC, ATC Ponderosa B-II LLC, ATC Ponderosa K LLC, ATC Ponderosa K-R LLC, ATC Sequoia LLC, ATC Sitios Infraco S.A.S., ATC Sitios de Chile S.A., ATC Sitios de Colombia S.A.S., ATC Sitios del Peru S.R.L., ATC South Africa Investment Holdings (Proprietary) Limited, ATC South Africa Services Pty Ltd, ATC South Africa Wireless Infrastructure (Pty) Ltd, ATC South Africa Wireless Infrastructure II (Pty) Ltd, ATC South America Holding LLC, ATC South LLC, ATC Spain LLC, ATC TRS I LLC, ATC TRS II LLC, ATC TRS III LLC, ATC TRS IV LLC, ATC Tanzania Holding LLC, ATC Telecom Infrastructure Private Limited, ATC Tower (Ghana) Limited, ATC Tower Services LLC, ATC Uganda Limited, ATC Uganda ServiceCo (SMC) Limited, ATC Watertown LLC, ATC WiFi LLC, ATS-Needham LLC, ActiveX Telebroadband Services Private Limited, Adquisiciones y Proyectos Inalambricos S. de R. L. de C.V., Agile Airband Ohio LLC, Agile Connect LLC, Agile IWG Holdings LLC, Agile Network Builders LLC, Agile Networks Indiana LLC, Agile Networks Site Development LLC, Agile Towers LLC, Alternative Networking LLC, American Tower Asset Sub II LLC, American Tower Asset Sub LLC, American Tower Charitable Foundation Inc., American Tower Delaware Corporation, American Tower Depositor Sub LLC, American Tower Guarantor Sub LLC, American Tower Holding Sub II LLC, American Tower Holding Sub LLC, American Tower International Holding I LLC, American Tower International Holding II LLC, American Tower International Inc., American Tower Investments LLC, American Tower LLC, American Tower Management LLC, American Tower Mauritius, American Tower Servicios Fibra S. de R.L. de C.V., American Tower Tanzania Operations Limited, American Tower do Brasil - Cessao de Infraestruturas Ltda., American Tower do Brasil  Communicacao Multimidia Ltda., American Towers LLC, BR Towers, Blue Sky Towers Pty Ltd, Blue Transfer Sociedad Anonima, Broadcast Towers LLC, CNC2 Associates LLC, California Tower Inc., Cell Site NewCo II LLC, Cell Tower Lease Acquisition LLC, Central States Tower Holdings LLC, Colo ATL LLC, Colo Atl, Communications Properties Inc., Comunicaciones y Consumos S.A., Connectivity Infrastructure Services Limited, DCS Tower Sub LLC, Eaton, Eaton Towers (Lilongwe) Limited, Eaton Towers Ghana (M) Limited, Eaton Towers Ghana Limited, Eaton Towers Holdings Limited, Eaton Towers Kenya Limited, Eaton Towers Limited, Eaton Towers Niger S.A., Eaton Towers Uganda Limited, Essar Telecom Infrastructure, Eure-et-Loir Reseaux Mobiles SAS, GTP Acquisition Partners I LLC, GTP Acquisition Partners II LLC, GTP Acquisition Partners III LLC, GTP Costa Rica Finance LLC, GTP Infrastructure I LLC, GTP Infrastructure II LLC, GTP Infrastructure III LLC, GTP Investments LLC, GTP LATAM Holdings B.V., GTP LatAm Holdings Cooperatieve U.A., GTP Operations CR S.R.L., GTP South Acquisitions II LLC, GTP Structures I LLC, GTP Structures II LLC, GTP TRS I LLC, GTP Torres CR S.R.L., GTP Towers I LLC, GTP Towers II LLC, GTP Towers III LLC, GTP Towers IV LLC, GTP Towers IX LLC, GTP Towers V LLC, GTP Towers VII LLC, GTP Towers VIII LLC, GTPI HoldCo LLC, Ghana Tower InterCo B.V., Global Tower Assets III LLC, Global Tower Assets LLC, Global Tower Holdings LLC, Global Tower LLC, Global Tower Partners, Global Tower Services LLC, Gondola Tower Holdings LLC, Grain HoldCo LLC, Grain HoldCo Parent LLC, GrainComm I LLC, GrainComm II LLC, GrainComm III LLC, GrainComm LLC, GrainComm Marketing LLC, GrainComm V LLC, Haysville Towers LLC, IW Equipment LLC, IWD Equipment LLC, IWG Holdings LLC, IWG II Holdings LLC, IWG II LLC, IWG Miami LLC, IWG Towers Assets I LLC, IWG Towers Assets II LLC, IWG-TLA Australia Pty Ltd., IWG-TLA Canada Corp., IWG-TLA Encanto 1 LLC, IWG-TLA Encanto 2 LLC, IWG-TLA Encanto 3 LLC, IWG-TLA Encanto LLC, IWG-TLA Holdings LLC, IWG-TLA Media 2 LLC, IWG-TLA Media LLC, IWG-TLA Telecom LLC, IWL-TLA Telecom 2 LLC, Idaho Tower Company LLC, InSite (BCEC) LLC, InSite (MBTA) LLC, InSite Borrower LLC, InSite Co-Issuer Corp., InSite Guarantor LLC, InSite Hawaii LLC, InSite Issuer LLC, InSite Licensing LLC, InSite Towers Development 2 LLC, InSite Towers Development LLC, InSite Towers International 2 LLC, InSite Towers International Development LLC, InSite Towers International LLC, InSite Towers LLC, InSite Towers of Puerto Rico LLC, InSite Wireless Development LLC, InSite Wireless Group, InSite Wireless Group LLC, Insite Wireless LLC, Invisible IWG Holdings LLC, Invisible Towers LLC, JT Communications LLC, LAP Inmobiliaria Limitada, LAP Inmobiliaria S.R.L., LL B Sheet 1 LLC, Lap do Brasil Empreendimentos Imobiliarios Ltda, Lease Advisors-AU PTY LTD, Loxel SAS, MATC Digital S. de R.L. de C.V., MATC Infraestructura S. de R.L. de C.V., MATC Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., MC New Macland Properties LLC, MCSU Properties LLC, MHB Tower Rentals of America LLC, MIP III Iron Holdings LLC, MIP III U.S. Iron LLC, Microwave Inc., Municipal Bay LLC, Municipal-Bay Holdings LLC, New Towers LLC, PCS Structures Towers LLC, R-CAL I LLC, RSA Media Inc., Repeater Communications Group I LLC, Repeater Communications Group II LLC, Repeater Communications Group III LLC, Repeater Communications Group IV LLC, Repeater Communications Group LLC, Repeater Communications Group V LLC, Repeater Communications Group VI LLC, Repeater Communications Group of New York LLC, Repeater IWG Holdings LLC, Richland Towers LLC, Signum/IWG Tower Corp., Southeast Network Access Point LLC, SpectraSite Communications, SpectraSite Communications LLC, SpectraSite LLC, T8 Ulysses Site Management LLC, TLA PR-1 LLC, TLA PR-2 LLC, Telecom Lease Advisors Management 2 LLC, Tower Management Inc., Towers of America L.L.L.P., Transcend Infrastructure Holdings Pte. Ltd., Transcend Towers Infrastructure (Philippines) Inc., Turris Sites Development Corp., Turris Sites IWG Corp, Tysons II DAS LLC, UNIsite, Uganda Tower Interco B.V., Ulysses Asset Sub I LLC, Ulysses Asset Sub II LLC, UniSite LLC, UniSite/Omnipoint FL Tower Venture LLC, UniSite/Omnipoint NE Tower Venture LLC, UniSite/Omnipoint PA Tower Venture LLC, Vangard Wireless LLC, Verus Management One LLC, Viom Networks, and Virdi IWG Holdings LLC.
Associated British Foods plc operates as a diversified food, ingredients, and retail company worldwide. It operates through five segments: Grocery, Sugar, Agriculture, Ingredients, and Retail. The Grocery segment manufactures and sells grocery products, including hot beverages, sugar and sweeteners, vegetable oils, balsamic vinegars, bread and baked goods, cereals, ethnic foods, and meat products to retail, wholesale, and foodservice businesses. The Sugar segment is involved in growing, processing, and sale of sugar beet and sugar cane to industrial users. The Agriculture segment manufactures and sells animal feeds; and provides other products and services for the agriculture sector. The Ingredients segment manufactures bakers' yeast, bakery ingredients, enzymes, lipids, yeast extracts, and cereal specialties. The Retail segment is involved in buying and merchandising clothing and accessories through the Primark and Penneys retail chains, which offer womenswear, menswear, children's wear, footwear, accessories, homeware, and skincare products. The company was founded in 1935 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Associated British Foods plc is a subsidiary of Wittington Investments Limited.

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BlackRock Municipal Income Investment Quality Trust is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by BlackRock, Inc. It is managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. The fund invests in fixed income markets of United States. It primarily invests in municipal bonds exempt from federal income taxes, including the alternative minimum tax and also in municipal bonds that are investment grade quality at the time of investment. The fund was formerly known as BlackRock Insured Municipal Income Investment Trust. BlackRock Municipal Income Investment Quality Trust was formed on October 31, 2002 and is domiciled in United States.

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Evonik Industries AG engages in the specialty chemicals business. It operates through Specialty Additives, Nutrition & Care, Smart Materials, Performance Materials, and Services segments. The Specialty Additives segment provides polyurethane additives, organically modified silicones, isophorones, epoxy curing agents, oil additives, fumed silicas, matting agents, TAA and TAA derivatives, and acetylenic diol-based surfactants for consumer goods and specialized industrial applications. The Nutrition & Care segment offers amphoteric surfactants, ceramides, phytosphingosines, oleochemicals, quaternary derivatives, amino acids and amino acid derivatives, synthesis products, pharmaceutical polymers, and DL-methionine for use in consumer goods, animal nutrition, and healthcare products. The Smart Materials segment provides hydrogen peroxide, activated nickel catalysts, precious metal powder catalysts, peracetic acid, oil and fat hydrogenation catalysts, amorphous polyalphaolefins, polybutadienes, polyester resins, thermoplastic and reactive methacrylate resins, PEEK, polyamide 12, organosilanes, chlorosilanes, fumed silicas, fumed metal oxides, and precipitated silicas for the automotive, paints, coatings, adhesives, construction, and various other sectors. The Performance Materials segment produces polymer materials and intermediates, including butene-1, DINP, isononanol, cyanuric chloride, alkoxides, and superabsorbent for rubber, plastics, and automotive industries. The Services segment provides site management, utilities and waste management, technical, process technology, engineering, and logistics services. It operates in the Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Central and South America, and North America. The company is headquartered in Essen, Germany. Evonik Industries AG is a subsidiary of RAG-Stiftung.

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Equinor ASA engages in the exploration, production, transport, refining, and marketing of petroleum and petroleum-derived products. It operates through the following segments: Exploration and Production Norway, Exploration and Production International, Exploration and Production USA, Marketing, Midstream, and Processing, and Other. The Exploration and Production Norway segment includes the commercial development of oil and gas portfolios on the Norwegian continental shelf. The Exploration and Production International segment covers offshore and onshore activities in the USA, Mexico, and other operations worldwide. The Exploration and Production USA segment covers both onshore and offshore exploration, development, and Production of oil and gas in USA. The Marketing, Midstream, and Processing segment markets and trades of oil and gas commodities. The Other segment includes new energy solutions; global strategy and business development; technology; projects and drilling; and corporate staffs and services. The company was founded on September 18, 1972 and is headquartered in Stavanger, Norway.

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Fortum Oyj is a Finland-based company engaged in the generation and sale of electricity and heat, and operation and maintenance of power plants, as well as energy-related services. The Company operates, along with its subsidiaries, in four business segments: Power, comprising the Company's power generation, physical operation and trading, as well as expert services for power producers; Heat, consisting of combined heat and power generation (CHP), district heating and cooling activities and business-to-business heating solutions; Russia, including power and heat generation and sales in Russia, and Electricity Solutions, responsible for Fortum's electricity sales. The Company operates in Finland, Sweden, Norway, the Russian Federation, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, India and the United Kingdom, among others.

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The Toronto-Dominion Bank, together with its subsidiaries, provides various personal and commercial banking products and services in Canada and the United States. It operates through three segments: Canadian Retail, U.S. Retail, and Wholesale Banking. The company offers personal deposits, such as chequing, savings, and investment products; financing, investment, cash management, international trade, and day-to-day banking services to businesses; and financing options to customers at point of sale for automotive and recreational vehicle purchases through auto dealer network. It also provides credit cards; real estate secured lending; auto finance; consumer lending; point-of-sale payment solutions for large and small businesses; wealth and asset management products, private banking, investment advisory, and trust services to retail and institutional clients; and property and casualty insurance, as well as life and health insurance products. The company also provides capital markets, and corporate and investment banking services, including underwriting and distribution of new debt and equity issues; advice on strategic acquisitions and divestitures; and trading, funding, and investment services to companies, governments, and institutions. It offers its products and services under the TD Bank and America's Most Convenient Bank brand names. The company operates through a network of 1,085 branches, 3,440 automated teller machines, and 1,223 stores, as well as offers telephone, digital, and mobile banking services. The Toronto-Dominion Bank was founded in 1855 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

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The following companies are subsidiares of The Allstate: AIMCO Private Fund I Holding LLC, AIMCO Private Fund I LLC, AIMCO Private Fund II LLC, ALIC Reinsurance Company, ALINV Mosaic LLC, ANIHI Newco LLC, AP Real Estate LLC, AP Riverway Plaza LLC, AP Timber LLC, Allstate Assignment Company, Allstate Assurance Company, Allstate County Mutual Insurance Company, Allstate Digital Ventures LLC, Allstate Distributors L.L.C., Allstate Enterprises LLC, Allstate Exchange Services LLC, Allstate Finance Company Agency Loans LLC, Allstate Finance Company LLC, Allstate Financial Advisors LLC, Allstate Financial Corporation, Allstate Financial Insurance Holdings Corporation, Allstate Financial LLC, Allstate Financial Services LLC (1), Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company, Allstate Global Holdings Limited, Allstate Indemnity Company, Allstate Insurance Company, Allstate Insurance Company of Canada, Allstate Insurance Holdings LLC, Allstate International Assignments Ltd., Allstate International Holdings Inc., Allstate Investment Management Company, Allstate Investments LLC, Allstate Life Insurance Company (2), Allstate Life Insurance Company of Canada, Allstate Life Insurance Company of New York, Allstate Motor Club Inc., Allstate New Jersey Insurance Company, Allstate New Jersey Property and Casualty Insurance Company, Allstate Non-Insurance Holdings Inc., Allstate North American Insurance Company, Allstate Northbrook Indemnity Company, Allstate Northern Ireland Limited, Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Company, Allstate Settlement Corporation, Allstate Short Term Pool LLC, Allstate Solutions Private Limited, Allstate Texas Lloyds, Allstate Texas Lloyds Inc., Allstate Vehicle and Property Insurance Company, American Heritage Life Insurance Company, American Heritage Service Company, Answer Financial Inc., Answer Marketplace LLC, Arity 875 LLC, Arity International Limited, Arity LLC, Arity Services LLC, CE Care Plan Corp, Castle Key Indemnity Company, Castle Key Insurance Company, Complete Product Care Corp, Current Creek Investments LLC, E.R.J. Insurance Group Inc. (3), Encompass Floridian Indemnity Company, Encompass Floridian Insurance Company, Encompass Home and Auto Insurance Company, Encompass Indemnity Company, Encompass Independent Insurance Company, Encompass Insurance Company, Encompass Insurance Company of America, Encompass Insurance Company of Massachusetts, Encompass Insurance Company of New Jersey, Encompass Insurance Holdings LLC, Encompass Property and Casualty Company, Encompass Property and Casualty Insurance Company of New Jersey, Esurance Holdings Inc., Esurance Insurance Company, Esurance Insurance Company of Canada, Esurance Insurance Company of New Jersey, Esurance Insurance Services Company of Canada, Esurance Insurance Services Inc. (4), Esurance Property and Casualty Insurance Company, First Colonial Insurance Company, Identity Protection Strategic Solutions LLC, InfoArmor Aggra Inc., InfoArmor Inc., Insurance Answer Center LLC (5), Intramerica Life Insurance Company, Ivantage Insurance Brokers Inc., Ivantage Select Agency Inc., Kennett Capital Inc., NBInv AF1 LLC, NBInv AF2 LLC, NBInv AF3 LLC, NBInv AF4 LLC, NBInv AF5 LLC, NBInv AF6 LLC, NBInv AP1 LLC, NBInv AP2 LLC, NBInv AP3 LLC, NBInv AP4 LLC, NBInv AP5 LLC, NBInv AP6 LLC, NBInv AP7 LLC, NBInv AP8 LLC, NBInv APAF1 LLC, NBInv Riverside Cars1 LLC, NBInv Riverside Management LLC, North Light Specialty Insurance Company, Northeast Agencies Inc. (6), Pablo Creek Services Inc., Pafco Insurance Company, Pembridge Insurance Company, PlumChoice Business Services Inc., PlumChoice Inc., Protection Plan Group Inc., Right Answer Insurance Agency LLC, Road Bay Investments LLC, ST Product Care Corp, Signature Agency Inc., Signature Motor Club Inc., Signature Motor Club of California Inc., Signature Nationwide Auto Club of California Inc., Signatures Nationwide Auto Club Inc., SquareTrade Australia Pty Ltd, SquareTrade Canada Inc., SquareTrade Europe Limited, SquareTrade Holding Company Inc., SquareTrade Inc. (7), SquareTrade Insurance Services Inc., SquareTrade Limited, SquareTrade Protection Solutions Inc., SquareTradeGo Inc., Tech-Cor LLC, and West Plaza RE Holdings LLC.
Wall Street analysts have given Hansteen a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but Hansteen wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Quest Diagnostics: AmeriPath, AmeriPath Cincinnati Inc. (OH), AmeriPath Cleveland Inc. (OH), AmeriPath Consolidated Labs Inc. (FL), AmeriPath Florida LLC (DE), AmeriPath Hospital Services Florida LLC (DE), AmeriPath Inc. (DE), AmeriPath Indianapolis PC (IN), AmeriPath Kentucky Inc. (KY), AmeriPath Lubbock 5.01(A) Corporation (TX), AmeriPath New York LLC (DE), AmeriPath Texas Inc. (DE), AmeriPath Tucson Inc. (AZ), American Medical Laboratories, American Medical Laboratories Incorporated (DE), Associated Clinical Laboratories L.P. (PA), Associated Clinical Laboratories of Pennsylvania L.L.C. (PA), Athena Diagnostics, Athena Diagnostics Inc. (DE), Blueprint Genetics, Blueprint Genetics FZ-LLC (UAE), Blueprint Genetics Inc. (DE), Blueprint Genetics Oy (Finland), California Laboratory Associates, Cape Cod Healthcare - Business, Celera, ClearPoint Diagnostic, Clearpoint Diagnostic Laboratories LLC (TX), Cleveland HeartLab, Cleveland HeartLab Inc. (DE), Clinical Laboratory Partners, Colorado Pathology Consultants P.C. (CO), ConVerge Diagnostic Services, Consolidated DermPath Inc. (DE), DFW 5.01(a) Corporation (TX), DGXWMT JV LLC (DE), Dermatopathology of Wisconsin S.C. (WI), Diagnostic Laboratory of Oklahoma LLC (OK), Diagnostic Pathology Services Inc. (OK), Diagnostic Reference Services Inc. (MD), ExamOne Canada Inc. (New Brunswick), ExamOne LLC (DE), ExamOne World Wide Inc. (PA), ExamOne World Wide of NJ Inc. (NJ), Focus Diagnostics, HemoCue, Hoffman M.D. Associated Pathologists Chartered (NV), Institute for Dermatopathology Inc. (PA), Isabella Street Urban Renewal LLC (NJ), Kailash B. Sharma M.D. Inc. (GA), Kilpatrick Pathology P.A. (NC), LabOne, LabOne LLC (MO), LabOne of Ohio Inc. (DE), Laboratorio de Analisis Biomedicos S.A. (Mexico), Lancet Labs, MACL, Med Fusion LLC (TX), Med fusion, MedPlus, Mid America Clinical Laboratories LLC (IN), Nomad Massachusetts Inc. (MA), Nuclear Medicine and Pathology Associates (GA), Ocmulgee Medical Pathology Association Inc. (GA), Pathology Building Partnership (MD) (gen. ptnrshp.), PeaceHealth Laboratories, PhenoPath Laboratories, PhenoPath Laboratories PLLC (WA), Q Squared Solutions Holdings LLC (DE), Q Squared Solutions Holdings Limited (UK), Quest Diagnostics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. (China), Quest Diagnostics Brasil Holdings Ltd. (UK), Quest Diagnostics Clinical Laboratories, Quest Diagnostics Clinical Laboratories Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics Domestic Holder LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics HTAS India Private Limited (India), Quest Diagnostics Health & Wellness LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Holdings Incorporated (DE), Quest Diagnostics Holdings Ltd. (UK), Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (MD), Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NV), Quest Diagnostics India Private Limited (India), Quest Diagnostics Infectious Disease Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics International Holdings Limited (UK), Quest Diagnostics International LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Investments LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Ireland Limited (Ireland), Quest Diagnostics LLC (CT), Quest Diagnostics LLC (IL), Quest Diagnostics LLC (MA), Quest Diagnostics Massachusetts LLC (MA), Quest Diagnostics Mexico Holding Company Trust (Mexico), Quest Diagnostics Mexico S de RL de CV (Mexico), Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute (CA), Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute Inc. (VA), Quest Diagnostics Receivables Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics Subsidiary Holdings Ltd. (UK), Quest Diagnostics TB LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Terracotta LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Venture LLC (PA), Quest Diagnostics Ventures LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics do Brasil Ltda. (Brazil), Quest Diagnostics of Pennsylvania Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics of Puerto Rico Inc. (PR), Quest HealthConnect LLC (CA), ReproSource, Reprosource Fertility Diagnostics Inc. (MA), Solstas Lab Partners, Sonora Quest Laboratories LLC (AZ), Specialty Laboratories Inc. (CA), Summit Health, UMass Memorial Medical Center - Anatomic Pathology Outreach Laboratory Business, Unilab Corporation, and Unilab Corporation (DE).
Wall Street analysts have given AllianzGI Convertible & Income 2024 Target Term Fund a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but AllianzGI Convertible & Income 2024 Target Term Fund wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

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Suncor Energy Inc. operates as an integrated energy company. The company primarily focuses on developing petroleum resource basins in Canada's Athabasca oil sands; explores, acquires, develops, produces, transports, refines, and markets crude oil in Canada and internationally; markets petroleum and petrochemical products under the Petro-Canada name primarily in Canada. It operates in Oil Sands; Exploration and Production; Refining and Marketing; and Corporate and Eliminations segments. The Oil Sands segment recovers bitumen from mining and in situ operations, and upgrades it into refinery feedstock and diesel fuel, or blends the bitumen with diluent for direct sale to market. The Exploration and Production segment is involved in offshore operations off the east coast of Canada and in the North Sea; and operating onshore assets in Libya and Syria. The Refining and Marketing segment refines crude oil and intermediate feedstock into various petroleum and petrochemical products; and markets refined petroleum products to retail, commercial, and industrial customers through its other retail sellers. The Corporate and Eliminations segment operates four wind farm operations in Ontario and Western Canada. The company also markets and trades in crude oil, natural gas, byproducts, refined products, and power. The company was formerly known as Suncor Inc. and changed its name to Suncor Energy Inc. in April 1997. Suncor Energy Inc. was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA engages in the traditional banking businesses of retail banking, asset management, private banking, and wholesale banking. It operates through the following segments: Spain, the United States, Mexico, Turkey, South America, and Rest of Eurasia. The Spain segment includes mainly the banking and insurance business that the group carries out in Spain. The United States segment consists of the financial business activity of BBVA USA in the country and the activity of the branch of BBVA SA in New York. The Mexico segment refers to banking and insurance businesses in this country as well as the activity of its branch in Houston. The Turkey segment reports the activity of Garanti BBVA group that is mainly carried out in this country and, to a lesser extent, in Romania and the Netherlands. The South America segment comprises of operations in n Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The Rest of Eurasia segment includes the banking business activity carried out by the group in Europe and Asia, excluding Spain. The company was founded in 1857 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spain.

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Wall Street analysts have given iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Occidental Petroleum: 1PointFive Inc., 1PointFive P1 LLC, APC Aviation Inc., APC International Holdings LLC, APC Midstream Holdings LLC, APC Venezuela Srl, ARCO Long Beach, Altura Energy, Amarok Gathering LLC, Anadarko 20-25 Company, Anadarko 20-36 Company, Anadarko 20-47 Company, Anadarko 20-48 Company, Anadarko 20-49 Company, Anadarko Algeria Block 403 c/e Company, Anadarko Algeria Block 406B Company, Anadarko Algeria Company LLC, Anadarko Algeria Oil & Gas Company, Anadarko Brazil Investment I LLC, Anadarko Brazil Investment II LLC, Anadarko Canada E&P Limited, Anadarko China Holdings 2 Company, Anadarko Colombia Company, Anadarko Consolidated Holdings LLC, Anadarko Cote d'Ivoire Block 103 Company, Anadarko Cote d'Ivoire Company, Anadarko DBMOS Operator LLC, Anadarko Development Company, Anadarko Development Holding Limited, Anadarko E&P Onshore LLC, Anadarko Egypt Holdings Company, Anadarko Energy Holding Limited, Anadarko Energy Services Company, Anadarko Exploracao e Producao de Petroleo e Gas Natural Ltda., Anadarko Finance Company, Anadarko Gabon Company, Anadarko Ghana Mahogany-1 Company, Anadarko Global Energy S.a.r.l, Anadarko Global Funding 1 Company, Anadarko Global Funding II Ltd., Anadarko Guyana Company, Anadarko Holding Company, Anadarko International Development S.a.r.l, Anadarko International Energy Company, Anadarko International O&G Company, Anadarko International Trading Corporation, Anadarko Jordan Company, Anadarko Kenya Company, Anadarko LMM S.a.r.l, Anadarko Land Corp., Anadarko Mexico B.V., Anadarko Mexico S.a.r.l, Anadarko Midkiff/Chaney Dell BR Corp., Anadarko Midkiff/Chaney Dell LLC, Anadarko Natural Gas Company LLC, Anadarko New Zealand Company, Anadarko OGC Company, Anadarko Offshore Holding Company LLC, Anadarko Offshore Well Containment Company LLC, Anadarko Oil & Gas 5 LLC, Anadarko Peru B.V., Anadarko Petroleum, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Anadarko Realty LLC, Anadarko Rockies LLC, Anadarko Royalty Holdings Company, Anadarko UK Corporate Limited, Anadarko US Offshore LLC, Anadarko USH1 Corporation, Anadarko Venezuela Company, Anadarko Venezuela LLC, Anadarko Venezuela Srl, Anadarko WCTP Company, Anadarko West Texas BR Corp., Anadarko West Texas LLC, Anadarko Worldwide Holdings C.V., Atlantic Rim Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Aventine LLC, Baseball Merger Sub 2 Inc., Bear Branch Exploration LLC, Big Island Trona Company, Bitter Creek Coal Company, Bravo Pipeline Company, Cain Chemical, Cain Chemical Inc., Carbon Finance Labs LLC, Concord Petroleum Corporation, Conn Creek Shale Company, D.S. Ventures LLC, DMM Financial LLC, Deerwood Exploration LLC, Downtown Plaza II, Elk Hills Field, FLAG Development LLC, FP Westport Commodities Limited, FP Westport GmbH, FP Westport LLC, FP Westport Limited, FP Westport Services LLC, FP Westport Trading LLC, Fosters Mill Exploration LLC, Glenn Springs Holdings Inc., Globrep Representaciones S.A., Grand Bassa Tankers Inc., Grupo OxyChem de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Headwater II LLC, Houndstooth Resources LLC, INDSPEC Chemical B.V., INDSPEC Chemical Corporation, INDSPEC Chemical Corporation, INDSPEC Chemical Export Sales LLC, INDSPEC Holding Corporation, Ingleside Cogeneration GP LLC, Ingleside Cogeneration Limited Partnership, Interore Trading Ltd., Joslyn Partnership, KERR-McGEE TT E&P LTD., KM BM-C-Seven Ltd., KM International Insurance Ltd., Kerr-McGee Corporation, Kerr-McGee Natural Gas Company Inc., Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Onshore LP, Kerr-McGee Shared Services Company LLC, Kerr-McGee Stored Power Corporation, Kerr-McGee U.K. Energy Corporation, Kerr-McGee Worldwide Corporation, Kerr-McGee do Brasil Ltda., Kerr-McGee of Canada Northwest Ltd., Laguna Petroleum Corp., Laguna Petroleum LLC, Liwa Oil & Gas Ltd., MC2 Technologies LLC, Mariana Properties Inc., Marico Exploration Inc., Miller Springs Remediation Management Inc., Moncrief Minerals Partnership L.P., NGL Ventures LLC, Natural Gas Odorizing Inc., New OPL LLC, OEVC Energy LLC, OEVC Midstream Projects LLC, OIH LLC, OLCV CE Holdings ULC, OLCV CE US Holdings Inc., OLCV Net Power LLC, OLCV Services LLC, OOG Partner LLC, OOOI Chem Holdings LLC, OOOI Chem Sub LLC, OOOI Chemical International LLC, OOOI Chile Holder LLC, OOOI Ecuador Management LLC, OOOI Oil and Gas Sub LLC, OOOI South America Management LLC, OPM GP Inc., OPM Holdco LLC, OTCF LLC, OTH LLC, OXY CV Pipeline LLC, OXY Campus LLC, OXY Inc., OXY LPG LLC, OXY Libya E&P Area 103 BR4 B.V., OXY Libya E&P Area 35 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P Concession 103 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 102 B.V., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 1981 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 1985 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P NC 143 144 145 150 B.V., OXY Libya Exploration SPC, OXY Libya LLC, OXY Little Knife LLC, OXY Mexico Holdings I LLC, OXY Mexico Holdings II LLC, OXY Middle East Holdings Ltd., OXY Oil Partners Inc., OXY PBLP Manager LLC, OXY Support Services LLC, OXY Tulsa Inc., OXY USA Inc., OXY USA WTP LP, OXY VPP Investments LLC, OXY West LLC, OXY of Saudi Arabia Ltd., OXYCHEM (CANADA) INC., OXYMAR, Oakwood Exploration LLC, Occidental (Bermuda) Ltd., Occidental (East Shabwa) LLC, Occidental Advance Sale Finance Inc., Occidental Al Hosn LLC, Occidental Angola Holdings Ltd., Occidental CIS Services Inc., Occidental Canada Holdings Ltd., Occidental Chemical Asia Limited, Occidental Chemical Belgium B.V.B.A., Occidental Chemical Chile Limitada, Occidental Chemical Corporation, Occidental Chemical Export Sales LLC, Occidental Chemical Far East Limited, Occidental Chemical Holding Corporation, Occidental Chemical International LLC, Occidental Chemical Investment (Canada) 1 Inc., Occidental Chemical Receivables LLC, Occidental Chemical de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Occidental Chile Investments LLC, Occidental Chile Minority Holder LLC, Occidental Colombia (Series G) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series J) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series K) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series L) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series M) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series N) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series O) Ltd., Occidental Crude Sales Inc. (Canada), Occidental Crude Sales Inc. (International), Occidental Dolphin Holdings Ltd., Occidental Energy Marketing Inc., Occidental Energy Ventures LLC, Occidental Exploradora del Peru Ltd., Occidental Exploration and Production Company, Occidental Hafar LLC, Occidental International (Libya) Inc., Occidental International Corporation, Occidental International Exploration and Production Company, Occidental International Holdings Ltd., Occidental International Oil and Gas Ltd., Occidental International Services Inc., Occidental Joslyn GP 2 Co., Occidental LNG (Malaysia) Ltd., Occidental Latin America Holdings LLC, Occidental Libya Oil & Gas B.V., Occidental MENA Manager Ltd., Occidental Middle East Development Company, Occidental Midland Basin LLC, Occidental Mukhaizna LLC, Occidental Oil Asia Pte. Ltd., Occidental Oil Shale Inc., Occidental Oil and Gas (Oman) Ltd., Occidental Oil and Gas Corporation, Occidental Oil and Gas International Inc., Occidental Oil and Gas International LLC, Occidental Oil and Gas Pakistan LLC, Occidental Oil and Gas of Peru LLC, Occidental Oman (Block 27) Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 51 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 51 LLC, Occidental Oman Block 65 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 65 LLC, Occidental Oman Block 72 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 72 LLC, Occidental Oman Gas Company LLC, Occidental Oman Gas Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oman North Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oriente Exploration and Production Ltd., Occidental Overseas Holdings B.V., Occidental PVC LLC, Occidental Peninsula II Inc., Occidental Peninsula LLC, Occidental Permian Ltd., Occidental Permian Manager LLC, Occidental Permian Services Inc., Occidental Peruana Inc., Occidental Petrolera del Peru (Block 101) Inc., Occidental Petrolera del Peru (Block 103) Inc., Occidental Petroleum (Pakistan) Inc., Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Occidental Petroleum Corporation Political Action Committee, Occidental Petroleum de Venezuela S.A., Occidental Petroleum of Nigeria, Occidental Petroleum of Oman Ltd., Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Ltd., Occidental Power Marketing L.P., Occidental Power Services Inc., Occidental Qatar Energy Company LLC, Occidental Red Sea Development LLC, Occidental Research Corporation, Occidental Resource Recovery Systems Inc., Occidental Resources Company, Occidental Shah Gas Holdings Ltd., Occidental South America Finance LLC, Occidental Specialty Marketing Inc., Occidental Tower Corporation, Occidental Transportation Holding Corporation, Occidental West Texas Overthrust Inc., Occidental Yemen Ltd., Occidental Yemen Sabatain Inc., Occidental del Ecuador Inc., Occidental of Abu Dhabi (Bab) Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi (Shah) Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi Holdings Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi LLC, Occidental of Abu Dhabi Ltd., Occidental of Bahrain Ltd., Occidental of Bangladesh Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Chipiron) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Cosecha) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Medina) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Putumayo) Ltd., Occidental of Colombia (Teca) Ltd., Occidental of Colombia PUT-36 LLC, Occidental of Dubai Inc., Occidental of Iraq Holdings Ltd., Occidental of Iraq LLC, Occidental of Oman Inc., Occidental of Russia Ltd., Occidental of South Africa (Offshore) Inc., Occidental of Yemen (Block 75) LLC, Oceanic Marine Transport Ltd., Opcal Insurance Inc., Oryx Crude Trading & Transportation Inc., Oxy BridgeTex Limited Partnership, Oxy C & I Bulk Sales LLC, Oxy Canada Sales Inc., Oxy Carbon Solutions LLC, Oxy Carbon Storage LLC, Oxy Climate Ventures Inc., Oxy Cogeneration Holding Company LLC, Oxy Colombia Holdings LLC, Oxy Colombia TopCo Ltd., Oxy Delaware Basin LLC, Oxy Delaware Basin Plant LLC, Oxy Dolphin E&P LLC, Oxy Dolphin Pipeline LLC, Oxy Energy Canada Inc., Oxy Energy Services LLC, Oxy Expatriate Services Inc., Oxy FFT Holdings Inc., Oxy Holding Company (Pipeline) Inc., Oxy International Ventures Ltd., Oxy LPG Terminal LLC, Oxy Levelland Pipeline Company LLC, Oxy Levelland Terminal Company LLC, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures LLC, Oxy Midstream Strategic Development LLC, Oxy Oleoducto SOP LLC, Oxy Overseas Services Ltd., Oxy Permian Gathering LLC, Oxy Permian Plaza LLC, Oxy Petroleum de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Oxy Renewable Energy LLC, Oxy Salt Creek Pipeline LLC, Oxy TL LLC, Oxy Taft Hub LLC, Oxy Technology Ventures Inc., Oxy Transport I Company LLC, Oxy Vinyls Canada Co., Oxy Vinyls Export Sales LLC, Oxy Vinyls LP, Oxy Westwood Corporation, Oxy Y-1 Company, OxyChem Ingleside Ethylene Holdings Inc., OxyChem do Brasil Ltda., OxyChile Investments LLC, Oxychem Shipping Ltd., Permian Basin JV Tax Matters Member LLC, Permian Basin Limited Partnership, Permian VPP Holder LP, Permian VPP Manager LLC, Phibro, Placid Oil LLC, Ramlat Oxy Ltd., Rio de Viento Inc., Rodeo Midland Basin LLC, San Patricio Pipeline LLC, Scanports Shipping LLC, SequestCo LLC, Stetson Exploration LLC, Sun Offshore Gathering Company, Swiflite Aircraft Corporation, Transok Properties LLC, Troy Potter Inc., Turavent Oil GmbH [in liquidation], Tuscaloosa Holdings Inc., UP Petroleo III Ltd., Upland Industries Corporation, Venezuela US SRL, Vintage Gas Inc., Vintage Petroleum, Vintage Petroleum Argentina Ltd., Vintage Petroleum Boliviana Ltd., Vintage Petroleum International Finance B.V., Vintage Petroleum International Holdings LLC, Vintage Petroleum International LLC, Vintage Petroleum International Ventures Inc., Vintage Petroleum Italy Inc., Vintage Petroleum South America Holdings Inc., Vintage Petroleum South America LLC, Vintage Petroleum Turkey Inc., WGR Asset Holding Company LLC, WGR Canada Inc., Wardner Ranch Inc., Western Gas Resources Inc., Western Gas Resources-Westana Inc., Western Midstream Holdings LLC, Woodlands International Insurance Ltd., and YT Ranch LLC.
Deutsche Lufthansa AG operates as an aviation company in Germany and internationally. The company's Network Airlines segment offers passenger services through a route network of 273 destinations in 86 countries. Its Eurowings segment provides passenger services through a route network of more than 210 destinations in 60 countries. The company's Logistics Business segment offers transport services for various cargoes, including living animals, valuable cargo, post and dangerous goods, and temperature-sensitive goods serving approximately 300 destinations in 100 countries. Its Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Services (MRO) segment provides maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for civilian commercial aircraft serving original equipment manufacturers and aircraft leasing companies, operators of VIP jets, and airlines, as well as develops and manufactures cabin and digital products. The company's Catering Business segment engages in-flight sales and entertainment, in-flight service equipment, and the associated logistics services, as well as consulting services; and operates airport lounges. As of December 31, 2020, it had a fleet of 757 aircraft. Deutsche Lufthansa AG was founded in 1926 and is headquartered in Cologne, Germany.

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Wall Street analysts have given iShares S&P 500 ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares S&P 500 ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Exxon Mobil: AKG Marketing Company Limited, Aera Energy LLC, Al-Jubail Petrochemical Company, Ampolex (Cepu) Pte Ltd, Ancon Insurance Company Inc., Barnett Gathering LLC, Barzan Gas Company Limited, Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Celtic Exploration Ltd., Coral FLNG S.A., Cross Timbers Energy LLC, Ellora Energy Inc., Esmeroon Oil Transporta Imperial Oil Limited, Esso (Thailand) Public Company Limited, Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd, Esso Deutschland GmbH, Esso Erdgas Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Limited, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 17) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Angola (Overseas) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Chad Inc., Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deepwater) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Offshore East) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, Esso Exploration and Production UK Limited, Esso Global Investments Ltd., Esso Italiana S.r.l., Esso Nederland B.V., Esso Norge AS, Esso Petroleum Company Limited, Esso Raffinage, Esso Societe Anonyme Francaise, Exxo Holdings Inc., Exxon Azerbaijan Limited, Exxon Chemical Arabia Inc., Exxon International Finance Company, Exxon Luxembourg Holdings LLC, Exxon Mobile Bay Limited Partnership, Exxon Neftegas Limited, Exxon Overseas Corporation, Exxon Overseas Investment Corporation, ExxonMobil (China) Investment Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil (Taicang) Petroleum Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil Abu Dhabi Offshore Petroleum Company Limited, ExxonMobil Alaska Production Inc., ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., ExxonMobil Australia Pty Ltd, ExxonMobil B Resources Company, ExxonMobil Capital Finance Company, ExxonMobil Capital Netherlands B.V., ExxonMobil Central Europe Holding GmbH, ExxonMobil Cepu Limited, ExxonMobil Chemical France, ExxonMobil Chemical Gulf Coast Investments LLC, ExxonMobil Chemical Holland B.V., ExxonMobil Chemical Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil China Petroleum & Petrochemical Company Limited, ExxonMobil Development Africa B.V., ExxonMobil Development Company, ExxonMobil Egypt (S.A.E.), ExxonMobil Exploracao Brasil Ltda., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Norway AS, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania Limited, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Tanzania Limited, ExxonMobil Finance Company Limited, ExxonMobil Financial Investment Company Limited, ExxonMobil France Holding SAS, ExxonMobil Gas Marketing Europe Limited, ExxonMobil General Finance Company, ExxonMobil Global Services Company, ExxonMobil Golden Pass Surety LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Company Holland LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Norway AS, ExxonMobil Hong Kong Limited, ExxonMobil International Services SARL, ExxonMobil Iraq Limited, ExxonMobil Italiana Gas S.r.l., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Inc., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Ventures Inc., ExxonMobil LNG Services B.V., ExxonMobil Lubricants Trading Company, ExxonMobil Oil Corporation, ExxonMobil PNG Limited, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical BVBA, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical Holdings Inc., ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, ExxonMobil Production Deutschland GmbH, ExxonMobil Production Norway Inc., ExxonMobil Qatargas (II) Limited, ExxonMobil Qatargas Inc., ExxonMobil Ras Laffan (III) Limited, ExxonMobil Rasgas Inc., ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company, ExxonMobil Russia Kara Sea Holdings B.V., ExxonMobil Sales and Supply LLC, ExxonMobil Technology Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Funding Ltd., Fujian Refining & Petrochemical Co. Ltd., Golden Pass LNG Terminal Investments LLC, Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC, Gulf Coast Growth Ventures LLC, Imperial Oil Limited, Imperial Oil Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources N.W.T. Limited, Imperial Oil/Petroliere Imperiale, Infineum Italia s.r.I., Infineum Singapore Pte. Ltd., InterOil Corporation, Jurong Aromatics Corporation Pte Ltd, MPM Lubricants, Marine Well Containment Company LLC, Mobil Australia Resources Company Pty Limited, Mobil California Exploration & Producing Asset Company, Mobil Caspian Pipeline Company, Mobil Chemical Products International Inc., Mobil Corporation, Mobil Equatorial Guinea Inc., Mobil Erdgas Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Mobil Exploration & Producing Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil International Petroleum Corporation, Mobil Oil Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil Oil Exploration & Producing Southeast Inc., Mobil Oil New Zealand Limited, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, Mobil Producing Texas & New Mexico Inc., Mobil SerLimited, Mobil Venezolana De Petroleos Inc., Mobil Yanbu Petrochemical Company Inc., Mobil Yanbu Refining Company Inc., Mountain Gathering LLC, Mozambique Rovuma Venture S.p.A., Palmetto Transoceanic LLC, Papua New Guinea Liquefied Natural Gas Global Company LDC, Permian Express Partners LLC, Phillips Exploration LLC, Qatar Liquefied Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (II), SPI Limited, Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery Company Ltd., Saudi Yanbu Petrochemical Co., SeaRiver Maritime Inc., South Hook LNG Terminal Company Limited, Tengizchevroil LLP, Terminale GNL Adriatico S.r.l, Trend Gathering & Treating LLC, Wolverine Pipe Line Company, XH LLC, XTO Delaware Basin LLC, XTO Energy Canada, XTO Energy Inc., and XTO Holdings LLC.
Wall Street analysts have given iShares S&P 400 MidCap ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares S&P 400 MidCap ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.
GlaxoSmithKline Plc is a healthcare company, which engages in the research, development, and manufacture of pharmaceutical medicines, vaccines, and consumer healthcare products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceuticals; Pharmaceuticals R&D; Vaccines and Consumer Healthcare. The Pharmaceuticals segment focuses on developing medicines in respiratory and infectious diseases, oncology, and immuno-inflammation. The Pharmaceuticals R&D segment focuses on science related to the immune system, the use of human genetics and advanced technologies, and is driven by the multiplier effect of Science x Technology x Culture. The Vaccines segment produces pediatric and adult vaccines to prevent a range of infectious diseases including, hepatitis A and B, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough, measles, mumps and rubella, polio, typhoid, influenza, and bacterial meningitis. The Consumer Healthcare segment develops and markets brands in the oral health, pain relief, respiratory, nutrition and gastro intestinal, and skin health categories. The company was founded in 1715 and is headquartered in Middlesex, the United Kingdom.

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Wall Street analysts have given BlackRock Long-Term Municipal Advantage Trust a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but BlackRock Long-Term Municipal Advantage Trust wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Hyatt Hotels: CHANCELLOR STREET CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION INC., GLENDALE HOTEL PROPERTIES L.L.C., HT-SEATTLE HOLDINGS LLC, 1379919 ALBERTA INC., 319168 ONTARIO LIMITED, 3385434 CANADA INC., ADMINISTRACION DE PERSONAL ANDARES S. DE R.L. DE C.V., AIC HOLDING CO., AIRPORT PLAZA ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, AIRPORT PLAZA HOTEL LLC, AIRPORT PLAZA OFFICE BUILDING LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, AMERISUITES FRANCHISING L.L.C., ARANCIA LIMITED, ARUBA BEACHFRONT RESORTS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, ARUBA BEACHFRONT RESORTS N.V., ASIA HOSPITALITY INC., ASIA HOSPITALITY INVESTORS B.V., ASIAN HOTEL N.V., ATRIUM HOTEL L.L.C., AUSTIN RESORT BEVERAGE LLC, AmeriSuites Hotel, BAKU HOTEL COMPANY - AZERI, BAKU HOTEL COMPANY - CAYMAN, BASTROP MARKETING L.L.C., BAY II INVESTOR INC., BELLEVUE ASSOCIATES, BH PLAZA LLC, BRE/AMERISUITES PROPERTIES L.L.C., BRE/AMERISUITES TXNC GP L.L.C., BRE/AMERISUITES TXNC PROPERTIES L.P., BURVAN HOTEL ASSOCIATES, CAL-HARBOR SO. PIER URBAN RENEWAL ASSOCIATES L.P., CELAYA RESORTS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., CHESAPEAKE COMMUNITIES LLC, CHESAPEAKE RESORT LLC, CIUDAD DEL CARMEN DIAMANTE RESORT S. DE R.L. DE C.V, COAST BEACH L.L.C., COMPAGNIE HOTELIERE DE LAGON BLEU, CPM SEATTLE HOTELS L.L.C., CRW INVESTMENT LLC, CTR INTEREST HOLDCO INC., DALLAS REGENCY LLC, DENVER DOWNTOWN HOTEL PARTNERS LLC, DESARROLLADORA HOTELERA ACUEDUCTO S. DE R.L. DE C.V., DH BEVERAGE LLC, DIAMANTE RESORT LA PAZ S. DE R.L. DE C.V., DISTRICT HOTEL PARTNERS LLC, EXHALE ENTERPRISES GIFT SERVICES COMPANY, EXHALE ENTERPRISES II L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES III INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES IV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES V L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES VIII INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES X INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XIV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XIX L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XV TCI LTD., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XVI L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XVII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XVIII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XX L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXI INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXIV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXVI L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXVII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXVIII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXXI L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXXII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXXIII INC., FAN PIER L.L.C., FAR EAST HOTELS INC., G.E.H. PROPERTIES LIMITED, GAINEY DRIVE ASSOCIATES, GALAXY AEROSPACE COMPANY LLC, GHE HOLDINGS LIMITED, GRAND HYATT BERLIN GMBH, GRAND HYATT DFW BEVERAGE LLC, GRAND HYATT SAN ANTONIO L.L.C., GRAND HYATT SF L.L.C., GRAND RIVERWALK BEVERAGE LLC, GRAND TORONTO CORP., GRAND TORONTO VENTURE L.P., GREENWICH HOTEL LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, H.E. ATLANTA CENTENNIAL PARK HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. AUSTIN L.L.C., H.E. BERMUDA L.L.C., H.E. CAP CANA L.L.C., H.E. DRISKILL LLC, H.E. GRAND CYPRESS L.L.C., H.E. IRVINE L.L.C., H.E. KANSAS CITY L.L.C., H.E. LENOX L.L.C., H.E. NASHVILLE L.L.C., H.E. NEWPORT L.L.C., H.E. ORLANDO L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC HOTEL L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC PARKING L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC RETAIL L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA SANSOM L.L.C., H.E. PORTLAND HC L.L.C., H.E. PORTLAND L.L.C., H.E. PROPERTIES HOLDING L.L.C., H.E. PROPERTIES L.L.C., H.E. SAN ANTONIO I L.L.C., H.E. SAN ANTONIO L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON JV L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON OWNER L.L.C., HAPP INVESTOR LTD., HARBORSIDE HOTEL LLC, HARBORSIDE LAND LLC, HC PORTLAND JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HC ROYAL PALMS L.L.C., HCV CINCINNATI HOTEL L.L.C., HE ORLANDO HOTEL LLC, HGP (TRAVEL) LIMITED, HH NASHVILLE HOLDINGS L.L.C., HH NASHVILLE JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HH PORTLAND L.L.C., HHMA BURLINGTON BEVERAGE L.L.C., HI HOLDINGS (SWITZERLAND) GMBH, HI HOLDINGS BAJA B.V., HI HOLDINGS BRAZIL S.A.R.L., HI HOLDINGS CELAYA B.V., HI HOLDINGS CIUDAD DEL CARMEN B.V., HI HOLDINGS CYPRUS LIMITED, HI HOLDINGS CYPRUS-INDIA LIMITED, HI HOLDINGS GUADALAJARA B.V., HI HOLDINGS HP CABO B.V., HI HOLDINGS HP TIJUANA HOTEL B.V., HI HOLDINGS KYOTO CO., HI HOLDINGS LA PAZ B.V., HI HOLDINGS LATIN AMERICA B.V., HI HOLDINGS NETHERLANDS B.V., HI HOLDINGS PLAYA B.V., HI HOLDINGS RIO S.A.R.L., HI HOLDINGS RIVIERA MAYA B.V., HI HOLDINGS VIENNA S.A.R.L., HI HOLDINGS ZURICH S.A.R.L., HI HOTEL ADVISORY SERVICES GMBH, HI HOTEL INVESTORS CYPRUS LIMITED, HIHCL AMSTERDAM B.V., HIHCL HP AMSTERDAM AIRPORT B.V., HIHCL HR AMSTERDAM B.V., HILP HOTEL SERVICE PROVIDER LLC, HOTEL AM BELVEDERE HOLDING GMBH, HOTEL AM BELVEDERE HOLDING GMBH & CO KG, HOTEL INVESTMENTS HOLDING CO LLC, HOTEL INVESTMENTS L.L.C., HOTEL INVESTORS I INC., HOTEL INVESTORS II INC., HOTEL PROJECT SYSTEMS PTE LTD, HOTEL SERVICES CIUDAD DEL CARMEN S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HOTELS CS CELAYA S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HP ATLANTA CENTENNIAL PARK JV LLC, HP AUSTIN L.L.C., HP BEVERAGE DALLAS DFW AIRPORT LLC, HP BEVERAGE SUGAR LAND LLC, HP BOSTON HOLDINGS L.L.C., HP GLENDALE JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HP GLENDALE L.L.C., HP INDIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, HP LAS VEGAS BEVERAGE L.L.C., HP M STREET L.L.C., HP ROUTE 46 TEXAS LLC, HP SAN FRANCISCO L.L.C., HP SAN JUAN L.L.C., HP TEN TEXAS LLC, HPHH ATLANTA L.L.C., HPHH DENVER L.L.C., HPHH SAN JOSE JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HPHH SAN JOSE L.L.C., HQ CHESAPEAKE LLC, HR LOST PINES RESORT LLC, HR MC HOTEL COMPANY S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HR MC SERVICES II S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HR MC SERVICES S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HRHC LLC, HT- WAILEA LLC, HT-AVENDRA GROUP HOLDINGS L.L.C., HT-AVENDRA L.L.C., HT-CHESAPEAKE COMMUNITIES INC., HT-CHESAPEAKE RESORT INC., HT-HOTEL EQUITIES INC., HT-HUNTINGTON BEACH INC., HT-JERSEY PIER INC., HT-JERSEY PIER L.P., HT-JERSEY PIER LLC, HT-LONG BEACH L.L.C., HT-MIAMI BEACH L.L.C., HT-PARK 57 INC., HT-SEATTLE LLC, HT-SIERRA L.L.C., HT-VANCOUVER INC., HTLB L.L.C., HTS - NS L.L.C., HTS - NY L.L.C., HTS-ASPEN L.L.C., HTS-BC INC., HTS-INVESTMENT L L.C., HTSF L.L.C., HTW BEVERAGE LLC, HY LONG BEACH HOTEL LLC, HYATT (BARBADOS) CORPORATION, HYATT (JAPAN) CO. LTD., HYATT (THAILAND) LIMITED, HYATT ARUBA N.V., HYATT ASIA PACIFIC HOLDINGS LIMITED, HYATT AUSTRALIA HOTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LIMITED, HYATT AUSTRIA GMBH, HYATT BEACH FRONT N.V., HYATT BORNEO MANAGEMENT SERVICES LIMITED, HYATT BRITANNIA CORPORATION LTD., HYATT CC OFFICE CORP., HYATT CHAIN SERVICES LIMITED, HYATT CRYSTAL CITY LLC., HYATT CURACAO N.V., HYATT DISASTER RELIEF FUND, HYATT DO BRASIL PARTICIPACOES LTDA, HYATT EQUITIES L.L.C., HYATT FOREIGN EMPLOYMENT SERVICES INC., HYATT FRANCHISING CANADA CORP., HYATT FRANCHISING L.L.C., HYATT FRANCHISING LATIN AMERICA L.L.C., HYATT FULFILLMENT OF MARYLAND INC., HYATT GLOBAL SERVICES INC., HYATT GTLD L.L.C., HYATT HOC INC., HYATT HOLDINGS (UK) LIMITED, HYATT HOSPITALITY SERVICES L.L.C., HYATT HOTEL MANAGEMENT LIMITED, HYATT HOTELS CONSULTANCY SERVICES ASIA PACIFIC LIMITED, HYATT HOTELS CORPORATION OF KANSAS, HYATT HOTELS CORPORATION OF MARYLAND, HYATT HOTELS FOUNDATION, HYATT HOTELS MANAGEMENT CORPORATION, HYATT HOTELS OF CANADA INC., HYATT HOTELS OF FLORIDA INC., HYATT HOTELS OF PUERTO RICO INC., HYATT HOUSE CANADA INC., HYATT HOUSE FRANCHISING L.L.C., HYATT HOUSE HOTEL HOLDING COMPANY L.L.C., HYATT INDIA CONSULTANCY PRIVATE LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL (ASIA) LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL (EUROPE AFRICA MIDDLE EAST) LLC, HYATT INTERNATIONAL - JAPAN LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL - SOUTHWEST ASIA LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL -ASIA PACIFIC LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL -SEA (PTE) LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, HYATT INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS CO., HYATT INTERNATIONAL HOTEL MANAGEMENT (BEIJING) CO. LTD., HYATT INTERNATIONAL MILAN L.L.C., HYATT INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT (BEIJING) CO. LTD., HYATT INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL SERVICES INC., HYATT JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HYATT LACSA SERVICES INC., HYATT LOUISIANA L.L.C., HYATT MAINZ GMBH, HYATT MARKETING SERVICES INC., HYATT MARKETING SERVICES NIGERIA COMPANY LIMITED, HYATT MINNEAPOLIS LLC, HYATT MINORITY INVESTMENTS INC., HYATT MSS L.L.C., HYATT NORTH AMERICA MANAGEMENT SERVICES INC., HYATT OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, HYATT OF BAJA S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HYATT OF CHINA LIMITED, HYATT OF FRANCE S.A.R.L., HYATT OF GUAM LIMITED, HYATT OF ITALY S.R.L., HYATT OF LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN L.L.C., HYATT OF LATIN AMERICA S.A. DE C.V., HYATT OF MACAU LIMITED, HYATT OF MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., HYATT OF PHILIPPINES LIMITED, HYATT PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS L.L.C., HYATT PLACE ANNE ARUNDEL BEVERAGE INC., HYATT PLACE CANADA CORPORATION, HYATT PLACE FRANCHISING L.L.C., HYATT PLACE OF MARYLAND INC., HYATT REGENCY COLOGNE GMBH, HYATT REGENCY CORPORATION PTY. LIMITED, HYATT SERVICES AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED, HYATT SERVICES CANADA INC., HYATT SERVICES CARIBBEAN L.L.C., HYATT SERVICES GMBH, HYATT SERVICES INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED, HYATT SHARED SERVICE CENTER L.L.C., HYATT TRINIDAD LIMITED, HYCANADA INC., HYCARD INC., HYSTAR L.L.C., Hyatt Corporation, INFORMATION SERVICES LIMITED, INTERNATIONAL RESERVATIONS LIMITED, JOINT VENTURE ITALKYR CLOSED JOINT STOCK COMPANY, JUNIPER HOTELS PRIVATE LIMITED, KSA MANAGEMENT INC., KYOTO HOLDING CO., LHR-PARTNERS LTD., LORING PARK ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, LOST PINES BEVERAGE LLC, MACAE PARTNERS S.A.R.L., MAHIMA HOLDINGS PRIVATE LIMITED, MARION RESERVATION CENTER L.L.C., MEXICO CITY HOTEL INVESTMENTS B.V., MILAN HOTEL INVESTMENTS B.V., MIRAVAL ARIZONA GUARANTOR LLC, MIRAVAL GROUP LLC, MIRAVAL RESORT ARIZONA HOLDINGS LLC, MIRAVAL RESORT ARIZONA LLC, MIRAVAL RESORT ARIZONA OPERATING CO. INC., MIRAVAL RESORT TUCSON LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS I LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS II LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS III LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS TRUST, MRG ATX BEVERAGE HOLDINGS LLC, MRG ATX HOLDINGS II LLC, MRG ATX HOLDINGS LLC, MRG ATX INVESTMENT LLC, MRG ATX MANAGEMENT I LLC, MRG ATX MANAGEMENT II LLC, MRG ATX OPERATIONS LLC, MRG CRW HOLDINGS LLC, MRG CRW MANAGEMENT I LLC, MRG CRW MANAGEMENT II LLC, MRG CRW OPERATIONS LLC, MUNICH OPCO GMBH, Miraval Resort, OASIS LUXURY RENTALS INCORPORATED, PARIS HOTEL COMPANY B.V., PARK HYATT HAMBURG GMBH, PARK HYATT HOTEL GMBH, PARK HYATT WATER TOWER ASSOCIATES L.L.C., PH NEW YORK L.L.C., PHMC RESIDENCIAS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., POLK SMITH REGENCY LLC, PT HYATT INDONESIA, PVD INVESTMENT COMPANY S.A.R.L., Peabody Hotels & Resort, RCG PROPERTIES LLC, REGENCY BEVERAGE COMPANY LLC, REGENCY RIVERWALK BEVERAGE LLC, RESERVATIONS CENTER L.L.C., RIO JV PARTNERS PARTICIPACOES LTDA., RIO PRETO PARTNERS HOTEIS LTDA., RIO PRETO PARTNERS S.A.R.L., ROSEMONT PROJECT MANAGEMENT L.L.C., ROUTE 46 MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES CORP., RUNWAY HOLDING L.L.C., RUNWAY L.L.C., SAO PAULO INVESTMENT COMPANY INC., SAO PAULO INVESTORS LIMITED, SASIH, SDI EQUITIES INVESTOR L.L.C., SDI INC., SDI SECURITIES 11 LLC, SDI SECURITIES 6 LLC, SELECT HOTELS GROUP L.L.C., SELECT JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., SEOUL MIRAMAR CORPORATION, SERVICIOS DE HOTELERIA SAN JOSE S. DE R.L. DE C.V., SERVICIOS HOTELEROS LA PAZ S. DE R.L. DE C.V., SETTLEMENT INVESTORS INC., SHG PUERTO RICO INC., SIERRA HEALTHSTYLES LLC, SJC DESARROLLOS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., SKS CORP. N.V., SMC HOTELS B.V., SOROCABA PARTNERS HOTEIS LTDA, SOROCABA PARTNERS S.A.R.L., STANHOPE L.L.C., STARHILL LORING PARK L.L.C., SUGAR LAND/HP LLC, THE GREAT EASTERN HOTEL COMPANY LIMITED, THE GREAT EASTERN HOTEL HOLDING COMPANY LIMITED, TIJUANA PARTNERS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., TR MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT LLC, TUCSON VILLAS HOLDINGS LLC, TUCSON VILLAS LLC, TWO SEAS HOLDINGS LIMITED, Two Roads Hospitality, WAILEA HOTEL & BEACH RESORT L.L.C., WAILEA HOTEL HOLDINGS L.L.C., WAILEA MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION L.L.C., WAILEA RESORT VILLAS HOLDINGS L.L.C., WAILEA RESORT VILLAS L.L.C., WEST END RESIDENCES L.L.C., XENIA ASSURANCE COMPANY INC., XENIA ASSURANCE COMPANY OF ILLINOIS, ZURICH ESCHERWIESE HOTEL GMBH, and ZURICH HOTEL INVESTMENTS B.V..
Wall Street analysts have given iShares New York Muni Bond ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares New York Muni Bond ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

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Wall Street analysts have given iShares MSCI Spain ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares MSCI Spain ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

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Kinder Morgan, Inc. operates as an energy infrastructure company. The firm engages in the operation of pipelines and terminals that transport natural gas, gasoline, crude oil, carbon dioxide (CO2) and other products and stores petroleum products chemicals and handles bulk materials like ethanol, coal, petroleum coke and steel. It operates through the following segments: Natural Gas Pipelines, CO2, Terminals, Product Pipelines and Kinder Morgan Canada. The Natural Gas Pipelines segment engages in the ownership and operation of major interstate and intrastate natural gas pipeline and storage systems, natural gas and crude oil gathering systems and natural gas processing and treating facilities. The CO2 segment focuses on the production, transportation and marketing of CO2 to oil fields that use CO2 as a flooding medium for recovering crude oil from mature oil fields to increase production. The Terminals segment consists of the ownership and operation of liquids and bulk terminal facilities located throughout the U.S. and portions of Canada that trans load and store refined petroleum products, crude oil, chemicals, ethanol and bulk products, including coal, petroleum coke, fertilizer,

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The McClatchy Company publishes newspapers and news Websites in the United States. Its publications include the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star, The Sacramento Bee, The Charlotte Observer, The (Raleigh) News and Observer, and The (Fort Worth) Star-Telegram. It also provides niche publications and community newspapers, as well as other print and digital direct marketing services. The company distributes content, including video products, through its owned and operated Websites and mobile applications, third-party search and ad exchanges, social media platforms, and electronic editions of its daily newspapers, as well as its printed daily newspapers. The McClatchy Company was founded in 1857 and is headquartered in Sacramento, California.

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The following companies are subsidiares of MetLife: 1001 PROPERTIES LLC, 10700 WILSHIRE LLC, 1201 TAB MANAGER LLC, 150 NORTH RIVERSIDE PE MEMBER LLC, 1925 WJC OWNER LLC, 23RD STREET INVESTMENTS INC., 500 GRANT STREET ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, 500 GRANT STREET GP LLC, 60 11TH STREET LLC, 6104 HOLLYWOOD LLC, AFP GENESIS ADMINISTRADORA DE FONDOS Y FIDECOMISOS S.A., AFP PROVIDA S.A., AGENVITA S.R.L., ALICO EUROPEAN HOLDINGS LIMITED, ALICO HELLAS SINGLE MEMBER LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, ALICO OPERATIONS LLC, ALICO PROPERTIES INC., AMMETLIFE INSURANCE BERHAD, AMMETLIFE TAKAFUL BERHAD, American Life Insurance Company, BEST MARKET S.A., BIDV METLIFE LIFE INSURANCE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, BLOCK VISION HOLDINGS CORPORATION, BLOCK VISION OF TEXAS INC., BORDERLAND INVESTMENTS LIMITED, BOULEVARD RESIDENTIAL LLC, BUFORD LOGISTICS CENTER LLC, CC HOLDCO MANAGER LLC, CHESTNUT FLATS WIND LLC, CLOSED JOINT-STOCK COMPANY MASTER D, COMPANIA INVERSORA METLIFE S.A., CORPORATE REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS LLC, COVA LIFE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, DAVIS VISION INC., DAVISVISION IPA INC., DELAWARE AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, DES MOINES CREEK BUSINESS PARK PHASE II LLC, ECONOMY FIRE & CASUALTY COMPANY, ECONOMY PREFERRED INSURANCE COMPANY, ECONOMY PREMIER ASSURANCE COMPANY, EURO CL INVESTMENTS LLC, EXCELENCIA OPERATIVA Y TECNOLOGICA S.A de C.V., FEDERAL FLOOD CERTIFICATION LLC, FORTISSIMO CO. LTD, FUNDACION METLIFE MEXICO A.C., GLOBAL PROPERTIES INC., General American Life Insurance Company, Grand Bank N.A., HASKELL EAST VILLAGE LLC, HIGH STREET SEVENTH AND OSBORN APARTMENTS LLC, HOUSING FUND MANAGER LLC, INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL AND ADVISORY SERVICES LIMITED, INVERSIONES METLIFE HOLDCO DOS LIMITADA, INVERSIONES METLIFE HOLDCO TRES LIMITADA, JOINT-STOCK COMPANY METLIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, LHC HOLDINGS, LHCW HOLDINGS, LHCW HOTEL HOLDING, LHCW HOTEL HOLDING LLC, LHCW HOTEL OPERATING COMPANY, LONG ISLAND SOLAR FARM LLC, LUMENLAB MALAYSIA SDN. BHD., Logan Circle Partners, MARKETPLACE RESIDENCES LLC, MAXIS GBN S.A.S., MC PORTFOLIO JV MEMBER LLC, MCJV LLC, MCMIF HOLDCO I LLC, MCMIF HOLDCO II LLC, MCP - WELLINGTON LLC, MCP 100 CONGRESS MEMBER LLC, MCP 1500 MICHAEL LLC, MCP 1900 MCKINNEY LLC, MCP 2 AMES LLC, MCP 2 AMES ONE LLC, MCP 2 AMES OWNER LLC, MCP 2 AMES TWO LLC, MCP 220 YORK LLC, MCP 22745 & 22755 RELOCATION DRIVE LLC, MCP 249 INDUSTRIAL BUSINESS PARK MEMBER LLC, MCP 3040 POST OAK LLC, MCP 350 ROHLWING LLC, MCP 4600 SOUTH SYRACUSE LLC, MCP 550 WEST WASHINGTON LLC, MCP 60 11TH STREET MEMBER LLC, MCP 7 RIVERWAY LLC, MCP 9020 MURPHY ROAD LLC, MCP 93 RED RIVER MEMBER LLC, MCP ALLEY 24 EAST LLC, MCP ASHTON SOUTH END LLC, MCP BLOCK 23 MEMBER LLC, MCP BRADFORD LLC, MCP BUFORD LOGISTICS CENTER 2 MEMBER LLC, MCP BUFORD LOGISTICS CENTER BLDG B LLC, MCP BURNSIDE MEMBER LLC, MCP CENTER AVENUE INDUSTRIAL MEMBER LLC, MCP CLAWITER INNOVATION MEMBER LLC, MCP COMMON DESK TRS LLC, MCP DENVER PAVILIONS MEMBER LLC, MCP DILLON LLC, MCP DILLON RESIDENTIAL LLC, MCP ENV CHICAGO LLC, MCP FIFE ENTERPRISE CENTER LLC, MCP FRISCO OFFICE LLC, MCP GRAPEVINE LLC, MCP HIGHLAND PARK LENDER LLC, MCP HUB I LLC, MCP HUB I PROPERTY LLC, MCP LODGE AT LAKECREST LLC, MCP MA PROPERTY REIT LLC, MCP MAGNOLIA PARK MEMBER LLC, MCP MAIN STREET VILLAGE LLC, MCP MOUNTAIN TECHNOLOGY CENTER MEMBER TRS LLC, MCP NORTHYARDS HOLDCO LLC, MCP NORTHYARDS MASTER LESSEE LLC, MCP NORTHYARDS OWNER LLC, MCP ONE WESTSIDE LLC, MCP ONYX LLC, MCP PARAGON POINT LLC, MCP PLAZA AT LEGACY LLC, MCP PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LLC, MCP SEATTLE GATEWAY INDUSTRIAL I LLC, MCP SEATTLE GATEWAY INDUSTRIAL II LLC, MCP SEVENTH AND OSBORNE MF MEMBER LLC, MCP SEVENTH AND OSBORNE RETAIL MEMBER LLC, MCP SHAKOPEE LLC, MCP SLEEPY HOLLOW MEMBER LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  ANAHEIM LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  BERNARDO LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  CANYON LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  CONCOURSE LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  FULLERTON LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  KELLWO00OD LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  LAX LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  LOKER LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  REDONDO LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  SPRINGDALE LLC, MCP STATELINE LLC, MCP THE PALMS AT DORAL LLC, MCP TRIMBLE CAMPUS LLC, MCP UNION ROW LLC, MCP VALLEY FORGE LLC, MCP VALLEY FORGE ONE LLC, MCP VALLEY FORGE OWNER LLC, MCP VALLEY FORGE TWO LLC, MCP VANCE JACKSON LLC, MCP VINEYARD AVENUE MEMBER LLC, MCP VOA HOLDINGS LLC, MCP VOA I & III LLC, MCP VOA II LLC, MCP WATERFORD ATRIUM LLC, MCP WEST BROAD MARKETPLACE LLC, MCP  ENGLISH VILLAGE LLC, MCPF ACQUISITION LLC, MCPF FOXBOROUGH LLC, MCPF  NEEDHAM LLC, MCPP OWNERS LLC, MCRE BLOCK 40 LP, MEC HEALTH CARE INC., MET 1065 HOTEL LLC, MET CANADA SOLAR ULC, METLIFE 1007 STEWART LLC, METLIFE 1201 TAB MEMBER LLC, METLIFE 425 MKT MANAGER LLC, METLIFE 425 MKT MEMBER LLC, METLIFE 555 12TH MEMBER LLC, METLIFE 8280 MEMBER LLC, METLIFE ACOMA OWNER LLC, METLIFE ADMINISTRADORA DE FUNDOS MULTIPATROCINADOS LTDA., METLIFE ALTERNATIVES GP LLC, METLIFE ASHTON AUSTIN OWNER LLC, METLIFE ASIA HOLDING COMPANY PTE. LTD., METLIFE ASIA LIMITED, METLIFE ASIA SERVICES SDN. BHD, METLIFE ASSET MANAGEMENT CORP., METLIFE ASSIGNMENT COMPANY INC., METLIFE AUTO & HOME INSURANCE AGENCY INC., METLIFE BL FEEDER, METLIFE BL FEEDER LP, METLIFE BORO STATION MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CABO HILTON MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CAMINO RAMON MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CAPITAL CREDIT L.P., METLIFE CAPITAL LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, METLIFE CAPITAL TRUST IV, METLIFE CB W/A LLC, METLIFE CC MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CHILE ADMINISTRADORA DE MUTUOS HIPOTECARIOS S.A., METLIFE CHILE INVERSIONES LIMITADA, METLIFE CHILE SEGUROS DE VIDA S.A., METLIFE CHILE SEGUROS GENERALES S.A., METLIFE CHINO MEMBER LLC, METLIFE COLOMBIA SEGUROS de VIDA S.A., METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE INCOME FUND GP LLC, METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE INCOME FUND LP, METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE ORIGINATOR LLC, METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE REIT LLC, METLIFE CONSQUARE MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CONSUMER SERVICES INC., METLIFE CORE PROPERTY FUND GP LLC, METLIFE CORE PROPERTY FUND LP, METLIFE CORE PROPERTY HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE CORE PROPERTY REIT LLC, METLIFE CORE PROPERTY TRS. LLC, METLIFE CREDIT CORP., METLIFE DIGITAL VENTURES INC., METLIFE EMEKLILIK VE HAYAT A.S., METLIFE EMERGING MARKET DEBT BLEND FUND, METLIFE EU HOLDING COMPANY LIMITED, METLIFE EUROPE INSURANCE d.a.c., METLIFE EUROPE SERVICES LIMITED, METLIFE EUROPE d.a.c., METLIFE EUROPEAN HOLDINGS LLC., METLIFE FINANCIAL SERVICES CO. LTD, METLIFE FM HOTEL MEMBER LLC, METLIFE FUNDING INC., METLIFE GENERAL INSURANCE LIMITED, METLIFE GLOBAL BENEFITS LTD., METLIFE GLOBAL HOLDING COMPANY I GMBH, METLIFE GLOBAL HOLDING COMPANY II GMBH, METLIFE GLOBAL HOLDINGS CORPORATION S.A. De C.V., METLIFE GLOBAL INC., METLIFE GLOBAL OPERATIONS SUPPORT CENTER PRIVATE LIMITED, METLIFE GROUP INC., METLIFE HCMJV 1 GP LLC, METLIFE HCMJV 1 LP LLC, METLIFE HEALTH PLANS INC., METLIFE HOLDINGS INC., METLIFE HOME LOANS LLC, METLIFE INNOVATION CENTRE LIMITED, METLIFE INNOVATION CENTRE PTE. LTD., METLIFE INSURANCE AND INVESTMENT TRUST, METLIFE INSURANCE BROKERAGE INC., METLIFE INSURANCE K.K., METLIFE INSURANCE LIMITED, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL HF PARTNERS LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED LLC, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND I LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND II LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND III LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND IV LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND V LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND VI LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND VII LP, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT HOLDINGS, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LLC, METLIFE INVESTMENTS ASIA LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENTS LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENTS PTY LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENTS SECURITIES LLC, METLIFE INVESTORS DISTRIBUTION COMPANY, METLIFE INVESTORS GROUP LLC, METLIFE IRELAND TREASURY D.A.C., METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY FUND GP LLC, METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY FUND LP, METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY OWNERS, METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY OWNERS LLC, METLIFE LATIN AMERICA ASESORIAS E INVERSIONES LIMITADA, METLIFE LEGAL PLANS INC., METLIFE LEGAL PLANS OF FLORIDA INC., METLIFE LHH MEMBER LLC, METLIFE LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, METLIFE LIFE INSURANCE S.A., METLIFE LOAN ASSET MANAGEMENT LLC, METLIFE MAS S.A. DE C.V., METLIFE MEMBER SOLAIRE LLC, METLIFE MEXICO HOLDINGS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., METLIFE MEXICO S.A., METLIFE MEXICO SERVICIOS S.A. DE C.V., METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT FUND LP, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT GP LLC, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT PARALLEL FUND LP, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT PARALLEL GP LLC, METLIFE MULTI-FAMILY PARTNERS III LLC, METLIFE MUTUAL FUND COMPANY, METLIFE OBS MEMBER LLC, METLIFE OFC MEMBER LLC, METLIFE ONTARIO STREET MEMBR LLC, METLIFE PARK TOWER MEMBER LLC, METLIFE PENSION TRUSTEES LIMITED, METLIFE PENSIONES MEXICO S.A., METLIFE PET INSURANCE SOLUTIONS LLC, METLIFE PLANOS ODONTOLOGICOS LTDA., METLIFE POWSZECHNE TOWARTZYSTWO EMERYTALNE S.A., METLIFE PRIVATE EQUITY HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE PROPERTIES VENTURES LLC, METLIFE RC SF MEMBER LLC, METLIFE REAL ESTATE LENDING LLC, METLIFE REINSURANCE COMPANY OF BERMUDA LTD., METLIFE REINSURANCE COMPANY OF CHARLESTON, METLIFE REINSURANCE COMPANY OF VERMONT, METLIFE RETIREMENT SERVICES LLC, METLIFE SAENGMYOUNG INSURANCE COMPANY LTD., METLIFE SECURITIZATION DEPOSITOR LLC, METLIFE SEGUROS S.A., METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING FINCO LLC, METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING FUND LP, METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING GP LLC, METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING HOLDINGS LP, METLIFE SERVICES AND SOLUTIONS LLC, METLIFE SERVICES CYPRUS LIMITED, METLIFE SERVICES EAST PRIVATE LIMITED, METLIFE SERVICES EEIG, METLIFE SERVICES EOOD, METLIFE SERVICES SOCIEDAD LIMITADA, METLIFE SERVICES SP Z.O.O, METLIFE SERVICIOS S.A., METLIFE SLOVAKIA S.R.O. V LIKVIDACII, METLIFE SOLUTIONS PTE. LTD., METLIFE SOLUTIONS S.A.S., METLIFE SP HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE SYNDICATED BANK LOAN FUND SCSP, METLIFE SYNDICATED BANK LOAN LUX GP S.A.R.L., METLIFE THR INVESTOR LLC, METLIFE TOWARZYSTWO FUNDUSZY INWESTYCYJNYCH S.A., METLIFE TOWARZYSTWO UBEZPIECZEN NA ZYCIE I REASEKURACJI S.A., METLIFE TOWER RESOURCES GROUP INC., METLIFE TREAT TOWERS MEMBER LLC, METLIFE WORLDWIDE HOLDINGS LLC, METROPOLITAN CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN DIRECT PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN GLOBAL MANAGEMENT LLC., METROPOLITAN GROUP PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN LIFE SEGUROS E PREVIDENCIA PRIVADA S.A., METROPOLITAN LIFE SOCIETATE de ADMINISTRARE a UNUI FOND de PENSII ADMINISTRAT PRIVAT S.A., METROPOLITAN LLOYDS INC., METROPOLITAN LLOYDS INSURANCE COMPANY OF TEXAS, METROPOLITAN PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN TOWER LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN TOWER REALTY COMPANY INC., MEX DF PROPERTIES LLC, MFA FINANCING VEHICLE CTR1 LLC, MIDTOWN HEIGHTS LLC, MIM CLAL GENERAL PARTNER LLC, MIM EMD GP LLC, MIM I LLC, MIM METWEST INTERNATIONAL MANAGER LLC, MIM ML-AI VENTURE 5 MANAGER LLC, MIM PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LLC, MIM PROPERTY MANAGEMENT OF GEORGIA 1 LLC, MIM THIRD ARMY INDUSTRIAL MANAGER LLC, MISSOURI REINSURANCE INC., ML - URS PORT CHESTER SC MANAGER LLC, ML 300 THIRD MEMBER LLC, ML ARMATURE MEMBER LLC, ML BELLEVUE MANAGER LLC, ML BELLEVUE MEMBER LLC, ML BRIDGESIDE APARTMENTS LLC, ML CAPACITACION COMERCIAL S.A. DE C.V., ML CERRITOS TC MEMBER LLC, ML CLAL MEMBER LLC, ML DOLPHIN GP LLC, ML DOLPHIN MEZZ LLC, ML MATSON MILLS MEMBER LLC, ML MILILANI MEMBER LLC, ML ONE BEDMINSTER LLC, ML PORT CHESTER SC MEMBER LLC, ML SENTINEL SQUARE MEMBER LLC, ML SLOANS LAKE MEMEBR LLC, ML SOUTHLANDS MEMBER LLC, ML SOUTHMORE LLC, ML SWAN GP LLC, ML SWAN MEZZ LLC, ML TERRACES LLC, ML THIRD ARMY INDUSTRIAL MEMBER LLC, ML VENTURE 1 MANAGER S. DE R. L. DE C.V., ML VENTURE 1 SERVICER LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 1 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 2 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 3 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 4 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 5 LLC, MLIA MANAGER I LLC, MLIA PARK TOWER MANAGER LLC, MLIA SBAF COLONY MANAGER LLC, MLIA SBAF MANAGER LLC, MLIC ASSET HOLDINGS II LLC, MLIC ASSET HOLDINGS LLC, MLIC CB HOLDINGS LLC, MLJ US FEEDER LLC, MM GLOBAL OPERATIONS SUPPORT CENTER S.A. DE C.V., MMP CEDAR STREET OWNER LLC, MMP CEDAR STREET REIT LLC, MMP HOLDINGS III LLC, MMP OLIVIAN OWNER LLC, MMP OLIVIAN REIT LLC, MMP OWNERS III LLC, MMP OWNERS LLC, MMP SOUTH PARK OWNER LLC, MMP SOUTH PARK REIT LLC, MREF 425 MKT LLC, MSV IRVINE PROPERTY LLC, MTC FUND I LLC, MTC FUND II LLC, MTC FUND III LLC, MTL LEASING LLC, MTU HOTEL OWNER LLC, NATILOPORTEM HOLDINGS LLC, NEWBURY INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, OCONEE GOLF COMPANY LLC, OCONEE HOTEL COMPANY LLC, OCONEE LAND COMPANY LLC, OCONEE LAND DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LLC, OCONEE MARINA COMPANY LLC, OMI MLIC INVESTMENTS LIMITED, PACIFIC LOGISTICS INDUSTRIAL SOUTH LLC, PARK TOWER JV MEMBER LLC, PARK TOWER REIT INC., PJSC METLIFE, PLAZA DRIVE PROPERTIES LLC, PNB METLIFE INDIA INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, PREFCO FOURTEEN LLC, PREFCO XIV HOLDINGS LLC, PROVIDA INTERNACIONAL S.A., SAFEGUARD HEALTH ENTERPRISES INC., SAFEGUARD HEALTH PLANS INC., SAFEHEALTH LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, SEVENTH AND OSBORN MF VENTURE LLC, SINO-US UNITED METLIFE INSURANCE CO. LTD., SOUTHCREEK INDUSTRIAL HOLDINGS LLC, ST. JAMES FLEET INVESTMENTS TWO LIMITED, SUPERIOR PROCUREMENT INC, SUPERIOR VISION BENEFIT MANAGEMENT INC., SUPERIOR VISION HOLDINGS INC., SUPERIOR VISION INSURANCE INC., SUPERIOR VISION INSURANCE PLAN OF WISCONSIN INC., SUPERIOR VISION OF NEW JERSEY INC., SUPERIOR VISION SERVICES INC., Safeguard Health Enterprises, Security First Group Inc., THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH AVENUE MEZZANINE LLC, THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH RETAIL HOLDING LLC, THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH RETAIL OWNER, THE DIRECT CALL CENTRE PTY LIMITED, TRANSMOUNTAIN LAND & LIVESTOCK COMPANY, UVC INDEPENDENT PRACTICE ASSOCIATION INC., VERSANT HEALTH CONSOLIDATIONS CORP., VERSANT HEALTH HOLDCO INC., VERSANT HEALTH LAB LLC, VIRIDIAN MIRACLE MILE LLC, VISION 21 MANAGED EYE CARE OF TAMPA BAY, VISION 21 PHYSICIAN PRACTICE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, VISION TWENTY-ONE MANAGED EYE CARE IPA INC., Versant Health, WDV ACQUISITION CORP., WFP 1000 HOLDING COMPANY GP LLC, WHITE OAK ROYALTY COMPANY, and WHITE TRACT II LLC.
C&J Energy Services, Inc. provides well construction, well completion, well support, and other complementary oilfield services and technologies to oil and gas exploration and production companies throughout the continental United States. It operates through Completion Services and Well Support Services segments. The Completion Services segment provides hydraulic fracturing; cased-hole solutions comprising cased-hole wireline, pumpdown, wireline logging, perforating, pressure pumping, well site make-up and pressure testing, and other complementary services; and well construction and intervention services, which include cementing, coiled tubing, rig services, fluids management, and other completion and well support services. This segment also engages in the engineering and production of various parts and components, such as perforating guns and addressable switches, which are used in the completion process. The Well Support Services segment offers rig services, such as providing workover and well servicing rigs that are primarily used for the routine repair and maintenance of oil and gas wells, re-drilling operations, and plugging and abandonment operations; fluids management services, including storage, transportation, and disposal services for fluids used in the drilling, completion, and workover of oil and gas wells; and other special well site services, such as fishing, contract labor, and tool rental services for the completion and workover of oil and gas wells. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

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Raymond James Financial, Inc., a financial holding company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the underwriting, distribution, trading, and brokerage of equity and debt securities, and the sale of mutual funds and other investment products in the United States, Canada, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through Private Client Group, Capital Markets, Asset Management, RJ Bank, and Other segments. The Private Client Group segment provides securities brokerage services, including the sale of equities, mutual funds, fixed income products, and insurance products to their individual clients; and borrowing and lending of securities to and from other broker-dealers, financial institutions, and other counterparties. The Capital Markets segment offers securities brokerage, trading, and research services to institutions with a focus on sale of the United States and Canadian equities and fixed income products; and manages and participates in underwritings, merger and acquisition services, and public finance activities. The Asset Management segment engages in the operations of Eagle, the Eagle Family of Funds, Cougar, the asset management operations of Raymond James & Associates, trust services of Raymond James Trust, and other fee-based asset management programs. The RJ Bank segment provides corporate loans, SBL, tax-exempt loans, and residential loans. The Other segment engages in private equity activities, including various direct and third party private equity investments; and private equity funds. Raymond James Financial, Inc. was founded in 1962 and is based in St. Petersburg, Florida.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Carnival Co. &: 1972 Productions Inc., 6348 Equipment LLC, A.C.N. 098 290 834 Pty. Ltd., A.J. Juneau Dock LLC, AIDA Kundencenter GmbH, Adventure Island Ltd., Air-Sea Holiday GmbH, Alaska Hotel Properties LLC, Barcelona Cruise Terminal SLU, Bay Island Cruise Port S.A., Belize Cruise Terminal Limited, CC U.S. Ventures Inc., CCL Gifts LLC, CSSC Carnival Italy Cruise Investment S.r.L, Carnival (UK) Limited, Carnival Bahamas FC Limited, Carnival Bahamas Holdings Limited, Carnival Corporation & plc Asia Pte. Ltd., Carnival Corporation Hong Kong Limited, Carnival Corporation Korea Ltd., Carnival Corporation Ports Group Japan KK, Carnival Finance LLC, Carnival Grand Bahama Investment Limited, Carnival Investments Limited, Carnival Japan Inc., Carnival License Holdings Limited, Carnival Maritime GmbH, Carnival North America LLC, Carnival Port Holdings Limited, Carnival Ports Inc., Carnival Support Services India Private Limited, Carnival Technical Services (UK) Limited, Carnival Technical Services Finland Limited, Carnival Technical Services GmbH, Carnival Technical Services Inc., Carnival Vanuatu Limited, Costa Crociere PTE Ltd., Costa Crociere S.p.A., Costa Cruceros S.A., Costa Cruise Lines Inc., Costa Cruise Lines UK Limited, Costa Cruises Shipping Services (Shanghai) Company Limited, Costa Cruises Travel Agency (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Costa Cruzeiros Agencia Maritima e Turismo Ltda., Costa Group Digital & Strategic Services GmbH, Costa International B.V., Costa Kreuzfahrten GmbH, Cozumel Cruise Terminal S.A. de C.V., Creative Travel Lab Ltd., Cruise Ships Catering & Services International N.V., Cruise Terminal Services S.A. de C.V., Cruiseport Curacao C.V., D.R. Cruise Port Ltd., Ecospray Technologies S.r.L., F.P.M. SAS, F.P.P. SAS, Fleet Maritime Services (Bermuda) Limited, Fleet Maritime Services Holdings (Bermuda) Limited, Fleet Maritime Services International Limited, GXI LLC, Gibs Inc., Global Experience Innovators Inc., Global Fine Arts Inc., Global Shipping Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Grand Cruise Shipping Unipessoal LdA, Grand Turk Cruise Center Ltd., HAL Antillen N.V., HAL Beheer B.V., HAL Cruises Limited, HAL Maritime Ltd., HAL Nederland N.V., HAL Properties Limited, HAL Services B.V., HSE Hamburg School of Entertainment GmbH, Holding Division Iberocruceros SLU, Holland America Line Inc., Holland America Line N.V., Holland America Line Paymaster of Washington LLC, Holland America Line U.S.A. Inc., Ibero Cruzeiros Ltda., Iberocruceros SLU, Information Assistance Corporation, International Cruise Services S.A. de C.V., International Leisure Travel Inc., International Maritime Recruitment Agency S.A. de C.V., Milestone N.V., Navitrans S.R.L., Ocean Bahamas Innovation Ltd., Ocean Medallion Fulfillment Ltd., Operadora Catalina S.r.L., P&O Princess American Holdings, P&O Princess Cruises International Limited, P&O Princess Cruises Pension Trustee Limited, P&O Properties (California) Inc., P&O Travel Limited, Prestige Cruises Management S.A.M., Prestige Cruises N.V., Princess Bermuda Holdings Ltd., Princess Cays Ltd., Princess Cruise Corporation Inc., Princess Cruise Lines Ltd., Princess Cruises and Tours Inc., Princess U.S. Holdings Inc., RCT Maintenance & Related Services S.A., RCT Pilots & Related Services S.A., RCT Security & Related Services S.A., Roatan Cruise Terminal S.A. de C.V., Royal Hyway Tours Inc., Santa Cruz Terminal S.L., SeaVacations Limited, SeaVacations UK Limited, Seabourn Cruise Line Limited, Shanghai Coast Cruise Consulting Co. Lda, Ship Care (Bahamas) Limited, Sitmar Cruises Inc., Spanish Cruise Services N.V., Sunshine Shipping Corporation Ltd., T&T International Inc., Tour Alaska LLC, Transnational Services Corporation, Trident Insurance Company Ltd., Westmark Hotels Inc., Westmark Hotels of Canada Ltd., Westours Motor Coaches LLC, Wind Surf Limited, and World Leading Cruise Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd..
The following companies are subsidiares of PerkinElmer: Analytica of Branford, Applied Biosystems, Arnel Inc., ArtusLabs, Beijing Huaan Magnech Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Beijing Longrun Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Beijing Meizheng Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Beijing Meizheng Testing Lab Co. Ltd., Beijing OUMENG Biotechnology Co. Ltd., Bio Evolution SAS, Bioo Scientific Corporation, Biosense Picolabs Inc., Biosense Technologies Pvt Ltd., Caliper Life Sciences, Caliper Life Sciences Inc., Cambridge Research & Instrumentation Inc., CambridgeSoft, Ceiba Solutions, Chengdu PerkinElmer Medical Laboratory Co. Ltd., Chromo G.A. SAS, CisBio US Inc., Cisbio Asia Pacific Ltd, Cisbio Bioassays SAS, Cisbio China Ltd., Cisbio Group SAS, Cisbio KK, Cisbio.com, DNA Laboratories Sdn. Bhd., Dani Analitica S.r.l., Dexela, EUROIMMUN (Hangzhou) Medical Laboratory Diagnostics Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN (South East Asia) Pte Ltd., EUROIMMUN (Tianjin) Medical Diagnostic Technology Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN AG, EUROIMMUN Brasil Medicina Diagnostica Ltda., EUROIMMUN Diagnostics Espana S.L.U., EUROIMMUN France SAS, EUROIMMUN Italia Diagnostica Medica S.r.l., EUROIMMUN Japan Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostics (China) Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostics Canada Inc., EUROIMMUN Medical Laboratory Diagnostics South Africa (Pty) Ltd., EUROIMMUN Medizinische Labordiagnostika AG, EUROIMMUN Polska Spolka z o.o., EUROIMMUN Portugal Unipessoal Lda., EUROIMMUN Schweiz AG, EUROIMMUN Turkey Tibbi Laboratuar Teshisleri A.S., EUROIMMUN UK Ltd., EUROIMMUN US Inc., EUROIMMUN US Real Estate LLC, Geospiza, Guangzhou EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostic Products Co. Ltd., Hangzhou EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostic Products Co. Ltd., Horizon Discovery, Immunodiagnostic Systems, Integromics S.L., Jiangsu Meizheng Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., LabMetrix Technologies, Labtronics, ManCell SAS, Nexcelom Bioscience, NovaScreen Biosciences Corporation, Opto Technology, Orchid Biomedical Systems Pvt Ltd., Oxford Immunotec, Pediatrix Medical Group - Newborn Metabolic Screening Business, Perkin Elmer Chile Ltda., Perkin Elmer Italia SpA, Perkin Elmer Sdn. Bhd., Perkin Elmer Yuhan Hoesa, Perkin Elmer de Mexico S.A., Perkin-Elmer Argentina S.R.L., Perkin-Elmer Instruments (Philippines) Corporation, PerkinElmer (Hong Kong) Ltd., PerkinElmer (India) Pvt Ltd., PerkinElmer (Ireland) Ltd., PerkinElmer (Schweiz) AG, PerkinElmer (Shanghai) Equity Investment Fund L.P., PerkinElmer (Shanghai) Equity Investment Fund Management Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer (UK) Holdings Ltd., PerkinElmer Analytical Solutions B.V., PerkinElmer Automotive Research Inc., PerkinElmer BVBA, PerkinElmer CV Holdings LLC, PerkinElmer Cellular Technologies Germany GmbH, PerkinElmer Danmark A/S, PerkinElmer Diagnostics Global Holdings S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Diagnostics Holdings Inc., PerkinElmer Espana S.L., PerkinElmer Finance Luxembourg S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Finland Oy, PerkinElmer Genetics Inc., PerkinElmer Germany Diagnostics GmbH, PerkinElmer Global Diagnostics S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Global Financing S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Global Holdings S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Health Sciences (Australia) Pty. Ltd., PerkinElmer Health Sciences B.V., PerkinElmer Health Sciences Canada Inc., PerkinElmer Health Sciences FZ-LLC, PerkinElmer Health Sciences Inc., PerkinElmer Health Sciences Pvt Ltd., PerkinElmer Healthcare Diagnostics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer Holding Luxembourg S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Holdings Inc., PerkinElmer Holdings Pty. Ltd., PerkinElmer IVD Pte Ltd., PerkinElmer Inc., PerkinElmer Informatics Inc., PerkinElmer Instruments (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer International C.V., PerkinElmer Investments Ky, PerkinElmer Israel Ltd., PerkinElmer Japan Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer LAS (Germany) GmbH, PerkinElmer LAS (UK) Ltd., PerkinElmer Life Sciences International Holdings, PerkinElmer Limited, PerkinElmer Ltd., PerkinElmer Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer Nederland B.V., PerkinElmer Norge AS, PerkinElmer Oy, PerkinElmer Polska Sp z o.o., PerkinElmer Pty. Ltd., PerkinElmer SAS, PerkinElmer Saglk ve Cevre Bilimleri Ltd., PerkinElmer Shared Services Sp z o.o., PerkinElmer Singapore Pte Ltd., PerkinElmer South Africa (Pty) Ltd., PerkinElmer Sverige AB, PerkinElmer Sweden Health Sciences Holdings AB, PerkinElmer Taiwan Corporation, PerkinElmer VertriebsgmbH, PerkinElmer chemagen Technologie GmbH, PerkinElmer do Brasil Ltda., Perten Instruments, Perten Instruments (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Perten Instruments AB, Perten Instruments France SASU, Perten Instruments GmbH, Perten Instruments Italia S.r.l., Perten Instruments of Australia Pty Ltd., RHS Ltd, RayAl Ltd., Shandong Meizheng Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Shanghai Haoyuan Biotech Co. Ltd., Shanghai Spectrum Instruments Co. Ltd., Shanghai Spectrum Instruments Co. Ltd., Signature Genomic Laboratories, Solus Scientific Solutions Inc., Solus Scientific Solutions Ltd., Surendra Genetic Labs, Suzhou PerkinElmer Medical Laboratory Co. Ltd., Suzhou Sym-Bio LifeScience, Suzhou Sym-Bio Lifescience Co. Ltd., Tulip Diagnostics, Tulip Diagnostics Pvt Ltd., Vanadis Diagnostics, Vanadis Diagnostics AB, ViaCell, ViaCord LLC, VisEn Medical, VisEn Medical Inc., Wallac Oy, Wellesley B.V., Xenogen Corporation, ZeLab SAS, and chemagen Biopolymer-Technologie AG.
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Reckitt Benckiser Group plc manufactures, markets, and sells health, hygiene, and home products. The company offers acne treatment creams, facial washes, and cleansing pads; disinfection, hygiene, and first aid products; condoms, sex toys, and lubricants; heartburn and indigestion solutions; and cough and chest congestion, multi-symptom, and sinus remedies for adults and children under the Clearasil, Dettol, Durex, Gaviscon, and Mucinex brands. It also provides analgesics; footcare and footwear products; sore throat medications; and women's beauty products under the Nurofen, Scholl, Strepsils, and Veet brand. In addition, the company offers fragrances and devices; water softeners; home cleaning products; dish washes; toilet bowl cleaners; disinfectants; sprays, baits, and plug-ins for pest control; stain removals; and fabric washing products under the Air Wick, Calgon, Cillit Bang, Finish, Harpic, Lysol, Mortein, Vanish, and Woolite brands, as well as infant and child nutrition products under the Enfamil and Nutramigen brands. It operates in the United States, Canada, Europe, Russia/CIS, Turkey, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, and internationally. The company was founded in 1823 and is headquartered in Slough, the United Kingdom.

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Ralph Lauren Corp. engages in the design, marketing, and distribution of premium lifestyle products. The firm offers apparel, accessories, home furnishings, and other licensed product. It operates through the following segments: North America, Europe, and Asia. The North America segment consists of sales of Ralph Lauren branded apparel, accessories, home furnishings, and related products made through the Company's wholesale and retail businesses in the U.S. and Canada, excluding Club Monaco. The Europe segment caters to sales of Ralph Lauren branded apparel, accessories, home furnishings, and related products made through the Company's wholesale and retail businesses in Europe and the Middle East, excluding Club Monaco. The Asia segment covers the sales of Ralph Lauren branded apparel, accessories, home furnishings, and related products made through the Company's wholesale and retail businesses in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. The company was founded by Ralph Lauren in 1967 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Boston Scientific: 34 Biomedical Merger Corp., 9357-1867 Quebec Inc., Acurate Industria e Comercio Ltda., Advanced Bionics, Advanced Stent Technologies, American Medical Systems, American Medical Systems Europe B.V., Apama Medical, Apama Medical Inc., Asthmatx, Atritech, Augmenix, Augmenix Inc., Augmenix K.K., BSC International Medical Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BSC Medical Device Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BTG, BTG Australasia Pty Ltd, BTG Europe B.V., BTG IM Holdings Ltd., BTG International (Holdings) Limited, BTG International Asia Limited, BTG International Canada Inc., BTG International Germany GmbH, BTG International Healthcare Inc., BTG International Healthcare LLC, BTG International Healthcare Limited, BTG International Inc., BTG International Limited, BTG Limited, BTG Management Services Limited, BTG Medikal Limited Sirketi, Bard Electrophysiology, Barosense, Biocompatibles Inc., Biocompatibles International Limited, Biocompatibles UK Limited, Boston Scientific (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Boston Scientific (South Africa) Proprietary Limited, Boston Scientific (Thailand) Ltd., Boston Scientific (UK) Limited, Boston Scientific AG, Boston Scientific Argentina S.A., Boston Scientific Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Boston Scientific Benelux NV, Boston Scientific Canada Limited, Boston Scientific Ceska republika s.r.o., Boston Scientific Chile SpA, Boston Scientific Colombia Limitada, Boston Scientific Comercial de Costa Rica BSCR S.R.L., Boston Scientific Far East B.V., Boston Scientific Gesellschaft m.b.H., Boston Scientific Group plc, Boston Scientific Hellas S.A., Boston Scientific Hong Kong Limited, Boston Scientific Iberica S.A., Boston Scientific India Private Limited, Boston Scientific International B.V., Boston Scientific International Finance Limited, Boston Scientific International S.A., Boston Scientific Israel Ltd., Boston Scientific Japan K.K., Boston Scientific Korea Co. Ltd., Boston Scientific Lebanon SAL, Boston Scientific Limited, Boston Scientific Ltd., Boston Scientific Medical Device, Boston Scientific Medical Device Limited, Boston Scientific Medizintechnik GmbH, Boston Scientific Middle East FZ-LLC, Boston Scientific Middle East SAL, Boston Scientific Nederland B.V., Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation, Boston Scientific New Zealand Limited, Boston Scientific Nordic AB, Boston Scientific Peru S.A.C., Boston Scientific Philippines Inc., Boston Scientific Polska Sp. z o.o., Boston Scientific Portugal - Dispositivos Medicos Lda, Boston Scientific Pty Ltd, Boston Scientific Romania S.R.L., Boston Scientific S.A.S., Boston Scientific S.p.A., Boston Scientific Scimed, Boston Scientific Scimed Inc., Boston Scientific Services Private Limited, Boston Scientific TIP Gerecleri Limited Sirketi, Boston Scientific Technology & Engineering Services Private Limited, Boston Scientific Uruguay S.A., Boston Scientific Vietnam Company Limited, Boston Scientific de Costa Rica S.R.L., Boston Scientific de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Boston Scientific del Caribe Inc., Boston Scientific do Brasil Ltda., Bravo Bidco Limited, BridgePoint Medical, Cameron Health, Cardiac Pacemakers Inc., Cardiac Pathways Corp, Catheter Innovations, Claret Medical, Claret Medical Inc., Cosman Medical, Cosman Medical LLC, CryoCor, Cryterion Medical, Cryterion Medical Inc., Cryterion Medical Ireland Limited, EKOS LLC, EMcision, EMcision International Inc., EP Technologies, EP Technologies Inc., Electron Acquisition Corporation, EndoChoice, EndoChoice Holdings Inc., EndoChoice Inc., EndoChoice Innovation Center Ltd., EndoChoice Israel Ltd., Endotex, Enteric Medical Technologies, Galil Medical Inc., Galil Medical Ltd., Galil Medical UK Limited, Guidant, Guidant Delaware Holding Corporation, Guidant Europe NV, Guidant Puerto Rico B.V., Hong Kong Medtech Trading Limited, Intelect Medical, Millipede, Millipede Inc., NXT Merger Corp., Notebook Merger Sub Ltd., Novate Medical Limited, NxThera, NxThera Inc., PT Boston Scientific Indonesia, PneumRx GmbH, PneumRx LLC, PneumRx Liimited, Protherics Medicines Development B.V., Protherics Medicines Development Limited, Protherics UK Limited, Provensis Limited, RMI Acquisition Corp., Remon Medical Technologies, Rhythmia Medical, Robert S. Smith M.D. Inc., Roxwood Medical Inc., SNS Merger Corp, Sadra Medical, Sadra Medical Inc., Securus Medical Group, Securus Medical Group Inc., Special K Merger Corp., StarMedTec, Stream Enterprises LLC, Symetis, Symetis SA, Target Therapeutics, Target Therapeutics Inc., The LumenR Tissue Retractor System, Veniti, Veniti Inc., VertiFlex, Vertiflex Inc., Vessix Vascular, Xlumena, Zuma Investment Pty Ltd, iogyn, nVision Medical, and nVision Medical Corporation.
Vedanta Ltd. is a natural resource company, which engages in the exploration, extraction, and processing of minerals, oil, and gas properties. It operates through the following segments: Copper, Aluminum, Iron Ore, Power, and Oil & Gas. The Copper segment focuses in custom smelting and also include a copper smelter, a refinery, a phosphoric acid plant, a sulphuric acid plant, a copper rod plant, and three captive power plants. The Aluminum segment comprises refinery and a captive power plant at Lanjigarh and a smelter, a thermal coal based captive power facility at Jharsuguda both situated in the State of Odisha in India. The Iron Ore segment explores, mines, and processes iron ore, pig iron, and metallurgical coke. The Power segment consists 600 MW thermal coal-based commercial power facility at Jharsuguda in the State of Odisha in Eastern India. The Oil and Gas segment involves in the exploration and development and production of oil and gas. The company was founded by Dwarka Prasad Agarwal on June 25, 1965 and is headquartered in Mumbai, India.

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Wells Fargo & Co. is a diversified, community-based financial services company. It is engaged in the provision of banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance. It firm operates through the following segments: Community Banking, Wholesale Banking, Wealth & Investment Management, and Other. The Community Banking segment offers complete line of diversified financial products and services for consumers and small businesses including checking and savings accounts, credit and debit cards, and automobile, student, and small business lending. The Wholesale Banking segment provides financial solutions to businesses across the United States and globally. The Wealth and Investment Management segment includes personalized wealth management, investment and retirement products and services to clients across U.S. based businesses. The Other segment refers to the products of WIM customers served through community banking distribution channels. The company was founded by Henry Wells and William G. Fargo on March 18, 1852 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.

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ILOILO CITYIloilo City has made a good impression on Ambassador of the Kingdom of The Netherlands to the Philippines Maria Christina Theresia Derckx, who for the third time, visited this highly-urbanized city the whole day on Friday. In an interview, Derckx said she wanted very much to stroll through the city. She came to Iloilo as a private person during her second visit. Im also very much wanted to know the leadership of the city because I am very impressed by the way the city is run; what has happened to the river, how you have managed to clean everything up and make the river really an active part of the city, which I understand (is) the longest walking way in the Philippines, she said. She lauded the city governments efforts to create public space for people to go out and enjoy. And I think in that sense, Iloilo is really an example for the country, she added. Iloilo City Mayor Jose Espinosa, in welcoming the Dutch envoy meantime, expressed how amazed he was with the various museums he visited when he got the chance to visit The Netherlands. Espinosa said that while Iloilo City has also made efforts in establishing museums, the latest would be the Museum of Economic History just adjacent to the city hall. He also informed the envoy that Iloilo hosted the Dutch honorary vice-consul in 1921, the year when the International Container Port Complex was then the second largest international port in the Philippines. While the Philippines and The Netherlands mark their 67th year of diplomatic relations this year, Derckx said that the two countries have in fact even have 150 years of consular affairs. It indicates how much trade has been going on through the years and how much movement of people between our countries. Actually, half of (our) national fleet is sailed by Filipino people and people of Iloilo are sailing our boats, she said.She added that her country is one of the three major investors in the Philippines and major companies from there are already present in the Philippines. Very rich relationship, she added. The ambassador visited in Iloilo upon the invitation of the One Meal Foundation headed by Teresa Nene Chan. In an interview, she said that each time she brings them to Iloilo, the purpose is to bring Iloilo to the map of the world. PNA I want to be able to open the doors of the city to ambassadors in the hope that they can help, Chan said. Also, she invited them to see her foundation that focuses on education. She revealed that her foundation has been a recipient of the support from ambassadors. Im hoping that more of the other countries will be able to give us help in education, exchange students, she added. Her foundation has been producing 90 scholars a year aside from establishing classrooms and libraries. Joining the ambassador during the visit was her husband Mr Sjef Ijzermans.
Solon warns OFWs against fake iDOLE cards

posted July 22, 2018 at 11:21 pm by Manila Standard July 22, 2018 at 11:21 pm

A lawmaker has warned overseas Filipino workers against the proliferation of fake iDOLE cards. ACTS-OFW Rep. Aniceto Bertiz III said the House of Representatives will investigate the premature release of the integrated Department of Labor and Employment cards. Weve already filed the resolution enabling the House good government and public accountability committee to conduct the probe, after Labor Secretary [Silvestre] Bello [III] himself acknowledged the irregularities, Bertiz said. He said state-run security printer APO Production Unit Inc. has yet to explain why it prematurely generated and released thousands of iDOLE cards.The copies apparently lacked the security features of a real iDOLE card, and this allowed counterfeiters to quickly reproduce phony iDOLE cards that are now being illegally sold to departing OFWs, Bertiz said. Bello earlier said he already had the iDOLE project scrapped after several racketeers tried to make money from OFWs through the cards. The iDOLE card is meant to conveniently replace the overseas employment certificate that all OFWs have to present at immigration counters before they are allowed to leave the country.

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A year since the high-profile launch of its satellite phone services, BSNL has sold 4,000 handsets, majority to government agencies, and expects the number to reach 10,000 by March 2019.

New Delhi: A year since the high-profile launch of its satellite phone services, BSNL has sold 4,000 handsets, majority to government agencies, and expects the number to reach 10,000 by March 2019 riding on fresh demand from corporates and states for the premium service, its Chairman Anupam Shrivastava said.

"The satellite phone business is doing well, and we have sold 4,000 satellite phone handsets to defense, army, Border Security Force (BSF), disaster management agencies, ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation), Railways and some in the private sector," Shrivastava told PTI.

A satellite phone offers communication services via satellites, as opposed to terrestrial mobile towers. Satellite phones are used in situations and locations where terrestrial mobile service may not be available. Satellite phones can work in any part of the country, inside flights and on ships too, as they depend on signals directly from satellites located about 35,700 kms above the Earth.

Traditional mobile networks cover around 25-30 kms around towers and can transmit signals to phones placed equal to or below the height of the tower.

Besides the agencies handling disaster management, the state police, railways, BSF and others, even multinational companies are now feeling the need to stay connected anywhere and anytime, notwithstanding the fact that while the handset itself is expensive, even the services come at a premium -- tariffs hover about Rs 25-30 per minute.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) says it has earned Rs 100 crore revenue from this business, that was unveiled in May 2017. "We have already hit a revenue of Rs 100 crore in one year from satellite phones, annualised business will remain Rs 100 crore even if we don't do anything further. But we see a lot of potential and headroom for growth," Shrivastava said.

The telecom PSU, which began satellite phone services by targeting government agencies, has now opened up these offerings even for non-government outfits, he said.

"The demand from government agencies was so huge that in the first phase we decided to cater to that segment and transfer all the satellite communication of government to BSNL. We have now opened up services to others," he said.

For 2018-19, BSNL has set a target of 10,000 handsets to be sold. "Additional business is coming from the navy, hotels, fishing trawlers...fishing industry will be amongst the biggest users of satellite phone. We are seeing interest from state governments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu for the fishing industry," Shrivastava said.

The satellite phone services were launched through INMARSAT. The International Mobile Satellite Organization which (INMARSAT) was set up under aegis of United Nations in 1979 and India is one of its founding members.
Visakhapatnam: Excessive use of pesticides in agriculture may be one of the factors contributing to increasing infertility among the people in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana state. As the first test tube baby completes 40 years this month, lifestyle and clinical factors are also found to be key reasons for infertility.

Why the pesticide issue poses a threat to the people of the two Telugu states is that they are among the high pesticide consuming states in India. TS and AP account for 24 per cent of all the pesticide used in the country, according to reports.

Besides, the infertility statistics may also vary in both the states as the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in AP and TS is lower than the national average, according to the latest report from the National Family Health Survey.

TFR is the average number of children a woman would have had by the end of her childbearing years if she bore children at the current age-specific fertility rates (15-49 years old). The total fertility rate (TFR) in India is 2.2 children per woman while it is 1.83 in AP and 1.78 in Telangana.

Infertility could be attributed to factors such as increasing marital age, delay in childbearing, rising alcohol and tobacco consumption, obesity, pollution and clinical ones as a polycystic ovarian syndrome and tuberculosis among others. However, pesticides in food is one of the main reasons behind infertility and cannot not be ignored. People in states where pesticides are indiscriminately used could be at more risk than others. said Dr Krishna Chaitanya, clinical embryologist at Oasis Hospital.

Gynaecologists from various parts of the state turned up at the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Conclave, organised by Oasis-Centre for Reproductive Medicine in Vizag on Sunday.

Gynaecologists play a major role in guiding a couple facing infertility issues. The couple visits them first and not the IVF centres. So, the conclave highlighted new techniques emerging in the ART field and also demonstrated them live in workshops to make clinicians understand male infertility, hysteroscopy and various other techniques that help couples have healthy babies without genetic disorders. The take-baby-home success rate with ART is about 30-40 per cent now in India, said Dr. Durga G Rao, co-founder and medical director of Oasis.

While infertility in females remains at about 50-60 per cent, it is witnessing a sharp jump among males with about 30-40 per cent.

In India, the general notion is that infertility clinics are meant for women, and male infertility is ignored. Male factor infertility is the alteration in sperm concentration or motility or morphology in at least one of two samples of sperm collected at one and four weeks. Hence, infertility is related to reproductive anomalies or disorder in men and should also be evaluated when a couple visits IVF clinics. said clinical embryologist Dr. Chitanya.

Some ART clinics in AP are equipped with new technologies such as pre-implantation genetic tests that are performed before embryo transfer during IVF, so that doctors may pick one without a known or suspected gene problem (PGD), or one without an abnormal number of chromosomes (PGS).

We have new technologies that can check the chromosomes of each embryo. So, we can implant the embryo with the right number of the chromosomes to avoid birth defects. For couples with a family history of thalassaemia, cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anaemia, it is better to do these gene profile tests, said fertility specialist, Dr. Radhika Potluri, adding that the mean age in at least 40 to 45 per cent of infertile couples in Andhra Pradesh has been actually falling from the late thirties to early thirties.
Living alone is one of the main causes of depression among the elderly. The death of a spouse or close friend can leave the aged feeling vulnerable, a condition theyre unable to cope with.

A recent study shows that one in every five adults suffers from mental health problems; but these problems are not addressed, especially among the elderly, because theyre misunderstood as the signs of old age.

In the Indian context, depression is usually caused by social factors, or it may be a side-effect of the long-term use of certain medication, explains Dr Uma Shanker, a professor of psychiatry and the superintendent of the Indian Institute of Mental Health.

1 What are the challenges in dealing with mental health problems among the elderly?

Five major mental health disorders seen among the elderly are depression, dementia, affective disorder, paraphrenia and psychosis. The biggest challenge is getting patients to an institute for the problem to be identified. Often, those who live alone are dependent on caretakers or family members to attend to their needs. At the old age, physical problems are prioritised, while mental problems are neglected.

2 What are the factors responsible for the development of these mental illnesses?

In India, its largely social factors. Those who live in joint families, or are socially active, are able to deal with their mental problems better than those who live alone. Some people who suffer from diabetes, tuberculosis, heart disease, or cancer, develop mental health issues due to the physical disease. Those who are physically disabled exhibit aggressive behaviour due to their disabilities.

3 Can mental illnesses be the side-effects of certain medicines?

Yes; the drugs used to treat diabetes, cancer and hypertension, steroids, anti-tuberculosis drugs, and sedatives have been found to cause anxiety, aggression, depression and other behavioural disorders among the elderly population.

4 What must be done to create awareness about the mental health problems of the elderly?

Families need to be aware that elderly people can suffer from mental health problems due to the ageing of the brain. Symptoms such as memory loss should not be taken lightly; they must be addressed. If an elderly person complains of the lack of sleep, exhibits erratic behaviour, or has mood swings, then his or her family should take the necessary steps and start them on either counselling or medication. With the right treatment, senior citizens can show an improvement within six weeks and live a quality life.

5 Do Indian families address the mental health concerns of senior citizens?

The number of people who get help is very small compared to the prevalence of the problem in society. There is a stigma associated with mental health. Seeking a solution for a senior citizens mental health concerns is the familys last priority. Their primary consideration is physical health, and addressing that alone poses a major burden for many families.

6 Can physical problems be caused by underlying mental health issues?

It has been found that recurrent headaches, sleeplessness, dizziness and speech problems may be caused by mental health issues like anxiety. Many old people who live alone have fears that theyre unable to express. When they have someone with them, they feel that their problems are over.

7 What are the things that can help in dealing with the problems of an ageing mind?

Exercise, yoga and meditation can help, but these are all just relaxation techniques. Economic and social factors are a major consideration for the elderly. We often find that elderly persons in rural areas are not given enough food, and their problems are due to malnutrition. There may be multiple factors that need to be dealt with.
Police said that the girl alleged she was raped by the bikers for two days and was later dropped in Nasrullaganj. (Representational image)

Indore: A 15-yr-old girl who ran away from school last week told police that she was raped by four men in four days. The four accused have been arrested in Madhya Pradeshs Dewas district.

The girl left for school at 8 am on July 16 and was raped on her way back home.

When she did not return from school, her parents got worried and filed a missing complaint on July 17 at Nemawar police station.

Sajjan Singh Mukati, Inspector at Nemawar police station said, "The girl boarded a bus after she ran away from her school on July 16. When she boarded a bus on the way back to her home, the conductor of the bus raped her through the night. As the girl got off the bus, two bikers- Sanjay Meena and Gopal Meena, who are also said to be minors, allegedly offered to drop her back home. They took her to their villagers and took turns to rape her.

Police said that the girl alleged she was raped by the bikers for two days and was later dropped in Nasrullaganj.

The girl told police that when she was returning home, she came across another biker, Rajun Verma, who was known to her also raped her in the jungles on the pretext of dropping her home.

The girl was found on Sandalpur Road near her home and has been sent for medical examination.
3 people have been arrested in connection with the lynching of Muslim man in Alwar. (Photo: File/ANI)

Alwar: Rajasthan police on Sunday made a third arrest in the brutal lynching of Muslim man, Akbar Khan, in Alwar on suspicion of cow smuggling, several reports claimed. Earlier on Saturday, two people were arrested in connection with the case.

28-year-old Akbar Khan was beaten to death by a mob in Alwars Ramgarh on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday on suspicion of cow smuggling.

However, Gyandev Ahuja, a state MLA, reportedly said that the man accused of cattle smuggling died not because of beating by crowds but in police custody, to which Rajasthan home minister Gulab Chand Kataria has said the guilty will be punished.

Akbar Khan, a resident of Kolgaon in Haryana, and his friend were allegedly attacked when they were taking two cows to their village through a forest area near Lalawandi village in Alwar last night.

A profusely bleeding Akbar was taken to hospital but doctors declared him brought dead. Meanwhile, his friend managed to escape from the location.

We both were going with our two cows. On seeing a speeding bike the cows ran into the fields where 6-7 people were present who fired at us. I ran away from the spot to save my life and later found that my friend was killed, Aslam told news agency ANI.

Suleiman, father of the man who was beaten to death by mob sought justice. We want justice. The culprits should be arrested soon, he said.

Read: Want justice: Father of man lynched in Alwar on suspicion of cow smuggling

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje condemned the incident and assured stern action against the perpetrators.

The incident comes over a year after a dairy farmer in his 50s, Pehlu Khan, was thrashed to death by a group of alleged cow vigilantes in Alwar.
Chennai: Ruling AIADMK issued a last minute whip to its 37 MPs in Parliament to vote against the no-confidence motion brought against the NDA-BJP Modi government by the Telugu Desam. There had earlier been plenty of murmurs of differences of opinion among the TN lawmakers on whether to support the government against the NCM.

The AIADMK top brass then ensured that a whip was issued on Friday to its MPs, which was sent out after AIADMK floor leader in Lok Sabha P. Venugopal completed his speech. This was to ensure that the party MPs voted en masse for the BJP. Ruling party sources told DC that the decision to vote against the no-confidence motion was taken on Friday morning, but a whip was issued only in

the evening since there were reports of differences of opinion among a group of MPs.

The issuance of whip worked since all 37 MPs who participated in the voting polled their votes against the motion, a senior party leader said.

An MP could lose his or her membership if it is found they have voted against the whip. The votes of 36 MPs were registered electronically and one member was not able to cast his ballot electronically. "This was later resolved cross checking with the voting slip that is issued. All 37 MPs of the AIADMK voted for BJP," the source said.

A few MPs had registered their opposition to voting in favour of the BJP and suggested that the party abstain from voting. "These MPs suggested the party members abstain from voting following the formula devised by former CM J. Jayalalithaa. The high command was, however, clear that they all the MPs should vote in favour of the BJP," another leader said.

The AIADMK top brass asked their office-bearers to issue a whip to ensure that the party suffers no embarrassment. The voting was justified on the count that there are only nine months left for the tenure of the government and it should not be disturbed at the moment. Any thoughts of a rebellion were squashed by the issuing of the whip and the AIADMK stood solidly behind Modi-Shah combine.
If the chief minister does not have any evidence against him, then he should apologise, Singh demanded. (Photo: File)

Bhopal: After Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan called his actions and statements anti-national, Congress leader Digvijay Singh said on Saturday that he would appear before the police and they could arrest him.

"I have taken the oath to follow Constitution. So I have decided to present myself before the law to protect the unity and integrity of India....I would present myself at TT Nagar Police Station (in Bhopal) on July 26," Singh said in a letter to Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

"Meanwhile, submit the evidence of my being anti-national to your administration, so that they can file a case and arrest me," the senior Congress leader said.

Chouhan had slammed the former chief minister for visiting the homes of 'slain terrorists' and talking about "Hindu terrorism" two days ago.

"Talking about Hindu terrorism is an insult to the country and its culture....He is the kind of person who visits the homes of terrorists killed by police and glorifies them. Many times, such acts of Digvijay-ji seem anti-national," a BJP release quoted Chouhan as saying at Satna on July 19.

In apparent reference to Singh's calling Osama bin Laden as "Osama ji", Chouhan asked, according to the BJP release, if adding the honorific `Ji' for a terrorist was not an anti-national act.

In his letter, Singh said, "Being the chief minister, it is your constitutional duty to take legal action if any such case falling under the category of anti-nationalism comes to your knowledge."

If the chief minister does not have any evidence against him, then he should apologise, Singh demanded.
While speaking in the Lok Sabha during the debate on the no-confidence motion against the government, Gandhi had alleged that Sitharaman had lied to the nation by claiming that India was bound by a secrecy clause in the Rafale fighter jet deal signed with France. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: Four BJP lawmakers have submitted a privilege notice against Congress President Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of "misleading" Parliament by making "false" allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

BJP Members of Parliament Nishikant Dubey, Anurag Thakur, Dushyant Singh and Prahalad Joshi have given the notice to the Speaker.

According to the rules of the House, Gandhi should have given prior notice before making any allegations against any member. He should have given substantiating material to the Speaker, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar had said, adding notice for privilege motion against Rahul Gandhi will be given for "falsehood and misleading" Parliament

While speaking in the Lok Sabha during the debate on the no-confidence motion against the government, Gandhi had alleged that Sitharaman had lied to the nation by claiming that India was bound by a secrecy clause in the Rafale fighter jet deal signed with France.

Gandhi said the French president had clearly conveyed to him that there was no problem in sharing details relating to the Rafale deal worth Rs 58,000 crore.

Alleging corruption in the deal, the Congress has been demanding details, including cost of equipment and weapons, but the government has refused to share them citing the secrecy clause.

Countering his allegations, Sitharaman said all charges were absolutely wrong" and added that the initial agreement for the deal which had the secrecy clause was signed when the UPA was in power in 2008.

BJP leaders said Gandhi's accusations that PM Modi benefited one industrialist in the Rafale deal and 'betrayed' the Indian Army in Doklam were among his several defamatory allegations against the prime minister. Their privilege motion against him would include these "unsubstantiated" charges.

The NDA government had signed a deal with France-based Dassault Aviation to purchase 36 Rafale jets.
Senator JV Ejercito

SEVERAL senators and media groups on Sunday took turns denouncing the recent murder of a broadcast journalist in Albay, the 12th victim of an assassins bullets under the present dispensation. Senator JV Ejercito fired the opening shot and prodded the national police to find the perpertrators in the killing of radio broadcaster Joey Llana in Barangay Penafrancia, Daraga town, Albay. I urge the national police to find the perpetrators of this cowardly crime and ensure the safety of all journalists in the country, Ejercito said. Senator Juan Edgardo Angara said We cannot allow fear and impunity to reign in a democratic society.Earlier, Senator Grace Poe deplored Llanas killing and urged the authorities to swiftly act on this and bring the perpetrators to justice. Poe said the increasing number of killings of journalists and the slow resolution of cases emboldened those who carry out the attacks against the members of the media. Detained Senator Leila de Lima said Llana is yet another victim of the dark cloud of impunity enveloping our land. And frankly, to my mind, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roques condemnation of this killing and promise of justice sound hypocritical, she said. Daraga police chief Supt. Benito Dipad said Llana was shot with a .45-cal. gun and a .9mm pistol as he was maneuvering his car out of the garage. The victim, 43, of dwZR, suffered several gunshot wounds in the head and in the body. Dipad said the family of the victim said the latter has been receiving death threats since last year from unknown persons but he did take it seriously.Roque said the Palace strongly condemend the killing of Llana, noting that it is another infringement on the rights to life and a free press. He assured that the Presidential Task Force on Media Security would bring justice to another victim of media killings. The PTFoMs will be relentless in according justice to this latest victim, Roque said. For his part, PTFoMS executive director Joel Egco also condemned in the strongest possible terms Llanas killing, vowing to solve the case. Egco has ordered the creation of a special investigation task group to look into the killing of the Albay reporter. This saddens me. This is the reason why it is very important that we should know the protocols on media security, Egco said in a media interview in Baguio City. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said in a statement, If proven to be related to his work, his death would be the 12th media killing under President Rodrigo Duterte, the third in Bicol and the 185th since 1986. The first radio commentator gunned down in Albay in early 2000 was Jun Villanueva of radio station dzGB in early 2000, followed by Roel Enrinal of dwZR later that same year. The International Federation of Journalists condemned the latest attack on a Filipino journalist, and said every killing weakened Philippine democracy. The murder of Joey Llana earlier this morning in the Philippines underscores the dangerous working environment that the media in the Philippines faces every day, IFJ general secretary, Anthony Bellanger said in a statemen.
The issuance of the Braille EPIC cards to the visually impaired voters is a step in the right direction, Rahul Gandhi said. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday commended the Election Commission for its initiative in providing Braille EPIC cards to the visually impaired in Karnataka and said such a measure would enable voting accessibility to all.

In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat, Gandhi said he hoped the poll body was taking more such steps to make voting more accessible to the physically challenged people and extended the Congress party's support to this initiative.

I write this letter to commend you on the excellent initiative of the Election Commission in Karnataka. The issuance of the Braille EPIC cards to the visually impaired voters is a step in the right direction, which will make elections and voting accessible to all voters.

I believe that the Election Commission is undertaking more steps to make voting more accessible for physically challenged people. The Congress party extends its wholehearted support to this initiative, he said in his letter.

Gandhi also said the framers of "our" Constitution were far ahead of their times when they decided that universal adult franchise should be incorporated in the Constitution of India.
The order came when lawyer Sravan Kumar, appearing for Ketireddy Jagadishwar Reddy, alleged that Supreme Court's 2016 verdict on plea of NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan was not being complied with. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has asked the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to formulate a national action plan to curb the growing menace of drug abuse in the society, including by school-going children.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra also made it clear to Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh, representing the Centre, that no extension of time would be granted to the government and AIIMS in formulating the policy on drug menace as the issue was of "national importance".

"Having heard Maninder Singh, Additional Solicitor General for Union of India, we direct the authorities of All India Institute of Medical Sciences to finalise the report of the High Powered Committee on or before September 7.

"It is hereby made clear that no further extension shall be granted. The competent authorities of AIIMS shall bear in mind that framing of this policy is of national importance and it cannot brook any delay," the bench, also comprising justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said.

The order came when lawyer Sravan Kumar, appearing for Ketireddy Jagadishwar Reddy, alleged that the 2016 verdict of the apex court on the plea of NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) was not being complied with.

While deciding the PIL of BBA of Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, the apex court, in December 2016, had issued a slew of guidelines and had asked the Centre to formulate within six months the national action plan to curb rising substance abuse cases among school children and had also ordered a national survey to gauge the extent of the menace.

The bench took note of the submission of the lawyer and made it clear that its directions have to be complied with without any further delay. "A copy of the order be handed over to Balasubramanian assisting Maninder Singh (ASG) so that he can communicate it to the Director, AIIMS," the bench said.

The AIIMS has to formulate the national policy to curb the rising drugs menace in society, besides formulating the measures to educate people about the ill effects of substance abuse.

Earlier also, the bench had taken a similar view on the plea filed by the NGO seeking enforcement of the apex court verdict delivered on its PIL in 2016.

Senior advocate H S Phoolka, appearing for the NGO, had said that the Centre has failed to comply with the judgement. Besides directing formulation of the action plan, the bench had asked the government to undertake a nationwide survey to identify the prevalence of drug abuse across the country.

While asking the governments -- both at the Centre and in the states -- to create awareness about the serious consequences of drug abuse, the court had directed the Centre to include in the school curriculum the subject on harmful effects of using drugs.

The national capital alone has approximately one lakh street children and substance abuse is reported as a major health problem in this segment of the population, the PIL had said.

A study by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights on substance abuse by kids showed last year that 100 per cent of the children in conflict with the law were drug abusers, 95.5 per cent of them staying in childcare institutions were on drugs and 93 per cent of street children consumed narcotics.

The study also said 88 per cent of the children consumed drugs due to "peer pressure", the NGO had said.

The NGO in its PIL, filed in 2014, had sought a direction to formulate a national action plan for children on drugs and substance abuse including all issues of identification, investigation, recovery, counselling and rehabilitation. It had also sought the creation of model syllabus on ill-effects of drugs and substance abuse.
Bengaluru: Forty-four-year-old Nagamma, who was suffering with a knee problem, went to Kempegowda Institute of Medical Science (KIMS) for treatment on Thursday, only to be told to visit the next day, even as she struggled to walk.She was accompanied by her husband Shivappa, and they had travelled more than 70 km from a remote village called Boohalli near Channapatna. Shivappa is a labourer, the sole bread earner of the family, and earns Rs 600 per day.

Shivappa had to take a day off to get his wife for the treatment spending almost his one days earning, only to return empty handed as a result of the ongoing protest at KIMS.

Doctors and medical staff members, led by Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha, are protesting against the KIMS management for failing to take action over unfair hiring policy.

It was a bad day for Shivappa, who reached the hospital around 1 pm, only to find that the doctors had gone for lunch. I thought we (me and my wife) have lunch and come back. But I did not know the doctors would leave home so early, said Shivappa. They came back at 3:30 pm and fond no doctors were available. The assistant asked them to visit again the next day.

However, the medical staff at KIMS said that a total number of 900 patients were treated till 4 pm on Thursday in several of the temporary Out Patient Departments (OPDs) that have been set up near the venue of the strike.

Dr Vinod Kumar, president of Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha Employees Association said, There are around 250 doctors and 50 medical students who are working at these OPDs during the protest.

Shivappa said that he was referred by one of his friends at his village. Unfortunately I could not see any doctor and have to wait for my wifes treatment.

No end to strike

The Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha Employees Association intensified their protest by calling for indefinite hunger strike from July 18.

Dr Vinod told Deccan Chronicle that the assurance to remove excess staff was given by the management last time when we conducted protest. But they have failed to take action against them which is unfair.

The Sangha has issued a show cause to all the members and also given letter to the Chief Minister to take the necessary action or dissolve the management committee before July 24.

The protesters had alleged that the management had appointed over 670 non-teaching staff for 200 vacant posts.
BSF troops, guarding the IB in Hiranagar sector, observed a man intruding into the Indian territory around 0700 hours and challenge him. (Representational Image | PTI)

Kathua: A Pakistani intruder, believed to be a guide of terrorists, was shot dead by Border Security Force (BSF) personnel along the International Border in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, a spokesman of the border guarding force said.

BSF troops, guarding the IB in Hiranagar sector, observed a man intruding into the Indian territory around 0700 hours and challenge him, the spokesman said.

Instead of paying any heed to the warning, the individual tried to take cover in the nearby undulating ground. BSF sentry shot the individual foiling any chance of possible infiltration or escape of the individual back to Pakistani territory, the spokesman said.

He said, It is assumed that the intruder was a guide of the terrorists who were waiting for his clearance signal. The body of the individual has been recovered and legal formalities are in hand.

A police official said the deceased was around 24 years of age and some Pakistani currency was recovered from his possession.

The identity of the deceased was not known, he said.
The observations raised by FAA assume significance as they come against backdrop of ICAO giving a low score to India following an audit programme, placing it below Pakistan, Nepal and many other nations. (Representational Image)

New Delhi: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of USA, which conducted an audit of India's aviation watchdog DGCA, has made certain "observations" related to regulatory and guidance material, on which time-bound action will be taken, an official statement said on Sunday.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), in the statement, said the FAA, under its International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) programme, conducted the audit between July 16 and July 20 in areas covering aircraft operations, airworthiness and personnel licensing.

It did not elaborate on the observations or the concerns flagged by the US regulator, but said the FAA team will come for a final consultation within 65 days wherein the DGCA shall present the action taken on the observations.

"Overall, the audit has been very satisfactory. According to the FAA's established process, a written report will be provided within next 30 days and thereafter an FAA team will come for final consultation within 65 days, wherein the DGCA shall present the action taken on the observations," the statement said.

The observations raised by FAA assume significance as those come against the backdrop of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), an UN body, giving a low score to India following an audit programme for the country, placing it below Pakistan, Nepal and many other nations.

The DGCA statement issued on Sunday said during the course of the IASA audit, the FAA team was shown regulations including extensive technical guidance in the areas of operations, airworthiness, surveillance and enforcement for the use of safety inspectors of DGCA to carry out licensing, certification, and approval obligations along with certification records.

The training programme provided to the technical officers and inspectors and records therein were also shown to the FAA audit team, the statement said, and underlined that the DGCA is commencing action on the observations made during the verbal out-brief given by FAA team and is very confident to addressing all those within a specific timeline.

It said that the FAA team gave a "verbal out-brief listing the observations" which relate to regulatory and guidance material issues within DGCA.

This was the third audit by the US regulator since 2013. In that year, the FAA had downgraded the safety ranking of the Indian aviation sector and it was restored only in 2015.

ICAO carried out the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme for India in November 2017, and another team of the regulator came in February this year. The audit result showed that the country's score declined to 57.44 per cent from 65.82 per cent earlier.

With the falling score, the government had last week said that it would soon empower the DGCA to regulate air traffic controllers.

The decline was mainly due to ratings of air traffic controllers being given by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which is also the provider of air traffic control services, officials had said.

In a briefing following the ICAO's observation, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha, Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey and senior DGCA officials had emphasised that there are no safety concerns for the country's civil aviation space.

Now, it has been decided that the DGCA would carry out regulatory and safety oversight of air traffic controllers, Choubey said.

According to officials, the ICAO had told the ministry that there was a need for an independent regulatory oversight by the DGCA on the AAI with respect to air traffic controllers.

DGCA chief B S Bhullar said if the ICAO had not taken this aspect into consideration, then India's score after the audit would have been 71.13 per cent.

The UN aviation watchdog's score was based on eight audit areas, including primary aviation legislation and aviation regulations, civil aviation organisation, personnel licensing and training.
The North Zone police has urged all department officials to make elaborate arrangements for the festival at the earliest and erect barricades to regulate the huge rush of devotees. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: The city police will be deploying extra forces for the upcoming Bonalu celebrations this year.

She teams to curb harassment, anti-snatching teams and plainclothes policemen will be posted at strategic locations in the city.

Check posts will be set up and people frisked for public safety and security.

DCP South Zone, V. Satyanarayana said around one lakh devotees are expected.

About 2,000 policemen, 10 She Teams, five anti-snatching teams and anti-sabotage teams will be deployed at junctions and we will be installing 200 temporary CC cameras during this period, the feed of which will be monitored 24x7 at the control room, he said.

The Ujjaini Mahankali Bonalu in Secunderabad will be celebrated on July 29 (Bonalu) and 30 (Rangam). The North Zone police has urged all department officials to make elaborate arrangements for the festival at the earliest and erect barricades to regulate the huge rush of devotees.

Officials also said that no permission will be given for DJs, and keeping in view past incidents. Commissioner of Police Hyderabad has appealed to the public not to believe in rumours and to bring anything questionable in the social media to the notice of the local police. Sharing objectionable posts will land the persons involved in trouble, he warned.
New Delhi: UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi lashed out at the Narendra Modi government at Sundays extended CWC meeting, cautioning people about the reign of despair and fear heaped upon Indias deprived and poor.

Attacking the government, Mrs Gandhi said that it was incumbent on the Congress to save the people from a dangerous regime.

She said: We have to rescue our people from a dangerous regime that is compromising with the democracy of India.

We are committed to making alliances work and are all with Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in this endeavour, she said.

On the forging of alliances, Mrs Gandhi said: We are committed to make alliances work and we are all with Congress president Rahul Gandhi in this endeavour.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala quoting Sonia Gandhi said: The entire country is watching how the prime minister is lowering the dignity of the chair he holds, and how his desperation displays that the countdown of the Modi government has started, and that the prime minister is unable to see the truth.

This was the first meeting of the CWC after Mr Rahul Gandhis elevation as party president in December 2017. Earlier this week, the Congress president reconstituted the CWC with 51 members.
Hyderabad: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi complimenting Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao in the Lok Sabha on Friday for showing maturity in resolving bifurcation-related issues with Andhra Pradesh, the Chief Minister has stepped up efforts to resolve the contentious division of the High Court between Telangana state and Andhra Pradesh.

On Sunday Mr Rao made a sudden visit to the residence of High Court Chief Justice T.H.B. Radhakrishnan to discuss the issue.

Mr Rao followed this up with a meeting with Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan at Raj Bhavan.

Though the CMs Office described his visit as a courtesy call, sources revealed that the CM is learnt to have promised all support from the state government for the smooth bifurcation of the High Court at the earliest.

Mr Rao also requested Governor Narasimhan to pursue the issue seriously with AP CM N.Chandrababu Naidu and the Centre. He brought to the Governors notice the hardships faced by TS advocates due to the delay in the bifurcation of the High Court.

Telangana Rashtra Samiti MPs also raised this issue in the Lok Sabha on Friday during the debate on the no-trust motion.

TRS deputy floor leader B.Vinod Kumar accused the Andhra Pradesh government of deliberately blocking the division of the High Court and not cooperating with the Centre or the Telangana government on the issue.

Mr Vinod Kumar said when AP could build its own Secretariat and Assembly buildings in the new capital Amaravathi within a short span, why was it not constructing a High Court building?

This shows their ill-motive (sic). They deliberately want to delay the division of the High Court. The present High Court is serving both the states. Majority of the judges in the present High Court are not from the Telangana region. Though I dont want to attribute this to anything, I request the Centre and AP government to cooperate for early division of the High Court, Mr Kumar said.

Mr Rao wants the Union Cabinet to approve the bifurcation and refer it to the President of India for approval.

The President has to issue a circular notifying the principal seats of the new High Court and the appointment of judges.

During his meeting with the Governor, Mr Rao invited him to participate in the Haritha Haram programme and other events.
Instead of spending money on music, dance, bands and palatial function halls, the same can be given to the newly married couple for their financial stability, said a speaker. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: In what is being seen as a vote against excessive spending at Muslim marriages, a few thousand community members vowed to boycott functions that are marked by exorbitant expenditure.

At a meeting attended by Muslim scholars, All India Muslim Personal Law Board member Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani said the time had come for the community to avoid extravagant spending and make marriage functions simple.

Boycott the marriages where extravaganza is clearly visible. Simplicity should be the norm and the community should ensure that they put this practice to an end, Maulana Rahmani said.

The gathering vowed to stop the practice of high spending, which they contended had become a trend recently and was making a dent on the financial condition of the families.

A competition is going on between families to conduct the marriage. In the end, many are landing in a financial mess and are selling their properties to clear debts, said Mr Mustaq Malik, president Tehreek Muslim Shabban.

Instead of spending money on music, dance, bands and palatial function halls, the same can be given to the newly married couple for their financial stability. If you are generous, a part of the money can also be given to deserving families who are awaiting assistance to marry off their daughters, said a speaker.
Hyderabad: A 25-year-old man who was preparing for the Civil Services examination died after his bike hit a road divider while trying to avoid a pothole at Ameerpet late on Saturday night.

The incident comes just a couple of days after the Supreme Court took a stern view of pothole deaths. This is the fifth death that can be attributed to potholes since June 1.

According to Punjagutta sub-inspector G. Venkateshwarlu, the deceased, Mahanthi, went to visit his friend Venu in Begumpet and was on his way back home at around 11 pm when the accident happened.

When Mahanthi, who was riding the bike with friend Nitin riding pillion, reached near Lal Bungalow turning leading to Ameerpet, there was a pothole right in front of Subway store. To avoid bumping into the pothole, Mahanthi turned his vehicle and since he was riding at high speed, he ended up hitting the divider, said sub inspector Venkateshwarlu.

Mahanthi was riding the bike in a rash manner and is suspected to be drunk at the time of accident, the police said. He was also not wearing a helmet which may have saved his life.

He was rushed to a hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. Nitin, the pillion rider, is undergoing treatment.

A case has been registered at the Punjagutta police station and the body has been sent for post-mortem examination.
THE Bangsamoro Organic Law, which seeks to create a Bangsamoro entity to help attain lasting peace in Mindanao, will be signed by President Rodrigo Duterte before he delivers his third State of the Nation Address today, the Palace said Sunday. We consider this landmark measure as instrumental to our peace and security efforts in Mindanao, said Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque. We acknowledge the hard work of Congress and the Bangsamoro Transition Commission that brought us this historic law, which would not only forge lasting peace in Mindanao but would also provide the much-needed economic development on the island, he added. On Wednesday night, the congressional bicameral conference committee on BOL, chaired by Senator Miguel Zubiri, adopted a consolidated version of the measure that will create the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, replacing the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Senate President Vicente Sotto III said that the BOL would empower the region and the people living in it, and would be a good test case for a federal system of government. He added that once the law is implemented, the decommissioning of firearms in the possession of Muslim rebel groups could be completed. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives are expected to ratify the measure upon the opening of the Third Regular Session on Monday morning, July 23. House leaders said they were batting for a swift approval of the BOL, as well as the P3.76-trillion national budget for 2019. Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles said his panel would immediately start hearings on the general appropriations bill, which the President is likely to submit to Congress during his Sona. The lions share of the 2019 national budget will go to education (P659.3 billion which is P72.2 billion more than the 2018 budget of P587.1 billion). The Department of Public Works and Highways will get second highest allocation of P555.7 billion. Southern Leyte Rep. Roger Mercado, House committee on constitutional amendments chairperson, said the passage of the draft federal constitution submitted by the consultative committee, led by its chairman Reynato Puno, will also be a priority.In fact we will begin immediately the series of hearings this week, he said. The Senate is also expected to act on the bicameral conference committee report on the Bangsamoro Organic Law, which was approved July 18, when it resume its sessions for the 3rd Regular Session of the 17th Congress on Monday. Sotto said that senators will hold a caucus on Tuesday, a day after the Sona, to determine the common priority legislative agenda the Senate will tackle in the coming months. He each senator had been asked to submit their list of priority bills for consideration of the whole body. The senators would then compare their list of common priority measures to that of the House of Representatives and the executive branch. This [coming out with an agenda] is imperative now because we only have very few months for the 3rd regular session, he said. He added they will work until Dec. 21 unlike in the previous years when they only worked until Dec. 15 because when they resume after the Christmas break in January, they will only be convening for two weeks because of the start of the campaign period. Sotto said the Senate and House will meet after Sona to fix the legislative calendar and the priority measures. He also said that during the caucus, senators will discuss the Con-Coms draft federal constitution. After the opening ceremonies at the Senate plenary hall on Monday morning, the senators will proceed to the Batasang Pambansa Complex in the afternoon to attend the joint session of Congress and hear the presidents third Sona. The Senate will go back to its legislative work while enjoying the highest public approval and trust ratings among key government agencies, according to a recent Pulse Asia poll. The survey conducted last June said the Senate received a 69-percent approval rating and 61-percent trust rating by Filipinos throughout the country.
Hyderabad: The TRS on Sunday reiterated that it would continue to oppose Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh if that meant giving tax incentives and concessions to the state.

Addressing a press conference here, TRS deputy floor leader in Lok Sabha B. Vinod Kumar said industries from Hyderabad would shift to AP if tax incentives were given as part of special category states. It is for that reason that the party did not vote during Fridays No-Confidence Motion moved by the Telugu Desam against the NDA government.

He refuted the criticism made by TPCC chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and legislator A. Revanth Reddy that TRS MPs had failed to bring pressure on the Centre to secure implementation of pending bifurcation-related matters that were promised to TS in the Reorganisation Act, 2014. The Congress leaders had alleged that this was part of a secret pact between TRS and BJP.

Mr Vinod said, This is totally false and baseless. The TRS could effectively highlight the injustice meted to Telangana state by NDA government during the debate by speaking for 23 minutes against the allotted time of nine minutes.

He added, How could anyone expect the TRS to support the no-confidence motion which was moved by the TD and supported by the Congress? Both the parties had done injustice to Telangana during their rule and the no-confidence motion moved by them demanding special status for AP would harm the interests of Telangana state. For us, the interests of Telangana state are of paramount importance.

Condemning allegations of secret pact with the BJP, Mr Vinod said, There is no need for TRS to maintain secret ties with anyone. In fact, the TD and Congress are maintaining secret ties and this got exposed during the no-confidence motion.
Mr Reddy said the bus yatras being taken up by TPCC in two phases had received overwhelming response in all districts with good support from students, farmers and women.

Hyderabad: The Congress will win 72 out of the 119 Assembly seats in state and form government while the TRS will get just 38, according to a survey report submitted by the TPCC to the Congress high command on Sunday.

TPCC chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy along with senior leaders K. Jana Reddy, Mohd Shabbir Ali, V. Hanumantha Rao among others attended the Congress Working Committee meeting which was presided over by AICC president Rahul Gandhi. They briefed him on the partys prospects in 2019.

The TPCC leaders said the TRS government had failed in delivering on its major poll promises made in 2014, due to which the people were angry and were ready to teach the party a fitting lesson in the elections.

They said the people, especially students, farmers and women felt cheated by the TRS government and looking at Congress for help.

Congress sources said Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy explained how students who played a crucial role in the statehood struggle were left in the lurch as the TRS government could not give them even 20,000 jobs while it had promised to one lakh.

He said farmers were cheated by the TRS which had promised Rs 1 lakh crop loan waiver. The government released the waiver in four instalments, because of which banks imposed interest on the farmers. He said women self-help groups were angry as they were denied pavala vaddi.

Mr Reddy said the bus yatras being taken up by TPCC in two phases had received overwhelming response in all districts with good support from students, farmers and women. Mr Reddy said the party had conducted several independent surveys in all constituencies to assess the pulse of voters, which clearly stated that the Congress had the edge in 72 constituencies and would form government comfortably in 2019.
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Sunday confirmed that the party is setting up a group look into the alliance issue for 2019 Lok Sabha elections. (Photo: File | Twitter | @INCIndia)

New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be the party's prime ministerial candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"Naturally, the Congress president would be the only face to be projected. The Congress would fight this election by putting forward our leader," spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said in response to a media query on who will be the prime ministerial face for the general elections at a press conference following the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Sunday.

On alliance, Surjewala said, "We expect to better our performance of 2004. People will decide. Once the Congress party becomes the single largest party, touching the same magic figure of 200 or more, naturally the Congress party will be leading, and whoever else wants to come and walk hand in hand (are welcome)."

Speaking about the CWC meeting, senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "The meeting was to strengthen the party and to discuss the issue of alliance for 2019 Lok Sabha elections."

Echoing the similar sentiments Congress leader Sachin Pilot said, "We are here to make strategies to improve the present condition of the country which is worsening day by day. There is no greed for a post in the Congress. The country is important for us."

Also Read: Cong discusses alliance at CWC meet, authorises Rahul to decide on tie-ups

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar told news agency ANI that the party is committed to fight against the BJPs ideology and save the Constitution.

"We believe that Congress party is the one which can give fight to BJP's ideology. If the RSS has ever lost to someone it is the Congress party's Idea of India. We should keep this in mind and take everyone along to save the Constitution," Babbar said.

Former Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister M Veerappa Moily called Rahul Gandhi's speech "dynamic".

Moily said, "Rahul's speech today was excellent and dynamic as expected. Now, he knows that on what direction the Congress should go. Modi should be thrown out and the unity among all Opposition parties is a must. The focus of today's CWC meeting was on how to strengthen the party. The ultimate goal is to defeat the present government."

Rahul Gandhi on Sunday confirmed that the party is setting up a group look into the alliance issue for 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress chief said, "We are setting up a group that is going to do that (alliance)."

Gandhi has been authorised to form election campaign committee and take decisions on the pre-poll and post-poll alliance, AICC general secretary Ashok Gehlot confirmed.

At the strategy meeting, the party had focused the discussion on how to strengthen the party, the issue of alliance, how to highlight the failures of the Narendra Modi government effectively, etc.

Among those present at the meeting include former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, top Congress leaders AK Antony, Motilal Vora, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge and Ashok Gehlot among others.
If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, dont deal in lies,

Or being hated, dont give way to hating,

And yet dont look too good, nor talk too wise

The poem If by Rudyard Kipling is an oft-quoted classic, and the Nobel Prize-winning poet, who was born in India, has been a favourite of many. But not at Manchester University, where the students union recently painted over the poem If displayed at the university  and replaced it with another by Maya Angelous Still I Rise  extracts from which read:

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, Ill rise

Out of the huts of historys shame

I rise

Up from a past thats rooted in pain

I rise

Im a black ocean, leaping and wide,

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide

The students union replaced the poem because Kipling was undoubtedly a racist and it is difficult for many to read his works and not remember his ideology. Angelous poem, on the other hand, celebrates the history of those who despite being crushed by colonialism, still rose. This is a debate which continues to haunt the UK as it grapples with its racist past, and the re-examination of history. Recently, re-reading Kiplings life and poems, I too had been shocked at his racism, and surprised at how much respect and regard we have given him over the decades in India. Are we far too forgiving? Or is it best to leave the past where it is  and move on?

There are many who feel that creative works of the Nobel Prize-winning poet Kipling should not be confused with his personal life, or that we must remember that those were different times. But then we must also remember that we too were among those new caught sullen peoples half devil and half child To remind you, here are a few lines from his infamous poem on the White Mans Burden.

Take up the White Mans burden 

Send forth the best ye breed 

Go bind your sons to exile

To serve your captives need;

To wait in heavy harness

On fluttered folk and wild 

Your new-caught sullen peoples,

Half devil and half child

When the poem If was painting over, we were reminded of what Kipling actually stood for. And for the need to find new icons. Would you agree?

Similarly, a few years ago there had been a campaign to remove the statue of colonial imperialist Sir Cecil Rhodes from Oxford. So will all those who got a Rhodes scholarship return it?

Meanwhile, when these issues arise  one is struck by how a very modern monarchy (but a monarchy nonetheless!) continues to rule the minds and hearts of people in the UK. The Queen would win a popularity poll anytime  if she were to contest against the elected leaders. The respect the monarchy commands today is largely due to Queen Elizabeth II herself. And as her great grandson George, and also in line to the throne one day, turned five years old, the papers are full of photographs of the young charmer. But when colonialism is questioned more and more  can even a titular monarchy survive for very long? These questions dont have very easy answers!

In a fast-changing world, women are rightly being projected in different fields and taking over from men as fast as possible. Even film and TV producers have realised that there is a huge appetite for seeing women in traditional male-dominated roles. And so the latest make-over take-over was in the long running serial Doctor Who. Now for the first time a woman, Jodie Whittaker, will play Dr Who. The regeneration process from the old time traveller (played by Peter Capaldi) to the new female version has already taken place. Interesting: this is a science fiction series, with a lab-induced reincarnation theme. I am sure, not a long time into the future, all of us (as our bodies degenerate) can opt to live on like Dr Who, through a freshly selected, computer-generated body in the meanwhile watch the series!

And finally, it is wonderful to know that the call for a Partition Remembrance Day, started by the Partition Museum in Amritsar, has now spread to the UK. You may remember that the Punjab government had declared August 17 (the day the Radcliffe Award was actually announced in 1947) as Partition Remembrance Day last year, when the museum opened all its galleries. Now in the UK, there was a call for the UK government to announce it as well  at a special meeting at the House of Commons, hosted by MP Virendra Sharma. The movement in the UK is being helmed by the dynamic Dr Binita Kane, and she is wholeheartedly being supported by the Partition Museum team. Dr Nilanjan Sarkar, from the LSE South Asia Centre, spoke on behalf of the museum to a packed room. So perhaps by next year we can commemorate the day jointly with a solemn ceremony in India and the UK.
If even half of what has been reported in the media is accurate, the recent incident at the Prime Ministers public meeting in West Bengal is truly appalling, amid allegations in certain quarters that security protocols were not followed by the state government (which of course the West Bengal government has denied). But the issue certainly calls for a much deeper probe, analysis and urgent remedial action to ensure peace and avoidance of any bloodbath in future.

Consider the facts. The Prime Minister was in West Bengal to address a political rally on July 16. It was the primary duty and responsibility of the host states district administration, including the district magistrate and the senior superintendent of police, to ensure that the Prime Ministers function was held smoothly, irrespective of the political party he represents. It has to be understood by the entire nation, including politicians and ordinary citizens, that whereas the polity can be divisive in a liberal democracy like Indias, the security of the President, vice-president, Prime Minister, governors, chief ministers and others is indivisible. For that matter, the security of ordinary Indians too is non-negotiable for the sake of divisive politics and brownie points on election-eve by all political parties. That is uncalled for, and avoidable.

To understand the potential seriousness of such lapse, it matters little for any administration in case of an occurrence of an avoidable post-situation scenario. No one will either excuse or accept whether it was due to bona fide or mala fide reasons. A case in point is the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on Wednesday, October 31, 1984. Despite the reported advisory pertaining to the redeployment of security paraphernalia by her officers several times, post-assassination, each and every high-profile official had to be sacked  from the Intelligence Bureau director to the security adviser to the Prime Minister to the top brass of the Delhi police and others.

However, that was one part of the sordid security lapse saga pertaining to the high threat target of the then Prime Minister in 1984. After more than three decades, the present Prime Minister too is reportedly a high threat target of those inimical to our democracy. That is no top state secret as it has been widely covered by the media just a fortnight ago. What could be a bigger problem is if a security lapse takes place despite the advance warning.

Indeed, one shudders to contemplate the aftermath of an eventuality like that of 1984. Remember what happened in the aftermath of the Prime Ministers assassination. Frenzied mobs, led by equally frenzied gang leaders, massacred over 5,000 Sikhs in Indias capital as an act of retaliation. And that is a bad omen. While assassination for political reasons is not limited only to South Asia in the 20th century, what is ominous is the potential post-assassination mob violence and ethnic targeting trend set in 1984.

When Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was shot dead on Friday, January 30, 1948, India was already too dazed by the preceding Partition and the consequential bloodshed to go in for any fresh violence. However, had the assassin been a non-Hindu, especially so soon after the birth of Pakistan, things definitely could have gone nastier and uglier.

Sanjay Gandhis death on Monday, June 23, 1980 in a plane crash did not have any scope for public reaction because no one really knew the actual reason for his death while piloting a small plane. Moreover, there is a huge difference between an incumbent Prime Ministers assassination and the son of a Prime Minister dying in an accident. The public psyche and perception differs.

Again, when Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on Tuesday, May 21, 1991, people initially could not identify the culprit as such. It was confusion par excellence. Had Rajiv Gandhi been assassinated while he was in office, or in circumstances like his mother, there might have been a much bigger and more violent backlash.

Here lies the crux of the problem. And few would know this better than the incumbent West Bengal chief minister because she has seen things deteriorate in her own state with her own eyes; having experienced things from the wrong end of the stick of the state herself. A few cases would suffice to make my point.

Tuesday, March 17, 1970, during the Ajoy Mukherjee-led non-Congress United Front government of West Bengal, took place the first dastardly crime in broad daylight in Burdwan when the two Sain bothers were butchered and their mother compelled to drink her sons blood in front of a murderous mob, led by the ruling party leaders of West Bengal and passively observed by the spineless serving DM and SP on the spot. Subsequently the same DM became chief secretary of West Bengal. No one was known to have been punished.

Again, on Sunday March 18, 1984, Vinod Mehta, IPS, was cut into more than 100 pieces by another fanatic mob in the Kolkata Port area under CPI(M) chief minister Jyoti Basus stewardship. The mastermind of this gory tale was a serving minister of the Jyoti Basu government who could never be touched as he was a vote-catching master of his religious group. No one was ever reported to have been punished.

On Thursday August 16, 1990, Mamata Banerjee herself faced a murderous assault by two ruling party CPI(M) organisers Lallu Alam and Badshah Alam within 1 km of her residence at Kolkatas crowded Hazra Park and spent several months in hospital owing to life-threatening brain damage.

I referred to these incidents to draw the attention of the ruling class of democratic India irrespective of the political party in power across states and at the Centre. The Opposition is not an enemy like those across our borders, where soldiers have no choice but to kill or get killed in certain situations. I visualise bloodshed in case a top VVIP is assassinated by anyone. The ethnic group of the assassin, like in 1984, is likely to be the target, and bear the brunt with loot of their property and loss of lives, as there is no dearth of non-political mischief-makers in the country. The writing on the wall should be seen and read by one and all.

I also have an unsolicited advisory for our incumbent Prime Minister: The days are bad. Please follow security drill set by the SPG, IB and other agencies. We dont want any civil war-type bloodshed. With elections nearing, no high-profile VIP, whether on the ruling or Opposition side, should be a victim like in 1948, 1984 or 1991. The nation has already paid a heavy price for its past lapses. We certainly cant afford to shed any more blood. Coordination between the Central and state governments is vital for the survival of Indian democracy. The political Opposition per se is not a security threat to the nation, but an attempted assassination is.
Deep reefs covered at least the same ocean area worldwide as shallow reefs. (Photo: Pixabay)

Deep coral reefs in a twilight zone in the oceans differ sharply from those near the surface, dimming hopes that they can be a refuge for marine life fleeing threats such as climate change and pollution, scientists said on Thursday.

Worldwide, coral reefs in shallow waters are among ecosystems most threatened by climate change. The Great Barrier Reef off Australia suffered severe bleaching, a whitening driven by warm waters that can kill corals, in 2016 and 2017.

A US-led team of divers who studied little-known reefs in the West Atlantic and Pacific Oceans between 30 and 150 meters (100-500 ft) deep where sunlight fades, found most species of corals and fish were unlike those closer to the surface.

We were surprised to find little overlap, lead author Luiz Rocha of the California Academy of Sciences told Reuters of the findings published in the journal science.

Less than five per cent of fish and corals were found in both shallow and deep waters against the scientists previous estimate of 60-75 per cent, based on historical records, he said.

The potential for deep reefs to act in a refuge capacity is far less than we have previously hoped, they wrote. And, like shallow reefs, the deep reefs also faced threats including climate change, storms and pollution.

Divers found, for instance, plastic fishing nets entangled on deep corals off the Philippines and deep corals harmed by warm waters off the Bahamas.

Rocha said the scientists were trying to place temperature sensors in the twilight zone to see how far deep reefs were exposed to rising ocean temperatures, which are most extreme at the surface.

Deep reefs covered at least the same ocean area worldwide as shallow reefs, he estimated. Some reefs, such as those off the mouth of the Amazon River, exist only in the depths.

The authors urged better safeguards for deep reefs, for instance by expanding protected areas and banning bottom trawlers that can scrape the seabed.

Among previous research, a 2016 study by the UN Environment Programme found evidence that some deep reefs could act as what it called lifeboats for nearby, connected shallower reefs.

But it said that in other cases, deep reefs may be just as vulnerable as shallower reefs to human pressures.

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The 30-tonne coffin is the largest yet found in Alexandria. (Photo: Euronews)

Egyptian archaeologists on Thursday dashed local hopes that a newly discovered ancient sarcophagus might contain the remains of Alexander the Great, finding instead the mummies of what appeared to be a family of three.

Workmen inadvertently unearthed the approximately 2,000-year-old black granite sealed sarcophagus this month during the construction of an apartment building in the historic Mediterranean port city of Alexandria.

The 30-tonne coffin is the largest yet found in Alexandria, prompting a swirl of theories in local and international media that it may be the resting place of the ancient Greek ruler who in 331 BC founded the city that still bears his name.

Egypts antiquities ministry had vigorously dismissed the chances of finding Alexanders remains inside the 30-tonne sarcophagus and on Thursday its scepticism was vindicated.

We found the bones of three people, in what looks like a family burial... Unfortunately, the mummies inside were not in the best condition and only the bones remain, Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, told reporters at the site.

Waziri said some of the remains had disintegrated because sewage water from a nearby building had leaked into the sarcophagus through a small crack in one of the sides.

The location of the remains of Alexander the Great, who died in 323 BC in Babylon, remains a mystery.

The sarcophagus in Alexandria is the latest of a series of interesting archaeological finds this year in Egypt that includes a 4,400-year-old tomb in Giza and an ancient necropolis in Minya, south of Cairo.

The unmarked tomb in Alexandria did not likely belong to any other notable ruler in the Ptolemaic period (332 BC-30 BC) associated with Alexander the Great, or the subsequent Roman era, Waziri said.

The prospect of opening the long-sealed sarcophagus had stirred fears in Egyptian media that it could unleash a 1,000-year curse.

Weve opened it and, thank God, the world has not fallen into darkness, said Waziri.

I was the first to put my whole head inside the sarcophagus... and here I stand before you ... I am fine.

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Amazon could be hurt by tariffs on items sold through its website and components for its data centres. (Photo: AP)

Big companies in the United States from Amazon to Toyota Motor Corp and Alcoa Corp are working to counter the effect of the Trump administrations trade policies and to head off new tariffs. Companies are attempting to avoid any confrontation with US President Donald Trump but want to exert as much influence as they can to dissuade him from tearing up trade agreements or introducing tariffs on a wide swath of imports.

Amazon, the worlds largest online retailer and cloud-computing company, which could be hurt by tariffs on items sold through its website and components for its data centres, is discussing industry-wide advertising campaigns and more extensive government lobbying, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Amazon declined to comment.

Toyota Motor North America, a subsidiary of Japans Toyota, which could suffer if Trump follows through on a plan to impose tariffs on imported vehicles and parts, flew workers to Washington for a rally this week in front of the US Capitol while the units chief has met key members of Congress in recent weeks to discuss the potential impact of tariffs.

Executives from General Motors, which could be hurt if Trump pulls the United States out of the North American Free Trade Agreement or if he imposes auto tariffs, have also held meetings with the administration and Congress over the last year to raise its concerns about trade issues. Tariffs would lead to a reduced presence at home and abroad, the company said in June.

The largest US automaker is set to hire Trumps former deputy director of the National Economic Council and adviser on international economic affairs. Everett Eissenstat, who left the White House earlier this month, will head GMs public policy efforts, according to sources familiar with the matter. GM told Reuters it had an opening but declined to confirm the hire. Eissenstat could not be reached for comment.

Those already suffering from the Trump administrations tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, which went into effect in June, are also pushing for relief in private. The chief executive of Alcoa told investors on a conference call this week that the aluminium producer was in active discussions with the Trump administration, the Commerce Department and members of Congress about the elimination of tariffs or getting an exception for Canadian aluminium.

Alcoa said this week it will incur as much as $14 million a month in extra expenses, mainly from tariffs levied on aluminium imported from Canada, its biggest supplier.

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In addition to the steel and aluminium tariffs already imposed, the Trump administration has threatened 10 per cent tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods which would affect thousands of imported products from furniture to network routers.

Seattle-based Amazon is concerned such tariffs would hit shoppers during the crucial holiday shopping season, the person familiar with the matter said. Amazon has identified a wide range of items, some of the high-value, the tariffs would hit and is assessing the potential impact on its business, the person said.

High among its concerns is an increase in import costs for components used in data centres or other items that would make its cloud computing division less competitive, two people familiar with the matter said. Amazon Web Services is the companys most profitable unit.

Amazon is not alone in the technology industry with its worries. Its hard to think of many of our companies that dont have some risk and exposure as a result of the tariff, said Dean Garfield, chief executive of the Information Technology Industry Council, which counts Amazon rivals Microsoft Corp, Alphabet Incs Google and others as members.

Lobbying administration officials and members of Congress can be costly with no guarantee of victory, but some have succeeded. Apple won guarantees from the Trump administration that its lucrative iPhones would ship from China without being subject to tariffs, the New York Times reported last month.

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False messages about child abductors on WhatsApp have led to mass beatings this year of more than a dozen people in India, some of whom have died.

Facebooks WhatsApp is rolling out a global test measure to rein in messages forwarded by users, the messaging app said, after the spread of rumours led to several killings in India and sparked calls for action from authorities.

Violence triggered by incendiary false messages in India, WhatsApps biggest market with more than 200 million users, has spurred government demands to prevent circulation of false texts and provocative content and caused a public relations nightmare.

False messages about child abductors on WhatsApp have led to mass beatings this year of more than a dozen people in India, some of whom have died.

We believe that these changes - which well continue to evaluate - will help keep WhatsApp the way it was designed to be: a private messaging app, WhatsApp said in a blog post on Thursday, announcing its worldwide test of limits on forwards.

WhatsApp did not say what the limit on forwarded messages would be elsewhere, but in India specifically, they will be limited to five chats at a time, whether among individuals or groups. Also in India, WhatsApp will remove the quick forward button placed next to media messages.

Both moves are designed to deter mass forwards in India, a country that WhatsApp says forwards more messages, photographs and videos than any other. The latest changes were welcomed by technology experts.

This change is going to make it difficult for people to forward messages, its going to add a layer of friction to the process, said Nikhil Pahwa, a co-founder of advocacy group Internet Freedom Foundation.

WhatsApp will also meet non-government bodies and other groups in New Delhi, the capital, on Friday to discuss ways to curb the spread of false messages, said one source at the company, who asked not to be named, invoking company policy.

Indias technology ministry, which had already this month demanded that WhatsApp rein in misuse said in a statement late on Thursday that it wanted more effective measures to ensure accountability and ease law enforcement.

When rumours and fake news get propagated by mischief mongers, the medium used for such propagation cannot evade responsibility and accountability, it said. If they remain, mute spectators, they are liable to be treated as abettors and thereafter face consequent legal action.

WhatsApp has been told the issue is very serious and deserves a more sensitive response, it added. Responding to the ministrys earlier call, WhatsApp had rolled out a new feature to label forwarded messages and alert recipients that the sender had not created the message.

In its first such effort to combat the flurry of fake messages, the firm took out advertisements last week in key Indian newspapers aiming to dispel misinformation.

But it has also said a partnership with the government and society is required to curb the spread of false information. Last weekend police arrested more than 48 people they said were part of a mob that killed a tech industry worker in southern India over suspicions that he and a group of friends were child abductors.

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In this image from video provided by KNBC-TV, police officers escort a suspect away from a Trader Joe's supermarket in the Silver Lake district of Los Angeles on Saturday after a more than three hour standoff.(Photo: AP)

Los Angeles: A man shot his grandmother and girlfriend Saturday and then led police on a car chase that ended when he crashed into a pole and ran inside a busy supermarket as bullets from officers shattered the front doors. About three hours after he took hostages in the store, the suspect surrendered.

One woman was killed inside the supermarket, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

Officers with riot gear, armed with rifles, stood along the side of the Trader Joes in the Silver Lake area on Saturday afternoon and used mirrors to try to look inside as hostages periodically came out the front door with the hands raised. At least one person was injured but expected to survive.

The suspect walked out with a cluster of four hostages and appeared to be already handcuffed as the group emerged through the front door. Police immediately surrounded the suspect, searched him and then brought him to a waiting ambulance. The man appeared to have blood on his left arm.

Investigators believe the suspect, whose name hasnt been released, had shot his grandmother and girlfriend around 1:30 pm in South Los Angeles and then fled in a 2015 Toyota Camry, Sgt. Barry Montgomery, a Los Angeles police spokesman, said.

Officers spotted the suspects car near Hollywood and tried to pull him over, but the man refused to stop and led officers on a pursuit, he said. During the chase, the suspect shot multiple rounds at officers, though no officers were struck by the gunfire, he said.

In this image from video provided by KNBC-TV, police and civilians take cover near the Trader Joe's supermarket. (Photo: AP)

At least one officer is believed to have returned fire, Montgomery said.

The suspect eventually crashed his car outside of the Trader Joes supermarket and then ran into the store. An Associated Press employee who lives in the area reported seeing a car crashed into a utility pole outside the store.

Don Kohles, 91, was walking into the supermarket when he saw a car being chased police crash into a pole just outside. Police fired at the driver, shattering the stores glass doors and Kohles and others inside took cover and laid on the floor as the suspect ran into the store, he said.

He could hear others around him sobbing as the man ran toward the back of the store and yell at people, but Kohles said he never heard any more gunshots. After about 30 minutes, police came inside and rushed some of the customers out, he said.

People frantically tried to flee from the store and some were seen climbing through windows, jumping down about 8 feet, and others darted through the back door.

A Los Angeles Police Department officer escorts Trader Joe's employees away from the store. (Photo: AP)

Christian Dunlop, a real estate agent and actor who lives nearby, said he was watching from the corner when he saw four people flee out the front of the store. An employee was dragging an injured woman by the hands out the front door, he said.

One woman who was injured was taken to the hospital in stable condition, according to David Ortiz, a fire department spokesman, though it was unclear how she was injured. Officials said they had 18 ambulances and 100 firefighters staged at the scene.

President Donald Trump tweeted that he is Watching Los Angeles possible hostage situation very closely and that Los Angeles police officers were working with federal law enforcement.
Vous etes confrontes a une infestation par la puce, la punaise de lit ? Voici plusieurs actions qui sont a mettre en uvre pour faire []
Afghan security personnel carry an injured comrade after an attack near the Kabul International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday. (Photo: AP)

Kabul: A suicide bomber killed at least 11 people and wounded 14 at the entrance to Kabul international airport on Sunday, officials said, as scores gathered to welcome home Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum from exile.

Senior government officials, political leaders and supporters were leaving the airport after greeting the powerful ethnic Uzbek leader and former warlord when the explosion happened.

Dostum, clad in a Western suit and sunglasses and travelling in an armoured vehicle, was unharmed, said his spokesman Bashir Ahmad Tayanj.

Kabul Police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said 11 people had been killed and 14 wounded. He did not give a breakdown.

The suicide bomber was on foot, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said, adding that civilians, including a child, and security force members were among the casualties.

Dostum, who is linked to a catalogue of human rights abuses in Afghanistan, was mobbed like a celebrity as he left the chartered plane from Turkey where he has lived since May 2017. His return, which has been the subject of much speculation, comes amid violent protests in several provinces across northern Afghanistan, his traditional power base.

Thousands of Dostum's supporters have taken to the streets in recent weeks, shuttering election and government offices and blocking sections of highways to demand the release of a pro-government militia leader and call for Dostum's return. Expectations of the return did little to quell the unrest, with protesters vowing Sunday to continue demonstrating until the burly leader of the Uzbek ethnic minority tells them otherwise.

"We don't trust the government. We will continue our protests unless General Dostum tells us to stop," Ehsanullah Qowanch, a protest leader in Faryab province, told AFP. Qowanch also repeated calls for the release of Nezamuddin Qaisari -- a district police chief and Dostum's provincial representative in Faryab -- whose arrest earlier this month ignited the protests.

Another protester, Massoud Khan, said: "We have been on the streets for 20 days now. We are not going to stop our protests unless our demands are met."

Observers say President Ashraf Ghani, an ethnic Pashtun, gave the green light for Dostum to come home to stabilise the north and secure Uzbek support before next year's presidential election, which he is widely expected to contest.

Dostum left Afghanistan in May 2017 after he was accused of organising the rape and torture of a political rival. He had denied the allegations and said his departure was for medical check-ups and family reasons.

Ghani in 2009 described Dostum as a "known killer". Yet he chose him as his running mate in the 2014 presidential election, underlining the sometimes uncomfortable ethnic realities of Afghan politics.

Presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri said on Saturday that Dostum had been "treated" and would resume his duties upon his return.

Seven of Dostum's bodyguards have been convicted of the sexual assault and illegal imprisonment of Ahmad Ishchi, a former governor of the northern province of Jowzjan, in 2016.

Dostum allegedly had Ishchi abducted in Jowzjan and then kept him hostage in his private compound for several days, where the captive was said to have been tortured and sodomised.

Chakhansuri deflected questions about whether Dostum would face charges over the incident, saying "the judiciary is an independent body, the government does not interfere in their decisions".

Dostum is one of several controversial figures whom Kabul has sought to reintegrate into mainstream politics since the US-led invasion in 2001. His heroic status in the north belies the barbarities for which he is known.

Dostum, who helped the United States oust the Taliban regime in 2001, allegedly allowed hundreds of Taliban prisoners to be suffocated in shipping containers.
In a tweet from the official account of the ASWJ, the Pakistan Rah-e-Haq Party announced its support for PPP candidates Haji Jameel Zia and Agha Zahir Shah in NA-251 and PS-119, respectively, which largely covered neighbourhoods of Orangi Town.

Islamabad: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has expelled the partys federal council member Haji Muzafar Ali Shujra for acquiring support of a banned outfit for the general elections.

The party has also issued notices to other candidates for the same reason. The PPP made it clear that it was against any alliance with the banned outfits as done by the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and will accept defeat, but not tolerate any such alliance.

Former PPP provincial minister Shujra was running his campaign as an independent candidate and had joined hands with banned ASWJ leader Allama Aurangzeb Farooqui. Farooqui is contesting on Pakistan Rah-e-Haq Partys platform. in the NA-238, Malir, constituency.

The partys Karachi President Saeed Ghani has also issued show-cause notices to NA-251 candidate Jameel Zia and PS-119 candidate Agha Zahir Shah and intimated them that their meetings with banned outfit members were against the partys discipline and they should explain their position on the matter.

In a tweet from the official account of the ASWJ, the Pakistan Rah-e-Haq Party announced its support for PPP candidates Haji Jameel Zia and Agha Zahir Shah in NA-251 and PS-119, respectively, which largely covered neighbourhoods of Orangi Town.
Nearly one lakh Indian tourists were among 5,20,000 foreigners who visited Nepal in the first six months of 2018, according to the Himalayan nation's Department of Immigration.

"The latest data shows that 96,372 Indian tourists visited Nepal in the period while the number of Chinese was 71,379. The number of tourists from the US was 43,816, while the number of Japanese tourists stood at 13, 851," the Himalayan Times reported, citing the Department of Immigration figure.

As many as 5,20,000 foreigners visited Nepal in the first half of this year, marking a 13 per cent rise in tourist arrivals over the same duration last year.

A total of 4,60,304 foreign tourists had visited the country during the first six months last year.

Nepal also hosted tourists from South Asia and European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, among others, it said.

Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) officials said the rise in the number of foreigners even during offseason was good news for tourism entrepreneurs.

"The contribution of the private sector to the country's tourism cannot be ignored," NTB Chief Executive Officer Deepak Raj Joshi said.

In 2017, Indians had accounted for the maximum 17.1 per cent of the total tourist arrival figures in Nepal, ahead of Chinese (11.1 per cent) and Americans (8.44 per cent), according to the Economic Survey released earlier this year.

Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha and a UNESCO world heritage site, was the most visited tourist destination in Nepal in 2017.

"Altogether 1.5 million tourists (domestic and foreign) had visited Lumbini in 2017, which was an increase of 21 per cent compared to 2016," the survey stated.
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If he were still alive, how would Herbert Hoover advise President Donald Trump on trade?

Thats a tough question. At 144 years old, he might have accumulated more wisdom than the rest of us. Whether he would be able to articulate it is another matter.

Robert Litan, a senior fellow in economic studies for the Brookings Institution, has an idea what Hoover, the king of misguided protectionism, would say. In a recent paper titled History wont be kind to politicians who stay silent on Trumps trade war, he wrote, having recognized his huge mistake of pushing similar policies that stirred the trade war in the 1930s and then deepened what would become the Great Depression, he (Hoover) surely would tell the administration to stop this madness.

Hoover certainly wouldnt have given that advice in the early 1930s, however, when it mattered for him. Thats when he was busy outlining a 12-step program that touted his high tariffs and a ban on immigration as reasons to vote for him instead of Franklin Roosevelt.

Regarding immigration, he said in 1932 that his efforts to keep foreigners out had kept 400,000 people from taking jobs from our people.

Sometimes, history echoes through the ages. It would be nice if we could learn from past mistakes.

Hoover is long gone, of course. The task of confronting madness today falls on others. Perhaps it falls on Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch.

Hatch may be the presidents biggest supporter in the Senate, but he has called the trade war misguided and reckless. In a floor speech, he said, These actions put American families and businesses at risk and threaten to undermine the success of tax reform.

Hes not the only Utahn who is worried. A recent World Trade Center Utah study showed Chinese efforts to respond to U.S. tariffs could damage more than $60 million of the $850 million Utah exported to China and Hong Kong in 2017.

Salt Lake Chamber President and CEO Derek Miller told the Deseret News the tariffs on steel and aluminum threaten to increase construction costs just as Utah tries to fight a housing shortage that is driving costs skyward.

Ranchers and farmers also would suffer as overseas markets for their products disappear.

Trump has imposed new tariffs on steel and aluminum from many nations, including allies, as well as higher tariffs on a host of Chinese imports. The targeted nations are retaliating in kind, just as they did in the 1930s.

Tariffs are sold as a way to protect jobs in select industries that are threatened by cheap imports. But they cost many more jobs in other parts of the economy that rely on those imports.

The Trade Partnership Worldwide, based in Washington, illustrated this recently by projecting the effect of Trumps tariffs on the auto industry over three years. The conclusion? They would add 92,000 jobs in the American car and parts industries but cost 250,000 jobs in the rest of the economy.

Current law allows presidents to impose tariffs for national security reasons. The irony is that Trumps steel and aluminum tariffs likely will make it more expensive for the military to obtain equipment, thus harming national security.

Hatch, the Deseret News recently reported, would prefer to work with the administration to change the presidents mind, but ultimately he would back a bill that restricts the presidents authority to enact tariffs without congressional approval.

Earlier this month, the Senate voted overwhelmingly, 88-11, in favor of a measure that would do this. But that measure was nonbinding, and its unclear whether anything binding will appear soon.

But the vote was interesting. Democrats overwhelmingly supported it. No doubt they wanted to embarrass the president, but as the Wall Street Journal recently reported, some Democrats are beginning to campaign on a free-trade agenda.

The Journal cited recent polls showing rank-and-file Democrats supporting free trade more than Republicans. Thats an interesting political twist.

Well never really know what Hoovers ghost would tell the current president. He might wonder why, without a depression, its necessary to do anything.

Unemployment is a scant 4 percent. In Hoovers day, it was nearly 24 percent.

This is a slow-moving issue. The bad effects of tariffs will take a while to develop.

Unlike Hoover, Hatch is still very much alive and in power. Maybe he can make a difference while there still is time.

Correction: A previous version incorrectly referred to the Brookings Institute. It is the Brookings Institution.
Online contention between religious believers and unbelievers often centers on wars and violence. Anti-religious skeptics point to Islamist terrorism, the Crusades and the hundreds of victims of the Inquisition (which lasted from the 12th century to the early 19th). In response, believers point to the scores of millions killed by militantly atheistic regimes in such places as Russia, Albania, China and Cuba  murders that, like those committed earlier in the French Revolution, were often explicitly motivated by hostility to religion.

Commonly mentioned in such debates is Godwins Law. Formulated in 1990 by the American attorney and writer Mike Godwin, this law isnt, as many mistakenly believe it to be, a rule somehow prohibiting comparisons to Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. Rather, its a prediction. Said Godwin, As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Hitler approaches 1  that is, if an online disagreement (whatever its topic) lasts long enough, one party to the disagreement will eventually compare the other party to Hitler or the Nazis.

Godwins Law draws its force from the fact that, quite understandably for most people, Hitler and the Nazis represent the worst kind of human evil. Thus, successfully linking ones opponent in a dispute to Nazism can (supposedly) yield a decisive victory.

Not surprisingly, therefore, Hitler and the Nazis frequently appear in arguments over religious and irreligious violence. This isnt merely a historical debate; its a lively issue in ongoing disputes.

Many theists claim that, like Stalin and Mao, Hitler was an atheist. Thus, they insist, his genocidal murders must be added to atheisms overall death toll. Not so, counter the atheists. Not only was Hitler raised an Austrian Catholic, but he often declared his belief in God and even called himself a Christian. His persecution of the Jews, they say, was simply an extreme continuation of Christian anti-Semitism, of hating the Jews for killing Jesus.

The theists reply that Hitlers occasional Christian rhetoric was just a savvy politicians attempt to win over a largely religious populace. Privately, Hitler denied the existence of a personal God, rejected the concept of an individual afterlife, mocked Christian morality and sought to damage and, in the long term, to destroy the churches.

In fact, Hitler was a supremely cunning demagogue who routinely lied, and his record is mixed. However, Richard Weikart has recently published what is almost certainly the most sustained and exhaustive study of Hitlers Religion, coming to a clear conclusion that seems to account for all the historical data.

Hitler, Weikart argues in Hitlers Religion: The Twisted Beliefs that Drove the Third Reich (Regnery History, 2016), was neither an atheist nor a Christian. His hatred of the Jews bears little or no resemblance to historical Christian anti-Semitism. Rather, it was based on certain strains of contemporary science. Nor, for that matter, despite some claims, was he a Germanic pagan or an occultist. Some prominent Nazis cultivated astrology and occultism, while some even sought to revive the pre-Christian Germanic religion of the high god Odin or Wotan. But Hitler himself disdained such things as unscientific.

Instead, Hitler was deeply devoted to the outdoors and to Nature (with a capital N), to which he referred using language that theists typically reserve for deity. The term that seems best to describe his view, contends Weikart, is pantheism, a doctrine that identifies God with the universe. For Hitler, Weikart concludes, God was Nature.

He was also devoted to science, as he understood it. Specifically, he was a follower of social Darwinism. From the Darwinian principle of natural selection, he deduced that the supreme law of Nature (and, thus, in Hitlers view, of the Lord) is the survival of the fittest. All of life is a struggle in which superior animals  including the best of them, humans (and specifically Aryan or Germanic humans)  have the right and even the moral duty to eliminate or enslave inferior animals (including lesser races of humans).

From this understanding flowed the Nazi extermination camps (which engaged not only in the wholesale murder of such ethnic groups as Jews, Slavs and Romas, also know as Gypsies, but the destruction of children with disabilities), the forced sterilization of defective people, incentive programs to encourage high German birthrates, lack of interest in hospital care for the chronically ill and the Nazi glorification of war as something good for its own sake.

In Hitlers mind, his actions were dictated by science and ruthless logic.

Daniel Peterson founded BYU's Middle Eastern Texts Initiative, chairs The Interpreter Foundation and blogs on Patheos. William Hamblin is the author of several books on premodern history. They speak only for themselves.
In the wake of the European Unions record $5.1 billion fine on Google for allegedly manipulating the EU cellphone market by promoting its own software over others, regulators at home must consider whether consumers are truly at risk before leaping to break up Silicon Valleys tech giants.

The biggest concern for customers is about data and privacy, not the uses and promotion of Android technology.

The hefty penalty levied by antitrust officials on the other side of the Atlantic springs from several factors in Googles behavior. The company offers its mobile operating system, Android, at no cost to handset makers. As manufacturers find cheaper ways to produce the hardware, the free software has helped drive down prices for basic smartphone devices. It also means some 80 percent of smartphones worldwide run Googles operating system.

For a handset manufacturer, such as Samsung, to run the Android platform, the phone maker must agree to feature a bundle of Googles own apps, including the Chrome internet browser, gmail and its calendar. Google also offers cash incentives to manufacturers if the only search function they feature is Google.

Naturally, the internet search giants fingerprints are all over Android phones, prompting the EU to investigate details of any unfair treatment toward other companies. Google now has a little less than 90 days to comply with EU demands to relax its dominance in the market.

On the heels of the fine, Utahs Sen. Mike Lee questioned the EUs motive of protecting competition rather than the consumer. A competitive marketplace requires strong antitrust enforcement. However, appropriate competition policy should serve the interests of consumers and not be used as a vehicle by competitors to punish their successful rivals, he said in a statement.

We agree that consumers should be guarded from manipulative and harmful practices of true monopolies. The underlying principle of this case, then, should focus on this question: What harm has Google done to the consumer?

At first blush, its hard to fault the successful trajectory of Google. Its products are well-designed and meet the needs of changing communication methods from offices to living rooms. Theyre also offered at no cost to the common consumer, eliminating any price discrimination practiced by textbook monopolies.

For cellphone manufacturers, Google hasnt yet put up substantial barriers to entry, allowing Samsung, HTC and others to create their own competitive apps and run them side by side.

It also seems Google has played a key role in advancing innovation, increasing choice and decreasing prices across the cellphone market. That sounds like a boon to the consumer.

Large market share alone shouldnt be grounds for intense regulation as long as consumers arent hurt through bad business practices. But there is an area of concern for todays tech titans, and its a matter of privacy.

Gone are the days of John Rockefellers Standard Oil. Todays massive companies play in the digital sphere, and the collection and dissemination of private data is now more harmful to consumers than any supposed lack of competition. Facebooks Cambridge Analytica scandal and the recent revelation that third parties read gmail messages are testaments to that fact.

As concern mounts over the size and market share of Silicon Valleys giants, regulatory focus should zoom in on the true cost to consumers  the inappropriate exploitation of users information. Expectations of reasonable privacy have so far proved as elusive as any concrete evidence of competition crushing.
Pignanelli and Webb: Tuesday is Pioneer Day, to be celebrated with speeches, fireworks, rodeos and parades. If political themes werent banned in the Days of 47 Parade, heres how our fertile (some would say sick) imaginations envision our modern-day political pioneers (no disrespect to real pioneers) appearing:

Sen. Orrin Hatch will be honored as parade grand marshal, riding on an elaborate float with a hologram of a sunset in the front, sporting the banner: The only Utahn who witnessed the pioneers arrival in 1847  now riding into the sunset.

The largest parade float in history, spanning two blocks, will hold all the prominent Utahns, with sad faces, prohibited from serving on the Inland Port Authority Board because they own property within five miles of the boundary.

Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski will be chasing after a float shaped like a ship named Inland Port  a ship that is quickly sailing away.

President Donald Trump will be on a float shaped like a stage, with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the corner holding up a cue card: Meddling? What meddling?

Myriad liberal commentators and Democratic leaders, after coddling Russia for decades, will be shivering on a float made out of ice, with a banner saying, Its time to bring back the Cold War.

Sen. Mike Lee will be wearing a black cloak riding a float with signs touting his credentials for a new job: Conservative. Calm judicial temperament. Originalist. Reverence for Constitution. Easy to get confirmed. 

Democratic congressional candidate Ben McAdams will be in his orange bus with a sign: Rapidly driving away from Nancy Pelosi, all socialists, Democratic calls for impeachment and Democratic calls to abolish ICE.

Republican Congresswoman Mia Love will be wearing fitness attire as she performs contortions on her float  distancing herself from Trumps more outrageous statements, while wooing the Republican base.

House Speaker Greg Hughes will be riding on Salt Lake Citys Person of the Year float, which honors the individual having the Greatest impact on Salt Lake City politics.

Bears Ears National Monument supporters and opponents will be riding horses together in the parade, carrying the banner, Thanks, Utah, for this hot issue that increases membership, dues and contributions.

Gov. Gary Herbert will be waving from a comfortable convertible proclaiming, Just two more of these parades and I'm done."

Developers of the massive Olympia housing project near Herriman will be tossing out candy on a float with the sign: Approve this project and we promise to follow the Plat of Zion.

Utah Republican Central Committee members will wear blindfolds and earmuffs holding signs: Fighting to control your political destiny.

The Utah Gun Exchange will be atop a black armored vehicle with the sign, Orrin Porter Rockwell owned guns  you should too.

U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman Jr. will be riding a horse, waving, and telling anyone who will listen, "I'm just visiting Utah. Im going back. Really!

Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox will be with his family in a nice car with signs on both sides: "Better government through better tweets."

The Salt Lake City Council will be marching together, arms locked, with a weathered sign used in many parades: "Upholding the pioneer tradition of battling the mayor."

Former Congressman Jason Chaffetz will be cruising the parade route looking for cameras, waving and shouting: "Still leading the pack for 2020 governor."

U.S. Senate Democratic candidate Jenny Wilson will be in a pickup truck with the sign, "Taking one for the team. Please remember that in 2020 when I run for SL County mayor."

Congressman Chris Stewart will be on horseback promoting his next book: Seeking the 8th Miracle: A Deliberative and Humble Trump.

Congressman John Curtis will ride his motorcycle wearing a leather jacket and slogan: Washington is insane. SLC is weird. Provo is heaven!

Utah Republicans will have a float with a noisy loudspeaker: "Ignore everything you see in the news (except Fox News). Vote Republican. Ignore everything you see in the news (except Fox News)."

Utah Democrats will have a similar float with an even louder loudspeaker: "Watch the news (except Fox News). Vote Democrat. Watch the news (except Fox News)."

Utah progressives will enjoy margaritas on a float with signs: Clueless but happy, Socialism is for lovers, Everything should be free.

Senate President Wayne Niederhauser will be riding his bike, quietly holding a sign: Cyclists are well balanced.

House Minority Leader Brian King and Senate Minority Leader Gene Davis will hold a banner: Welcome to SLC  Utahs safe place for Democrats!

U.S. Senate candidate Mitt Romney will feature on his Mercedes convertible: "See, I was right about Russia.

Congressman Rob Bishop will ride in a nice SUV with a sign: Retiring in 2020  unless I get drafted as House Speaker.

Once again, Pignanelli and Webb will be trailing the last float, sweating in their straw hats and overalls, shoveling horse manure into a small trailer. "Just doing what we do best  cleaning up what those politicians leave behind."

Republican LaVarr Webb is a political consultant and lobbyist. Previously he was policy deputy to Gov. Mike Leavitt and Deseret News managing editor. Email: lwebb@exoro.com. Democrat Frank Pignanelli is a Salt Lake attorney, lobbyist and political adviser. Pignanelli served 10 years in the Utah House of Representatives, six years as minority leader. His spouse, D'Arcy Dixon Pignanelli, is the president/CEO of the Special Olympics of Utah. Email: frankp@xmission.com.
OGDEN  Authorities have located the father of a baby found dead in Weber County Friday.

Ogden Police Lt. Danielle Croyle said Alex Hidalgo, 37, was located Saturday evening and transported to the station to be interviewed. Police said they want to speak with him in connection with questions they have about the 10-month-old boy's death.

The child, identified as Alex Hidalgo Jr., was found non-responsive at about 4 p.m. in a residence in the 2400 block of Madison Avenue. He was later pronounced dead at an area hospital.

Ogden Police Capt. Danielle Croyle said the baby had traumatic injuries.

During the search Saturday, a Weber County Homicide Task Force detective offered $200 of his own money as a reward for information about Hidalgo.

Utah State Court records indicate Hidalgo has a string of misdemeanor convictions dating back several years, including domestic violence in front of a child, intoxication and DUI. He most recently pleaded guilty to misdemeanor drug possession in April.
SALT LAKE CITY  Desperate for ways to both keep her son alive and preserve his quality of life after burns had severely injured 55 percent of the skin on his body late last year, Julie Nelson was willing to try anything.

After Nelson's son, 19-year-old Austin Weaver, started running out of options for skin grafts and amputation of his arms grew increasingly likely, the surgeon overseeing the case approached the family to explain "we're just kind of thinking out of the box at this point," Nelson recalls. The surgeon told her about SkinTE.

Nelson was told it was a brand new treatment that used a paste-like substance created from a patient's skin, which had the ability to grow after being placed on a wound and develop the same functions as normal skin.

"I at that point was looking at the experimental things, saying  OK, well, is there going to be hope?" the Saratoga Springs woman said. "It was a pretty sound concept. It was almost too good to believe it was an option."

Several months after Weaver started using SkinTE, the results have not been perfect, but "we have watched it save (his) life," she says.

"I would say the SkinTE gave him hope where there was absolutely none left waiting for him."

In the aftermath of his injuries, hope was in great demand for Weaver, who suffered his burns as a result of a suicidal episode last November. The ordeal left him and his family knowing his physical recuperation at the University of Utah Burn Unit was just one of the mountains he had to climb.

"It has been a struggle emotionally, but I am optimistic about my recovery because all of my wounds now look like they are healing nicely," Weaver told the Deseret News.

Weaver suffered third-degree burns from his neck down to high on his thighs on the front of his body, and from his hairline to his knees in the back.

The last eight months of demanding and painful physical therapy, numerous surgeries and staying full time at the burn center have comprised of "good days and bad days," Weaver says, putting it mildly, but things are looking up.

"The last few weeks have been more good days than bad, so I have hope that my body is recovering," he said.

A recovery at all is miraculous in itself, his mother said. Without the new treatment, she firmly believes "he more than likely would have lost his life."

"Just the idea of the SkinTE being a viable option was enough to raise his spirits enough to where he was able to keep fighting," Nelson said.

Encouraging results

PolarityTE, the Salt Lake City biotech company that created SkinTE, announced in October of last year that it had begun a limited rollout of the product to facilities around the country, and the very first patients were using it beginning in December.

Since then, about 50 patients have used SkinTE, with encouraging results, said Dr. Ned Swanson, chief operating officer of PolarityTE.

"We're pretty excited with what we've seen so far," Swanson told the Deseret News. "I think that's going to help drive more adoption (of it), with all of these first users discussing what they're seeing so far."

Swanson said the company develops SkinTE by using a small "full thickness piece" of the patient's healthy skin and processing it into a gel-like product that is later administered onto the patient's burn wound via a syringe.

Because the product can "act like the tissues that you're trying to replace," Swanson said, it can "essentially regenerate on the patient" at a fast pace.

"It works better when you let it happen right on the patient," he said.

There are significant limitations to each of the two predominant types of skin grafts that are currently used, which is why SkinTE represents a promising breakthrough, Swanson said.

The first, a split layer graft, doesn't use the full skin, and so can be safely removed from the same donor site on a patient's body multiple times, he said. But because those kinds of grafts don't function as a full layer of skin, "all they're really capable of doing is creating (a) barrier across the wound."

A split layer graft "is critical to get the patients essentially out of that really intensive period of their burn," but they "contract and scar over time and start to limit the range of motion" on joints, Swanson said.

He said a full thickness graft, on the other hand, retains some skin functionality, "but you can't really expand it and you can't really take big pieces," and has larger consequences for the donor site on the patient's body where it was taken from.

"Those are largely reserved for (treating) much smaller burns or wounds where full thickness is really critical," such as on a person's face, Swanson said.

Unlike a full thickness graft, the SkinTE paste can grow many times its original size after being put on the patient, in addition to functioning in many ways as normal skin, according to Swanson.

"There are patients who have regenerated hair. They have sensation, they have sweat glands that are functioning," he said.

Thanks to their initial success, PolarityTE will expand its labs in the next several months to ensure there is access for patients in every part of the country, Swanson said. Much of their initial concern was over making sure they were capable of creating the SkinTE for patients promptly when requests came in, he said.

Pushing forward

The SkinTE product worked wonders on some of Weaver's torso and also one of his thighs, his mother said.

"His sides are just absolutely amazing," Nelson said.

Because viable donor sites were scarring, those areas "would not have gotten covered had it not been for the SkinTE," she said. More than that, those same salvaged parts of his skin can help the healing process in other parts of his body some day, she said.

"Eventually, the areas that are SkinTE will be able to heal to the point where they (can be) donor sites," Nelson said.

Still, it's not all good news for Weaver. At one point, his arms were "the farthest along" in their recovery due to the SkinTE, Nelson said, but parts of them are back to square one after an infection called Pseudomonas  not an unfamiliar ailment for some burn patients  damaged his skin there.

Four hours of physical therapy every single day also remain grueling.

"He has his ups and downs like anyone would," Nelson said. "He has the days where he struggles (and) he has the days where he's feeling great about it."

Progress in the recovery is always uncertain. It's possible Weaver could leave the hospital as soon as next month, though it would not be surprising if it took until December, Nelson said.

For now, the task at hand for Weaver is to stay patient as he anticipates the day when he can re-establish a sense of normalcy  taking a nice shower and spending time with friends are two things he's most looking forward to  and take his life back in more ways than one.

"I have been asking myself what I am going to do with my life since the night I got burned, but I don't know the answer yet," he said. "I have just been focusing on recovering so I can have a future."

Anyone wishing to donate toward a fund paying for Weaver's medical costs and follow his recovery can visit www.gofundme.com/recoveryofausome.
Sergio Marchionne has stepped down as the chief executive of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Ferrari.

Marchionne suffered unexpected complications following shoulder surgery earlier in July, and is unable to return to work.

A statement released by FCA outlined profound sorrow felt by key leadership following his illness, underlining the extraordinary contribution, both human and professional, that he has made to the Company in these years.

John Elkann, chieftain and chief executive of the Exor investment group which holds significant shares in FCA and Ferrari, released a statement on Sunday saying I am profoundly saddened to learn of Sergios state of health.

It is a situation that was unthinkable until a few hours ago, and one that leaves us all with a real sense of injustice, he said.

For so many, Sergio has been an enlightened leader and a matchless point of reference.

For me, he has been someone with whom to share thoughts and in whom to trust, a mentor and above all a true friend.

The charismatic leader became chief executive of Fiat in 2004, oversaw the merger of Fiat and Chrysler in 2014, and split off iconic Italian supercar marque Ferrari as a seperate concern in 2015.

Marchionne supervised much of the modern success of Jeep and was core to the revival of Maserati and Alfa Romeo, pushing for cars such as the Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUV, along with next-generation models including a mid-engined Lamborghini rival.

Jeep and RAM chief executive Mike Manley has succeeded Marchionne as the overarching boss at FCA.

Ferrari board member Louis Camilleri is the new chief executive of the brand, a role he will fulfil in parallel with a position as chairman of Phillip Morris, parent company to the Marlboro tobacco brand.
(Photo: . REUTERS / Caren Firouz)Members of the Lebanese Christian Maronite community carry a statue and a sample of the blood of Saint John Paul II to Saint George Cathedral in downtown Beirut May 16, 2014.

A Lebanese Maronite bishop in Paris has praised the grand mufti leading Sunni Muslims in Lebanon for defending the importance of Christians in the Middle East and condemning attacks on them as a crime against the entire population.

The words of Grand Mufti Abdel Latif Derian of Lebanon are "more than courageous," they are a "valuable" act that fits "with the spirit" of an apostolic exhortation of the late Pope John Paul II, says the Lebanese Maronite bishop in Paris.

Monsignor Maroun-Nasser Gemayel, bishop of the Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Paris, was referring to the Apostolic Exhortation A hope for Lebanon by John Paul II of 1997 when he spoke to Asia News.

Abdel Latif Derian, the Sunni authority in Lebanon had reminded Muslim students of the importance of the Christian presence in the region.

He said attacks against them are a crime against the entire population, noting that Muslims and Christians share "the same fate."

For Gemayel, the Mufit's words echo John Paul II's Apostolic Exhortation and this voice must be supported and nurtured.

He recently had said that the Middle East is destined to disappear if the exodus of Christians from the region continues.

The Mufti was speaking during the graduation ceremony of 350 students at Makased institutes, private Islamic schools in Lebanon.

SHARING THE AIR

He said, "We live in the same country with Christians, we share the air and the daily bread. We have the same destiny: our future will either be together or not."

Derian told the Muslim students and officials that attacks on Christians are a crime against the entire population.

Asia News noted that the 65-year-old Abdel Latif Derian is known as a man of peace and dialogue and critical of those who foment divisions between Sunnis and Shias.

He said Islamic schools must educate the future generations to accept the good principles of citizenship, as well as love for the Arab identity and the sense of brotherhood towards the whole human family.

Gemayel welcomed the Mufti's words with gratitude being aware of the Christian exodus from the Middle East to European nations, especially France.

"Living in the same region, having experienced in the past hours of glory and sadness, Christians and Muslims are called to build together a future of collaboration and conviviality," as Pope John Paul II said in his exhortation.

The shared task of "building together" the region should be "shouted out loud", he explained, and "opposed to all the wars" that have devastated the Middle East, starting from the barbarity perpetrated by the jihadists of the Islamic State group.

At the same time, the part of the Muslim world that works for dialogue and peace must always find more room and a greater voice because it represents "the wind of hope."

"It is necessary that this voice, which meets the expectations of Christians, spread everywhere," the bishop said. It must become the grassroot voice of Muslims, "the voice of everyone" to allows us to enter into a true "logic of peace".

In Lebanon, where some of the political parties rely on sectarian support, he said a new party must be created, that of "living together. The moment has come for this conviviality to be asserted and consolidated once and for all."
(Photo:  Paul Jeffrey / WCC)The WCC general secretary Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Rafael Sako and Iraqi President Fuad Masum meeting in Baghdad in January 2017.

Recent years have not been easy for Iraq's embattled Christians one of the oldest continuous Christian communities in the world.

So Church of Sweden Archbishop Antje Jackelen on March 5 called for more international support to be offered to Iraq's Christian population.

The Swedish Lutheran archbishop recently returned from a visit to Iraq with church leaders from the UK, Germany and the United States as well as Syria and Lebanon.

She asserted that the situation faced by internally displaced refugees in the country is extremely difficult and she said many young Christians are giving up and leaving the country altogether.

In an opinion piece in Dagens Nyheter newspaper, Jackelen, the first woman to hold the post of archbishop in Sweden, wrote that she believes a number of measures are need to ensure the continued existence of Iraq's Christian minorities.

"Prejudices between Christians and Muslims [in Iraq] run deep. Marginalization and hostility have existed since long before Da'esh [the Arabic acronym for ISIS]. Sectarianism, especially within Islam, will still be a problem after Da'esh has been defeated," Jackelen wrote.

Both physical security, allowing people to return to their homes, and social and economic security must be improved to enable the minority population to educate itself and prosper, she said.

Jackelen wants church institutions as well as the European Union and the United Nations to engage in offering support and aid to Christians in the country, both economically and through psychological and social help.

She also wants to promote interreligious cooperation to encourage reconciliation, improve social cohesion and create understanding for coexistence.

Most of Iraq's Christians are indigenous Eastern Aramaic-speaking ethnic Assyrians and there is also a small community of Armenians along with populations of Kurdish, Arab and Turkmen Christians.

CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

The most widely followed tradition among Iraq's Christians is the Chaldean Catholic Church that is under the Holy See in Rome.

For some Iraq Christians hope has returned, after years of darkness in Telekuf-Tesqopa only 17 miles (27 kilometers) from Mosul, the village is rebuilding after being liberated from the ISIS.

A visible sign of the rebuilding, was a giant cross was erected on a hill, marking the victory of the Christian faith against the darkness of the jihadists, Catholic News Agency reported.

On Feb. 18, the Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Baghdad, Louis Sako, visited the village, where he blessed the large cross and took part in the celebration of the first Mass after two and a half years in Saint George Church.

(Photo: Church of Sweden / Jan Norden) Bishop Antje Jackelen

The website of the Patriarchate of Babylon reported that authorities and officials of the region were present at the celebration.

In his homily, Patriarch Sako said that this event is "the first spark of light shining in all the cities of the Nineveh Plain since the darkness of ISIS, which lasted almost two and a half years."

"This is our land and this is our home," he told the faithful. He also said that now is the time to regain hope and for the people to return to their towns to begin a new stage of life.

The patriarch said that Christians will thereby demonstrate to the world that the forces of darkness, which inflicted mayhem and ravaged their land, are transient and that the Church of Christ, although it suffers, is built on rock.

After the Mass was over, those attending went to a hill on the outskirts of the city and Patriarch Sako blessed the huge cross which was raised amid fireworks and cries of "Victory! Victory! Victory! For those who chose the faith and those who return!"
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Bexar County has suspended funding for a program aimed at helping small and minority-owned businesses compete for county contracts after multiple stakeholders raised questions about the Alamo City Black Chamber of Commerces ability to do the job.

County commissioners on June 19 approved $371,750 for the first year of an agreement with the chamber, setting a goal of helping 25 African American-owned businesses submit bids for county contracts by the end of the next fiscal year, which goes through September 2019.

The program is intended to teach firms how to submit requests for proposal and understand bonding, among other skills needed to bid on contracts.

But in a letter to chamber chairman Eddie Kirby, County Manager David Smith wrote that multiple stakeholders had raised questions and requested clarifications about the agreement, including inquiries about the chambers ability to accomplish the agreements capacity building and vendor education goals.

Others wondered how the program would select vendors and which industries could participate, Smith wrote.

While I believe the chamber can provide these answers, I also know that for this innovative initiative to succeed, wide stakeholder buy-in will be required, Smith wrote. He said the county wont implement the program  which it would fund by reimbursing the chamber for its expenses  until questions and concerns can be appropriately addressed.

The countys Small, Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (SMWBE) Program Advisory Committee never had a chance to weigh in on the agreement, chairman Chris Forbrich said. He called it an unusual step to bypass the committee, which advises Commissioners Court on SMWBE policies and activity.

Instead, Forbrich would have preferred that the county enter into an agreement with the Bexar County Mentor-Protege program; four of the eight firms enrolled in that program qualify as African-American Business Enterprises, according to a county information sheet.

Related: Windcrest mayor: That's not my signature

The chamber and the Black Contractors Association originally came to the county with an unsolicited proposal for the pilot program, said T.J. Mayes, chief of staff for Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff. The county ultimately entered into its agreement with only the chamber because they could not contract with both entities at the same time, Mayes said.

Forbrich said the Mentor-Protege program has more robust staffing than the Alamo City Black Chamber of Commerce, though Kirby or other staff could not be reached immediately to answer questions about personnel numbers.

Forbrich also bristled at a sentence in the agreements paperwork claiming the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Office had requested the funding; the money will instead come from the countys undesignated funds. A county staffer attributed the sentence to a clerical error.

In his letter to Kirby, Smith wrote that implementation of this agreement should wait until after the budget is adopted for the upcoming fiscal year. The five-person Commissioners Court, which sets the county budget, typically adopts new budgets in September ahead of the fiscal year beginning in October.

This extra time should allow the Chamber to address any concerns or answer questions that the Court or stakeholders might have, Smith wrote.

The countys pact with the chamber amounted to a pilot program that could be extended to a five-year agreement worth more than $1.8 million, with the money going to staff salaries, training, supplies and a consultant to help with ramping up the program, among other costs.

County staff shaped the program around a study by the University of Texas at San Antonios Institute for Economic Development, which found African-American Business Enterprises are vastly underrepresented in the countys contracting process.

Jasper Scherer is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | jscherer@express-news.net | Twitter: @jaspscherer
A poll shows Democrat Beto ORourke within 2 percentage points of Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.

 Republican Party of Texas on July 14, 2018, in a fundraising email blast

A recent Republican pitch opened: The Democrats are unhinged.

The email blast soliciting donations to the Republican Party of Texas also quoted the partys Stephen Wong saying that a new poll shows Democratic U.S. Senate nominee, U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke of El Paso, running very close behind Republican Sen. Ted Cruz  the Houston lawyer who won the seat in 2012 by nearly 16 percentage points.

Wong wrote: Youve probably seen how ecstatic the far-left has been the last 24 hours. First there was a poll showing Francis Beto ORourke within 2 pts(!) of Senator Cruz. Then, Wong said, ORourke reported raising more money than Cruz in the years second quarter.

From April through June 2018, ORourkes campaign again outraised Cruzs effort, but did a recent poll show ORourke closely trailing Cruz?

To our inquiry, Kyle Whatley, the partys executive director, pointed out a July 10 post on the Politicus website quoting Markos Moulitsas, founder of the liberal Daily Kos blog, saying in a tweet that data collected by Civiqs, a division of the Moulitsas-founded Kos Media, shows that ORourke now trails Ted Cruz by only 2 percentage points, 48-46.

When Civiqs launched an online dashboard in March spotlighting its polls, Moulitsas wrote: Daily Kos is a partisan outfit. Civiqs has its own mission, and that is to represent the state of public opinion accurately.

In July, Moulitsas showcased the Cruz-ORourke results in an illustration that he tweeted.

The illustration says registered voters responded to this question: If the election for U.S. senator from Texas were held today, and the choices were Ted Cruz and Beto ORourke who would you vote for? In reply, 48 percent said Cruz, 46 percent replied ORourke and the remaining 6 percent split between supporting someone else or being unsure, the illustration says.

According to the illustration, the result was based on 12,379 responses gathered from Feb. 16, 2017-July 4, 2018--or more than 17 months.

To our inquiry, the director of Civiqs, Drew Linzer, told us the poll showing ORourke just behind Cruz, available to Civiqs subscribers, was accurately portrayed by Moulitsas.

By email, Linzer further said the poll, not commissioned or sponsored by a client, relied on responses since February 2017 from respondents engaged over the web as volunteers for Civiqs survey panels who self-identified as Texas residents and registered voters.

Civiqs says in the methodology section of its website that it maintains a growing list of Americans who have agreed to take polls at civiqs.com. Panelists reside in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and match the contours of the United States along key geographic, demographic and ideological lines, Civiqs says.

We asked Linzer, a former political scientist at Emory University, to talk about relying on responses collected over more than 17 months. The lengthy timeframe,Linzer replied, enables Civiqs to perform long-term daily tracking in a sustainable, methodologically rigorous manner. Civiqs, he said, applies specialized trendline fitting statistical models to ensure the results match current public opinion.

Linzer said by phone that for the Texas poll, Civiqs emailed 40 to 50 respondents a day, asking each one about their Texas residence and registered voter status and stance on the Senate candidates, with those results over time feeding the trend line.

As of July 4, the latest date shown on the trend line posted by Moulitsas, the most recent days worth of data has the greatest impact on the result, Linzer said, though responses from previous days mattered a lot, too, he said. Linzer said responses gathered in 2017 also contributed to the result, but only infinitesimally so.

Its complicated. It is a little different from what a traditional pollster does in reaching one set of respondents over a few consecutive days, Linzer said.

ORourkes camp didnt offer a comment about the polls claim. But Chris Wilson, who conducts polls for Cruzs campaign, drew on a Moulitsas-tweeted illustration breaking out the demographics of the results to suggest by phone that Republican respondents to the poll outnumbered Democrats by insufficient percentage points. Linzer separately told us the results imply that 31 percent of respondents identified as Democrats, 36 percent as Republicans and 33 percent as independents.

Wilson said that considering Republicans prevalence in statewide races since 1994, any poll projecting fall results should query more Republicans  perhaps making the sample 40 percent Republican, 30 percent Democratic and 20 percent independent.

Linzer said that the poll reflected the partisan mix of Texas registered voters.

Wilson also questioned the idea that 3 percent of respondents remained undecided some four months before Election Day. Theres no race in America right now that only has 3 percent undecided, Wilson said.

Jeff Smith of Austin, a longtime Democratic pollster,

commented by email that the trend lines attributed to the poll make sense; they may be on top of a trend. They have a good track record.

Smith offered a disclaimer, though, about depending on panels of people opting in to participate online. Just as traditional telephone polling excluded those without phones, online surveys exclude those who dont opt in, Smith wrote. I would expect that group (the opt-ins) to be somewhat more attuned to politics than the electorate at large. Second (again, as with traditional polling), the target demographic profile incorporates assumptions about turnout. If they use the all registered voters profile, for example, they are assuming that Hispanics will turn out in the same proportions as others.

That said, Smith closed, I dont see any reason not to use them as a credible polling source.

Our ruling

The Republican Party of Texas said a recent poll showed ORourke within 2 percentage points of Cruz.

Through July 4, 2018, Civiqs says, its polling of Texas registered voters placed Cruz with 48 percent support and ORourke with 46 percent. Its worth clarifying, though, that the results were rooted in respondents who opted in to be surveyed online by a company whose owners include a liberal political blogger.

We rate this claim Mostly True: The statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information.
President Donald Trump just completed his annual performance review in Helsinki, and it appears he has passed with flying colors. His immediate supervisor, Vladimir Putin of Russia, seemed pleased with Trumps accomplishments:

Weaken NATO (done), sow discord between the U.S. and its European and North American allies (done), undermine democratic institutions in the U.S. (done), give Russia the green light in Syria and the Ukraine (done), and attack the free press just as Putin has (done).

Putin really knew what he was doing when he interfered in the 2016 presidential elections in order to get his man elected, and given Trumps disinterest in making sure that Russia does not interfere in the 2018 and 2020 elections, Putin seems well on his way in ensuring his man stays around for another six years.

President Trump, congratulations on meeting all the benchmarks your boss laid out for you!

Bob Ridewood

Not good enough

President Donald Trumps walk-back is not acceptable unless he is in the same room as Vladimir Putin.

His version of now stating wouldnt instead of would is not acceptable unless he is in the same room as Putin.

I would like the leaders of our country to see this president for what he really is: the 2016 version of the Manchurian candidate for Russia.

Eva C. Guzman

Double standard

Did anyone doubt President Barack Hussein Obama when he told presidential candidate Mitt Romney that Russia was no threat?

In making Russia an ally, PresidentDonald Trump has made the most of former President Obamas great wisdom. Instead of an enemy, President Trump has now made Putin an ally against mighty, aggressive China, to whom the U.S. has over the years ceded national-security manufacturing and is detrimentally financially indebted.

Bravo for realist President Trump, master of international relationships, which is one big chess game, with real life/death penalties.

Shame on the real treasonous people: those who undermine President Trump in his efforts for world stability and perhaps even peace.

Patricia Hart McMillan

Cold War again

Some of us 90-year-olds remember the days of the Cold War between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In those days, communism was anathema to all Americans and we all raised our voices in strong defense of capitalism.

Vladimir Putin is and always has been a committed communist while he has remained to head the government of Russia. His history points to his principal foreign policy objective, inherited from his communist tutors, which is to destroy capitalism and all economic systems that utilize free markets and the private ownership of property.

Capitulating to Putins policies portends the end of private business and political freedom in the United States.

Google Cold War and find out for yourself.

Caron Richard Waits

Bad headline

Editing errors, particularly in headlines, subheadlines and sidebars, have become increasingly common in the San Antonio Express-News. Mondays newspaper, however, had an unforgivable error on the front page. The story about the stolen radioactive material included a subhead that stated More than a year later, officials dont know where its at.

Really?

The public has been made fully aware about all the recent job eliminations at the SAEN, which is very regretful for your readers. I encourage you to preserve the integrity of the reporting in San Antonio and to not make it easy for readers to make the decision to discontinue reading our local newspaper.

Dianne Dorsett

State unions

Re: Texas Unions, Your Turn, July 11:

Mr. Stephen Ambergs understanding of right-to-work legislation differs from mine. He states, Texas became a right-to-work state when the Legislature passed anti-union laws because employers in Texas would not accept the right of their employees to join together in a union to bargain collectively over wages and working conditions.

My understanding is that right-to-work legislation does not prevent employees from forming unions or allow an employer to refuse to deal with an authorized union. Right-to-work prevents unions from forcing employees to join the union. In other words, it gives the individual the right to choose not to join a union.

Mr. Amberg is also concerned about the citys union-busting campaign against the police and firefighters unions. Maybe the city is looking out for the taxpayer rather than union-busting. Conflicts of interest or incentive issues can be an issue when dealing with public sector unions. The firefighters negotiate with city management, authorized by City Council. If the firefighters donate substantial money to City Council candidates who then get elected, the firefighters are now negotiating with the people to whom they made contributions. When union donations help elect council members, which is the stronger incentive  the incentive to protect the taxpayer or their re-election prospects (i.e., more campaign funds from the union)?

Thomas Nichta
In the Boerne where Joe Bergmann grew up, someone who couldnt speak German might have trouble ordering in a restaurant, and residents were so tight-knit that a grocer helped his competitor paint the specials on his window.

Today, Boernes leaders try to preserve its German heritage, its frontier architecture and its quaint Main Street, or Hauptstrasse.

But the pull of San Antonios economic growth is strong, and much of Boerne now looks like anywhere else in the Alamo City: car dealerships and fast-food joints off a roaring interstate, and street after street of homes that could have come out of a catalog.

Now you say gesundheit to somebody and they dont know what youre talking about, said Bergmann, 73. We dont belong any more, the old-timers. When my generation goes, nobodys going to recognize Boerne at all.

The citys population nearly has tripled since Bill Clinton left the White House, to just over 16,000. Its awaiting a colossal Buc-ees gas station similar to the one that hulks along Interstate 35 in New Braunfels.

Many Boerne residents worry the growth has gotten out of hand, especially as KB Home, a national company known for building neighborhoods quickly and at low cost, plans to construct 360 homes on a 95-acre property once owned by Bergmann.

The neighborhood, known as Shoreline Park, would run up to the shore of Boerne Lake, a reservoir that supplies nearly half of the citys drinking water, and residents are concerned its drainage could bring pollutants to their faucets.

Boernes growth runs the risk of straining its water supply, residents say. They note that rainfall is unreliable and could become more so as a result of climate change. The city gets much of its water from Canyon Lake, 30 miles east, and many residents draw their drinking water from wells, which they say dont produce as much as they used to.

Everybody you talk to is probably going to mention water.  Were just so limited in our supply, longtime resident Richard Asher said. I hope that someone is looking to the future in terms of where we get our water, because Canyon Lake has its limitations.

Mayor Mike Schultz said Boernes water supply is secure. The city has a contract with Canyon Lake for enough water to supply a city of 40,000, more than double the current population, he said.

Shoreline Park

Bergmann sold Shoreline Parks 95 acres in 2014 because he needed the money to pay for a nursing home for his mother. It was a difficult decision, he said. His ancestors - who came to Boerne in 1852, drawn by the similarity of its rolling hills to those of their native Saxony  had owned it since 1912.

The buyer was a partnership between developer Dan Pedrotti Jr. and Boerne businessman Lee Christianson, deed records show. Bergmann said Christianson told him they wanted to build a gated community of about 20 homes there. But the property now is under contract to KB Home.

The projects development team is contractually prohibited from commenting, Pedrotti said.

KB Home is consulting with an expert on low-impact development to limit Shoreline Parks drainage into the lake, spokeswoman Cathy Teague said. The neighborhood will have an easement along the lake  in other words, none of its homes will be lakefront properties, she said.

Unlike much of the area, Boerne Lake hasnt seen much development. Surrounded by a quintessential Hill Country vista of squat green hills, its a popular destination for fishing, canoeing and kayaking. A group of swimmers meets there at 6:30 a.m. Saturdays to watch the sunrise while enjoying a cool dip.

It seems like youre not that close to San Antonio because youre out in nature, said one of the swimmers, Julie Eakle. I feel (the development) would definitely impact the ambiance and the beauty of the lake.

Shoreline Parks opponents say its density would ruin the pristine nature of the blue-green lake and the hills of scraggly live oaks and cedar elms around it. The area is home to plentiful hummingbirds as well as endangered golden-cheeked warblers and a few bald eagles, residents say.

Their greatest concern is that replacing the propertys plant life with concrete would clear the way for sewage, fertilizer, oil and other pollutants to flow into the lake. The subdivisions impervious cover also would increase the risk of floods, and the area has been hit with some bad ones lately, they say.

The opponents have gathered 1,072 signatures in a petition against the project.

This is not a personal, selfish, Dont ruin my lake kind of attitude. This is just not right for anybody  youre going to ruin the water quality, the clarity, said Paula Beaton, who lives in a neighborhood of homes on multi-acre lots next to the lake. There are ways to do it smart. I just hope that whoever ends up building on it adopts that philosophy.

When Shoreline Park first went before Boernes planning and zoning commission it was rejected on a vote of 5-1, but it later passed after KB Home committed to conducting a drainage study. It will go before the commission again, city spokeswoman Pamela Bransford said, though its not yet clear when.

Before KB Home can start construction it must show that water runoff would be filtered before reaching the lake, said Schultz, who serves as a volunteer in his position of mayor, like all of Boernes elected officials.

He said hes confident the development wont affect the citys water supply. But Kendall County Commissioner Don Durden, an engineer, has doubts.

The question I have, from a basic citizens standpoint, is why would you even take that chance? he said. It just seems to me that a less dense development in that area would be a more appropriate way to develop that property for the interest of that community.

Bedroom community

Boerne is certain to see more subdivisions like Shoreline Park as the population of San Antonios metro area swells by an expected 1.1 million by 2040. The Texas Department of Transportation is widening Interstate 10, which would ease traffic along the increasingly painful 30-mile commute south to the Alamo City, at least temporarily.

The areas population is exploding: Kendall County is the fifth-fastest-growing county with a population over 10,000, the U.S. Census Bureau reports. Its population swelled by 4.9 percent between 2016 and 2017, to 44,026.

Between 2000 and last year, Boernes population grew from 6,178 residents to an estimated 16,056, a 160 percent increase.

Durden traces the growth to the construction in the early 1970s of Fair Oaks Ranch, a community 5 miles southeast of Boerne that straddles Bexar and Kendall counties. It proved to developers that the area could serve as a bedroom community for people driving to San Antonio for work.

More growth is on the way, including the $45 million Buc-ees. A Hilton-branded luxury hotel is under construction on Boernes prized Main Street, and a few big mixed-use developments are planned in the area, including a 27-acre one with 238 apartments next to Cibolo Creek.

Boerne broke ground on a new City Hall and plans a new building for its Convention And Visitors Bureau, Schultz said. Its extending a River Walk-esque trail along Cibolo Creek.

Few would argue that Boerne hasnt profited from the growth. Its per-capita income increased from $23,251 in 2000 to $29,872 last year, according to the census bureau.

The economic growth has brought new health care facilities and created job opportunities to prevent a brain drain.

Arthur Daly Jr., who has lived in Boerne since he was a 7-year-old in 1954, said the citys changes give him a tearing sensation in the heart. It isnt the Boerne he used to know, but he sees the advantages in growth: Young people dont have to move away for work.

I dont know which side Im on, he said.

The city promotes development on its Main Street by doling out incentives to fix up its historic buildings. The half-mile stretch that runs through downtown is full of art galleries, restaurants and shops selling boutique items such as soaps, lingerie and gourmet food under quirky names like La Te Da and Dang Sassy.

Yet even Main Street isnt immune from the invasion of national chains. Many Boerne residents are incensed that CVS plans to tear down a gas station and a historic home to build a pharmacy on one end of the street.

More than 5,000 have signed a pledge never to shop there, embracing the motto Keep Boerne Quaint, echoing Austins famous Keep Austin Weird.

One of the new businesses on Main Street is Montechema Firearms, which lifetime Boerne resident Mason Mainz founded four years ago after becoming frustrated by the lack of customer service in big gun stores. He named the business after his great-uncle, who was abducted by an Apache tribe nearby and adopted their way of life after staying with them for nine years, he said. A year and a half ago, Mainz moved into his current storefront next to a collectibles shop.

Boernes growing population means more customers for his business, Mainz said. Along with guns, he offers coffee, t-shirts and copies of his great-uncles autobiography for sale.

Yet he worries that the newcomers are changing Boerne.

Lots of people move here, trying to escape the urban hustle-bustle, but they change it when they come, he said.

Richard Webner is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | rwebner@express-news.net | Twitter: @RWebner
Contributed / Connecticut State Environmental Conservation POlice

A state Environmental Conservation Police officer found himself face to face with a slithery foe in Avon Saturday and came out on top, thanks to his training.

According to a post on the Connecticut State Environmental Conservation Police Facebook page, Officer Edward Yescott responded to an Avon homeowners report of a Jungle Carpet Python sunning itself in the yard. Obviously this species is not native to Connecticut and was someones exotic pet, the post read.
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Ltd., Continental vyroba pneumatik s.r.o., Contitech Argentina S.R.L., Contitech Botswana (Pty) Ltd, Contitech do Brasil Produtos Automotivos e Industriais Ltda., Contitrade Espana S.A.U., Contitrade Holding, Contitread Renovado Morelia S.A. de C.V., Correx Handelsgesellschaft fur Kautschukprodukte mbH, Custom Machining Services Inc., DRUST, Dekkmann A/S, Dunlop Oil & Marine Ltd., DynaGen Inc., EPD Holdings Inc., Eddelbuttel + Schneider GmbH, Elektrobit, Elektrobit Austria GmbH, Elektrobit Automotive Americas Inc., Elektrobit Automotive Finland Oy, Elektrobit Automotive GmbH, Elektrobit Automotive Korea Limited, Elektrobit Automotive Romania SRL, Elektrobit Automotive Software (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Elektrobit France SAS, Elektrobit India Private Ltd., Elektrobit Nippon K.K., Emitec Denmark A/S, Emitec France SAS, Eu-Retec (Private) Ltd., FSC Franchising Service Company S.p.A., Formpolster GmbH, General Tire International Company, Granite Investments Limited, Holding ContiTech SAS, Hoosier Racing Tire Corp., Hornschuch (Shanghai) Surface Technology Co. Ltd., Hornschuch Consulting GmbH, Hornschuch Group GmbH, Hornschuch Italia S.r.l., Hornschuch Stolzenau GmbH, Hornschuch UK Ltd., Hornschuch-Markt GmbH, INTECH Thuringen GmbH, Kathrein Automotive, Kathrein Automotive Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Kathrein Automotive North America Inc., Kathrein Automotive Portugal Sociedade Unipessoal Lda., Kim Holdings Scotland Limited, Kolubara-Univerzal D.O.O., Konrad Hornschuch AG, Konrad Hornschuch International GmbH, Legg Company Inc., Libra Associates (Properties) Limited, MISA GmbH & Co. KG, MISA-Beteiligungs GmbH, Merlett Belgie B.V.B.A, Merlett Benelux B.V., Merlett Deutschland GmbH, Merlett France SAS, Merlett Group, Merlett Iberica 2016 S.L., Merlett Norway As, Merlett Plastics UK Ltd., Merlett Polska Sp. Z o.o., Merlett RUS LLC, Merlett Tecnoplastic S.p.a., Noviteck SA, O'Sullivan Films Inc., OOO "ContiTech Rus", OOO "Continental Automotive RUS", OOO "Continental Automotive Systems RUS", OOO "Continental Kaluga", OOO "Continental Tires RUS", OOO Hornschuch RUS, OTA Grundstucks- und Beteiligungsverwaltung GmbH, OTA keys, OTA keys S.A., Omitec Group, Otomotiv Lastikleri Tevzi AS (OLTAS), POWERTRAIN MAQUILA MEXICO S. DE R.L. DE C.V., PT Continental Tyre Indonesia, PT Quantum Inventions Indonesia, Parkpocket, Phoenix Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Phoenix Compounding Technology GmbH, Phoenix Conveyor Belt India Private Ltd., Phoenix Conveyor Belt Solutions Inc., Phoenix Conveyor Belt Systems GmbH, Phoenix Fluid Handling Industry GmbH, Phoenix Oil & Marine Ltd., Phoenix Service GmbH & Co. KG, Phoenix Shanxi Conveyor Belt Co. Ltd., Phoenix Vermogensverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Pneu Egger AG, Profi Reifen- und Autoservice Gesellschaft mbH, Prazisionstechnik Geithain GmbH, QUANTUM INVENTIONS SDN. BHD., Quantum Inventions, Quantum Inventions Private Limited, R & J Strang Tyre Services Limited, REG Reifen-Entsorgungsgesellschaft mbH, REPARATION PNEUMATIQUES DU SUD EST (REPNEU) SAS, ROSEA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. Objekt Hannover-Stocken KG, Reifen Apel GmbH, Reifen Kauffmann GmbH, Reifen-John GmbH & Co KG, Reifen-Service Clemens & Hegel GmbH, Rengasmaailma Oy, Road-Broad Automotive Electronics (Qufu) Co. Ltd., Rundpneu Beteiligungsges. mbH, S.C. ContiTech Fluid Automotive Romania S.R.L., S.C. ContiTech Romania S.R.L., S.C. Continental Automotive Products SRL, SAS CONTITRADE FRANCE, STEINEBRONN BETEILIGUNGS-GMBH, Semperit (Ireland) Ltd., Semperit (UK) Ltd., Semperit Reifen Gesellschaft mbH, Senior Experts Services GmbH, Siemens VDO Automotive S.p.A., Specialised Belting Supplies Ltd., Specialty Fabrics & Converting Inc., Specialty Yarn & Converting Inc., Stable One Insurance Company LLC, Synerject Taiwan Co. Ltd., Syrma A.E., TON Tyres Over Night Trading GmbH, TOO "Continental Matador KZ", Temic Automotive (Phils.) Inc., Tikka Spikes Oy, Tyre Maintenance Limited, Tyre Reinsurance (Ireland) DAC, Tyre and Auto Pty Ltd, UMG Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Union-Mittelland-Gummi-GmbH & Co. Grundbesitz KG, Unterstutzungskasse mbH der Goppinger Kaliko- und Kunstleder-Werke GmbH, VIVAX Trading GmbH, Vanvulc Tyres Limited, Vaysse SAS, Vergolst GmbH, Veyance Distribuidora de Produtos de Engenharia Ltda., Veyance Hong Kong Co. Ltd., Veyance Industrial Services Inc., Veyance Qingdao Engineered Elastomers Company Ltd., Veyance Technologies, Veyance Technologies Australia Pty. Ltd., Veyance Technologies Canada (NS) ULC, Veyance Technologies Hong Kong Co. Ltd., Veyance Technologies Zambia Ltd., Viking Tyres (UK) Ltd., Vitesco Technologies (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Vitesco Technologies 1. Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, Vitesco Technologies 1. Verwaltungs GmbH, Vitesco Technologies 2. Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, Vitesco Technologies 2. Verwaltungs GmbH, Vitesco Technologies Automotive Cuautla S.A. de C.V., Vitesco Technologies Canada ULC, Vitesco Technologies Czech Republic s.r.o., Vitesco Technologies Delavan LLC, Vitesco Technologies Eisenach Verwaltungs GmbH, Vitesco Technologies Emitec GmbH, Vitesco Technologies Engineering Romania SRL, Vitesco Technologies France S.A.S., Vitesco Technologies GDL S. de R.L. de C.V., Vitesco Technologies Germany GmbH, Vitesco Technologies GmbH, Vitesco Technologies Group Aktiengesellschaft, Vitesco Technologies Holding 1 Canada Inc., Vitesco Technologies Holding 2 Canada Inc., Vitesco Technologies Holding China Co. Ltd., Vitesco Technologies Holding Netherlands B.V., Vitesco Technologies Hungary Kft., Vitesco Technologies India Private Limited, Vitesco Technologies Italy S.R.L., Vitesco Technologies Japan K.K., Vitesco Technologies Korea, Vitesco Technologies Lohmar Verwaltungs GmbH, Vitesco Technologies Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Vitesco Technologies Roding GmbH, Vitesco Technologies Romania SRL, Vitesco Technologies Singapore Pte. Ltd., Vitesco Technologies UK Ltd., Vitesco Technologies USA LLC, Vitesco Tecnologia Brasil Automotiva Ltda., Vogtlandische Reifenwerke Sitz Bad Nauheim GmbH, Vulcanite Holdings Pty Ltd, Vulcanite Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Vulcanite Pty Ltd, Wohlfahrtseinrichtung fur die Arbeiter und Angestellten der Semperit Reifen AG GmbH, Zonar, Zonar Systems Inc., Zytek Automotive, Zytek Automotive Ltd., Zytek Group Ltd., balance GmbH Handel und Beratungsservice im Gesundheitswesen, co-pace GmbH, inotec Innovative Technologie GmbH, and kek-Kaschierungen GmbH.
Fortis Inc. operates as an electric and gas utility company in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean countries. It generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 433,000 retail customers in southeastern Arizona; and 98,000 retail customers in Arizona's Mohave and Santa Cruz counties with an aggregate capacity of 3,233 megawatts (MW), including 59 MW of solar capacity. The company also sells wholesale electricity to other entities in the western United States; owns gas-fired and hydroelectric generating capacity totaling 65 MW; and distributes natural gas to approximately 1,048,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in British Columbia, Canada. In addition, it owns and operates the electricity distribution system that serves approximately 572,000 customers in southern and central Alberta; owns 4 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 225 MW; and provides operation, maintenance, and management services to five hydroelectric generating facilities. Further, the company distributes electricity in the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador with an installed generating capacity of 143 MW; and on Prince Edward Island with a generating capacity of 130 MW. Additionally, it provides integrated electric utility service to approximately 67,000 customers in Ontario; approximately 270,000 customers in Newfoundland and Labrador; approximately 31,000 customers on Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; and approximately 15,000 customers on certain islands in Turks and Caicos. The company also holds long-term contracted generation assets in Belize consisting of 3 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 51 MW; and the Aitken Creek natural gas storage facility. It also owns and operates approximately 91,000 circuit Kilometers (km) of distribution lines; and approximately 49,500 km of natural gas pipelines. Fortis Inc. was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in St. John's, Canada.

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Wall Street analysts have given iShares MSCI Switzerland ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares MSCI Switzerland ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.
John Hancock Investors Trust is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by John Hancock Investment Management LLC. It is co-managed by John Hancock Asset Management. It invests in the fixed income markets across the globe. The fund primarily invests in a diversified portfolio of corporate and government bonds, debt securities. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. John Hancock Investors Trust was formed on January 29, 1971 and is domiciled in the United States.

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Labour has pledged to reintroduce the Agricultural Wages Board in a move which Jeremy Corbyn says will bring back millions of pounds to English rural workers.

The board was abolished in England five years ago by David Cameron's Conservative government due to an increased minimum wage and the introduction of the national living wage.

But Labour, who introduced the board in 1948, have now said they want England to be in line with other parts of the UK, such as Wales and Northern Ireland.

Jeremy Corbyn will announce the policy on today (22 July) at the annual Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival in Dorset, a celebration of trade unionism of rural workers rights.

According to Mr Corbyn, the policy will "bring back millions of pounds to workers across the English countryside".

Mr Corbyn will say: Almost 200 years after the Tolpuddle Martyrs bravely stood against the exploitation of employers paying poverty wages, Labour is committed to reintroducing the Agricultural Wages Board and increasing pay and fundamental rights for all agricultural workers.

This decision will bring back millions of pounds to workers across the English countryside, in addition to guaranteed paid holiday, sick pay, and rest breaks.

Rural workers have been consistently ignored by the Tories. The south-west is the low pay capital of the UK. Here, and across the English countryside, agricultural workers have been abandoned by the shameful decision to scrap the Agricultural Wages Board.

Mr Corbyn added: The struggle of the Tolpuddle Martyrs sowed the seed for the modern trade union movement and the Labour Party itself. The best way to honour that noble struggle is not just to remember why it took place, but to secure in our time what those workers fought for: the right to fair pay and decent working conditions.

The new Agricultural Wages Board would ensure that rural workers in England were entitled to minimum rates of pay, holiday, sick pay and breaks.
Television actor and model, Manish Raisinghani shot to popularity after playing the role of Sameer in the television show Teen Bahuraniyaan. He is also known for his role Siddhant Rajendra Bharadwaj on Sasural Simar Ka. The viewers loved Avika and Manish's chemistry on the show. They had also nicknamed the couple as rosid (Roli and Siddhant). The actor had made a friendly appearance as a film star in Bollywood film, Heroine. His short film got recognised and selected at Cannes Film Festival.

The actor turns a year older today (July 22). Well, going by his Instagram story (vidoes and pictures), it looks like the actor is celebrating his birthday with his friends.

The actor shared a picture on his Instagram account and wrote, "Where do i sit? Was the question when u just flood my house with flowers @anila_radical.rosidian @preeti_radicalrosidian. I guess u sent one bouquet per hour of countdown after sending countdown flowers for the whole week . This is crazy. Thank u soo sooo much for flooding my house wid flowers and flooding my life with your love. The unconditional love! Thank u. #rosidians #radicalrosidians #gratitude #dassaalbemisaal #10saalbemisaal #colorstv @colorstv #love #manishraisinghan #ssk #sasuralsimarka #birthweek #birthdaycountdown #roses." - (sic)

His Sasural Simar Ka co-actress and rumoured girlfriend, Avika Gor, who is busy with Khatron Ke Khiladi 9, didn't forget to wish him on his special day! She took to social media to wish him! Sharing an adorable picture, the actress wrote, "@manishmischief wish you a very happy birthday shinchan. #stayblessed #staycrazy #stayhappy #rosid #aviman." - (sic)

We wish the actor, a very happy birthday.

Kasautii Zindagi Kay 2 Promo OUT! Erica Looks Beautiful As Prerna; Is Parth Samthaan Playing Anurag?
As the Vietnamese government continues its aggressive public-sector reforms, the total funds raised from IPOs and the divestment of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) may triple in 2018-2020 compared to levels seen in the 2011-2017 period, according to Saigon Securities Inc (SSI).

The total proceeds from IPOs and the share sale of SOEs in the next two years are expected to reach $26.3 billion, 2.75 times higher than the funds raised for the whole period between 2011 and 2017. Specifically, the value of IPOs will reach $9.7 billion, while the total amount of divestment could hit $16.6 billion. Vietnam could end up being the only country in the world that embarks on a new wave of SOE reform in 2018-2020, placing large and profitable SOEs on public offer, says SSI.

Vietnam plans to make the countrys state-run enterprises more compliant with market principles and practices after following the establishment of the State Capital Management Committee in February this year, says SSI. As many as 30 enterprises and economic groups will be transferred to the committee, which will manage the restructuring and sale of any public companies.

Infrastructure Strategy

Proceeds from the divestment of SOE stakes, as well as corporate dividends, are vital funding sources for the governments infrastructure spending. Vietnam is boosting spending on transport and logistics facilities amid rapid urban growth and domestic consumption. With a projected 2018 GDP growth of 6.7%, it boasts one of the worlds fastest-growing economies. The countrys two stock exchanges -- the Hanoi Stock Exchange and the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange  have climbed approximately 31% and 48% respectively in the last year.

We dont see the stock market valuation to be particularly demanding (2018 PE at 15x), given current high growth prospects, says SSI. The company says it is generally positive about large-cap stocks across the financial, construction, tourism and retail sectors, adding the manufacturing industry is growing at torrential pace. It expects up to 10 banks to comply with the Basel II requirements in 2020, a deadline set by the governments banking reform 2016-2020 roadmap.

We expect these banks to start preparing for capital raising, says SSI. These include Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam, Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam HD Bank, VP Bank and many more. SSI is keeping watch on the IPOs of Mobifone, retailer SATRA and Saigon Tourist among others.

Foreign investors needed

Foreign participation in public equities is rising steadily in both relative and absolute terms, and currently accounts for about 21% of market capitalisation. In fixed income, foreign investors hold just about 5% of the total outstanding volume of government bonds, says SSI.

The company estimates net earnings growth of 68 companies under its coverage to average 28.7% in 2018, driven by the consumer discretionary and financial sectors.

Supported by Vietnams robust economic growth and equity market performance, SSI, which is the countrys biggest securities firm by market value, is targeting VND3,410 billion ($149 million) in revenues and VND1,615 billion in profit for 2018. The company recently won Vietnams Best Investment Bank in Vietnam and Best Equity Capital Markets House in FinanceAsias 2018 Country Awards. Going forward, SSI plans to focus on capital growth and diversification.

Expanded Product Base

Notably, the company aims to develop products that suit different risk and reward profiles and expand its activities in corporate bonds, derivatives and structured products. With numerous SOEs expected to sell shares as well as an attractive pipeline of IPO activities this year, SSI has been focusing on expanding its customer base to include large-scale private enterprises with potential growth prospects in key sectors, says SSI.

Looking beyond 2020, SSI expects the countrys sovereign rating to be upgraded to Investment grade. We are positive that the reforms will show good results.

For more information about SSI click here
LONDON, July 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

EFRA Committee calls for Government action to tackle cruel fur sales

An Inquiry by the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee, launched in response to investigations by Humane Society International UK and media partners, published its report today calling on Government to hold a public consultation to consider whether to ban the import and sale of animal fur in the UK, post-Brexit. The report, welcomed by HSI UK which leads the FurFreeBritain campaign, also calls on the Government to introduce a new mandatory fur and animal product labelling regime to enable consumers to make informed buying choices.

In response to the Committee's question 'Should the UK ban fur?', HSI UK presented detailed evidence of the inherent cruelty of fur farming and trapping, as well as the 'moral inconsistency' between the UK's ban on fur farming and the importation of fur, described by the charity as 'outsourcing cruelty'. Despite UK-wide bans of fur farming on ethical grounds since 2003, and EU bans on the sale of cat and dog fur (2007) and seal fur (2010), the UK still allows the import and sale of fur from a range of other species such as fox, rabbit, mink, coyote, racoon dog, and chinchilla. The vast majority of these animals are factory-farmed in battery cage systems in countries such as China, Poland and Finland. According to the most recent trade statistics from HMRC, in the last year* the UK imported almost 75 million of animal fur (74,154,873). It's a double standard that HSI UK hopes to see outlawed.

HSI UK Executive Director Claire Bass said "The UK was the first country in the world to ban fur farming, after the British public, politicians and veterinary experts concluded that it is an inhumane and completely unnecessary industry. So it is total double standard for us to still be importing and selling fur from animals still suffering the same conditions we banned here. The UK Government has the opportunity to blaze a trail as the first country to ban the sale of all animal fur, so we are delighted that EFRA Committee members are pressing government to launch a public consultation to help inform and build that case. Our FurFreeBritain campaign already has the support of the British public, veterinary experts, as well as an ever-growing list of retailers and designers who see that the future of fashion is fur-free. With innovation in textiles offering high quality humane alternatives to real fur, the fur trade's days are clearly numbered, but it can't end quickly enough for the hundreds of millions of animals trapped and tormented in tiny cages. A UK ban would be a major nail in the coffin of this morally bankrupt industry."

The EFRA report is extremely critical of the mis-sale of real animal fur as fake fur, a scandal exposed by HSI UK, and urges decisive action from retailers and Trading Standards to ensure that consumers are not sold 'fake faux fur'. Evidence presented to the Committee by HSI UK underlined deficiencies in the current labelling laws, including that there is no legal requirement to use the specific word "fur" on items containing real fur. Evidence submitted by HSI UK showed the Committee numerous examples of real fur being sold as fake fur on the UK high street and online, commonly containing labels such as '100% acrylic'. The Committee acknowledged the extent of the problem, stating that 'thecurrent labelling system is confusing, not-fit-for purpose, and with a high degree of non-compliance. It is also not being enforced.' The report recommends that a new labelling law should ensure that items containing fur should list the species, country of origin and method of production.

HSI's campaign for a fur import ban was also discussed in Parliament on June 4th in a Westminster Hall debate at which 32 MPs from across the political spectrum passionately spoke out in favour of banning fur imports from the United Kingdom, calling the fur trade "vile", "loathsome" and the "grimmest of human activities". Some of the fur ban's most vocal political advocates include, Kerry McCarthy, Sir Roger Gale, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell MP, Tim Loughton, Daniel Zeichner, Caroline Lucas, Maria Eagle and Zac Goldsmith.

The campaign has also garnered strong celebrity support; 31 of the country's biggest celebrities - including Dame Judi Dench, Ricky Gervais, Alesha Dixon, Paloma Faith, Evanna Lynch, sent a letter to the Prime Minister calling for a fur import ban. The full letter and list of signatories can be read here.

And last month, Environment Secretary Michael Gove received a letter from 50 vets and animal experts speaking out against cruel fur farming. The full letter and list of signees can be read here.

Fur facts:

More than 130 million animals suffer each year in the global fur trade, the majority reared in terrible conditions on fur factory farms. This number does not include rabbits, whose numbers (in the hundreds of millions) are not reported by the fur trade.

There is no legal requirement to use the specific word "fur" on items containing real fur. EU regulations require items defined as "textile products" that contain animal fur to carry the confusing wording "contains non-textile parts of animal origin" however this does not clearly tell consumers that it means 'real animal fur,' and in practice this wording requirement is rarely adhered to at all, as evidenced in our report 'Mislabelled and misleading'. Products sold online are exempt even from the above confusing wording requirement, and footwear or non-garment accessories such as handbags and keychains are also excluded.

Around the world in countries such as the U.S., France , Poland and China , wild species are kept in small, barren battery cages for their entire lives before being killed by gassing or electrocution.

Wild animals such as coyotes fair no better - they can languish in agony in cruel traps for hours or even days before dying from dehydration, starvation or attacks by predators, or being shot or crushed to death when the trapper returns.

A 2018 YouGov poll commissioned by HSI UK shows that more than two-thirds of the British public support a UK fur import ban, with only 8% opposed to the idea.
Women politicians, cutting across party lines, have welcomed the government's decision on scrapping GST on sanitary napkins.

New Delhi: Women politicians, cutting across party lines, have welcomed the government's decision on scrapping GST on sanitary napkins.

Reactions flowed in from many women politicians after finance minister Piyush Goyal announced that sanitary pads are now 100 percent exempt from tax.

"In a remarkable move, Piyush Goyal during the 28th GST Council Meet announced to exempt sanitary napkins from GST (sic). Indeed, this will give the required thrust to our menstrual hygiene initiatives and will transform lives of many women," Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi tweeted.

Sanitary pads, which were initially taxed at 18 percent, were brought down to 12 percent under GST that was launched in July 2017. Gandhi, however earlier had justified the imposed tax saying that scrapping it would kill the indigenous pad makers.

Congress MP Sushmita Dev who last year had launched an online petition with Change.org demanding total removal of taxes on pads welcomed the government's move saying that it is a victory of more than four lakh citizens who had signed it.

"Some journeys take longer than others. And so, here we are bearing the victory torch a year after our campaign 'tax free wings'. This is a monumental step towards improving the accessibility, availability and affordability of the product to millions of women," Dev said.

Union textile minister Smriti Irani too tweeted thanking the finance minister for exempting sanitary napkins from GST.

"A welcome step towards encouraging menstrual hygiene among young girls and women. Good and Simple GST," she wrote.
The finance ministry is likely to send an email to the micro, small and medium enterprises soon, detailing the services that can be obtained using Udyog Aadhaar.

New Delhi: The government will urge about one crore MSMEs registered under the GST Network to obtain Udyog Aadhaar number to avail benefits of various government schemes, a top official said.

The finance ministry is likely to send an email to the micro, small and medium enterprises soon, detailing the services that can be obtained using Udyog Aadhaar.

The move is aimed convergence of the data-base of GSTN with Udyog Aadhaar and at procuring the MSMEs' contact details and information about their business verticals, so that government policies can be tailored to match their needs.

The ministry cannot obtain the details of the enterprises without their consent, owing to data privacy provisions under the GST Act, MSME Secretary A K Panda told PTI.

Over 48 lakh MSMEs are presently registered under Udyog Aadhaar, which enables these units to seek information and apply online about various services being offered by all ministries and departments.

"I wanted if we can get details, at least their contact point, the vertical in which they are working, but I was told that the GST Act has issues of privacy, that this data cannot be shared without the consent of the enterprise," Panda said.

However, he said the e-mail will not make it mandatory for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to register with Udyog Aadhaar but only suggest the enterprises to opt for it, entailing the benefits of registration.

"We are planning now, that we will request them (Finance Ministry) to send an mail to everybody who are registered in GSTN but yet not registered in Udyog Aadhaar to get registered under the Udyog Aadhaar and avail benefits.

"Already we have discussed with them (Finance Ministry) but now we are in the process of preparing that mail so that we will give them that mail and they (FinMin) will send it across," Panda said.
Although decisions of Sharia courts are not enforceable through the State, the poor may be coerced to accept their decisions through extra-legal means.

The urgency with which the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) plans to establish Sharia courts across the country should be seen the context of emerging challenges to the dominance of conservative elements over the Muslim society. Not long back, the AIMPLB was seen opposing the petition against the practice of triple talaq in the Supreme Court through all means at its disposal.

One of its most farcical claims was that it had framed a nikahnama, which was enough to the redress the prevailing ills afflicting the Muslim women in the name of triple talaq. As now it has realized that the Supreme Court is more interested in upholding the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution than leaving the question of Muslim womens rights at the mercy of the AIMPLB, the conservative elements feel the dire need to reinforce their iron grip over Muslim society through Sharia courts. The Supreme Court verdict on triple talaq may also have an effect on the fate of petitions against polygamy and nikah halala, as the argument in favour of primacy of personal laws over fundamental rights stands entirely challenged. The problem of the AIMPLB is not limited to questioning these archaic provisions, but the fact that such verdicts may further embolden the sections seeking to reform the Muslim society. The Sharia courts are supposed to defend the hegemony of conservative elements over Muslim society by dissuading faithful Muslims from approaching regular courts while seeking relief in matters falling within the domain of personal laws.

While the AIMPLB is working to its plan, there are attempts to rationalise such moves. To assume Sharia courts merely as counselling and arbitration centres would be a huge mistake. Although it is claimed that the opinions of these courts operating under the names of Darul Qaza/ Nizam-i-Qazas are advisory in nature and not enforceable, the social coercion in the name of religion to implement these opinions cannot be denied. Claiming there is no clash between judicial courts and Darul Qaza, the AIMPLB president Maulana Syed Rabey Hasni Nadvi reportedly asserted in 2014 that Islamic courts decisions were binding on Muslims and it is a sin to challenge them in other courts. In the Vishwa Lochan Madan case, while the Dar-ul-Uloom, Deoband admitted that it had issued a fatwa in that particular case, it asserted that 'God fearing Muslims, being answerable to the Almighty, obey the fatwas, others may defy them.' There is little doubt that matters brought in Sharia courts, when decided upon by qazis/naib qazis, carry some kind of religious sanctions which are very difficult for a person belonging to the weaker and poorer section of society to defy. Although their decisions are not enforceable through the state machinery, there are valid apprehensions that the weaker sections of society may be coerced to accept their decisions through extra-legal means. In other words, such decisions are enforceable through religious sanctions, socially stigmatising individuals.

While disposing a writ petition filed by Vishwa Lochan Madan, the Supreme Court has observed, The object of establishment of such a court may be laudable but we have no doubt in our mind that it has no legal status. It is bereft of any legal pedigree and has no sanction in laws of the land. They are not part of the corpus juris of the State. Although the apex court has stopped short of declaring these courts illegal, while citing Dar-ul-Uloom Deobands response, it has added a number of cautions, ... as the fatwa gets strength from religion; it causes serious psychological impact on the person intending not to abide by that. It further says, Having regard to the fact that a fatwa has the potential of causing immense devastation, we feel impelled to add a word of caution. We would like to advise the Dar-ul-Qaza or for that matter anybody not to give any response or issue a fatwa concerning an individual, unless asked for by the person involved or the person having a direct interest in the matter. While citing Imranas case, the apex court observes that issuing fatwas at the instance of rank strangers may cause irreparable damage and therefore, would be absolutely uncalled for. It shall be in violation of basic human rights. It cannot be used to punish innocents. Although the court has refused Sharia courts or fatwas issued by it any legal status saying , any person trying to enforce that by any method shall be illegal and has to be dealt with in accordance with law, there is no denying the fact that misuse of such courts in the name of religion can become rampant, once it acquires its hegemonic position in the Muslim society getting reinforced by the conservative elements from within.

The attempts to highlight the importance of Sharia courts under the pretext of declining civil justice appears absurd as the qazis/naib qazis adjudicating in these courts are themselves rarely trained in the legal system and modern jurisprudence. The decline, if any, in the civil justice system cannot be compensated by a system which either fails the test of constitutionality or has the least chance to succeed on the parameters of modern jurisprudence. The Sharia courts cannot be compared with arbitration, mediation and conciliation procedures made available under various Acts in India which are administered within a legal framework sanctioned by the law of the land and stand the test of constitutionality while upholding fundamental rights of every individual.

Another argument, rationalising Sharia courts for being accessible and inexpensive for the poor, misses the point that they may be their real victims once a matter is adjudicated. The poorer and weaker sections of society rarely have means either economically or socially to defy such courts' decisions. At the same time, ensuring gender justice in Sharia courts merely by the presence of women qazis would be remain difficult, as long as the juridical framework and jurisprudence remain elusive for women. It would be better for the AIMPLB to realise that it has to operate within a society having increasing numbers of aspiring individuals who are seeking a better life for their future. In such a scenario, it can remain relevant not by increasing the hegemony of conservative elements through mechanisms like Sharia courts, but by changing the overall framework as per the emerging aspirations of Muslim society.

(The writer is national in-charge, BJP journals and publication department and executive editor of BJP mouthpiece Kamal Sandesh)
Soon after the Rajasthan lynching case, questions have been raised on how there was a three-and-a-half hour delay on the part of the police in bringing victim Rakbar Khan to the hospital, media reports said.

A day after a man was lynched in Alwar on suspicion of cow smuggling, media reports have claimed that there was a three-and-a-half-hour delay on the part of the police in taking the victim, Rakbar Khan, to the hospital.

Here is the video of police taking the victim to the hospital.

According to NDTV, the police first took the seized cows to a shelter, took Khan to the police station, which is near the hospital, and also stopped on the way to have tea before taking him to the hospital. The FIR in the case revealed that the police received a call at about 12.41 am but they arrived at the spot at 1.15 or 1.20 am.

An eyewitness also told NDTV that the police had beaten up the victim at the police station before taking him to the hospital.

On Saturday, Rakbar Khan, 28, and his friend Aslam were taking two cows to their village in Haryana through a forested area near Lalawandi in Alwar district when five men attacked them, Ramgarh police station SHO Subhash Sharma said. They suspected that Khan was smuggling cows, but the allegation is yet to be verified.

According to The Print, local cow protection groups in Alwar have also said that the victim died in police custody and not because of mob violence as suggested by officials. The police, however, have strongly denied the allegations.

BJP leader Gyan Dev Ahuja on Sunday said the Alwar lynching accused must be released, as sources have informed him that Khan was taken to the police station and beaten up for being a 'cow smuggler', CNN-News reported.

VHP leader Naval Kishore Sharma, who had called the police and alerted them about the lynching incident, also repeated Ahuja's claims. Sharma even told The Print the two persons who have been arrested, Dharmendra Yadav and Paramjeet Singh Sardar, had helped the police to put Khan in the police van. Since the condition of Khan was not critical at that point, they had stopped for tea, Sharma added.

Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje on Saturday condemned the lynching of Rakbar Khan saying, "The incident of alleged lynching of a person transporting bovines in Alwar district is condemnable. Strictest possible action shall be taken against the perpetrators," she said.

But Opposition leaders criticised her government for failing to stop such attacks. Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot termed the incident horrific. Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot too blamed the BJP government, saying killing of people on 'suspicion' is sadly becoming a norm in BJP-ruled states.

With inputs from PTI
BJP councillor Dheeraj Digambar Pathe was arrested on Friday for sexually harassing and extorting a woman for three years

Yavatmal (Maharashtra): A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillor of Wani Municipal Council in Yavatmal district has been arrested for allegedly raping a woman for over last three years and trying to extort money from her, police said on Saturday.

The accused Dheeraj Digambar Pathe, 29, a resident of Wasekar Layout in Wani town, was arrested on Friday night based on a complaint filed by a 20-year-old woman, police said.

According to Balasaheb Khade, Inspector of Wani police station, the victim said in her complaint that she lived in the same locality in Wani as Pathe's and they knew each other ever since she was a minor. "The victim said that when she was still a minor studying in Class XII, Pathe promised that he would marry her in future, and established physical relationship with her. He started repeatedly sexually assaulting her," the officer said.

"When she turned major, he demanded that she marry him. When she refused to tie the knot with him, he started troubling her. He started demanding Rs 5 lakh from her as 'compensation' for refusing to marry him," Khade added.

The victim, who is now a BSc student, said he continued to harass her over his demands. But when she stuck to her ground and turned down all his demands, Pathe opened a Facebook account in her name and started sending objectionable messages from that account to defame her, police said.

The victim finally narrated her ordeal to her parents, who approached the police.

Based on the complaint, Pathe was booked under IPC sections 376 (rape), 363 (kidnapping), 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person), 384 (extortion) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document). He was also booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. He was arrested on Friday night.

According to police, the BJP councillor was a co-accused in one more rape case, which is still pending before the court.
The Centre has withdrawn the 12 percent GST levied on sanitary napkins, which it earlier taxed as a luxury product.

By Aashika Ravi

It's 2018 and unfortunately, Gloria Steinem's essay If Men Could Menstruate is as relevant as it was in 1978. She wrote back then: "Sanitary supplies would be federally funded and free. Of course, some men would still pay for the prestige of such commercial brands as Paul Newman Tampons, Muhammad Ali's Rope-a-Dope Pads, John Wayne Maxi Pads, and Joe Namath Jock Shields 'For Those Light Bachelor Days.'" The cultural references might be a bit obscure, but her witty commentary on a world of "men-struating" men who use flow as a measure for pride and worth, I suspect, will never be dated.

On Saturday, the Goods and Services (GST) Council announced that sanitary napkins would be exempted from GST. Previously, they were taxed at 12 percent when the GST was launched in July 2017. The move to make sanitary napkins tax-free came after year-long opposition in the form of campaigns, protests and petitions from activists.

In March 2017, MP Sushmita Dev had petitioned then finance minister Arun Jaitley, Minister for Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda and Minister For Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi to have sanitary napkins exempted from tax as they were not luxury products. The petition received over 2 lakh signatures.

#BleedWithoutTax started by the Students' Federation of India, the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), sent sanitary napkins with the slogan "bleed without fear, bleed without tax" to Jaitley in July last year, while Youth ki Awaaz started their own hashtag #IAmNotDown to protest the taxation of sanitary napkins.

SheSays India, a Mumbai-based NGO that works to promote gender equality and women's rights, has been hammering at the government's doors on this issue since as far back as 2016. They launched the viral campaign #lahukalagaan (tax on blood), which had the support of comedians like Kaneez Surka, Mallika Dua and actor Aditi Rao Hydari. They have also released multiple videos on the subject and even filed a public interest litigation, which founder Trisha Shetty says is pending in the Supreme Court.

Beyond a legal recognition of sanitary napkins as a necessity, these movements have been fighting for access to better menstrual health more than anything. Look at the statistics: the vast 2015-'16 National Family Health Survey indicates that 62 percent of very young women (ages 15 to 24) use cloth during their periods. Other (much smaller) studies have indicated the poor menstrual health management available to most Indian women and also how closely linked it is to schoolgirls dropping out.

It's ridiculous to remember that Maneka Gandhi was ever of the opinion that 12 percent tax was alright as long as Self-Help Groups (SHGs) were encouraged to make their own biodegradable pads. I mean, did she realise that bindi, sindoor (vermillion) and kajal (or items that Divyani Rattanpal hilariously called sanskaari se bhaari) were exempted from tax way before sanitary napkins were? Gandhi had said: "If we decide on a policy of loan system, then we will have lots of SHGs coming up who will make pads and spread it in a completely localised manner rather than having some distant MNC come here." Now, there is much to be said about why MNCs dominate the sanitary pad market, the environmental costs of sanitary napkins and so on. Sure, but generalised hand waving is not going to help, sister.

Social media, of course, has not held back on their witticisms and criticisms over the last year, or now that the tax has been wiped away.

Radio Mirchi's RJ Charu posted this funky picture of a pad that looks too cool for school, while comic Sumukhi Suresh kept it simple with her tweet that just said: "#lahukalagaan maaf" (tax on blood waived). The move also gave birth to some amazing artwork like this one by Instagram user @jiljilramamani, celebrating the news and "sending hugs out into the universe for every voice of dissent raised over the last year".

Editor of Mirror Now Faye D'Souza, who has been a notable voice on this issue, also posted a gleeful picture of herself on social media, clutching a pad that said, "Thank you FM & GST Council."

Mirror Now also interviewed Trisha Shetty, activist and founder of SheSays India, who brought attention to how few women in India have access to sanitary napkins, while others are forced to use unsafe items like plastic and dried leaves. Of their journey, she said: "Our end goal was always to ensure that women have guaranteed access to menstrual hygiene products, and they don't have to resort to using such unsafe alternatives that none of us who are privileged would even dream of using."

While most organisations and people  including 12 percent-is-alright Maneka Gandhi  welcomed the move, some saw it for what it really was: a belated realisation that our menstrual cycles are far from a luxury. As Neo Pachisia, a Shamanic healer, eloquently said on Twitter, "You do something stupid, rectify it and want to take credit for rectifying it?"

Now, the unhappy news. Several folks online have warned us all that we shouldn't rejoice because while tax might be zero, prices of sanitary napkins could actually increase to compensate for the lack of input credit tax. Most of these voices were drowned out in the celebrations, but we think this line of reasoning should definitely not be ignored. To compensate for the taxes incurred on raw materials used to make sanitary napkins, pad manufacturers might increase their prices.

We asked V Kesavan, a Bangalore-based chartered accountant, and he said that theoretically, this is a real possibility. "If there is a tax on input or raw materials, since the external (aka the pad) that we deliver is not chargeable to tax, what happens is that it becomes a cost for the company. If it was not exempt, the company would've tried to charge it from the customer and offset it against the cost of inputs. But if it is exempt, they cannot offset the inputs. So as a result, he (the manufacturer) will increase the product price, what is being charged," he explains.

This is very annoying. The hope was that a packet of 10 sanitary pads that costs roughly Rs 100 would cost Rs 88 without GST. But we should have thought of this since the GST has been constructed in the "here is a chain letter and if you break the chain you will all fall into manure for seven years" method.

However, that raincloud is something we can only deal with once the move comes into effect from 27 July. But for now, let us rejoice, even if just momentarily, in the fact that menstrual hygiene is finally making baby steps towards being recognised in the way that Steinem talks about in If Men Could Menstruate.

The Ladies Finger is a leading online women's magazine delivering fresh and witty perspectives on politics, culture, health, sex, work and everything in between.
Indian Coast Guard recovered the bodies of 14 fishermen who drowned after their boat capsized in Bay of Bengal. Four more are reported to be missing

Kolkata: With the recovery of five bodies on Saturday, the Indian Coast Guard has recovered 14 of the 19 fishermen who went missing on Monday after their trawlers capsized in the Bay of Bengal, a top ICG official said.

Five bodies were recovered on Saturday which were trapped inside the fishing boat Joykrisna. The boat was sighted capsized about 30 nautical miles south of Dalhousie islands and was towed to the coast. The bodies are being identified, the official said.

Coast Guard Dornier aircraft from Kolkata and Bhubaneswar, hovercraft from Frazerganj and ICGS Sujoy inspite of inclement weather and rough seas carried out extensive search for missing fishermen.

Coast Guard station Frazerganj is coordinating with fisheries associations for further operation, the official said adding a weather advisory to the fishermen has been issued not to venture into seas due to depression formed in north west Bay of Bengal.

The fishermen had ventured into the sea from Frazerganj in South 24 Parganas district. Six to seven trawlers carrying men from the Namkhana and Kakdwip areas of South 24 Parganas had set sail around 10 am on Monday, Bijan Maity, Secretary, West Bengal United Fishermen Association, said.

Ten fishermen on board the fishing boat Joykrisna, six on board fishing boat Malleshwar and three more, who were on other trawlers, had gone missing, Maity said.
The government has exempted sanitary napkins from GST after months being criticised for taxing the women's hygiene product 12 percent.

The government on Saturday exempted sanitary napkins from the Goods and Services (GST) Tax. Earlier, the women's hygiene products were taxed under the GST's 12 percent slab, drawing criticism from activists and other quarters alike.

Chaya Kakade, a social activist from Latur, has been fighting to have the government make sanitary pads GST-free. She had launched a protest in Delhi and had called it off only after Union minister Sudhir Mungantiwar had assured her that the government would exempt sanitary napkins from the tax.

While announcing the decision on Saturday, interim finance minister Piyush Goyal said had said he was sure "all mothers and sisters will be very happy" to hear the news, but he was wrong.

***

I don't understand why we should be happy about the Centre making sanitary napkins GST-free. Did the government do women a favour by granting this exemption?

This question still stands  why did the government even feel the need to impose 12 percent GST on sanitary pads? Is the subject of women's hygiene of any consequence to this government? Why are governments unaware of issues important to women? Why do women have to fight for their rights even in this century? The government is on the back foot when it comes to any concerns related to women. Why?

I would have welcomed this decision to make sanitary pads GST-free had the government had made the hygiene products free for women so those in remote villages had access to it.

The Centre has worked effectively to curb the spread of HIV-AIDS. It has distributed condoms for free in even at small tea shops in villages and at paan stores. With spreading awareness about HIV-AIDS, men and women are able to get condoms free. Contraceptive pills are also available for free in government hospitals. This alone is proof that if the government sets its mind to something, it can achieve it.

What is the big deal about providing sanitary pads for free to women? When compared to HIV-AIDS, the subject of sanitary pads is a relatively small matter that the government can easily address. Why do women have to protest to get the administration to make sanitary napkins GST-free? Is agitating the only way to get the government's attention?

Women in villages suffer because of poor menstrual hygiene as well as a number of condemnable social practices that are still followed in our country. The female population is made to sit outside their house for five days every month while they are menstruating. Many are still unaware of the importance of using sanitary pads, and those who are cannot afford it. Parents of young girls and women themselves believe that sanitary napkins  given the price tag they come with  are a luxury when they have to fight for a meal for their families. Many women suffer health problems as they use cloth pads instead of sanitary napkins. Some women in families also share the same cloth, such is their ignorance of the importance of menstrual hygiene. Anemia and uterus-related troubles are only a few of their problems because of poor menstrual hygiene.

Bollywood movie Padman helped shed some light on the subject of menstrual hygiene. But the trouble here was that the film was from a man's perspective. It would have made a greater impact if a woman had played Akshay Kumar's character in Padman, given how women who watched the movie understood and related to it more. In the same vein, I believe that if India had had a female prime minister today, there wouldn't have been any need to protest for women's health issues  like getting free sanitary napkins or even the absurdity of imposing 12 percent GST on the hygiene products the way the government did.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been working to help improve women's health in the United States. While businesses in India take up social work in the name of Corporate Social Responsibility, I would urge them to emphasise the importance of women's health in their programmes. Firms can adopt districts and help resolve health problems among women to show the government that India Inc is doing what they should have done in the first place.

I am not happy with the government's decision to exempt sanitary napkins from the GST. I am not going to remain quiet about this. I am now going to take this protest countrywide and urge NGOs that work for women to come together at a protest in Delhi to make the government provide sanitary pads for free to women.

As told to Sulekha Nair

The author is a social activist from Latur who has been manufacturing low-cost sanitary pads for village women with NGO Vichardhara Gramin Vikas Sanstha.
Nirbhaya fund was used and with the help of the Ministry of Home Affairs five new forensic laboratories are being built that will increase the capacity.

New Delhi: Ministry of Home Affairs has purchased 5,000 rape investigation kits which would be given to police stations across the country for speedy probe in sexual harassment cases, according to a senior Women and Child Development official.

The official said that for now, five kits each would be provided to randomly-selected police stations and states have also been asked to chip in with their contribution. The kits are designed to carry out immediate medical investigation and aid the evidence-gathering exercise in sexual assault and rape cases.

"The home ministry has procured 5,000 rape investigation kits that would be distributed to randomly selected police stations across the country for speedy probes in sexual harassment cases," he said. Each kit comes with a set of test tubes and bottles and costs Rs 200 to Rs 300, the official said.

Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi last week urged states to buy such kits and arm their police station with them. The official said the states have responded positively and the Haryana government has even approved their procurement.

"It is often seen that compromised evidence reach forensic laboratories in such cases. So in a bid to overcome that, rape investigation kits would be distributed to all police stations," the official said. Explaining the functioning of these kits, he said it would be used to collect various samples  such as blood, semen and sweat  of the victim which will be locked and sent to the forensic laboratory. It will carry the time of sealing of the samples and also the names of the police officer and the doctor involved.

Gandhi had said there was no forensic analysis in 13,000 rape cases every year as the country's laboratories lacked the capacity. She had also said her ministry has been looking to plug loopholes in the system to ensure rape cases are investigated expeditiously. "The first ones we found were in the forensic department. We just have the forensic ability for 1,500 people. We used the Nirbhaya fund and with the help of the Ministry of Home Affairs, we are building five new forensic laboratories that will increase the capacity from 1,500 to 20,000," she said. "At times the forensic laboratories receive compromised evidence, that is why there is a need to distribute the rape investigation kits in every police station," she had said.

As many as 1,10,333 cases of rape were registered in the country between 2014-2016, according to government figures. The figures say that 38,947 cases of rape were registered in 2016, 34,651 in 2015 and 36,735 in 2014.

Altogether 3,38,954 cases of crime against women were registered in 2016, while 3,29,243 such cases were registered in 2015 and 3,39,457 in 2014, according to the government figures. Rape accounts for about 12 percent of all crimes against women, according to the figures.
The CWC in Chennai has not had a chairperson for five years, and has only three members, as opposed to five.

On 18 July, after the brutal assault on an 11-year-old girl in Chennai by 18 men in the gated community she lived in, the Madras High Court noted a violation of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act.

While the violation may have been ignored in the larger scheme of debating and investigating the case, it presents a pitiful picture of a government body that is no longer given any legitimacy by the Tamil Nadu government.

The violation that the high court noted was that of the local police department not having informed the Child Welfare Committee of the crime within 24 hours of receiving information about it. So when did the CWC come to know?

We found out on the third day, through newspapers, says Sheila Charles, chairperson of the CWC in Chennai. Police sources say they werent even aware that they had to inform the Child Welfare Committee. That doesnt add up. So many cases of runaway children and special children come to us from the police, so how can they say that they didnt know they had to inform us? she says.

Much of the talk around the police's failure to report the incident to the CWC was around how the police took a tight-lipped approach immediately.

But why is the CWC losing its importance when it comes to major cases like this?

The state of Chennais CWC

According to the Juvenile Justice Act, the CWC must have five members and a chairperson with powers of a metropolitan magistrate. The child is usually brought to the CWC, after which the commission decides what is best for the child.

The CWC is also required to provide psychological counselling, and its members must have counselling experience.

But heres the reality. The CWC has not had a chairperson for five years, and has only three members, as opposed to the required number of five. The commission has 2-3 sittings a month, and handles close to 100 children a month.

The CWC had just one chairperson from 2011-2013. We have been reaching out to the commissioner, and all officials involved, but they have no answer, said Charles.

Is the CWC equipped to handle this case? We met the girl, but didnt speak to her because her statement has been taken and we didnt want to traumatise her again. They said they wouldnt need the CWCs help for counselling. We offered assistance to the father, and he was not convinced. But later, we developed a kind of trust, after which we could meet her, she says.

When asked what her assessment of the child was, she said, The child is quite normal. Shes very brilliant and she tops her class. However, she seems to be hearing impaired.

When Charles and the other members visited the station, no one was aware that a government body vested with the powers of a magistrate existed. The inspector did not know of this either. As per law, the child may be brought in front of the CWC by a police officer, public servant, social worker, Childline, the child himself/herself or any public citizen.

CWC losing trust of people?

When C Manjula* was a member 5 years ago, the CWC used to conduct sessions in a girls home and boys home for three days a week. In her time, she used to see 100 children a month, but says that the number has dwindled.

The committee has a lot of powers, and it acts suo motu in many cases. We can even go to the central prison to find out if there are any children being held in custody in an unauthorised manner, she says.

According to the Juvenile Justice Act, the inspection committee for such institutions should consist of representatives from the state government, voluntary organisations, medical experts and CWC members.

The CWC in Chennai does not conduct regular visits, and does not maintain records of the inspections carried out, says an official on the condition of anonymity. Its about time that we cut out the governments role in this and made it ad hoc. There is no point wasting money and time in a body that fails at its job and loses trust among people, he says.

*Name has been changed to protect identity
Three militants, involved in killing of a police constable on Saturday in Jammu and Kashmir, were killed on Sunday in a gunfight in Kulgam district, police said.

Srinagar: Three militants, involved in killing of a police constable on Saturday in Jammu and Kashmir, were killed on Sunday in a gunfight in Kulgam district, police said.

While confirming that all the three militants involved in killing of the trainee constable had been eliminated during the gunfight in Khudwani area of Kulgam district, states police chief SP Vaid said: "Three bodies of terrorists recovered so far from encounter site".

Earlier, Vaid on his twitter page said: "Terrorists group that tortured our colleague Mohd Saleem of Kulgam and killed him brutally are all trapped in an encounter with J&K Police/Army/CRPF in Khudwani Kulgam."

Terrorists group that tortured our colleague CT Mohd Saleem of Kulgam & killed him brutally are all trapped in an encounter with J&K Police/Army/CRPF in Khudwani Kulgam.  Shesh Paul Vaid (@spvaid) July 22, 2018

Security forces had surrounded Khudwani area of Kulgam district following information about the presence of militants.

Police said the hiding militants had opened fire on the security forces when the cordon around them was tightened after which an encounter had started.

Trainee constable, Muhammad Saleem Shah had been abducted from his home in Matulhama village of the district on Friday evening.

The bullet riddled body of the constable was found on Saturday in Qaimoh area of the same district.

The trainee constable had come home on leave from Kathua Police Training School.
Justice Madan B Lokur, the chairman of the Supreme Court Juvenile Justice Committee, has said that juvenile convicts cannot be handed down capital punishment in every case pertaining to heinous crimes such as rape and murder. He said judgement in such cases had to be delivered on the basis of evidence.

Indore: Justice Madan B Lokur, the chairman of the Supreme Court Juvenile Justice Committee, has said that juvenile convicts cannot be handed down capital punishment in every case pertaining to heinous crimes such as rape and murder. He said judgement in such cases had to be delivered on the basis of evidence.

"It is not that for every murder, for every rape, the only penalty is the death penalty. I mean, we are not savages in this country," the SC judge said.

"Just because the person happens to be 17 years old or close to 18 years old, commits a heinous crime - therefore he must get the death penalty, it cannot be like that. You have to still work on the basis of evidence and come to some conclusion," Justice Lokur said. He was speaking on Saturday at the Fourth Western Regional Consultation on Effective Implementation of Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 held.

On Protection of Children from Sexual Offences courts, Justice Lokur said studies reveal that "perhaps" these courts were "not functioning as well as they should". "Are the POCSO courts functioning well? Are they not functioning well? You know, studies have been done (which) indicate that perhaps the POCSO courts are not functioning as well as they should. What are the reasons? What are the challenges?" he asked.

He stressed the importance of sensitisation of special courts hearing cases related to children and juveniles. Justice Lokur said that the Child Rights Protection Commission, states and the Centre should work together to tackle the huge number of cases of missing children as well as those related to child labour and child trafficking.

Among those present at the function were Supreme Court Judge Dipak Gupta, MP High Court Chief Justice Hemant Gupta and other legal luminaries.
Writers and critics say a dangerous pattern is emerging in Kerala.

A Malayalam film with a scene showing an oracle spitting at the face of a Hindu goddess went on to become a big hit in Kerala. That was in 1973. A lot of water has flown under the bridge since the famous film by Jnanpith award winner MT Vasudevan Nair won the hearts of all sections of people. A mere reference to sex in a conversation between two characters in a Malayalam novel being serialised in the Mathrubhumi weekly in the context of temple visits of women stirred a hornets nest in the state this week.

The objection has come from Sangh Parivar outfits, who described the conversation in the novel entitled Meesha (Moustache) as an insult to Hinduism and forced the author S Hareesh to stop the series after two weeks. Hareesh, winner of the 2018 Kerala Sahitya Academy award for short stories, withdrew the novel after threats against him and his family. The campaign, which began on Facebook, snowballed with right-wing activists calling him and threatening to chop off his hands.

I have decided to withdraw my novel because of the threats and attacks against me and my family. I am too weak to take on the people who rule the country. I worked on the novel for five long years, Hareesh told Mathrubhumi news channel.

What has offended the Sangh Parivar outfits is the monologue by a character that states that when women go to temple, they are subconsciously making a declaration that they are ready for a sexual relationship. The character also says that when women dont visit the temple for four or five days in a month, it is to make it clear that they are not ready for sex on those days.

Women in Kerala normally do not visit temples during the time of menstruation. In fact, a controversy is raging over the ban on women of menstruating age from visiting the famed Sabarimala hill shrine. The temple authorities have imposed a restriction and said they are unable to follow the temple custom of devotees visiting the shrine after continuous penance of 41 days.

The custom became a topic of heated debate after a group of lawyers in Delhi approached Supreme Court and sought removal of the restrictions. Most Sangh Parivar outfits are opposing womens entry at Sabarimala. This is not the first time creative freedom is coming under attack in Kerala. In 2016, well-known literary critic MM Basheer was forced to stop a newspaper column on the Ramayana in the Mathrubhumi daily under similar circumstances.

The Sangh Parivar objected to the column and asked how a Muslim could write on the Hindu epic. Basheer stopped the column after right-wing activists threatened him as well as the newspaper editors. He said that he was not afraid of the threats but pained by the attempt to reduce him to just a Muslim.

The Sangh Parivar has also been showing intolerance to criticism against them and their leaders. The Bharatiya Janata Party launched a blistering attack on MT Vaudevan Nair for criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modis demonetisation drive and targeted filmmaker Kamal for not standing when the national anthem was played during a film festival.

Last month, the party also attacked writer Paul Zacharia for calling Modi a murderer. Poet Sreekumar Kareepuzha was abused and attacked when he referred to a row between Dalits and upper caste Nair community over the building of a boundary wall around a temple at Vaikkom at a function in Kollam in February.

Its not the Sangh Parivar alone which is showing intolerance to art that does not conform to their beliefs. Manorama, the biggest media group in Kerala, withdrew an issue of its 125-year-old literary magazine Bhashaposhini in December 2016 after Christian fundamentalists objected to an illustration showing a half-naked dancer surrounded by nuns.

The painting, an artistic interpolation of Leonardo da Vincis classic 15th century mural The Last Supper by painter Tom Vattakkuzhi accompanied the review of a play Mrudwangiyudeh Durmruthyu (The Unnatural Death of the Fragile) carried in the issue of the highly respected literary magazine. The play by C Gopan is based on Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menons poem Narthaki (Dancer) on Mata Hari, a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was executed by the French during World War I on the charge of spying.

Similarly, Muslim fundamentalists forced pro-Left poet Pavithran Theekkuni to withdraw his poem on purdah (veil) from Facebook in December. The poet said that he was afraid that the fundamentalists would chop off his hands, as they did to Newman college professor PJ Joseph, who invited the wrath of the fundamentalists by framing a question on Mohammed for his students.

Writers and critics say a dangerous pattern is emerging in Kerala. Vattakkuzhy said no one came to his support when the fundamentalists forced Manorama to remove his painting from the magazine.

A leading writer spat fire against the killers of Khalburgi at a function in which I was present. He did not utter a word against the attack on me, the painter said. The artist said he was now afraid to give expression to the realities around him due to the rising threats to creative freedom. He said he was forced to self-censor before publishing a work of art.

Vattakkuzhi said fundamentalists are gaining strength in Kerala because of the silence of fellow artists and secular forces. They seem to have lost the courage to speak against the threats, he said and added that this was a frightening situation.

Keralites are very vocal about happenings outside the state. The killings of rationalists and writers Gauri Lankesh, MM Kalburgi, Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar triggered strong waves of protests in Kerala. But none of those who were in the forefront of the protests raised their voice against the threat to creative freedom in Kerala, he added.

Noted writer and social critic, professor MN Karaserry, said the silence may be because of fear. He said most people in the state were trying to safeguard their security as the atmosphere of intolerance was growing. Keralites have shown great sense in appreciating works of art. I feel the new generation has stopped understanding that art is an interpretation of people and the times. Those who do not understand this or pretend not to understand this are creating trouble. It is not easy to guide them correctly, says Karaserry.
A day after Congress president Rahul Gandhi brought up farmers woes in the Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Uttar Pradeshs sugarcane belt Shahjahanpur, trying to appease the community

Shahjahanpur: A day after Congress president Rahul Gandhi brought up farmers woes in the Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Uttar Pradeshs sugarcane belt Shahjahanpur, trying to appease the community.

Addressing the Kisan Kalyan Sammelan rally on Saturday, the prime minister told the farmers that he was the bearer of good tidings. "I am here to fulfil my promise. The government recently decided to give 80 percent additional profit over the minimum support price (MSP) to sugarcane farmers, he said.

During Fridays debate on the no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha, Gandhi had alleged that the Modi-led BJP government at the Centre had done little to improve the plight of the farming community.

Modi countered the charge while addressing the gathering of over 50,000 farmers: The present rate of sugarcane per quintal was Rs 155 and now the government has decided to raise it to Rs 275, which is 1.75 times the price being paid earlier to cane farmers. Even in case of less recovery of sugar, farmers will be paid Rs 261 per quintal.

The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) reacted to the prime ministers 'largesse' by saying that the government was just misleading the community.

In Shahjahanpur, the prime minister also declared that the government was trying to save money by allowing sugar mills to produce ethanol, for which monetary assistance was being given.

"We have decided to mix petrol with ethanol, which will reduce the cost of bringing ethanol from other countries, he said, adding, Earlier, ethanol production in India was just 40 crore litres. Now, because of our efforts, production is (going to be) 160 crore litres by the end of this year.

Criticising the former governments at the Centre, the prime minister said that the production of ethanol was nothing new: Modi koi naya idea lekar nahi aaya, bas niyat lekar aaya hai (Modi hasnt come up with a new idea, but only intention).

Pehle niyat nahi thi, aur kisaano ki parwaah kisi ko nahi thi. Aur ye aaj se 15 saal pehle Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji ne shuru kiya tha, lekin uske baad ndoosri sarkaaron ne ispar kachue ki chaal se kaam kiya (Earlier, there was no intention to work, or concern for farmers. This was started 15 years ago by Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji but then other governments worked at a slow pace)," he said.

It may be mentioned that sugarcane dues in Uttar Pradesh stand at over Rs 10,000 crore at the moment, and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has not been able to keep the promise he had made last year of clearing cane dues within two weeks of assuming charge.

An eyewash?

For Bharatiya Kisan Union spokesperson Dharmendra Malik, the central governments much-hyped dole is just an eyewash.

The cane farmers were in a loss and will still be in a loss, says Malik.

Explaining further, he added: "The Swaminathan Commission recommended giving Rs 400 per quintal to cane farmers and yet Rs 275 per quintal has been announced. The farmers in Uttar Pradesh are already facing losses because they are not getting even the production cost of their crops and are forced to sell them at a lower price.

According to Malik, cane farmers used to get Rs 250 per quintal when recovery was 9.5 percent (going by the old rate) and would now get Rs 275 for 10 per cent, which means the government has given a rise of just Rs 25 while the price of transportation and labour is surging by the day.

"The farmers now also have to fish out 18 percent more tax in the name of GST, even for buying agricultural machinery. These things have just added to their woes. The farmers are very unhappy with this government," Malik said.

BJP in election mode

Veteran journalist JP Shukla called Modis Shahjahanpur address an attempt by the BJP to woo the farmers ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. "The party is in election mode and has already faced defeats in by-polls in western Uttar Pradesh. The biggest challenge for the BJP is to break the vote bank of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) (Dalit-Yadav), because it knows now that the road for 2019 is not as smooth as it was in 2014," he said.

During the bye-elections for UPs Kairana and Noorpur seats, the state opposition, including the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), SP and BSP, had accused the BJP of neglecting the farmers. To break Opposition unity, the BJP seems to have set its sight on the cane farmers of north-western Uttar Pradesh, and Modi has been making frequent rounds of the state recently.

"In 2014, the BJP won (the election to Lok Sabha) on Hindutva but now this topic has lost its charm, so it is using development as a major poll plank and stressing on how the party has worked for the farmers. The party knows when to press which nerve to win peoples confidence," Shukla pointed out.

Prime minister mocks Rahul Gandhi

It was clear that Gandhis criticism of Friday and surprising hug to the prime minister were still on Modis mind while he spoke to the farmers in Shahjahannpur.

"A no-confidence motion was brought in Parliament against the Modi government and when I asked them the grounds for it, they had no answer but I got a forced hug, he told the gathering, adding they have their eyes only on the PMs chair.

Meanwhile, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Raj Babbar pointed out to the media that Modi was so arrogant that he did not even stand up when Gandhi went to hug him.

(Saurabh Sharma is a Lucknow-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters)
Describing Sri Lanka as India's trusted partner in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the two countries can work together to translate their vision of shared progress into reality.

New Delhi: Describing Sri Lanka as India's trusted partner in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the two countries can work together to translate their vision of shared progress into reality.

Addressing an event to expand Emergency Ambulance Service across the entire island nation of Sri Lanka with Indian assistance, he said, "In good times and bad, India has been, and will always be the first responder for Sri Lanka."

Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was in Jaffna, joined the event via a video bridge. "When I look at Sri Lanka, I see not only a neighbour, but a very special and trusted partner of India in South Asia and in Indian Ocean (region)," the PMO said in a statement quoting Modi.

He said New Delhi's development cooperation with Colombo is an important means for translating the vision of shared progress into reality.

"It is not just a coincidence that India has the privilege to be Sri Lanka's partner in establishing this first responder service and in its expansion. In good times and bad, India has been, and will always be the first responder for Sri Lanka," Modi said.

He recalled that during his visit to Sri Lanka last year, he had promised that India will work for expanding the pre-hospital Emergency Ambulance Service across the island nation. "I am happy that India has fulfilled its promise in a timely manner and we have marked the beginning of the second phase of the service," he said.

Modi was of the view that the people of the two countries should be in constant touch with each other so that they know each other better and become even closer friends.

"I would encourage you to come to India and experience the 'New India' that is taking shape," the prime minister told the gathering.
Cooperation in defence and agriculture will be Modi's priorities during his bilateral visits to Rwanda and Uganda before he goes to South Africa for the annual Brazil, Russia, India China, South Africa (BRICS) Summit

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's five-day, three-nation tour of Africa starting on Monday will see India reaching out first bilaterally and then multilaterally under the BRICS umbrella to the continent.

"The visit to Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa will further strengthen our relations with the African continent," the External Affairs Ministry said.

Over the last few years, there has been significant engagement in various fields with African countries. There have been 23 outgoing visits to Africa by the President, Vice President and Prime Minister in the last four years.

"Africa has been the top priority of India's foreign policy," the statement said.

Cooperation in defence and agriculture will be Modi's priorities during his bilateral visits to Rwanda and Uganda before he goes to South Africa for the annual Brazil, Russia, India China, South Africa (BRICS) Summit.

This will be Modi's second visit to mainland Africa after he visited Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya in 2016.

Modi will reach Rwanda on 23 July in what will be the first ever Prime Ministerial visit from India to the East African nation.

India elevated its ties with Rwanda, seen as an important gateway to eastern Africa, to that of a Strategic Partnership in January 2017.

Briefing the media, TS Tirumurti, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the External Affairs Ministry, said India will open its first mission in Rwanda very soon. India's current High Commissioner to Rwanda has residence in Kampala, Uganda.

Rwanda is also a recipient of Indian lines of credit of nearly $400 million and of Indian training and scholarship programmes.

During Modi's visit, two more lines of credit are expected to be signed - one of $100 million for industrial parks and a similar amount for agriculture and irrigation.

"We expect agreements to be concluded in the areas of defence, dairy cooperation, leather, agriculture and culture," Tirumurti said.

In Rwanda, Modi will visit Rweru model village to gift 200 cows as part of a programme overseen by President Kagame wherein the poorest families get dairy cows from the government and the first female calf born of the cow is gifted to a neighbour to promote brotherhood.

From Rwanda, Modi will reach Uganda on 24 July in what will the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister in 21 years.

Tirumurti said training and capacity building had been the focus of defence cooperation between India and Uganda. India has an Indian military training team stationed in Jinja since 2010.

Apart from calling on Ugandan President Yowei Museveni and holding delegation-level talks, Modi will take part in an India-Uganda joint business event and address the Ugandan parliament, the first ever by an Indian Prime Minister.

He will also address members of the Indian community in Uganda.

"We expect to extend two lines of credit for the first time to Uganda of $141 million regarding electricity lines and sub-stations and $64 million for agriculture and dairy production," Tirumurti said.

From Uganda, Modi will reach South Africa on 25 July on the third and last leg of his visit.

Besides the BRICS Summit, Modi will also hold a bilateral meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa, who assumed office in February.

South Africa is organising the 10th BRICS leaders' Summit under the theme "BRICS in Africa: Collaboration with Developing Countries for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the Fourth Industrial Revolution".

Modi, along with other BRICS leaders, will participate in the restricted session, plenary session, leaders' retreat, outreach with leaders from Africa and outreach with leaders from the global South.

In the BRICS-Africa outreach, those invited include Rwanda, Uganda, Togo, Zambia, Namibia, Senegal, Gabon, Ethiopia, Angola and the African Union Chair.

In the BRICS-plus outreach, the invited countries of the global South include Argentina, Turkey, Indonesia, Jamaica and Egypt.

On the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, Modi will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. This will be the third meeting between the two leaders this year.
Narendra Modi's popularity appears to have weakened, perhaps because of Rahul Gandhi's self-articulation as a leader who can be taken seriously.

As the no-confidence motion, unsuccessfully floated in Parliament on Friday, descends into political oblivion, it has become possible  even necessary  to retrospect over it. In meditations on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's unexceptionally impassioned address  a document of communicative politics  one finds praise and critique but little interpretation.

Modi spoke for over an hour, channeling his polemic unsurprisingly towards the Congress and its arrogance, its history of electoral despotism and disruption, its pessimism and lust for power. In the second, slightly longer part of his address, Modi spoke of his government's achievements in delivering electricity, toilets, financial credit, and development to the weakest and most-vulnerable agrarian communities and regions.

Then, in his cognisance of the regional inscription in the no-confidence motion, Modi addressed the people of Andhra Pradesh, casting himself and his government in a reassuring rhetoric of paternalism. It is critical that the prime minister spoke to the people, not the political parties, of Andhra Pradesh, and its significance was not lost on the Telugu Desam Party's (TDP) Kesineni Srinivas, who rose minutes later to call Modi a dramatist and his address, a Bollywood film. One is unsure whether it was Modi's speech or his political manoeuvring that saved the day, but the government salvaged its position by reclaiming parliamentary confidence, promptly invoking its basis in popular support as opposed to parliamentary favour.

The anatomy of the address, however, has escaped acknowledgement. While Congress president Rahul Gandhi called the address weak, senior party leader Sonia Gandhi rubbished its "old rhetoric". Opposition leaders have since expressed dismay, baffled not at how the no-confidence vote was scuttled but at how Modi could be lauded for a speech that addressed none of its concerns and complaints. The prime minister's address remains a text of communicative politics as he managed to have the last word even though he ignored the Opposition's words of protest.

Evidence of this logo-politics has not been sparse  in election after election, address after address, Modi has revealed that he inhabits a different political world where there is no space for polemics he does not recognise, however harshly delivered. In steering clear of the aspersions the Opposition has cast on him, the prime minister does not merely negate its logic, he erases it from political vocabulary. This is his greatest assault.

It is unimportant, but it wouldn't hurt to retrospect over 2014 again. On 26 May, 2014, Modi became the fifteenth prime minister of India. His filibuster election campaigns drew an outpouring of support, dubbed a palpable leher (wave), and his deft use of this backing secured him the distinction of being the first social media prime minister.

There is a curious irony in this characterisation, for after almost four years in power, this praise has become castigation  in his tenure so far, Modi has not held a single press conference. It it is argued that like an emperor, he issues unanticipated commandments from above, interested only in being heard and obeyed. Modi's elevation to totalising supremacy was prefigured by his chief ministerial career in Gujarat over twelve and a half years, during which he allegedly presided over a massacre in 2002. But this is a memory Modi has laboured to erase, re-fashioning himself as the vikas purush (development man) of relatively modest origins who would, if voted to power, undo the well-entrenched privilege of the Indian National Congress and usher India towards unprecedented development. While Modi has endeavoured towards the former objective, there is no evidence in sight of the latter. If anything, Modi's four years have been interesting and taxing times. While he continues to have tremendous support, the leher has passed. However, Modi has not.

As Prashant Jha incisively notes in How the BJP Wins, Modi is infallible as long as he grasps the pulse of the people, and he has done so with an unwavering eye. Confronting the precarious position of Gujarat's electoral outcome, Modi revisited the memory of his chief ministerial days, presenting himself as an "insider against the encroaching outsiders" towards whom the discontent of Gujaratis is evident. Modi's recent electoral triumphs may have looked effortless, but their progressive aggression has made it apparent that this has not been the case  every battle is now against the Congress, and they are battles fought bitterly.

How does he do it? In every word Modi uses for political persuasion, regardless of its communal nature, he develops a politics of remarkable intimacy. This is done by invoking another entity, whether it is the Congress, or Muslims, or what has come to be called the "Lutyens' media".

There is a rarely understood logic in Modi's distance from the media. Modi appeals to the people as he speaks to the people  whether it is in his critique of the Congress (and euphemistically of everyone and everything elite), or his skilful use of outrage in a manner that would resonate with the masses. His primary political project is the dying art of conversation, positioning himself as both friend and saviour of the masses.

Modi gains favour even with communal remarks

In his communalism, too, Modi appeals to a space within all of us and activates desires that modern ideas of rights and citizenship have strenuously, but imperfectly, attempted to tame. On the other hand, the Opposition's idea of secularism is a liberal abstraction sparsely understood, let alone practised, in the cultural space of India's liquid modernities, where one may simultaneously be both communal and secular, theoretically speaking.

Dovetailed with this is Modi's formidable ability to freeze the narrative to what he desires it to be; so formidably is this done that the Congress and other Opposition figures can only trail far, far behind, struggling to outdo and even run apace. An important trope is the image of Rahul Gandhi as an infant, which the BJP has effortlessly made enduring. In characterising Rahul's words on the Rafale fighter jet deal with France and his theatrical antics of hugging and winking as puerile acts, Modi has furthered this narrative.

To take another example from Gujarat, an election too decisive in cementing these configurations, Mani Shankar Aiyar's calling Modi neech (lowly) was entirely unexceptional. Several Congress ministers have said much worse and more frequently, and to speak of the utterances of BJP ministers and politicians would be opening a Pandora's box. For instance: when Subramanian Swamy called Sonia Gandhi a vaishya with a sexual pejorative. But Modi understood the political value of employing Aiyar's words against the Congress, and this was done to counteract the networks of caste with whom the Congress had been negotiating in Gujarat. In a matter of hours, neech transitioned from implying moral degeneration to taking intonations of caste, projecting the prime minister as a man from a lower caste who had been wronged. It is childish to believe that Aiyar's words were decisive, but Modi's appropriation is instructive of his astute political moves.

On no sovereign at the height of his power does the sun ever appear to set, but on every man it has. This is humbling, historical truth, and Modi must remember it. The prime minister's formidable hold of the narrative appears to have weakened, though it is still in a comfortable place. Perhaps this emanates from Rahul's recent self-articulation as a leader who can be taken seriously.

What appears to be behind the BJP's floundering fortune  and here, we have to be relative for the floundering is premature and indecisive  is a discontent that is escaping Modi's seemingly infallible grasp. Although he has tried to stifle it to impotence in incessant assertions of Hindutva and the identity of the persecuted, the identitarian and political togetherness that Hindutva attempts to coerce on a heterogeneous community continues to be stillborn. Its fractures became evident with Patidar leaders Hardik Patel and Jignesh Mevani in Gujarat as well as in Bhima-Koregaon.

To read this discontent  and this is a significant lesson that we must learn from  in the regeneration of the Congress, or Rahul's "return", would be to stifle the promise of developing a political opposition to the BJP in general and to Modi in particular. This is not to argue that there can be no political opposition from the Congress, but we will have to find answers in the rapidly developing discontent and Modi's reaction to it.

Narendra Modi remains the indisputable elephant in the theatre of Indian politics, but his power rests on a ground that is shifting. It is the ability to engage with this peopled ground, and not parties and establishments as the Congress, that will determine whether this ground shifts towards the Opposition or reverts to the embrace of its intimate envoy, Narendra Modi, who is far from over.
The Pakistan election authorities on Sunday ordered the arrest of four officials in Sindh province for trying to open up postal ballots ahead of the elections.

Islamabad: The Pakistan election authorities on Sunday ordered the arrest of four officials in Sindh province for trying to open up postal ballots ahead of the elections. The incident of opening of the secret postal ballots with alleged involvement of local assistant returning officers (AROs) had been reported from Sanghar and Sehwan districts.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ordered the arrest of the four AROs, taking a serious note of the breach of secrecy. An ECP press release said the two AROs from Sanghar and two others from Sehwan were attempting to open the postal ballots.

The Pakistan electoral laws provide for voting through postal ballots for those officials who cannot visit their home constituencies to cast their votes. The ECP action came amid the rising pressure by political parties to ensure a free and fair election, scheduled for 25 July.

Meanwhile, the presiding officers-in-charge of various polling stations were administered today an oath to maintain neutrality in the poll process. The oath was administered by district returning officers in each district under the provisions of a newly enacted law, the Election Act 2017.
The police reported building collapse in Pune's Mundhwa due to its precarious condition and incessant rains might have worsened the situation

Pune: Eight people including four children were injured after a two-storey residential building collapsed in Mundhwa area on Saturday afternoon, police said.

"A one-year-old girl was among the injured. Building owner Kailash Bhandwalkar, three members of his family and four others from two tenant families were injured," police said.

Police reported that the building, standing by a nullah in Keshavnagar locality, was around 30 years old and in a precarious condition.

"Incessant rains may have weakened it further", police said

Fire brigade personnel rescued all those who were trapped under the debris, including a one-year-old girl from Bhandwalkar's family.

Two buffaloes tied outside the house died as debris fell on them, police said.
Congress spokesperson has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of 'misleading and betraying farmers'. He said that farmer suicides increased by 40 percent after BJP came to power

New Delhi: Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress on Saturday accused him of "misleading and betraying" the farmers of the country and said he had a "poor track record" in the agriculture sector.

Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill alleged the prime minister was a "dishonest leader", who was once again "spreading propaganda rather than giving definitive answers on farmers' issues".

He said that farmers' suicide rate in Uttar Pradesh had increased by 40 percent since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in the state.

In his rally at Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, Modi claimed that the previous governments lacked the will to help farmers, while listing the measures taken by his government for their welfare.

It was for the first time in the country that a government had decided to allow mills to produce ethanol from molasses and sugarcane juice, he said,

During his nearly 45-minute speech, the prime minister said the opposition was merely running after the prime minister's post while ignoring the poor, the youth and the farmers.

Targeting Modi, Shergill said, "Today in Uttar Pradesh, the prime minister once again mislead, betrayed the farmers... He should give specific replies on why he has failed the farmers in Uttar Pradesh rather than indulging window dressing exercises."

He alleged that the BJP leader ridiculed and rubbed salt on the wounds of farmers by giving Rs 1 loan waiver while he helped his corporate friends to the tune of Rs 2.72 lakh crore.

"The prime minister should also fold his hands before the farmers of the country and put his head down in shame and explain why till date has he failed to recover Rs 20,000 crore owed to sugarcane farmers from the sugarcane factory owners," he said.

Claiming that Modi is planning 50 rallies across the nation in the run-up to 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the spokesperson said the prime minister should instead undertake an "apology campaign for his anti-farmer policies" and apologise to the entire farming community.

"The farmers of this country have stopped buying the political lolly-pops of the prime minister because they have realised that all that glitters is not gold," he said.
Congress's Mumbai has put up posters featuring Rahul Gandhi hugging Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Parliament with a message that says Congress will win through 'love' not hatred

Two days after Congress president Rahul Gandhi astounded everyone by hugging Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Parliament, the party put up posters of the much-talked-about hug in Mumbais Andheri suburb.

According to ANI, the poster carries the message, "Nafrat se nahin pyaar se jeetenge (Will win through love, not hatred)" teasing the BJP that ahead of the 2019 election to Lok Sabha.

Mumbai Congress put up posters of Rahul Gandhi hugging PM Modi in Lok Sabha during #NoConfidenceMotion debate pic.twitter.com/z8cjlIyGs9  ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2018

Congress president Sanjay Nirupam also uploaded a picture of the poster on his Twitter handle.

On Friday, during the no-confidence motion debate, Gandhi attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the prime minister over various issues that plague the country like mob lynching and farmers woes, women's safety, etc.

The Congress president had also accused the government of 'corruption' referring to the Rafale Deal and also talked about GST, and of demonetisation being a failure.

After his fiery speech, Gandhi then walked over to the prime minister and hugged him. You can call me Pappu, give me names, but I will never have hatred for you, he had said.

Soon after, pictures and videos of Gandhi hugging Modi went viral on social media. The gesture surprised the prime minister and all others who witnessed it.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said that the gesture was against the prescribed decorum of the Parliament and Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that the hug reminded him of Uttarakhands Chipko Movement.

The prime minister himself mocked the move by saying that Rahul Gandhi was in a hurry to become the next prime minister.
Randeep Surjewala further said that for Congress the 2019 elections is a fight not against an individual but an ideology of suppression and subjugation.

At a press conference after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meet on Sunday, party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Rahul Gandhi would spearhead the fight in the 2019 election.

Surjewala further said that for Congress, the 2019 elections is a fight not against an individual but an ideology of suppression and subjugation, reported CNN-News 18.

#RahulCWCMeet -- Congress will fight this election under the leadership of party president Rahul Gandhi: Randeep Surjewala, Congress pic.twitter.com/n3eWs5MCAM  News18 (@CNNnews18) July 22, 2018

Party leaders have authorised Rahul to form an election campaign committee and take decisions on both pre-poll and post-poll alliances, Surjewala added.

Speaking about the Mahagathbandhan, Surejwala said that there will be real time negotiations as an alliance cannot be formed on rigidity. Surjewala earlier tweeted comments of various Congress leaders at the CWC meeting and said that Rahul urged Congress workers to "rise and fight" for India's oppressed.

Surjewala further added that the Congress is the only party to have a unit from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Porbandar to Tripura. Admitting that the party may have won fewer seats in the 2014 general election, he said that does not mean that the Congress' presence is not larger than any other political party in the country.

"We expect to better our 2004 performance. Once Congress becomes the single largest party of touching the magic number of 200 or more, naturally the party will be leading whoever wants to come and walk hand-in-hand. The Congress president would then be the only face to be projected," Surjewala added.

Surjewala also attacked the BJP, and said hopes are being dashed and democracy is being suppressed. He accused the BJP of attacking institutions, communities and individuals, and further said the rights of women, Dalits and the poor was being taken away.

Surjewala added that in some time, only Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah will remain in the party as its other leaders would leave the party. Surjewala said that the Shiv Sena has already announced that they will not contest elections under the leadership of Modi. Two regional parties, BJD and TPD, also left the NDA, Surjewala said. "There is no Bharatiya Janata Party anymore, there is only Modi Janata Party now," Surjewala added.
It is difficult to understand why some younger leaders of the Congress are still harbouring delusions of grandeur.

The Congress Working Committee (CWC), reconstituted by party president Rahul Gandhi last Tuesday, met for the first time on Sunday. Among the barrage of issues flagged at the meeting was the important question of alliances.

Before discussing what happened at the meeting, a few words about the new CWC would be in order. The main body, consisting of 23 members, is not really a huge departure. In the mix, the old guard still predominates. The new entrants, like Siddaramaiah, Tarun Gogoi and Oommen Chandy, all former chief ministers, dont exactly impart to the CWC a youthful profile. The only surprise has been the induction of Kumari Selja, but she must by any account be counted as a veteran.

The young members have been brought in as permanent invitees or special invitees, thus Jyotiraditya Scindia, RPN. Singh, Gaurav Gogoi, et al, as permanent invitees and Deepender Hooda and Jitin Prasada as special invitees. The institutionalisation of these two categories is a relatively recent development. Their role is mostly to broaden the debate in the CWC, and provide inputs and feedback. It can, therefore, be assumed that the old guard still holds the balance of power in the Congress.

We shall see in a bit that on the question of alliances, this balance has had a curious impact. First, though, we could run quickly through the pretty heavy agenda of the meeting, which lasted five-odd hours. Agriculture, unemployment and economic growth rates were discussed; the governments failures in this area were noted. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pointed out that it would just not be possible to double agricultural incomes as promised by the prime minister.

The plight of the tribal people, Dalits, backward sections and women was also discussed, with promises for a more inclusive regime on offer. The dismantling of institutions was noted, and the restoration of institutional integrity promised. This point is crucial. Rhetoric will not do. Rahul Gandhi and his party will have to convince people that they mean to do this. The best way to do this is to begin restoring institutional integrity within the party itself.

This will mean recreating Congress committees bottom upwards: from villages, towns and cities, through the mandals (blocks), districts and 'pradesh's (states) to the All-India Congress Committee. Once a simulacrum of a coherent organization is in place, intra-party elections have to be started and re-institutionalised. This might sound utopian, but if the will exists, there is no reason why it cant be done, though it might take some time.

Leaving aside some other very specific matters, is the crucial matter of alliances. Rahul Gandhi was authorised to begin the process of building bridges. The Congress president told reporters after the meeting that the process had already begun; a committee had been formed to take the work ahead. Sonia Gandhi, too, is believed to have said at the meeting that the party was committed to forging alliances.

But this project may not run smoothly. In the first place, there is a caveat: something to the effect that allies will be sought where necessary. Curiously, some of the younger leaders, Shaktisinh Gohil, who is a permanent invitee, Sachin Pilot, who is not a part of the CWC in any capacity, and Ramesh Chennithala, who is not exactly young anymore and is not a part of the new set-up, tried to dilute the alliance line. They argued that the party should continue with strategic alliances but remain at their centre, and that Rahul Gandhi should be the face of any alliance the party may form. Chennithala apparently added, for good measure, that Rahul Gandhi should be projected as the prime minister.

If this line prevails, the project of Opposition unity will be dead in the water. Fortunately for the Opposition, the Congress president has indicated that the Karnataka model, in which the Congress gave up its claim to the chief ministers post despite having more MLAs than the Janata Dal (Secular), could be the template. Opposition leaders who are entrenched in their states will not easily accept the Congresss tutelage: Mamata Banerjee in Bengal, Mayawati and even Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh and Naveen Patnaik in Orissa, if he joins a putative federal front, have administrative experience, which Rahul Gandhi doesnt. With the exception of Akhilesh Yadav, they have been in politics for much, much longer than Rahul Gandhi.

Most of them have clearly indicated that Rahul Gandhi will not be an automatic choice as the leader of an alliance or front, if he is a choice at all. The only way that the Congress can claim pre-eminence for its president is by winning a lot of seats; enough to stamp its authority on the alliance. We are talking here of, say, something in the region of 130 seats.

It is difficult to understand why some younger leaders are still harbouring delusions of grandeur. It would have been somewhat explicable if the older leaders, fed in their younger days on the fading illusions of Congress hegemony, had argued for the partys predominance. The younger leaders have only experienced a fractured political space in which the Congress had already been obliterated from large swathes of the country, notably the Hindi heartland.

It was reported recently that while the Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh units of the Congress were open to an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party and others, the Rajasthan unit, headed by Pilot, was not. Clearly, Pilot felt he was on a good enough wicket, while the others felt the need for an alliance. But coalition politics cannot work on the policy of cherry-picking.

Rahul Gandhi has to understand that. And as he goes about trying to revitalise his party, he has to convince the doubters that the Congress must shed its delusions and work with allies as equals.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi outlined the role of party as the voice of India and said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacked institutions, Dalits, tribals, minorities and the poor.

Addressing the Congress Working Committee (CWC) after it was revamped in December, party chief Rahul Gandhi said on Sunday that expanding the party's voter base and winning their trust back is one of the biggest tasks ahead.

"Expansion of our party vote base is one of our biggest tasks. In each constituency, we have to find people who have not voted for us and develop a strategy to reach out to them and win back their trust," he said.

Gandhi outlined the role of the party as the voice of India while accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attacking institutions, Dalits, tribals, minorities and the poor while addressing party leaders at the CWC meeting, currently underway at the Parliament Annex in New Delhi.

According to party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, who tweeted, comments of various Congress leaders present at the internal party meeting, Rahul urged Congress workers to "rise and fight" for India's oppressed actions.

Sh. Rahul Gandhi reminds qua the role of Congress as the voice of India as also its responsibility of present and future, as BJP attacks institutions, dalits, tribals, backwards, minorities & poor.#CWC  Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) July 22, 2018

Surjewala also said that Gandhi called the newly-constituted CWC as an "institution comprising experience and energy, as a bridge between the past, the present, and the future".

Gandhi also said that the CWC was revamped to make it more inclusive and diverse. "We have tried to strike to a balance between the youth and experience in the CWC. The central idea behind the formation of this CWC is to make it inclusive, diverse and dynamic and representative," he said.

Expressing that the CWC accommodated different perspectives and gave spaces to the weakest voices of India, Gandhi said that the collective challenge was now to shape the current CWC to that level. "The CWC evolved during freedom struggle. Its a forum where India expressed, debated, contested and consented ideas to take the nation from colonial rule to freedom," he said.

Speaking at the meet, former prime minister and senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh rejected the culture of constant self-praise and 'jumlas' of Narendra Modi as against solid policy framework for driving the engine of growth.

Surjewala also tweeted that according to Singh, "the (Modi government's) claim of doubling farm income by 2022 will require an agriculture growth rate of 14 percent, which is nowhere in sight".

Singh also extended his support to Gandhi and said the party will stand with him to "restore India's social harmony". "I assure Shri Rahul Gandhi ji that we will fully support him on his onerous task of restoring Indias social harmony and economic development," the Congress Twitter handle quoted him as saying.

Meanwhile, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Sunday lashed out at the Narendra Modi government, saying the people of the country have to be rescued from a "dangerous regime" that is "compromising" with India's democracy, reported PTI.

In her address to the newly-constituted CWC, which met for the first time under the chairmanship of party chief Rahul Gandhi, Sonia also cautioned the people about the "reign of despair and fear" heaped upon India's deprived and poor.

She said the rhetoric of Prime Minister Narendra Modi shows his "desperation" reflecting that the "reverse countdown" of the Modi government has begun.

We are committed to make alliances work and we are all with Congress president Rahul Gandhi in this endeavour. We have to rescue our people from a dangerous regime that is compromising with the democracy of India, she said.

Other Congress leaders such as Sachin Pilot, Shakti Singh and Ramesh Chennithala said that the party should enter into strategic alliance, with the Congress at the centre and Gandhi as the face of the alliance, ANI quoted sources as saying.

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh said alliances are dependent on what the top brass of the party decides. "I am saying that alliances will be dependent on where the national leadership takes us and wherever it takes us, we will go. People are expressing confidence in Congress now," he told ANI.

On the CWC meet, Surjewala also said the focus is on the "way forward" for India. "As extended Congress Working Committee holds inspiring discussion with great gravitas & depth on the issues before the Nation, focus is on the way forward for India - agriculture, youth, economy, internal/external security, SC/ST/BC/Women & integrity of institutions," he tweeted.

The CWC meet took place just two days after the Modi-led NDA government defeated a no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha. Amid the acrimonious debate, Gandhi's gesture of walking to the treasury benches, after his speech ended, to hug the prime minister after a fiery speech, dominated screens and social media.

During his 20-minute long speech, the Congress president attacked the Centre on a range of issues and said, "You may think I have a lot of hatred for the BJP and Modi. But the truth is, I am grateful to them. The BJP and Modiji have helped me understand what it means to be with the Congress, what it means to be an Indian, what it means to be a Hindu and a devotee of Shiva."

"I have not an iota of hatred or hard feelings against you. You hate me, I may be 'Pappu' for you. But I love you and respect you because I am the Congress," he said.

With inputs from PTI
A complete sweep for the Trinamool Congress in Bengal in the 2019 election is not an impossibility, nor even an improbability.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee marked the 25th anniversary of the annual Shahid Diwas (martyrs day) rally with an unusually pugnacious display, which is saying something given that she is even at the best of times not one to pull her punches. But on 21 July this year, she made more than rhetorical points. And all of them were aimed at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Banerjees fundamental point pertained to ideological premises, at least on the face of it. Accusing the BJP of importing a Taliban brand of Hindutva, she stressed that the version which came with guns and swords was not part of the political culture of Bengal or the constitutional spirit; the people would have none of it. Broadside followed broadside as Banerjee disinterred the remains of the hundreds of people killed in fake encounters in Uttar Pradesh and the 13,000 farmers who had committed suicide across the country. It was one of her most trenchant denunciations of the BJP and the government it runs at the Centre.

What followed was her agenda of an inclusive Opposition to the current dispensation in Delhi. She announced a mammoth rally to be held at the Brigade Parade ground on 19 January, 2019, to which all those opposed to the BJP would be invited  even the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which, however, immediately declined the invitation. Reports said that the Congresss Sonia Gandhi had already been issued an invitation, most likely to dispel the notion that the Congress was to be left out of the embryonic federal front.

Also announced were two meetings at the Midnapore College grounds, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently held a not-particularly-reverberating public meeting; and the launch of a BJP hatao, desh bachao campaign, to commence on 15 August. Trinamool watchers have noted that Banerjee has just stepped up her involvement in national politics several notches.

Alongside the ideological positioning and the programmatic statement, came Banerjees prognostications for short-term political outcomes. In Bengal, she said, her party would win all 42 seats in the next Lok Sabha elections, scheduled for the summer of 2019, barely ten months from now. This was possibly a riposte to BJP president Amit Shahs prediction that his party would win 22 seats, followed by the claim made by local party leaders that it could win up to 26. Country-wide, she gave the BJP a maximum of 150 seats, down from the 282 it won in 2014. She proceeded to give a state-wise breakdown of seats the BJP would lose.

Banerjees claims are worth examining. Lets begin with Bengal. A complete sweep is not an impossibility, nor even an improbability. The CPM won two seats in 2014, Raiganj in North Dinajpur and Behrampur in Murshidabad. They won because the non-Left vote got divided as the Trinamool Congress launched a vigorous campaign against the Congress. The Congress got the other two seats in Murshidabad. Going by the panchayat election results and desertions from the Congress, it is entirely possible that the Trinamool will win all three seats. The Congress won both the seats in Malda district. Going, again, by the panchayat elections in which the BJP overtook the Congress, the likelihood is the ruling party in Bengal will capture both. Desertions from the Congress to the Trinamool are ongoing and can only turn into an exodus. A strong rumour is that one of the MPs from the district will switch loyalties.

At the rally, in fact, several high-profile leaders from the Congress and CPM joined the TMC. Former BJP Rajya Sabha member (and former member of the partys National Executive) Chandan Mitra, who recently quit the BJP and attended Banerjees rally has also signed on.

The BJP won two seats  Darjeeling, as a gift from the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), and Asansol, which Union minister of state Babul Supriyo won. With Bimal Gurung on the run and the new GJM leadership aligning itself with the Trinamool, the outcome there is a no-brainer. The BJP will in all probability not be able to hold on to Asansol either. It has a whisker of a chance in Purulia, Jhargram and Alipurduar, where it did well in the panchayat elections, by winning over the loyalty of the tribal population, but winning a Lok Sabha contest is a much steeper climb. Going by the zilla parishad results (as opposed to the gram panchayat outcomes), these, too, are peaks the BJP will probably fail to conquer.

As for Banerjees prognostications about the national elections, it would be unwise to make a commitment either way. First, the elections are too far away. It would be wise to wait for the Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan before taking anything like a definite position. Two, the sheer size and complexity of India make impromptu, back-of-the-envelope estimates meaningless. Nevertheless, it may be noted that if certain conditions are fulfilled  mainly Opposition unity in key states  Banerjees estimate is not completely extra-terrestrial.

At the very least, all the available evidence suggests that the BJP is taking the 2019 challenge very seriously. You could actually go a step further and say that the evidence suggests the BJP is getting a mite jittery as well.
The Congress on Sunday alleged that Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar was behind 'changing' the FDA report that had earlier 'confirmed' the presence of high levels of formalin in fish imported to the coastal state.

Panaji: The Congress on Sunday alleged that Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar was behind "changing" the FDA report that had earlier "confirmed" the presence of high levels of formalin in fish imported to the coastal state.

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) had initially confirmed the presence of formalin, a preservative that causes cancer, in fish, but later withdrawn its own findings.

After a hue and cry over the issue, the state government last week banned import of fish from other states till end of this month.

The Congress has been stalling the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly over the formalin issue since last two days.

Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Girish Chodankar demanded that import of fish be banned completely, saying the state can harvest fish locally and that the people should not be compelled to consume "chemically-poisoned fish".

"I strongly feel that the chief minister is involved in changing the (FDA) report. He has taken control of the FDA," Chodankar told reporters here.

He also alleged that the chief minister was acting "at the behest of the ruling BJP's alliance partner the Goa Forward Party (GFP) which is close to the people indulged in the wholesale fish trade".

Chodankar said Parrikar's "silence" on the investigation into "fish mafia" is an act to save his government from being toppled by the alliance partner.

He alleged that the chief minister has lost his grip over the state Cabinet and had "surrendered" to the demands of the GFP president and agriculture minister Vijai Sardesai.

"Be it on the issue of regional plan 2021 or outline development plan or formalin fish or fish mafia, Parrikar wants to ensure that his chair is safe and for that, he has compromised on the interest of the people," Chodankar alleged.

He demanded that the government impose certain restrictions on export of fish.

"Only those varieties of fish that are not consumed locally be allowed to be exported," Chodankar demanded.

Responding to a query on whether the chief minister's health prevented him from taking strict action on such important issues, Chodankar replied in affirmative.

"That is true. I had advised the chief minister to take a break as he is not in the position to handle pressure. Parrikar is not just an administrative head but also a political head. It seems that after his return from US (where he had gone for medical treatment), the chief minister is ignoring the issues which are against the public interest," he claimed.
Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said on Saturday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reply to the Lok Sabha debate on the no-confidence motion was 'full of hatred'.

Mumbai: Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said on Saturday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reply to the Lok Sabha debate on the no-confidence motion was "full of hatred".

"The country cannot run on hatred. Our country is a family. Modi's speech in the Lok Sabha yesterday (Friday) was full of hatred. The need of the hour is to protect the country and its Constitution," Sibal said at a 'Bharat Bachao' meeting organised in Mumbai by the Youth Congress.

"It is not the BJP, but the RSS that is ruling the country," he alleged.

The former Union minister alleged there was a threat to democracy and the Constitution as the BJP was "using institutions for its own interests".

"The Congress doesn't hate anyone," Sibal said.

"We can win the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on the strength of the Youth Congress and make Rahul Gandhi the prime minister," he said.
Piyush Goyal on Thursday took a dig at Shashi Tharoor, saying he did not understand the Congress leader's 'foreign accent'.

New Delhi: Finance minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday took a dig at Shashi Tharoor, saying he did not understand the Congress leader's "foreign accent".

While participating in the debate in the Lok Sabha on the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, Tharoor had attacked the government saying there was a "significant gap" between the government's rhetoric and action.

He had launched a scathing attack on the Modi government saing Nirav Modi, who had fled the country after allegedly duping state-run banks of crores of rupees, was photographed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Davos.

The prime minister had promised to be a "chowkidar", Tharoor had said.

While replying to the debate on the bill, Goyal said he did not understand the "foreign English accent" of Tharoor. This was objected to by RSP member NK Premachandran, who is also Tharoor's fellow MP from Kerala.

He came to the Congress MP's defence, saying "It is not fair on the part of the minister" to make such a comment.

When Parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar intervened in the matter, Premachandran retorted that he had every right to do so, since the minister had made an observation about a member of the Opposition.

Known for his chaste English and good vocabulary, Tharoor is a two-time MP from Thiruvanathapuram in Kerala.

Prior to his entry in politics, Tharoor served extensively at the United Nations, where he had unsuccessfully contested for the UN Secretary General's post.
Vasundhara Raje will be the BJP's chief ministerial candidate in the upcoming Assembly elections in the state, party president Amit Shah said.

Jaipur: Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje will be the BJP's chief ministerial candidate in the upcoming Assembly elections in the state, party president Amit Shah said on Saturday.

The Assembly election will be contested under her leadership and she will again become the chief minister with a thumping majority, he said at the concluding session of the BJP's state working committee meeting.

The party will once again form governments in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh also, Shah added, referring to other Assembly elections to be held later this year.

He asked party workers to remain dedicated and work hard to ensure that the BJP retains power in the state and also wins the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, according to a press statement.

Shah said the welfare schemes launched by the Raje government have been appreciated across the country and suggested that party workers should base the election campaign on them.

Raje exuded confidence that the party will get more seats this year than in the last Assembly elections, and will also win all the 25 Lok Sabha seats in 2019, the statement said.

The working committee meeting began on Friday but Shah came to Jaipur on Saturday to address the concluding session.

Suman Sharma, chairperson of the state commission for women, told reporters that Shah gave a clear message that Raje will be the party's chief ministerial face.

MLA Ashok Parnami said Shah urged that every BJP worker should dedicate 18 hours a day for the party for the next few months.

"The party workers are full of energy and fully charged," Parnami said.

State Housing and Urban Development minister Shrichand Kriplani claimed the BJP will get than 180 of the 200 Assembly seats in the elections due later this year.

Shah also attended a function in the city for the wedding of Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh also arrived in the evening for the wedding function.

Addressing a separate meeting of the Rajasthan BJP's social media cell, Shah said the party's cyber warriors would set the agenda of the elections.

He asked them to take the work done by the central and state governments among the masses through social media.

During his meetings, Shah accused the Congress of playing "negative politics".
The Congresss unfortunate defensive reflexes, which come into play as it works out what it sees as ineluctable compulsions and calculations, encourages the BJP and affords it space for aggrandisement.

Shashi Tharoors recent comments foreshadowing the spectre of a Hindu rashtra should the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) win a majority in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, have provoked predictable responses. The Congress Member of Parliaments clarifications served largely to underline his original statement.

In his earlier remarks, Tharoor had said on 12 July that the BJP would change the Constitution to make India a Hindu Pakistan if voted back to power. It was only the lack of a two-thirds majority in the Rajya Sabha, he added, that prevented it from fulfilling this objective. Faced with a barrage of criticism and abuse, including a not-so-gentle admonition from his own party, which distanced itself from Tharoors opinion, he iterated his position from another angle. Pakistan, he said, was created as a State with a dominant religion, which discriminated against its minorities. The BJPs ideal of a Hindu rashtra was a mirror image and if realised would turn India into a Hindu Pakistan.

The BJPs parroted response was pro forma. Party spokesman Sambit Patra said Tharoors statement had assaulted Indian democracy, and repeatedly denigrating ones own country, democracy and the Hindu religion was shameful. No surprises there. No surprise either that members of the BJP youth wing attacked and vandalised Tharoors office in Thiruvananthapuram.

Though it is difficult to see why the Congress showed such alacrity in dissociating itself from Tharoors statement, party spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewalas response had all the voiceprints of classic nationalist rhetoric founded in a determinate historiography and ideology. Surjewala was confident that Indias values and fundamentals were an unequivocal guarantee of its civilisational role, which set it apart from Pakistan. He did not specify what this role was and what it was apropos of.

If you look beyond what Tharoor literally said, it seems to be quite clear that he was trying to point to the BJPs ongoing project of subverting democratic institutions, creating a political atmosphere inimical to maintaining the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution, clamping down on dissent and making India a much, much more difficult place for its minorities to live in.

It is difficult to see what beef the Congress could have with that perspective, since its leaders say precisely the same thing all the time. The Congress beef pertains to a matter of locution, specifically the juxtaposition of the words Hindu and Pakistan. Surjewala made that perfectly clear when he said that Congress leaders must choose their words carefully while rejecting the BJPs (politics of) hatred.

When read with the rest of his statement, the Congress position, politically and ideologically, becomes clear. The Congress is cleaving to the idea that India, from time immemorial, has been a country in which people have practiced an exceptional tolerance, because Hinduism is an exceptionally tolerant religion.

This reading of Indian history is profoundly ideological. It is true that people of many ethnicities, denominations and persuasions have co-existed amicably in the Indian sub-continent for thousands of years. It is also true that in the course of this co-existence a composite culture was evolved, through the syncretism of the Sufis and Bhakti saints, miscegenation and the interpenetration of cultural practices.

Thus, Tamils and Gujjars, Bengalis and Marathas, Kannadigas and Gujaratis have shared proximate geographical space with Afghans and Turks, Arabs and the Chinese, Europeans and Persians. Thus, too, Hindus and Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains. That scarcely means that people have lived without discord. The history of the Indian sub-continent has been scarred with violence between communities comparable with the history of any country, region or continent. Anything else would have been a historical impossibility in a sub-continent as diverse, and sometimes riven, as this one.

There is nothing in the history of India, which is also the history of Pakistan, lest we forget, that equips it to play a uniquely pacifist role in global affairs and human civilisational progress.

In this context, there can be an objection to Tharoors clarification. When he said by way of clarification that Pakistan was created as a country with a dominant religion and that India never accepted the logic that partitioned the country he was perhaps being just a touch disingenuous. It would perhaps be correct that the two-nation theory had no place in the Nehruvian consensus, in a fundamental, rather than purely instrumental, sense, but to the ideological forebears of todays Sangh Parivar, Muslims and Hindus clearly belonged to different social, cultural and political terrains, and the former can share India only by submission, integration and on sufferance. And the Hindutva merchants are as unequivocally Indian as their liberal enemies.

The real objection, then, to the phrase Hindu Pakistan should be that it sets up an essentialist binary between a fundamentalist Islamic Pakistan and a tolerant Hindu India. Pakistan may have been transformed by bigotry and fundamentalism into a basket case, but that hardly makes India an exemplar of tolerance. We live in times when the same kind of bigotry and intolerance are knocking insistently at our doors with the assistance of those who control the apparatuses of the State.

The BJPs objection to the denigration of India, its democracy and Hinduism is, of course, ludicrous, but it is also of a piece with an essentialisation of India and Hinduism, which it uses as the thin end of a wedge it hammers relentlessly to prise open spaces which they would like to fill with a brand of muscular Hindutva that is as odious as any other form of fundamentalism and has no resemblance to the tolerant Hinduism it celebrates in rhetoric.

In any case, Tharoor did not denigrate India, Hinduism or democracy. He made the perfectly acceptable, even commonplace, point that, given the opportunity, the BJP will Hinduise India and banish minorities to the margins of the nation in its drive towards majoritarian supremacism.

Patras statement makes clear the manner in which the BJP tries to conflate itself with the nation: Thus, any criticism of the prime minister, the BJP or Sangh parivar is re-interpreted as criticism of India, democracy or Hinduism. Most people dont buy this conflation of a divisive, sectarian, majoritarian and supremacist political formation with the nation and the people.

The Congress and other secular, liberal forces shouldnt either. The Congress unfortunate defensive reflex, which comes into play as it works out what it sees as ineluctable compulsions and calculations, encourages the BJP and affords it space for aggrandisement. It also inflicts incalculable damage on political processes and the people.
The extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) authorised Congress president Rahul Gandhi to forge alliances with like-minded parties for 2019 Lok Sabha polls, media reports said.

The extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) authorised Congress president Rahul Gandhi to forge alliances with like-minded parties for 2019 Lok Sabha polls, according to several media reports. Following the CWC meeting, AICC general secretary Ashok Gehlot said Rahul has been authorised to form an election campaign committee and take decisions on both pre-poll and post-poll alliances. According to a report in CNN-News 18, Rahul said a committee has been formed to look into the alliances.

Confirming the push for Mahagathbandhan, Congress party spokesperson Ambika Soni said, "We want our party president to lead the future alliance."

Other Congress leaders such as Sachin Pilot, Shakti Singh and Ramesh Chennithala said that the party should enter into a strategic alliance, with the Congress at the centre and Gandhi as the face of the alliance, ANI reported.

Earlier, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, who tweeted comments of various Congress leaders at the internal party meeting, said Rahul urged Congress workers to "rise and fight" for India's oppressed.

Speaking at the meet, former prime minister and senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh rejected the culture of constant self-praise and 'jumlas' of Narendra Modi as against solid policy framework for driving the engine of growth.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Raj Babbar said, "Only Congress can oppose the BJP and RSS. Congress is not a party, it's an ideology. Rahul will decide everything about alliances. If RSS has ever lost to someone then it's the thinking of Congress. We should keep this in mind and take everyone ahead with those thoughts, which is to save the Constitution."

Maharashtra Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said that the meeting went on for a long time. "Rahul showed a lot of energy and confidence. Congress will take lead in uprooting the BJP and RSS. We will do this with love and not hatred. We have given all authority to Rahul Gandhi to take decisions to form alliances," Chavan said.

"All in all, it was a good meeting. We spoke about a lot of issues including unemployment and farmers. We also decided that an alliance is needed for the upcoming 2019 elections," Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said.

With inputs from PTI
tech2 News Staff

Looks like the much talked about Nokia X6, which launched in China about two months backs, has actually been rebranded as the Nokia 6.1 Plus in the global markets. As of yet the price of the device is unknown, but in China, the phone was launched at a price of starting of CNY 1,299 (Rs 13,800 approx).

As mentioned in our earlier reports, the Nokia X6 is an upgraded version of the recently launched Nokia X5. The similarity between them is that they have a display notch on the top and are also the very first phones from the Nokia stable to have one.

Also, Nokia 6.1 Plus is a part of Google's Android One program and hence runs on Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box. However, unlike other phones which are running on the Android One program, Nokia 6.1 Plus does not have less than 1 GB of RAM. As a matter of fact, the device has two variants with 4 GB and 6 GB of RAM.

Taking a look at the specs of the device we see that the Nokia 6.1 Plus has a 5.8-inch Full HD+ display with an aspect ratio of 19:9 and a 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3 covering it.

The device has a Snapdragon 636 SoC inside which is along with 4 GB and 6 GB RAM configurations paired with 64GB of storage which can be expanded by an SD card up to 400GB.

As far as the camera goes we see that the phone has dual camera setup with the primary camera being a 16 MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture and the secondary is a 5 MP camera with a f/2.4 aperture on the rear. On the front, we see that 16 MP camera with a f/2.0 aperture. Powering the setup is a 3,060 mAh setup. We can expect the phone to start selling from 24 July.
Indo-Asian News Service

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey hit back at Maggie Haberman -- a New York Times journalist -- who wrote about her break from the app, explaining why it has become an unbearable experience for her and others.

In Haberman's Friday's tweet, she describes how Twitter has gotten worse and worse in many regards over the years, developing into an unreliable source filled with toxic interactions and bitter criticism, Mashable reported on Saturday.

Replying to her on Saturday, Dorsey responded to specific points that Haberman made in a thread.

Picking out a quote where Haberman said people were tweeting more and she felt she had to check in more frequently lest she miss something, the CEO said this is why the "show me the best tweets first" feature exists, a feature that is hated by many users.

He then cherry-picked another part of Haberman's piece that said, "Twitter is still an important source for news", which the Twitter CEO of course agreed on, and then had a vaguely self-deprecating response to a quote in which Haberman said "Twitter is not a good platform to have meaningful discussions".

Throughout his thread, Dorsey brings up "identifying credibility" a couple of times, which may refer to changing how the verification system works so it's not just for prominent names, people in media, and white supremacists, or maybe being more selective.
China is waging a 'quiet kind of cold war' against the United States, using all its resources to try to replace America as the leading power in the world, a top CIA expert said.

Aspen: China is waging a "quiet kind of cold war" against the United States, using all its resources to try to replace America as the leading power in the world, a top CIA expert on Asia said Friday.

Beijing doesn't want to go to war, he said, but the current communist government, under President Xi Jinping, is subtly working on multiple fronts to undermine the US in ways that are different than the more well-publicised activities being employed by Russia.

"I would argue... that what they're waging against us is fundamentally a cold war  a cold war not like we saw during THE Cold War (between the US and the Soviet Union) but a cold war by definition," Michael Collins, deputy assistant director of the CIA's East Asia mission center, said at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado.

Rising US-China tension goes beyond the trade dispute playing out in a tariff tit-for-tat between the two nations.

There is concern over China's pervasive efforts to steal business secrets and details about high-tech research being conducted in the US. The Chinese military is expanding and being modernised and the US, as well as other nations, have complained about China's construction of military outposts on islands in the South China Sea.

"I would argue that it's the Crimea of the east," Collins said, referring to Russia's brash annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, which was condemned throughout the West.

Collins' comments track warnings about China's rising influence issued by others who spoke earlier this week at the security conference. The alarm bells come at a time when Washington needs China's help in ending its nuclear standoff with North Korea.

On Wednesday, FBI director Christopher Wray said China, from a counterintelligence perspective, represents the broadest and most significant threat America faces. He said the FBI has economic espionage investigations in all 50 states that can be traced back to China.

"The volume of it. The pervasiveness of it. The significance of it is something that I think this country cannot underestimate," Wray said.

National Intelligence Director Dan Coats also warned of rising Chinese aggression. In particular, he said, the US must stand strong against China's effort to steal business secrets and academic research.

Susan Thornton, acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said increasing the public's awareness about the activities of the hundreds of thousands of Chinese students or groups at US universities could be one way to help mitigate potential damage.

"China is not just a footnote to what we're dealing with with Russia," Thornton said.

Marcel Lettre, former undersecretary of defense for intelligence, said China has the second-largest defense budget in the world, the largest standing army of ground forces, the third-largest air force and a navy of 300 ships and more than 60 submarines.

"All of this is in the process of being modernized and upgraded," said Lettre, who sat on a panel with Collins and Thornton.

He said China also is pursuing advances in cyber, artificial intelligence, engineering and technology, counter-space, anti-satellite capabilities and hypersonic glide weapons. Army Lt General Robert Ashley, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told a congressional committee earlier this year that China is developing long-range cruise missiles  some capable of reaching supersonic speeds.

"The Pentagon has noted that the Chinese have already pursued a test program that has had 20 times more tests than the US has," Lettre said.

Franklin Miller, former senior director for defense policy and arms control at the National Security Council, said China's weapons developments are emphasising the need to have a dialogue with Beijing.

"We need to try to engage," Miller said. "My expectations for successful engagement are medium-low, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try."
By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Accused Russian agent Maria Butina had wider high-level contacts in Washington than previously known, taking part in 2015 meetings between a visiting Russian official and two senior officials at the U.S. Federal Reserve and Treasury Department

By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Accused Russian agent Maria Butina had wider high-level contacts in Washington than previously known, taking part in 2015 meetings between a visiting Russian official and two senior officials at the U.S. Federal Reserve and Treasury Department.

The meetings, revealed by several people familiar with the sessions and a report from a Washington think tank that arranged them, involved Stanley Fischer, Fed vice chairman at the time, and Nathan Sheets, then Treasury undersecretary for international affairs.

Butina traveled to the United States in April 2015 with Alexander Torshin, then the Russian Central Bank deputy governor, and they took part in separate meetings with Fischer and Sheets to discuss U.S.-Russian economic relations during Democratic former President Barack Obama's administration.

The two meetings, which have not been previously reported, reveal a wider circle of high-powered connections that Butina sought to cultivate with American political leaders and special interest groups.

Butina's lawyer, Robert Driscoll, did not have any details about her participation in meetings with Treasury and Federal Reserve officials when asked about them on Friday.

The meetings with Fischer and Sheets were arranged by the Center for the National Interest, a Washington foreign policy think tank that often advocates pro-Russia views.

The meetings were documented in a Center for the National Interest report seen by Reuters that outlined its Russia-related activities from 2013 to 2015. The report described the meetings as helping bring together "leading figures from the financial institutions of the United States and Russia."

A judge on Wednesday ordered Butina, 29, jailed until her trial after U.S. prosecutors argued she has ties to Russian intelligence and could flee the United States. Butina has pleaded not guilty to charges she acted as a foreign agent for Russia. She is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday for a status conference in her case.

Butina worked for Torshin, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and served as his interpreter at various Washington events.

Fischer, an in email to Reuters, confirmed he met with Torshin and his interpreter. While he could not recall details, Fischer said the conversation involved "the state of the Russian economy" and Torshin's new role as deputy central bank governor.

Another person familiar with the meeting, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it occurred on April 7, 2015, and confirmed Butina attended.

Federal prosecutors have accused Butina of conspiring with two American citizens and a top Russian official to influence U.S. policy toward Russia and infiltrate a gun rights group believed to be the National Rifle Association. The NRA is an influential pro-gun lobby with close ties to Republican politicians including President Donald Trump.

Questions relating to Russia have cast a cloud over Trump's presidency.

'ADVANCE THE INTERESTS'

The description of the top Russian official mentioned in the indictment matches Torshin. The indictment said that beginning in about 2015 Butina and the official conspired to "advance the interests of the Russian Federation."

"I recall Mr. Torshin mentioning, as an aside, that he planned to attend a meeting of the National Rifle Association, a fact that I considered irrelevant to our conversation," Fischer wrote to Reuters.

Sheets declined to comment through Ted Smith, a spokesman for asset management firm PGIM, where Sheets currently works.

Fischer and Sheets met with many international banking officials as part of their official duties.

The Treasury Department in April imposed sanctions on Torshin and a number of other Russian businessmen and government officials in Putin's inner circle.

The think tank hosted Trump at an event at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington in April 2016 also attended by Sergei Kislyak, Russia's ambassador to Washington at the time.

The April 2015 visit by Butina and Torshin came about a year after Obama's administration imposed sanctions on Russia for its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region.

Two months earlier, in February 2015, the group's Russian-born CEO, Dimitri Simes, traveled to Moscow, where he met with Putin and other Russian officials, the organization's records showed.

During the same April 2015 trip, Torshin and Butina also participated in a private "off the record" discussion at the center about the "Russian financial situation and its impact on Russian politics," according to people familiar with the meeting and the think tank's report. That event was moderated by the group's chairman emeritus, former AIG CEO Maurice "Hank" Greenberg, the report showed. Greenberg did not return calls for comment.

Among the think tank's board members is David Keene, a former NRA president and former chairman of the American Conservative Union. Keene has previously been photographed alongside Butina at events.

Paul Saunders, the think tank's executive director, said Torshin spoke at an April 2015 event about the Russian banking system and Butina attended. Saunders said people at the organization cannot recall details of Torshin's presentation.

"We were unaware of any charges or suspicions of illegal or inappropriate conduct or of any connections to Russian intelligence services," Saunders said in an email.

Prosecutors said the think tank's magazine published an article by Butina in June 2015 in which she said "certain U.S. politicians and Russians share many common interests."

Randy Weber, a Republican U.S. congressman from Texas, also met with Torshin during the April trip, according to the think tank's documents. A spokeswoman for Weber did not respond to multiple calls or emails seeking comment.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Damon Darlin and Will Dunham, Grant McCool)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Iran's president is warning President Donald Trump against provoking his country while indicating peace between the two nations might still be possible.

Tehran: Iran's president is warning President Donald Trump against provoking his country while indicating peace between the two nations might still be possible.

Trump earlier this year pulled the United States out of the international deal meant to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon and ordered increased American sanctions.

Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency quoted President Hassan Rouhani as warning Trump on Sunday: "Do not play with the lion's tail or else you will regret it."

Trump has suggested Iranian leaders are "going to call me and say 'let's make a deal'" but Iran has rejected talks.

Rouhani suggests peace is still possible and says "America must understand well that peace with Iran is the mother of all of peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars."
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday cautioned U.S. President Donald Trump about pursuing hostile policies against Tehran, saying 'war with Iran is the mother of all wars', but did not rule out peace between the two countries. Iran faces increased U.S.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday cautioned U.S. President Donald Trump about pursuing hostile policies against Tehran, saying "war with Iran is the mother of all wars", but did not rule out peace between the two countries.

Iran faces increased U.S. pressure and looming sanctions after Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from a 2015 international deal over Iran's nuclear programme.

Addressing a gathering of Iranian diplomats, Rouhani said: "Mr Trump, don't play with the lion's tail, this would only lead to regret," the state new agency IRNA reported.

"America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars," Rouhani said, leaving open the possibility of peace between the two countries, at odds since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

"You are not in a position to incite the Iranian nation against Iran's security and interests," Rouhani said, in an apparent reference to reported efforts by Washington to destabilise Iran's Islamic government.

In Washington, U.S. officials familiar with the matter told Reuters that the Trump administration had launched an offensive of speeches and online communications meant to foment unrest and help pressure Iran to end its nuclear programme and its support of militant groups.

Current and former U.S. officials said the campaign painted Iranian leaders in a harsh light, at times using information that is exaggerated or contradicts other official pronouncements, including comments by previous administrations.

Rouhani scoffed at Trump's threat to halt Iranian oil exports and said Iran has a dominant position in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping waterway.

"Anyone who understands the rudiments of politics doesn't say 'we will stop Iran's oil exports'...we have been the guarantor of the regional waterway's security throughout history," Rouhani said, cited by the semi-official ISNA news agency.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday backed Rouhani's suggestion that Iran may block Gulf oil exports if its own exports are halted.

Rouhani's apparent threat earlier this month to disrupt oil shipments from neighbouring countries came in reaction to efforts by Washington to force all countries to stop buying Iranian oil.

Iranian officials have in the past threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for any hostile U.S. action.

On Sunday, Iran's ground forces commander became the latest military figure to back Rouhani's apparent threat, the semi-official news agency Tasnim reported.

"The Strait of Hormuz region must either be safe for all or be insecure for everyone," said General Kioumars Heydari, quoted by Tasnim.

Separately, a top Iranian military commander warned that the Trump government might be preparing to invade Iran.

"The enemy's behaviour is unpredictable," Tasnim quoted military chief of staff General Mohammad Baqeri as saying.

"Although the current American government does not seem to speak of a military threat, according to precise information it has been trying to persuade the U.S. military to launch a military invasion (of Iran)," Baqeri said.

Iran's oil exports could fall by as much as two-thirds by the end of the year because of new U.S. sanctions, putting oil markets under huge strain amid supply outages elsewhere.

Washington initially planned to shut Iran out of global oil markets completely after Trump abandoned the deal that limited Iran's nuclear ambitions, demanding all other countries stop buying Iranian crude by November.

But the United States has somewhat eased its stance, saying it may grant sanction waivers to some allies that are particularly reliant on Iranian supplies.

(Reporting by Dubai newsroom; editing by Jason Neely and Dale Hudson)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Speaking at the Rawalpindi Bar Association, Islamabad High Court's Justice Shaukat Siddiqui openly lashed out at the ISI for 'controlling' the judiciary and media.

Lahore: A Pakistani high court judge on Sunday alleged that the country's powerful ISI spy agency is pressuring the chief justice and other judges to get favourable verdicts in different cases, including against ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Speaking at the Rawalpindi Bar Association, Islamabad High Court judge Justice Shaukat Siddiqui openly lashed out at the Inter Services Intelligence for "controlling" the judiciary and media.

"Today, the judiciary and media have come in the control of 'bandookwala' (army). Judiciary is not independent. Even the media is getting directions from the military. The media is not speaking the truth because it is under pressure and has its interests," he said.

He said, "In different cases, the ISI forms benches of its choice to get desired results. The ISI had asked the chief justice to make sure that Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz should not come out of jail before the 25 July election. It also had asked him not to include me in the bench hearing the appeal of Nawaz Sharif and his daughter in the Avenfield case. The chief justice told ISI that he would make a bench of its choice."

The bench deferred the Sharifs' appeal case after polls. Both Sharif and Maryam are serving ten and seven-year terms, respectively, in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi in the Avenfield corruption case.

Both were arrested on 13 July on their arrival from London after an accountability court found them guilty over his family's ownership of four luxury flats in the UK capital.

Siddiqui further said, "I was offered by the ISI that a reference against me would be withdrawn if I agreed to co-operate with it. I was even offered to be made chief justice. But I refused as I believe that it is better to die than to sell my conscience."

The judge said the judiciary and media are a voice of people's conscience. "If their freedom is curbed, then Pakistan will remain no more an independent country. Owing to military dictatorship during half of 70 years of its history, Pakistan today is neither an Islamic nor a democratic country," Siddiqui said.
An explosion near Kabul's international airport injured at least 10 people on Sunday, officials said, shortly after Afghan vice-president Abdul Rashid Dostum returned to the country after more than a year in exile.

Kabul: An explosion near Kabul's international airport killed 11 people, injured 14 on Sunday, officials said, shortly after Afghan vice-president Abdul Rashid Dostum returned to the country after more than a year in exile. Scores of senior government officials, political leaders and supporters had gathered at the airport to greet the powerful ethnic Uzbek leader and former warlord, clad in a Western suit and sunglasses.

An explosion was heard as the convoy of vehicles was departing. But Dostum, who was travelling in an armoured vehicle, was unharmed, said his spokesman Bashir Ahmad Tayanj. "The blast was probably caused by a suicide bomber," said interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish, adding there were an unknown number of casualties. Dostum, who is linked to a catalogue of human rights abuses in Afghanistan, was mobbed like a celebrity as he left the chartered plane from Turkey where he has lived since May 2017.

His return, which has been the subject of much speculation, comes amid violent protests in several provinces across northern Afghanistan, his traditional power base. Thousands of Dostum's supporters have taken to the streets in recent weeks, shuttering election and government offices and blocking sections of highways to demand the release of a pro-government militia leader and call for Dostum's return.

Expectations of the return did little to quell the unrest, with protesters vowing today to continue demonstrating until the burly leader of the Uzbek ethnic minority tells them otherwise.

"We don't trust the government. We will continue our protests unless General Dostum tells us to stop," Ehsanullah Qowanch, a protest leader in Faryab province, told AFP. Qowanch also repeated calls for the release of Nezamuddin Qaisari  a district police chief and Dostum's provincial representative in Faryab  whose arrest earlier this month ignited the protests. Another protester, Massoud Khan, said: "We have been on the streets for 20 days now. We are not going to stop our protests unless our demands are met."

Observers say President Ashraf Ghani, an ethnic Pashtun, gave the green light for Dostum to come home to stabilise the north and secure Uzbek support before next year's presidential election, which he is widely expected to contest.

Dostum left Afghanistan in May 2017 after he was accused of organising the rape and torture of a political rival. He had denied the allegations and said his departure was for medical check-ups and family reasons. Ghani in 2009 described Dostum as a "known killer". Yet he chose him as his running mate in the 2014 presidential election, underlining the sometimes uncomfortable ethnic realities of Afghan politics.

Presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri said Saturday that Dostum had been "treated" and would resume his duties upon his return.

Seven of Dostum's bodyguards have been convicted of the sexual assault and illegal imprisonment of Ahmad Ishchi, a former governor of the northern province of Jowzjan, in 2016. Dostum allegedly had Ishchi abducted in Jowzjan and then kept him hostage in his private compound for several days, where the captive was said to have been tortured and sodomised.

Chakhansuri deflected questions about whether Dostum would face charges over the incident, saying "the judiciary is an independent body, the government does not interfere in their decisions".

Dostum is one of several controversial figures whom Kabul has sought to reintegrate into mainstream politics since the US-led invasion in 2001. His heroic status in the north belies the barbarities for which he is known.

Dostum, who helped the United States oust the Taliban regime in 2001, allegedly allowed hundreds of Taliban prisoners to be suffocated in shipping containers.
Hundreds of protests have converged in the Nicaragua's capital city of Managua to defy president Daniel Ortega's crackdown on dissent

Managua: Hundreds of protesters marched in Nicaragua's capital in defiance of an iron-fisted crackdown on dissent by President Daniel Ortega that includes a new law threatening them with up to 20 years in prison for "terrorism".

Saturday's rally, for which police were absent, passed off peacefully, unlike in previous days and weeks when Ortega's police and paramilitary forces violently attacked student demonstrators in Managua and a nearby opposition stronghold city, Masaya, with live ammunition.

More than 280 people have been killed since April in the unrest shaking the small Central American nation of six million people. "The people united will never be defeated," yelled the crowd. They reiterated widespread demands that Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, step down.

Many of those taking part hid their faces behind masks. But they said they were still turning out despite a law passed last Monday that carries prison terms of 15 to 20 years for those found guilty of vaguely defined actions deemed to constitute "terrorism".

"This law doesn't matter to us," one 23-year-old protester who gave her name as Maria told AFP. "It's a risk, but as with every big insurrection there's a risk." She added, "The protests aren't going to stop. We will continue in the streets demanding freedom."

The legislation bolstered perceptions that Ortega, 72, and his government were acting in increasingly undemocratic ways. Ortega and Murillo, though, say their government is fighting a "coup" attempt by US-financed "satanic terrorists" and that stern action is required.

Their supporters held a rival rally in Managua on Saturday in which they demanded justice for "victims of terrorism"  mainly for dozens of police officers killed in the months of bloodshed.

The US, the Organization for American States and the European Union (EU) have all condemned the violence in Nicaragua and backed calls for dialogue trying to have Ortega agree to early elections to help solve the crisis. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said as he arrived in Argentina for a G-20 meeting of finance ministers that more US sanctions could be levelled at Nicaragua. Two EU nations, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, announced the suspension of millions of dollars in aid projects to Nicaragua because of the rights violations reported there.

But Ortega is showing no signs of ceding power. On top of sending his forces out to quash protest hubs, he has dismissed Catholic bishops mediating the talks as biased collaborators with the opposition. Murillo on Friday also signalled no quarter would be given in punishing those challenging the government. "We can pardon but never forgive these crimes against Nicaragua," she said.

She vowed that arrested "coup-mongers" would face justice. "They have to pay for the destruction of so many lives."

On Saturday, rights groups evacuated relatives away their makeshift camp outside a notorious Managua jail complex called El Chipote where protesters were locked up, as pro-government heavies turned up to intimidate them. "Masked armed men came and told us that if we didn't leave they'd kill us," one woman who didn't give her name told AFP.

Many of the relatives were mothers and wives of the detainees. They were taken to Managua's cathedral for shelter.

The unrest in Nicaragua is the biggest challenge to Ortega's authority since he returned to power 11 years ago. Until 2018, Nicaragua was a relative haven of public safety and economic stability in Latin America. But the protests and crackdown have put an end to that.

Triggered by ill-judged cuts to the cash-strapped social security system, demonstrations quickly grew into widespread protests cutting across society.

For many  even erstwhile allies and a previously compliant business sector -- Ortega's increasing autocracy and a belief he was grooming Murillo to take over from him were too much, and it was time for him to go.

The opposition says elections originally scheduled for 2021 should be brought forward to 2019.

Nicaragua's economy is fragile and dependent on foreign investors and tourism. Instability means it could soon crumble perilously.

"The problem is that the economic crisis will get even worse and he won't be able to govern like that. It is impossible that Ortega will make it to 2021," a sociologist, Oscar Rene Vargas, said.
Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam are not likely to be transferred to a rest house from the Adiala jail as it lacks proper security arrangements needed for the high-profile prisoners, a media report said.

Lahore: Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam are not likely to be transferred to a rest house from the Adiala jail as it lacks proper security arrangements needed for the high-profile prisoners, a media report said.

A major indication that the Sharifs might not be shifted to the rest house is that the authorities are considering shifting some very dangerous prisoners to somewhere else in the province to ensure proper security for the former prime minister and his daughter, the Dawn reported.

The accountability court, which had convicted Sharif and Maryam, had ordered to send them to Adiala jail in Rawalpindi after they were taken into custody at the Lahore airport on 13 July.

But the Islamabad chief commissioner also ordered shifting the father, the daughter and her husband, who was already in the Adiala jail, to the Sihala Rest House situated inside the Sihala Police Training College.

The authorities concerned had been weighing the possibilities of following this order which the chief commissioner could issue under the law.

But, they said, the rest house was not safe for the Sharif family which needed security much more than any home-like facilities there, the daily said.

The rest house has six rooms, all having air conditioners, proper beds and wash rooms, but a boundary wall.

This is the same rest house where former president and PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari was detained when his party's government was dismissed in 1996. Other political leaders have also been detained in the rest house in the past.

Earlier, it was attempted to shift Maryam to Sihala Rest House but she firmly refused as she did when asked to apply for the 'Better Class' facility in the jail.

She is staying in a cell situated in the recently built Vocational Training Centre for prisoner women.

Her cell is better than that of her father's and husband's but except for security and personal dress, she is staying like an ordinary prisoner.

Sharif is allowed personal dress, shoes, toiletries and beddings.

A 'Better Class' cook is preparing meals for Sharif, as are required by him, the daily said.

The payment for all this is made from the prisoner's account in which he has deposited the required money.

Sharif, 68, and his daughter Maryam, 44, were arrested in Lahore on 13 July on their arrival from London after the accountability court found them guilty over his family's ownership of four luxury flats in London.

Both Sharif and Maryam have been sentenced by the accountability court to 10 and seven years in prison respectively for corruption charges linked to the Panama Papers scandal.

Maryam's husband was sentenced to one year.
Voters in Pakistan have not shown much trust on the religious parties, however, recent trends show that these pressure groups could cause a major dent into the vote bank of PML-N, and thus helping candidates from rival parties like PPP, and PTI on 25 July

Edit note: In the past, ethnicity was one of the major factors influencing voters in Pakistan. However, the 2018 General Elections has witnessed an increase in the number of religious parties contesting the election, and it is feared that they may divide the vote bank further on the basis of schools of Islamic thoughts. In a multi-part series, Firstpost looks into the different religious parties in the fray, and how their presence will impact the results on 25 July

Islamabad: As the 25 July election enters into its final phase, many far-right radical religious groups and parties have upped their campaign in the effort to make their way into the parliament of Pakistan, either in the four provincial assemblies or in the National Assembly.

Most of these religious parties have come into the fray for the first time to try their luck in a bid to become mainstream, however, a few have contested elections in the past as well.

A look at the chequered political history of Pakistan, show that voters in the Islamic Republic have not shown much trust on the religious parties and people generally do not vote for them with the exception of few instances. Despite that, these groups have always made their presence felt as pressure and interest groups. For the Pakistan General Elections 2018, it is being widely believed that these religious groups cannot be victorious in the polls, but few of their members will certainly make their way into the assemblies.

Political analysts believe that these religious groups and parties have an agenda to attract the right-wing voters only to cause a dent to the vote bank of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) which is already in hot waters due to the conviction of its leader and three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif in a corruption reference and his on-going tussle with the military establishment. The party has also faced many defections within its ranks and files before and after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced 25 July as the Election day.

PML-N has been in power at the Centre for three times and Punjab, the largest province in Pakistan population-wise, has also remained its stronghold since 1985 when non-party basis elections were held in the country by military dictator General (Retired) Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq.

PML-N is considered a right-wing party of Pakistan and most of the activists and supporters of the religious groups who are taking part in the 2018 election have been a PML-N voter in the past. This was also because Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the major opponent of PML-N in the past, was considered a party having Left-wing leanings. PPP founder Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had come with the slogan of "socialism as our economy" in 1970 General Elections. As many as 123 religious scholars of that time had issued a decree against Zulfiqar calling him an infidel.He later became prime minister of the country twice.

The leaders of Milli Muslim League (MML), a political arm of the Hafeez Mohammad Saeed-led banned outfit Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) who are now contesting the election under the banner of Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek (AAT), have publicly said more than once that they have voted for PML-N in the past, but now disliked Nawaz because of his stance regarding having good relations with India.

The election pattern that emerged during the by-poll of a provincial Assembly constituency in Chakwal district in Punjab, shows that the candidate of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYRA)  the group is registered with the ECP as Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan (TLP)  got a considerable number of votes.

In the by-poll of PP-20 that was held on 9 January, 2018, TLP candidate Chaudhry Nasir Abbas got 16,576. The concept that emerges out of this is that the candidates of these religious groups, though may not win, would benefit the candidates of PML-N opponents especially in constituencies where the victory margin between the PML-N and other candidates in the 2013 election was very tight.

The religious parties who are in the election this time belong to different schools of Islam and political analysts assert that has also divided the religious vote bank on the sectarian basis.

TLP led by Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi belongs to the Sunni Barelvi school of Islam. Tehreek-e-Labbaik Islam (TLI), a breakaway faction of TLP, is led by Dr Ashraf Asif Jalali and also belongs to Sunni Barelvi school of thought. Both are contesting election with the symbols of crane and cannon respectively. Both TLP and TLI are contesting elections over making the blasphemy laws stricter and are attracting the vote banks of Sunni Barelvis.

TLP came into being in 2016 with the hanging of Mumtaz Qadri, the killer of former governor of Punjab Salman Taseer, and rose to prominence from Punjab after the last PML-N led federal government made a controversial change in the declaration for electoral candidates regarding the finality of the prophethood of Mohammad. The declaration seeks from the Muslim candidates that they believe in the finality of the prophethood of Mohammad.

The activists of MML, who are now contesting the election from the platform of Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek belong to the Salafi school of Islam as the JUD chief Saeed and his followers belong to the same school of thought. They are trying to grab the votes of the Salafis in Pakistan.

Activists of banned Ahle-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) who are now contesting the election from the platform of Rah-e-Haq Party belong to the Sunni Deobandi school of Islam. They are trying to secure the votes of Sunni Deobandis. Mohammad Ibrahim Qasmi, the leader of Pakistan Rah-e-Haq Party, is also a Deobandi.

Islami Tehreek Pakistan (ITP) led by Allama Sajid Ali Naqvi is a representative organisation of a group of Shia Muslims and is contesting the election under the banner of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA). Another religious political party Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith Pakistan is also contesting the election under the banner of MMA and belongs to Salafi school of thought.

Similarly, Pakistan Sunni Tehreek (PST) led by Mohammad Sarwat Ijaz Qadri belongs to Sunni Barelvi school of thought.

Tahir Malik, an Islamabad-based political analyst, said that the entry of hard-line religious groups into the politics was not only surprising but raised questions on the capability of the Election Commission of Pakistan to allow their registration as political parties.

Their politics revolves around incitement to religious sentiment and to strengthen the existing blasphemy laws which are not genuine issues of general masses," said Malik.

He believes that many of these religious groups are basically interest groups and added that these had remained part of the street movements in the past right from 1977sTahreek-e-Nizam-e-Mustafa to Khadim Hussain Rizvi led movement against the controversial amendment in the declaration of electoral candidates.

Malik said that the entry of hardline religious groups into the election race has divided the vote bank on a sectarian line. These groups will not only impact the vote bank of PML-N but also mainstream religious political parties including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) who are contesting the election under the banner of MMA.

Malik also says that in Karachi, a shift has been witnessed in the voting patterns. Earlier, a majority of the people voted based on ethnicity, but now their focus has shifted towards religion.

Malik, however, says that the impact of religious parties will depend on the voter turnout. "If turn out is better than the previous election, then the mainstream parties might also increase their vote bank."
A former provincial minister and senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was on Sunday killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up near his car in the troubled Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, police said.

Peshawar: A former provincial minister and senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was on Sunday killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up near his car in the troubled Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, police said.

Ikramullah Gandapur, a candidate for the provincial Assembly seat from PK-99 constituency, was on his way to an election meeting when the bomber targeted his vehicle in Dera Ismail Khan district. His driver was also killed in the attack while three bodyguards were badly injured, Dera Ismail Khan DPO Manzoor Afridi said.

Gandapur had sustained critical wounds in the suicide blast this morning and was rushed to a Peshawar hospital by helicopter, however he succumbed to his injuries during treatment after fighting for his life for over four hours. Gandapur had served as the provincial agricultural minister in the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

He was elected through a by-election on the Dera Ismail Khan PK-67 seat, after it was vacated following the death of his brother and law minister Israrullah Gandapur in a suicide attack. Afridi said Gandapur was returning after attending a corner meeting in Kulachi tehsil when the suicide bomber blew himself up close to his vehicle in a narrow muddy street.

Soon after the blast the police and officials of the security forces cordoned off the area and started search operation. Around the same time that Gandapur came under attack, Jamiat-Ulema-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Akram Khan Durrani, a former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, also survived a second assassination attempt in less than 10 days.

Durrani was to address a political convention when his vehicle was ambushed by unknown gunmen in his home district Bannu, bordering North Waziristan district. The gunmen opened indiscriminate fire on Durrani's vehicle from the front. However, he remained unhurt in the attack.

Durrani is contesting for NA-35 under the Muttahida Majlise-e-Amal (MMA) banner against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan. This is the third attack on election candidates in Bannu district and second on Durrani ahead of the 25 July general election. On 13 July, an attack targeting JUI-F's central general secretary killed four persons and wounded as many as 39. Durrani, however, remained unhurt in the attack.

On the same day, 149 people, including a top nationalist leader, were killed and over 200 others injured in a powerful suicide blast in Mastung area in the troubled Balochistan province.

The security situation in Pakistan has deteriorated ahead of polls. The campaigning for the general election has been hit hard by terrorist attacks claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Islamic State outfits
Pakistan will deploy 1.6 million electoral officials and nearly 7.5 lakh security personnel, including soldiers for the 25 July general elections, the country's poll body announced on Saturday.

Islamabad: Pakistan will deploy 1.6 million electoral officials and nearly 7.5 lakh security personnel, including soldiers for the 25 July general elections, the country's poll body announced on Saturday.

Releasing the details on the number of polling staff and security personnel who will be working on the day of the election, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said there will two members of the Pakistan Army posted inside the polling station while two will be posted outside.

The election is being held amidst a series of terror attacks across the country in which over 150 people, including two politicians, were killed in the restive provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan last Friday.

The ECP said that 1.6 million electoral staff will be working on 25 July.

There will be 4,49,465 policemen deployed on the day of the election out of which 2,02,100 will be posted in Punjab and Islamabad while 1,00,500 policemen will be stationed in Sindh.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 87,269 policemen will be on duty, the Express Tribune reported.

There will be 3,00,071 army personnel deployed across the country.

According to the electoral rolls published by the ECP, 105.96 million voters will be able to cast their vote in the upcoming elections.

Of these, 59.22 million are male and 46.73 million are females, Dawn newspaper reported.

According to the figures, 55.9 percent of the registered voters in Pakistan are males while 44.1 percent are females.

The numbers are approximately 23 percent higher than the figures for the 2013 elections when the total number of voters stood at 86.19 million, the report said.

On the polling day, there will be 85,307 presiding officers on duty  one at every polling station  with 5,10,356 assistant presiding officers and 2,55,178 polling officers.

In Punjab and Islamabad, there will be 48,610 presiding officers with 2,81,062 assistant presiding officers and 1,40,534 polling officers on duty.

In Sindh, there will be 17,747 presiding officers while there will be 1,22,204 assistant presiding officers and 61,102 polling officers on duty.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal areas will have 14,530 presiding officers, while there will be 83,692 assistant presiding officers and 41,846 polling officers.

Balochistan will have 4,420 presiding officers on duty who will be assisted by 23,398 assistant presiding officers and 11,699 polling officers.
Forget fairness of elections in Balochistan. It's not going to happen, and the province is simply far too important for the Pakistan Army is more ways than one

It's time for the Pakistan security forces to take a well-deserved bow in Balochistan. According to media reports, a dreaded terrorist of the Islamic State's Balochistan chapter has been killed. Mufti Hidayatullah was reported killed in Kalat, once the capital of an independent state that was swallowed whole by Pakistan after Partition.

If this report is true, then it is a just ending for a leader of a group that claimed a heinous attack on an election rally that killed more than 140. The trouble is no one can really say if the man killed was actually a terrorist, or another of the Baloch insurgents who have been fighting Pakistan security forces for the past four decades. After all, police earlier identified the attack as being carried out by a member of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and that he was sheltered by some locals. The now re-run story of the bomber being apparently dropped to the attack site by the head of the Islamic State chapter sounds perfidious to say the least.

As Pakistan goes to elections, resentment in Balochistan is high. Some of that resentment led to demands for outright independence from the Pakistani State, which is the basis for continued insurgent attacks. Others want more autonomy. And a majority of those now fighting for a share of the vote, want a better say in governance of their own affairs. However, none of this is likely to come to pass.

The seriousness of the security situation in Balochistan was apparent when the government announced that all internet services had been suspended in six districts of the province and would remain so until the elections on 25 July. Unsurprisingly, all of the districts are areas of strong insurgent activity. Also three of those districtsKalat, Keech and Awaranhavent had internet since February 2017. It can be argued that this denial is only the latest in a history of poor governance and high-handedness that the province has had to face.

An example of this was when Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri was toppled by his own party just months before completing his term. That the scion of a powerful political family was then replaced by a virtual unknown, Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo, and that the whole exercise was initiated after the sacking of home minister Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti, is an example of the strange happenings in Balochistan of late.

Unsurprisingly, he is now part of a new political party (Balochistan Awami Party) made up of the very dissidents who engineered the coup, and who blame neighbours for violence in the province. This kind of open political back stabbing is unusual, even for Balochistan. It is not surprising therefore, that polls show low political activity. In addition, news on the little election activity in Balochistan is extremely difficult to get. Barring a few stalwarts, Pakistan media virtually ignores the province, forcing Baloch politicians to take to social media and the radio to spread their message.

Unsurprisingly, a major issue at the centre of campaigning is the issue of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). All the parties fielding candidates promise greater participation for the Baloch in the project, an issue that has been a major sore point in the province. How this is to be done is tricky, and probably difficult given the low educational levels prevalent in Balochistan. A second promise is therefore, to increase the number of educational institutions, which is also difficult, given problems in staffing at higher levels. But then political parties are in the business of handing out promises.

A third issue is that of safety and an end to violence. This is not the usual terrorism talk that is apparent in mainland Pakistan, where politicians are quoting various statistics to show decreased terrorism, and crediting the army thereafter. The reference here is about ensuring that Baloch citizens dont get picked up and tortured by the Pakistani security forces to become part of a statistic under the head of Enforced Disappearances: A nomenclature that has become emblematic of the colonial relationship between Pakistan (which generally means Punjab) and Balochistan. No one really known how many hundreds have been picked up and tortured. The only ones who write about this are safely abroad.

Despite all these negatives, there are several parties in the fray, apart from the major players. With severe infighting in its ranks, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had trouble fielding candidates. It finally announced its candidates only on 28 June. Polls indicate the sudden downfall of its government has cost the PML-N dearly. It is no longer one of the top three in terms of preferred parties. Instead, the Pakistan Peoples Party has emerged as the preferred choice with 36 percent of respondents, which is a huge climb from the 5 percent polled last year.

The popularity of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) seems to have dropped, probably because the party has not been giving the province as much attention as it has to Punjab and Sindh. Its party functionaries are clearly not happy. The Pakistan Muslim League (Q)the quisling group formed under the reign of General Pervez Musharrafand the party to which the new Chief Minister Quddus belonged, has also fielded an impressive number of candidates 65 provincial seats and 14 nationaldespite a barely to be seen representation in the earlier provincial Parliament.

Baloch parties of various hues such as the Balochistan National Party (BNP) and the Balochistan National Movement (BNM) of Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch are seen campaigning, but barely. The Jamhoori Watan Party has fallen from the heady days when Nawab Akbar Bugti was its head. Instead, Nawabzada Shazhain Bugti who now heads the party, is busy praising the army to anyone who will listen.

The Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and the National Party (NP), both of whom had the ruling hand in the previous government, seem to be fielding fewer candidates. Apart from these, a raft of the religious Right which includes the Jamaat Ulema Islam-Nazryati of firebrand Maulana Khalil Ahmed, the redoubtable grouping of the religious Right under the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, and the final surprise, the re-energised highly sectarian Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat which is back on the electoral scene.

All of this can be summed up simply in terms of conclusions. Forget fairness of elections in Balochistan. It's not going to happen, and the province is simply far too important for the Pakistan Army is more ways than one. CPEC aside, security forces cannot afford to have a government that will loosen the lid on insurgency that it has been able to clamp down so effectively, even if brutally. The combination of parties that will come to power will certainly include the newly formed Balochistan Awami Party, the PTI, the PML-Q and a few representatives from parties that once espoused autonomy.

Another coalition appears to be in sight, but one that is far more manageable from Rawalpindis point of view. The insurgency will continue, but without the strength to dislodge or alter Rawalpindis plans for Balochistan. If that plan includes Beijings virtual takeover of parts of the province, it will continue whichever motley group of parties come to power. The more things change, the more they stay the same. That adage might have been written for Balochistan.
MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's conservatives shifted to the right on Saturday, electing a traditionalist as leader as they seek to re-establish a clear political identity less than two months after being removed from government. Pablo Casado won a clear victory in the ballot of People's Party (PP) members, and launched his mandate with a call for party unity, a stronger Spain at the heart of Europe and tougher laws to stave off any moves towards independence by its regions.

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's conservatives shifted to the right on Saturday, electing a traditionalist as leader as they seek to re-establish a clear political identity less than two months after being removed from government.

Pablo Casado won a clear victory in the ballot of People's Party (PP) members, and launched his mandate with a call for party unity, a stronger Spain at the heart of Europe and tougher laws to stave off any moves towards independence by its regions.

He won 1,701 votes in a ballot of lawmakers and other senior PP members, easily seeing off the challenge of Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, who received 1,250. She served as deputy to former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's during his six-plus years in office.

Rajoy was ousted in a no-confidence vote in June, his authority undermined by a corruption scandal involving PP officials and a perceived failure to quell an illegal independence drive in the northeastern region of Catalonia.

Following a leadership race that exposed divisions within the party, Casado told members in his acceptance speech: "The PP is back. We can't waste another minute speaking about ourselves. We must start talking about Spain again."

He also said he wanted to strengthen the penal code to avoid any further secessionist moves within the country.

A lawmaker from the northern Spanish city of Palencia, Casado joined the PP in 2003. He has called for a return to traditional conservative values of "life and family" and is on record as opposing abortion.

Rajoy's departure brought the Socialists into office, and one of the first decisions Casado will face is the extent to which the PP should give parliamentary support to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's minority government.

'STRENGTH FOR THE TASK AHEAD'

In a message of congratulation on Twitter, Sanchez said he wished Casado - who will also be the PP's next candidate for prime minister - "strength for the task ahead" and that the government would strive for economic growth and a reconstructed welfare state.

Signalling likely tensions between the two parties over fiscal issues, Casado criticised plans by the Socialists to raise taxes, saying he would push for lower income and corporate taxes to increase competitiveness.

The 2019 budget plan, which includes the largest rise in the spending ceiling since 2014 and increases in deficit targets, is expected to be submitted to parliament next week.

Casado pledged to strengthen the country's role at the heart of Europe, adding: "If there is isolationism, if there is protectionism, Spain must again be a central part of the European Union."

Casado's opponent Saenz de Santamaria was considered a more moderate voice in the PP, representing a continuation of Rajoy's policies.

The party has lost voter support in recent years, notably to new market-friendly party Ciudadanos and ran a minority government under Rajoy with 134 out of 350 parliamentary seats.

But the Socialists hold just 84 seats, forcing it to agree pacts with smaller parties to win the no-confidence motion and raising doubts as to whether Sanchez can stay in office until the next scheduled national election in 2020.

($1 = 0.8534 euros)

(Reporting by Paul Day; Writing by John Stonestreet; Editing by Edmund Blair)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Of all the retailers that have announced plans to fill the vacuum left by the demise of Toys R Us, there is good reason to think Party City (NYSE:PRTY) is among the ones likely to be most successful.

You might not think of the place you go to buy balloons, streamers, and plastic dishware as a winner in the highly competitive toy market. But Party City's plan to open 50 pop-up toy stores this fall is actually a sound move that could be a big opportunity for the company.

Competition is popping up everywhere

Walmart is expanding its shelf space for toys, while Amazon is printing up a new toy catalog for the holiday season. Even KB Toys and FAO Schwarz are planning comebacks. Retailers see plenty of opportunity to benefit from the void left by Toys R Us.

There are also numerous independent toy stores anticipating a boost in sales, and my fellow Motley Fool Dan Kline even suggests Barnes & Noble has a chance to capture some of the lost sales. While everyone can get a slice of the pie, Party City's pop-up stores may represent the best strategy.

Pop-up stores -- generally small, temporary shops that "pop up" in high traffic areas, creating buzz and sale -- are a hot trend in retailing. Snap used them to sell its Spectacles; Blue Apron is trying to sell meal kits this way; and Macy's is opening a pop-up version of its Backstage discount chain inside its department stores, thereby combining the store-in-store boutique trend with pop-ups.

And it's how the once-bankrupt KB Toys plans to return to the market, too. It plans to open 1,000 pop-up toy stores for Black Friday and the Christmas shopping season, and afterward, make some of them permanent brick-and-mortar locations.

Although Party City's 50-store Toy City plan seems much more modest, the specialty retailer has extensive experience in operating these temporary locations. Every year it opens hundreds of Halloween City stores all over the country, which operate for about two months, and then disappear until the next year.

A scary opportunity

This type of targeted guerrilla retailing is quite lucrative as Party City's 250 to 300 Halloween pop-up stores generate approximately 20% of its total domestic retail sales, or about $54 million. And it's not alone.

You can also find over 1,000 Spirit stores populating strip malls across the country. In 2015, privately held Spencer Spirit Holdings said that these stores generated about $400 million in sales and represented about half its profits.

While the number of stores it opens and the contribution to revenue varies depending upon which day Halloween falls (weekends, obviously, tend to make those numbers rise), Party City has a chance to score big with its Toy City stores by opening them in September, some two months earlier than KB Toys stores will debut its chain. And it plans to place them alongside its Halloween City stores, which should bring in additional customer traffic.

Party City CEO James M. Harrison says the new concept "will allow us to leverage our existing pop-up store capabilities and capitalize on the category whitespace that has recently been created."

An idea that can snowball

This pilot program for Party City has the potential to grow over time and rival the number of stores it opens each Halloween. It could even surpass the Halloween pop-ups as the holiday shopping season offers a much bigger sales opportunity.

Although consumers spent a record $9.1 billion on Halloween last year, some $656 billion is spent on Christmas. The U.S. toy market, which is the world's largest and sees the greatest amount of sales around the holidays, is a $26 billion industry. That's a big enough toy box to support a number of players, including those not typically dabbling in the category.

Party City may not become the world's biggest toy store, but look where that title got Toys R Us. Instead, Party City can use its existing expertise to grow its top and bottom lines. And investors may find that a much more meaningful and important achievement.
In case you've missed it, big things are happening with the legal cannabis industry in North America.

Within the U.S., Republican-leaning Oklahoma became the 30th state to have legalized medical cannabis since 1996, with nine of those states also approving the use of cannabis by adults. Mind you, all of this is happening while marijuana remains a Schedule I drug at the federal level.

Meanwhile, to our north and south we've also seen the steady expansion of legal cannabis. Mexico wound up giving the green light to medical cannabis back in June 2017, while Canada did what no other industrialized country has ever done before: It legalized recreational marijuana. As of Oct. 17, according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, it'll be legal for adults to purchase cannabis.

The legalization of marijuana in Canada is expected to be a serious moneymaker for the industry. Currently generating a few hundred million dollars in annual revenue from the sale of medical cannabis domestically, and via exports to foreign countries that've given the green light to medical pot, recreational marijuana could add up to $5 billion a year in sales. These big dollar signs are exactly why investors have pushed pot stocks through the roof.

Not everyone is happy with marijuana's proliferation in Canada

But not everyone is thrilled with Canada's decision to wave the green flag on marijuana. In particular, health insurance companies have been increasingly hesitant to cover medical marijuana for a variety of reasons, chief of which are rising costs.

According to a recent Reuters report, Canada's second-largest insurer, Sun Life Financial (NYSE:SLF), is one of those hesitant voices. Even though Canada legalized medical cannabis back in 2001, only now are insurers like Sun Life Financial slowly beginning to include it on covered plans. What Sun Life and other insurers have discovered is that medical cannabis can, in some instances, actually cost more than established pharmaceutical products.

An example cited by Reuters involves patients with spasticity related to multiple sclerosis. Established pharmaceutical drug Baclofen runs CA$28.82 for a 10-day supply, while a gram of Canadian medical cannabis, which covers only one day of treatment, costs about CA$8. Over a 10-day period, that's roughly triple the cost for insurers.

Another issue is that medical marijuana is being used to treat a widening variety of ailments, many of which haven't been verified as benefiting from cannabis use, according to insurers. Sun Life Financial covers only select indications, including pain associated with cancer, multiple sclerosis (MS) and spasticity arising from MS, and chemotherapy-induced nausea, to name a few. Insurers believe that if their narrow list of indications were broadened to include a larger patient pool, it could greatly increase their costs.

One solution insurers have tinkered with is simply charging members more. Though Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC) doesn't officially offer broad medical marijuana coverage in Canada (it's still in the process of evaluating whether it'll cover the drug), it has included medical cannabis coverage in rare situations where corporate clients have requested it. In such instances, Manulife has passed along an annual reimbursement limit of CA$1,500 to CA$2,500, while largely limiting the number of covered conditions.

Lastly, insurers worry about inadequate checks and balances when prescribing medical cannabis. Generally, a doctor's visit is required for a physician to prescribe marijuana to a patient. But insurers claim that certain groups, such as the Green Doctor Network, don't require documentation or a referral before authorizing a prescription for medical cannabis. In doing so, the patient pool for medical weed could balloon, right along with insurers' costs.

A growing list of unknowns

Of course, the uncertainties facing Sun Life Financial and Manulife Financial are just one of a laundry list of things left to be sorted out as Canada pushes toward full legalization.

For example, even though Parliament passed the Cannabis Act, it's yet to pass legislation that would give peace officers the authority to determine if a driver is under the influence of marijuana. Given that concerns regarding driving under the influence of cannabis were at or near the top of the list for opponents of the Cannabis Act, the fact that this hasn't been addressed as of yet is somewhat concerning.

There are also unknowns when it comes to the taxation of marijuana in Canada. In October 2017, a proposal was introduced that would tax marijuana at roughly 10% of the per-gram sale price. Prime Minister Trudeau was adamant that the taxation of cannabis remain low to move users away from the black market and into legal channels. Still, the black market has virtually no overhead costs, since it has no buildings to maintain and no federal taxes to pay. In other words, it remains to be seen if legal channels can draw consumers away from the illicit market.

We also know very little about how the supply or demand picture will play out in the intermediate term. Initially, it's very possible that growers won't be able to meet demand. Keep in mind that nearly all growers waited until the passage of the Cannabis Act looked to be a sure thing before they began rapidly expanding their capacity. This shortage could give the black market yet another opportunity to lure consumers.

Over the longer run, a dramatic oversupply could become possible. If Canadian growers are unable to find a home for all of their crop, per-gram cannabis prices could fall. Should they fall, it would adversely affect margins, but at the same time be a big positive for consumers and insurance companies.

In sum, there's a lot left to be hashed out in the months and years that lie ahead. At this point, it wouldn't be a surprise if most insurers choose to remain on the sidelines until the expected effects of commoditization on dried cannabis are felt, and per-gram prices fall significantly.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady recently said that an outline of the much-anticipated "Tax Reform 2.0" legislation will be released next week. While some parts of the next round of tax changes are unlikely to gather serious bipartisan support, the proposed changes to retirement savings could.

With that in mind, here's an overview of what we know so far, and why this part of Tax Reform 2.0 may have a legitimate chance of getting through Congress.

What changes are being proposed?

The so-called Tax Reform 2.0 is a combination of several bills -- three, according to the latest information. One would contain provisions to make the recent tax rate cuts for individuals permanent, instead of expiring in 2025 as they're currently set to do.

Another bill is specifically intended to make changes to retirement savings in the United States. Known as the Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act, the bill would make some pretty significant changes. While a draft of the bill hasn't been made public yet, here's what we know about the changes it could make:

Some of the changes are intended to make it easier for smaller companies to offer 401(k) plans. For example, one provision would allow smaller employers to jointly offer 401(k) plans, thereby spreading out the administrative costs and lowering fees. Plans from smaller employers tend to come with significantly higher fees than those from larger companies, so this could help level the playing field. In addition, the bill would increase the annual tax credit designed to offset small business' costs of starting new retirement plans from $500 to as much as $5,000.

The bill would also make it easier for workers to guarantee their annual income by requiring plans to disclose the amount of monthly annuity income participants could expect to get based on their account balance. It would also encourage 401(k) plans to offer annuities by providing certain legal protections that currently don't exist.

The bill would give employees to pre-emptively save some of their tax return into their 401(k) plans and would also make it easier for employers to automatically enroll employees in their plans.

The bill supposedly contains a new type of retirement savings account. While we know it would be more of an "open-ended" account than those currently available, we don't have many details yet, other than that it would be easier for account owners to use their funds in an emergency.

The bill would repeal the rule that prohibits people over age 70 1/2 from contributing to traditional IRA accounts. Currently, traditional IRA contributions cannot be made beyond this age, even if the account owner is still working. There's currently a required minimum distribution provision that goes into effect at this age, and it's unclear as to whether this would be repealed as well.

Does the bill have a fighting chance of passing?

The chances of passage depend on whom you ask, but there certainly seems to be a legitimate chance that this bill, in one form or another, could make it through Congress. One of the big reasons that Tax Reform 2.0 is being split into several bills is that certain items have better chances of passing than others do, and the retirement savings changes are among the more popular on both sides of the aisle.

Retirement changes, especially those designed to help small businesses, actually have quite a bit of bipartisan support. In recent comments, Brady said the retirement bill has the backing of the top Republican and the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee.

Stay tuned next week

As I mentioned, Brady said that an outline of Tax Reform 2.0 would be released to committee members in the coming week, so we could get a little more clarity about the Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act soon. And with a realistic chance of passing, the bill could end up making some key changes that could significantly affect you. To be clear, the outline that you see next week is likely to evolve before it's voted on, but this is certainly worth following for anyone saving (or planning to save) for their retirement.
The German Grand Prix was full of eventful twists and turns, and it looked like there might be another after the chequered flag when race winner Lewis Hamilton was called before the stewards...

In a moment of confusion following Sebastian Vettel's crash, Hamilton was instructed to pit before being given a late call to stay out. In the process the Mercedes driver crossed the line separating the pit entry and the track  a breach of the FIAs International Sporting Code.

However, after an investigation the stewards determined that a reprimand was the most appropriate punishment, rather than any kind of time penalty, meaning the Briton keeps his unexpected victory at Hockenheim.

In reaching their conclusion the stewards took into account three mitigating factors: that the team candidly admitted the mistake and the fact that there was confusion within the team about whether to pit or not; that the infringement took place during a Safety Car period; and that there was no danger to any other competitor and the change in direction was executed in a safe way.

It was so confusing, said Hamilton of the incident in the post-race press conference. We came in, Kimi [Raikkonen] started turning in, they had asked me to box, and I said Kimi is pitting.

Then they said stay out. I was already in the lane. So I turned out. And then they said stay in but I was already on track. I really felt this was the chance to do the opposite. Thats why I questioned it.

With his victory, Hamilton now leads Vettel by 17 points in the drivers' standings heading to Hungary next weekend.
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The owners of the historic Castle House in Brumley, MO, have taken what is usually considered a negative for any homeits reputation for being hauntedand turned it into a positive. Billed as the Haunted Castle House, it's currently operating as a ghost-themed B&B, offering both ghost tours and overnight stays.

The property has even earned the title of "most haunted house in the Midwest." If you're going to live in a haunted house, why not have it be the most haunted?

The four-bedroom, two-bath house, built in 1850 by Dr. Walter Dixon, is called the Castle House, thanks to its unusual building style. It was inspired by a home Dr. Dixon saw in London, and its walls are made of thick, poured concrete (now clad in siding). It includes a 30-foot turret and a staircase that the good doctor had shipped from the United Kingdom.

The home served as his office, and the legend is that he made even his sickest patients haul themselves up his fancy staircase to be seen.

So why is it so haunted?

OK, this is where creepy things start happening. Aside from the usual deaths you'd expect from a country doctor's office, the Castle House has been the site of several major tragedies.

Mrs. Martha Dixon, wife of Walter, was a socialite who hosted elaborate parties in the Castle House for local notables and politicians. Legend has it that one Saturday, near the turn of the century, she was preparing to host her biggest party yet, but died suddenly before her guests arrived. Dr. Dixon found her body at the head of the stairs.

According to Dave Harkins, Director of the Ozarks Paranormal Society, over the last 100 years there have been multiple reports of "a woman in an antique party dress" lingering at the top of the stairs or haunting the second floor. She's also known as the "crying woman" or "screaming woman", and there have been reports of disembodied screams on the second floor as well.

But wait, that's not all! In 1862, Union troops bivouacked in the pasture around the house. After a guerrilla attack by Confederate troops, a truce was called, and injured soldiers from both sides were brought to the Castle House for treatment. Dr. Dixon had a field hospital set up on the south side of the house.

Several Civil War-era artifacts have been found in the area, and in the 1960s, local kids allegedly found a Confederate uniform in a bundle under the porch, lending credence to this report.

"There are at least 20 known graves on the property," says Harkins, and some of those are thought to be casualties from this skirmish. Which means there's a creepy unmarked graveyard on the property. "They had some cadaver dogs come out and found some caskets," explains listing agent Joyce Wheeler.

In 1912, the house was sold to another medic, Dr. Myron D. Jones. Dr. Jones also practiced out of the house, and in 1918, when the flu pandemic tore through Brumley, tents had to be set up in the yard again to house the hundreds of sick patients that he treated. The rest of the graves are believed to be flu victims.

After Dr. Jones retired, the house fell into disrepair for 50 years until it was purchased by the current owners in 2013.

As you can see, you've got more than enough restless spirits, between the unmarked graves and the soldiers, and the doctors' patients, and the flu outbreak, and Mrs. Dixon. But what are the ghosts actually up to?

The paranormal investigation of the Castle House

"I was contacted by the owners of the Castle House to come and help them understand some of the strange occurrences they had been experiencing," explains Harkins. He and his team of paranormal investigators headed to Brumley to see what was going on.

"During that preliminary investigation of the property, we experienced several strange occurrences," he says. "The two most notable were disembodied whistling that seemed to follow us around the property. The second is what sounded like footsteps following us in certain upstairs areas of the house."

And that was during the day. That's how haunted this place is. A few weeks later, they braved the spirits and came back at night.

"During our investigation, we had many personal experiences, including whistling, cold spots, seeing furniture moving on its own, and hearing crying or weeping," he explains. As far as solid evidence is concerned, he adds, "We captured several Class A EVPs or 'Electronic Voice Phenomena.' This occurs when we ask a question aloud and receive an answer not heard by a living person, and only captured on the recording medium, such as a digital recorder or video camera, or heard through a speaker or headphones." (You can listen to the recording here).

Oh, but there's more. Harkins explains:

"There is also a video shot in the upstairs bedroom that was used as the exam room. In the video, we set up a motion detector, and asked whatever may be in the room with us to manipulate it. We would ask the spirit to turn it on and off, and it seemed to react on command for several hours. There were three investigators present during this session, and all three of us were well outside of the motion detector's range."

Got goosebumps yet? They attribute the weeping to Mrs. Dixon, since that seems to be her historical MO. The EVP, they think, may be from yet another tragedy:

"We also think that the EVP we captured of the little girl saying 'Please help me,' could be the spirit of a young girl that was taken to the Castle House after being burnt over most of her body, after a large kettle of boiling water spilled on her while her mother was washing clothes. It is said that she died on the property eight days later."

So, yeah ... pretty thoroughly haunted.

Now's your chance to own all of this creepy, creepy stuff

After buying the Castle House in 2013, the current owners restored it to its former glory. "They've done a lot of rehab work, but kept the haunted look," says Wheeler. And because they're looking for a change of scenery, this horror-movie-in-the-making can be yours for the low price of $119,900. That's an almost unbeatable ghost-per-dollar value.

So if you're the kind of person who hears about a haunted mansion with a backyard full of unmarked graves and thinks, "That's the place for me," well, jump on this deal. After all, it's your funeral (cue maniacal laugher and organ music).

The post Missouri's Castle House Is the Most Haunted Place in the MidwestBuy It If You Dare! appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
The first half of 2018 is behind us, and as we rush into summer it's time to reflect on what smartphone manufacturers released and what are we expecting from the second part of the year. The first issue was by Paul; now we hand the keyboard to Yordan.

H1 2018 has been unimpressive, but I remain positive.





First half recap

In the world of leaks, rumors, and announcements there is hardly a new beginning when a calendar page turns. Back in January we already knew Samsung is preparing the Galaxy S9, Xiaomi will keep expanding to new countries, and Huawei will stay on its course of flooding markets with devices in all price segments. What I didnt expect back in January and still cant believe to this day is how much companies from China have influenced the overall landscape.

Back in January I wrote an article on vivo and their demo of an under-screen fingerprint technology in Las Vegas during CES 2018. Although Samsung and Apple were rumored to be the first companies to introduce the tech, it was the Shenzhen-based manufacturer that outsmarted everyone else with the X20 Plus UD, then followed by X21 UD and the vivo NEX S that I covered straight from the launch event in Shanghai.

Just a week later another BKK company, Oppo, unveiled the Find X with the pop-up mechanism, sending a message to the traditional big players - either keep up with innovations or be prepared to go down in the gutters.

It is incredible how every UI tries to copy iOS and ends up completely different than the other.

One thing that I dislike in phones from China is the user interface. Flyme, ColorOS, FunTouch OS, nubia UI are similar in their attempts to copy Apple, but somehow they end up so unique, you have a hard time switching from one manufacturer to another. Which, I guess, is one way to create brand recognition. Another possible reason for the hard customization is market preferences and how users like their devices.

There is a lot to talk about Chinese presence during H1 2018 simply because other makers failed to impress. Samsung Galaxy S9 duo, OnePlus 6 and Nokia devices are just a slight update over their 2017 predecessors, while former giants like LG and HTC are unsuccessfully trying to keep up. With this H1 picture, here are my expectations for the forthcoming second half.

H2 2018 expectations and why it will be a big flop

Yes, that is correct. I think the second half of 2018 will be just as unimpressive as the first one, with just one or two phones that might stir the pot. With most of the flagships already outed, I am eagerly awaiting to see what will the Galaxy Note9 bring us.

Is the new S Pen finally going to be a revolutionary tool or will it stay in its slot because owners still won't use it?

When Google introduced Pixel 2 XL, it was the most complete Android smartphone. Well, it still is, but now Im hopeful that Mountain View will up its game with the Pixel 3 series and will stay with one superior camera instead of going for two or three snappers on the back, targeted at a particular niche of users, as some other companies do.

Apple is reportedly launching a new trio of phones in September. Given the two-year cycle of innovation from Cupertino, the new phones will also be a refresh of the 2017 trio and all of them will come with a notch. Weve seen plenty of devices with cutouts on the top and frankly, the iPhones utilize this feature in the most effective way. Im pretty sure theyll keep rocking it in late 2018 and early 2019 until someone comes up with a prettier and more straightforward solution for the selfie camera.

Huawei might have something in mind, but only time will tell if that is the right way.

2018 rivalries

Patent wars will always be a thing, but with the changing political landscape, another type of altercations came in front - the trade wars. First Huawei was barred from selling devices through carriers in the US, then ZTE was on the brink of extinction because of turbulent diplomatic relations. This is bad for the mobile industry in two ways.

First, it is limiting competitiveness, instead of promoting it. Restricting some companies to trade is showing cowardice, and I think markets should be more open so we can see how far the innovation race will take us.

Second, it is preventing customers to budget properly. You either have to buy the expensive local products and components or go for the cheaper solutions that will eventually become more expensive due to taxes, tariffs, and lack of any support. Between trade wars and patent wars I prefer the latter - at least it is not hurting the end customer and pushes companies to try harder.

Sometimes well have an abomination like the nubia UI by ZTE. But sometimes we will receive an absolute beast of a phone like the Huawei P20 Pro with its stunning camera and tailored chipset.

Heres to a healthier competition in the upcoming months and may the best one win without the others failing miserably. Theres room under the sun for everyone, even HTC.
Published on 2018/07/22 | Source

/Courtesy of Samsung SDI

Samsung SDI and LG Chem, Korea's top two rechargeable battery makers, are eyeing the market for large-scale energy storage systems as a source of new revenues. Large-scale energy storage is the holy grail of solar, wind and other types of renewable energy.

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They are turning to the market due to slowing demand for smartphone batteries and lackluster sales of automotive batteries in China, the world's largest market.

Samsung SDI has shifted output from car batteries to energy-storage batteries at its plant in Xi'an, China, while LG Chem has begun expanding energy-storage output at its plant in Nanjing.

An industry insider said energy-storage batteries can be manufactured at car battery plants, so shifting operating lines is quite easy.

Samsung SDI supplied around 13,000 energy-storage batteries for a solar power project in Hawaii in March. It hopes to tap into the burgeoning U.S. market, where renewable energy usage is surging. In China, it established an energy-storage joint venture with Sungrow to manufacture batteries and sell them in China, Japan and Canada.

LG Chem is expanding cooperative deals with major global companies. It will supply 1GWh worth of energy-storage batteries to AES Energy of the U.S. Last August, LG Chem signed a deal with furniture giant IKEA to supply energy storage. It also supplies U.S. solar power companies Sunrun and Pattersen-Dean.

The market has been growing rapidly in recent years as countries try to reduce their dependence on coal and nuclear power. According to market analysts Navigant Research, the global market is expected to grow from US$6.1 billion in 2017 to $42 billion in 2025.

At the same time, the markets for smartphone and car batteries are slowing. The annual growth rate of the global smartphone market has slowed to around two percent as saturation sets in, translating into a slowdown in sales of rechargeable batteries.

The Chinese market for automotive batteries is not expected to show meaningful growth because Beijing stopped subsidizing Korean businesses there. But there are no restraints yet on energy-storage systems, and Chinese companies are urgently reaching out to Korean manufacturers.

Samsung SDI and LG Chem hope that energy storage will drive earnings growth. Analysts forecast that Samsung SDI will post its first-ever profit this year in the mid-sized to large battery business.

LG Chem also estimates its operating profit in the second quarter of this year grew significantly compared to a year ago.
Published on 2018/07/22 | Source

A government committee after an all-night tussle on Saturday decided to set next year's minimum wage hike at a whopping 10.9 percent, disappointing small businesses which had hoped for an easier ride. That will bring the minimum wage to W8,350 an hour (US$1=W1,133).

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The Minimum Wage Commission agonized overnight at the government complex in Sejong city but still arrived at a figure that is vastly higher than businesses had hoped amid signs that the hike will cost jobs and sink small enterprises.

The increase translates into a monthly wage of W1.75 million based on 40 hours a week, up W171,380 a month. One in four workers in Korea will benefit from the hike, according to the commission, or five million people.

The increase is alarmingly rapid even in the eyes of many who are in favor of a gradual increase, jumping a whopping 29.1 percent or nearly one-third from W6,470 an hour in 2017 over just two years.

Last year 13.3 percent of workers or 2.66 million earned less than the legal minimum wage, and there are fears that the double-digit hike could force many more struggling small employers to violate the law as the economy sputters.

The Korea Federation of SMEs and other business lobbies are up in arms, denouncing the "unilateral" decision.

"The minimum wage increase did not consider the payment ability of small businesses", the federation said in a statement. "The additional increase... that does not entail alternative choices will only end up causing more jobs to be lost among vulnerable groups in society and widen the income gap".

Small business owners, who stand to be hit the hardest, plan to stage a protest in front of Cheong Wa Dae and boycott the hike.

Choi Seung-jae, head of the Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise, said, "There is practically no small business that can survive such a sharp hike in the minimum wage. The minimum wage hike is threatening small business owners and workers with unemployment".

But workers representatives are also dissatisfied, saying the hike is too small and at this rate President Moon Jae-in's campaign pledge of raising the minimum wage to W10,000 by 2020 is impossible.
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Published on 2018/07/22 | Source

Korea is gradually weaning itself off the habit of eating man's best friend, but there are some casualties along the way when a tradition hundreds of years old dies.

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The Moran Market in Seongnam just south of Seoul is the biggest distributor of dog meat in the Seoul metropolitan area. Restaurant owners used to flock here in search of meat for Sambok, the three hottest days of the year when it is traditionally eaten.

But on Tuesday, the first of the three dog days, the market was eerily quiet. There used to be more than 50 butchers in the market, but now there is only one left.

Most dog butchers have already switched to running other eateries or health food stores. The Seongnam city government signed an agreement with the market's union of butchers in December 2016, offering help in switching to a different business.

The city yielded to countless petitions from animal rights activists, and out of the 22 butchers that were then still in operation, 21 have shut down. Fifteen now sell organic rabbit or goat products, and six became restaurants.

Lee Kang-chun, who at 62 had worked as a dog butcher for 30 years, opened a chicken soup restaurant in March. But things were not going great and he only made about W150,000 a day, so he had to add dog soup to his menu. "I also have dogs as pets at home, but don't you think we should distinguish dogs bred for meat from dogs bred as pets?" he said. It is a dilemma other countries have also wrestled with, not always even to their own satisfaction.

Kim Yong-buk, head of the traders union who opened a squid restaurant there early this month, said, "The city government advertises that Moran Market doesn't butcher dogs any more, but that's just cut the number of visitors to the market".

One former butcher who had opened a sushi restaurant had to close his new business within three months as he was struggling financially.

Shin Seung-chul (53) is the last dog butcher to hold out. He has known nothing else his whole life, starting as a butcher at the age of 21 and settling in this market eight years ago. He only managed to finish primary school and has no other skills.

"My education was short, but by working as a dog butcher I was able to buy a house for my mother and send my son to Seoul National University to become an international lawyer. I'm proud of that", he said.

"When I refused to change my business, so many district and government officials kept coming to pressure me", he added. "They've never done a day's work themselves, and now they're targeting someone who decided not to change his business".

Twice the district office has seized Shin's stall, claiming that he violated building laws by setting up a makeshift stall. Shin filed for an injunction against the district mayor.

"Compared to a year ago, our sales are down by 60 percent. I can't simply give up what I've done all my life for a cause that doesn't even have legal grounds", he said.

In fact it is a very gray area. Under current laws, dogs are not included in the definition of livestock, which means there is no legal way of regulating butchering, distribution and selling of dog meat. Seongnam city said its policy is to continue to encourage dog butchers to change their business and help them with the transition.
By Panos Kotzathanasis | Published on 2018/07/21

Hong Sang-soo's sixth film is one of his most enjoyable, while the style that would make him an international festival sensation later on, is almost complete in here.

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The narrative unfolds in two axes, with the second deeming what we witness in the first something very different than it appeared in the beginning, with this duality being one of Hong Sang-soo trademarks. In that fashion, during the first part, we meet Sang-weon, a young man who bumps into Yeong-sil, a girl he has shared an unrequited love some years ago. After some heavy drinking and some failed attempts to have sex, the two make a pact of committing suicide together and proceed on doing just that, although things take an unexpected turn. In the second part, that unfolds some years later, the narrative is completely turned upside down as Dong-soo, a struggling filmmaker comes out of a cinema that was playing the movie whose events we witnessed in the first part. Soon he stumbles upon the actual Yeong-sil, the actress that played the aforementioned, homonymous role in the film. The two of them have a rather strange series of encounters that ends up with both drunk and Dong-soo explaining that Lee Hyeong-soo, the director of the movie he watched, actually stole the idea for the film from him.

With these two wonderfully presented parallel stories, Hong Sang-soo makes a comment about "art imitating life", while at the same time, pointing the limitations of cinema as a medium presenting actual people's lives. The ingenious aspect of the narrative is the connection between the two parts, and particularly how the first part fills the gaps of the second and vice versa. Combining the two, one comes across the odyssey of a man trying to come in terms with his past. On a third level, the story seems as a harsh comment regarding the world of cinema, which is presented as a dog-eat-dog world, dominated by opportunists and rumors.

Apart from the above, the movie features a number of Hong Sang-soo trademarks. The one-on-one drunken discussions, the sudden zoom-ins to a specific character for emphasis, the abrupt cuts to rather realistic sex scenes, the excellent framing and a number of characters that could as well portray the director himself. In that fashion, Kim Hyung-koo and Kim Young-rho's cinematography is great in representing the realism that permeates the film, while Hahm Sung-won's editing induces the film with a rather fast pace for an indie film, while both aspects implement Hong Sang-soo's tricks elaborately.

The humor that would later on elevate his films in even higher levels is also here, but as a secondary element this time, mostly deriving from a scene where Sang-weon's mother confronts him.

Kim Sang-kyung gives an excellent performance as Dong-soo, a man whose bitterness has turned him into an obnoxious, alcoholic individual, although for a good reason, as the story seems to state. Uhm Ji-won as Yeong-sil presents a rather detached persona, who functions more as a catalyst for the comments Hong Sang-soo wanted to make, playing the part convincingly.

"Tale of Cinema" is among the easiest Hong Sang-soo films to watch, and a rather entertaining spectacle that highlights the director's traits in the best way.

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

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"Tale of Cinema" is directed by Hong Sang-soo and features Kim Sang-kyung, Uhm Ji-won and Lee Ki-woo.

Available on an Arrow Film Blu-ray from Amazon

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Berlin : Nine people were injured in an attack by a man wielding a knife on a bus in northern Germany, officials said, although his motive remained unclear.

The packed bus was on Friday heading in the direction of Travemuende, a popular beach destination close to the city of Luebeck, when a man pulled the weapon on passengers, Luebeck chief prosecutor Ulla Hingst said.

Regional interior minister for Schleswig-Holstein state, Hans-Joachim Grote, told DPA news agency that six people suffered knife wounds and three others different injuries, while the attacker also punched the bus driver.

Luckily no-one was killed, Hingst said.

The background to the act as well as exactly how it happened are completely unclear and the objects of our investigation.

The bus driver had immediately stopped the vehicle, allowing passengers to escape.

The passengers jumped out of the bus and were screaming. It was terrible. Then the injured were brought out. The perpetrator had a kitchen knife, a witness who lives close to the scene, Lothar H., told local daily Luebecker Nachrichten.

Grote said the bus driver had avoided the worst by acting in a fast and courageous manner.

An unnamed female passenger on the bus said one of those injured had only just given up his seat to an elderly woman, when the perpetrator stabbed him in the chest.

A police car which happened to be close by arrived at the scene quickly, allowing officers to detain the assailant, the newspaper reported.

Prosecutor Hingst told mass-market daily BILD that the suspected attacker is a 34-year-old German citizen of Iranian origin.

We have no indication of political radicalisation of any kind, she said, adding that the suspect had so far not spoken about the incident.

He is due to appear before a judge on Saturday.

DPA reported that the man ignited a bag he was carrying with fire accelerants. There was no trace of explosives, the agency added.

Police from Schleswig-Holstein said on Twitter that people were injured. No one was killed. The perpetrator was overpowered and is now in police custody.

While the motive has not yet been established, Germany has been on high alert after several deadly Islamist extremist attacks.

Security services had long warned of the threat of more violence after several attacks claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group, the bloodiest of which was a truck rampage through a Berlin Christmas market in December 2016 that left 12 people dead.

That attacker, Tunisian asylum seeker Anis Amri, hijacked a truck and murdered its Polish driver before killing another 11 people and wounding dozens more by ploughing the heavy vehicle through the festive market in central Berlin.

He was shot dead by Italian police in Milan four days later while on the run.

Germany has since been targeted again in attacks with radical Islamist motives.

In July 2017, a 26-year-old Palestinian asylum seeker wielding a knife stormed into a supermarket in the northern port city of Hamburg, killing one person and wounding six others before being detained by passers-by.

German prosecutors said the man likely had a radical Islamist motive.

IS also claimed responsibility for a number of attacks in 2016, including the murder of a teenager in Hamburg, a suicide bombing in the southern city of Ansbach that wounded 15, and an axe attack on a train in Bavaria that left five injured.

In June, German police said they foiled what would have been the first biological attack with the arrest of a Tunisian suspected jihadist in possession of the poison ricin and bomb-making material.

Germany remains a target for jihadist groups, in particular because of its involvement in the coalition fighting IS in Iraq and Syria, and its deployment in Afghanistan since 2001.

Security services estimate there are around 11,000 Islamist radicals in Germany, some 980 of whom are deemed particularly dangerous and capable of using violence. Around 150 of these potentially dangerous individuals have been detained for various offences.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has allowed in more than one million asylum seekers since 2015  a decision that has driven the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which charges that the influx spells a heightened security risk.

Source : TOI
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV named Mike Manley, the head of its Jeep and Ram brands, as chief executive officer to replace Sergio Marchionne, after a sudden deterioration in his health left the 66-year-old executive unable to return to work.

The abrupt departure of the executive who saved both Fiat and Chrysler and then forged a profitable trans-Atlantic operation also led to the selection of new leaders at Ferrari NV and CNH Industrial NV, which were spun off from Fiat during Marchionnes 14-year tenure, the companies said Saturday.

Manley, a 54-year-old Briton, is the man behind the extraordinary success of the Jeep brands global expansion. He will start immediately, Fiat Chrysler said in a statement. Manley joined Chrysler in the UK in 2000 when the carmaker was part of Daimler. He was named head of Jeep at the time of Fiats acquisition in 2009, and led the transformation of the iconic American brand into a cash machine. Analysts estimate that Jeep alone could be worth the entire $35 billion market value of Fiat Chrysler.

Marchionnes health has worsened significantly in recent hours after complications from shoulder surgery, and he will be unable to return to work, the company said. The executive was set to retire in April 2019. His illness accelerated the timeline for a succession decision that was already seen as a crossroads for the company. Naming Manley to run the company is just the first of a number of pivotal choices--like whether to remain independent--facing Chairman John Elkann, heir to the founding Agnelli family.

I am profoundly saddened to learn of Sergios state of health, Elkann said in a separate statement. It is a situation that was unthinkable until a few hours ago, and one that leaves us all with a real sense of injustice.

At the April general meeting, Elkann, 42, and Marchionne both said that Fiat Chrysler is now strong enough to survive on its own and doesnt need a partner. Fiat reiterated this view on Saturday, saying Manley and his team will implement the five-year business plan presented on June 1 to assure Fiat Chryslers strong and independent future.

Sergio Marchionne, chief executive officer of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, speaks to the media after a news conference in Turin on June 1, 2018. (Bloomberg)

With Manley, Fiats board passed over two other internal candidates--Alfredo Altavilla, a close aide to Marchionne and a Fiat veteran whos overseen operations across the globe and now runs the automakers European business, and Chief Financial Officer Richard Palmer, who is well known to Wall Street and helped combine the companys operations after the merger with Chrysler.

Hes not a guy with a huge ego. Thats another reason why hell be a good leader, said Rebecca Lindland, an executive analyst at Kelley Blue Book, adding that its impossible for one person to fill Marchionnes shoes. But he certainly has to figure out, make some tough decsions on which brands are struggling, and look at electrification.

Manley had already been tasked with the biggest job of the five-year plan: Doubling Jeep sales volume by 2022 from the 1.4 million vehicles sold last year. He needs a 40 percent jump this year alone to meet the 2018 marker of 2 million set out by Marchionne.

The new CEO shares with Marchionne a direct style and a penchant for casual clothing. He had sidestepped the question of whether he was ready to take the top post, always saying he was fully concentrating on his Jeep job.

If I dont grow volumes with those opportunities, then well be sitting and having a different conversation next January, wont we? Manley said in an interview earlier this year.

Ferrari separately named board member Louis C Camilleri, who is non-executive chairman and former CEO of Philip Morris International Inc., to replace Marchionne as CEO at the race car maker. Elkann will become chairman. Suzanne Heywood, managing director of the Agnelli familys Exor NV, was named chairman of truck and farm-equipment maker CNH Industrial.

Rumpled sweaters

Marchionne, known for his rumpled sweaters and non-stop work habits, was rivaled only by Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishis Carlos Ghosn for longevity as an automotive CEO. He was appointed in 2004 as the fifth Fiat chief in a two-year period, He managed to return the carmaker, which had lost more than 6 billion euros ($7 billion) in 2003, to profit in 2005 by cutting costs and laying off workers, and then looked for a partner.

With the acquisition of Chrysler in 2014, Marchionne gave Fiat the global scale needed to survive. Still, as the worlds seventh-largest automaker, the company may lack the size it needs to compete in an industry being reinvented by the emergence of autonomous driving and electrification.

Fiat Chrysler has been facing questions about Marchionnes health for almost a month-- his last public appearance was June 26, when he spoke at an event in Rome. The company said on July 5 that the CEO underwent an operation on his right shoulder and was expected to require a short period of convalescence.

Filling his shoes wont be easy. The executive was one of the industrys most skilled turnaround artists, not only saving Fiat from potential collapse, but later engineering its acquisition of Chrysler, which likely wouldnt have received US government backing for its 2009 bankruptcy without the involvement of its Italian partner.

Overnight flights

Marchionne was known for seldom taking a break, often sleeping on his private jet while travelling overnight between Turin, Detroit and London. Weekend meetings were part of the routine for an executive who wore black sweaters so he didnt have to waste time in the morning choosing between suits. He drank volumes of espressos daily and was a chain smoker of Muratti cigarettes before quitting both habits about a year ago.

Marchionne was preparing to slow down but wanted first to complete his plan to rid the carmaker of industrial debt, putting it in position to survive the next industry slump. I am a fixer. Until something is definitively fixed, I cant stop, he has said.

Shaking things up

Marchionne continued to shake up the industry with controversial moves that havent always endeared him to his counterparts. Chrysler stopped making most passenger cars 2016 to focus on SUVs, a decision that since followed by Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. In Europe, Marchionne moved away from mass production, transforming the Turin plant that churned out some 500,000 cars a year in the 1970s to what will now be a niche producer of Alfa Romeo and Maserati SUVs.

He also focused on brand building, spinning off Ferrari -- a move thats built enormous value for shareholders, especially the Agnelli family. Jeep, which produced about 300,000 cars in 2009, is now a global brand after expanding in Europe, China, India and South America.

Marchionne has been vocal for years on the industrys need for more consolidation. His plan to create with General Motors the world biggest carmaker was rebuffed in 2015. Since then, He and Elkann decided to concentrate on the more lucrative SUVs and higher-margin brands.

No script

At the June 1 five-year plan presentation, Marchionnes closing remarks were directed to his as-then unnamed successor, warning him to stay flexible and trust the survivor culture ingrained in employees of the two predecessor companies.

They confronted the threat of losing their dignity by losing their work, Marchionne said. Can Marchionne leave a script or instruction? The answer is that there is no script or instruction. FCA is a culture of leaders and employees that were born out of adversity and who operate without sheet music, that is the only way we know.
Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday backed Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate of a joint opposition alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Reiterating his earlier stand, Amarinder said that Rahul was fully competent to lead the country and will surely prove to be a successful PM. The Congress should explore all alliance possibilities for next years parliamentary elections and Rahul should lead the joint front of the opposition parties to boot the divisive BJP-led NDA out of power, said Amarinder.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) session in New Delhi, Amarinder said alliances for the Lok Sabha polls would be worked out by the party at the national level, with the state units following suit.

The alignments will have to happen at the national level. Whatever they decide will apply to the states, he said, adding that the alliances will be dependent on the central leadership, and wherever it takes us, we will go.

Amarinder said he supported former finance minister P Chidambaram, who told the CWC that the Congress would have to enter broad-based alliances to win the 2019 elections. I endorse what Mr Chidambaram has said. I think he said a very good thing that we should bring in as many people in the opposition together as possible, he added.

All the like-minded parties who want to restore Indias glorious secular and harmonious character should get together in their collective interest, and more importantly in the interest of the country, Amarinder said.

To a question on the peoples mood in Punjab ahead of the LS polls, the CM said it was entirely in favour of the Congress. Pointing out that the Congress had won Gurdaspur and Shahkot bypolls with record margins in recent months, he expressed the confidence that the party would win hands down in the parliamentary elections next year.

The CM, in response to a question, said there was no harm in bringing the new vice-chancellor of Panjab University in Chandigarh from the Banaras Hindu University. Top academicians can be from any state and there is nothing wrong in appointing them to universities in the other states, he added, when asked about the appointment of Prof Raj Kumar, dean and head of institute of management studies, BHU, as Panjab University V-C.
A team of officials from the Punjab police and the health department seized a consignment of 70,000 injections of oxytocin hormone from a house in Partap Nagar in Bathinda on Friday evening. The misuse of oxytocin, whose manufacture and sale is banned in the private sector, is widespread in the dairy industry where livestock are injected with it to make them release milk at a time convenient to farmers.

The hormone is also used to increase the size of vegetables such as pumpkins, watermelons, brinjals, gourds and cucumbers. Its frequent use causes hormonal imbalance in animals. An accused, Raj Kumar, has been booked for cheating under section 420 of the IPC and under the Indian Medical Council Act at the Colony police station. DSP City-I Gurjit Singh Romana said that 70,000 injections have been recovered and the recovered quantity is about 459 litre.

Around 25,000 vials bear labels of oxytocin, but the rest are without any label. The accused had purchased the oxytocin from a man at Hooghly in West Bengal. It is manufactured in Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, Romana added.

In April, the Centre had banned the manufacture and sale of oxytocin by the private sector.
Last week, the Supreme Court berated politicians saying that they cannot leave the dispensation of justice to the mob and bring in a new legislation to control mob lynchings and deal strictly with such offences. Little did the honourable bench realise that hundreds of kilometres away, in a nondescript Jharkhand town called Pakur, a different script was being enacted.

A few hours later, we watched on television as 78-year-old Swami Agnivesh was brutally assaulted in public. Those attacking him were shouting provocative slogans. The police later registered the case under stringent provisions of the Indian Penal Code.

There was a big hue and cry over this incident in the Jharkhand assembly. Television channels kept debating it for hours, but apart from Jayant Sinha, no other party leader came forward. A day earlier, Shashi Tharoors office was similarly vandalised in Thiruvananthapuram.

Not just this, the evening after Swami Agnivesh was brutally assaulted, during an acrimonious debate, a maulana slapped a lady lawyer of the Supreme Court on live television. Pay attention to these three incidents. These are not mere attacks on a politicians office or physical assaults on women or senior citizens. In the name of religion and civilisation, Indians are becoming irreligious and uncivilised every passing day. Consider the statement of Nida, who has been fighting a battle against triple talaq and halala. She told the Minorities Affairs Commission that she feared for her life. She is most afraid of the crowds that assemble for Friday prayers. Why has the same crowd that once gave a sense of security, become a source of fear?

A few people are consistently trying to tarnish the dignity of our nation.

Even before this, in the name of security, reservations, and appeasement, our politicians had been pandering to their vote banks. The only difference now is that these days, social media has made the flow of currents blowing from the political quarters a round-the-year affair. Those fanning these fires include people of diverse opinions and political beliefs. We Indians appear to be overcome with mob frenzy. This is dangerous.

Had mobs been capable of dispensing justice, they wouldnt have had to level bizarre allegations on French queen Marie Antoinette that led to her execution. She was accused of having physical relations with her son. Similarly, while murdering the czars family in Yekaterinburg, the mob never thought that among those killed was the helpless teenaged son of Nicholas II. He had nothing to do with the deeds or misdeeds of the royal family. Why was he murdered then? The common lesson from these examples is that a mob is driven by frenzy, not justice. If we allow it to run amok in every Indian city and town, shameful incidents such as those seen in Pakur and Hapur will be repeated every day. Please pay attention. The incidents in France and Russia were the result of short-term anarchy triggered by revolutions. They were able to control them. Our country hasnt passed through a similar tumultuous period. So, the situation in India is relatively more serious.

I feel if the Supreme Court takes suo moto cognisance of the incident at Pakur, the callousness that the authorities display while dealing with such incidents can tackled. The attackers in Pakur are the first to have violated the Supreme Courts directions. Here questions are bound to be asked about the role of the police. Everybody knew Agnivesh was in town. What was the intelligence wing doing? The police have footage of the incident. What explains the delay in taking action? Isnt it a violation of the Supreme Courts directive of dealing strictly with such incidents? Of course I dont think I am capable of giving advice to the court, or cast any doubts over the wisdom of the esteemed bench.

Look at the sorry state of affairs. Almost every political party is caught in the quagmire. When the Agnivesh issue was raised in Parliament, home minister Rajnath Singh gave a statement that we have regularly met the chief ministers concerned and urged them to take action. In these cases the Centres rights are limited to just suggestions and requests. Law and order is an issue that state governments look at. What are they doing? If you look at the list of incidents, it will be clear that this is the state of affairs whether it is in states ruled by the BJP or Kerala, ruled by the Left Front. Even Bengal, governed by Mamata Banerjee, is on the boil.

In such a scenario, what recourse does the common man have than to pin all hope on the judiciary?

Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief Hindustan

letters@hindustantimes.com
An under-construction building collapsed in Ghaziabads Akash Nagar area on Sunday afternoon killing at least one unidentified person and injuring eight others. Officials said that one person was feared trapped under the rubble.

According to officials, a 35-year-old man, Raju, was declared brought dead at Combined District Hospital at Sanjay Nagar. The eight injured were rescued by personnel from the of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) who rushed to the spot after the incident.

The columns of the building had developed cracks and we were trying to repair it . Our supervisor, Ram Singh, had told us to repair the cracks in the afternoon. We started work after 2pm and minutes later the building collapsed, said Geeta, 27, one of the labourers who was rescued.

Those injured in Sundays collapse mostly included labourers who had arrived from Madhya Pradeshs Damoh .

One 35-year-old man was brought dead at the hospital while six injured are undergoing treatment. A woman and her five-year-old child, who had suffered head injuries, along with another eight-year-old boy was referred to GTB Hospital in Delhi for better treatment, said NK Gupta, Ghaziabad chief medical officer.

Ghaziabad district magistrate Ritu Maheshwari said she had ordered a magisterial inquiry which will be conducted by additional district magistrate. Maheshwari, who is also the vice-chairperson of Ghaziabad development authority (GDA), has ordered an internal inquiry about approvals of the building.

Prima facie it looks like the building was being constructed by a private developer and had no permission from the authority, Maheshwari said.

The rescued labourers estimate that there were 10-12 persons inside the building when the incident took place.

According to police officials, four private builders were constructing the building on a plot of land in Akash Nagar. Ghaziabad municipal commissioner CP Singh said that the locality is part of Indergarhi village and not an urban local body.

District magistrate Maheshwari said that notices had been served to the builders who were getting the building constructed.

The building had a demolition order in December 2017 and later few more letters for demolition were issued. The last date was July 12 but on all occasions we couldnt put together a police force . The building was illegal and had no clearances, she said.

Rescue officials from NDRF said that the incident in Ghaziabad was very similar to the recent Shahberi building collapse incident in Greater Noida in which nine people had been killed.

It is almost similar to Shahberi incident. Most of the injured we retrieved from the site here were unconscious. Heavy beams on weak columns could have led to the building collapse, said PK Srivastava, commandant of the eighth battalion of the NDRF.

Later, UP chief minister announced Rs 2 lakh each compensation to the kin of dead and Rs 50,000 each for those injured.
Warner Bros released the first trailer for Aquaman at the ongoing San Diego Comic-Con, an annual convention where studios debut their biggest upcoming films. Aquaman is the latest entry in the critically-maligned DC Extended Universe of films.

The trailer was a long time coming because director James Wan had promised fans that he wouldnt allow any footage to be released until the effects were up to the mark, and going by this first trailer, the film really does rely on computer generated environments a lot. While the trailer opens on Earth, or the surface world as the Atlanteans call it, it spends a significant amount of time underwater.

Arthur Curry, whom we met for the first time in last years Justice League, is summoned to his mothers home, Atlantis, because his half-brother Orm is mounting a plan to take over the surface world. Arthur was born of a human father, so he feels compelled to defend both his homes from Orm.

Having grown up on land, he follows Mera into the water and is introduced for the first time to his other home. The underwater scenes are huge in scale, and significantly for a DC movie, vibrant and very comic book-inspired.

We get to see several glimpses at epic, Lord of the Rings-like action, inventively designed characters, and Jason Momoa owning the role.

James Wan, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, Amber Heard, and Jason Momoa attend DC Entertainment's Warner Bros. (AFP)

Following the commercial failure of Justice League, Aquaman and the upcoming Shazam are supposed to take the film series into a fresh new direction, unburdened by the legacy of Batman and Superman. Aquaman feels very independent from the rest of the series, and often seems like Black Panther, told through Killmongers perspective - without the destructive tendencies, of course.

The film stars Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen III, Willem Dafoe and Dolph Lundgren. Aquaman will be released on December 21.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
After staying silent for months, Jeremy Renner has finally expressed his own desire to return as Hawkeye. In a new post on Instagram, Renner talked wrote about how Hawkeye is suiting up for his friends.

Got this feelin I need to SUITup soon, he captioned a photo of him from Captain America: Civil War. He also used a few hashtags to his post#comingINhot #missmyfriends #lovemyfamily #marvelous #hawkeye #nestunknownthat may or may not indicate his own feeling at the moment.

Renner was nowhere to be seen in the recent Marvel juggernaut, Avengers Infinity War. Clint Barton was said to have made a deal with the authorities to be with his family and keep them safe.

However, Renner was seen at shoot locations for Avengers 4 a few months ago and theories suggest that he will join the heroes after the events of Avengers Infinity War. His family might have been killed due to the snap of Thanos fingers and it will make him want to take revenge or work with the heroes to reverse what has happened.

Marvel recently showed footage from the Avengers 4 to a select few people at a special event in June. Fans were expecting the studio to premiere footage from Captain Marvel and reveal the title for Avengers 4 but Marvel chief Kevin Feige treated fans at the ongoing CineEurope event in Barcelona to exclusive previews from both films.

A Reddit post said that fans were shown an exchange between Iron Man and Ant-Man, in which they were discussing a new piece of technology that would enable the Avengers to go to multiple realities and collect the Infinity Stones.

Avengers 4 is scheduled for a May, 2019 release. The film will serve as a conclusion to the current iteration of the MCU.

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A minor Dalit girl was raped over three days by four men including two who gang raped her on the pretext of helping her reach home in Dewas district, 153 km south west of state capital Bhopal, said police. Police arrested all the four accused on Saturday.

The rape and gang rape took place at three different places over three days by the accused one after another.

Sajjan Singh Mukati, Nemawar town police inspector, said, The 15-year-old victim had gone to Indore, 40 km away from her home, alone without informing her parents on July 16 to meet a man but she didnt find him. She boarded a bus on the same day to come back home in Dewas but fell asleep during the journey in a bus. When she woke up she found herself at Nasrullahganj town in Sehore, 150 km away from her home, on July 17. The bus conductor Ishwar Jat assured the girl of helping her and took her to a secluded place where he raped the victim whole night. He left her at deserted a place after the crime.

The inspector said, The girl was seeking help of people at the town to get back home when two youth Sanjay Meena and Gopal Meena offered to help her and took her to a school building where they held her captive and gang raped her for two days. She, somehow, managed to flee from the school and reached a neighbouring village where she met an acquaintance with whom she shared her ordeal and requested him to help her.

However, said Mukati, on the pretext of helping the girl the acquaintance took her to a secluded area where he raped her. She was found on a road passing by the village in a bad shape by her father on Friday, said Mukati.

She later lodged an FIR with police against four persons.

Police registered the FIR under section 376 (d) ( gang rape) and 363 (kidnapping) of Indian Penal Code (IPC), section 3 (assaulting an SC/ST woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act and section 4 of POCSO (penetrative sexual assault).

(with input from Nitin Gupta in Dewas)
The nations attention was riveted on the Lok Sabha on Friday as it debated the first no-confidence motion in 15 years which the National Democratic Alliance government easily defeated. HT looks back at a special session in 2008, when the United Progressive Alliance(UPA) government opted for a floor test after the four Left parties withdrew their support to the coalition over the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Context

The trust vote in 2008, a year before the UPA faced Lok Sabha elections, was one of the most dramatic in Parliaments history. After almost a year of intense negotiations with Left parties, the UPA was able to convince Prakash Karat, then general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), that it could go ahead with a safeguards agreement on civilian nuclear installations with the International Atomic Energy Agency . The agreement was an enabler for the India-US nuclear agreement. When the government announced plans to meet the Nuclear Suppliers Group , the Left, with 60 MPs, withdrew support to the government. PM Manmohan Singh opted for a floor test to prove his government still commanded majority.The UPA, in a mood to take a high moral ground, wanted to take the mandate of the House for the deal. It wanted to send a message to the international community that the Parliament has given UPA the go ahead for the deal. The trust vote also became one of those rare moments when the Left and the BJP came on the same platform.

What happened

The Congress-led UPA government went for a special sessiononly for the floor testbefore knocking on the doors of the NSG. With no support from the Left, UPA managers fell back on Mulayam Singh Yadavs Samajwadi Party to win the test. Yadav said former President APJ Abdul Kalam had told him that the Indo-US nuclear deal was good for the country and so he will support the UPA. Meanwhile, a furious CPI (M) asked speaker Somnath Chatterjee to step down and vote against the government. Chatterjee refused and he was expelled a day after the trust vote. The debate on the trust vote was widely considered one of the best in parliamentary history. The Bharatiya Janata Party, otherwise a strong supporter of Indo-US ties, decided to vote against the government and took the plea that if voted to power, it will negotiate a better deal. After two days of debate, the UPA government won the motion with 275 votes while 256 MPs voted against it.

Significance

It was the first trust vote of the UPA government led by Manmohan Singh and it won it with the help of allies. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government went on to sign the nuclear deal with the US, opening a new, historic chapter in Indias civilian nuclear power programme.

Apart from paving the way for a major diplomatic victory in energy security, the trust vote also had immense political significance.

The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) went on to win the next general elections with an improved tally. The Left parties snapped ties with the Congress.

The decline of the Left started thereafter. Manmohan Singh went on to become the only Prime Minister till date from outside the Nehru-Gandhi family who completed two consecutive terms in office.

The political situation that followed the trust vote was the one, where, possibly the first time foreign policy issues became one of the major poll planks.

For the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, the Indo-US nuclear deal transformed Indias recognition as a major civilian nuclear power and the only one without signing the highly lopsided non proliferation agreements.
Relatives of Rakbar Khan, who was lynched by a mob in Rajasthans Alwar district in the name of cow late on Friday night, have called off the protest even as the Haryana government announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for his family.

Protesting the murder, villagers in Kolgaon had placed Rakbars body on the Delhi-Alwar highway demanding the arrest of all the accused, financial support for his family and a government job for Asmina, Rakbars wife. Rakbar was the sole earning member in the family.

The protest was called off after the district administration assured the villagers that their demands will be met. Rakbar was laid to rest in a graveyard 150 metres from his house, deputy superintendent of police Brahm Singh said.

We agreed to bury Rakbars body only after the police gave us assurance and the sub-divisional magistrate assured that the family would be compensated. He (Rakbar) was the sole breadwinner and his family is left to feed for itself without any support, brother Akbar said.

The family members, accompanied by several villagers, had held several rounds of meetings with the district administration and the Mewat police, in presence of local politicians, before the protest was called off.

A few villagers wanted the protest to continue, said Liyaqat Ali Khan, a school teacher in Kolgaon village.

We took prompt action after getting information that villagers are planning to hold the protest and block the road, Nazneen Bhasin, Nuh SP said.
Assam police have arrested a man for allegedly operating fake Facebook accounts of 17 police officers, including those of the DGP, Kuladhar Saikia and Guwahati commissioner, Hiren Nath.

The crime branch of the Guwahati Police arrested 30-year-old Suleiman Ibrahim Ali from the city on Saturday evening.

He admitted that he was operating fake Facebook profiles under the name of as many as 17 Indian Police Service officers, Nath said.

The fake Facebook accounts operated by Ali include those of police officers from outside the state.

He claims he was doing it just for fun. He would add the fake profiles of the police officers to his account, perhaps to show off the proximity to his friends, Nath said.

Ali, son of a retired superintendent engineer of the state government, is unemployed. Apart from the 17 fake accounts of cops, he had six Facebook profiles under his name.

Police recovered 47 cellphones, 13 tablets and 15 SIM cards from Ali, who Nath said, claims to be fond of gadgets.

After the city police discovered the fake profiles, especially of the DGP, an investigation was launched in late June.

We approached Facebook and they provided us with crucial information. Many of the profiles were registered with fake mobile numbers which made investigation difficult, Nath said.

He will be produced before the magistrate today (Sunday) and we will seek a weeks police custody to ascertain if its a big conspiracy, Nath said.
The Congress has to fight for Indias oppressed, said party president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday as top leaders accused Prime Minister Narendra Modis government of compromising Indias democracy and depriving the poor.

UPA chairperson and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi cautioned about the reign of despair and fear heaped upon Indias deprived and poor at a meeting of the newly constituted Congress Working Committee (CWC), the partys top decision-making body, to discuss the political situation in the country and draw up the partys strategy for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

We have to rescue our people from a dangerous regime that is compromising with the democracy of India, Sonia was quoted by PTI as saying. She said the reverse countdown of the Modi government has begun.

She also insisted that the UPA will work effectively. We are committed to make alliance work and we are with the Congress president in this endeavour, she said

Rahul Gandhi described the Congress as the voice of India and said the party had a responsibility towards the present and the future.

Rahul Gandhi reminds qua the role of Congress as the voice of India as also its responsibility of present and future, as BJP attacks institutions, dalits, tribals, backwards, minorities & poor, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted.

Rahul Gandhi calls the newly constituted CWC as an institution comprising of experience and energy, as a bridge between the past, present and the future. Calls upon Congressmen/women to rise and fight for Indias oppressed, Surjewala said in another tweet.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accused Prime Minister Modi following a culture of constant self praise and jumlas (theatrics).

The former PM said the claim of doubling farm income by 2022 will require an agricultural growth rate of 14 per cent, which is nowhere in sight.

Dr Singh also assured Rahul Gandhi that he and all other Congressmen will help him to restore Indias social harmony and economic development.

I assure Rahul Gandhiji that we will fully support him in his onerous task of restoring Indias social harmony and economic development, he said.

The CWC is meeting two days after Rahuls speech in Parliament during a debate on the no-confidence motion. The Congress president launched a blistering attack on Modi and later, in an unprecedented move, gave him a hug.

Gandhis aggressive speech has buoyed the Congress with its leaders expressing confidence that he will pose a formidable challenge to Modi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi will decide on alliances with other political parties for elections, said the party on Sunday after a meeting of senior leaders to set the agenda for 2019.

We are setting up a group that is going to do that, Gandhi said on being asked if the party had started forming alliances for the 2019 elections.

Gandhi at a five-hour meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) spoke about the partys duty for Indias poor, down-trodden and minorities, said spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.

Under Rahul Gandhi, Congress has blown the bugle for 2019 elections, he said at a press conference.

The Congress entered into a surprise post-election alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular) to form a goverment in Karnataka, agreeing to let JD (S) leader HD Kumaraswamy to take over as chief minister. Rahuls alliance strategy will be tested in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, states which hold elections this year before the Lok Sabha test in 2019.

The CWC met two days after Rahuls speech in Parliament during a debate on the no-confidence motion. The Congress president launched a blistering attack on Modi and later, in an unprecedented move, gave him a hug.

Gandhis aggressive speech has buoyed the Congress with its leaders expressing confidence that he will pose a formidable challenge to Modi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The Congress on Sunday formally sounded the bugle for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as it decided to go for strategic and state-specific tie-ups to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, and insisted that there will be reasonable give and take while striking alliances.

The Congress maintained that Rahul Gandhi, 48, will be the partys face and will lead the campaign for the 2019 polls. The decisions were taken at a five-hour meeting of the newly constituted Congress Working Committee (CWC), which authorised Gandhi to take a call on pre- or post-poll alliances. He was mandated to form different committees for elections. We are setting up a group that is going to do that, Gandhi said on being asked if the party had started forming alliances for 2019.

Flaying the Congresss bid to bring forward a united opposition against Modi, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said the party was playing the role of a suicide bomber and would sink others too. He termed the CWC as Congress Darbari Committee.

While 239 Congress leaders and office-bearers from across the country were invited to the CWC meeting, former general secretaries Digvijaya Singh and Janardan Dwivedi, who were on Tuesday dropped from the partys highest decision-making body, gave it a miss.

Gandhi, who had on Friday delivered one of his most aggressive speeches in the Lok Sabha during a debate on the no-confidence motion, warned party leaders of strict action if they spoke out of turn at a time when the Congress was fighting a bigger and fundamental battle for freedom. The issue was also flagged by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and senior general secretary Ashok Gehlot. Rahul Gandhi clearly pointed out and gave friendly advice to partymen that in view of the larger goal -- the 2019 election -- they should maintain discipline in both their language and conduct, Congresss chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters. There is freedom of expression, but as far as toeing the party line is concerned, it is expected of the Congress workers and the entire leadership that they will maintain the balance of decorum and dignity of language, he added.

In recent weeks, there has been a controversy around Shashi Tharoors Hindu Pakistan remark, and right before the Gujarat elections, Mani Shankar Aiyars comments against PM Modi had prompted his suspension from the party.

The broader theme of the CWC meeting was the issue of alliances and former finance minister P Chidambaram gave a detailed presentation on the Congresss strengths and weaknesses in different states.

According to a leader who attended the meeting, Chidambaram said the Congress is strong in 12 states where it could register a threefold increase in the number of seats the party won in 2014.

Chidambaram was also said to be of the view that the Congress could touch the 300-mark if it formed formidable alliances with regional and national political parties in different states.

By authorising Gandhi to decide on a coalition, the party sought to send a message that his will be the final word on alliances and that his mother and predecessor Sonia Gandhi, who is said to have wider acceptability among different political parties, would help him in negotiations.

Asked if Gandhi will be the partys prime inisterial candidate, Surjewala said that they will fight the 2019 elections under his stewardship and leadership.

On that, we neither have a doubt nor any second thoughts. We expect to better our 2004 performance. Naturally, the people of India will decide. Once the Congress becomes the single largest party touching the figure of 200 or above, naturally it will be the leading party. We will fight this election by putting forward our leader and the Congress president will be the only face to be projected, he said.

Surjewala said Gandhi also told the meeting that he will negotiate on alliances without compromising on the partys interests. The Congresss chief whip in the Lok Sabha Jyotiraditya Scindia had raised the issue earlier. He had said that while alliances have become a reality the Congress should not comprise on its interests in such tie-ups.

Political analysts said that apart from forming alliances, the Opposition should project its agenda to the people. Some sort of basic common agenda should be given by these parties and they need to talk about all the things that have been troubling the people apart from the failures of the present government. You have to give some hope to the people. Only then will they be able to decide about giving their support. Too much emphasis on bargaining and seat-sharing is not exactly giving a positive message, said Prof Balveer Arora, a Delhi-based political analyst.

Sonia Gandhi maintained the Congress was committed to forming alliances with like-minded parties to defeat the BJP. We are all with Rahul Gandhi in this endeavour. We have to rescue our people from a dangerous regime that is compromising the democracy of India, she said in her address.

Former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit raised the issue of alleged EVM tampering while other speakers stressed the need for improving the partys booth management and effectively countering the BJPs attempts to polarise voters in the run-up to the elections.
The Rajasthan police on Sunday said it would look into allegations that a delay in taking Rakbar Khan, 31, to a hospital could have contributed to his death after suspected cow vigilantes attacked him in Alwars Ramgarh on Friday night.

Eyewitnesses have alleged that Khan was dead by the time he was taken to a health centre over three hours after police were informed about the attack, and at least two people accused the police of beating Khan -- a charge denied by the Rajasthan police.

During the investigation, if we find any administrative goof-ups, we will take necessary action, said deputy superintendent of police Aneel Kumar.

Alwar superintendent of police Rajendra Singh told HT that they were investigating the matter and have arrested three people so far. If any official is found misleading the investigation, then we will take necessary action against them.

He said initial investigation suggests that a large number of villagers were not involved in the incident. If you will see the spot of the incident, it is a few metres from a farm, where we doubt the presence of a large group of people. Further investigation will reveal the facts.

But ruling Bhartiya Janata Partys (BJP) Ramgarh lawmaker Gyan Dev Ahuja demanded a judiciary inquiry, while accusing the police of beating Khan. They (the accused) slapped the cow smuggler a bit and informed the police. My sources told me that police took the smuggler to custody and thrashed him with lathis to show people that they are taking strict action, he alleged.

Naval Kishore Sharma, 43, who claims to be a gopalak (cattle rearer) with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and an eyewitness, backed Ahujas version. Police beat them at the police station also, leading to his (Khan)s death, and took him to Ramgarh community health centre at 4am where doctors declared him dead on arrival. He alleged the police took Khan to the police station first.

Sharma said that a local, Dharmendra Yadav, called him 15 minutes past midnight, informing him that villagers were beating a cow smuggler. He added that he informed the police at 12.30am and accompanied them to the spot in Lalavandi forests, where they found Khan drenched in mud after the attack.

He said that at around 3am, Yadav and Paramjeet Singh helped load the two cows Khan was taking to his village in Haryana.

I took them (the cows) to a nearby gaushala (cow shelter), handed them over around 3.15 am and reached Ramgarh police station around 3.40 am. Dharmendra and Paramjeet went with the police in their jeep, he said.

Sharma alleged that Yadav and Paramjeet Singh were arrested even though they helped the police. They are innocent, he said, accusing the police of framing Yadav and Paramjeet Singh in the case.

Maya Sharma, a woman from Lalavandi village, the scene of the attack, said commotion on Friday woke her up. I saw the police kicking a man (Khan) lying in mud and abusing him. When I went there to see what was happening, they told me to go away, she said.

But the police denied the allegations. Assistant superintendent of police Anil Beniwal said a team was rushed to the scene around 1am when they were informed that vigilantes were beating up Khan over cow smuggling suspicions.

Eyewitness Sharma said police beat Rakbar in his presence.

Yadav and Paramjeet were booked for unlawful assembly, wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt and murder on Saturday. Another accused, Naresh Singh, was arrested on Sunday on the same charges.
Five people including three women drowned in Tamil Nadu on Sunday after they were washed away by a flood while bathing in the Cauvery river in Salem district following the release of excess water from the Stanley reservoir of the Metur dam.

When six people were bathing in Cauvery water at Reddiyarpalayam which is about three kilometres away from Mettur dam, a seven-year-old boy was washed away into the flood. Five others tried to rescue him but four of them lost their lives, said C Murugesan, district fire service officer in-charge, Salem.

The deceased have been identified as G Vaishnavi (20), N Saravanan (35), S Mythili (32), S Raveena (17) and S Hariharan (7). We rescued one G Dhanushri (18) alive but we could only recover the dead bodies of four others. We are yet to retrieve the body of Hariharan, said the officer.

Saravanan, his wife Mythili and their children Raveena and Hariharan from Vijayamangalam of Tiruppur district were visiting their relatives house in Reddiyarpalayam on Sunday. Two of his relatives Vaishnavi and Dhanushri who were sisters had gone with Saravanans family to take bath in the Cauvery when the tragedy struck, Murugesan said.

The PWD which maintains the dam had been releasing 20000 cusecs of water every day since Thursday to reduce strain on the Stanley reservoir. Authorities say they had issued mandatory warnings about possible flooding before and after the release of excess water.

Authorities had sounded a flood alert in Dharmapuri, Salem, Erode, Namakkal, Karur, Trichy, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Pudukkottai and Ariyalur.

We have given flood alerts through media, loudspeakers and notices. Also, we have kept danger signboards at 30 vulnerable points in the Salem district. Boat operations have also been stopped. Police and fire service forces are kept ready to respond to the unexpected situation. Tourists who are visiting Mettur should not enter into the river. No one should take selfies by the river, Rohini Bhajibakare, collector of Salem told Hindustan Times.

While describing the loss of lives as unfortunate, she also said that she had informed collectors of 11 other districts about the increase in outflow of water.

Since the rains continue in Karnataka, the outflow from Karnataka dams would increase 70,000 cusecs on Monday. So, we have decided to release 30,000 cusecs of water on Sunday night. I have alerted the collectors of low lying districts from Mettur, Rohini told HT.

K Rajamani, collector, Trichy district said they have identified 20 vulnerable spots and have deployed special rescue monitoring forces comprised of police, revenue and fire service department officials.

We have advised the locals not to bathe in rivers. Since Thottiyam-Thiruvembur is an extremely vulnerable flood prone area of Cauvery river, we have asked the locals residing on the banks to evacuate, Rajamani said.

In the tail end of the river in Nagapattinam district where the water enters into the sea, the flood-prone areas have been identified through drones.

We deployed drone cameras to assess the vulnerable spots in Nagapattinam, Thalainayar, Vedaranyam where the estuaries are lying. Proper warning messages have been sent to the locals, said M Thamimul Ansari, special tehsildar, disaster management agency, Nagapattinam.
Facing vacancies at the rank of joint directors (JD), the Central Bureau of Investigation got a breather from the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) which gave a go ahead to extend the tenure of some key officers, including those who have worked closely in some high-profile cases as part of special director Rakesh Asthanas team.

The agency has six vacancies at the rank of JD with several holding more than one charge to tide over the staff crunch.

The two join directors whose tenure has been extended are AYV Krishna (from July 18, 2018 to January 17,2020) and Sai Manohar Aramane (from July 17, 2018 to April 2019).

Aramane is part of a special investigation team handling politically-sensitive bank fraud case involving Vijay Mallya, headed by Asthana, officials said.

The CVC is considering fresh appointments of three more JDs in the agency but the deliberations got delayed as CBI director Alok Verma has objected to some of the names being considered.

A CVC-led panel decides on appointments and extension in tenure of officials of the rank of Superintendent of Police and above in the CBI. HT has seen relevant documents in this regard.

The government has cleared extension in tenure of another JD-rank official, Manish Kishore Sinha, a 1996-batch IPS officer of Jammu and Kashmir cadre, from April 3, 2018 to November 30, 2018. Sinha is in the middle of a course at the National Defence College.

Among others whose tenure have been extended by a panel headed by Central Vigilance Commissioner KV Chowdary included a Deputy Inspector General-rank officer Anish Prasad, who was repatriated in May to his cadre state Tripura, officials said.

Prasads tenure been extended from June 3, 2018 to May 5, 2020. He is serving in the agency as deputy director (administration).

Apart from this, the vigilance panel has cleared extension in deputation tenure of another senior IPS officer, Prem Kumar Gautam, who worked closely with Asthana in probing important cases including the one involving Mallya, officials said.

The approval of competent authority is conveyed for extension in the central deputation tenure of Gautam for a period from January 27, 2018 until the date the CBI gets permission or further direction from the Supreme Court as he (Gautam) is handling the coal block allocation scam cases that are being monitored by the top court.

The apex court, which is monitoring probe in the multi-crore coal block scam involving some politicians, businessmen and former bureaucrats, has said that no officer associated with the investigation should be removed from the team without its permission, according to the officials.
Senior Congress leader Randeep Surjewala on Saturday accused chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar of selling government jobs in Haryana in exchange of cash and warned him of meeting the same fate as former CM Om Parkash Chautala.

At a well-attended Badlav Rally at his Narwana hometown in Jind district, Surjewala said, CM Khattar should go and meet Chautala in Tihar jail to know what happens to those who sell government jobs in exchange of money. Chautala is not even getting bail by the court.

Notably, Chautala is serving a 10-year sentence in Tihar jail after being convicted in the JBT recruitment scam.

The Kaithal MLA, who is also the Congress partys national communications in-charge, promised to file an FIR and conduct an investigation in the alleged cash-for-job scam in Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) if his party is voted to power in 2019.

HSSC chairman Bharat Bhushan Bharti was caught on audio demanding Rs 80 lakh. But instead of removing him, the government gave him an extension because he is close to CM Khattar. Then there was a paper leak, but this government did nothing again. Then came a casteist remark against Brahmins, over which the government suspended Bharti for a few days following widespread outrage but reinstated him back to his post again, Surjewala said.

The Congress leader, who is considered a contender for the CMs post in Haryana, termed the BJP government an anti-Dalit and anti-backward government.

He alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended special budget allocation for Dalits soon after coming to power and accused BJP ministers of trying to end reservation in jobs for poor and backward classes.

BJPs UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath makes Dalits wash their hands with soap before touching them. Union minister VK Singh compares Dalits to dogs. This is the extent to which they hate Dalits. As per statistics, a crime against a Dalit is committed every nine minutes in India, but this government has diluted the SC/ST (prevention of Atrocities) Act, he alleged.

He also termed the government anti-farmer and said PM Modi had no empathy for them. Has PM Modi or CM Khattar ever sown paddy in hot and humid temperature like this? Do they even know how to do it? How will they understand the pain and hard-work that a farmer puts in every single day to fill his familys stomach, he said.

Surjewala said that in past four years of BJP rule in Haryana, the states debts have increased from Rs 60,000 crore to Rs 1.62 lakh crore.

Every hour, this government is borrowing Rs 3 crore and pushing Haryana neck deep under debts. Where is this money going? There has been no development, so it is clear it is going in the pockets of ministers, he said.

Political dangal in Haryana Congress

While former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hoooda and Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar are already engaged in a slugfest over the leadership issue in the state ahead of 2019 assembly elections, Surjewala, son of veteran Congress leader Shamsher Singh Surjewala, has also started flexing political muscles by holding rallies in different parts of the state.

After Hooda launched his rath yatra in the state, Tanwar started Haryana Bachao Parivartan Cycle Rally.

Former Union minister and Congress Rajya Sabha member Kumari Selja, who on Saturday launched the partys Mahila Shakti programme in Karnal, also occasionally makes her presence felt.
A BJP councillor of Wani Municipal Council in Yavatmal district has been arrested for allegedly raping a woman for over last three years and trying to extort money from her, police said on Saturday.

The accused Dheeraj Digambar Pathe (29), a resident of Wasekar Layout in Wani town, was arrested last night based on a complaint filed by a 20-year-old woman, police said.

According to Balasaheb Khade, Inspector of Wani police station, the victim said in her complaint that she lived in the same locality in Wani as Pathes and they knew each other ever since she was a minor.

The victim said that when she was still a minor studying in Class XII, Pathe promised that he would marry her in future, and established physical relationship with her. He started repeatedly sexually assaulting her, the officer said.

When she turned major, he demanded that she marry him. When she refused to tie the knot with him, he started troubling her. He started demanding Rs 5 lakh from her as compensation for refusing to marry him, Khade added.

The victim, who is now a B.Sc student, said he continued to harass her over his demands. But when she stuck to her ground and turned down all his demands, Pathe opened a Facebook account in her name and started sending objectionable messages from that account to defame her, police said.

The victim finally narrated her ordeal to her parents, who approached the police.

Based on the complaint, Pathe was booked under IPC sections 376 (rape), 363 (kidnapping), 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person), 384 (extortion) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document). He was also booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. He was arrested last night.

According to police, the BJP councillor was a co-accused in one more rape case, which is still pending before the court.
West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee will begin a two-month nationwide tour in November to shore up support for the partys mega anti-BJP rally in Kolkata on January 19, 2019, said a senior member of the West Bengal cabinet who did not wish to be named.

Besides New Delhi, she will visit state capitals and interact with the top leaders of different regional parties after Durga Puja and Diwali festivities get over, he said.

She will personally invite and persuade them to be present at the Kolkata rally. She has also prepared a list of leaders whom she would like to meet. Her priorities in the list are former Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav and his son Tejashwi Yadav, Samajwadi Party leader, Akhilesh Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati and Telengana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, the minister said.

On Saturday, at the 25th year of Trinamool martyrs day rally, Mamata Banerjee announced January 19 as the date for the anti-BJP rally in Kolkata. Later in the day, she also announced that she would invite top Congress leaders like Sonia Gandhi to be present at the rally. In response, the BJP has called a rally at the same venue on January 23 where Prime Minister, Narendra Modi will be the principal speaker.

The clear instructions from the chief minister are to start preparations immediately after the festive season to make the anti-BJP rally a grand success. We will work according to her instructions and we are sure that majority of anti-BJP forces in the country and even leaders from some current NDA allies will accept her invitation and make their presence felt at the January 19 rally, said state transport minister Suvendu Adhikari.

It is learnt that chief ministers nephew and Trinamool Lok Sabha member, Abhishek Banerjee will be accompanying her during her meetings with the top leaders of different parties. In some cases, Trinamool leader in Lok Sabha, Sudip Bandopadhyay and the partys national spokesman and Rajya Sabha member, Derek OBrien will accompany the chief minister, said the member of state cabinet who preferred to remain anonymous.

He said that although chief minister had initially decided to invite CPI(M) leaders in the rally, this might not happen since top CPI(M) leaders including its national general secretary, Sitaram Yechury has ruled out possibilities of attending the rally.

During the time when Banerjee will be busy meeting national leaders of other parties, Trinamool secretary general and state education minister, Partha Chatterjee and the partys general secretary, Subrata Bakshi will extensively tour Bengal to identify organizational loopholes and take corrective measures.

On Saturday, chief minister has clearly said that in 2019 Trinamool will win in all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state. It is our duty to fulfil her wish and work according to her instructions, Chatterjee said.

Bengals panchayat and rural development minister, Subrata Mukherjee will also tour the state to monitor pending rural development projects and ensure their timely completion.

Development is the slogan of Trinamool and we will not compromise on the development issue at any cost, Mukherjee said.

The BJP which is trying to get a foothold in West Bengal sought to downplay the TMCs mega rally plans. The partys national secretary Rahul Sinha said that it was the combination of Banerjees ambition to become Prime Minister and her fear about the rise of the BJP in Bengal that has made the chief minister so desperate.

Her dreams will remain dreams only. First she should concentrate on Bengal and then think of India, he said.
More lynching incidents will take place with the rise in popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said on Saturday, suggesting a conspiracy was at play to defame the BJP and the central government ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year.

The more popular Modi ji becomes, the more such incidents will happen. During Bihar elections, it was award wapsi; in Uttar Pradesh, it was mob lynching. For 2019 elections, it will be something else. PM Modi gave several schemes, their effects can be seen, this (lynching) incident is just one reaction to it, he said.

The minister was reacting to the killing of a Muslim man, Rakbar Khan, who was lynched by a mob in Rajasthans Alwar district over rumours that he was smuggling cow late on Friday.

Meghwal also termed the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 as the biggest case of mob lynching in India. We condemn mob lynching but this isnt a single incident. You have to trace this back in history. Why does this happen? Who should stop this? What happened with Sikhs in 1984 was the biggest mob lynching of this nations history, he told reporters in Jaipur.

The killing comes four days after the central and state governments came under a sharp criticism from the Supreme Court over frequent lynching incidents. The Supreme Court also asked Parliament to come up with a law to tackle cow vigilantism and lynch, calling such incidents horrendous acts of mobocracy that should be nipped in the bud.

It is the third such incident in Alwar since April last year when dairy farmer Pehlu Khan was beaten to death by a mob. Another man, Umar Mohammed, 35, also a dairy farmer was found dead near the railway tracks in Alwar in November 2017. He was also allegedly killed by vigilantes when he was transporting cows to his home in Pahari tehsil of the district.

The latest incident came hours after Modi in his speech to the Lok Sabha on Friday said the incidents of violence are against the basic principles of humanity, urging state governments to take strict action in such cases.

BJP bigwigs in Rajasthan, which goes to polls later this year, were quick to condemn the murder that took place hours before party chief Amit Shah landed in Jaipur to address the concluding session of the partys state working committee meeting.

Chief minister Vasundhara Raje, who had stayed silent for over a month when a dairy farmer Pehlu Khan, also in Alwar, was similarly lynched by a mob in April last year, was quick to speak up this time.

The incident of the alleged lynching of a person transporting bovines in Alwar district is condemnable. Strictest possible action shall be taken against the perpetrators, she said in a tweet. Such behaviour is certainly abhorrent and despicable  and not characteristic of Rajasthan. We shall make all efforts to prevent such instances.

Rajasthan home minister Gulab Chand Kataria, who had called the last years victim a cow smuggler in the state assembly and had backed the police clean chit to the six accused, was also quick to condemn this time.

We will take strict action against the people responsible for this incident, he told reporters at the venue of BJPs meeting.

Ramgarh MLA Gyandev Ahuja raised suspicion on the role of the Alwar police. There is rampant cow smuggling on the Alwar-Haryana border. I have asked people in my constituency not to take law in their own hands. I demand that the government order a judicial inquiry.

Others, meanwhile, slammed the BJP for the rise in cases of mob violence in the name of cow.

Any statement from BJP leaders opposing the lynching is hypocrisy. The mob violence has the indirect support of the BJP. In Rajasthan, the communal and regional polarisation is BJPs creation, political analyst Rajiv Gupta said.

The state Congress slammed the BJP for failing to stop such attacks. Saddened by news of a man beaten to death in Alwar. Killing of people on suspicion is sadly becoming a norm in BJP-ruled states, partys state president Sachin Pilot tweeted.

Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot termed the incident horrific. For BJP, human life has no value. Criminals guised as vigilantes are roaming freely with out fear of law n order. The PM remains silent on such cases of #lynchings n the State CM orders customary inquiries, wherein actual accused are hardly arrested or punished, Gehlot said in series of tweets.

At a rally in Kolkata, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said the BJP and RSS are creating Talibanis among people.

Khan, in his 30s, was taking two cows to his village in Haryana when he attacked by locals while passing through Alwar.
The Alwar police on Sunday has arrested a third accused in the alleged lynching of Rakbar Khan alias Akbar Khan, a police official said.

We have arrested another accused identified as Naresh Singh, who is also a resident of Lalawandi village of Ramgarh police station area. Another accused Vishal is missing, said police sub inspector Subhash Chand at the Ramgarh Police station.

He further added, The three accused were presented before a local court on Sunday and has been sent to police remand till July 27.

Two others - Dharmendra Yadav and Paramjeet Singh Sardar - were arrested on Saturday the basis of testimony by locals.

They (the accused) were associated with the local unit of Shiv Sena and suspected the two to be cow smugglers, said a local villager, who didnt want to be named. The IG said the police was investigating their links with any right-wing organizations, inspector general of police (Jaipur range) Hemant Priyadarshi had said after the arrest of Dharmendra and Paramjeet.

Khan (31) was allegedly beaten to death on Friday night by suspected cow vigilantes in Alwar district, where three people engaged in the cattle trade had already been killed since April last year.

The incident, which triggered tension in the region, took place just four days after the Supreme Court slammed the Central and state governments for failing to prevent frequent lynchings, terming them horrendous acts of mobocracy, and issued a slew of directions to tackle them.

Rakbar Khan and Aslam, residents of Kol village in Haryanas Mewat region, were herding two cows when they were stopped in Lalavandi village of Ramgarh tehsil in Alwar around midnight and assaulted by a group of men, the police said.

Khan was brutally beaten but Aslam managed to escape, said Alwars additional superintendent of police Anil Beniwal. Some locals informed the police, which reached the spot, and found Khan lying injured in a muddy field with the two cows standing next to him.

Khan died on his way to Alwar hospital and his post-mortem examination revealed that the cause of death was internal bleeding caused by beating, police said. His father Sulamain Mev said Rakbar used to work as a labourer in a local stonemine and had left home on Friday morning with Aslam.

While Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje condemned the incident and said the strictest possible action shall be taken against the perpetrators, Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal sparked a controversy by saying the Alwar lynching engineered to derail Prime Minister Narendra Modis rising popularity.
Three militants who were part of a group allegedly involved in the murder of a police constable in south Kashmirs Kulgam district, were killed in an encounter by security forces in Khudwani village of the district on Sunday.

Muawiya, a Pakistani, and locals, Suhail Ahmad Dar and Mudassar alias Rehaan were identified as the prime accused in the abduction and murder of constable Mohammad Saleem Shah on Saturday, a police spokesman said.

They were part of a joint group of militant outfits Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). Police did not clarify who belonged to which organisation.

They were trapped after a cordon-and-search operation by Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and CRPF in Khudwani early on Sunday morning, according to officials. As the security forces advanced, the hiding militants opened fire, leading to a brief encounter in which the three were killed, the spokesman said.

Inspector general of police, S P Pani said the trio was identified soon after the murder of constable Shah, and eliminated. Co-conspirators involved in the case have also been identified and will be taken care of, he said.

Shahs body was found from a nursery near Redwani Payeen village on Saturday, a day after he was abducted from his home in Mutalhama in Kulgam.

State director general of police Shesh Paul Vaid tweeted that the militants had tortured Shah and killed him brutally. He and Army spokesperson Rajesh Kalia confirmed the death of the three militants.

Terrorists group that tortured our colleague CT Mohd Saleem of Kulgam & killed him brutally are all trapped in an encounter with J&K Police/Army/CRPF in Khudwani Kulgam.  Shesh Paul Vaid (@spvaid) July 22, 2018

The slain cop was the lone bread earner for his family and is survived by aged parents, two brothers and one unmarried sister.

Shah, who had come on leave to his home, is the 25th policeman who has been killed by the militants in Kashmir this year. Earlier this month, police constable Javaid Ahmad Dar was abducted from his house at Vehil in Shopian district and killed by militants.

Last month, Army soldier Aurangzeb was abducted from a private vehicle when he was going home for Eid in Shopian. His body was recovered from a Pulwama village.

The police spokesman said probe is on to ascertain the role of other co-conspirators in the constables killing.

He said Mauwiyas involvement was established in a number of civilian killings while Suhail, a labourer, after dropping out of school, had joined the militants later.

Thousands of people turned up in Redwani and Katarsoo villages of Kulgam for the funerals of Suhail and Mudassar respectively, according to locals.

They said that even a few militants turned up in Redwani and fired shots in the air, in what is locally known as gun salute, during the funeral. Funerals of foreign militants are held under police watch.

Authorities suspended mobile internet services in Kulgam and Anantnag districts as a precautionary measure.
A migrant labourer was killed and 32 others were injured when an overloaded scaffolding of an under-construction building collapsed here, police said on Sunday.

Chief minister K Palaniswami expressed grief on the death of the man and announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of the deceased.

The incident took place around 7.15 pm on Saturday. The deceased has been identified as Bablu. Twenty-seven people have been rescued and are undergoing treatment at various hospitals, while five were treated as out-patients, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said.

He said the state government would bear the medical expenses of the 16 people undergoing treatment at Apollo hospitals in Chennai.

Chennai Police Commissioner A K Vishwanathan, who visited the spot, said strict action would be taken against those responsible for the incident.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the IPC, including those for causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others and causing death by negligence, he said.

No arrests or detention have been made yet in this connection, another police official told PTI, adding, We are waiting for the debris to be cleared.

The Kanchipuram district officials, police, and fire services personnel are working round-the-clock.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel also joined the rescue operations late last night.
With the perception that chief minister Vasundhara Raje does not enjoy cordial relations with Amit Shah, the BJP presidents endorsement has cleared doubts about projecting her as the chief ministerial candidate in the assembly elections due by the year-end.

The assembly election will be contested under her leadership and she will again become the chief minister with a thumping majority, Shah said on Saturday at the BJPs state working committee meeting.

But if the rout in the by-elections held in January is any indication, the jury is still out on whether it will help the BJP win the elections in the face of anti-incumbency.

BJP leaders close to the chief minister are happy that Shah praised her work and endorsed her candidature.

Amit Shah Jis visit has charged up the party workers and they are full of energy. We are confident that under the leadership of chief minister Vasundhara Raje, BJP will win the next assembly elections with a huge majority, former state BJP president Ashok Parnami said.

While Shah was all praise for Raje, he did express his unhappiness that the state unit of the party had not followed his instructions about training and equipping party vistaraks (full-time workers). Shah left the meeting with vistaraks midway after telling a senior leader that most of his instructions had not been followed.

Its an indication that a lot needs to be done to strengthen the organisation at the booth level. The anti-incumbency is a factor and we hope that CMs Suraj Yatra and her Jan Samvad (public dialogue) events will help us overcome it, a BJP leader said.

Senior politician Ghanshyam Tiwari, who recently quit the BJP over differences with functioning of Raje, said Raje had forced the party leadership to declare her the CM candidate and Shahs announcement will hardly make any difference to the ground reality.

Amit Shah does not have the power to make or remove any chief minister. It is the 7-crore people of Rajasthan who will decide who their next chief minister is going to be. Under Shah and Raje, the BJP in Rajasthan will suffer one of its worst defeats, he said.

Political analyst Rajiv Gupta said anti-incumbency will be a major factor in the elections and the rout in the by-elections was an indication of the things to come.

Sources said infighting in the Rajasthan BJP is an issue that Shah has left to other leaders to sort out. Shah said that he did not want to hear about any complaints from the party leaders and they should approach the state party leadership or contact BJP general secretary Rampal if they had any issues, a party leader said. The message is that with four months to go before elections, we have to get our act together.

For now, the BJP is looking to further strengthen the party at booth level and is pinning its hopes on Rajes Suraj Gaurav Yatra to overcome the anti-incumbency.
Nearly a year after the last of their peaceful, silent protests across the state, several Maratha outfits have once again started increasing the pressure on the Devendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra to fulfil its demands quickly. This time, however, the protests are neither silent, nor peaceful.

The Maratha protests were triggered in 2016, by the brutal rape and murder of a minor girl in Ahmednagar. The communitys main demand at the time was the death penalty for her attackers. The protests have since grown into a statewide movement, with demands now including reservations in government jobs and education, a revision of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the construction of the Shivaji statue in the Arabian Sea, and freeships to economically backward Maratha students. Between August 9, 2016, and August 9, 2017, the community had held 58 massive silent marches in several parts of the state  the last a massive rally in Mumbai.

Those protests had remained peaceful. On Saturday, however, some protestors damaged state buses in Marathwada, and incidents of violence were reported in Parbhani and Hingoli too.

Organisers of the original movement said they fear the control of the protest is now slipping out of their hands.

Despite assurances after our last silent march in Mumbai, there is hardly any progress, and this has led to anguish among the youth of the community, said Virendra Pawar, a Maratha leader. Other community leaders said many more outfits were participating in the protests this time, which means lesser control of the movement.

For instance, in Solapur, community leaders have threatened to stop Fadnavis from conducting a customary ceremony at Pandharpurs Lord Vithal temple on Ashadhi Ekadashi on July 23  as a tradition, the chief minister his wife have been performing the first puja of Vithal-Rukmini deities on the day. This tradition is important to the Warkari sect, which has a large following in Maharashtra, and the Maratha outfits move could create tension in the region. Meanwhile, a sit-in protest by the community at Parli, in the Beed district, has entered its fifth day.

Until the governments representatives meet us at Parli and announce what they are doing to fulfil all our demands, we will not withdraw our protests, said Abasaheb Patil, who is leading the sit-in. The community has been protesting across tehsils in Beed, in Solapur, Aurangabad and Osmanabad over past four days. We have been appealing to the members to not deviate from peaceful means of protest, but a majority of Maratha youth are upset over the delay in reservation in education and jobs despite assurances over two years.

The government continues to maintain that it is working on fulfilling the communitys demands. Revenue minister Chandrakant Patil, who heads a government-appointed committee to deal with the demands, said, The government has left no stone unturned to fulfil the Marathas demands. At least 10,000 youth from the community have been given a letter of intent for interest-free loans to start businesses, the government has allocated 1,600 crore for scholarships to five lakh students in 605 courses. Patil added that the decision over reservations has to be taken by the high court.

Some community outfits have also demanded a stay on the recruitment for 36,000 government jobs, as part of the states decision to hire 72,000 people for various government posts. Fadnavis had announced in the legislature earlier this week that his government was committed to providing a 16% reservation to Marathas  as decided by the previous Congress-NCP government but struck down by the high court that is still hearing the matter. He said 16% of the posts will be kept vacant for Maratha candidates until the HCs decision on the quota issue.

Community leaders, however, want the entire process to be stopped. The announcement has no legal basis, and hence we have demanded the entire process of recruitment be put on hold, said Vinod Patil, who is also a petitioner in the case.

Meanwhile, another organiser who had been involved in all 58 marches last year, as well as the communitys deliberations with the government, said the movement has already slipped away from their hands.

Unfortunately, the protest has gone out of our hands and we fear it may turn violent. There are som young and new leaders, who are not in the mindset of adhering to the original format of silent protests despite our attempts. We fear any untoward incident may mar the momentum that we have built through the 58 silent rallies, the organiser said.

Another community leader said the government delaying the appointment of agencies to conduct surveys by the Maharashtra State Backward Classes Commission had worsened the problem. Had these surveys and public hearings been conducted within the time-frame, the hearing in the high court would have gathered momentum. In the current scenario, the commission is not expected to submit its report before October, he said.

The commission, headed by retired high court justice MG Gaikwad, has been asked to submit its report on the communitys socio-economic status. The report is expected to play a key role in the quota decision. The panel is conducting live hearings in all districts and surveys in more than 700 villages to collect data on the living standards of the Maratha community.
The 21-year-old victim who was repeatedly gangraped for four consecutive days at a hotel-cum-guest house in Morni talked to her husband on July 17 after the owner of Lovely Guest House handed his phone for a minute.

She told me that she was being badly treated and her life was in danger. Sunny had warned her that she should not disclose anything to anyone and if she did so, she would be taken to task and nothing would happen to him as he has contacts with influential people, said her husband.

The victim talked in Bhojpuri with her husband in order to conceal her conversation from Sunny.

After that I contacted other people for support and contacted the police control room thrice but there was no action. He again contacted Sunny on July 18 and conveyed him that he was going to the police.

The woman was offered job as a cleaner by Sunny, owner of the guest house and a friend of her husband.

After she reached there on July 15, she called her husband that she had reached safely. Then on July 17, her husband contacted Sunny on the phone telling him that he wanted to talk to her wife. Sunny got her talk to him for a minute.

Was thrashed, her face, lips swollen

The victim was thrashed and sustained injuries on hands and her face and lips were swollen, said her husband.

She was beaten by the accused, he claimed. The family hails from Bihar and have settled in Manimajra.

My wife told me that she used to hear cries of girls from the adjoining rooms and perhaps there were three or four girls who were also being assaulted in the guest house, said the husband.

A police official said, Besides swelling on her face, her body was shaking. She had acute stomach pain and was having difficulty to narrate her ordeal and was repeating that eight to nine men raped her for four days.

She was given sedatives to keep her in semi-conscious state and was kept in a room, which was locked from outside, said the officer. Police said the place where the woman was raped is visited by notorious men who target women.

Pkula cops, hospital compounded trauma

The victim reiterated in her statement before the judicial magistrate, under Section 164 of the criminal procedure code (CrPC), that a hospital refused to conduct her medical and asked for a police complaint first. Also, the special police station for women in Panchkula refused to lodge an FIR.

HT learnt that the victim was tormented and kept repeating 8-10 logon ne kiya yeh mere saath to whomever she came across after the FIR was registered at the Manimajra police station late on July 19.

The medical report attached with the statement to the magistrate, stated there was no injury in and around the genital area.

The medical report prepared by the doctors at Civil Hospital, Manimajra, mentioned the victim was patient, conscious, cooperative and well oriented to time, place and person, adding, that the hymen was ruptured.

As the familys financial condition was bad, they were looking for a job. Sunny contacted victims husband on July 14 telling him about the job at the guest house. The victims husband knew Sunny through a common friend.

The couple left their house at 10.30am on Saturday morning and were not reachable.

The neighbours said the couple had shifted here only two months ago and used to fight a lot.
Police on Saturday rounded up three suspects in connection with the gangrape of a 21-year-old Manimajra woman at a Morni guest house between July 15 and 18.

Sunny, the owner, and Avtar Singh, the manager of the illegal guest house, are already in police custody for raping and holding the woman captive at the guest house for four days.

Senior officials in Panchkula Police said they had also moved an application in court on Saturday to secure production warrants of both accused from Chandigarh.

Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Rajendar Kumar Meena said, We have moved an application for the production warrants of the accused lodged in Burail jail, and will get it by Monday. Three persons have been rounded up on suspicion. A special investigation team is carrying out a probe in the case.

The DCP visited the guest house for inspection on Saturday morning, and deputed police force there to secure the crime scene.

He said the identity of those rounded up cannot be shared due to the sensitivity of the case. We are investigating each and every aspect of the case. We will question the suspects to establish their exact role. We cannot divulge more details as of now, Meena added.

The victim has alleged eight to 10 men, including two cops, raped her daily in the guest house.

Her medical report has confirmed that she was raped and given sedatives in confinement.

Acted in line with SHOs orders, says suspended ASI

The woman ASI suspended over turning away the rape victim has claimed that she acted in line with the orders of the Women Police Station in-charge inspector Rajesh Kumari.

ASI Saraswati, who was suspended on Friday, was the duty officer at the police station when the 21-year-old victim approached them with a complaint on July 18.

On Saturday, she revealed her WhatsApp conversation with SHO Rajesh Kumari where the latter told her, There is no PCR available and control room has declined that there is no vehicle in the district. As per the screenshots of the conversation, the SHO sent her the contact number of Manimajra SHO to talk to him.

Later, she updated Kumari that the Manimajra SHOs number was not reachable, following which she was directed to tell the victim to lodge a complaint with the Chandigarh police at Manimajra station, Saraswati claimed.

Panchkula DCP Rajendar Kumar Meena said, We have come across the screenshots of the conversation, and the role of SHO will be examined. We will get the messages checked for authenticity, and act accordingly.

Panchkula commissioner of police Charu Bali said, Negligence on the part of any official will not be tolerated. A departmental inquiry of the entire episode will be done by a senior official.

We must hang our heads in shame, tweets Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi, president of Indian National Congress, tweeted about the case on Friday. The rape of a young woman in Haryana, by 40 men, has shocked & disgusted me. Ironically, today in Parliament, I had drawn attention to the issue of growing violence against women. As a nation, we must hang our heads in shame, for our inability to protect this daughter of India, Rahul wrote on the micro blogging website.

Major crimes against females in the past one year

November 2017: A 21-year-old Dehradun woman, who hired an auto-rickshaw while returning from an evening stenography class in Sector 37, was gangraped by the auto driver and his two aides. A court has charged the three accused with gangrape and criminal intimidation

July 2017: A 10-year-old girl was gangraped by her two maternal uncles. She gave birth to a girl in August. The accused were arrested.

May 20, 2018: An auto driver assaulted and tried to rape a 29-year-old Dehradun woman near the Sectors 34/35/43/44 roundabout. The accused was arrested after passers-by spotted the victim and rescued her

November 2017: A 17-year-old girl was found raped and murdered opposite Mayo Hospital in Sector 69, Mohali. Four people, including the victims aunt and cousin, were arrested in the case, which is currently under trial

August 2017: A Chandigarh-based DJ, Varnika Kundu, was stalked by Haryana BJP president Subhash Baralas son Vikas and his friend Ashish while she was driving back home. The accused were arrested and released on bail. The case is sub-judice.
American students know nothing about their Sikh classmates, who are subject to bullying and ignorance which breeds animosity. And the best way to keep them safe is to educate their teachers and classmates about the Sikhism.

The United Sikhs, a non-profit organisation, in collaboration with New York citys department of education, have taken an initiative to educate American students about Sikh religion and tradition. Members of the citys department of education and the United Sikhs came together in Jamaica, Queens, to celebrate a new curriculum for fifth and sixth graders in all five boroughs, reported FOX5NY.

According to the report, Sikh children are bullied in school at more than double the national rate.

College student Satleen Kaur was quoted by FOX5NY as saying: I faced a lot of bullying and like people picking on my hair. She is hoping younger generations who observe her religion wont experience bullying in school the way she did.

Pritpal Singh, senior policy adviser for the United Sikhs, said that 70% of Americans the group surveyed do not recognise Sikhs, reported FOX5NY.

They have no idea who we are, what our origins are, where we come from or what country we come from. The fact that we come from India is not understood, Singh was quoted by FOX5NY.

A high school student, Ikroop Singh, said co-students are always staring at you, it feels weird, he said.

This curriculum, which was formally announced on Friday, was first started in some city classrooms in September 2016. At the end of the school year, Sikhism was being taught in 70% of fifth and sixth grade classrooms. The department of education will continue to roll out the curriculum to the remaining schools over the next several years, reported FOX5NY.

An estimated 5 lakh Sikhs live in the United States, a figure that is based on the number of gurdwaras in the US.

According to a survey conducted by the Sikh Coalition, a community-based organisation that defends Sikh civil rights, it was found that up to 67% of Sikh children have said they experienced bullying at school because of their religion. Some reported instances of physical violence, including removal of their turbans by force.
A day after a railway employee was found dead in his house in Ajit Nagar in Ludhiana, police have arrested his wife, daughter and daughters 21-year-old boyfriend in the case. The victim Kuldeep Kumar was found dead in his house with his throat slit on Friday morning.

The accused have been identified as Geeta Kumari, 41, Sudhiksha, 20, and Sudhikshas boyfriend Tarun Tejpal, 21. According to the police, Sudhiksha is the main conspirator in the case and she had been planning the crime for the last four months after her father damaged her mobile phone after he saw her talking to Tarun.

Enraged that her father was stopping her from meeting her boyfriend, Sudhiksha decided to kill him. She convinced her mother to support her in the crime by telling her that Kuldeep had been molesting her.

Made a failed bid to kill him on July 18

On July 18, the trio made a failed attempt to kill Kuldeep Kumar in his sleep. Following the failed attempt, the accused hired contract killers to do the job and promised to pay them Rs 2.50 lakh. The contractor killer, Sagar, and his three accomplices turned up at their house in the wee hours of Friday and strangulated Kuldeep. They then slit his throat, and cleaned the blood with a towel, said police commissioner Sukhchain Singh Gill.

The commissioner added that the contract killers took away two mobile phones and a motorcycle from the house to make it look like a robbery.

In the morning, Geeta and Sudhiksha raised an alarm, claiming that some unidentified men had killed Kuldeep when they were asleep, the commissioner revealed.

Initially, the police registered a case against unidentified persons on the complaint of Hardeep Kumar Saggar, the brother of the victim. But they suspected foul play by family members as there were no signs of forced entry into the house and it appeared to be a friendly entry. Police also recovered a blood soaked towel and dupatta from near the house.

The police chief said that Geeta, who is a Punjabi lecturer at Arya School, Civil Lines, told to police that Kuleep Kumar was an acute drinker and used to thrash her and Sudhiksha when he was inebriated.

One of the contract killers has been identified as Sagar of Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar. He and his accomplices are yet to be nabbed.
Karishma Sharma took the internet by storm when the teasers of web series Ragini MMS Returns were revealed. She says she knew about the franchise.

Of course, I knew about the Ragini MMS franchise when I signed the show. The first Ragini released four years before I did mine. I remember watching it in Ghatkopar with my friends, Karishma said.

Log toh har baat pe kuch na kuch kehte hi hain. I remember friends saying that youll get similar works only when the first poster came out. Its your journey and only you can decide how it is going to be. Now, I am doing comedy shows, a film in which I have an UP dialect. So that way, Ragini opened new avenues for me. I am very proud of it, she noted.

I have been very lucky that Ekta maam picked me for Ragini MMS Returns. Then there was Comedy Circus and Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 as well, she said.

Ragini MMS (2011) and Ragini MMS 2 (2014) were audacious in their approach according to their times. So was there any pressure on Karishma as well? I was a little nervous because the show was entirely based on me. I have done whatever I could do and I cant change anything. So I was ready for everything, she said.

The actor then explained how times have changed in the Indian show business. Actors like Radhika Apte or Kiara Advani are doing bold roles. New things are coming, and its not a big deal. An actor remains an actor, she said.

Karishma also thanked her mother for the support she received during the making of Ragini MMS Returns. My mother is very supportive. She is very proud of me. My mom would always give me a pep talk whenever I feel nervous, she said.

Karishma will soon be seen in ALT Balajis web-series Hum. I am a super-ambitious girl in the show who has come from a small town. My character didnt have many things while she was growing up, but she always dreamt of those things, she said.

Hum will start streaming on July 30.

Interact with Rohit Vats at Twitter/@nawabjha
Pakistans politicians have raised an alarm over the large number of members of militant organisations contesting the general elections scheduled for July 25.

Many of these militants, including those belonging to the Jamaat-ud Dawah and the Tehreek-e-Labbaik, were allowed by the Election Commission to contest the polls after their names were removed from the fourth schedule  a list of proscribed individuals who are suspected of terrorism or sectarianism under Pakistans anti-terror laws.

The name of a suspect is usually placed on the fourth schedule for three years, which can be extended if needed. It disqualifies the person from a number of activities, including leaving the country and standing for elections.

Senator Afrasiab Khattak of the Awami National Party, tweeted earlier this week: Apart from setting up a puppet government, the other main purpose of the current electoral drama seems to be giving a new lease of life to religious militants by dressing them up as peoples representatives so that the demand for acting against them can be silenced for ever.

PML-N leader Pervaiz Rasheed, a former information minister, has estimated that hundreds of such candidates are standing for elections. He expressed surprise on how many of these terrorists saw their names removed from the fourth schedule with ease. No one seems to be worried about this trend, he said. No one is talking about it.

He added that candidates could not be expected to run peaceful election campaigns when people from the fourth schedule are being allowed to contest the poll.

Be afraid of the day when those people will be present in the House, he warned.

Former chairman of the Senate, Raza Rabbani, said that the participation of alleged members of banned outfits in the elections is a new phenomenon that was emerging on the model of the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal. The interior minister should reveal how (members of) banned organisations were allowed to contest the elections, he said, adding the government did not have any clue at this stage.

In a reference to the TLP, Rabbani observed that 150 members of the party that staged the sit-in at Faizabad are candidates for National Assembly seats. Members of Allah-hu-Akbar Tehreek (AAT) most of whom belong to Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeeds Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD)  are also contesting the polls, he noted. What will the atmosphere of the parliament look like if even 25 of such people are elected? he said.

Meanwhile, Washington too expressed its concern over the participation of individuals affiliated to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and conveyed its apprehension to Islamabad, the US state department said in a statement.

The department however also noted with satisfaction that the Election Commission had rejected the registration of the Milli Muslim League (MML) in June, citing its linkages to LeT, an internationally-sanctioned terrorist organisation.

The statement pointed out that the department also amended its Foreign Terrorist Organisation designation of LeT in April to add the MML as an LeT alias.
A suicide bomber killed at least 14 people and wounded 60 at the entrance to Kabul international airport on Sunday, officials said, as scores gathered to welcome home Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum from exile.

Senior government officials, political leaders and supporters were leaving the airport after greeting the powerful ethnic Uzbek leader and former warlord when the explosion happened.

This is the first time I have seen a suicide attack, one witness told AFP.

People were collecting human flesh with their hands, he said, shaking as he spoke. What is going on in Afghanistan?

Dostum, clad in a Western suit and sunglasses and travelling in an armoured vehicle, was unharmed, said his spokesman Bashir Ahmad Tayanj.

Kabul Police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said 14 people had been killed and 60 wounded, adding that nine members of the security forces and traffic police were among the dead.

The suicide bomber was on foot, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said, adding that civilians, including a child, and security force members were among the casualties.

Dostum, who is linked to a catalogue of human rights abuses in Afghanistan, was mobbed like a celebrity as he left the chartered plane from Turkey, where he has lived since May 2017.

His return, which has been the subject of much speculation, comes amid violent protests in several provinces across northern Afghanistan, his traditional power base.

Thousands of Dostums supporters have taken to the streets in recent weeks, shuttering election and government offices and blocking sections of highways to demand the release of a pro-government militia leader and call for Dostums return.

Expectations of the return did little to quell the unrest, with protesters vowing Sunday to continue demonstrating until the burly leader of the Uzbek ethnic minority tells them otherwise.

We dont trust the government. We will continue our protests unless General Dostum tells us to stop, Ehsanullah Qowanch, a protest leader in Faryab province, told AFP.

Qowanch also repeated calls for the release of Nezamuddin Qaisari -- a district police chief and Dostums provincial representative in Faryab -- whose arrest earlier this month ignited the protests.

Another protester, Massoud Khan, said: We have been on the streets for 20 days now. We are not going to stop our protests unless our demands are met.

Known killer

Observers say President Ashraf Ghani, an ethnic Pashtun, gave the green light for Dostum to come home to stabilise the north and secure Uzbek support before next years presidential election, which he is widely expected to contest.

Dostum left Afghanistan in May 2017 after he was accused of organising the rape and torture of a political rival.

He had denied the allegations and said his departure was for medical check-ups and family reasons.

Ghani in 2009 described Dostum as a known killer. Yet he chose him as his running mate in the 2014 presidential election, underlining the sometimes uncomfortable ethnic realities of Afghan politics.

Presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri said Saturday that Dostum had been treated and would resume his duties upon his return.

Seven of Dostums bodyguards have been convicted of the sexual assault and illegal imprisonment of Ahmad Ishchi, a former governor of the northern province of Jowzjan, in 2016.

Dostum allegedly had Ishchi abducted in Jowzjan and then kept him hostage in his private compound for several days, where the captive was said to have been tortured and sodomised.

Chakhansuri deflected questions about whether Dostum would face charges over the incident, saying the judiciary is an independent body, the government does not interfere in their decisions.

Dostum is one of several controversial figures whom Kabul has sought to reintegrate into mainstream politics since the US-led invasion in 2001.

His heroic status in the north belies the barbarities for which he is known.

Dostum, who helped the United States oust the Taliban regime in 2001, allegedly allowed hundreds of Taliban prisoners to be suffocated in shipping containers.
Israel evacuated 800 White Helmets rescuers and their families from Syria to Jordan overnight at the request of the United States and European countries, army radio said on Sunday.

The request came as the volunteer rescuers were threatened by advancing forces of the Syrian regime in the south of the war-ravaged country, the radio station reported

It said they were transferred to a neighbouring country, which it did not identify, and that the evacuation came at the request of the United States and several European countries.

Israeli media identified the Syrians as belonging to the White Helmets organisation. Officially called the Syrian Civil Defense but known by their distinctive white helmets, the group has operated a rescue service in rebel-held parts of Syria.

Jordans official Petra news agency said on its website the kingdom authorised the United Nations to organise the passage of about 800 Syrian citizens through Jordan for resettlement in Western countries.

The agency identified the Syrians as civil defence workers who fled areas controlled by the Syrian opposition after attacks there by the Syrian army.

Petra said they would remain in a closed area in Jordan and that Britain, Germany and Canada had agreed to resettle them within three months.

The Syrian military, backed by a Russian air campaign, has been pushing into the edges of Quneitra province following an offensive last month that routed rebels in adjoining Deraa province who were once backed by Washington, Jordan and Gulf states.

The offensive has restored Syrian government control over a swathe of the southwest, strategic territory at the borders with Jordan and Israel.
The chances of Bilawal Bhutto, chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, becoming the next prime minister may be slim, but his campaign has won him many admirers. The centre-of-left partys nominee has undertaken an exhaustive tour of the country, meeting thousands of supporters and trying to reignite the spirit of the PPP.

As things stand, analysts say that the party  founded by Bilawals grandfather and former premier Zulfikar Ali Bhutto  is possibly at its worst point. But Bilawal brings hope. Many have praised this young mans positive approach to politics.

At a time when others are happy to swear and abuse opponents, Bilawal kept himself above petty politics. On many occasions, his motorcade has been held up. He has been stopped from campaigning in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on security grounds. On one occasion, the flight he was in was not allowed to take off from Lahore airport for hours. In one Karachi locality, his rally was pelted with stones. And yet he keeps on smiling and trudging along, never once losing his cool.

But Bilawal has big shoes to fill. As the son of Pakistans first woman prime minister Benazir Bhutto, he is aware of the high expectations the public has of him. Friends and well-wishers say that over the years, Bilawal has matured and made a mark for himself. From a time when he could barely speak in Urdu or in his mother tongue Sindhi, he is now able to address rallies and motivate crowds. His confidence has increased. He has reached out to his supporters and many are hopeful.

From a national party at the time of Benazir Bhuttos death in 2007, today the PPP has been reduced to support only in its home province - Sindh. The party is not expected to do much better in the coming elections.

Some say Bilawals biggest liability is his father, Asif Ali Zardari, who continues to run the party from behind the scenes. The party Bilawal has inherited is fragmented and disillusioned, and its workers complain that Zardari has killed its spirit. Most of the candidates finalised by the party were done with Zardaris approval, and his loyalists  including his two sisters  have been given important positions. Corruption is rampant.

Zardari has also reached an understanding with the military, through which Nawaz Sharif was ousted as premier and the PPP did not protest, despite the fact that the two parties have signed a charter of democracy, under which they pledged not to be used by the army against one another.

In return for his silence, Zardaris corruption cases were hushed up.

If there is any hope of a revival for the PPP, it comes from Bilawal. But for the party to win, there must be a level playing field, he insists.

In a recent talk with the media, Bilawal said his party is taking part in the elections despite having strong reservations over the process. Besides other attempts in favour of a certain party, the PPP candidates are being pressured to either quit the electoral race or fight as an independent, he said.

This situation, he said, could not be tolerated but for the sake of democracy, the PPP is contesting the elections. The polls should be fair and transparent and the process must not be made controversial by facilitating certain parties and allies, he said, adding that the July 25 vote is a challenge for pro-democracy forces.

Another worry is how the caretaker government has allowed members of banned organisations to participate. In reference to seat adjustments with certain religious elements in Karachi by the PTI and the PML-N, Bilawal has accused both parties of striking electoral alliances with terrorists.

The PML-N is used to selection instead of election while this party and the PTI strike alliances with banned outfits against us like in Karachi, he said.

And yet, Bilawal continues to campaign and win hearts. Replying to a query about the set-up to emerge after the polls, he said that even a weak democracy is better than dictatorship.

For many, this electoral campaign has allowed Bilawal to emerge as a national leader. We are hopeful that Bilawal will pull the party back into shape and win the elections in the coming years, says analyst Ghazi Salahuddin, who insists that it is time for Pakistans liberal and progressive forces to align and fight against the restrictions imposed by the establishment. I see light at the end of the tunnel, he says.
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has sought sanction waivers for countries planning to reduce their military dependence on Russia, saying it will strengthen US allies in key regions.

Mattis statement did not mention India, but he has previously spoken about keeping the country off the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) that puts sanctions on countries purchasing significant military equipment from Russia.

CAATSA affects India, as it plans to buy five S-400 Triumf air defence systems for around $4.5 billion from Russia--a deal US officials say could be considered as a significant military purchase.

Mattis recently wrote a letter to Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, demanding that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo be empowered to waive off CAATSA sanctions on certain countries.

Russia should suffer consequences for its aggressive, destabilising behaviour and its illegal occupation of Ukraine. However, as we impose necessary and well-deserved costs for their malign behaviour, providing the Secretary of State with a CAATSA waiver authority is imperative, said Mattis in a statement on Friday.

Doing so allows nations to build a closer security relationship with the US as they continue to transition from reliance on Russian military equipment, he said.

The fundamental question we must ask ourselves is do we wish to strengthen our partners in key regions or leave them with no other option than to turn to Russia, thereby undermining an once in a generation opportunity to more closely align nations with the US vision for global security and stability.

Last week, US lawmakers had said that they were working to get CAATSA waivers for India.

One of the biggest proponents of the importance of this relationship is Secretary Mattis... This (waiver) is important for our country. This is important for India. This is important for the strategic relationships, Senator Dan Sullivan said during the annual leadership conference of US India Strategic and Partnership Forum.

Im hopeful that were gonna get there on something that will advance our countrys interests and advance Indias interest and build that trust, Sullivan said as he called for concrete actions in Indo-US defence relationship.

Responding to a similar question at a separate panel, Senator Mark Warner, who is a strong proponent of the CAATSA, said the lawmakers were looking into it and did not want India to suffer its unintended consequences.

There are some with the view that the bill does allow flexibility. House version gives a little more on the waiver side. We are trying to investigate on the Senate side, how we can allow this military partnership to grow but not undermine the principles around CAATSA, Warner said.

It would be easier, I say to my Indian colleagues and friends, if this was simply parts of old aircraft that had been purchased 20 years before rather than a USD 4 billion plus air defence system. I do understand as well this was negotiated long before, he said, adding that this long relationship cannot be broken overnight.

Indian Ambassador to the US Navtej Singh Sarna said India was not the target of the federal law and should not become collateral damage of it. The Donald Trump administration has to find a way in which they can find a waiver for the partner on this particular thorny issue, he said.

We are hopeful that given the broad understanding on this issue on the Hill as well as the administrations enthusiasm behind it, he added.

Mukesh Aghi, the president of the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF), said there was a very positive momentum.

The momentum that I am seeing is positive. The attitude and intentions (of the Trump Administration) are positive. So hopefully, we will have a positive solution (on the CAATSA and Iranian oil sanctions before the next 2+2 India-US Dialogue), he told PTI last week.
Netflix's latest offering Dark Tourist, does exactly what it sets out to do: explore the seedier practices of several "shadow economies." The big idea came to David Farrier as he was going about his job as a journalist in New Zealand. The eight-part series self-appoints Farrier as its host, on an anthropological mission to find crazy tourist destinations would never seek from a travel agent, most of which bordering on the side of danger.

In its inaugural season, Dark Tourist takes the viewer on a tour of a nuclear fallout zone, behind the scenes of a voodoo ritual, on a friendly jaunt with Pablo Escobar's most trusted hitman, and on tour of Jeffrey Dahmer's old torture chamber. If any of that sounds palatable, by all means start your binge watch of Dark Tourist at the earliest convenience. The series was uploaded in its entirety on Friday.

Farrier can be judgy, and he does comes across a bit cringeworthy, especially he veers on either side of moral relativism. But Farrier would be the first to own up to his garish reputation, and that's partly what makes the show enjoyable on some level. Farrier confessed that often sees himself as the "cheap version of Louis Theroux," a reputed documentarian for the BBC.
The "Stand Your Ground" law has come into effect in Clearwater, Florida, in a case of a disputed parking spot turned deadly. The Tampa Bay Times reports that a confrontation between Michael Drejka, 47, and Markeis McGlockton, 28, took place in a convenience store parking lot. Both men were fighting over the same handicap space. Drejka apprehended McGlockton because his girlfriend Britany Jacobs appeared to lack a permit for her vehicle.

At this point the exchange turned physical, with McGlockton coming to the defence of his partner. Upon leaving the store he walked up to Drejka and pushed him to the ground. As the video clearly depicts, Drejka then produces a handgun discharges it in McGlockton's direction, who drags himself back into the store for assistance. Markeis McGlockton, a father to three young children, was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Department has ultimately decided not to press charges against Michael Drejka, whom they deemed acted within the bounds of Florida's self-defense law known universally as "Stand Your Ground." County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said, the shooting was "within the bookends of stand your ground and within the bookends of force being justified."

Footage of the incident is available here. View at your own discretion.
A scary standoff between police and an armed intruder took place at a Trader Joe's location in Los Angeles, on Saturday. The suspect ran into the store and immediately barricaded himself with as many hostages as he could bunch together, causing a standoff that lasted a full three hours

The Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed that at least one woman was killed as the gunman exchanged fire with law enforcement. As of right now, it's unclear whether she was deliberately killed or a victim of "crossfire."

The suspect did not enter the premises hoping to come away with a bounty. In fact, he only entered the store because he was fleeing police who were chasing him down after receiving call for his apprehension. Apparently the gunman had fired a weapon on his grandmother, and was doing his best to avoid capture.

NBC has learned that at least one employee was instrumental in helping several hostages escape through the backroom. Sean Gerace, said employee, told reporters, "I grabbed an emergency ladder, barricaded the hallway, grabbed a weapon, put the ladder out the window, and just tried to get the attention of a SWAT officer." From there, several officers helped Gerace coordinate the evacuation process.

The suspect eventually cuffed himself and surrendered to authorities, where he awaits formal charges.
Houston area employers added jobs for the ninth consecutive month in June, reflecting an uptick in overall hiring as the region continues to recover from the oil bust and the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

The metropolitan area created 23,200 jobs in June, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics which collects survey data from consumers and households each month. Professional and business services led the hiring followed by construction, leisure and hospitality.

Houston is also catching up with the rest of Texas after lagging behind for the past few years as Houstons energy-based economy stumbled when oil prices dropped in 2015 and 2016. Over the past year, the Houston region added 94,600 jobs for an annual growth rate of about 3 percent, nearly identical to the annual growth rate state-wide. Houstons unemployment rate was 4.6 percent in June compared to 5.1 percent one year earlier.

Everything is sort of coming back into equilibrium, said Parker Harvey, principal economist for Workforce Solutions which provides employment services in the 13-county region. What has changed is that job growth is accelerating in Houston and its happening faster than anyone expected.

Some of the gains are clearly coming from an improved oil and gas sector which has added engineers, scientists and other professionals over the past year. Last years hurricane also continues to create jobs, said Harvey, pointing to the robust hiring from building service companies such as landscaping.

And construction is going gangbusters, he said, the consequence of the extensive rebuilding that shows few signs of slowing nearly a year after the storm damaged more than 204,000 homes and apartments in Harris County and destroyed as many as 500,000 vehicles in Houston.

I would have thought it would be tapering off by now, said Harvey. But it may go on another six to 12 months as Houstonians wait for contractors to become available.

Purchasing managers are also seeing steady economic expansion with June marking the eighth consecutive month of growth, according to the monthly survey by the Houston affiliate of the Institute for Supply Management. It also shows no sign of slowing over the next few months, according to the group which has been polling about 50 purchasing managers for the past two decades.

One staffing industry respondent reported that new investments in offshore drilling projects will likely drive demand for workers, said Ross Harvison, business survey chair.

The survey didnt provide details of what projects are pending. But in May, Houston-based Fieldwood Energy said it plans to invest $750 million drilling in the Gulf of Mexico over the next two years. It will be the companys first drilling project since the oil bust.

Private equity firms are also investing in energy, making 33 new oil investments during the first quarter, according to Houston-based Petroleum Listing Service. The firms disclosed the size of only half of the deals which came to $8.3 billion.

Texas added 27,200 jobs in June, the 24th consecutive month of employment growth, according to the labor bureau.

Gains were spread across the Texas economy with every sector adding jobs last month except one: other services. That category encompasses a wide array of services including pet care, funeral, parking and dating services.

The statewide unemployment rate for June was 4 percent, the same as the overall U.S. rate. The Texas unemployment rate in May was 4.1 percent.

lynn.sixel@chron.com

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WASHINGTON  Climate change, political influence, human right abuses  these are not topics oil company CEOs like to confront. But these days activist investors like Andrew Logan are sitting down to discuss these very issues with the CEOs and senior management of companies such as Apache Corp., Conoco Phillips and Occidental Petroleum.

Its become this annual tradition where the (Apache) CEO sits down and talks with investors like us, usually 20 people or so, said Logan, oil and gas director at the sustainable investing group Ceres.

Its a two-way conversation, John Williams, director of health, safety and environmental affairs at Apache, said earlier this month at a forum hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington. In the past, in particular, there would be no dialogue between the company and people with these concerns except through shareholder resolutions.

U.S. oil executives can no longer curtly shrug their shoulders. Wall Street giants like Fidelity Investments and Vanguard, representing trillions of dollars in investments, are demanding answers on how industries at-large will continue to stay profitable in a rapidly changing world, where issues like climate change and social injustice are moving rapidly to the forefront of society.

Mindful of keeping their stock price strong, CEOs have little choice but to try to react, raising their hands to prove their sustainable bona fides.

Reactions vary widely

Month after month, there is another announcement about a new industry working group dedicated to issues like methane emissions or drillings impact on local water supplies. At the same time, companies are dedicating more and more resources to putting out reports detailing how they will manage in a low-carbon economy and filling out questionnaires from investor groups about their efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

There is a shift that is going on, said Matthew Todd, who runs the American Petroleum Institutes Environmental Partnership, a working group for oil and gas companies seeking to reduce methane emissions. A lot of its built on the increased regulatory pressures and the public issue of reducing emissions and improving environmental performance. Also, theres a lot of new investor requests.

Pressure has ramped up, particularly over the past year, in a phenomenon even advocates are struggling to make sense of. Is it a reaction to the Trump administrations deregulation push, the build up of increasingly dire reports about climate change or the influence of socially conscious millennials?

In January, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, one of Wall Streets most powerful figures, wrote an open letter imploring companies to address broader societal challenges.

Society is demanding that companies, both public and private, serve a social purpose. To prosper over time, every company must not only deliver financial performance, but also show how it makes a positive contribution to society, he wrote.

Oil and gas companies are not known for their social and environmental consciousness, but how theyre taking these calls to arms varies widely.

At Chevron, Logan described a serious attempt at modeling how their company would fare as the global economy shifts away from fossil fuels. Likewise, he said, Pioneer Natural Resources was earnestly trying to understand the full risks oil and gas drilling posed to water supplies in West Texas.

In other cases, Logan was less kind, describing a plethora of box-checking when it came to filling out the sustainability questionnaires that have become commonplace among publicly traded companies.

It all sounds really good, and if you take it as a legitimate strategy, a lot of that stuff will likely lead to positive outcomes. But there always is the potential its primarily marketing or messaging materials, said David Parham, deputy director of research at the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, or SASB, which is developing metrics for investors to compare companies against one another.

Haters are going to hate

The matter of proving that ones efforts are serious  not just an elaborate marketing campaign designed to appease forward-looking investors  is a sensitive one for companies.

At a forum hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington earlier this month, Maria Dunn, manager of policy and emerging issues at Houston-based refiner Phillips 66, said while her companys efforts would not appease the most strident environmentalists, neither was it a case of greenwashing.

The haters are going to hate, but theres a continuum in the middle, she said.

While sustainability might be a relatively new focus for the oil sector  compared to peers in Silicon Valley  that is not universal. ConocoPhillips, the Houston oil company, has a long commitment to environmental issues, Logan said, and even reserves a board seat for someone from the environmental community.

Jody Freeman, director of the environmental and energy law program at Harvard Law School, now occupies the seat and explained how Conoco performs rigorous scenario planning for climate change and has set a target of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions 5 percent to 15 percent by 2030.

Rather than reacting to the increased interest in these issues by the financial community and investors, the company has been proactive, she said.

For now, companies sustainability efforts are judged by a slurry of analytics firms purporting to help investors figure out what is real and what is not.

Some, such as the New York-based analytics firm MSCI, score companies based on their so-called ESG risk  shorthand for Environmental, Social and Governance  allowing investors to compare one company against another.

SASB, which counts New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg as its chairman emeritus, has been working for years on metrics it hopes will one day be the industry standard. With the backing of the G20s Financial Stability Board, created by world governments in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, SASB plans to release its final standards later this year.

The value proposition we have is some companies really believe theyre doing a better job than their peers, and their investors should know about it, said Parham, SASBs deputy director of research.

Some companies, including Apache, already have won the support of the so-called ESG investment crowd. Under CEO John Christmann, Apache is one of a handful of oil and gas companies to join the One Future coalition, a group that seeks to reduce methane leaks to the equivalent of 1 percent or less of total natural gas production by 2025.

The American Petroleum Institutes group, by contrast, has no goal for emissions reduction, but it does offer companies the opportunity to share best practices.

Oils decline hard to swallow

Even with those more sustainably-minded companies, theres still plenty of room for disagreement with activists.

Logan, of Ceres, recounted how executives at Apache and other companies might be amendable to making operational changes, like seeking out methane leaks, but when it comes to more substantive topics, such as shifting their business model away from fossil fuels, tensions inevitably rise.

They arent willing to have that conversation, he said. Its not a surprise asking an oil and gas person whose been in that industry their whole lives about the decline of the oil and gas industry. Its not an easy conversation to have.
Earlier this year, the political world was gripped by an accusation from Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., that the government's application for a warrant to surveil former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page was born of bias and almost entirely reliant on a dossier of information compiled on the dime of Democratic operatives. Nunes had a memo that made that argument; eventually, and probably with not a lot of goading, President Donald Trump was convinced to release it publicly.

Even based on what was known then, the hype surrounding Nunes' memo seemed to oversell the point. In short order, other revelations about the warrant application made it clear that the contents of the memo were iffy. It was the second time in two years that Nunes had gone to bat in defense of one of Trump's pet theories, and neither time worked out that well.

As it turns out, though, Nunes' efforts to raise questions about the surveillance warrant, granted by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, were even less robust than they seemed at the time. With the release Friday of a redacted copy of both the initial warrant application targeting Page in October 2016 and the three 90-day extensions of the warrant, we can get a better sense of just how far from the mark the Nunes memo actually was.

Now Playing: It was just three days ago that the House Intelligence committee released the memo overseen by Rep. Devin Nunes. Now, Democrats on the committee may have a chance to release their own. The committee voted Monday evening to make the memo public. Video: Time

The memo made a number of interpretive claims - assessments of the importance of aspects of the warrant - as well as a number of factual claims. Among the latter were:

- That the dossier of reports from former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele on behalf of the firm Fusion GPS were an "essential" part of the application.

- That the fact that Fusion GPS was being paid by a law firm working for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee was never explicitly stated.

- That neither Steele nor Fusion GPS are identified by name.

- That the application cites a Yahoo News article from September 2016 which "does not corroborate the Steele dossier because it is derived from information leaked by Steele himself to Yahoo News." The application also incorrectly asserts that Steele wasn't directly Yahoo's source for the story.

- That the application mentions another Trump campaign adviser, George Papadopoulos, but that there is no evidence of cooperation between him and Page.

The memo makes a number of other claims that focus on information related to the launch of the investigation into Page which aren't illuminated any further by the released document.

We can begin with the first point above, that the Steele dossier's information was "essential" to the warrant.

At the outset, Page is described in the warrant application as "an agent of a foreign power," specifically Russia. The third section of the application details the evidence linking Page to Russia, beginning with his having lived in the country for several years and being mentioned as a possible target for recruitment by Russian intelligence officers about five years ago, at which point he was interviewed by the FBI. The first four pages of this section, excluding footnotes, are either redacted or deal with that prior interaction with federal authorities.

The information from the Steele dossier comprises the next 4 1/2 pages, excluding footnotes. It's followed by Page's public response to reports that he was under investigation, a response triggered by that Yahoo article. That response runs for about 3 1/2 pages and makes up the fourth section of the report.

Five fully redacted pages, making up the fifth and sixth sections of the document, follow, leading into the document's conclusion.

It's clear that the information uncovered by Steele does play a prominent role. It's impossible to say how critical it was to the warrant, though, because so much of the document is redacted.

What isn't redacted, though, makes a few things clear. First, that the Yahoo article is introduced not as a corroborating story but as the first part of the section titled "Page's Denial of Cooperation with the Russian Government." As noted above, that article spurred Page's response, which is included. There's no suggestion from the unredacted document that it was included to serve as a second source for the story.

And while the warrant application does state that the FBI "does not believe that Source #1 (Steele) directly provided this information to the press" - which was incorrect - that same footnote (number 18) clearly implies that Glenn Simpson of Fusion GPS might have been Yahoo's source, undercutting the idea the FBI was trying to use Yahoo to bolster the significance of Steele's findings.

(Steele's findings, by the way, include allegations that Page met with key Russian figures during a trip to Moscow in July 2016. Page later admitted to the House Intelligence Committee that, despite past denials, he had encountered senior Russian officials on that trip, albeit not the ones Steele identified.)

Each of the three renewals of the warrant on Page was granted after the FBI argued that it needed to keep collecting data on Page. The length of the renewals relative to the original application suggests that the government kept adding new information to its requests as the surveillance was ongoing.

Consider three sections that appear in each document: The third section (including the Steele information), the fourth-through-sixth sections (including Page's denial and more redacted information) and the conclusion.

As time passes, more information is added to the warrant applications. The middle section - whatever it contains - kept getting larger, meaning that the section dealing with Steele's report made up less of the overall application.

It's worth noting, by the way, that after Steele leaked the existence of his dossier to Mother Jones in late October, the FBI cut off its relationship with him. That's indicated in a bold-type footnote in the renewal applications.

"(I)n or about October 2016, the FBI suspended its relationship with Source #1 (Steele) due to Source #1's unauthorized disclosure of information to the press," it reads. However: "Notwithstanding the suspension of its relationship with Source #1, the FBI assesses Source #1 to be reliable as previous reporting from Source #1 has been corroborated and used in criminal proceedings."

In the initial application, a footnote - which appears on the page in the same size type as the rest of the warrant - indicates that Steele had been a corroborated FBI source in the past about whom the FBI was unaware of any "derogatory information."

There is a full page of footnotes which includes an exploration of the motivations behind Steele's research, specifically noting why Steele's "reason for conducting the research" doesn't disqualify its validity.

You've noticed that Steele isn't mentioned by name in the application, but is just referred to as Source #1. The critique that Steele and Fusion GPS aren't identified by name is especially hollow because none of the key actors are. Trump is "Candidate #1." Clinton, "Candidate #2." The Republican Party is "Political Party #1." Clinton, Fusion GPS, Steele and the DNC aren't identified by name because no one is, save Page, some Russians and Papadopoulos.

The context for naming Papadopoulos isn't clear; the document is largely redacted in the section where he's mentioned. But that section does include two important unredacted lines: "the FBI believe that the Russian Government's efforts are being coordinated with Page and perhaps other individuals associated with Candidate #1's campaign," and "Page has established relationships with Russian Government officials, including Russian intelligence officers."

For all that we learned in the release of the memo, there's still an enormous amount of redacted information that prevents us from getting anywhere close to a full picture of what happened. From the evidence at hand though, it's certainly fair to assume that it's Nunes' memo, not the warrant application, that suffered from a stronger political bias in its creation.

We can't entirely blame Nunes, though. In an interview with Fox News in February, he admitted that he himself hadn't read the warrant application.
The 2016 presidential election should have been the wakeup call for the Democratic Party. Its failure to reclaim control of at least one congressional house, and the loss of three stronghold states in the presidential race were signs that new voters felt abandoned by the old guard. Unfortunately, the party didnt learn from its mistakes.

Income inequality, crippling medical debt, shrinking disposable income, and systemic poverty are cross-generational issues which affect all other demographics. People of color, indigenous communities and persons vulnerable due to age, gender, origin or ability have been stripped of representation. These issues have been aggravated by top-down policies advanced by Democrats and Republicans alike. Nothing good grows when fed by trickle-down.

RELATED: Texas Republicans stray from conservative roots

The 2018 midterm elections inspired brave new candidates, eager to institute bold solutions to the struggles of working families and individuals. They embraced the Democratic party rather than run as independents or third-party candidates. But instead of welcoming them in what used to be a big tent, the Democratic party muted these new voices and clung to the corporate agenda that voters rejected in 2016.

I ran in the Texas Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate this year. I was rejected by the party as a nonviable candidate the day I registered my name for the ballot.

I campaigned on the issues that mattered most to Texas voters. People at every campaign stop listed a liveable wage, job security, guaranteed universal health care, education, environment, and indigenous rights as what mattered most to them. These are the same platform issues that have been at the heart of Democratic primary victories in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Montana and New York.

Today, the U.S. Senate race in Texas is tight. The 24 percent of primary voters who supported my progressive platform cannot find those policy solutions in the platform of either of the two candidates. Unless one of them convinces voters that they can do without a decent standard of living, health care, education, safe water, clean air and protection of their rights, those disenfranchised Texans are likely to stay home on Election Day.

Three of the brightest stars of the Democratic Party have faced the same opposition through the primary. Cathy Myers is a staunch Democratic reformer in Wisconsin, supporting universal heatlh care, a liveable wage, increased education spending and an end to corporatism. Party leaders propped up her primary opponent Randy Bryce, who repeatedly refused a public debate on the issues in their bid for Paul Ryans House seat. Grass-roots support boosted Cathys profile on social media until a debate finally was held, still with resistance from the party.

In Florida, Tim Canova twice has faced this same fate in his primary bid for the House seat held by Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. Running on a progressive platform in 2016, Democrats shut him out of appearances and debates with the incumbent, and a questionable primary culminated in the unlawful destruction of ballots by another party member. When party leaders this year once again bolstered Wasserman-Schultzs campaign with donors and promotion, Tim withdrew as a Democrat and refiled to appear on the 2018 ballot as an independent.

Bill Cimbrelo, a Democrat in Massachusetts, is in a primary race for the House seat held by Bill Keating, a party holdover who opposes universal health care, a liveable wage and renegotiation of NAFTA. Bills platform mirrors that of Cathy Myers, Tim Canova and dozens of other Democratic reformers like myself, all of whom support legislation that makes our hard-earned tax dollars work for the 99 percent of U.S. citizens who paid them. Still, the Democratic party has promoted Keatings candidacy, and Keating refuses to debate or even acknowledge his primary opponent.

The Democrats refuse to wake up.

The Democratic party needs to embrace progressive candidates, progressive issues, and progressive policies and solutions if they truly care about the people of our great state. Voters want to know that their tax dollars work for them and not for some CEO on Wall Street. The Democratic Party would be wise to pay less attention to million-dollar consultants and more attention to the working people who have the right to cast their vote for the candidate of their choice.

Time is running out.

Hernandez ran for the U.S. Senate in the Democratic primary.
Lawmakers in both major parties and former intelligence officials appeared shocked ...

 The Chicago Tribune

U.S. lawmakers of both political parties reacted with shock ...

 Voice of America

Some of Mr. Trumps own advisers privately said they were shocked ...

 The New York Times

"Shocked?" Really?

After almost two years of unending chaos, the only shocking thing about Donald Trump's disastrous Helsinki press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin is that some people were apparently shocked. That suggests they expected better, which, in turn, suggests they still don't understand what we're dealing with.

They don't get that there's no pivot coming, no magic moment when Trump becomes thoughtful, intelligent, presidential. He will not grow into the job, or change, or improve. What you see is what you get. What you see is what there is.

That should be obvious by now to anyone with eyes. And if it was disappointing to hear that some observers were "shocked," it was downright gag-inducing to see certain members of his party line up to condemn him and the Trump whisperers at Fox blanch and gulp at his behavior. As if they had not long enabled, rationalized and defended with specious reasoning and strategic outrage this amateur-hour presidency.

They  along with 63 million voters  sold America out on a promise of white primacy restored and tax cuts for billionaires. That was made glaringly clear  again  on an international stage this week as Trump abased himself, and by extension, us, cozying up to an autocratic thug whose regime has strangled democracy, stolen land and murdered dissenters. Faced with such unalloyed evil, Trump did everything except roll over to have his tummy scratched.

Strained relations? He said both countries were to blame. Russian misbehavior? He failed to name any.

Asked about the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, he touted Putin's extremely strong and powerful denial.

Asked directly if he believes Putin over his own intelligence chiefs, he declared his confidence in both parties, an act of moral spinelessness reminiscent of last year when he equated neo-Nazis with those who protested against them. Like a squid squirting ink to cover its escape, he ducked the issue of Russian meddling by renewing his obsession with Hillary Clinton's email servers (Where are they?) and Robert Mueller's investigation (witch hunt).

His nation under attack and the head of the attacking regime standing next to him, Trump was everything he professes to despise. Weak. Feeble. Impotent.

The man who thought Colin Kaepernick unpatriotic for kneeling could not bring himself to stand up for his country.

The man who insults, berates and belittles our allies could not bring himself to rebuke one of our greatest adversaries.

The man who sees threats in the eyes of Honduran children could see no threat in a murderous tyrant with nuclear arms.

It was appalling, yes. But it was also predictable. And that's an important point, because if we are to survive this existential emergency, it starts with being clear-eyed about the clear and present danger we face. This is not a good man, not a patriotic man, not a moral, smart or brave man. All of us should know that by now.

So yes, let us be angry, be determined, be resilient, but let us not be shocked by Trump. Thats a waste of time. November is coming.

Let him be shocked by us.

Readers may contact Pitts via e-mail at lpitts@miamiherald.com.
Dayna Steele should find some solace in her run for Congress with the great news that Texas voters seem to have no problem electing Houston radio personalities for public office.

Less great news: The two examples are current Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and former Houston city council member Michael Berry.

Worse news: Steele is running as a Democrat in a district so Republican that its lines - from flappy ears on the border with Louisiana to a trunk down around Baytown - kind of resemble the profile of an elephants noggin.

RELATED: Establishment Democrats remain asleep at the wheel and on a path to defeat

ALSO: Texas Republicans stray from conservative roots

REYNOLDS: Face the facts, Beto will lose

Steele, a former disc jockey and self-styled First Lady of Rock n Roll, hopes to dislodge Brian Babin from the congressional seat representing the dense forests and oft-overflowing rivers of deep Southeast Texas.

That area, the still-shiny and new(ish) 36th Congressional District, re-elected Babin in 2016 with nearly 89 percent of the vote against a Green Party candidate. When Babin faced an actual opponent in 2014, he achieved a squeaker of a victory, 79 percent to 22 percent.

A miracle of modern gerrymandering, the 36th Congressional District stretches from Beltway 8 to the boondocks, carefully circumventing Beaumont and Galveston, where the big city liberals only elect Republican congressman with 62 percent of the vote.

The district is the 15th most Republican in the nation, according to the most recent Cook Partisan Voter Index report, which would be more impressive if Texas didnt also contain Nos. 1, 2, 8 and 12 spread out to that forgotten world on the other side of Interstate 35.

State leaders carved out the 36th district, with its forestation and oft-overflowing rivers, after the 2010 census, creating a district so heavily in favor of Republican leadership, the citizens actually let slimeball Steve Stockman run the show for a couple of years because he had an (R) next to his name.

Stockman, you may recall, sits in jail to this day for his sketchy fundraising efforts while representing the 36th CD. Stockman has ironically had his life limited for skimming funds meant for the non-profit Life Without Limits.

Babin, a dentist and former mayor of Woodville -- named for our second governor, not the neighboring Big Thicket - emerged soon after. He was seemingly pressed right out of the Texas Republicans Play-Doh Fun Factory, down to the custom-made boots he pairs with his dark suits (neither of which could most of his constituents ever dream to afford).

Babin actually did put himself through school working as a janitor and other roles, so hes not some generational elitist out of touch with those usually voting for him. And he is a consistent and reliable Republican, representing the people in his district just about how theyd like.

Hes a perfect low-key congressman for a low-visibility area where political futures were once decided based on having the last name Daniel (see: Price Daniel Sr., Price Daniel Jr., the Susan Dey movie Bed of Lies).

Steele, who touts herself as the Voice for Southeast Texas in an admirably subtle reference to her past career in the booth, meanwhile bangs a predictable Democratic drum from her home in Seabrook. She does little to distinguish herself from any mainline Democrat, proffering her positions as pro-choice, pro-gun background check, pro-socialized medicine. She calls for job creation, then contradicts that with pleas to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

She does, however, have endorsements from Joan Jett, Melissa Ethridge and David Crosby, though its doubtful the musicians will get registered in the 36th CD in time to vote for her.

The biggest buzz so far from Steeles campaign was another endorsement, this one from Babins former campaign manager Jon-Marc McDonald, who reportedly had a falling out with the congressman upon coming out of the closet back in 1998. That was back when Babin was trying to take Charlie Wilsons old 2nd District, which didnt turn fully Republican until the redistricting of the early 2000s.

The incident, including claims by McDonald that Babin spoke despairingly of homosexuals in private, doesnt say much for Babins embrace of the gay community. But then again, Winnie and Anahuac arent exactly The Montrose.

(Vidor and Jasper also lie in the 36th district. There will be no discussion of those towns.)

Steele served up the soundtrack to many lives in the Houston area during her time spinning records on KLOL and other stations. Her post-DJ life has been exemplary, writing a few books, founding an online business and, most laudably, creating an online community to encourage and help girls study science, technology, engineering and math (the vaunted STEM areas), Smart Girls Rock.

She comes thisclose to understanding the mindset of many in her rural chunk of Southeast Texas, evidenced by the uber-tacky campaign Dodge Ram pickup with a full-body graphic wrap that includes the preamble to the Constitution and a Human Rights Campaign equal sign (bonus points given for the not actual size on the cabin-sized photo of the candidate). Shed be closer to the Southeast Texas norm, though, if she had added a four-inch lift kit and some smoke stacks in the bed for rolling coal.

Steeles smart enough to know flipping the district, the cabeza de elefante, would be a bigger upset than the Battle of Midway. Or when the kids from The School of Rock beat No Vacancy in the Battle of the Bands.

Like many Democrats in this year of the mythological Blue Wave, Steele has raised a substantial amount of money  $511,110 at the end of the last reporting period. But like most Democrats in Texas, thats money ill spent. Money is a measure of passion, not popularity. But even so, the milquetoast Babin campaign has raised $885,268 in the same timeframe.

And the money isnt at all necessary. Voters in the 36th Congressional District will no doubt return Babin to Washington. In that area, the name before the party designation is irrelevant.

Reynolds is a writer living in Houston. He's on Twitter @RoyRReynolds.
There are many authentic Republicans serving in our Texas Legislature, but a handful of them have hijacked the Republican Partys good and honorable name.

Their political priorities over the last few legislative sessions have conflicted with traditional conservative values, including constitutional preservation, limited government, personal responsibility and local control.

My recent experience as a candidate challenging Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in the Texas Republican primary has provided me with new perspective on this subject. It seems the definitions of conservative and Republican have blurred in recent years, leaving many conservative Texans wondering where they fit in todays political landscape.

RELATED: Establishment Democrats remain asleep at the wheel

REYNOLDS: Democrats may have a Steele-y resolve, but only party matters Texas' 36th

Perhaps if we revive the definition of conservatism with clarity, we can persuade the Republican Party to move back toward its authentic roots. Although Im no authority, I know what I believe it means to be conservative.

Conservatives are compassionate people. Some on the left believe we are heartless haters because we do not support unchecked welfare handouts. But, as iconic conservative Ronald Reagan once said: Welfare's purpose should be to eliminate, as far as possible, the need for its own existence. With exceptions for mental illness and legitimate disability, welfare recipients should be on a path toward productive citizenship. Conservatives will support a welfare-to-work state, but not a welfare entitlement state.

Conservatives believe in wise investment of public resources. We do not oppose the expenditure of public funds and we do not jump over dollars to save dimes. Welfare-to-work programs, for example, are smart investments because they ween recipients off the public dime, which reduces long-term spending.

Conservatives believe in personal responsibility. With few exceptions, each of us has an inherent responsibility to the collective good, and that means becoming productive citizens, living independently of any government assistance.

Conservatives believe in limiting government. The bigger our government the fewer our freedoms and the more taxes required to fund it. Freedom depends on the limitation of government intrusion into our daily lives.

Conservatives are capitalists. The United States is a capitalist nation. Capitalism is not a four-letter word. The American Dream is achieved by those who work for it. Conservatives do not envy what others have earned. We respect their achievements and their rights to enjoy the fruits of their labor while working to earn our own.

Conservatives believe in preserving local control. Federal and state governments should not usurp the governing authority of locally elected community leaders. Local citizens can decide what is best for their respective communities.

Conservatives act Christ-like. This is a sensitive subject, I know. Acting Christ-like simply means we are respectful and civil toward one another. We are truthful, not deceitful. Conservatives are servant leaders, not egomaniacs.

Conservatives are rational and intellectually driven. We believe in respectful debate and winning arguments on merit. We do not vilify those who disagree as a means of achieving our goals. We do not waste energy politicizing social and emotional issues to win favor or short-term political gains.

Conservatives cherish life and believe life starts at conception. We are aware that many disagree and respect their constitutional rights to disagree.

Conservatives believe in preserving and protecting the United States and Texas constitutions as they are written, and all amendments, not just the second. They have served us well and should not be compromised for passing political expediency.

Conservatives believe in traditional marriage between a man and a woman. We also believe government should not interfere with individual liberty. Spoiler alert conservatives believe all citizens should have equal rights under man-made laws.

These are some of the most basic tenets of conservatism. Unfortunately, too much of our current party leadership holds political priorities in conflict with these tenets.

For example, imposing a statewide cap on local property taxes undermines the ability of locally elected leaders to make the best decisions for their respective communities.

Regulating transgender use of bathrooms is politicizing an emotionally charged issue where no problem exists. Unnecessary legislation is not conservative.

Demonizing political opponents to achieve a political outcome is not a compassionate, intellectually driven approach to rational, conservative governance.

Defunding the states public schools is unconstitutional. Diverting public resources to private institutions would require massive government expansion to administer voucher applications, payments, and oversight. Such a voucher program is also a publicly funded entitlement, albeit for higher income Texans.

Advocating for excessive testing and grossly flawed accountability systems undermines student achievement and weakens the local control educators depend on to meet the needs of each child in their care.

Systematically reducing the states share of funding for public schools is the primary cause of rising local property taxes and conflicts with the Texas Constitutions mandate that the state fund a system of free public schools. The state leaderships agenda has led to massive property tax increases yet people like Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick promote themselves as champions for lowering property taxes. Deceit is not a conservative practice.

If Lt. Gov. Patrick is a Republican, then Republicans are no longer conservative, which means Im a conservative without a party.

I hope these words will spark discussion among rational conservatives to consider what conservatism means to them, to challenge elected officials to govern by authentic conservative values, and to go vote for those candidates who most closely reflect conservatism.

It might not be the Republican.

Milder ran for lieutenant governor in the Republican primary and served as a member of the Rockwall city council.
Imperial Valley News Center

First Lady Melania Trumps Visit to Microsoft

Washington, DC - First Lady Melania Trump visited Microsoft Innovation and Policy Center in Washington D.C. today. As part of her Be Best campaign, the First Lady met with students involved in Microsofts Council for Digital Good. The council is comprised of 15 students from the United States who provide ideas and feedback for Microsofts youth-focused online safety policy work. The students had designed art projects representing individual expressions of digital civility. Mrs. Trump viewed all of the projects and listened as the students shared their process for creating their pieces.

The First Lady also participated in a listening session held by the students, learning about the 15 tenets of responsible digital behavior established by the teen council.

To see students taking action and being positive leaders in the digital world for youth is exactly what Be Best is focused on, said First Lady Melania Trump. Peer-to-peer leadership can be one of the strongest influences on our children. Using their artistic talents, these students provide unique perspectives on how youth should conduct themselves responsibly online. Thank you to Microsoft for having me, and to the students of the council for sharing their impressive and encouraging work. 
Imperial Valley News Center

As the Economy Booms, Its Time for a Pledge to Americas Workers

Washington, DC - "I'm proud to announce an exciting new challenge and the beginning of a new National movement. We're asking businesses and organizations across the country to sign our new Pledge to Americas Workers." ~ President Donald J. Trump

The economy has come roaring back to life under President Trump. In May, unemployment fell to 3.8 percentits lowest level in nearly 50 years. Optimism among employers, particularly manufacturers and small businesses, has reached historic highs in the 6 months since tax reform became law.

Many economists expect the winning streak to continue, predicting second quarter GDP growth to exceed 4 percent.

This high-energy growth environment presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is that companies must find more workers with specific skill sets to fill an increasing number of open jobs. The opportunity is that with more affordable, relevant training, many American workers will now have the chance to move into better jobs that deliver bigger paychecks.

President Trump promised to make Government work for ordinary Americans, and support for workforce training is key to that vision. For decades the government has had more than 40 workforce-training programs in more than a dozen agencies, and too many have produced meager results, Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump wrote this week.

Its time to fix that. In its first 500 days, the Trump Administration has already taken action to expand apprenticeships; increase access to high-quality Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education for K12 students; and encourage companies to invest more of what they earn in American workers and American production.

Now, President Trump has signed an Executive Order to establish the National Council for the American Worker. Comprised of senior Administration officials, the Council is charged with developing a National strategy for training and retraining the workers needed across high-demand industries. The group will convene voices from the public, private, education, labor, and not-for-profit sectors to enhance employment opportunities for Americans of all ages.

Most important, they will focus on getting results. That task begins by asking companies and trade groups to sign a new Pledge to Americas Workers.

Today, more than 20 companies and associations were the first to sign that pledge at the White House. They committed to creating new opportunities over the next five years for American students and workers, including through apprenticeships and work-based learning, continuing education, on-the-job training, and reskilling.

By signing the Pledge to Americas Workers, these great companies . . . are affirming their commitment to train American workers for American jobs, President Trump said. Because Americas strength, Americas heart, and Americas soul is found in our people.

One of the initial areas of focus for the Council will be finding ways to increase access to available job data, including data on which regions offer the most opportunities. Unlike piling burdensome regulations on employers, this focus on transparency helps the economy, allowing students and workers alike to make informed decisions about education, job selection, and career paths.

Growing Americas workforce is an important goal. To help achieve it, the Council will develop a national campaign to raise awareness of workforce issues, such as the urgency of the skills crisis and the importance of STEM education. It will also create a plan for recognizing companies that demonstrate excellence in workplace education, retraining, and workforce investment.

The President pledged to fight for the forgotten men and women of America, and that is exactly what hes done, Ivanka Trump said.
Imperial Valley News Center

Record High Poppy Cultivation and Potential Heroin Production in Mexico

Washington, DC - The annual United States Government estimate of Mexican Poppy Cultivation and Heroin Production found poppy cultivation reached a record high in 2017. Poppy cultivation in Mexico rose 38 percent, from 32,000 hectares in 2016 to 44,100 hectares in 2017. Similarly, potential pure production rose by 37 percent, from 81 metric tons in 2016 to 111 metric tons in 2017.

Provisional data suggests over 49,000 Americans, or 134 per day, died of opioid involved overdoses in 2017; nearly 16,000 of these deaths involved heroin. This increase in Mexican poppy cultivation and heroin production represents an increased threat to the United State

President Trump is committed to addressing drug demand and the opioid crisis, and has taken steps to save lives through effective drug abuse prevention, evidence-based addiction treatment, and law enforcement actions.

The consequences of heroin trafficking are felt by the citizens of both the United States and Mexico. The United States Government will work to enhance its longstanding partnership with the Government of Mexico to address this problem.
Imperial Valley News Center

CBP Air and Marine Operations, U.S. Coast Guard Interdict 28 Cuban Migrants

Miami, Florida - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Air and Marine Operations (AMO) Miami Air and Marine Branch (MAMB) working in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) detected and interdicted a rustic vessel with 28 Cuban migrants. The Coast Guard Cutter Isaac Mayo crew repatriated 28 migrants yesterday to Bahia de Cabanas, Cuba.

Watch-standers at Coast Guard 7th District Command Center received a report from the Cuban Border Guard Saturday of a northbound rustic vessel with approximately 25 people aboard. The watch-standers diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Isaac Mayo from a patrol to intercept the vessel.

A CBP Air and Marine Operations DHC-8 aircraft crew initially located a 26-foot rustic vessel with 28 migrants aboard at approximately 9:30 a.m. Saturday north of Havana. The aircrew vectored in the Isaac Mayo crew who intercepted the motorized rustic vessel and passed along a child life jacket while remaining near the non-compliant migrant vessel.

The highly effective collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies is more important than ever when it comes to combatting smuggling, said Hector Rojas, Deputy Director, CBP Marine Operations at the Miami Air and Marine Branch. The success of this event is a testament to the importance of information sharing, quick response, and partnerships.

Assisting the Isaac Mayo was the Coast Guard Cutter Charles David Jr., a Coast Guard Station Key West 33-foot Special Purpose CraftLaw Enforcement boat, and a CBP Air and Marine Operations Key West Marine Unit.

"U.S. immigration policies have not changed and we urge people not to take to the ocean in unseaworthy vessels, said Capt. Jason Ryan, the chief of enforcement for the Coast Guard's 7th District. People aboard are putting their lives at risk attempting illegal voyages in homemade vessels without proper navigation or safety equipment.

After making the interdiction, the Isaac Mayo crew safely embarked 20 males, seven females and one child aboard the cutter.

The Coast Guard with our partner agencies will continue to patrol vigilantly to rescue and repatriate undocumented migrants who take to the sea," added Ryan.

Illegal migration at sea is inherently dangerous. Air and Marine Operations aims to bring encounters like this to an effective conclusion, as quickly and safely as possible, said Jeff Maher, Deputy Director Air Operations for Miami Air and Marine Branch. By intercepting these craft offshore, AMO and USCG hope to deter others from undertaking risky and sometimes deadly voyages.

Approximately 189 Cuban migrants have attempted to illegally migrate to the U.S. via the maritime environment since Oct. 1 compared to 1,989 Cuban migrants in fiscal year 2017. These numbers represent the total number of at-sea interdictions, landings and disruptions in the Florida Straits, Caribbean and Atlantic.

Once aboard Coast Guard cutters, all migrants receive food, water, shelter and medical attention.

The Isaac Mayo and Charles David Jr. are 154-foot fast response cutters homeported in Key West.

The mission of Air and Marine Operations is to serve and protect the American people. AMO applies advanced aeronautical and maritime capabilities and employs its unique skill sets to preserve Americas security interests.

Partnership and community involvement are extremely important to U.S. Customs and Border Protections mission. CBP asks you to report maritime smuggling and other suspicious activities through our toll free number 1-800-BE-ALERT.
Imperial Valley News Center

BOLD initiative to combat the scourge of Alzheimers disease

Washington, DC - The Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC] has endorsed bi-partisan legislation in Congress to focus attention and resources on the scourge of dementia and, in particular, Alzheimers, which is Americas most expensive disease.

The BOLD [Building Our Largest Dementia] Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act [S.2076] and the House version of the bill [H.R.4256] were both introduced last November with bi-partisan support. Susan Collins [R-ME], Chairman of the Special Committee on Aging, introduced the bill in the Senate. Rep. Brett Guthrie [R-KY] sponsored the House version. The measures would provide research funding  needed to achieve our goal of preventing and treating Alzheimers by the year 2025, according to an online post by Sen. Collins.

AMAC president Dan Weber sent letters of support to Senator Collins and her cosponsors in the Senate and to Representative Brett Guthrie and his cosponsors in the House. In his messages, Weber stated: The BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimers Act will empower those living with Alzheimers, and their caregivers, by increasing access to education and expanding necessary support services. The steps outlined in this bill will ensure both patients and caregivers are best positioned to deal with the effects of Alzheimers and preserve the financial integrity of our healthcare system by averting a potentially disastrous public health crisis.

Weber has long been calling for a new focus on Alzheimers and says its about time that one of the most devastating diseases afflicting older Americans receives the full attention of the U.S. government. It is destructive to the individuals who suffer from this malignant form of dementia and their families. But it also has the potential of overwhelming Americas healthcare infrastructure if it is not checked.

Weber notes that AIDS, a disease that is in decline and afflicts 1.1 million Americans, receives some $32 billion in Federal funding. Meanwhile, he points out, the National Institutes of Health [NIH] says it will spend just $1.9 billion this year to fund research on Alzheimers  a disease that plagues the lives of more than 5.7 individuals in the U.S. and is expected to destroy the lives of as many as 14 million by the year 2050.

Former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. David Satcher, who also served as the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Alzheimers is the most under-recognized threat to public health in the 21st century.

In an appeal for support of the BOLD Act, Satcher said that the legislation would create a public health infrastructure across the country to implement effective Alzheimer's interventions. It would:

Establish Alzheimers Centers of Excellence that would increase early detection and diagnosis, reducing risk, preventing avoidable hospitalizations, reducing health disparities, supporting the needs of caregivers and supporting care planning for people living with the disease.

Provide funding to help public health departments implement effective Alzheimers interventions.

Make available funding for the Increased data collection, analysis and timely reporting needed to support research aimed at controlling and controlling the disease.

The BOLD Act provides a new, sorely needed perspective on Alzheimers disease and much needed, substantive support in the quest for a cure. Along the way it will help researchers to come up with new, more effective ways of managing this insidious form of dementia. Meanwhile, the more we learn about the pathways of Alzheimers with help from the public sector, the more effective medical researchers in the private sector can be in checking the progress of the disease among older Americans, Weber said.
Q&A: Alif Ba Ta Conference 2011 (Contd)





Q2: How can we unite Malaysians when we have these separate school systems?





MBM: The underpinning of the national education policy, articulated in the Razak Report of 1956, was that if young Malaysians were to learn in the same language, read the same books, and have a shared understanding of our history, then we would all idolize the same heroes and subscribe to the same values. With that common base and shared goals, national unity would be that more achievable. The underpinning of the national education policy, articulated in the Razak Report of 1956, was that if young Malaysians were to learn in the same language, read the same books, and have a shared understanding of our history, then we would all idolize the same heroes and subscribe to the same values. With that common base and shared goals, national unity would be that more achievable.





It was a reasonable assumption. Tun Razaks national schools were a vast improvement over the then existing vernacular schools which most Malaysian children attended. At least they would now know more about Tunku Abdul Rahman than Nehru or Chiang Kai Shek, and could speak the national language, a significant achievement.





Instead of building on that system we let it deteriorate. Today we are even more segregated then during colonial rule.





An Education System Worthy of Malaysia (2003) and elsewhere. Today young Malaysians may be reading the same books and learning the same facts but they are not doing it together, with the Chinese attending Chinese schools and Malays, national schools. That is the crux of the problem. Many factors contribute to this sad deplorable situation, among them the increasing Islamization and the de-emphasis of English in the national stream. I elaborated on this in my earlier book,(2003) and elsewhere. Today young Malaysians may be reading the same books and learning the same facts but they are not doing it together, with the Chinese attending Chinese schools and Malays, national schools. That is the crux of the problem.





I have a different perspective. I could not care less if we have a thousand school systems as long as young Malaysians from the different races are learning together in class, playing together on the school fields, and participating in the same school plays and bands, then we would more likely end up as a nation less segregated and consequently more united. I would focus on making our schools integrated, that is, their student body must reflect the general community. How that is best achieved is for each school to decide.





To encourage that I would reward through generous state funding those schools that are fully integrated so they could enhance their programs further and attract an even broader spectrum of Malaysians. To me, even if a school were to use Swahili as the medium of instruction but it manages to attract a broad spectrum of Malaysian parents to enroll their children there, then that school should get full state funding. On the other hand any school that attracts only a narrow spectrum of Malaysians does not deserve any state support. That applies to Islamic as well as Tamil schools.





halalcanteens. I am also not against bringing back state-funded English-medium schools provided that their enrolments reflect the greater Malaysian society. To me they would not be the English schools of old rather English-medium schools along the same line as that Swahili-medium national school. I am heartened by the increasing enrollment of Malays in Chinese schools. I prefer calling them Mandarin-medium national schools. They could further enhance their appeal to Malays by making their campuses more Malay-friendly, as with havingcanteens. I am also not against bringing back state-funded English-medium schools provided that their enrolments reflect the greater Malaysian society. To me they would not be the English schools of old rather English-medium schools along the same line as that Swahili-medium national school.




He will tour the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial on Thursday afternoon and visit the Western Wall in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem on Friday before leaving.

"I can assure the prime minister that Hungary has a policy of zero tolerance towards anti-Semitism", Orban said during remarks alongside Netanyahu ahead of their talks.

In his first-ever visit to the Jewish state, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a joint press conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, that Hungary has "zero tolerance for anti-Semitism", which in modern times could come in the form of anti-Israel behavior.

The trip is a striking sign of burgeoning ties between Netanyahu and the controversial Hungarian statesman, who has been accused of playing up anti-Semitic stereotypes, and comes following reports of Israeli efforts to lobby the United States to end isolation of the man considered a symbol of Europe's move toward the hard right.

Hungary in December abstained when the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to reject the USA recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

He also welcomed "tremendous opportunities for cooperation" between their nations and commended the Hungarian leader in funding projects supporting Jewish establishments.

Unlike most other European leaders who have visited the region, Orban did not make a stop in the Palestinian territories or meet with Palestinian officials. The protesters held signs reading "Never again" in Hungarian and Hebrew and shouted "Shame on you", The Times of Israel reported.

"It is deeply appreciated, and it is important", he added.

"We have discussed the tragic events experienced by the Jewish people in Hungary", the prime minister said.

He also denounced "absolutely crazy" European Union demands of Israel, such as those related to the West Bank, in closed-door remarks picked up by a microphone and overheard by journalists, according to Agence France-Presse.

Netanyahu has been criticized for hosting Orban, an authoritarian who heads the far-right Fidesz party, with some citing his campaign against the Hungarian-American philanthropist George Soros that many consider obliquely anti-Semitic.

Netanyahu has extended his praise to all of the so-called Visegrad group, which includes Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, and whose nationalist stances have been a thorn in Brussels' side.

The four-time Hungarian prime minister drew criticism past year for praising Miklos Horthy - Hungary's World War II-era ruler who introduced anti-Semitic laws and collaborated with the Nazis - and employing tropes that were anti-Semitic in tone against billionaire philanthropist George Soros during his re-election campaign.
Imperial Valley News Center

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Upholds Philadelphia Beverage Tax

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown on Wednesday issued the following statement:

Todays Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision upholding the constitutionality of Philadelphias sweetened beverage tax is a major victory for the citys children and families. The decision, which backs two previous lower court rulings, reaffirms a simple truth: Philadelphians, through their elected local officials, have the right to enact measures they feel are necessary to protect the health of their community and allow public investments in critical local programs.

The beverage industry may have lost in Pennsylvanias courts, but theyre still trying to win in Pennsylvanias legislature by pushing a bill that would take away the ability of communities to implement local solutions for local issues. Cities, towns, and counties throughout Pennsylvania have a long and rich history of making the best decisions for their communities. To take that independence away simply because the beverage industry opposes policies that threaten its profit margins could not be more wrong on the merits or more cynical in its approach.

Through this exercise of local control and democracy, Philadelphians have enabled thousands of children attending high quality pre-K programs, more community schools, and upgrades to city libraries, parks, and playgrounds. Every community in Pennsylvania should have the right to make those decisions and reap the resulting health and economic benefits. The American Heart Association will continue to stand up for the right of all Pennsylvanians to decide whats best for their communities.
Imperial Valley News Center

Medical Doctor Convicted in Federal Court of Causing Opioid Overdose Death of a Patient

Brooklyn, New York - A federal jury in Brooklyn Wednesday, following two weeks of trial, convicted Dr. Martin Tesher of 10 counts of unlawful distribution of oxycodone without legitimate medical purpose to five patients, one of whom died as a result two days after his last visit with the defendant. When sentenced by United States District Judge Raymond J. Dearie, Dr. Tesher faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a maximum of life in prison.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James J. Hunt, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, announced the verdict.

It is incredible but true that some medical professionals have chosen to violate their oaths and exploit our nation's drug epidemic for profit, even at the cost of human lives, stated Attorney General Sessions. This doctor knowingly took advantage of drug addicts and even contributed to the death of a young man. The Department of Justice is relentlessly pursuing criminals like him: we have charged more than 200 doctors with opioid-related crimes since the beginning of last year. We are going to keep pursuing these cases because they help cut off the supply of drugs and stop fraudsters from exploiting vulnerable people. I want to thank the DEA, our partners at IRS, four local police departments and especially our fabulous prosecutors Jennifer Sasso and Penelope Brady for their hard work in this case. I believe that they have helped prevent many more New Yorkers from falling into addiction and death.

Dr. Tesher dispensed opioids to patients whom he knew were abusing illegal drugs and the tragic result was an overdose death, stated United States Attorney Donoghue. Today, the jury held Dr. Tesher responsible for the part he played in fueling the opioid epidemic by abandoning his responsibilities as a medical professional and for acting as a drug dealer with a prescription pad. This Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to work tirelessly to combat the opioid epidemic on all fronts, including prosecuting corrupt doctors who disregard the well-being of their patients by prescribing highly addictive drugs without legitimate medical purpose.

DEA doesnt tell doctors how to practice medicine, DEA is a watchdog to ensure doctors prescriptions are written for the right reason and betterment of their patients health, stated DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Hunt. This trial brings to light how opioid traffickers can hide in plain sight, like Dr. Tesher; and how heartbreaking drug addiction is to families and friends of substance abusers. I commend the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of New York and the DEAs Long Island District Office Tactical Diversion Squad on their diligent work throughout this investigation. DEA will continue to work with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to battle opioid traffickers and suppliers at all levels.

The evidence at trial established that between June 2013 and January 2017, Dr. Tesher, a medical doctor specializing in general family care, prescribed oxycodone and fentanyl on a continuing basis without a legitimate medical purpose to patients after he learned, or had reason to believe, that these patients were addicted to drugs. The five patients either told Dr. Tesher that they had a drug addiction, had previously been treated for drug addiction, or tested positive for illegal drugs such as cocaine or heroin during the course of their treatment by the defendant. While under Dr. Teshers care, Nicholas Benedetto, 27, tested positive for cocaine, heroin and methadone in addition to oxycodone and fentanyl. Dr. Tesher continued to prescribe oxycodone and fentanyl to Benedetto despite indicators that he was abusing those drugs. Benedetto was found dead of a fatal combination of oxycodone and fentanyl on March 5, 2016, two days after he had been prescribed oxycodone and fentanyl patches by Dr. Tesher. According to a government expert witness, none of the patients for whom Tesher is charged in the superseding indictment had verified medical conditions that would require the prescription of Schedule II opioids.

The governments investigation was led by the DEAs Long Island Tactical Diversion Squad, which is comprised of agents and officers of the DEA, Internal Revenue Service, Nassau County Police Department (NCPD), Suffolk County Police Department, Port Washington Police Department and Rockville Centre Police Department. The DEA Tactical Diversion Squad also worked in conjunction with officers and agents of the New York City Police Department, Criminal Enterprise Investigations, the Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the New York City Department of Investigation and NCPDs Asset Forfeiture and Intelligence Bureau.

This case is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of New York as part of the Prescription Drug Initiative. In January 2012, this Office and the DEA, in conjunction with the five District Attorneys in this district, the Nassau and Suffolk County Police Departments, the New York City Police Department and the New York State Police, along with other key federal, state and local government partners, launched the Initiative to mount a comprehensive response to what the United States Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called an epidemic increase in the abuse of so-called opioid analgesics. To date, the Initiative has brought over 160 federal and local criminal prosecutions, including the prosecution of 19 health care professionals; taken civil enforcement actions against a hospital, a pharmacy and pharmacy chain; removed prescription authority from numerous rogue doctors, and expanded information-sharing among enforcement agencies to better target and pursue drug traffickers. The Initiative also is involved in an extensive community outreach program to address the abuse of pharmaceuticals.

The governments case is being handled by the Offices International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer M. Sasso and Penelope Brady are in charge of the prosecution.
Attorney General Becerra Applauds City of Arvins New Oil and Gas Ordinance

Sacramento, California - California Attorney General Xavier Becerra Tuesday issued the following statement on the news that the Arvin City Council passed by a 3-0 vote an ordinance that will require new oil and gas operations to be more protective of public health and safety. As part of the environmental justice work being carried out by the California Department of Justice, Attorney General Becerra filed his strong support for the ordinance on June 8, 2018, making clear that it was a lawful exercise of the City of Arvins authority.

For far too long, Arvin  a community that is home to mostly modest-income, hard-working families  has had to bear significant pollution burdens. Thanks to the important ordinance passed by the City Council, that unfortunate reality will begin to change, said Attorney General Becerra. The California Department of Justice supported Arvins right to protect its residents health and safety by prohibiting oil and gas sites in residential and other sensitive areas, and by establishing buffers for homes, schools, and hospitals. We now offer our congratulations for this momentous public health victory. Earlier this year, we established a Bureau of Environmental Justice so that communities like Arvin know we have their backs. We look forward to continuing to fight on behalf of all Californians and their right to breathe clean air.

BACKGROUND

Located 20 miles south of Bakersfield, Arvin has a population of approximately 20,000 that is predominantly Latino, modest-income, and with a high percentage of children under the age of 10. It is a community impacted by serious air quality problems from oil and gas activities and related public health complications, including asthma, allergies and respiratory diseases.

Arvins oil and gas facilities have had significant pollution problems. In March 2014, eight Arvin families were evacuated as a result of a toxic gas leak from an underground oilfield production pipeline located near their homes. In February 2016, the California Department of Conservation, Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, imposed a $75,000 fine on the owner and operator of the pipeline and several oil and gas wells in Arvin.

The new ordinance passed by the City of Arvin will:
Attorney General Becerra Keeps the Door Open on Cost-Sharing Reduction Case

Sacramento, California - California Attorney General Xavier Becerra was Wednesday granted a motion to dismiss without prejudice in California v. Trump, a case which was initiated after the Trump Administrations abrupt decision in October 2017 to stop healthcare subsidy payments required by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). These mandatory cost-sharing reduction payments, also known as CSRs, help lower out-of-pocket costs for individuals with incomes up to $30,350 and families of four with incomes up to $62,750.

In response to the Trump Administrations October 2017 decision, state regulators in many states, including California, were able absorb the increased costs within the ACAs silver plans by providing correspondingly higher premium tax credits to mitigate the damage imposed by the Trump Administrations reckless decision to abruptly end cost-sharing subsidies for consumers.

In California, we are committed to protecting affordable, quality healthcare for all Americans  no matter what steps the Trump Administration takes to sabotage the Affordable Care Act, said Attorney General Becerra. Todays decision to close our cost-sharing reduction litigation for now is the end of a battle, but not the war. Todays decision is an acknowledgement of the determined and strategic action by States to mitigate the Trump Administrations irresponsible actions and continue providing affordable care under the ACA. More importantly, this decision leaves the door open for California and its coalition to continue fighting if and when the Trump Administration takes action to dismantle the states alternative approach to maintaining Americans affordable health plans. We will continue to monitor the Administrations actions and stand ready to take any legal action necessary to safeguard Americans healthcare.

On Monday, July 16, 2018, California and its coalition of 18 states and the District of Columbia filed a motion to stay the proceeding or dismiss without prejudice in California v. Trump. Today Judge Chhabria granted the unopposed request by the plaintiffs to dismiss the case without prejudice. Dismissal without prejudice leaves the way clear for a similar suit to be filed again, if necessary, in light of future developments.
Executive Order Establishing the Presidents National Council for the American Worker

Washington, DC - By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to provide a coordinated process for developing a national strategy to ensure that Americas students and workers have access to affordable, relevant, and innovative education and job training that will equip them to compete and win in the global economy, and for monitoring the implementation of that strategy, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Purpose. Our Nation is facing a skills crisis. There are currently more than 6.7 million unfilled jobs in the United States, and American workers, who are our countrys most valuable resource, need the skills training to fill them. At the same time, the economy is changing at a rapid pace because of the technology, automation, and artificial intelligence that is shaping many industries, from manufacturing to healthcare to retail. For too long, our countrys education and job training programs have prepared Americans for the economy of the past. The rapidly changing digital economy requires the United States to view education and training as encompassing more than a single period of time in a traditional classroom. We need to prepare Americans for the 21st century economy and the emerging industries of the future. We must foster an environment of lifelong learning and skills-based training, and cultivate a demand-driven approach to workforce development. My Administration will champion effective, results-driven education and training so that American students and workers can obtain the skills they need to succeed in the jobs of today and of the future.

Sec. 2. Policy. It shall be the policy of the executive branch to work with private employers, educational institutions, labor unions, other non-profit organizations, and State, territorial, tribal, and local governments to update and reshape our education and job training landscape so that it better meets the needs of American students, workers, and businesses.

Sec. 3. Establishment and Composition of the Presidents National Council for the American Worker. (a) There is hereby established the Presidents National Council for the American Worker (Council), co-chaired by the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Labor, the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, and the Advisor to the President overseeing the Office of Economic Initiatives (Co-Chairs).

(b) In addition to the Co-Chairs, the Council shall include the following officials, or their designees:

(i) the Secretary of the Treasury;

(ii) the Secretary of Education;

(iii) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;

(iv) the Director of the Office of Management and Budget;

(v) the Administrator of the Small Business Administration;

(vi) the Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Coordination;

(vii) the Director of the National Economic Council;

(viii) the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers;

(ix) the Director of the National Science Foundation; and

(x) the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Sec. 4. Additional Invitees. As appropriate and consistent with applicable law, the Co-Chairs may, from time to time, invite the heads of other executive departments and agencies (agencies), or other senior officials in the White House Office, to attend meetings of the Council.

Sec. 5. Council Meetings. The Co-Chairs shall convene meetings of the Council at least once per quarter.

Sec. 6. Functions of the Council. (a) The Council shall develop recommendations for the President on policy and strategy related to the American workforce, and perform such other duties as the President may from time to time prescribe.

(b) The Council shall develop recommendations for:

(i) a national strategy for empowering American workers, which shall include recommendations on how the Federal Government can work with private employers, educational institutions, labor unions, other non-profit organizations, and State, territorial, tribal, and local governments to create and promote workforce development strategies that provide evidence-based, affordable education and skills-based training for youth and adults to prepare them for the jobs of today and of the future;

(ii) fostering close coordination, cooperation, and information exchange among the Federal Government, private employers, educational institutions, labor unions, other non-profit organizations, and State, territorial, tribal, and local governments as related to issues concerning the education and training of Americans; and

(iii) working with agencies to foster consistency in implementing policies and actions developed under this order.

Sec. 7. Initial Tasks of Council. Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Council shall:

(a) develop a national campaign to raise awareness of matters considered by the Council, such as the urgency of the skills crisis; the importance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education; the creation of new industries and job opportunities spurred by emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence; the nature of many careers in the trades and manufacturing; and the need for companies to invest in the training and re-training of their workers and more clearly define the skills and competencies that jobs require;

(b) develop a plan for recognizing companies that demonstrate excellence in workplace education, training, and retraining policies and investments, in order to galvanize industries to identify and adopt best practices, innovate their workplace policies, and invest in their workforces;

(c) examine how the Congress and the executive branch can work with private employers, educational institutions, labor unions, other non-profit organizations, and State, territorial, tribal, and local governments to support the implementation of recommendations from the Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion established in Executive Order 13801 of June 15, 2017 (Expanding Apprenticeships in America), including recommendations related to:

(i) developing and increasing the use of industryrecognized, portable credentials by experienced workers seeking further education, displaced workers seeking skills to secure new jobs, students enrolled in postsecondary education, and younger Americans who are exploring career and education options before entering the workforce;

(ii) increasing apprenticeship, earn-and-learn, and work-based learning opportunities;

(iii) expanding the use of online learning resources; and

(iv) increasing the number of partnerships around the country between companies, local educational institutions, and other entities, including local governments, labor unions, workforce development boards, and other non-profit organizations, in an effort to understand the types of skills that are required by employers so that educational institutions can recalibrate their efforts toward the development and delivery of more effective training programs.

(d) consider the recommendations of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board (Board) established in section 8 of this order and, as appropriate, adopt recommendations that would significantly advance the objectives of the Council. The Council shall continue to consider and, as appropriate, adopt the Boards recommendations beyond the initial 180day period provided by this section;

(e) recommend a specific course of action for increasing transparency related to education and job-training program options, including those offered at 4year institutions and community colleges. The Council shall also propose ways to increase access to available job data, including data on industries and geographic locations with the greatest numbers of open jobs and projected future opportunities, as well as the underlying skills required to fill open jobs, so that American students and workers can make the most informed decisions possible regarding their education, job selection, and career paths. The Council shall also propose strategies for how best to use existing data tools to support informed decision making for American students and workers;

(f) develop recommendations on how the public sector should engage with the private sector in worker re-training, including through the use of online learning resources. In developing these recommendations, the Council shall examine existing private sector efforts to retrain workers or develop them professionally, and consider how investments in worker training and re-training programs compare to investments in other human-resource related areas, such as recruitment, health benefits, and retirement benefits; and

(g) examine public and private-sector expenditures, including tax expenditures, related to providing Americans with knowledge and skills that will enable them to succeed in the workplace at various stages of life (such as during primary and secondary education, postsecondary education, continuing professional development, and re-training), consider the effectiveness of those expenditures, and make suggestions for reforms in order to serve American workers and students better.

Sec. 8. Establishment of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board. (a) There is hereby established the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board.

(b) The Board shall be composed and function as follows:

(i) The Board shall be composed of the Secretary of Commerce and the Advisor to the President overseeing the Office of Economic Initiatives, and up to 25 members appointed by the President from among citizens outside the Federal Government, and shall include individuals chosen to serve as representatives of the various sectors of the economy, including the private sector, employers, educational institutions, and States, to offer diverse perspectives on how the Federal Government can improve education, training, and re-training for American workers;

(ii) The Board shall be co-chaired by the Secretary of Commerce and the Advisor to the President overseeing the Office of Economic Initiatives;

(iii) Members appointed to the Board shall serve for a term of 2 years. If the term of the Board established in subsection (a) of this section is extended, members shall be eligible for reappointment, and may continue to serve after the expiration of their terms until the appointment of a successor;

(iv) The Board shall advise the Council on the workforce policy of the United States. Specific activities of the Board shall include, to the extent permitted by law, recommending steps to encourage the private sector and educational institutions to combat the skills crisis by investing in and increasing demand-driven education, training, and re-training, including through apprenticeships and work-based learning opportunities;

(v) Members of the Board shall serve without any compensation for their work on the Board. Members of the Board, while engaged in the work of the Board, may be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, to the extent permitted by law for persons serving intermittently in Government service (5 U.S.C. 5701-5707), consistent with the availability of funds;

(vi) The Board shall terminate 2 years after the date of this order, unless extended by the President; and

(vii) Insofar as the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App.), may apply to the Board, any functions of the President under that Act, except for those in section 6 and section 14 of that Act, shall be performed by the Secretary of Commerce, in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Administrator of General Services.

Sec. 9. Administrative Provisions. (a) The Department of Commerce shall provide the Council and the Board with funding and administrative support as may be necessary for the performance of their functions.

(b) The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Co-Chairs of the Council, shall designate an official to serve as Executive Director, to coordinate the day-to-day functions of the Council.

(c) To the extent permitted by law, including the Economy Act (31 U.S.C. 1535), and subject to the availability of appropriations, other agencies may detail staff to the Council, or otherwise provide administrative support, in order to advance the Councils functions.

(d) Agencies shall cooperate with the Council and provide such information regarding its current and planned activities related to policies that affect the American workforce as the Co-Chairs shall reasonably request, to the extent permitted by law.

Sec. 10. Termination of Council. The Council shall terminate 2 years after the date of this order, unless extended by the President.

Sec. 11. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

DONALD J. TRUMP

THE WHITE HOUSE,

July 19, 2018
Border Patrol Discover Gas Tank Loaded with Meth

Salton City, California - El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint arrested a woman suspected of smuggling methamphetamine inside her vehicles gas tank on Saturday evening.

The incident occurred at approximately 9 p.m. after a 45-year-old woman, along with her minor son, approached the checkpoint in a 2005 burgundy Hyundai Sonata.

During primary inspection, a Border Patrol canine team alerted to the vehicle. Agents then referred the vehicle to secondary inspection for further examination.

At secondary inspection, the canine team alerted to the gas cap of the vehicle. Agents investigated further and discovered several sealed packages concealed in gas tank of the vehicle. The packages were examined and tested positive for the characteristics of methamphetamine.

The combined weight of the packages totaled 26.97 lbs., with an estimated street value of $71,470.

The woman, a U.S. citizen, was turned over by agents to the Drug Enforcement Administration along with the vehicle and narcotics for further investigation.

The minor child was turned over to Imperial County Social Services.

This displays the level the smuggling organizations will go in order to further their criminal enterprise, said Assistant Chief Patrol Agent David S. Kim. Thanks to our agents this child was taken out of a potentially dangerous situation.

In fiscal year 2018, El Centro Sector agents have seized more than 825.11 pounds of methamphetamine.
Border Patrol Discover Meth in Vehicles Gas Tank

Salton City, California - El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint arrested a man and a female juvenile passenger suspected of smuggling methamphetamine inside their vehicles gas tank on Wednesday.

The incident occurred at approximately 5:30 p.m. when the two B1/B2 Visa / Border Crossing Card (BCC) holders, approached the checkpoint.

During primary inspection, a Border Patrol agent noticed the individuals did not have proper immigration documents. The vehicle was referred to secondary inspection for further investigation.

In secondary, a Border Patrol canine detection team alerted to the vehicle which led to the discovery of 30 packages hidden in the gas tank. The packages were examined and tested positive for the characteristics of methamphetamine.

The combined weight of the packages totaled 32.60 lbs., with an estimated street value of $86,390.

Both BCCs were canceled due to the individuals failure to maintain status and violation of a controlled substance.

The 22-year-old man and 16-year-old female, both Mexican citizens, were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration along with the vehicle and narcotics for further investigation.

This incident highlights the continued trend of smuggling narcotics in vehicle gas tanks. This trend has been found in other sectors and ports of entries.

In fiscal year 2018, El Centro Sector agents have seized more than 857.71 pounds of methamphetamine.
Heroin Discovered By CBP at JFK Airport

Jamaica, New York - On July 15, Ms. Emma Soriano, a United States citizen, arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport from Mexico City. A baggage inspection by U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) resulted in the discovery of four egg-shaped packages of heroin. In total approximately 4.4 kilograms of heroin were seized, or approximately 9.7 pounds.

The heroin has an estimated street value of more than $300,000.

Our CBP officers and agriculture specialists experience and vigilance was a key component in this significant narcotic seizure, said Frank Russo, Acting Director of CBPs New York Field Office.

CBP seized the narcotics. The woman was arrested and the case was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations. She now faces federal narcotics smuggling charges and will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorneys Office in the U.S. Eastern District Court of New York.

All defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty.
Attorney General Sessions Announces Publication of Cyber-Digital Task Force Report

Aspen, Colorado - Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced today the public release of a report produced by the Attorney Generals Cyber-Digital Task Force. The report provides a comprehensive assessment of the cyber-enabled threats confronting the Nation, and catalogs the ways in which the Department of Justice combats those threats. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein formally issued the report in remarks delivered Thursday at the Aspen Security Forum in Aspen, Colorado.

Attorney General Sessions established the Cyber-Digital Task Force within the Department in February 2018 and directed the Task Force to answer two basic questions: how is the Department responding to global cyber threats? And how can federal law enforcement accomplish its mission in this area more effectively? Todays report answers the first question. It canvasses a wide spectrum of cyber threats; defines the multi-faceted challenges posed by cyber-enabled crime; describes the Departments work in detecting, deterring, and disrupting threats; explains how the Department collaborates with other government departments and with the private sector to respond to cyber incidents; and explores how the Department trains and maintains a skilled workforce.



The Internet has given us amazing new tools that help us work, communicate, and participate in our economy, but these tools can beand frequently areexploited by criminals, terrorists, and enemy governments, Attorney General Sessions said. At the Department of Justice, we take these threats seriously. That is why I am grateful to the members of the Cyber-Digital Task Force for providing me with this thorough, first-of-its-kind report, which comprehensively details the scope of the problem and provides initial recommendations on the most effective ways that the Department can confront cyber threats and keep the American people safe.



The report begins by focusing on one of the most pressing cyber-enabled threats confronting the Nation: the threat posed by malign foreign influence operations. Chapter 1 explains what foreign influence operations are and describes how foreign adversaries have used these operations to target our Nations democratic processes, including our elections. It concludes by describing the Departments efforts to protect the 2018 midterm elections and announces a new Department policy that governs the disclosure of foreign influence operations.



Chapters 2 and 3 discuss other significant cyber threats, particularly those relating to sophisticated cybercrime schemes, and describes how the Department is deploying its capabilities to combat them. Chapter 4 focuses on the role of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in responding to cyber incidents. Chapter 5 describes the Departments efforts to recruit and train qualified personnel on cyber matters. Chapter 6 concludes the report by identifying certain priority policy matters and charting a path for the Task Forces future work.



The Task Force is chaired by Associate Deputy Attorney General Sujit Raman. Task Force members include John P. Cronan, now the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division who until recently served as Acting Assistant Attorney General; John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division; Beth A. Williams, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy; John M. Gore, Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Division; Andrew E. Lelling, United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts; Peter A. Winn, the Departments Acting Chief Privacy and Civil Liberties Officer; and two senior executives at the FBI. Components from across the Department contributed to the drafting of the Task Force report. The initial report of the Attorney Generals Cyber-Digital Task Force can be downloaded here, along with a fact sheet here.
Planning to Hike to Goat Haunt Port of Entry? CBP now requires all hikers to use ROAM app

Goat Haunt, Montana - As part of U.S. Customs and Border Protections (CBP) comprehensive effort to improve the security of our nation's borders while enhancing legitimate travel, CBP has launched the Reporting Offsite Arrival  Mobile (ROAM) app for hikers planning to hike from Canada to the port of Goat Haunt.

ROAM app kiosks are available at the

Shoreline Cruise Dock and Waterton

Canada Parks Visitor Center for all

those planning to visit Goat Haunt by

ferry or trail.

Goat Haunt is a remote, seasonal port of entry, located at the south end of Waterton Lake, Alberta, Canada. Goat Haunt can be reached by ferry from the town of Waterton, Alberta, or via hiking trails originating in Canada and the United States.

Hikers planning to hike from Canada to Goat Haunt will be required to use the ROAM app during the remainder of the summer season.

To use the ROAM app, travelers input their biographic information and trip details, then submit their trip for review by a CBP officer. The officer may initiate a video chat to further interview travelers. Once the officer reviews the trip, travelers will receive a push notification and an email with their admissibility decision and next steps, if applicable.

ROAM app kiosks are available at the Shoreline Cruise Dock and Waterton Canada Parks Visitor Center for all those planning to visit Goat Haunt by ferry or trail.

To use ROAM on your mobile device, download the app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.

Anyone with questions about using the app is encouraged to telephone the Port of Piegan at 406-732-5572.

Visit CBP.gov for more information on the ROAM app.
"The civilians were subsequently transferred to a neighbouring country", it said without elaborating.

Israel has evacuated 800 White Helmets volunteer rescuers and their family members threatened by advancing Syrian regime forces to Jordan for resettlement in Britain, Canada and Germany, Amman has said.

"Upon request of the US, Canada and European states Israel has completed a humanitarian effort to rescue members of a Syrian civil organisation ('White Helmets") and families, ' Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon tweeted.

US officials had said they were finalizing plans to evacuate several hundred Syrian civil defense workers and their families from southwest Syria as Russian-backed government forces closed in on the Quneitra province.

Founded in 2013, the Syria Civil Defence, or White Helmets, is a network of first responders that rescues wounded in the aftermath of airstrikes, shelling or explosions in rebel-held territory.

"Israel continues to maintain a non-intervention policy regarding the Syrian conflict and continues to hold the Syrian regime accountable for all activities in Syrian territory", the army said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the first convoy to reach Morek transported around 2,800 people. Mr Saleh said that a number were trapped between the border with the Golan Heights.

They have been targeted by the Syrian government, and President Bashar Al Assad accused the group of having links to Al Qaeda.

Hundreds of rescue volunteers from the Syrian Civil Defence were evacuated to Jordan by Israel at the request of the United States and European powers.

The White Helmets, officially called the Syrian Civil Defence, operates a rescue service in rebel-held parts of Syria.

Islamic State-affiliated forces entrenched in the Yarmouk Basin, which borders the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Jordan, also repelled a ground attack by the Syrian army and its allies, the sources added.

Since the offensive began, Jordan said it will not open its borders to the newly displaced Syrians.

More than 650,000 Syrian refugees are registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Jordan but the kingdom says it hosts 1.3 million Syrian refugees.

During the latest Syrian government offensive, which began on June 19, around 300,000 Syrians have been displaced, heading toward the sealed Israeli and Jordanian borders in what the United Nations said was the largest single displacement since the Syrian civil war started in 2011.

Panicked passengers, fearing for their lives, posted pictures of the militia surrounding their buses on social media.

Kayed said those evacuated would stay in "a restricted area" of Jordan until they are transferred to the three countries within three months.
CBP Foils $879K Currency Smuggling Attempt

San Antonio, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the San Antonio International Airport intercepted a pair of travelers allegedly smuggling currency out of the U.S. July 15.

CBP seizes currency when international

travelers carrying more than $10,000 fail

to truthfully report the amount to CBP.

The travelers were carrying $879,695 packed in boxes and duct taped closed and were en route to Mexico via private aircraft when they were apprehended.

Two CBP officers arrived to San Antonios Fixed Base Operation to conduct an outbound inspection on a private aircraft when they noticed the aircraft was on the runway preparing for departure. The officers informed the Federal Aviation Administration tower that the aircraft had not been cleared for departure and to direct the plane to the CBP General Aviation Facility.

When the aircraft arrived, the officers began their inspection, which included asking the passengers for an oral declaration of any currency or monetary instruments they were carrying. Each passenger provided a negative oral declaration followed by a negative written declaration on CBP Form 6051B.

An inspection of the aircraft revealed taped boxes with stacks of currency concealed inside. CBP officers arrested two Mexican nationals for allegedly intending to evade the currency reporting requirements by knowingly concealing more than $10,000 in currency or other monetary instruments and attempting to transport the currency from within the U.S. to a place outside of the U.S.

Travelers are given multiple opportunities to make a truthful declaration, said CBP Port Director Lois Hunter. We strongly urge travelers to be completely forthright during CBP inspections or risk having their currency seized as well as face charges.

Travelers may carry as much currency as they wish into and out of the United States and it is not taxed at the port of entry. However, federal law requires that travelers who are carrying more than $10,000 in currency or monetary instruments must report it to a CBP officer and complete a U.S. Treasury Department financial form.

One of the reasons CBP performs outbound inspections is to protect against unreported exportations of bulk U.S. currency, which often can be proceeds from alleged illicit activity, or currency that funds transnational criminal organizations, said Houstons CBP Acting Director of Field Operations Beverly Good. This significant currency seizure is a direct reflection of our continuing commitment to enforcing all U.S. laws, including federal currency reporting requirements.

This is among the largest single seizure of unreported currency in the Houston Field Office region which includes San Antonio, Dallas, Austin and Houston. The two men were arrested and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations.

On a typical day in 2017, CBP officers around the country seized $265,205 in undeclared or illicit currency.
Belgium National Day

Washington, DC - Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo: "On behalf of the Government of the United States of America, I offer my sincere congratulations to the people of Belgium as they celebrate their national day.

"Through two world wars, the founding of NATO, and the fight against terrorism, the United States and Belgium built a strong history of working together for the common good of all our people. Our shared values of democracy, human rights, and economic development have enabled us to increase prosperity and global stability.

"The United States looks forward to continuing its enduring relationship with Belgium as we confront mutual challenges and reap the benefits of shared achievements."
Secretary of State Pompeo's Call With Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov

Washington, DC - On Saturday, Secretary Pompeo spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. They discussed a broad range of issues, some of which were following up from the meeting between President Trump and President Putin. Among the topics discussed was the fact that Russia had violated its commitment in southwest Syria.

The two also discussed how to implement ideas on counterterrorism process coordination and the mutual goal of establishing business-to-business dialogue between private, non-governmentally controlled entities in each of our two countries. The need for Russia to provide equal diplomatic access to the United States, at a level that is fair and reciprocal, was also discussed.
Does Celebrity Separations Have Influence on our Relationships? This is What Experts Have to Say
Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek.

I don't know whether Home Depot is run on army lines.

However, the company's adherence to the letter of its own rules verges on an odd militarism.

Perhaps that's why the company seems to feature in headlines about employees who feel they were unjustly fired.

A couple of years ago, Home Depot fired four employees who chased after a shoplifter.

The company also fired an Oregon employee who tried to stop what he thought was a child abduction. Home Depot had second thoughts, but the employee wasn't impressed with those thoughts.

Now we have the case of Maurice Rucker.

A couple of weeks ago, Rucker says he was working in the Albany, New York store and politely asked a customer to leash their dog. This, it seems, might just be company policy.

However, as the Albany Times Union's Chris Churchill reported, the customer retorted: "You're from the ghetto. What do you know?"

Rucker is black. The customer was white.

Rucker said the customer then bathed him in curses and invective.

This included telling him that Barack Obama was a Muslim and that Rucker wouldn't have a job if it wasn't for Donald Trump.

Rucker admits that, after a while, he'd had enough of this. He walked up to the customer and says he observed: "You're lucky I'm at work, because if I wasn't you wouldn't be talking to me like this."

And then Rucker was fired.

This despite the fact that the customer forgot his dog, came back to the store and abused Rucker some more.

I asked Home Depot why it had taken such draconian action instead of, perhaps, defending its employee.

A company spokesman told it had been "because he didn't follow our policy to disengage and alert management about a customer confrontation."

Similar to the instances I've described above, Home Depot's rule isn't without sense.

But rules have to be interpreted and, yet again, here was a case where an apparently valued employee was fired for, well, being human.

The kink, of course, was that the Rucker's story reached the media.

Just as in the case of the Oregon man, Home Depot rapidly had second thoughts.

"We've taken another look at this and made the decision to offer Maurice his job back," the Home Depot spokesman told me.

It's not as if Rucker had been immediately fired by the store manager. He says it took five days for the decision to be made.

It seems that the manager didn't recognize the irony of an employee being fired according to the strict reading of the rules, when that employee had been trying to politely enforce some of those very rules.

Couldn't the manager have considered the circumstances and offered, perhaps, a minor scolding and a reminder that rules exist -- at least the company would say -- for the employees' and customers' safety? (And the company's insurance policy, the dry might add.)

Couldn't the manager -- and the company -- have taken a stand against racism and shown that this sort of customer behavior wouldn't be tolerated?

It's unclear whether Rucker will accept the offer of his job back. Churchill says Rucker has already had other offers.

Perhaps, in the meantime, Home Depot needs to train its managers a little better in recognizing when rules should be enforced and how.
Should an Airbnb host renting out a spare bedroom or two be subjected to the same rules as a hotel? Should Airbnb give a complete list of its hosts' names and contact information to local government officials so they can enforce those rules? And what exactly should happen to Airbnb hosts who don't follow all the requirements for a hotel, such as installing an automatic sprinkler system?

These are among the questions at issue in lawsuits between the City of New York, Stanley "Skip" Karol, an Airbnb host in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood, and Airbnb. Their resolution could have implications for Airbnb hosts across the country.

Airbnb and New York City have been battling each other in court and in the state and municipal legislatures for years now. More recently, Karol, who uses Airbnb to rent out spare bedrooms and a basement space in his childhood home got caught up in their battle. At issue is up to $32,000 worth of fines imposed by the city's Office for Special Enforcement for violations Karol's attorneys say are baseless.

Instead, Karol has sued the city using funding from Airbnb, alleging that the fines are in fact retaliation for his speaking out at a public City Council meeting--and on an Airbnb video--against proposed legislation to require Airbnb to provide names and contact info of all its hosts in the city to municipal government officials. On Wednesday, the same day that Karol filed his lawsuit, the legislation passed. The city has now filed suit against Airbnb to compel it to provide the host names and contact info. Thus far, the company has refused, claiming that the city's subpoena is too broad and demands information that the city doesn't need. Karol's suit also claims that the City Council is acting in the interests of the New York hotel industry, which has made large contributions to several of its members and has provided investigation help in collecting evidence against Airbnb hosts.

Singling out one host?

About two years ago, New York State passed a law prohibiting the advertising of short-term rentals. And some estimates suggest that more than 70 percent of the Airbnb listings in New York City are illegal and could be subject to fine. Nevertheless, a year ago, only 139 out of more than 23,000 hosts who seemed to be violating that law had been fined. So Karol's claim to have been singled out appears to have some merit. On the other hand, the city may simply be cracking down on Airbnb hosts and other big fines may still be to come.

Although Airbnb is fighting New York City tooth and nail for the moment, in some other places it has begun cooperating with local authorities and lawmakers. In San Francisco, for instance, which passed a law requiring short-term rental hosts to register with the city, Airbnb has been cleaning up its list of hosts and making sure those who remain are registered in accordance with the law.
For over five generations, National Geographic magazine has dazzled and educated people with its incredible photographs and gripping stories from all corners of the earth.

Through spectacular landscapes, bustling cities, local customs, and wildlife photography, it has brought Africas boundless beauty and diversity to life through a lens for years.

From amazing Africa ranges in evocative early black-and-white pictures to autochromes, from the golden age of Kodachromes to digital.

Along the way, flying over the misty volcanoes of Uganda in a 1950s plane; archaeologists in the cool, musky tombs of Egypt; gleaming skyscrapers of Zimbabwe; the ritual masks of the Chokwe tribesmen of Angola; labyrinth of alleys and souks in Algerias old quarters; the fragile red-tufted flowers of South Africas Drakensberg mountains; Kenyan farmers as they battle clouds of flying locusts; and gorillas enjoying the Rwandan sunshine.

From Cairo to Cape Town: In and out of Africa with National Geographic Show all 11 1 /11 From Cairo to Cape Town: In and out of Africa with National Geographic From Cairo to Cape Town: In and out of Africa with National Geographic Horst Luz, Sudan, 1965 A ghostly Nuba glee club bathes in ashes to ward off evil spirits before singing at a sanda festival National Geographic Society From Cairo to Cape Town: In and out of Africa with National Geographic Gervas Huxley, Kenya, 1940s Kenyans trudging along a road battle clouds of ying locusts. Spawned in the vast deserts to the north, periodic irruptions of locusts brought millions of insects descending upon everything in sight, devouring crops, destroying grasslands and forests, even covering roads so thickly that cars skidded out of control National Geographic Society From Cairo to Cape Town: In and out of Africa with National Geographic Chris Johns, South Africa, 1995 A walking stick on one shoulder, a hunting bow slung over the other, a Bushman watches relatives stride across the dunes near the boundary of Kalahari Gemsbok National Park Minden Pictures From Cairo to Cape Town: In and out of Africa with National Geographic Mark Deeble and Victoria Stone, Kenya, 2001 As graceful under water as the sh it swims among, a hippo courses through Kenyas marvelous Mzima Springs, an Edenic oasis in the midst of Tsavo National Park. Tiny sh, the photographers were the rst to discover, each specialised in cleaning various parts of the river horses anatomy National Geographic Creative From Cairo to Cape Town: In and out of Africa with National Geographic Michael K. Nichols, Ethiopia, 2002 Lounging beneath ancient heath trees, gelada baboon bachelors gang up until the day when they will turn against each other in the competition for females National Geographic Creative From Cairo to Cape Town: In and out of Africa with National Geographic Hans Hildenbrand, Egypt, circa 1925 Men lead donkeys past the Tombs of the Caliphs, mosque-like mausoleums erected outside Cairo to house the mortal remains of Egypts medieval sultans, the foreign dynasty of the Circassian Mamluks. No towering pyramids for them! National Geographic Society From Cairo to Cape Town: In and out of Africa with National Geographic Bruce Dale, Kenya, 1968 A Kenyan farmer and his cow climb a hill near Kisii on land that he might well own, since after independence in 1963 the new government had bought some of the choicest parcels and resold them to native smallholders National Geographic Creative From Cairo to Cape Town: In and out of Africa with National Geographic David Doubilet, Egypt, 1981 A young goatherd pipes a tune in the wastes of the Sinai Desert. Wild and rugged, this no mans land  occupied by Israel at this time as a result of the 1967 Six-Day War  had been claimed by Egypt for thousands of years, but was really home only to wandering Beduoin tribes National Geographic Creative From Cairo to Cape Town: In and out of Africa with National Geographic Dick Durrance III, South Africa, 1970 In a sign of hope for a better future, a Zulu worker gives a thumbs-up sign in the railroad station at Umlazi, a township in the Kwa Zulu Bantustan. During the Apartheid era, hundreds of thousands of workers commuted each day from segregated townships to jobs as menials and laborers in white-only South Africa Minden Pictures From Cairo to Cape Town: In and out of Africa with National Geographic Michael K. Nichols, Chad, 2006 Chads Zakouma National Park is a refuge for the Sahels last remaining elephant herd. But Zakouma is tiny, not even 1,200 square miles, and every year as the dry season relaxes its grip, some 3,500 elephants leave the park to nd better forage." Minden Pictures From Cairo to Cape Town: In and out of Africa with National Geographic National Geographic: Around the World in 125 Years  Africa National Geographic: Around the World in 125 Years  Africa Joe Yogerst, Reuel Golden Hardcover, 26.9 x 37.4 cm, 312 pages

Long before the Travel Channel and Google Images, these photographs celebrated Africas spectacular landscapes, incredible wildlife, and diversity  but also reflect edgier stories that speak of rural hardship, environmental threats, and the lasting remnants of forced colonisation. Leaving no stone unturned, this definitive voyage is in equal parts a breathtaking homage to an incomparable continent, and a unique tribute to the worlds most famous photography magazine.

During three decades as an editor, writer, and photographer, Joe Yogerst has lived and worked on four continents including Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. He has authored numerous travel guides for National Geographic and has been the recipient of four Lowell Thomas Awards from the Society of American Travel Writers.

'National Geographic: Around the World in 125 Years  Africa' is published by Taschen and is out now (50)
Seyran Ates recalls the searing pain of a bullet tearing through her neck. She remembers wavering on the brink of death and telling God that she had to rejoin the living.

A 21-year-old law student at the time, working at a womens centre in West Berlin, she was nowhere near finished with the world.

'I want to go back, I told God, Ates, now a 55-year-old lawyer and womens rights activist who is also studying to become an imam, recalled of that afternoon. I still have a mission.

Recommended NUS apologises after omitting Judaism from religion survey

More than three decades later, that mission came to fruition a year ago when she stood before a congregation of Muslim men and women kneeling side by side as they recited prayers in the Ibn Rushd-Goethe Mosque  the first Muslim house of worship in Germany where women, many with dark ponytails and long curls uncovered, are recognised as imams.

Any Muslim is welcome to join: men or women, Sunni or Shia, transgender, gay or straight.

Ates's Ibn Rushd-Goethe Mosque recently celebrated its first anniversary (Alamy)

We want to send a signal to political Islam, Ates, wearing a long, white tunic trimmed with gold, told a packed room on the opening day, when journalists outnumbered worshippers.

We want to show that another Islam exists, that has nothing to do with terrorism.

Over the past year, that something has grown into a congregation of 35 core members  many of them women. They help Ates organise weekly prayers, give tours to school groups and hold seminars on democracy, love and the concept of an open, tolerant interpretation of Islam and a forgiving God.

Three years after a wave of more than 1 million, mostly Muslim, migrants arrived in Germany seeking asylum, culture wars over religious identity and the possible threat posed by Islam have led to a rise in nationalist, populist movements.

The government of Chancellor Angela Merkel was nearly brought down this week over a dispute with the Bavarian sister of her conservative party, which sought to turn back refugees at the border.

The Bavarian conservatives of the Christian Social Union joined the far-right party Alternative for Germany in promoting a narrative that refugees pose a threat, after several highly publicised killings and sexual assaults in the country led to charges against Muslim migrants.

The party ordered that crosses be displayed in all public buildings in the state, and Merkels new interior minister, Horst Seehofer  also a Bavarian  declared: Islam is not a part of Germany.

Against the backdrop of these debates, Ates sees the survival of the Ibn Rushd-Goethe Mosque, which recently celebrated its first anniversary, as proof that Muslims living in Germany need and are open to an interpretation of Islam that reflects the values of the Western society in which they live.

Sumba island's Marapu religion Show all 13 1 /13 Sumba island's Marapu religion Sumba island's Marapu religion Tombs in the centre of Tarung village serve as handy laundry driers on a sunny Sumba morning. Mark Eveleigh Sumba island's Marapu religion Each tomb in Waihola village (near Nihiwatu) represents massive expense in terms of ritual sacrifices for local families who observe the ancestral Marapu religion Mark Eveleigh Sumba island's Marapu religion Catholic imagery on a tomb in Waihola village (near Nihiwatu) shows how imported religions seem often to have blended almost seamlessly with the ancient Marapu religion. Mark Eveleigh Sumba island's Marapu religion In an effort to minimise economic strain the law stipulates that only 5 buffalo can be sacrificed at funerals - in reality many more are often killed and a big buffalo with a wide horn spread will often fetch close to $4,000. Mark Eveleigh Sumba island's Marapu religion A royal tomb in Pasunga village is flanked by the smaller tombs where servants were buried (sometimes buried alive!) alongside their master. Mark Eveleigh Sumba island's Marapu religion Village dogs - currently guardians but, more than likely, part of some future feast - on tombs in Pasunga village. Mark Eveleigh Sumba island's Marapu religion A horse - another part of Sumba's ancestral warrior heritage - grazes among the tombs in Pasunga village. Mark Eveleigh Sumba island's Marapu religion A more humble modern style tomb stands next to the kings burial place in Galu Bakul, Anakalang. Mark Eveleigh Sumba island's Marapu religion Prai Ijing village. Sumba island's Marapu religion A village dog relaxes on a tomb in Prai Ijing village. Mark Eveleigh Sumba island's Marapu religion While still considered sacred the tombs very quickly become part of normal village life. The is nothing sacrilegious about drying your wellies on one. Mark Eveleigh Sumba island's Marapu religion Tombs in the centre of Tarung village serve as handy domestic surfaces. Mark Eveleigh Sumba island's Marapu religion The monumental tombs of Sumba. Mark Eveleigh

She recently extended the lease on the room where the mosque is housed for two more years, defying those who foretold a swift demise for the project.

A couple of days after we opened the mosque, a young man showed up and told us, You wont be here long. The Arabs will never allow it,' she said. Instead, hundreds of people from across Germany, Europe and abroad have visited or attended services.

Those most committed to its survival have made donations, some as much as 500, Ates said, emphasising that the mosque receives no public funding.

Even atheists come here and appreciate this place, as a spiritual place, a place of peace, she said recently, standing barefoot on the pale carpet of the mosque. I had hoped, but never dreamed, that so many atheists would be interested. That was a positive surprise.

The criticism and rejection, in its fierceness and intensity, less so. Even before the mosque opened, her personal Facebook page and that of the mosque were flooded with derogatory messages and even some death threats.

May Allah put you on the right path, or destroy you, someone writing under the name Xalo Bero said, in one of the friendlier remarks.

Protection provided by the police and paid for by the city government, in place since she published the book Islam Needs a Sexual Revolution in 2009, was increased to a personal security detail after the heightened threats on her life.

Ates says that even atheists come to appreciate the mosque, as a place of peace (Rex)

Days after the mosque opened, Dar al-Ifta, an influential arm of the Egyptian Justice Ministry that issues religious verdicts, denounced the mosque and declared that allowing men and women to pray alongside one another violated Islamic law.

Turkish news outlets reported that the mosque was a terrorist organisation with links to the Islamist cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey blames for a coup attempt in 2016 against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Despite a video message in which Ates states that the the Rushd-Goethe mosque has nothing to do with the Gulen movement, the rumours have persisted.

She blames them for the fact that few Turks have joined the congregants, although they make up the vast majority of the estimated 4.5 million Muslims living in Germany.

Despite the demands of running the mosque, she takes Arabic classes and continues to work as a lawyer. She considers achieving a degree in Islamic theology important to her recognition in the Muslim community.

I want to understand the words and know the meanings so no one can say, Shes just a lawyer,' she said.

Born in Istanbul to a Turkish mother and a Kurdish father, she emigrated with her parents to what was then West Berlin in the late 1960s, part of the first large wave of Muslim immigrants who came to fill the blue-collar jobs needed to rebuild the German economy after World War II.

Ates was 6 when she and her four siblings moved into a one-room apartment with their parents.

Ibn Rushd-Goethe mosque in St Johannis Church, Berlin (Alamy)

As she learned German and excelled in school, Ates says, she came to understand that it was not the crowded living conditions that she found suffocating, but the realisation that because of her gender, she was not afforded the freedoms of her non-Muslim peers.

I was a girl, she wrote in 2007 in Zeit Online. I embodied the familys honour, and my hymen  for a long time I didnt even know what that was  was more important to the whole family than my brain.

At 17, she fled her home, graduated from high school and started studying law at the Free University of Berlin. To support herself, she worked as a counsellor in a womens centre.

In September 1984, she was speaking with a client when a man wearing a trench coat entered the centre, pulled out a pistol and fired three shots. One hit the client in the stomach, killing her; the other struck Ates.

She survived to see the suspect, a Turkish bricklayer, acquitted for lack of evidence, which enraged her. For years, she struggled with the psychological fallout of the attack.

She returned to her faith, but was again alienated by Berlins traditional, conservative mosques, where women were forced to pray behind a curtain. She decided that if the faith community that she needed did not exist, she would create it.

It took years of planning, fundraising and looking for a suitable space. While she received support from like-minded liberal Muslims from Switzerland to the US, the critics have remained.

What keeps her going is the encouragement, not only from social media postings, but also from the visitors who go out of their way to find a place of worship that previously existed only in their dreams.

 New York Times
Brexit will allow the UK to tighten controls on the sale of cheap real fur wrongly labelled as fake in high street shops, MPs have said.

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee claim European Union (EU) regulations are not good enough to allow customers to understand the origin of their clothing.

It is calling for a consultation to ban the sale of real fur after finding that retailers and Trading Standards are "complacent" about it being mislabelled.

Their inquiry follows media reports of real fur being sold as fake by major high-street and online retailers including TK Maxx, BooHoo, Amazon, Groupon, Etsy, Tesco, FatFace, Boots and Kurt Geiger.

While many of the firms had no-fur policies, their "faux" material actually came from a variety of animals including rabbit, fox and chinchilla.

The government claims that the UK is not able to introduce additional restrictions on the fur trade while it remains in the EU.

Fur farming was banned in 2000 but Britain still imports and sells fur from a range of species such as fox, rabbit, mink, coyote, raccoon dog and chinchilla.

Committee chairman Neil Parish said: "Reports of real fur being sold as fake fur shows that retailers are flouting their responsibility to consumers. The mis-selling of real fur should not be discovered by campaign organisations and the media, but by Trading Standards officers and retailers.

"Retailers of all sizes are complacent about the issue of fake faux fur. It is illegal to give misleading information and Trading Standards have been poor at identifying and acting against those who are doing so. The Government must ensure that Local Authorities are properly resourced, and local authorities should ensure that Trading Standards are properly trained.

"Brexit provides an opportunity to step up our game when it comes to labelling. The labelling of clothes must be consistent, transparent and customer-friendly, but current EU requirements are not good enough to allow consumers to understand the origin and contents of their clothing.

"Finally, the Government should consider launching a consultation to ban the sale of real fur outright."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said that the UK should ban the import of fur.

He said: "In our manifesto we said we would ban the import of fur and under the last Labour government the production of fur in Britain was stopped and it is now not produced in Britain, so we think it should not be imported either. I think fur products are unnecessary and there is often a great deal of cruelty involved in the production of fur pelts and the synthetic alternatives are much better."

A government spokesman said it would respond to the committee's report "in due course".

Fur Farms Show all 31 1 /31 Fur Farms Fur Farms Polish fur farm Open Cages Fur Farms Polish fur farm Open Cages Fur Farms Polish fur farm Open Cages Fur Farms Polish fur farm Open Cages Fur Farms Polish fur farm Open Cages Fur Farms Polish fur farm Open Cages Fur Farms Polish fur farm Open Cages Fur Farms Polish fur farm Open Cages Fur Farms Norwegian fur farm Network For Animal Freedom Fur Farms Norwegian fur farm Network For Animal Freedom Fur Farms Norwegian fur farm Network For Animal Freedom Fur Farms Norwegian fur farm Network For Animal Freedom Fur Farms Norwegian fur farm Network For Animal Freedom Fur Farms Norwegian fur farm Network For Animal Freedom Fur Farms Norwegian fur farm Network For Animal Freedom Fur Farms Norwegian fur farm Network For Animal Freedom Fur Farms Norwegian fur farm Network For Animal Freedom Fur Farms Finnish fur farm Oikeutta Elaimille Fur Farms Finnish fur farm Oikeutta Elaimille Fur Farms Finnish fur farm Oikeutta Elaimille Fur Farms Chinese fur farm Humane Society International Fur Farms Chinese fur farm Humane Society International Fur Farms Chinese fur farm Humane Society International Fur Farms Chinese fur farm Humane Society International Fur Farms Canadian fur farm Jo-Anne McArthur Fur Farms Canadian fur farm Jo-Anne McArthur Fur Farms Canadian fur farm Jo-Anne McArthur Fur Farms Canadian fur farm Jo-Anne McArthur Fur Farms Canadian fur farm Jo-Anne McArthur Fur Farms Canadian fur farm Jo-Anne McArthur Fur Farms Canadian fur farm Jo-Anne McArthur

"The government shares the British public's high regard for animal welfare, and fur farming was banned in the UK in 2000," he added. "Trade in fur from domestic cats, dogs or commercial seal hunts are also banned, but while the UK is a member of the EU it is not possible to introduce additional restrictions on the fur trade.

"Brexit gives us the opportunity to go further."

Mike Moser, chief executive of the British Fur Trade Association, backed claims that the EU's labelling scheme "is not fit for purpose".

He said: "These recommendations represent a sensible, proportionate and pragmatic way to address the problem of mis-selling of both fake and real fur in the UK. It's vital that consumers are able to make informed purchasing decisions, whether they are buying natural or fake fur.

"MPs are right to recommend the introduction of a clearer system if our exit from the EU allows it. We also support any moves to introduce a fur-specific label into the UK market which would provide greater detail about the type of fur used."

Press Association
A British wildlife park is giving a new home to four rare brown bears living behind bars in Japan.

The animals will be flown 5,400 miles to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park after outgrowing their cages at a Japanese museum.

The operation to move them in the coming weeks follows an appeal to wildlife rescuers worldwide for a new home that would cater for the bears needs for life.

Recommended Brown bears choosing vegetarian diet over salmon due to climate

Ussuri brown bears are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species - classed as vulnerable because they are hunted illegally, poached for their body parts and skins and their forest habitats are being destroyed.

They are extinct across parts of Asia, where they were once common, and there are thought to be only 10,000 left in Japan.

The four Ussuri brown bears (Ursus arctos lasiotus), called Riku, Kai, Hanako and Amu, are being taken from the Ainu Cultural Museum on Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japans islands.

The Ainu museum bears came to our attention a few years ago and weve been working closely with the museum, Japanese animal-welfare NGOs and zoo experts since, to try and find a more suitable home for them, said Georgina Groves of the Wild Welfare zoo-support organisation, which helped set up the move.

John Minion, head of the park at Branton, near Doncaster, said: The museum does not have the experience or resources to look after the bears now, and wished to find them a new home, so animal-welfare organisations around the world teamed up to find a solution.

Park chiefs have now put out a DIY SOS call to companies and tradespeople to help provide rocks, trees, platforms and other landscape features to recreate the bears natural environment.

The species is under threat from illegal hunting and habitat loss in Asia (Yorkshire Wildlife Park)

They will also hold a volunteers day to help build the new features.

The reserve says it was chosen to take the bears because of its reputation for animal welfare and conservation of threatened species.

Where not to visit if you love animals Show all 9 1 /9 Where not to visit if you love animals Where not to visit if you love animals Monkey shows Chimpanzees are forced to perform demeaning tricks on leashes and are often subject to cruel training techniques. Animals who are confined to small, barren enclosures and forced to perform unsurprisingly show symptoms of stress and depression. Chimpanzees have been documented rocking back and forth, sucking their lips, salivating and swaying against enclosure perimeters in distress. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Marine parks Some parks confine orcas to concrete tanks and force them to perform meaningless tricks for food - many die in captivity. Orcas are highly intelligent and social mammals who may suffer immensely, both physically and mentally, when they're held in captivity. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Tiger shows Tigers are forced to live in an unnatural and barren environment and have to endure interactions with a constant stream of tourists. Since tigers never lose their wild instincts, across the world they are reportedly drugged, mutilated and restrained in order to make them safe for the public. However, every year, incidents of tiger maulings are reported at this type of tourist attraction. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Donkey rides Sunning on the beach is great for humans  we can take a quick dip or catch a bite to eat when we get too hot or hungry. But it's pure hell for donkeys who are confined to the beach and forced to cart children around on the hot sand. Some donkey-ride operators at beach resorts in the UK even keep the animals chained together at all times. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Swimming with dolphins Some marine parks use bottlenose dolphins in performances and offer visitors the opportunity to swim with dolphins. Unfortunately, people are often unaware that these animals are captured in the wild and torn from their families or traded between different parks around the world. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Canned hunting Lions are confined to fenced areas so that they can easily be cornered, with no chance of escape. Most of them will have been bred in captivity and then taken from their mothers to be hand-reared by the cub-petting industry. When they get too big, they may be drugged before they are released into a "hunting" enclosure. Because these animals are usually kept in fenced enclosures (ranging in size from just a few square yards to thousands of acres), they never stand a chance of surviving. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Running of the Bulls Every year, tourists travel to Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls. The bulls who are forced to slip and slide down the town's narrow cobblestone streets are chased straight into the bullring. They are then taunted, stabbed repeatedly and finally killed by the matador in front of a jeering crowd. The majority of Spaniards reject bullfighting, but tourists are keeping the cruel industry on its last legs. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Horse-drawn carriages City streets are no place for horses. The animals toil in all weather extremes, suffering from respiratory distress from breathing in exhaust fumes as well as numerous hoof, leg and back problems from walking on pavement all day long. As easily spooked prey animals, horses subjected to the loud noises and unexpected sounds of city streets are likely to be involved in accidents, even deadly ones. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Zoos The zoo community regards the animals it keeps as commodities, and animals are regularly bought, sold, borrowed and traded without any regard for established relationships. Zoos breed animals because the presence of babies draws visitors and boosts revenue, yet often, there's nowhere to put the offspring as they grow, and they are killed, as we saw with Marius the giraffe in Denmark. Some zoos have introduced evening events with loud music and alcohol which disrupt the incarcerated animals even further. EPA

We are fortunate we have the space, animal-management skills and experience to rehome these bears that will require specialist care, and we are looking forward to welcoming them. We are grateful to the Ainu Museum for releasing the bears to us here where we will be able to give them a secure and nurturing future, said Mr Minion.

Park bosses will send vets to closely monitor the new arrivals during the journey from Japan to Yorkshire, and the four bears will be the first residents in a new rehabilitation centre at the park.

Ussuri bears weigh up to 550kg and can live for up to 35 years, eating a range of foods from nuts, seeds and plants to fish and smaller mammals.
"The positive change on the Korean peninsula is now obvious", said the ambassador, Alexander Matsegora, according to the RIA news agency, adding that Russian Federation was ready to help modernise North Korea's energy system if sanctions were lifted and if Pyongyang can find funding for the modernisation.

Pompeo met with Kim's key aide this month during his latest trip to Pyongyang but as soon as he left, the North's foreign ministry berated him over his "unilateral and gangster-like" demands. The president echoed his own statement to reporters from a day before, when he said that "we have no time limit [on denuclearization]".

It was the first time in nine years that USA and North Korean generals held talks.

It came as tensions on the Korean Peninsula had escalated to one of the highest levels, following the North Korea's ballistic missile tests. But critics said it only reiterated previous commitments and failed to lay out a timeline for denuclearization.

President Donald Trump has backtracked on his administration's plans to rid North Korea of its nuclear weapons within a year, announcing on Tuesday that there is now "no time limit" on the denuclearisation of Kim Jong-un's regime.

"Discussions are ongoing, and they're going very, very well", the USA president told reporters. "We have no rush for speed".

North Korea is now in the process of negotiating with the USA on dismantling its nuclear program.

Russia's envoy to North Korea said on Wednesday it would be logical to raise the question of easing sanctions on North Korea with the United Nations Security Council, as the United States pushes for a halt to refined petroleum exports to Pyongyang. But the relationships are very good.

We've all seen the negative press regarding President Donald Trump's meeting with Chairman Kim Jong-un.

As tensions between North Korea and the US rose in 2017, senior diplomats and administration officials in Washington said diplomacy with North Korea was an option.

Ahead of the UN General Assembly, there has been talk of the possible three-way summit as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been cranking up diplomacy with the outside world apparently to get sanctions relief and ease worldwide isolation, according to the report. He said negotiations with North Korea are a "decades-long challenge" that involves North Korea making a fundamental shift in its strategic decision making. "I was there. I saw it".

The remains of several hundred USA soldiers killed during the Korean War are expected to be handed over at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea next week.
More than 100 council homes in the London borough home to Grenfell Tower are lying empty in what has been branded a shameful waste of resources.

Half of the 133 unoccupied houses in Kensington and Chelsea have been vacant for more than six months, according to figures released by the local authority, which presides over an area with one of the highest levels of homelessness in the country.

Fourteen council-owned homes  which have at least 20 bedrooms between them  have been vacant for more than two years, with some properties lying empty for more than five.

The majority of the 133 vacant council houses  or 64 per cent  are not ready to let because they need repair work, prompting calls on the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea authority to get a grip on managing its housing stock.

 Meet the children who go to school in the shadow of Grenfell Tower

One in every seven families living in Kensington and Chelsea  or 1,441 people out of 10,705  are technically homeless in the borough, according to research by Shelter published in February.

The new figures, obtained under freedom of information laws, relate to houses or flats available to the general public and do not include houses earmarked for survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Last month, The Independent reported more than 200 of the houses the council purchased specifically for the residents of the north Kensington high-rise were still vacant one year after the deadly blaze.

Alex Diner, policy officer at North Kensington Law Centre, said: These figures will come as no surprise to residents in North Kensington: far too much of the boroughs housing stock is simply not up to standard.

It is extremely worrying that the council has allowed so much vital social housing to lay empty for so long whilst homelessness in Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is so high, whilst many local residents have been placed in out-of-borough temporary accommodation, and whilst so many others live in inadequate, often overcrowded housing.

He also said some of the homes could be used to reduce the waiting times of Grenfell survivors. Some 98 of 204 households from Grenfell Tower and Walk have not yet moved into a permanent houses, more than a year after the blaze that killed 72 people, according to a statement released by housing secretary on Thursday.

Some survivors still remain without a home of their own, and the council has accepted that a significant number of other households affected by the disaster are not likely to have their housing needs met potentially for years, Mr Diner continued.

These vacant properties could be vital to rehousing Grenfell survivors and those whose lives have been changed forever by the disaster. The council must therefore urgently get a grip on its vacant housing stock and bring it up to standard to address the chronic housing need in the borough.

Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Show all 18 1 /18 Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Kitchen in flat 16 where the fire started Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began The kitchen from flat 16 ReutersGrenfell Tower Inquiry/Reuters Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began The kitchen from flat 16 PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Hallway in flat 16, leading to the kitchen where the fire started Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began The kitchen from flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began The kitchen from flat 16 PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Bedroom in flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Living room in flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Toilet in flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Living room in flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Bedroom 2 of flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/Reuters Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Bedroom in flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Bedroom 2 of flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/Reuters Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began The kitchen from flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Kitchen in flat 16 where the fire started Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Door to flat 16 from the lobby on floor 4 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Living room in flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began Hallway in flat 16 Grenfell Tower Inquiry/PA

Shadow housing minister John Healey said: It is shameful that council homes sit empty while fewer than half of the families who survived the Grenfell Tower fire have been rehoused, more than a year on from the fire.

Government ministers could and should have taken over this failing council but have chosen not to.

What was a national disaster is becoming a national disgrace and the Government must now step in to ensure all survivors have permanent homes so they can start to rebuild their lives.

The Independent has contacted the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for comment.
EU citizens in the UK are being put at risk of devastating consequences after Brexit, including losing out on housing and jobs, MPs warn today.

The governments plans to grant them settled status is heavily criticised for creating the same dangers that have ruined the lives of members of the Windrush generation.

EU nationals are set to be given a digital code to prove their status  but the Commons Brexit committee has branded the idea confusing and dependent on the goodwill of employers and landlords.

Its report urges ministers to distribute easy-to-use physical documents, warning people will otherwise be shunned by bosses and landlords fearful of fines if they employ or rent to an illegal immigrant.

The experience of the Windrush generation shows that, where errors occur, it can lead to devastating consequences for individuals and their families, the committee says.

We are also concerned about the potential for fraud and the incentive for individuals to be exploited if they cannot persuade an employer or landlord of their status.

Ministers have hailed the progress made on citizens rights as one of the big wins from the Brussels talks, but the committee warned that substantial issues remain unresolved.

Its report also calls on 27 remaining EU states to finally set out how 1 million British expats in their country can guarantee their status, warning they had been left in the dark.

People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Show all 30 1 /30 People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Rex People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal A young protestor shouts as she takes part in the People's Vote demonstration against Brexit Getty Images People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Reuters People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal A protester's pro-EU t-shirt EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Gina Miller and Caroline Lucas EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Tens of thousands of people march through London EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Demonstrators at the People's Vote March Getty People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal 'Two months too young to decide on my future' REUTERS People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal PA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal A young girl joins in the march PA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal An EU flag is draped across the statue of Winston Chruchill in Parliament Square REUTERS People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Vince Cable MP, Pro-EU campaigner Gina Miller, Tony Robinson and Caroline Lucas MP join with crowds PA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal PA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Crowds gather on Pall Mall PA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal A man resembling Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, joins EU supporters Reuters People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Reuters People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal People gather in Trafalgar Square REUTERS People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Pro-EU campaigner Gina Miller and Tony Robinson PA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EU supporters, calling on the government to give Britons a vote on the final Brexit deal, participate in the 'People's Vote' march REUTERS

The UK government must redouble its efforts to protect their ongoing free movement between the 27 countries, which is under threat, it says.

And the committee backs the European parliament by calling for fees to be waived to register for settled status  provided UK citizens in the EU are offered the same.

The Home Office has set the cost at 65 for adults and 32.50 for a child under 16, arguing that is less than the price of a passport.

Ministers must also clear up what will happen to EU citizens who fail to apply for settled status by a deadline of June 2021  six months after the end of the planned post-Brexit transition period.

Hilary Benn, the committees chairman, said the government had implied that citizens rights were all sorted, but warned: The evidence we have heard suggests it is far from being finalised.

These are people who have made their lives in the EU in good faith, or came to live and work in the UK, paying taxes, raising families and putting down roots.

As things stand, both groups are likely to lose some of the rights they had previously. Thats not fair and its why we want to see further progress quickly.

The criticism comes after Dominic Raab, the Brexit secretary, hinted that  even in a no-deal Brexit  the UK would unilaterally guarantee the rights of EU citizens here.

Theresa May has been criticised for refusing to act in the two years since the referendum, having blocked David Camerons proposal to guarantee all rights back in 2016.

A government spokesperson defended its plans for settled status, saying: The process will be straightforward and streamlined and we will support applicants to get the right outcome.
Cabinet ministers will be sent across Europe to try to rescue Theresa Mays Chequers plan for Brexit after its savaging by the EUs negotiator.

Direct talks will be held with key politicians of EU countries, as the prime minister steps up attempts to bypass opposition to her proposals in the European Commission.

The move comes after the negotiations hit a fresh wall when Michel Barnier, the EUs Brexit coordinator, warned aspects of the UKs plan were impractical or even illegal.

Insisting it could not form the basis for the talks, Mr Barnier said the rest of Europe would be left wide open to fraud by Ms Mays latest customs proposals.

It could result in a smugglers' paradise, he warned, with goods deliberately misdeclared as intended for the UK  to enjoy lower tariffs  only to be sent on to EU, avoiding higher duties.

He also warned there could be no progress on negotiating a blueprint for future trade unless the UK quickly signed up to a legally enforceable backstop to avoid a hard border for Northern Ireland.

Now the prime minister will try to break the impasse by meeting the leaders of Austria, the Czech Republic and Estonia in the coming week.

Later this month, David Lidington, her effective deputy, will head to France, Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, will visit Germany  while Home Secretary Sajid Javid will be in Spain and Greg Clarke, the business secretary, will fly to Italy.

Brexit casualties Show all 10 1 /10 Brexit casualties Brexit casualties Andrea Jenkyns - Resigned from Parliamentary Private Secretary at the ministry for housing, communities and local government role May 2018 - The Morley and Outwood MP said: We want to see a new relationship with Europe, with a new model not enjoyed by other countries  nothing that leaves us half-in, half-out. And in order to achieve this, we need to leave the customs union. Ms Jenkyns also said she wished to dedicate more of her time to Parliaments influential Exiting the European Union select committee, after a series of unbalanced reports produced by MPs PA Brexit casualties David Davis - Resigned from Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union role July 2018 - quit following a major row with May over her plans for post-Brexit relations with the EU. Davis resignation letter said: As you know there have been a significant number of occasions in the last year or so on which I have disagreed with the Number 10 policy line, ranging from accepting the [European] Commissions sequencing of negotiations, through to the language on Northern Ireland in the December Joint Report. At each stage I have accepted collective responsibility because it is part of my task to find workable compromises, and because I considered it was still possible to deliver on the mandate of the referendum, and on our manifesto commitment to leave the Customs Union and the Single Market. I am afraid that I think the current trend of policy and tactics is making that look less and less likely. He went on to argue that the general direction of Ms Mays policies would leave the UK in at best a weak negotiating position, and possibly an inescapable one. AFP/Getty Brexit casualties Steve Baker - Resigned from Minister at the Department for Exiting the European Union role July 2018 - Mr Baker, a key Tory figure in the Leave campaign, was David Daviss main lieutenant at Dexeu, and was hailed as courageous and principled by other Brexiteer Tories as he also left. Reuters Brexit casualties Boris Johnson - Resigned from Foreign Secretary role July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. In his resignation letter to the prime minister, Mr Johnson said: "On Friday, I acknowledged that my side of the argument were too few to prevail and congratulated you on at least reaching a Cabinet decision on the way forward. "As I said then, the government now has a song to sing. "The trouble is that I have practised the words over the weekend and find that they stick in the throat." Reuters Brexit casualties Conor Burns - Resigned from Parliamentary Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary role July 2018 - A Brexit supporter who worked alongside Boris Johnson stated in his resignation letter: I've decided it's time to have greater freedom. I want to see the referendum result respected. And there are other areas of policy I want to speak more openly on. Rex Brexit casualties Chris Green - Resigned from Department for Transport role July 2018 - The Bolton West MP said: "Parliament overwhelmingly decided to give the decision of whether to leave or remain in the European Union to the British people and they made an unambiguous decision that we ought to leave. "I have always understood the idea in 'Brexit means Brexit' is that the final deal should be clear to me and my constituents - that we have, in no uncertain terms, left the European Union. Twitter Ads info and privacy "The direction the negotiations had been taking have suggested that we would not really leave the EU and the conclusion and statements following the Chequers summit confirmed my fears. "I recognise that delivering Brexit is challenging, however I had hoped at tonight's meeting that there would be some certainty that my fears were unfounded but, instead, they have been confirmed. "I have been grateful for the opportunity to serve as Parliamentary Private Secretary and it is with regret that I offer my resignation with immediate effect." PA Brexit casualties Maria Caulfield - Resigned from Conservative Party vice-chair for women role July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. Lewes MP warned that the direction of travel did not fully embrace the opportunities that Brexit can provide. Ms Caulfield said in her letter to the PM: The policy may assuage vested interests, but the voters will find out and their representatives will be found out. This policy will be bad for our country and bad for the party. The direct consequences of that will be prime minister Corbyn. PA Brexit casualties Ben Bradley - Resigned from Conservative Party vice-chair for young people role July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. The Mansfield MP said: I admit that I voted to Remain in that ballot. What has swayed me over the last two years to fully back the Brexit vision is the immense opportunities that are available from global trade, and for the ability for Britain to be an outward looking nation in control of our own destiny once again. I fear that this agreement at Chequers damages those opportunities; that being tied to EU regulations, and the EU tying our hands when seeking to make new trade agreements, will be the worst of all worlds if we do not deliver Brexit in spirit as well as in name, then we are handing Jeremy Corbyn the keys to No10. PA Brexit casualties Robert Courts - Resigned from Parliamentary Private Secretary role July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. MP Mr Courts said: I have taken a very difficult decision to resign my position as [parliamentary private secretary] to express discontent with the Chequers [plans] in votes tomorrow. I had to think who I wanted to see in the mirror for the rest of my life. I cannot tell the people of Woxon that I support the proposals in their current form. Getty Brexit casualties Scott Mann - Resigned from Parliamentary Private Secretary role July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. "I fear elements of the Brexit white paper will inevitably put me in direct conflict with the views expressed by a large section of my constituents. I am not prepared to compromise their wishes to deliver a watered-down Brexit. "The residents of North Cornwall made it very clear that they wish to have control over our fishery, our agricultural policy, our money, our laws and our borders. I will evaluate those principles against the Brexit white paper and ensure that I vote in line with their wishes." Rex

No 10 said there would be other summer visits, including by European ministers to the UK, on top of 90 calls to European ministers since the white paper was published a fortnight ago.

Ms May stressed the negotiations would continue in Brussels, but added: We know European citizens will also be keen to hear how this proposal will benefit them.

This is a principled and practical Brexit that is mutual interests of the UK and EU but it will require pragmatism from both sides.

We must step up the pace of negotiations and get on to deliver a good deal that will bring greater prosperity and security to both British and European citizens. We both know the clock is ticking  lets get on with it.

Hopes are fading fast for an agreement in October  once described as the deadline  with the two sides so far apart on key issues.

An emergency summit has been touted for November, with the end of the year now pinpointed as the final chance for a deal to allow a smooth Brexit on 29 March next year.

Ms May has insisted crashing out without a deal remains an option, despite majority opposition in the Commons and her own civil servants warning of food and medicine shortages.

However, she has also warned that a rejection of Chequers could mean no Brexit at all  reflecting the growing calls for delay and, possibly, a fresh referendum if her attempts to secure agreement fail.
The poorest will be hit hardest if Theresa May pursues a catastrophic no-deal Brexit, John Major has warned, as he said a fresh referendum was nearing.

The former Conservative prime minister said the motto of MPs wrestling with a way out of the crisis, with the negotiations stalled, should be people, people, people.

Sir John said he did not much like the Chequers plan put forward by the prime minister, but attacked the refusal of Brexiteers to compromise.

If every compromise reached by the cabinet is blocked by this minority of irreconcilable, hardline, utterly committed, anti-Europeans, then we will not actually get to the negotiations.

We will fall out without a deal, then it will be damaging for Europe but catastrophic for us.

Speaking on the BBCs Andrew Marr Show, he said: It is the people who have the least who will end up being hurt most.

Sir John also said he now believed a further Brexit referendum might be the only way to avoid even greater disillusion than we have seen.

Frankly, a second vote has democratic downsides. It has difficulties, he warned, but he added: Is it morally justified? I think it is.

People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Show all 30 1 /30 People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Rex People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal A young protestor shouts as she takes part in the People's Vote demonstration against Brexit Getty Images People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Reuters People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal A protester's pro-EU t-shirt EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Gina Miller and Caroline Lucas EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Tens of thousands of people march through London EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EPA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Demonstrators at the People's Vote March Getty People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal 'Two months too young to decide on my future' REUTERS People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal PA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal A young girl joins in the march PA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal An EU flag is draped across the statue of Winston Chruchill in Parliament Square REUTERS People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal AFP/Getty Images People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Vince Cable MP, Pro-EU campaigner Gina Miller, Tony Robinson and Caroline Lucas MP join with crowds PA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal PA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Crowds gather on Pall Mall PA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal A man resembling Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, joins EU supporters Reuters People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Reuters People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal People gather in Trafalgar Square REUTERS People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal Pro-EU campaigner Gina Miller and Tony Robinson PA People's Vote march  demanding vote on final Brexit deal EU supporters, calling on the government to give Britons a vote on the final Brexit deal, participate in the 'People's Vote' march REUTERS

If you look back at the Leave campaign, a great many of the promises they made were fantasy promises. We now know they are not going to be met.

A referendum isn't an easy option, but it's not one at this stage that I would rule out.

Sir Johns comments came after the new Brexit secretary refused to set out the no deal planning the government is making  despite insisting the UK would thrive.

Dominic Raab condemned hair-raising stories that food will be stockpiled, and motorways turned into lorry parks, if Britain crashes out of the EU with no agreement.

However, Mr Raab would not say what preparations are being made, beyond the hiring of extra border staff, while hinting the public would be told more in the coming months.

Nicky Morgan, a leading pro-EU Tory insisted parliament would not allow a no-deal outcome  provided her fellow Conservatives were brave enough to speak out.

I do believe there is a majority in parliament, theres a majority on the Conservative benches, who would not accept a no deal, she told the BBC.

They have got to find the courage to voice that and to make that very clear  and we are running out of time.

Asked if he backed a further referendum, Sir John replied: Would you buy a house without knowing the price? No, you would not.

Should we finally decide to leave Europe without knowing the cost of doing so? And by the cost, I dont just mean to the Government, to the nation. I mean to the lives of individual people in every constituency in the land.

I think its arguable that, once the cost is known, if it is as damaging as I believe it will be, then you either face the question of letting the public endorse it or not, or five years down the road, when it is blazingly apparent how much has gone wrong, there will be a huge amount of disillusion, much greater disillusion than weve yet seen, with the British political system.
Dominic Raab has refused to set out the no-deal Brexit plan the government is making  despite insisting the UK would thrive.

The new Brexit secretary condemned hair-raising stories that food will be stockpiled and motorways turned into lorry parks if Britain crashes out of the EU with no agreement.

However, Mr Raab would not say what preparations are being made beyond the hiring of extra border staff, while hinting the public would be told more in the coming months.

Recommended Fox launches bid for US trade deal and to join Pacific trade group

Asked about the stockpiling of food, he said: Im not going to get drawn into the selective snippets that are leaked and that make hair-raising stories.

And, on the prospect of the M26 to Dover becoming a lorry park, he told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show: If we have no deal, we will want to make sure we are prepared at the border.

Mr Raab did suggest that  if a no-deal Brexit loomed  the UK would unilaterally guarantee the rights of the 3.2 million EU citizens living in this country.

The prospect of us not moving swiftly to resolve their legal position  or that people would be removed from this country  is, I think farfetched, fanciful and would not happen, he said.

On no-deal planning, he insisted: We are ready for any and every eventuality.

And he added: All of that planning is under way, from every aspect of the infrastructure to the legal position to make sure we are ready for no deal and the Britain thrives.

Brexit casualties Show all 10 1 /10 Brexit casualties Brexit casualties Andrea Jenkyns - Resigned from Parliamentary Private Secretary at the ministry for housing, communities and local government role May 2018 - The Morley and Outwood MP said: We want to see a new relationship with Europe, with a new model not enjoyed by other countries  nothing that leaves us half-in, half-out. And in order to achieve this, we need to leave the customs union. Ms Jenkyns also said she wished to dedicate more of her time to Parliaments influential Exiting the European Union select committee, after a series of unbalanced reports produced by MPs PA Brexit casualties David Davis - Resigned from Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union role July 2018 - quit following a major row with May over her plans for post-Brexit relations with the EU. Davis resignation letter said: As you know there have been a significant number of occasions in the last year or so on which I have disagreed with the Number 10 policy line, ranging from accepting the [European] Commissions sequencing of negotiations, through to the language on Northern Ireland in the December Joint Report. At each stage I have accepted collective responsibility because it is part of my task to find workable compromises, and because I considered it was still possible to deliver on the mandate of the referendum, and on our manifesto commitment to leave the Customs Union and the Single Market. I am afraid that I think the current trend of policy and tactics is making that look less and less likely. He went on to argue that the general direction of Ms Mays policies would leave the UK in at best a weak negotiating position, and possibly an inescapable one. AFP/Getty Brexit casualties Steve Baker - Resigned from Minister at the Department for Exiting the European Union role July 2018 - Mr Baker, a key Tory figure in the Leave campaign, was David Daviss main lieutenant at Dexeu, and was hailed as courageous and principled by other Brexiteer Tories as he also left. Reuters Brexit casualties Boris Johnson - Resigned from Foreign Secretary role July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. In his resignation letter to the prime minister, Mr Johnson said: "On Friday, I acknowledged that my side of the argument were too few to prevail and congratulated you on at least reaching a Cabinet decision on the way forward. "As I said then, the government now has a song to sing. "The trouble is that I have practised the words over the weekend and find that they stick in the throat." Reuters Brexit casualties Conor Burns - Resigned from Parliamentary Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary role July 2018 - A Brexit supporter who worked alongside Boris Johnson stated in his resignation letter: I've decided it's time to have greater freedom. I want to see the referendum result respected. And there are other areas of policy I want to speak more openly on. Rex Brexit casualties Chris Green - Resigned from Department for Transport role July 2018 - The Bolton West MP said: "Parliament overwhelmingly decided to give the decision of whether to leave or remain in the European Union to the British people and they made an unambiguous decision that we ought to leave. "I have always understood the idea in 'Brexit means Brexit' is that the final deal should be clear to me and my constituents - that we have, in no uncertain terms, left the European Union. Twitter Ads info and privacy "The direction the negotiations had been taking have suggested that we would not really leave the EU and the conclusion and statements following the Chequers summit confirmed my fears. "I recognise that delivering Brexit is challenging, however I had hoped at tonight's meeting that there would be some certainty that my fears were unfounded but, instead, they have been confirmed. "I have been grateful for the opportunity to serve as Parliamentary Private Secretary and it is with regret that I offer my resignation with immediate effect." PA Brexit casualties Maria Caulfield - Resigned from Conservative Party vice-chair for women role July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. Lewes MP warned that the direction of travel did not fully embrace the opportunities that Brexit can provide. Ms Caulfield said in her letter to the PM: The policy may assuage vested interests, but the voters will find out and their representatives will be found out. This policy will be bad for our country and bad for the party. The direct consequences of that will be prime minister Corbyn. PA Brexit casualties Ben Bradley - Resigned from Conservative Party vice-chair for young people role July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. The Mansfield MP said: I admit that I voted to Remain in that ballot. What has swayed me over the last two years to fully back the Brexit vision is the immense opportunities that are available from global trade, and for the ability for Britain to be an outward looking nation in control of our own destiny once again. I fear that this agreement at Chequers damages those opportunities; that being tied to EU regulations, and the EU tying our hands when seeking to make new trade agreements, will be the worst of all worlds if we do not deliver Brexit in spirit as well as in name, then we are handing Jeremy Corbyn the keys to No10. PA Brexit casualties Robert Courts - Resigned from Parliamentary Private Secretary role July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. MP Mr Courts said: I have taken a very difficult decision to resign my position as [parliamentary private secretary] to express discontent with the Chequers [plans] in votes tomorrow. I had to think who I wanted to see in the mirror for the rest of my life. I cannot tell the people of Woxon that I support the proposals in their current form. Getty Brexit casualties Scott Mann - Resigned from Parliamentary Private Secretary role July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. "I fear elements of the Brexit white paper will inevitably put me in direct conflict with the views expressed by a large section of my constituents. I am not prepared to compromise their wishes to deliver a watered-down Brexit. "The residents of North Cornwall made it very clear that they wish to have control over our fishery, our agricultural policy, our money, our laws and our borders. I will evaluate those principles against the Brexit white paper and ensure that I vote in line with their wishes." Rex

Mr Raab also dismissed a stark warning by the International Monetary Fund that the UK would suffer a much bigger economic hit from a no-deal departure than EU countries.

He claimed different studies had produced different forecasts, including one by the Bank of England that found it would be worse for the EU side.

The Brexit secretary also turned his fire on Brussels for its warning of a vacuum facing UK citizens living on the continent and EU migrants in Britain without an overall agreement.

Well, I think thats a rather irresponsible thing to be coming from the other side. We ought to be trying to reassure citizens on the continent and also here, he said.

There is obviously an attempt to try and ramp up the pressure.

Earlier, in an article for The Sunday Telegraph, he claimed he UK could refuse to pay its 39bn-plus divorce bill to Brussels if it does not get a trade deal.

The Brexit secretary said there had to be conditionality between the withdrawal agreement  including the financial settlement  and the future relationship.

You cant have one side fulfilling its side of the bargain and the other side not, or going slow, or failing to commit on its side.

However, the UK has already agreed that only the outline of a trade deal will be attached to the withdrawal agreement  which will be a legal commitment the UK must abide by.

The EU has made clear that detailed trade negotiations will only get under way after Brexit departure day next March.
Liam Fox today launches an audacious bid to kickstart a US trade deal and membership of a Pacific trade group, even before Brexit has been completed.

The public will be asked its views on signing up to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)  made up of 11 countries bordering the Pacific Ocean or the South China Sea.

Consultations will also be launched on agreements with the US, Australia and New Zealand, ahead of the international trade secretary flying to Washington for trade talks.

Mr Fox will hail the move as a hugely historic moment for the British people who voted to take back control, adding: The government is delivering exactly that on trade.

However, the initiative comes before parliament or, it is thought, the cabinet has discussed potential membership of the CPTPP.

It is certain to provoke criticism that ministers efforts should be focused closer to home, on the tortuous efforts to resolve its future trading arrangements with the EU.

In reality, other countries are unlikely to commit to deals with the UK until a post-Brexit trade agreement has been reached  and, legally, the UK cannot sign any before it leaves the EU.

Furthermore, on his explosive visit to the UK this month, Donald Trump said Theresa Mays move to stick to the EUs rule book on goods and agriculture would kill any chances of a UK-US trade deal.

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

Nevertheless, the idea remains hugely controversial because of fears the US will force the UK to lower food quality standards and open up the NHS to its private healthcare giants.

An attempt by MPs to win a veto over new trade deals was defeated by the government  leaving parliament with less scrutiny powers than MPs in other countries, critics protested.

Joining the CPTPP  which was set up in March, but not is not yet ratified  is expected to be a less protracted process than negotiating individual trade deals with the member countries.

Its members are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

Mr Fox will say the consultations, available online, show the UKs determination to make the most of the UKs ability to set its own trade policy for the first time in 40 years.

Ministers and officials from his department will take part in a series of events across the UK, to hear directly from businesses, local politicians, voluntary groups and the general public.

Mr Fox  who claimed the US presidents dismissal of prospects for a trade deal was based on a misunderstanding  will meet Wilbur Ross, the US commerce secretary, for talks in Washington.

For the first time in over 40 years, the UK will be able to determine who we trade with and the public will have a say on the terms of these trading agreements, Mr Fox said.

We are seeking to put the UK at the heart of the worlds fastest growing regions agreements like the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Its also why Im making the case for a trade deal with our single largest trading partner the USA and will continue do the same with the New Zealand and Australia.
Vince Cable is refusing to say if he missed crucial Commons votes on Brexit because he was discussing the creation of a new pro-EU party.

The Liberal Democrats are remaining tight-lipped over their leaders embarrassing absence, amid a report that he was at a dinner with backers of a new movement.

Sir Vince has said publicly that new groups may emerge as Britains traditional political system implodes because of bitter splits within the big parties over Brexit.

Recommended Tim Farron missed Brexit vote to give lecture in wake of gay sex row

The Sunday Times reported that he missed Mondays votes  which saw hardline anti-Brexit Tories force Theresa May into a partial climbdown on her Chequers plan  to meet supporters of a new party.

A Lib Dem source did not deny the report, insisting details of the private meeting had to remain under wraps.

The Monday votes saw the prime minister face the biggest rebellion of her premiership, including over her cave-in to prevent the UK collecting tariffs on behalf of the EU unless it agreed to do the same.

She squeaked home by just six votes, after 11 Conservative rebels joined forces with the opposition parties.

Tim Farron, the former Lib Dem leader, apologised after also missing the votes, in order to give a speech on gay sex and Christianity.

Brexit casualties Show all 10 1 /10 Brexit casualties Brexit casualties Andrea Jenkyns - Resigned from Parliamentary Private Secretary at the ministry for housing, communities and local government role May 2018 - The Morley and Outwood MP said: We want to see a new relationship with Europe, with a new model not enjoyed by other countries  nothing that leaves us half-in, half-out. And in order to achieve this, we need to leave the customs union. Ms Jenkyns also said she wished to dedicate more of her time to Parliaments influential Exiting the European Union select committee, after a series of unbalanced reports produced by MPs PA Brexit casualties David Davis - Resigned from Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union role July 2018 - quit following a major row with May over her plans for post-Brexit relations with the EU. Davis resignation letter said: As you know there have been a significant number of occasions in the last year or so on which I have disagreed with the Number 10 policy line, ranging from accepting the [European] Commissions sequencing of negotiations, through to the language on Northern Ireland in the December Joint Report. At each stage I have accepted collective responsibility because it is part of my task to find workable compromises, and because I considered it was still possible to deliver on the mandate of the referendum, and on our manifesto commitment to leave the Customs Union and the Single Market. I am afraid that I think the current trend of policy and tactics is making that look less and less likely. He went on to argue that the general direction of Ms Mays policies would leave the UK in at best a weak negotiating position, and possibly an inescapable one. AFP/Getty Brexit casualties Steve Baker - Resigned from Minister at the Department for Exiting the European Union role July 2018 - Mr Baker, a key Tory figure in the Leave campaign, was David Daviss main lieutenant at Dexeu, and was hailed as courageous and principled by other Brexiteer Tories as he also left. Reuters Brexit casualties Boris Johnson - Resigned from Foreign Secretary role July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. In his resignation letter to the prime minister, Mr Johnson said: "On Friday, I acknowledged that my side of the argument were too few to prevail and congratulated you on at least reaching a Cabinet decision on the way forward. "As I said then, the government now has a song to sing. "The trouble is that I have practised the words over the weekend and find that they stick in the throat." Reuters Brexit casualties Conor Burns - Resigned from Parliamentary Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary role July 2018 - A Brexit supporter who worked alongside Boris Johnson stated in his resignation letter: I've decided it's time to have greater freedom. I want to see the referendum result respected. And there are other areas of policy I want to speak more openly on. Rex Brexit casualties Chris Green - Resigned from Department for Transport role July 2018 - The Bolton West MP said: "Parliament overwhelmingly decided to give the decision of whether to leave or remain in the European Union to the British people and they made an unambiguous decision that we ought to leave. "I have always understood the idea in 'Brexit means Brexit' is that the final deal should be clear to me and my constituents - that we have, in no uncertain terms, left the European Union. Twitter Ads info and privacy "The direction the negotiations had been taking have suggested that we would not really leave the EU and the conclusion and statements following the Chequers summit confirmed my fears. "I recognise that delivering Brexit is challenging, however I had hoped at tonight's meeting that there would be some certainty that my fears were unfounded but, instead, they have been confirmed. "I have been grateful for the opportunity to serve as Parliamentary Private Secretary and it is with regret that I offer my resignation with immediate effect." PA Brexit casualties Maria Caulfield - Resigned from Conservative Party vice-chair for women role July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. Lewes MP warned that the direction of travel did not fully embrace the opportunities that Brexit can provide. Ms Caulfield said in her letter to the PM: The policy may assuage vested interests, but the voters will find out and their representatives will be found out. This policy will be bad for our country and bad for the party. The direct consequences of that will be prime minister Corbyn. PA Brexit casualties Ben Bradley - Resigned from Conservative Party vice-chair for young people role July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. The Mansfield MP said: I admit that I voted to Remain in that ballot. What has swayed me over the last two years to fully back the Brexit vision is the immense opportunities that are available from global trade, and for the ability for Britain to be an outward looking nation in control of our own destiny once again. I fear that this agreement at Chequers damages those opportunities; that being tied to EU regulations, and the EU tying our hands when seeking to make new trade agreements, will be the worst of all worlds if we do not deliver Brexit in spirit as well as in name, then we are handing Jeremy Corbyn the keys to No10. PA Brexit casualties Robert Courts - Resigned from Parliamentary Private Secretary role July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. MP Mr Courts said: I have taken a very difficult decision to resign my position as [parliamentary private secretary] to express discontent with the Chequers [plans] in votes tomorrow. I had to think who I wanted to see in the mirror for the rest of my life. I cannot tell the people of Woxon that I support the proposals in their current form. Getty Brexit casualties Scott Mann - Resigned from Parliamentary Private Secretary role July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. "I fear elements of the Brexit white paper will inevitably put me in direct conflict with the views expressed by a large section of my constituents. I am not prepared to compromise their wishes to deliver a watered-down Brexit. "The residents of North Cornwall made it very clear that they wish to have control over our fishery, our agricultural policy, our money, our laws and our borders. I will evaluate those principles against the Brexit white paper and ensure that I vote in line with their wishes." Rex

In an interview on Friday, to mark his first anniversary as leader of the Lib Dems, Sir Vince gave the strongest hint yet that he was ready to get involved with a new party.

He said he was preparing the Lib Dems for a radical shift, saying: There are large numbers of Labour MPs and quite a lot of Tories who are just bitterly alienated by their own people.

I cant see the present system can be kept going. In the new year, new groups may emerge.

Im not sure who, or how theyll be configured. But I predict it is going to happen and my instincts are that if theyre aligned with us on basic values, we can work with them. And thats what I am campaigning for.

Speaking later, on BBC Radio, Sir Vince admitted he got it wrong and that it was a mistake to miss the votes, but again refused to confirm he had been discussing a new centrist anti-Brexit party.

The 75-year-old also insisted he was not worried about any challenge to his position as leader of the Lib Dems, amid rumours a younger MP was being lined up to replace him.

"I think that's ridiculous, actually he told 5 Live's Pienaar's Politics programme.

Unlike Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn for different reasons, I'm in the fortunate position of having a united, cohesive team of people. It's the last thing I worry about.

Sir Vince pointed to solid progress via local government, although he acknowledged it was not spectacular.
South Africas growing trade in lion bones should be halted, and keeping and breeding lions and tigers should be curbed, conservationists have urged.

A major report on the practice has been published after South African ministers announced a near-doubling in the number of lion bones allowed to be exported.

The bones are largely sold to Asian markets for use in virility products and traditional medicines.

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News of the new quota prompted outrage, with animal-welfare activists and organisations appealing directly to President Cyril Ramaphosa, saying the move would accelerate the drop in wild lion populations by fuelling poaching, and would undermine efforts to decrease demand for unscientific traditional medicines.

South Africas EMS conservation foundation and the Ban Animal Trading group, which together produced the report, called The Extinction Business, argue the big-cat skeletons industry should be dismantled and intelligence-led investigations should be launched into the Asian criminal networks fuelling the growing trade.

It also identified flaws in the Cites system of issuing permits for bone exports.

The controversial lion-bone trade began in the country a decade ago, and it is now the largest exporter of lion bones to Asia - mostly to Thailand, Vietnam and Laos, where bones are ground down to make medicine and wine, which is wrongly believed to be a health drink.

The market has flourished despite authorities' efforts to crack down on the use of tiger body parts for Chinese medicine.

Trophy-hunters travel to South Africa to shoot lions bred there in captivity specifically for the hunting and bones businesses. Up to 8,000 lions are kept in more than 200 canned hunting breeding facilities. But experts believe they are helping to fuel wildlife trafficking by creating demand.

Between 2008 and 2015, the South African Department of Environmental Affairs issued permits for the export of more than 5,363 lion skeletons, research has shown. Last year the business brought in an estimated 16m South African rand (908,000), according to the Captured in Africa Foundation.

The new reports key recommendations include:

A zero-export quota on lion and other big-cat body parts for commercial purposes, including from captive sources

A forensic investigation into the financial affairs of all lion breeders and bone traders

Restricting the keeping and breeding of big cats

Reviewing and improving animal protection and welfare legislation

Ensuring that animal protection, welfare, care and respect are included in law, particularly in relation to permits for the keeping, sale, hunting and exporting of wild animals and body parts

However, the department has approved an annual quota of 1,500 lion skeletons for export, almost double the previous years quota of 800.

Linda Tucker founder and head of the Global White Lion Protection Trust wrote a heartfelt letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa appealing to him to reverse the move.

Factory farming lions for killing is not a policy South Africa can defend, neither the old nor the new South Africa, she wrote.

As I write to you 1,500 of our lions incarcerated under abysmal conditions have been committed to slaughterhouses in the inappropriately named Free State.

Once vilified for apartheid our country will go down in history for legalising crimes against nature that supersede the wrongs perpetrated by the illegal trade in animal parts.

For our international reputation and true moral compass I call upon you with all my heart to repeal this heinous legacy.

The South African government has justified the trade in bones as a by-product of the "hunting industry" and claimed the increased quota has been prompted by a growing stockpile.

Spokesperson Albi Modise said the quota was based on a research project established by the SA National Biodiversity Institute with Oxford University and the University of Kent which said there had been no discernible increase in the poaching of wild lions, although there appeared to be an increase in the poaching of captive-bred lions for body parts.

But The Extinction Business report said by calculating the weight of consignments, experts believe exporters are exceeding the export quotas  unchecked by Cites.

It stated the industry is de facto fully supported by the state, despite widespread opposition to the practice which is considered extremely cruel, linked to international criminal networks, a threat to Africas wild animals population and run by a small monopoly of operators purely for financial gain".

Where not to visit if you love animals Show all 9 1 /9 Where not to visit if you love animals Where not to visit if you love animals Monkey shows Chimpanzees are forced to perform demeaning tricks on leashes and are often subject to cruel training techniques. Animals who are confined to small, barren enclosures and forced to perform unsurprisingly show symptoms of stress and depression. Chimpanzees have been documented rocking back and forth, sucking their lips, salivating and swaying against enclosure perimeters in distress. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Marine parks Some parks confine orcas to concrete tanks and force them to perform meaningless tricks for food - many die in captivity. Orcas are highly intelligent and social mammals who may suffer immensely, both physically and mentally, when they're held in captivity. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Tiger shows Tigers are forced to live in an unnatural and barren environment and have to endure interactions with a constant stream of tourists. Since tigers never lose their wild instincts, across the world they are reportedly drugged, mutilated and restrained in order to make them safe for the public. However, every year, incidents of tiger maulings are reported at this type of tourist attraction. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Donkey rides Sunning on the beach is great for humans  we can take a quick dip or catch a bite to eat when we get too hot or hungry. But it's pure hell for donkeys who are confined to the beach and forced to cart children around on the hot sand. Some donkey-ride operators at beach resorts in the UK even keep the animals chained together at all times. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Swimming with dolphins Some marine parks use bottlenose dolphins in performances and offer visitors the opportunity to swim with dolphins. Unfortunately, people are often unaware that these animals are captured in the wild and torn from their families or traded between different parks around the world. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Canned hunting Lions are confined to fenced areas so that they can easily be cornered, with no chance of escape. Most of them will have been bred in captivity and then taken from their mothers to be hand-reared by the cub-petting industry. When they get too big, they may be drugged before they are released into a "hunting" enclosure. Because these animals are usually kept in fenced enclosures (ranging in size from just a few square yards to thousands of acres), they never stand a chance of surviving. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Running of the Bulls Every year, tourists travel to Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls. The bulls who are forced to slip and slide down the town's narrow cobblestone streets are chased straight into the bullring. They are then taunted, stabbed repeatedly and finally killed by the matador in front of a jeering crowd. The majority of Spaniards reject bullfighting, but tourists are keeping the cruel industry on its last legs. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Horse-drawn carriages City streets are no place for horses. The animals toil in all weather extremes, suffering from respiratory distress from breathing in exhaust fumes as well as numerous hoof, leg and back problems from walking on pavement all day long. As easily spooked prey animals, horses subjected to the loud noises and unexpected sounds of city streets are likely to be involved in accidents, even deadly ones. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Zoos The zoo community regards the animals it keeps as commodities, and animals are regularly bought, sold, borrowed and traded without any regard for established relationships. Zoos breed animals because the presence of babies draws visitors and boosts revenue, yet often, there's nowhere to put the offspring as they grow, and they are killed, as we saw with Marius the giraffe in Denmark. Some zoos have introduced evening events with loud music and alcohol which disrupt the incarcerated animals even further. EPA

The Campaign Against Canned Hunting believes the bone trade is one of several damaging activities involving lions: the others are captive breeding, cub petting, volunteering and lion walks.

President of the Born Free Foundation, Will Travers, said earlier this year: Unwitting tourists fuel this despicable industry by participating in activities such as petting cubs and walking with lions, while unsuspecting volunteers rear cubs in the mistaken belief they are destined to be released into the wild.

Once adult, many of these animals are moved to canned hunting facilities to be shot in enclosures by sport hunters. Their bones are then sold into an international trade sanctioned by the South African government.
Elon Musk has reached an agreement with an artist over an image of a farting unicorn the Tesla boss used to promote his cars.

Tom Edwards, a potter from Colorado, US, who had claimed the business mogul had ripped off his drawing featured on a mug, said the issue had now been resolved "in a way that everyone feels good about".

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Mr Musk had last year posted the cartoon unicorn image on Twitter, without permission, to advertise his Tesla electric car range.

Mr Edwardss lawyer wrote to Mr Musk, and his daughter, Lisa Prank, also challenged the billionaire on Twitter, posting: dont you think artists deserve to be paid for their work?.

The Tesla founder, who was at the centre of fury earlier this month for calling a British man involved in the Thai cave rescue a paedo, denied it was Mr Edwardss drawing but said the publicity had increased sales of the mug.

Mr Edwards said in a blog post yesterday that he had reached an agreement with Tesla but gave no details of what the settlement involved.

Its clear there were some misunderstandings that led to this escalating, but Im just glad that everything has been cleared up, he wrote. Ive always been a Tesla fan, and Im looking forward to getting back to making pots and selling them in my online store.

After the row, Mr Edwards, 61, enjoyed a surge in sales of his mug that featured a unicorn farting electricity into a car. Electric cars are good for the environment because electricity comes from magic, it said.

Mr Musk had tweeted a copy of the image to promote Teslas new sketch pad feature. It also appeared as an icon on the vehicles operating system, and in a Christmas holiday message to customers.

Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary

After Edwards daughter raised it on Twitter, Musk replied: He can sue for money if he wants, but thats kinda lame. If anything, this attention increased his mug sales.

Mr Musk has since deleted all his tweets related to the dispute.
A woman was killed during a shootout between police and a gunman who ran into a Los Angeles supermarket and held dozens of people hostage for three hours before giving himself up.

The victim, named in media locally as 27 year-old shop worker Melyda Corado, was shot when the suspect exchanged gunfire with armed officers at Trader Joe's in the city's Silver Lake district.

It is not yet clear if she was killed by the police or the gunman, who had earlier allegedly shot his grandmother and injured another woman before crashing his grandmother's Toyota Camry outside the store following a police chase.

Frightened customers and workers dove for cover as police fired at the suspect, shattering the store's glass doors.

Some inside the supermarket climbed out windows and others barricaded themselves in rooms as scores of police and firefighters and 18 ambulances converged on the scene and prepared for mass casualties.

Heavily armed officers in riot gear stood along the side of the store and used mirrors to look inside as hostage negotiators tried to coax the man into freeing his 40 to 50 hostages and surrendering.

At around 6.30pm, the suspect agreed to handcuff himself and walked out the front door, surrounded by four of the hostages.

A suspect is placed in an ambulance outside Trader Joe's in Silver Lake. (KNBC-TV via AP)

Police Chief Michel Moore said the suspect made a "series of demands" during the standoff but crisis negotiators believed they could convince him to surrender peacefully.

"Our hostage negotiators believed they had established a good rapport with him," he said.

Six people aged between 12 and 81 were taken to hospital following the incident but do not have life-threatening injuries. The suspect's grandmother is in a critical condition.

Los Angeles' Mayor Eric Garcetti congratulated police and firefighters for their work and mourned the loss of life.

"The heroism that was shown today was second to none and the teams that were able to respond, secure the perimeter and engage in conversation with the suspect no doubt saved lives today," he said. "Our hearts go out to everyone who has been traumatized."

Police said it was not clear what led to the initial violence when the suspect shot his grandmother seven times at a residence on 32nd street in South LA around 1.30pm.

He forced another woman, who suffered a grazing wound in the incident, into his car and drove off. Officers were able to track the sedan using LoJack  a stolen vehicle tracking system  and tried to stop the suspect in Hollywood.

The man refused to pull over and fired at police out of the back window of the car during a chase before crashing into a fire hydrant or utility pole outside Trader Joe's at around 3.30pm.

Witness Don Kohles, 91, was walking into the supermarket when officers started firing at the gunman as he ran towards the supermarket.

"Those bullets went right over the back of me as he was running right down the main aisle," he said.

Police officers remove a passenger from the car that crashed outside Trader Joe's supermarket (AP)

He lay on the floor and heard other customers sobbing before being rescued by officers about half an hour later. "They helped carry me across the parking lot and they sort of tossed me over a wall," Mr Kohles said.

Five employees were seen climbing out of a second floor window and around 15 other people run to safety from the back of the store. Among them was a police officer carrying a small child, according to local resident Charles Dunlop.

Makela Wilson, 26, an office manager, said she was driving out of the parking lot when the suspect crashed his vehicle and police opened fire.

Officers in SWAT gear arrived and ordered her and other people in their cars to hunch down in their seats, shouting: "Duck down! Duck down!"

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. 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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

It is believed Ms Corado, who had worked at Trader Joe's for around five years, was killed when the suspect exchanged gunfire with police outside the store.

Police and firefighters responded quickly but were unable to safe her life, said police chief Moore.

The suspect was wounded in his left arm during the exchange of gunfire.

Additional reporting by Associated Press.
Government involvement in forced labor both inside North Korea and in other countries, where Pyongyang sends North Korean workers to earn foreign currency for the regime, mainly drives the practice in the one-party communist country, says the report, the 2018 Global Slavery Index.

But the source also said North Koreans desire unification.

Park, who is now studying at Colombia University in NY, urged people everywhere to help the millions of victims of modern slavery.

A report on modern slavery around the world has found that the number of slaves in developed nations, including the United States and United Kingdom, is much higher than previously thought.

"Modern slavery is a first-world problem", said Andrew Forrest, a co-founder of Australia-based Walk Free.

According to the 2018 Global Slavery Index, published annually by the Walk Free Foundation, there are over 40 million people worldwide living under such conditions, including "one in every 800" Americans.

Modern slavery involves the use of threats, violence and deception to take away people's ability to control their own bodies, to refuse certain kinds of work or to stop working altogether.

Walk Free made a few recommendations to the U.S.to help cut down the problem: make forced marriage illegal and create a minimum marriage age of 18, create a national database of trafficking and forced labor cases, work to ensure supply-chain transparency and invest in more training for law enforcement and other officials.



Labourers work at a construction site in Pyongyang

Researchers interviewed 50 North Korean defectors who spoke of long hours and inhumane conditions in forced unpaid labour for adults and children in farming, construction and roadbuilding.

A third, or 15 million, of victims of modern slavery enter through forced marriage, an issue that disproportionately affects women and girls, The Guardian reports. It cites coal, cocoa, cotton, timber and fish among the products that may be tainted by modern slavery.

The group recommends making forced marriage illegal, creating a minimum marriage age of 18, a national database of trafficking and forced labour cases, and working to improve supply-chain transparency to help bring the U.S. numbers down.

Globally, imports were a key driver of modern slavery, with the United States as the biggest purchaser of goods at-risk of being produced through forced labor, importing more than $144 billion 1 a year. U.

It estimates China is by far the largest source of at-risk goods, with the United States importing $122bn of electronics and clothing from the country.

Making such estimates of modern slavery victims is a challenge, the foundation said, but added that major improvements had been made in its ability to gather data.

"Unfortunately, due to the limits of existing data, it was not possible for the Global Estimates of Modern Slavery to measure and include the scale of trafficking for organ removal or the recruitment child soldiers", The Global Slavery Index concludes.
The CEO of Twitter has admitted the platform is no longer a place where nuanced or thoughtful discussion can take place, after a leading American political reporter quit the anger video game after constant attacks.

Jack Dorsey, who co-founded the social media site in 2006, said the company needed to fundamentally focus more on conversational dynamics within Twitter, after the New York Times Maggie Haberman slammed the platforms increasing toxicity.

We havent paid enough consistent attention here, said Mr Dorsey. Better organisation, more context, helping to identify credibility, ease of use.

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The 41-year-old Mr Dorsey, said to be worth $5bn, made the remarks in a Twitter thread after Ms Haberman said she was stepping back from Twitter after concluding the viciousness, toxic partisan anger and intellectual dishonesty it harboured were at all-time highs.

Ms Haberman, a widely respected reporter with almost 900,000 followers, tweeted on Friday that she was rethinking how to use the platform she signed up to 2009.

With exception of breaking news and my own stories, taking a break from this platform, she said. No reason or prompt other than that its not really helping the discourse.

Over the weekend, in an article in her newspaper, she was more expansive. Twitter has stopped being a place where I could learn things I didnt know, glean information that was free from errors about a breaking news story or engage in a discussion and be reasonably confident that peoples criticisms were in good faith, she said.

She added: The viciousness, toxic partisan anger, intellectual dishonesty, motive-questioning and sexism are at all-time highs, with no end in sight. It is a place where people who are understandably upset about any number of things go to feed their anger, where the underbelly of free speech is at its most bilious.

 President Trump discusses why he likes Twitter "I like the power of it, I can combat fake news"

Ms Haberman, who previously worked for the New York Post and Politico and who is considered to have some of the most accurate sources on the Donald Trumps thinking, said the president was partly to blame for creating an environment in which she was often subject to swarms of vicious Twitter attacks.

Mr Trump has tried to turn everyone around him, including the journalists who cover him, into part of his story. And people on Twitter have started to react to me in that same way, treating me as if I am a protagonist in the presidents narrative.

While she said there still many positive things about Twitter and she would continue to use it to monitor breaking news, she had concluded the costs of trying to interact with readers and commentators now outweighed the benefits.

Twitter is now an anger video game for many users. It is the only platform on which people feel free to say things theyd never say to someones face, she said.

For me, it had become an enormous and pointless drain on my time and mental energy.

Mr Haberman said there was an important discussion about journalism that needed to be had, including how members of the media had performed during the 2016 presidential campaign. The New York Times, among many US media organisations, was criticised for failing to anticipate Mr Trumps appeal and accused of ignoring his supporters.

She added: But Twitter is not where a nuanced or thoughtful discussion can happen.

Mr Dorsey responded to that point by saying: This is what wed like to fix the most.

As to Ms Habermans claim that another downside to Twitter was that everyone is treated as equally expert on various topics, he said: One of the biggest areas I believe we can help. Helping to determine credible voices per topic in real-time is extremely challenging, but believe its possible. Mix of algos and network.

11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Show all 11 1 /11 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Turn on Night Mode Twitters dark blue Night Mode is a lot easier on your eyes than its regular, vibrant theme. On the site, you can enable it by clicking your profile photo (on the right-hand side of the bar at the top of the screen) and selecting Night Mode. On Android and iOS, you need to tap your profile picture at the top of the screen and select Night Mode. 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Lengthen your tweets A small group of users are no longer restricted by Twitters 140-character tweet limit. Even if youre not a chosen one, you can double your limit to 280 characters on desktop by downloading the Tampermonkey plugin, going to https://gist.github.com/Prof9/c16fc4997e0ef5b22a15c43edd7f5f49, clicking Raw and then Install. 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Improve search Twitters regular search tool can be a little messy, but Advanced Search makes it much easier for you to find specific things. Go to https://twitter.com/search-advanced and filter your search by word, hashtag, exact phrase, location, date and account. 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Disable read receipts Like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, Twitters direct messaging service shows you when your messages have been seen by the person you sent them to. You can disable read receipts though. On Android, iOS and the site, go to Settings and Privacy, click on Privacy and Safety and disable read receipts. 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Monitor your tweets Retweets and Likes only form part of the story, as far as tweet engagement is concerned. You can view a lot more information about how people have reacted to your updates, including the number of times theyve been seen and the number of times people have interacted with them. Just open your tweets and hit the View Tweet Activity button. 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Trim the fat If you feel like youre drowning in push notifications, you can cut down the number you receive from Twitter by going to Settings, Notifications, Push Notifications and deselecting the types of notifications you wouldnt like to receive. You can also enable sleep settings, which allow you to switch off all mobile updates during certain hours of the day. On the site, go to Settings, Mobile and select your hours. 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Save data You can stop videos from playing automatically on desktop and the Twitter app. On the site, you can do this by going to Settings, Account, Video Tweets and unchecking Video Autoplay. On both the Android and iOS versions of the app, go to Settings, General, Data Usage, Video Autoplay, and choose between Mobile data & Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Only, and Never. 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Save even more data You can save even more data and completely transform your timeline in the process by disabling images. Just go to Settings, Data Usage and uncheck the Image Previews box. 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Customise your profile Editing your Twitter profile is really straightforward, just go to your profile and click the large Edit Profile button. However, theres one customisation option thats easy to miss. As well as your name, bio and profile photos, you can change your colour scheme. The option is only available on the Twitter site, and is sandwiched between the Website and Birthday sections. 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Browse properly One of the Twitter apps most annoying features is its in-app browser, which links automatically open up in. You can sacrifice it for your favourite mobile browser by going to Settings, Display and Sound and unchecking the Use In-App Browser box. 11 useful Twitter features you might not know about Subscribe to tweets You can set up alerts that let you know whenever a certain account tweets, but its a two-stage process. First, on the app, go to Settings, Notifications, Push Notifications, Tweets and turn the toggle button on. Then open the profile page of the account you want to receive notifications from, tap the Bell icon next to the Following button and choose between All Tweets, Only Live Video and Off.

She also said that on Twitter, everything was shrunk down to the same size, making it harder to discern what was a big deal and what was not, adding: All outrages appear equal.

Mr Dorsey conceded: Def a problem. Believe we can help solve by showing more context and related conversation.

The Twitter co-founder said that the idea behind introducing the ranking the timeline was to show you what matters first. He added: Lots of work still to do.

Ms Haberman is not the only high profile political reporter to announce she is boycotting the medium. John Roberts of Fox News, who recently found himself in the centre of controversy after agreeing to pick up the microphone and deliver a question to Mr Trump after the president refused to accept one from a CNN correspondent, said he was also quitting.

In solidarity with my colleague @maggieNYT - whom I believe is an absolutely stellar journalist, I too am pulling back from Twitter, he wrote. She has it right - a bilious anger video game.

In Britain, the BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said she had also considered quitting social media because of the increasingly ugly online atmosphere.

Ive tried to pull back and Ive thought about coming off it altogether, Ms Kuenssberg told author and former Labour spin doctor Tom Baldwin in an interview for a new book. Partly thats because its uglier out there now; its like a playground where people want to shout each other down.

She added: I dont read the comments people write about me  its not worth it.
GOP officials are increasingly spreading racist propaganda in a trend that could permanently fracture the Republican Party, according to political communication experts.

It is a problem that starts from the top down, according to Tim Miller, the former communications director for Jeb Bushs 2016 presidential campaign. Theres a growing crisis within the Republican Party in which neo-Nazis, racists and xenophobes are attracted to the GOP, he told The Independent.

In recent weeks, Republicans with vast followings on social media have shared inaccurate statistics from a Danish tabloid claiming migrants are raping UK citizens at an extraordinary rate. Iowa Congressman Steve King tweeted the false news report to his nearly 100,000 followers, writing: Europe is waking upWill Americain time?

Just before that, former presidential candidate Ron Paul tweeted a post which included racist cartoon depictions of a black man with exaggerated features, a Jewish man with a hooked nose, a man with brown skin appearing to be a Neanderthal and an Asian with slanted eyes. The men are all punching Uncle Sam in the face while shouting in unison, Cultural Marxism!

This has an extremely dangerous impact on the party, in that its slipping increasingly into a party represented by people who are espousing alt-right, quasi-white nationalist beliefs, Mr Miller said.

If the types of people that want to go work for Donald Trump and Steve King are the ones frequenting racist memes sites, those are going to be the folks who go on to get promoted into important positions in the party. Those are going to be the people who run for office.

Now were increasingly seeing people in lower offices who come out of these online extremist communities and decide they want to run. There is a real trickle-down effect happening, he continued.

Anti-racism demonstrations across Europe: in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Anti-racism demonstrations across Europe: in pictures Anti-racism demonstrations across Europe: in pictures London A young boy holds a placard reading 'migration is beautiful' during the march against racism demonstration in London. Getty Anti-racism demonstrations across Europe: in pictures Warsaw Protesters rally in Warsaw under the slogan 'Tired of racism and fascism'. AFP/Getty Anti-racism demonstrations across Europe: in pictures London An anti-racism demostrators chants with chains around his neck during a march against racism. Getty Anti-racism demonstrations across Europe: in pictures Vienna People getting ready to march against racism in Vienna. Twitter/Wriseup Anti-racism demonstrations across Europe: in pictures Glasgow Anti-racism demonstrators take part in a rally through the city centre of Glasgow. Getty Anti-racism demonstrations across Europe: in pictures London An anti-racism demostrator holds a placard readin 'Laundry is the only thing that should be seperated by colour'. Getty Images Anti-racism demonstrations across Europe: in pictures Paris Thousand of protesters demonstrate against police brutality and in defense of migrants and those without papers in Paris. EPA Anti-racism demonstrations across Europe: in pictures London Anti-racism demostrators hold placards and chant during a march organised by the group Stand Up to Racism as an expression of unity against racism, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. Getty Anti-racism demonstrations across Europe: in pictures Athens A girl poses for a photo during a rally against the EU-Turkey deal blocking mass migration into Europe in Athens. AP Anti-racism demonstrations across Europe: in pictures Glasgow Aamer Anwar a prominent Scottish lawyer joins an Anti-racism rally through Glasgow city centre. Getty Anti-racism demonstrations across Europe: in pictures London Anti-racism demostrators hold placards and chant in London's march against racism. Getty Anti-racism demonstrations across Europe: in pictures Glasgow A man in Glasgow holds a banner reading 'refugees welcome'. Getty Anti-racism demonstrations across Europe: in pictures London Anti-racism demostrators let off flares during the march against racism in London. Getty Anti-racism demonstrations across Europe: in pictures Paris A protester in a grim reaper disguise holds a shield reading 'State racism, no impunity for police brutality against those without papers' in Paris. EPA Anti-racism demonstrations across Europe: in pictures Athens Migrants who live in Greece chant slogans during a rally against the EU-Turkey deal blocking mass migration into Europe, in Athens. AP

Mr Bush, the former governor of Florida and 2016 presidential candidate, employed a team of political communications professionals to oversee his social media profiles and digital outreach along the campaign trail. So, when Mr Trump began attacking his stance on immigration and claiming Mr Bush liked Mexican illegals because of his wife, his campaign fought fire with a calm, political approach.

Hes doing this to inflame and incite and to draw attention, which seems to be the organising principle of his campaign, Mr Bush said at the time. To make these extraordinarily ugly kind of comments is not reflective of the Republican Party.

Attacking Mr Trumps wife, who is an immigrant, or appealing to racial politics was never an option discussed by the campaign, the communications director said.

Meanwhile, as Mr Trump often doubles down on his controversial statements and false claims, other Republican officials tend to apologise for their racially fuelled messages  especially when they draw backlash online.

Mr Paul walked back his Cultural Marxism cartoon, claiming a staff member of his inadvertently posted the message, which he said was deleted once he became aware of it. Mr King did not apologise for his latest tweet, but has previously walked back other racially charged comments that were met with a strong rebuke from Democrats and Republicans alike.

Regardless of whether they apologise for it, many Republican officials are using racial politics to sway voters, according to Tobe Berkovitz, whose spent 30 years as a Democratic political media consultant. But theyre not the only ones employing the political strategy.

The fact is the Republicans and the Democrats use race differently but they both use it to communicate with their core constituents, he said. The Republicans use it in a negative way, using racial stereotypes and slurs sometimes, while the Democrats use it to generate support for their policies and their politicians. Race is inherent to American politics and campaigning.

Under Mr Trump, Democrats have focused much of their efforts in pushing back against perceived racism and hostility towards immigrants put forth by elected Republicans, including the president. This could prove damaging for their outreach efforts to the African-American communities  which often hold the power to sway entire elections  Mr Berkovitz said.

Its going to be interesting to see how African-American voters respond to a massive focus on immigration during the midterm elections, he continued. Where you used to have so much discussion and campaigning to generate support from African-Americans among Democrats, to some degree some of that has been replaced or overshadowed by the emphasis of immigration.

The rise in racial politics doesnt necessarily indicate Republican voters are becoming increasingly racist. Instead, its more likely conservatives are taking a page out of Mr Trumps playbook: if they continue to state a claim, even if its not true, some voters will eventually believe them.

Demonstrators protest in front of the Metropolitan Detention Centre, Federal Bureau of Prisons, during a national day of action called Keep Families Together against the Trump administrations Zero Tolerance policy in Los Angeles on 30 June (Reuters)

Americans beliefs are often swayed by what politicians in their preferred party say is true; although we tend to focus on the newness of social media and the way thats transforming peoples experiences with politics, the larger dynamics of people falling in line behind politicians is not entirely a new phenomenon, said Kelly Garret, a political communications expert and professor at the School of Communication at Ohio State University.

There is compelling evidence to indicate that if a political elite says something that isnt true, people are going to believe it. That isnt to say Americans are all gullible and believe everything theyve heard... its just that they havent put a lot of effort in finding out the facts for themselves.

Its a gamble with huge implications, both for the individual candidate and the party. By playing on their supporters fears, Republicans are taking a gamble that theyll be rewarded by voters who have decided to believe immigration is inherently bad, and certain racial stereotypes are inherently factual, simply because their elected officials have made those points.

But when it comes to political messaging, underlying facts arent what truly matter for many voters, according to Morgan Marietta, author of A Citizens Guide to American Ideology. What it really comes down to is identity.

When politicians say specific literal things, the more important communication is the underlying values and identities they invoke, he said. The problem with facts is that they are not truth. Truth is what really exists but we dont have access to it. Facts are approximations of that truth endorsed by prevailing authorities like academia and media, which means we have to trust the people who are reporting the facts to us. Trust in media and academia has fallen tremendously on the political right.

Conservatives, especially populists, no longer trust elites and instead rely on right-leaning media figures, their own social groups, and especially their own values to tell them what seems true, he continued.

Politicians know this and exploit it, but they also do it themselves. As highly politically engaged and knowledgeable actors, politicians project their values onto their facts as much as anyone does. They are true believers in their own value-laden reality.
Most North Koreans who break out do so by crossing the river border.

Jeong Min-woo, 29, is from Hyesan, on the border with China. He was a commissioned officer in the Korean Peoples Army, and left the country in his uniform. South Korean intelligence confiscated it, but he persuaded his North Korean military contacts to send him a new one.

I arrived in South Korea on 22 November 2013. I did not desert my unit. It was never a desertion, I left to earn money. I told the guards at the border I was leaving. It worked out, since we were all military men.

Recommended This is how nuclear war with North Korea would unfold

When I got as far as Thailand I borrowed clothes from friends, and put my uniform in my bag just in case. If I was going to go back to North Korea I needed to be dressed in it. A military uniform and ID card are valuable assets in North Korea. The military can do anything.

I handed over my original uniform to South Korean intelligence. This one is authentic too, but its one I secretly smuggled into South Korea.

This is the summer uniform, made of cotton. I wear it when I appear on Now on my way to meet you, a talk show where people from North Korea share their experiences. These particular uniforms arent sold in North Korean markets. Im still in touch with some military officials in North Korea, and in 2014 I asked them to send me one.

Escape from North Korea Show all 16 1 /16 Escape from North Korea Escape from North Korea Jeong Min-woo A hat belonging to Jeong Min-woo in Seoul. Min-woo is from Hyesan, on the border with China. He was a commissioned officer in the Korean People's Army, and left in his uniform. South Korean intelligence confiscated it, but he persuaded his North Korean military contacts to send him a new one. Reuters Escape from North Korea Jeong Min-woo Jeong Min-woo, 29, poses for a photograph in Seoul Reuters Escape from North Korea Kang Kang, 28, who wanted to be identified only by her surname, poses for a photograph in Seoul. The parents of Kang sent out a coat across the Chinese border after she reached the South in 2010. "I didn't ask my mother to send me this coat," said Kang. "But she knew I feel the cold easily and sent it to me. She sent some honey too, but it went missing on the way. The coat is made of dog fur. I don't know what kind of dog. In 2010, it cost about 700,000 North Korean won ($88 at the unofficial rate). It was really expensive. A North Korean friend went to China to pick it up for me. I liked this coat when I got it. I thought my mother must've spent quite a lot of money on it. Reuters Escape from North Korea Kang The dog fur coat belonging to Kang, "My father was a party officer. Our family had a car and we lived in a special apartment. Ordinary people couldn't afford to wear this kind of coat, not even soldiers. Commissioned officers could afford them. Border guards would wear them. It wasn't easy to buy this kind of coat, but as time went on, fake ones began to appear. The state often clamped down on this item. It's technically military supplies so the state monitored people who altered the design of the coat. I know just from looking at this coat that it's a counterfeit one, not the official version. The counterfeit ones look quite different from the original ones. Military officials preferred the fakes to the original because the design looked much better. The children of rich families would wear them. I look too chubby in this, so don't wear it here. I thought I could probably wear it if I altered it." Reuters Escape from North Korea Lee Oui-ryuk Lee Oui-ryuk is from Onsong, near the border with China. He defected in 2010, and brought his ID card with him. "I brought my ID with me when I left North Korea. Juche 95.11.7 (the date in the North Korean calendar, which equates to Nov. 7, 2006) is the date I was issued with my ID. It says here my blood type is "A", but I'm actually an "O." For the 23 years I lived in North Korea, I thought my blood type was "A." They wrote down my blood type without even doing a test. They just wrote whatever they wanted to. I was caught trying to defect to South Korea around Kim Jong Il's birthday. They strengthen border security just before and after that date." Reuters Escape from North Korea Lee Oui-ryuk "The bottom of the lamp is dark," as the saying goes, and I thought I'd be able to cross right under their noses. The soldiers shot at me as I tried to run away from the Tumen River. I managed to get away and hid, but someone reported me and I was caught. That's when I was taken to the bowibu (North Korean secret police) for three months of interrogation. The state ruled that I had tried to defect to South Korea, and I was sent to a camp for political prisoners. I escaped when they were transferring me to the camp. I hid and managed to make it to my big sister's house - that's when I grabbed these photos. I couldn't go home easily, so decided I had to hide in the mountains or somewhere remote. I needed my ID to move around without getting caught. and I took these 12 photos with me in case I wanted to look back and reminisce. I wrote on the back of them so as not to forget." Reuters Escape from North Korea Ji Sung-ho Ji Sung-ho, 35, from Hoeryong, near the border with China. He left North Korea in 2006 with a pair of wooden crutches. "I lived as a child beggar in North Korea. I was stealing coals from a train when I fell off and lost my leg and my hand. I had to bring the crutches with me. If I didn't have them, I wouldn't have made it here. The state doesn't help you in North Korea, and people who need crutches make their own. Mine are therefore not factory-made, so they're not perfect and break easily. I had several pairs of crutches but they all broke, and this was the last pair. I used these crutches for 10 years, until I was 25, when I arrived in South Korea. I would steal coal from moving trains and fall off, destroying my crutches. Or I would get beaten up by the police and they'd take and then break my crutches. When they broke, I would make new ones. When I had new ones, I could go back outside." Reuters Escape from North Korea Ji Sung-ho "When I first arrived in South Korea I thought about throwing them out. South Korea's intelligence agency gave me a prosthetic leg. My friends said I should throw the crutches out and not think about North Korea. They said I should show Kim Jong Il I was living a new life in South Korea and throw out everything I had from the North. Some asked if I got upset when I saw my crutches. But I couldn't just throw them out. To make my crutches, my friends had given me some wood that they had bought, and someone I knew in North Korea who had carpentry skills had made them. It was my father who added the final touches. There is a lot of love from my North Korean friends and family in these crutches. So I didn't throw them out. The South Korean government gave me some new crutches because the wood from my North Korean ones is hard and painful. But I still keep them, so as not to forget those memories." REUTERS Escape from North Korea Kim Ryen Hui Kim Ryen Hui, 48, is from Pyongyang. She says she never wanted to defect. In 2011, she says, a broker helped her go to China for treatment on her liver. But the broker tricked her, she said, and she ended up in South Korea. She is campaigning to return, which Seoul says would be against the law. "I miss my parents even more than I miss my daughter. They're everything to me. For the first few years, I couldn't even breathe properly when I thought of them. My little brother lives with them in Pyongyang now. My mother can't see out of one eye. The thing I fear the most is finding out they've passed away before I have the chance to go back. Reuters Escape from North Korea Kim Ryen Hui "My daughter and I have been writing letters and sending photos to each other. My cousin lives in China, so she's been sending them on. My daughter's name is Ri Ryon Gum. She was born on February 15, 1993. I don't want her to live out her life with me here. When she was young, she did taekwondo. She wanted to get involved in espionage operations against South Korea. She was so fearless. That's why she was doing taekwondo - to get involved in anti-South espionage. So I was really surprised to hear she became a chef. In a video of her I received, she explained why. She said that after I had left, she moved in with her father in Pyongyang and had been cooking for him. She said she decided to become a chef so she could fulfill my role at home. I was sad when I heard that." Reuters Escape from North Korea Lee Min-bok Lee Min-bok, 60, was a researcher at North Korea's Academy of Agricultural Science. He first tried to defect, unsuccessfully, in 1990. He eventually left North Korea in June 1991 and came to South Korea in 1995. His family sent him these diaries. "I have a bit of an academic side. According to Kim Il Sung's teachings, people are supposed to keep diaries. Everyone in North Korea should strictly follow Kim Il Sung's teachings, so I did as I was supposed to and kept a diary. Even though Kim Il Sung is a villain here, in North Korea he's above everything. We learned that he studied well and gave our lives purpose. I lived according to those teachings. I wrote these out of loyalty to the Leader. That was our ideology, and I lived my life in strict adherence to it. No one could think differently." Reuters Escape from North Korea Lee Min-bok "I got hold of these diaries 10 years after I arrived in South Korea. I had been sending money to my family in the North and they sent them to me. I didn't write any complaints in diaries. I would've been in big trouble if I did. My diaries are a record of my history in North Korea. I am thinking about turning these diaries into a book. I'd like to publish a book about how to change North Koreans' thinking when unification happens. These diaries show how North Koreans think and how their minds are constructed. People need to make these into a textbook, because they need proof. Talking is not as effective." Reuters Escape from North Korea Song Byeok Song Byeok was a propaganda artist. His father drowned trying to cross the Tumen river, in 2000. When the artist finally left North Korea in 2001, he brought photos of his family with him. "We left that August to find food," Byeok recalled, describing the first attempt. "We were from a town further inland, and we weren't sure where the river was high and where it was low. I didn't know at the time but the river was swollen because of the rainy season. I thought we had to cross it anyway. All I could think about was getting to China to buy food. I took off my clothes and tied them into a rope to strap us together. I told my father not to let go. As we approached the middle of the river, the strap felt lighter. I looked back and saw my father drifting away. I was devastated." Reuters Escape from North Korea Song Byeok "He was going under the water and couldn't get out. I rushed up to the (North Korean) border guards and asked them to save him but they just said why did I come out, why didn't I die too. They handcuffed me and took me away. It was Aug. 28. I was tortured by the "bowibu" (North Korean secret police) in Hoeryong, then jailed for four months in Chongjin prison camp. But after I was released from the camp I felt like I needed to survive and carry on living. Right before I tried to defect again, I went back home and grabbed my family photos. Even if I died trying, I thought, at least I would have this picture with me. I never found my father. After I came to South Korea, I went back to China in 2004 and held a memorial service for him by the river. My heart still aches." Reuters Escape from North Korea Baek Hwa-sung Baek Hwa-sung, 33, left Sinuiju, on the border with China, in 2003 and resettled in South Korea in 2008. He kept a diary as he defected. "In 2004, I started to write down all my thoughts in a diary. I didn't know if I'd get caught. I just wanted to let it be known where I was from, and where I wanted to go. After I left the North, I became very depressed, hiding in the mountains alone for a while. The people who were watching over me told me not to come down to the village and left me by myself in a mountain shelter. Alone, with no one to engage with or talk to, I felt like I would go insane. So I wanted to leave something behind in case I died there or got caught - that's why I started to write. Reuters Escape from North Korea Baek Hwa-sung "Alone in the mountains, I desperately sought something to talk to. That was my diary. My diaries are proof of my life's journey. I read them when I want to remember home. I can't return home, and I already have no memories of my hometown. But when I go through my diaries, there are notes which detail the vivid memories of that time. Sometimes I might forget my father's birthday, but when I go back to my diary, his birthday and my mother's birthday are there. My diaries are a record of my life. They prove I'm alive." Reuters

I paid for everything. Theres a fee for getting things over the river with China. Then I had to pay the courier fee from China to South Korea. The whole thing cost a few hundred bucks.

I got mine from the military, but some officers made their own. There were tailors who would make or mend uniforms for around 40,000 North Korean won ($5 (3.80) at the unofficial rate of 8,000 won to $1).

Technically, people are not supposed to sell these uniforms. Military supplies are sold secretly. Officers want better-looking uniforms so they buy or alter their own.

In North Korea I wore my uniform every day, even when I was off duty. I couldnt wear ordinary clothes. If I did, I wouldnt be able to ride in cars. Someone might steal a cigarette off me or try to pick a fight.

If I had gone back, I would have needed that uniform to ride in cars and steal from others.

***

The parents of Kang, 28, sent out a coat across the Chinese border after she reached the South in 2010.

I didnt ask my mother to send me this coat, says Kang, who wanted to be identified only by her surname.

But she knew I feel the cold easily and sent it to me. She sent some honey too, but it went missing on the way.

The coat is made of dog fur. I dont know what kind of dog. In 2010, it cost about 700,000 North Korean won ($88 at the unofficial rate). It was really expensive. A North Korean friend went to China to pick it up for me.

Kang, 28: Ordinary people couldnt afford to wear this kind of coat, not even soldiers (Reuters)

I liked this coat when I got it. I thought my mother mustve spent quite a lot of money on it. My father was a party officer. Our family had a car and we lived in a special apartment.

Ordinary people couldnt afford to wear this kind of coat, not even soldiers. Commissioned officers could afford them. Border guards would wear them. It wasnt easy to buy this kind of coat, but as time went on, fake ones began to appear.

The soldiers shot at me as I tried to run away from the Tumen River. I managed to get away and hid, but someone reported me and I was caught Lee Oui-ryuk, 30

The state often clamped down on this item. Its technically military supplies so the state monitored people who altered the design of the coat. I know just from looking at this coat that its a counterfeit one, not the official version.

The counterfeit ones look quite different from the original ones. Military officials preferred the fakes to the original because the design looked much better. The children of rich families would wear them.

I look too chubby in this, so dont wear it here. I thought I could probably wear it if I altered it.

***

Lee Oui-ryuk, 30, is from Onsong, near the border with China. He defected in 2010, and brought his ID card with him.

I brought my ID with me when I left North Korea.

Juche 95.11.7 (the date in the North Korean calendar, which equates to 7 November 2006) is the date I was issued with my ID.

Song Byeok: I didnt know at the time but the river was swollen because of the rainy season. I thought we had to cross it anyway (Reuters)

It says here my blood type is A, but Im actually an O. For the 23 years I lived in North Korea, I thought my blood type was A. They wrote down my blood type without even doing a test. They just wrote whatever they wanted to.

I was caught trying to defect to South Korea around Kim Jong Ils birthday. They strengthen border security just before and after that date.

The bottom of the lamp is dark, as the saying goes, and I thought Id be able to cross right under their noses.

The soldiers shot at me as I tried to run away from the Tumen River. I managed to get away and hid, but someone reported me and I was caught. Thats when I was taken to the bowibu (State Security Department) for three months of interrogation. The state ruled that I had tried to defect to South Korea, and I was sent to a camp for political prisoners.

I was tortured by the bowibu in Hoeryong, then jailed for four months in Chongjin prison camp Song Byeok

I escaped when they were transferring me to the camp. I hid and managed to make it to my big sisters house  thats when I grabbed these photos. I couldnt go home easily, so decided I had to hide in the mountains or somewhere remote.

I needed my ID to move around without getting caught, and I took these 12 photos with me in case I wanted to look back and reminisce.

I wrote on the back of them so as not to forget.

***

Song Byeok was a propaganda artist. His father drowned on their first attempt to cross the Tumen river, in 2000. When the artist finally left North Korea in 2001, he brought photos of his family with him.

We left that August to find food, Byeok recalls, describing the first attempt. We were from a town further inland, and we werent sure where the river was high and where it was low. I didnt know at the time but the river was swollen because of the rainy season. I thought we had to cross it anyway.

All I could think about was getting to China to buy food.

I took off my clothes and tied them into a rope to strap us together. I told my father not to let go. As we approached the middle of the river, the strap felt lighter. I looked back and saw my father drifting away.

 North Koreans cross border into South Korea for Winter Olympics

I was devastated. He was going under the water and couldnt get out. I rushed up to the (North Korean) border guards and asked them to save him but they just said why did I come out, why didnt I die too. They handcuffed me and took me away. It was 28 August.

I was tortured by the bowibu in Hoeryong, then jailed for four months in Chongjin prison camp.

But after I was released from the camp I felt like I needed to survive and carry on living. Right before I tried to defect again, I went back home and grabbed my family photos. Even if I died trying, I thought, at least I would have this picture with me.

I never found my father. After I came to South Korea, I went back to China in 2004 and held a memorial service for him by the river. My heart still aches.

***

Lee Min-bok, 60, was a researcher at North Koreas Academy of Agricultural Science. He first tried to defect, unsuccessfully, in 1990. He eventually left North Korea in June 1991 and came to South Korea in 1995. His family sent him these diaries.

I have a bit of an academic side. According to Kim Il-sungs teachings, people are supposed to keep diaries. Everyone in North Korea should strictly follow Kim Il-sungs teachings, so I did as I was supposed to and kept a diary.

Lee Min-bok, 60: These diaries show how North Koreans think and how their minds are constructed. People need to make these into a textbook, because they need proof (Reuters)

Even though Kim Il-sung is a villain here, in North Korea hes above everything. We learned that he studied well and gave our lives purpose. I lived according to those teachings. I wrote these out of loyalty to the Leader. That was our ideology, and I lived my life in strict adherence to it.

No one could think differently.

I got hold of these diaries 10 years after I arrived in South Korea. I had been sending money to my family in the North and they sent them to me. I didnt write any complaints in diaries. I wouldve been in big trouble if I did.

My diaries are a record of my history in North Korea. I am thinking about turning these diaries into a book. Id like to publish a book about how to change North Koreans thinking when unification happens. These diaries show how North Koreans think and how their minds are constructed. People need to make these into a textbook, because they need proof.

Talking is not as effective.

***

Ji Sung-ho, 36, is from Hoeryong, near the border with China. He left North Korea in 2006 with a pair of wooden crutches.

I lived as a child beggar in North Korea. I was stealing coal from a train when I fell off and lost my leg and my hand.

After I left the North, I became very depressed, hiding in the mountains alone for a while Baek Hwa-sung, 34

I had to bring the crutches with me. If I didnt have them, I wouldnt have made it here. The state doesnt help you in North Korea, and people who need crutches make their own.

Mine are therefore not factory-made, so theyre not perfect and break easily.

I had several pairs of crutches but they all broke, and this was the last pair. I used these crutches for 10 years, until I was 25, when I arrived in South Korea.

I would steal coals from moving trains and fall off, destroying my crutches. Or I would get beaten up by the police and theyd take and then break my crutches. When they broke, I would make new ones. When I had new ones, I could go back outside.

When I first arrived in South Korea I thought about throwing them out.

South Koreas intelligence agency gave me a prosthetic leg. My friends said I should throw the crutches out and not think about North Korea. They said I should show Kim Jong Il I was living a new life in South Korea and throw out everything I had from the North. Some asked if I got upset when I saw my crutches.

Ji Sung-ho, 36: There is a lot of love from my North Korean friends and family in these crutches ... I still keep them, so as not to forget those memories (Reuters)

But I couldnt just throw them out. To make my crutches, my friends had given me some wood that they had bought, and someone I knew in North Korea who had carpentry skills had made them. It was my father who added the final touches.

There is a lot of love from my North Korean friends and family in these crutches. So I didnt throw them out. The South Korean government gave me some new crutches because the wood from my North Korean ones is hard and painful. But I still keep them, so as not to forget those memories.

***

Baek Hwa-sung, 34, left Sinuiju, on the border with China, in 2003 and resettled in South Korea in 2008. He kept a diary as he defected.

In 2004, I started to write down all my thoughts in a diary. I didnt know if Id get caught. I just wanted to let it be known where I was from, and where I wanted to go.

After I left the North, I became very depressed, hiding in the mountains alone for a while. The people who were watching over me told me not to come down to the village and left me by myself in a mountain shelter. Alone, with no one to engage with or talk to, I felt like I would go insane.

 Otto Warmbier's family describe dead son's state after North Korea return

So I wanted to leave something behind in case I died there or got caught  thats why I started to write. Alone in the mountains, I desperately sought something to talk to. That was my diary.

My diaries are proof of my lifes journey. I read them when I want to remember home. I cant return home, and I already have no memories of my hometown. But when I go through my diaries, there are notes which detail the vivid memories of that time. Sometimes I might forget my fathers birthday, but when I go back to my diary, his birthday and my mothers birthday are there.

My diaries are a record of my life. They prove Im alive.

***

Kim Ryon Hui, 49, is from Pyongyang. She says she never wanted to defect. In 2011, she says, a broker helped her go to China for treatment on her liver. But the broker tricked her, she said, and she ended up in South Korea. She is campaigning to return, which Seoul says would be against the law.

I miss my parents even more than I miss my daughter. Theyre everything to me. For the first few years, I couldnt even breathe properly when I thought of them.

Kim Ryon Hui, 49: My daughter and I have been writing letters and sending photos to each other ... I dont want her to live out her life with me here (Reuters)

My little brother lives with them in Pyongyang now. My mother cant see out of one eye. The thing I fear the most is finding out theyve passed away before I have the chance to go back.

My daughter and I have been writing letters and sending photos to each other. My cousin lives in China, so shes been sending them on. My daughters name is Ri Ryon Gum. She was born on 15 February 1993. I dont want her to live out her life with me here.

When she was young, she did taekwondo. She wanted to get involved in espionage operations against South Korea. She was so fearless. Thats why she was doing taekwondo  to get involved in anti-South espionage.

So I was really surprised to hear she became a chef.

In a video of her I received, she explained why. She said that after I had left, she moved in with her father in Pyongyang and had been cooking for him. She said she decided to become a chef so she could fulfil my role at home.

I was sad when I heard that.

Reuters
A worldwide coalition of Jewish groups has issued a joint statement condemning attempts to stifle criticism of Israel with false accusations of antisemitism.

The statement, which 40 Jewish groups from 15 different countries have signed, could not have been more timely. In the UK, the Labour Party is currently under pressure to adopt the full guidelines accompanying a definition of antisemitism from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).

Labour adopted the 38-word definition long ago. But the guidelines with it include examples of antisemitism, two of which  both connected to criticism of Israel  are highly controversial.

Firstly, they suggest that claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour could itself be racist. Secondly, they claim that applying double standards by requiring of Israel a behaviour not expected of any other democratic nation is potentially antisemitic.

Since being adopted by the UK government in December 2016, these guidelines have already been used to target organisations campaigning for Palestinian rights. Supporters of Israel have called on government to stop the annual Israeli Apartheid Week on university campuses on the grounds that it breaches the IHRA.

But genuine anti-racist principles surely lead us to criticise Israel for its many discriminatory policies, whether its segregated road network, its dual justice system, or the Jewish nation state bill passed on Wednesday, which entrenches ethnic inequality in law.

Perversely labelling critics of this racism antisemitic also silences Palestinians who object to Israels historic and ongoing takeover of their land.

Meanwhile, the idea of double standards has been used to attack the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Supporters of Israel claim that unless all human rights-abusing nation states are boycotted, there must be some antisemitic motivation lurking behind calls for BDS.

This deliberately ignores three points. Firstly, Palestinians have collectively called for solidarity through BDS until their fundamental human rights are upheld, including the right of return for refugees.

Secondly, via military, financial and diplomatic support, our governments are deeply complicit in Israels violations, whereas this is not the case with, say, the Syrian governments crimes.

Thirdly, precisely because of this direct involvement, implementing a boycott strategy here can make real impact, just as the boycott of South Africa  on which BDS is modelled  helped to bring an end to apartheid there.

Recommended Israel publishes list of organisations banned from entering country

BDS is indeed working, as worried pro-Israel groups themselves acknowledged last year. Due to the success of the movement, a global response by Israels supporters is in full swing, with legislation to repress the boycott initiated in many countries.

What is happening in the UK is but one example of attempts to redefine antisemitism to include criticism of Israel. In the US, the Antisemitism Awareness Act does the same.

As Jews who support the BDS movement, which is based on universal human rights principles and opposition to all racisms, we find it distressing that some imply Jewish communities are unanimous in their support of the IHRA.

On the contrary, we believe that by dangerously conflating opposition to Israels discriminatory policies with anti-Jewish racism, IHRA politicises and harms the fight against antisemitism as well as the struggle for justice for Palestinians.

We take the threat of antisemitism seriously. Indeed, from our own histories we are all too aware of the dangers of increasingly racist governments and political parties. The rise in antisemitic discourse and attacks worldwide is part of that broader trend.

In such urgent times, it is more important than ever to distinguish between legitimate critiques of unjust Israeli policies and hostility to Jews as Jews, as leading expert Brian Klug defines antisemitism.

It is profoundly wrong to label the Labour party antisemitic for refraining to adopt IHRA guidelines in their entirety. Criticising Israeli policies  or indeed the tenets of Zionism  must be allowed to be part of political debate. Thats why Labours national executive committee has found aspects of the IHRA guidelines wanting.

Protests against Labour antisemitism Show all 14 1 /14 Protests against Labour antisemitism Protests against Labour antisemitism Protesters clashed during the demonstration Reuters Protests against Labour antisemitism Members of the Jewish community hold a protest against Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn and antisemitism in the Labour Party AFP/Getty Protests against Labour antisemitism Protesters hold placards and flags during a demonstration, organised by the British Board of Jewish Deputies for those who oppose antisemitism, in Parliament Square Reuters Protests against Labour antisemitism Hundreds of people gathered in Parliament Square to protest against antisemitism in the Labour Party EPA Protests against Labour antisemitism Labour MP Luciana Berger speaks during the protest PA Protests against Labour antisemitism A protester blows through a shofar during the demonstration Getty Protests against Labour antisemitism Members of London's Jewish community protest in support of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn outside parliament EPA Protests against Labour antisemitism Labour MP John Mann speaks during a protest against antisemitism PA Protests against Labour antisemitism People protest against antisemitism in the Labour Party as Jewish community leaders have launched a scathing attack on Jeremy Corbyn, claiming he has sided with antisemites again and again PA Protests against Labour antisemitism Labour politicians Stella Creasy and Chuka Umunna leave after attending the demonstration Getty Protests against Labour antisemitism A pro-Jeremy Corbyn protester holds a placard during a counter-protest Getty Protests against Labour antisemitism A support of the Labour Party hold up a placard during the demonstration Reuters Protests against Labour antisemitism Jeremy Corbyn supporters during the demo Reuters Protests against Labour antisemitism A protester holds up a sign reading For the many, not the Jew AFP

Leading lawyer Hugh Tomlinson QC has criticised the IHRA on these grounds. Civil liberties champions Liberty recently cautioned public bodies that it could constitute a threat to freedom of expression. Tellingly, even US lawyer Kenneth Stern  a key figure in crafting early incarnations of the IHRA  has warned that it could encourage punishments of legitimate expressions of political opinion.

Last weekend, two Palestinian teenagers in Gaza were killed by an Israeli air strike. Since the beginning of the Great Return March protests on 30 March, more than 130 people have been killed  including 25 children. These are just the most recent examples of why we call for a non-violent boycott of Israel until it complies with international law.

With Jewish and Israeli organisations across the globe that have varying approaches to the BDS movement, we stand united against harmful definitions of antisemitism and together for human rights and the freedom to protest.

Richard Kuper co-founded the UK-based Jews for Justice for Palestinians. Rebecca Vilkomerson is director of US-based Jewish Voice for Peace
Gardai in Coolock are appealing for the publics help in locating a missing 17-year-old girl.

Anastasia Iancova was last seen leaving her home in Balgriffin, Dublin, on Thursday evening at around 5pm.

She is described as being approximately 5ft 7in, slim build, long brown hair, brown eyes and a piercing on her lower lip.

When last seen she was wearing ripped black jeans and a short white top.

Anyone who has seen Anastasia or who can provide assistance in locating her, is asked to contact Coolock Garda Station on 01 6664200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.
Eoghan Culligans coffin is carried during his funeral in 2015 (Niall Carson/PA)

A memorial plaque has been unveiled in California to commemorate the Irish students who died after a balcony collapsed there in 2015.

Olivia Burke, Eoghan Culligan, Lorcan Miller, Niccolai Schuster, Eimear Walsh and Ashley Donohoe died when the balcony collapsed in the early hours of June 16, 2015.

Five of the students were from Dublin visiting the US on the J-1 visa scheme while another, a cousin of one of the victims, was from America.

The plaque, including their names and a quote from James Joyce, was unveiled near where the tragedy happened in Berkeley.

A ceremony was held on Saturday to remember them, attended by the victims families and Irelands ambassador to the USA Dan Mulhall.

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Speaking at the event, Mr Mulhall said: The Berkeley balcony collapse of June 2015 was a terrible tragedy and one which had an enormous effect on Ireland.

The depth of grief, shock and sorrow was immense  six young lives so tragically and prematurely ended and serious injury inflicted on so many.

I would like to pay tribute to the first responders, medical staff and our wonderful Irish community who provided such fulsome support for everyone affected, especially the young people and the families directly involved.

The plaque reads: Berkeley, named after an Irish philosopher, will forever remember the six young adults from America and Ireland, guests in this city, who tragically died near this spot in a balcony collapse at 2020 Kittredge Street early in the morning of June 16, 2015.

Here, the families of those who passed and the community of Berkeley have joined hands to establish a permanent memorial.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and British Prime Minister Theresa May in Downing Street discussing Brexit developments back in September

IRELAND will be forced into living with the hardest border in Europe if the UK crashes out without a Brexit deal, a key ally of Angela Merkel has starkly warned.

Major European countries will inevitably crank up pressure on Ireland on the issue, amid growing fears that the Border sticking points will scupper an orderly Brexit.

In a blunt warning detailing the catastrophe that lies ahead if a no-deal Brexit materialises, Joachim Pfeiffer  a key ally of Chancellor Merkel  painted a dire picture of the outcome.

Mr Pfeiffer said Ireland would have a border like we have a border with Ukraine, or Belarus as there would no longer be treaties in place with the UK that would ensure the rules and standards of the EU would be respected.

Speaking to Independent.ie, he warned that while Germany was willing to help, it had its own domestic issues to resolve.

We cannot solve the problem between Ireland and Northern Ireland, added the economic and energy policy spokesman for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in Germany.

Senior French sources have also told Independent.ie that under a hard Brexit, Ireland is primarily accountable to the EU and its single market.

In a no-deal Brexit scenario, the new EU-UK relationship would be inferior to the EUs relationship with Russia.

Under World Trade Organisation rules, and as an EU member state, Ireland will be obliged to collect EU tariffs for goods coming in to the country from the UK.

In addition, under the rules of the EUs single market, the Irish State has a responsibility to protect the internal market from any unauthorised or substandard goods.

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I dont know any other border countries which have no treaties with the EU, Mr Pfeiffer continued. We have Norway, Switzerland and there are hundreds of treaties and rules in place there, and still there is a border, he said.

Turning to the western Balkans and Ukraine or Moldova, he added that even with Russia we have some rules.

A huge challenge lies ahead if the UK diverges from EU rules and regulations in order to fulfil any trade deals it eventually completes.

From this second [they leave] they will be going in different directions, he warned.

As the country at the frontline, Ireland will be obliged to prevent such substandard goods getting into the internal market.

There will be hourly changes  there will be divergence in every sector, said Mr Pfeiffer.

I dont see at the moment a solution in detail which addresses the open questions.

He said that although the rest of Europe is still hopeful that a deal can be thrashed out, Ireland is just one of several member states facing turmoil.

Probably it is the case that you have to establish this kind of Border next year. I dont want it; hopefully we can avoid it, he said.

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Itll be the hardest border we have in Europe.

Mr Pfeiffer said it will be Irelands responsibility to erect and manage the Border on the EU side, and the UKs task to manage the territory of Northern Ireland.

He said that other European countries had their own problems to resolve.

For you its a problem but in Germany nobody is thinking about Brexit.

Brexit is not a top issue in Germany. We have a lot of domestic problems.

Germany has a very positive image of Ireland. People like Ireland and want Ireland to stay connected to Europe, and so if there is some help needed, theres an openness to help.

But there are a lot of problems all over, and everybody needs to deal with his own challenge, and fulfil their own task.

We cannot solve the problem between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Hopefully we can resolve this through negotiation, but I advise Ireland to get ready.

Senior French sources have also warned Ireland over its accountability to the EU and its single market.

Im sorry to say that Ireland may find itself at a harsh confrontation where it must obey the rules of the single market ahead of the political landscape with Britain, a French source said.

Of course we dont want this and well help to get a deal, but it appears impossible with the UK right now, they added.
A decade ago, farmer's son Ian Lahiffe took the brave decision to up sticks to Beijing - and it has paid off, as he has risen to make his mark in China's agri-tech industry.

He is now head of operations at one of the world's most innovative firms, Allflex Livestock Intelligence.

His role focuses heavily on traceability and he has been closely monitoring Irish exporters' efforts to break into the Chinese beef market, having observed the frustrations of some US firms.

"Hormone issues and traceability are huge issues for Chinese consumers. The Chinese want to know where the product comes from," he says. "There's no tagging in the US, so a lot of investment has to be made, and since it's such a political market, a lot of US beef producers there are questioning whether it is worth all the investment and hassle.

"McDonald's announced that it would be going antibiotic-free on its products, but not in China yet, so this made the Chinese consumers very angry. These are issues that the Irish have to be cognisant of."

While Ian feels that Ireland has been very good at marketing its story in China, he says it will be a challenge to compete with the likes of New Zealand and Australia, who have established themselves in the market.

"There are different challenges for Ireland. We don't have full access. We can only export unboned and under 30 months, and we're at a cost disadvantage because these are very expensive types of cuts," he says.

"Australia and New Zealand have unrestricted access and by 2022 the tariff on Australian beef will be lifted, which will make them more competitive - Europe will still have one.

"Yes, beef producers like ABP, Dawn Meats and Kepak have done and are doing great work on the ground in China, but marketing is so expensive there. It's very competitive."

He warns that initial optimism about meat industry trade deals does not always translate into an unblemished success story, citing the example of the US.

"The US had been pushing for access for a long time so when Trump got into power, there was a two-way concession," he explains.

"The Chinese wanted access for chicken breast meat into the US and then they let the US beef in, so there was a lot of excitement around it when the agreement was signed.

"However, the volume hasn't reflected that initial excitement and hype. The US has been disappointed."

Ian's own story, though, is very much on an upward curve.

Hailing from a dairy and beef farm in Gort in south Galway, he has never been one to follow the crowd.

Ian studied music and modern Irish in Trinity College Dublin, where he met his now wife Shan, a Chinese native who "sounds more like a Galway woman" from her time boarding at Kylemore Abbey secondary school.

He was organ scholar and conductor of the orchestra at Trinity and spent time as a lay clerk at the Christ Church Cathedral in the capital.

Having completed a masters' in International Studies and Diplomacy at the University of London in 2009, Ian moved with Shan to China, where he learned Mandarin and took a job as a political section intern for the EU Delegation in Beijing.

"Things weren't great at home in 2009 with the economy so I decided to make the jump - and I wanted to go," he says.

"I'd consider myself fluent at this stage in Chinese, but it's so hard. At least with a European language you can read it, but with Chinese there are no reference points. You have to completely retrain yourself.

"So many people at the time said, 'What's wrong with you? Why are you heading out there?'. But now people are more interested and say, 'Did it take you long to learn the language? How would I go about that?'. It's funny how things change."

After working in various jobs, Ian joined international animal feed company Alltech in China, rising to become sales director and new business development director.

He now works as head of operations for Allflex, which focuses on identifying, tracing and monitoring millions of animals through visual and electronic methods.

He is also an industry mentor to Bits x Bites, China's first agri-food accelerator, and is a mentor for China Agricultural University's Elite Cattleman Programme.

While Ian no longer works with Alltech, he recently spoke at the company's One Conference in Kentucky, where he expressed his sadness at the death of Louth-born founder Pearse Lyons earlier this year.

"I worked at Alltech for three and a half years and I am still one of their supporters and mentors," he says. "I'm good friends with Pearse's son Mark and would've known Pearse - he was a huge loss and will be very much missed."

Asked if he ever gets homesick, Ian says he misses his friends, family, the music of Ireland - and, of course, the family farm.

"There was always a job to be done when we were younger on the farm, especially when we had the cows. My dad got out of them a few years ago and now we just have sucklers," he says.

"I suppose when the oldest son moves to China and doesn't think he'll come back, my dad didn't think there was much point. Farming has changed so much and if you want to expand in Ireland, it is much harder than other countries. You can only farm the land that you have in most cases."

Russian threat to Irish dairy exports

While Irish infant formula has been a success story in China since the milk scandal there in 2008, Ian Lahiffe feels there could be challenges down the line that may halt this country's success in the Chinese dairy market, writes Claire Fox.

According to Ian, the Russians could soon be one of our major competitors in China as they make a surge towards building mega-farms.

"The biggest impact on Ireland would be the Russians' mega-farms to build their own dairy industry - they have a huge advantage in terms of price and forage," he said.

He added that New Zealand milk processing giant Fonterra's control over world milk price means it will be difficult for Ireland to gain a strong foothold in the Chinese market.

"Fonterra control the world milk price and have such a close connection with the Chinese and have factories there.

"They are the biggest supplier of dairy to China and will continue to be."

Capacity

Last month, China released a governmental plan to implement structural reform of the dairy sector over the next two years and aims to increase production capacity.

However, Ian feels that since the "domestic dairy industry is getting smaller in China", this plan won't affect Ireland or other countries exporting there.
By now, most of us have become used to seeing the words '21-day aged' or 'aged for 28 days' on pre-packed beef in our supermarkets and butchers shops. What was once seen as a niche product only really required by restaurateurs has now gone mainstream.

But how exactly is beef aged? Are some methods better than others, and is there a perfect age we should be seeking out in order to get the best flavour?

The godfather of Irish aged beef is undoubtedly Peter Hannan. Based in Moira in Northern Ireland, the Kildare native's company, Hannan Meats, ages its beef in chambers lined with Himalayan pink salt. Its products are served in top restaurants in Ireland and Britain, and sold in shops like Fortnum & Mason in London.

At this stage there isn't a significant award for beef production or flavour that Hannan hasn't won. But that's not to say that things took off quickly for him when it came to finding a market for his aged beef.

"We've dry-aged beef for years, but it took us seven years of trial and error to arrive at the method we use now. We didn't build our first salt chamber until we were pretty sure that it would make a real impact, and what we learned along the way is that there is no blueprint or recipe to follow," he says.

According to Hannan, no two ageing processes are the same for the simple reason that there are so many variables at work. "It depends on the beef you're starting out with, and whether you have light, salt, humidity - they all play a role. Thousands of people around the world age beef, but each of them produces a different product. It's like a fingerprint; each one is unique," he says.

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That said, there are some common parameters. All meat benefits from some ageing after an animal is killed and before it is sold and eaten. After an animal is slaughtered, enzymes go to work, breaking down the tissue and making the meat more tender and easier to digest. Chicken needs a few days, while pork and lamb generally take a little longer.

However, beef is where the technique of ageing meat is most important, which explains why it's celebrated on the label when you see it in the shops.

There are two predominant ways of ageing meat - wet and dry. Wet age\ing is the new kid on the block, a technique that appeared with the development of plastics and refrigeration. Using this method, the meat is portioned up, vacuum-packed straight away, and shipped to the supermarket. The ageing it goes through happens in transit, as it sits in fridges and lorries, and eventually in the supermarket's storage area. During this time, the meat sits in its own blood and can end up with a slightly liver-ish flavour that most people now consider normal. This is the cheaper way of getting meat to market, with the result that it's the method used for most meat that is purchased and consumed in Ireland.

With dry ageing, after slaughter the meat is hung in a cold room and left for between 21 and 28 days before being portioned up and shipped out for sale.

"The reason you see these specific numbers - 21 and 28 days - on labels is that this is about as far as you can take a piece of meat in a cold room without any other controls. There's no nice way of saying it: what happens after that 28 day period is that if the environment the meat is in isn't further controlled, it starts to rot," says Peter Hannan. "In the 28 day period, the enzymes in the meat have done their job and it has become about as tender as it's going to get."

But 28 days isn't as far as meat can go. Hannan ages meat for far longer, and 30 days is the minimum age he provides. As to the upper limit, there basically isn't one.

"The whole point of taking beef beyond a period of time is not about tenderness, it's about concentrating flavour. When meat is properly dry-aged in the right environment past this 21 to 28-day window, it loses moisture and starts to dehydrate, leaving a more concentrated beefy flavour behind," he says.

To further control the process, Hannan uses light and humidity controls, and manages the air speed inside his ageing chamber. "Dry-aged meat is generally more expensive than wet-aged, but there's a good reason for this. The process of dry-ageing is about displacing moisture, so the meat loses weight. In addition, when it's finished it also needs to be trimmed to cut away waste," he says. "If you put a 20kg rib and loin together in a dry ageing room for a month, when it comes out it will weigh around 16kg - you basically lose 18 to 20pc of the weight."

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Hannan has around 5,500 beef loins and ribs in circulation on his site at any one time, and among them are a couple of ribs in the salt chamber that are 1,200 days old. "We use them to do tests and make sure that everything we're doing is safe," he says.

And while the minimum amount of time Hannan Meats ages beef for is 30 days, restaurants and other customers often ask for ages far in excess of this. "The average age that meats come out is 35 to 38 days, and then we do some extra aged for the London chef Mark Hix, and for Fortnum & Mason. We've provided 75-day aged beef, and even gone to 100 days for some customers," he says.

Hannan's own preferred age of beef is 45 days - after this point, he personally feels that things get a little funky.

"We believe that 45 days gives you the perfect balance between tenderness, flavour and succulence - all the qualities that make a really fantastic piece of beef. Once you go beyond that, you're not changing the tenderness but what you get is more and more concentrated flavour and a certain nuttiness. Go too far and you end up with a slightly funky blue cheese flavour - which is lovely in cheese, but not for everyone in beef," he says.

Reuven Diaz is half Japanese and half Filipino, and was raised in a variety of countries including South Africa, Thailand, Japan, the Philippines and the US, as his father worked with Unicef. Today, along with his partner Jeni Glasgow, he runs the Eastern Seaboard restaurant in Drogheda, Co Louth. He's a customer of Peter Hannan's, and offers a 65-day aged steak on his menu.

"After 28 days you can have a perfectly fine piece of meat, but people are far more receptive now to what's out there and to pushing the boundaries. People absolutely love the aged steak we offer," Diaz says. "The easiest way to describe it is that it gives you a little more of an intense umami flavour that you just can't get with younger beef. Some people say it's nutty or earthy, and I guess that's true, but it's also just richer in flavour."

When he first put it on the menu three or four years ago, Diaz had to tell customers what to expect when they ordered it. "We had to watch people send back steaks saying 'that's gone off'. It broke my heart, and the reality was that the people sending the steaks back just hadn't tasted anything like them before. We were spending a lot of money on very good beef and people didn't get it," he says.

That's no longer an issue, and today the 65-day aged steak on the Eastern Seaboard menu is a popular item that people travel for. "You guys are so lucky here in Ireland that all your beef is grass-fed - that's basically a luxury in most countries. You pay extra for it in the US, for example, because most of the cattle there is grain-fed," he says.

The difference, according to Diaz, is that grass-fed beef has actual flavour in its meat as well as in its fat, whereas grain-fed beef in the US tends not to have as much natural flavour.

"Grain-fed beef is seductive because it's very fatty, but it doesn't satisfy in quite the same way. There are quite a few places offering properly dry-aged beef now, which is very encourageing," says Diaz.

Jess Murphy runs Kai restaurant in Galway along with her partner David, and was recently named best chef in Ireland at the Restaurants Association of Ireland awards. A native of New Zealand, she is also a fan of Irish dry-aged beef.

"For me it's important to know exactly where our beef comes from. We work with Brady's Family Butchers in Athenry because they have their own abattoir, which means I have complete oversight of the chain of production from cow to plate," she says.

"I go out to them every six months and see the whole process from killing, to breaking down, to ageing, to us. We currently have a striploin on the menu, but we also have an ox-tongue terrine that's popular and that uses the whole head of the animal. In winter, we have an oxtail soup that is really fantastic," she says.

Murphy says it's difficult to overstate just how good Irish beef is. "It's 100pc, hands down, the best in the world. I've been everywhere - I've eaten wagyu in Japan and so on - but I think Irish beef is out of this world," she says.

She likes her beef aged to about 32 days for her restaurant; for her, that's the sweet spot. But when it comes to cooking methods, she's totally open to anything, from rare to 'cremated'.

"I don't really care how people like to eat their beef - of course I'd rather they order their steak medium rare as I think that's how it tastes best, but I'm more interested in paying my 23 staff and keeping the doors open, so anyway the customer wants it is just fine with me."

Anyone for jerky?

Driven by health-conscious consumers looking for low-fat, high-protein snacks, the beef jerky industry is booming in Ireland. A number of companies here now offer these dried-beef products, and one of the most high profile is Rucksnacks, which was set up by a backpacker couple who saw how popular jerky was while they were travelling the world.

"The one constant we found was dried beef snacks - we saw them in Canada, the US, South Africa and Asia, yet you didn't really see them in Ireland," says co-founder Colm Connolly (pictured right), a beef farmer from Monaghan.

"We tend to associate beef with steaks and burgers, but we forget how good it is for us and how lean it is. That's where our company was born. We make our jerky in a fully-approved food grade environment, and carefully control all aspects of the process. The end product is the holy grail of snack foods: tasty, satisfying and healthy at the same time."

Rucksnacks offers five flavours of jerky: original, honey roast, fiery chilli, spicy curry and sweet chilli. They're available from stockists nationwide or via the company's website rucksnacks.com, where a box of eight packets costs 20.

"They're super high in protein - a pack typically comes in at about 16g per 30g pack, yet it's only 89 calories. We worked on it for over a year to get the product right," says Connolly.

So how has this new, yet old, snack been received in Ireland?

"We launched in 2016 and initially consumers were a bit wary, as they didn't really know what it was," Connolly says. "In the rest of the world it's entirely normal, but here it was a new thing. But Irish people in general are becoming much better travelled so they're seeing these kind of snacks abroad, and they're increasingly happy to see them here as a result."
Irish airline Ryanair has cancelled 600 flights because of the threat of strikes by cabin crew in Belgium, Portugal and Spain.

The strikes coincide with the beginning of the United Kingdom school summer break and follows previous strike action by Ryanair's Irish-based pilots.

"Passengers whose flight is cancelled should not come to Luxembourg airport [but] contact Ryanair about the next steps and possible travel changes", Luxairport added. The Herald asked if any of the 300 cancelled flights each day would affect Irish passengers but did not receive any information.

Most of the cancelled flights are to, from and within Spain, where around a quarter of the airline's 830 daily services have been grounded.

A spokesperson said anyone affected had already been alerted by text message or by email, while also being offered an alternative.

Separately, Ryanair said Thursday it had signed an agreement with the Ver.di Union to represent its German cabin crew.

"We think our crew are well paid and we think their terms and conditions are good", Chief Marketing Officer Kenny Jacobs told Reuters.

The Irish airline, Europe's largest by passenger numbers, said in a statement it expected disruption to the travel plans of nearly 50,000 customers as it would cancel up to 300 flights per day.

Ryanair said it will cancel 24 flights on Friday during the second of three strikes planned by the pilots.

Ryanair, which flies in 37 countries and carried 130 million passengers last year, averted widespread strikes before Christmas by deciding to recognise trade unions for the first time in its 32-year history.
A guide of digital do's and don'ts for both employers and job seekers (Stock image)

Advertising a job vacancy, letting employers know you're open to opportunities, and having a general good aul browse...social networks like LinkedIn definitely have their benefits.

But the lack of the personal touch when it comes to digital window-shopping is actually proving frustrating for both job seekers and employers, according to one of Ireland's leading recruitment agencies.

Managing Director at Sanderson Recruitment Donal ODonoghue said that personal relationships and a recruiter's insight and judgement better serve the recruitment task, especially when it comes to senior appointments.

"Many candidates find their digital networks job search has not produced results, or theyre tired of the 'request to connect' that doesnt produce much more than someone trying to sell them something," he said.

Building what appears to be a more meaningful relationship between prospective employer and employee is actually hugely influential when it comes to finding the right person for the job, or indeed the right job.

Have you ever uploaded a CV into a company's 'HR portal' and wondered if anyone ever looked at it? If anyone ever got confirmation of receipt? If anyone got any feedback or, gasp, a call for interview? Well, you're not alone.

According to the Dublin recruiter, any agency worth its salt will respond to CVs, providing feedback and a realistic overview of the relevant job market.

Sanderson Recruitment offers some advice for those on both sides of the coin looking to use online to their advantage.

Employees

Unless self-employed, be aware that your current employer is just as likely to spot your job search online, so maybe dont overtly advertise the fact that youre eager to move on.

Use LinkedIn to research a company youre interested in, check if theyre recruiting, and if any of your contacts are connected. Referrals are more likely to get you an interview than a cold CV or application.

'Follow' companies on your work target list, to keep updated on new offices, investment, products or services.

Check a companys management team via their online profiles and media coverage to establish who and what is worth knowing, and if you're in any way connected.

Give your profile a strong headline; its what people notice first  'Twenty years' experience building amazing consumer brands' is better than 'consumer marketing role sought'!

Sites like Facebook can be useful to let friends and associates know youre on the job market, and opportunity you're interested in.

If in a creative role, like photography, design or interiors, Instagram is good to showcase a portfolio.

Share video, photography, copy or media coverage on social media that illustrates your professional abilities.

Join specialist social media groups where you can be part of conversations with those with similar professional interests.

If job-hunting on social media, make your online presence employer-friendly across all channels. A professional LinkedIn pitch will be undermined by nonsense on Facebook or photos of crazy parties elsewhere!

Similarly, use a sensible photo on your Facebook profile, at least while your job search is ongoing  some will check your social media presence ahead of calling you for interview.

Employers
Its been a difficult decade for the sector and smaller operators could shut up shop, forcing customers to travel for prescriptions

On a hot mid-July day, striking workers from Lloyds, the country's biggest pharmacy chain, and Mandate trade union general secretary John Douglas followed Siobhan O'Donoghue, the director of campaign organisation Uplift, across a car park at Cork Airport Business Park to the Irish headquarters of McKesson Corporation.

McKesson, which describes itself as America's largest healthcare company, is the parent company of Lloyds, which has seen hundreds of its employees strike on a weekly basis at some of its 90 pharmacies since the middle of June, with further strikes held last Friday.

Dressed in a white pharmacist's coat, O'Donoghue presented a McKesson representative with a cardboard box labelled "Give your workers a better life".

She said it contained more than 15,000 signatures from Lloyds customers and supporters calling for workers to be given independent union recognition, pay increases, incremental pay scales, an improved sick pay scheme and improved leave arrangements. "We're here to communicate that we're really, really upset with the way the workers are being treated," O'Donoghue told him.

For its part, Lloyds has argued that it recently agreed pay rises and a new sick leave scheme with an in-house Colleague Representative Council, an internal body with which it deals instead of unions.

Lloyds has denied claims from workers and unions that it uses zero-hour contracts, which some employees say prevent them from getting a mortgage. "Our focus remains on ensuring equitable pay, in line with market rates, across our business, which fairly rewards all colleagues," said a Lloyds spokeswoman.

With customers refusing to pass picket lines or finding some outlets shut during the dispute, the industrial relations strife is a headache that Lloyds - which says it has been loss-making for the past two years - could do without.

It's operating in a pharmacy market that's still in recovery since the Government began cutting the prices in 2009 that the Health Service Executive (HSE) pays to pharmacists for dispensing medicines on community drug schemes.

Ever since the cuts were introduced during the recession, under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Fempi) Act, a pharmacy market that was in rude health after being deregulated in 2003 is still suffering from the legacy of austerity.

In March, Daragh Connolly, the president of the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU), warned that as many as 300 rural pharmacies out of a total stock of 1,851 are at risk of closure.

Community pharmacies rely on HSE payments for as much as two-thirds of their turnover, with the average revenue per pharmacy from State schemes down 33pc in the last decade, according to the IPU. The Government's own Fempi review has recommended that fees to pharmacists be re-examined, the IPU has pointed out.

IPU secretary general Darragh O'Loughlin says the industrial action at Lloyds is "symptomatic of problems in the sector as a whole, because wage demands are increasing; staff expect to be paid more because they are reading in the media that the recession is over. But the recession is not over in pharmacy.

"Business is extremely difficult because costs have steadily increased since the recession - for property, rent, utilities and wages. The amount of staff hours required to deal with the regulatory and administrative burden in pharmacies has increased at a time when we have reduced fees for medicines and lower margins."

Fitzgerald Power, a firm of chartered accountants and business advisers that has advised pharmacies acquired by Lloyds, published a report on the sector last month that was commissioned by the IPU and based on a representative sample of 100 pharmacies.

It concluded that while financial stability has returned to the sector, many individual businesses are being squeezed by financial concerns.

The sector contributed 3.14bn to the State through reduced fees and lower mark-ups and medicine reimbursements between 2009 and 2017, the report found. The average price of prescribed drugs was 15.2pc lower last year than in 2008. While turnover in the sector increased slightly in 2017, State scheme revenues fell by 1.7pc. As a result, community pharmacies posted an average 3.5pc drop in operating profit in 2017.

The average decline in turnover per pharmacy since 2009 amounts to 295,000, according to a separate report published this month by AIB and written by Jason Bradshaw, a corporate finance partner at JPA Brenson Lawlor who has advised McCabes Pharmacy and Sam McCauley on acquisitions. Revenue for each item dispensed has decreased from an average 18.78 in 2009 to about 12.50. If HSE payments to pharmacies and staffing problems remain at this level for the next five years, there could be so many closures that customers "will have to travel to reach a pharmacy instead of having a choice of three or four in their town", Bradshaw says.

Stuart Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald Power says in his experience the number one reason owner-operated pharmacies are selling up is because of the cost and difficulty of recruiting pharmacists, especially outside Dublin. "The biggest pressure in the market this year is labour," he says.

"We advise on a lot of buying and selling of pharmacies. Owner-operators are working longer hours and it's no longer worth it for them and it's too expensive to hire other pharmacists.

"There is a lot of drift out of the pharmacy profession. It's one filled with a lot of high achievers who got high Leaving Cert points. But by the age of 25, they are at the top of their profession because there's nowhere else to go other than ownership of a pharmacy. So they go into industry.

"It's a profession that's dominated by females, and because Ireland doesn't yet have a balance between males and females when it comes to parental leave, childcare falls predominantly on women. In pharmacies, they are working evenings and weekends, which is not something that suits everyone.

"There is a lot of consolidation in the market, with 35 pharmacies bought and sold every year, but when a pharmacy is sold, it's nearly always an owner-operator business. If it's bought by a chain, there's a greater requirement for pharmacist hours to replace the owner-operator who was willing to work 60 hours a week, which a chain can't get away with."

At present, more pharmacies are opening than closing, with Fitzgerald counting 38 openings last year and 12 closures. But he expects the market to reach a "tipping point" within the next five years where the rate of closures outpaces openings.

When McKesson struck a 5.1bn (5.7bn) deal in 2013 to buy Lloyds and its German parent company Celesio, it cited how community pharmacies would benefit from "increased scale, supply chain expertise and sourcing capabilities" as a result. McKesson is one of the world's largest drug distribution companies and in May reported revenue of $208.4bn (179bn) for its last fiscal year.

Under former managing director Goretti Brady, who left last year, Lloyds once had an aggressive expansion plan. Brady had sought to boost the size of the chain to 150 pharmacies and ran the rule over dozens of potential acquisitions. At one stage, Lloyds had been holding talks to acquire Sam McCauley, which was acquired last year for 50m by Carlyle Cardinal Ireland (CCI), a private-equity partnership of US buyout giant Carlyle Group and local investment house Cardinal.

Earlier this year, Sam McCauley acquired two pharmacies, in Dublin and Cork, for a combined 5m. Sources described it at the time as being part of a 50m acquisition spree to help it take market share from Lloyds and Boots.

However, Lloyds's expansion ambitions stalled in 2015, when the company suffered controversy over the level of dispensing fees being claimed by the pharmacy chain. That year, the HSE launched an investigation into alleged irregularities in dispensing fees at the chain.

Documentation provided to RTE's investigations unit by a whistle-blower showed that Lloyds staff had been actively encouraged to promote its MyMed system of medication management to customers, reminding employees in a newsletter how lucrative the product was for the company.

In 2016, the company repaid the HSE 12m for dispensing fees that the company incorrectly charged. It is now back acquiring, although it seems to have had a hard look at its portfolio. Earlier this year it shut five of its pharmacies but in March it sought the go-ahead to buy four pharmacies from the McSweeney Group in Sligo, Kerry and Limerick.

But the company paints a bleak picture for pharmacies. "The retail sector in Ireland remains challenged. While retail sales have recovered somewhat from the worst days of the recession, the level of growth in the sector is still very marginal," said Pat Watt, director of sales and marketing with Lloyds.

"High legacy rents, the surge in online shopping businesses which can offer lower prices unburdened by the overheads faced by 'bricks and mortar stores', and the increase in cross-border shopping are all squeezing retail margins further.

"For the pharmacy sector in particular, we have also had the added impact of significant price erosion and reduction in fee income from government schemes over recent years. Added to this are wage increase pressures."

Despite these headwinds, pharmacy sector will likely draw further investment from international private equity funds and Irish-operated chains, attracted by its fragmented market, according to Fitzgerald. Over 70pc of the pharmacists surveyed by JPA Brenson Lawlor own just one premises, with just 5.4pc owning six or more outlets.

"Outsiders might see opportunities in pharmacy because so it's fragmented, but once you get into the market, it takes a lot of time to build scale, with transactions of pharmacies in ones, twos or threes," Fitzgerald said. "You could see more consolidation and more owner-operator businesses being bought out by larger players."

In the meantime, the IPU sees no sign of the Government reversing cuts in fees paid to community pharmacies.

O'Loughlin says: "The austerity measures have been reversed for everyone in the public service, and although the Government has announced talks with public-service contractors about the issue, we've had zero engagement from them and no schedule for when talks will take place."
It looks like telecommunications company Enet is gearing up for the National Broadband Plan with the interesting appointment to the board of a former key Eir executive. The company, led by US businessman David McCourt, has appointed Jon Florsheim as a non-executive director of Enet.

It's a canny move by the presumptive winner of the huge Government plan to bring broadband to rural Ireland. Florsheim was most recently chief commercial officer at Eir, stepping down after three years in March 2017 to return to the UK. His departure was one of a number of high-profile departures from the senior ranks of a company now led by Carolan Lennon.

Florsheim has more than 25 years' experience in telecoms and media and is a senior adviser for AMP Capital and serves as chairman of GoMedia, Europe's leading on-board infotainment provider, focussing on communications infrastructure. Previously he was chief executive of European pay TV operator M7 and also spent 13 years at British Sky Broadcasting, where he was chief marketing officer.

Enet is trying to negotiate access to Eir's extensive rural network of poles and ducts to allow it to erect its new broadband network in the most inexpensive way possible. Florsheim's intimate knowledge of Eir will undoubtedly be a huge asset.

Prosperous merger of firms in Kildare accounting world

Interesting to note the merger between two of Kildare's best-known accountancy firms. Leading audit, tax and consulting firm O'Kelly Sutton has merged with Allen Morrissey & Co, an accountancy and tax practice based in the no-doubt aptly named Prosperous, Co Kildare. The merged firm will trade as O'Kelly Sutton from Kildare Town and it will add approximately 170 additional clients to O'Kelly Sutton's portfolio.

A former small accountancy practice of the year in 2016, O'Kelly Sutton has previously done strategy planning for the GAA and Bord na Mona.

"This new chapter is the latest part of a growth strategy as the firm continues to combine talent and resources to address the needs of our increasingly diverse client base," Pat Sutton, managing partner of O'Kelly Sutton, said. "We are very much SME and family business focused. We've had many high potential startups come to us for the commercial experience we bring to the table."

Big Bus business has Irish tourism firmly in its sights

With the tourism business flying, international investors are coming to our shores to see if they can get a slice of the action. One recent deal to get clearance from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) was the sale of Irish City Tours, owned by the McConn family, to 'hop-on, hop off' operator Big Bus Tours.

Big Bus Tours will be well known to travellers fond of the occasional city break, operating as it does in 19 cities including London, Dubai and New York. It is owned by private equity firm Exponent. The detailed report on the deal from the CCPC shows how many of its companies have Irish links. As well as the Racing Post, the company's portfolio includes HSS Hire, which has extensive operations in Ireland, and it recently acquired ex-DCC business Enva Group. It also owns a sight-seeing card pass business in Dublin, giving the firm another bite of the tourism pie.
Ryanair is prepared to negotiate local contracts with staff as industrial unrest at the company continued across Europe, it has indicated. (Niall Carson/PA)

Ryanair is prepared to negotiate local contracts with staff as industrial unrest at the company continued across Europe, it has indicated.

Chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs said that if it is something that cabin crew and pilots want, then "we will have an open mind to consider local contracts, if that is one of the things that matters a lot to them".

Ryanair has cancelled 600 flights due to a cabin-crew strike in Belgium, Portugal and Spain, affecting more than 50,000 passengers travelling last Wednesday and Thursday.

The airline has for many years favoured Irish-based agency contracts for its staff rather than locally-based employment contracts at its continental European bases.

The issue has proven controversial in countries such as France and Belgium and has been the subject of previous court battles between it and some European staff.

"We would point to the fact that 70pc of all Ryanair cabin crew now have a union recognition agreement in place," said Jacobs.

"We have been, over the last two years, moving more of our people onto Ryanair contracts as opposed to agency contracts. We expect more of that will happen in the next two years for both pilots and cabin crew. The majority of captains are now Ryanair employees, for example."

But Jacobs said that for cabin crew, Irish employment conditions are often better than what they would get under local employment legislation.

"Yes, we will put local contracts on the table. Does it mean they are all going to opt for a local contract? When we get into the detail they may see that in some cases an Irish contract is better.

"But we are happy to say 'If that is what you want, this is what it will look like'," he said.

But Jacobs insisted that "the cabin crew in these markets just need to get the protest out of their system".

He added: "This is not a strike about pay. It is more of a protest and we respect their right to have a strike.

"We have told cabin crew in these countries that we want to meet and engage with them and hear what their genuine demands are."

The cabin crew strike follows separate industrial action by Ryanair pilots in Ireland, which saw the cancellation of 24 Irish flights on Friday, with further cancellations of 16 Irish flights confirmed for this Tuesday, which will affect 2,500 Irish passengers.

Unions are demanding that the airline puts together a pan-European seniority list of flight crew from which issues such as promotion would be decided. They are also seeking new protocols on base transfers for staff at the airline.

Trade union officials called for "an independent broker" to help move talks along and to build trust between two sides which are new to negotiating with one another.

A working group of management and Forsa trade union officials, set up to tease out detailed issues parallel to negotiations, met last Wednesday.

The meeting was addressed by Irish Congress of Trade Unions general secretary Patricia King, but little progress was made on issues of disagreement between the two sides, according to sources.

Ryanair's Jacobs insisted that "Forsa need to go faster".

"They need to engage properly on the issues that actually matter to moving this forward. They need to stop the 1980s industrial relations style tactics of talking about terms of reference and third parties and the process of engagement.

"We are making faster progress elsewhere in Europe on a lot of the same issues. Forsa and the pilots' union in Dublin is beginning to stand out now because we can't make progress," he said.

Jacobs said the airline had last week signed major union recognition deals with cabin crew in Germany and Italy.
Les Duffy, founder of Boston Barber Bars, in one of his shops, in the Swords Pavilions. Photo: Tony Gavin

The celebrity-driven trend for the hipster beard has triggered a boom in the male-grooming industry, with barber shops multiplying in every town in the country. But off the high street, in shopping centres across Ireland, a no-frills approach to men's haircuts is fast turning Boston Barber Bars into the Ryanair of the barbering sector.

The chain, which charges an average of 15 for its no-appointment, seven-days-a-week haircuts, has become one of the largest of its kind in Ireland. Some 750,000 haircuts are carried out every year at its 37 outlets and nine franchisees.

The company, a two-time winner of National Franchise of the Year, was founded by 57-year-old Les Duffy. He cut his teeth in the industry at the age of 16, when he spent weekends and summers as a floor sweeper at a unisex hair salon at Brown Thomas in Dublin.

"The money was terrible," he says. "But the seed was sown - it made me want to have my own salon."

When he was 17, Duffy secured a job crewing on cargo ships for the B&I line. He earned extra money on board by becoming the cargo ship's unofficial barber.

"If they liked the cut, they would give me two or three pounds," he says. "But I'm better at business than cutting hair."

The budding entrepreneur returned to Ireland with some money in his pocket and a business idea he picked up on his travels. In Malahide, Duffy set up Hokey Pokey, Ireland's first yoghurt, fruit and ice-cream bar. But Ireland wasn't quite ready for the concept.

"Once we tried to sell the yoghurt with mixed fruit, we couldn't give it away," he says.

"So I went to visit my brother in America and went to New York to see what was trending there. I spotted a smoothie bar in Macy's and thought 'that's exactly what I'm trying to do'."

Back in Ireland, Duffy replicated the idea for selling frozen yoghurt blended into a smoothie at kiosk-style units in shopping centres. The result was a chain called Juice Junction.

"Somewhere down the line, I thought 'Why can't we do the same with barbering and hairdressing?'" he says.

Duffy realised his formula of operating a small stand-alone service from a kiosk could be applied to any retail business, especially when shopping centres, beset by falling sales as customers increasingly shopped online, were offering more services and food outlets to boost footfall.

In 2007, he set up Boston Brand Bars with a business partner called Petch Cundill. Initially, they set out to emulate the American trend for casual blow-dry bars in shopping centres.

"The first blow-dry bar I saw on the internet was in Boston," Duffy says. "So, in my head I kept calling my business Boston Blow-Dry Bar. That led to the name Boston Barber Bar."

But the timing of Boston Blow-Dry Bars - on the brink of a recession - was inauspicious. Women started to save money by blow-drying their own hair.

So Duffy decided to focus on Boston Barber Bars instead: he reckoned men would always need a haircut, "recession or no recession".

Boston Barber Bars targeted reluctant male shoppers who were tagging along with wives or girlfriends in shopping centres and were willing to pass the time by getting a haircut.

Duffy's business model had another advantage: by growing Boston Barber Bars in an economic downturn, he could negotiate lower rents with operators of shopping centres keen to let out empty units to attract both footfall and those elusive customers - men.

"But there's a trend coming down the line in shopping centres: an estimated 25pc of them could be closed in the next five years, all stemming from the likes of Amazon," Duffy says. "They need to bring in more services and more social offerings where people meet, get their coffee and get their hair cut. When shoppers are all under the one roof they will buy handbags and jeans - we're an inherently lazy race, which is why online is working so well.

"There's nothing for guys in shopping centres. One of the reasons our business works is because men see an opportunity to grab a quick haircut instead of standing around like a fool. They realise it's a good service and cheap, so they keep coming back.

Initially, Duffy kept costs in check by operating a modular system, building small pods off-site for each salon. But as Boston Barber Bars expanded and its outlets became busier, it went on to rent out entire stores.

In 2012, the company opened the Boston Hair Academy in Kilkenny, the first of its three training academies, which are aimed at offering training to in-house staff as well as to aspiring barbers and employees from rival hair salons and barber shops. This helps Boston Brand Bars spot and train their own barbers.

Duffy says: "Opening our own academies is not financially clever, especially when the service is open to any other business that wants it. But we are able to pick the best fish out of the pool - the academies have been instrumental in us being able to recruit barbers in a horrendously tight market."

Duffy expects the number of Boston Barber Bars to reach 44 by the end of next year. "Nobody can compete with us in Ireland because we are so far ahead of them and there aren't any other big barber chains," he says.

The company has also ventured abroad, trialling one shop in the US and opening four in Australia, all operated by partners in those countries because "we can't run them from here".

"Because of the name, some people think that Boston Barber Bars is an American business that was brought here," Duffy says. "But, in fact, we're bringing Boston to America."

Duffy also harbours ambitions to expand into UK shopping centres, where "there is a huge opening because barber shops are still mainly on the high street". If the company's quest for a UK-based partner is successful, the first outlet there will likely be a lower-cost pod.

Boston Brand Bars' size has also been bolstered by its merger earlier this year with its first and largest franchisee, American Barber Company, which is run by Jody Hearne and Pat Gallagher, two accountants who used to work in the City of London.

"They have been with the company since the beginning as franchisees," Duffy says. "It was such an important move for us because they had such a fantastic financial background and we were somewhat lacking in that."

The company has already started opening Boston Beauty Bars, including at Mahon Point in Cork and Scotch Hall in Drogheda. Duffy would ultimately like to have one barber shop and one beauty salon in every shopping centre in the country.

"Every guy who comes in for a haircut at Boston Barber could get a Boston Beauty voucher for his girlfriend, wife or mother, and the Boston Beauty salons could return the favour," he says. "We can beat the big beauty salons with their large shops and air-conditioning because ours will be grab and go."

bostonbarberbars.com
According to EY'S Attractiveness Survey 2017, Central Europe attracted nearly half of Europe's industrial investment projects in 2016. Its strengths are its geographical links, good infrastructure, the quality of its human capital, and its productivity. (Stock photo)

From Dublin, it only takes two hours to get to Prague. The capital of the Czech Republic is a popular tourist destination. The country is one of the fastest-growing economies in Central Europe. Czech GDP rose 4.5pc in the first quarter. Neighbouring Slovakia was up 3.6pc, with Hungary at 4.7pc, and Romania at 4.2pc.

According to EY'S Attractiveness Survey 2017, Central Europe attracted nearly half of Europe's industrial investment projects in 2016. Its strengths are its geographical links, good infrastructure, the quality of its human capital, and its productivity.

The provision of EU funds is another key driver, particularly for Romania, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. The Financial Times projected an improved economic picture for the region, based on stronger-than-expected global demand, tighter labour markets, government stimulus measures, and easy financing conditions.

Irish exports to the region have also grown over the last 10 years. To support further growth, Minister of State Pat Breen led an Enterprise Ireland trade mission to Warsaw and Prague in June, targeting the engineering, electronics, enterprise software, and medical devices sectors. Irish companies signed contracts in excess of 7.5m during the mission.

Many Irish exporters are growing sales by supplying large multinationals based in the region. Ventac, vehicle and industrial noise control specialists from Co Wicklow, set up a regional sales office in the Czech Republic, while Waterford's PPI Adhesive Products, a leading manufacturer of technical adhesive tapes, run its regional sales operations from Slovakia. Portwest, the Mayo-based designer and manufacturer of high-quality workwear, has a CEE sales headquarters in Hungary.

Irish companies are not just targeting large multinationals. Central European agriculture has grown remarkably over the past number of years, supported by an expanding food industry, domestic investments, and EU farm subsidies. Between 2014 and 2020, CAP and EARDF subsidies will reach 26bn in Romania, 8.3bn in Hungary, and 7bn in the Czech Republic. Spending is driven by pressures on efficiency and food safety, environmental and animal welfare regulations, and by farm machinery upgrade or replacement.

In 2017, MooCall, producers of calving sensors, won a gold medal for innovation at the AnimalTech trade fair in the Czech Republic, while Dairymaster won the Grand Prix at Czech TechAgro 2018 for smart technology for their MooMonitor health and fertility monitoring system.

Enterprise Ireland runs a long-term programme, Opportunities in Agriculture in Central and Eastern Europe, that helps Irish farming machinery and technology producers to enter local markets.

Many Irish companies perceive Central Europe as a source of competitive advantage on the continent. Kingspan, which produces insulation panels, celebrated 20 years of its plant in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic in May. PM Group, international providers of services in engineering, architecture, project management and construction management opened offices in the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 2010.

Grafton Recruitment and CPL Jobs are market leaders in HR management across the region, while many Irish technology companies set up in Romania to service customers.

Central Europe is also a fast-growing location for business process outsourcing (BPO) centres and service firms. According to Outsourcing Advisors, a third of major outsourcing firms now come from the region. Ireland has a very strong offer for BPO operators, which in turn are always seeking solutions that offer cost savings.

As Brexit uncertainties continue, Central Europe offers significant export market potential, thanks to its closeness to Ireland, strong Irish presence, and concentration of multinationals and local buyers. Enterprise Ireland's office in the Czech Republic is ready to facilitate market research visits, introductions to buyers, and searches for distributors, to help companies we support to win new opportunities.

Ladislav Muller is Enterprise Ireland manager for central/southeast Europe
Dublin Information Sec 2018 is an Independent News & Media event. The conference takes place on October 15. For further information go to www.independent.ie/infosec18

Cybersecurity should be top of the agenda for all companies, and Ireland needs to be especially vigilant because so many multinationals have their headquarters here, according to Mikko Hypponen, the keynote speaker at Dublin Information Sec 2018.

Hypponen is an international expert on computer security and privacy issues and is credited with tracking down the authors of the very first PC virus. He is chief research officer at F-Secure.

Dublin Information Sec 2018, Ireland's cybersecurity conference, takes place at the RDS on October 15 for the third year running.

To get more information and to buy tickets click here.

Speaking ahead of the conference, Hypponen highlighted Ireland's growing role as a European headquarters for multinationals and the importance of vigilance as a result.

"Cybersecurity is especially important in Ireland, as so many global technology companies have their European operations based there," he told the Sunday Independent.

"Today, every company is a software company."

He added that organisations need to focus on detecting breaches and responding to them, not just keeping attackers out of networks.

"Today, cybersecurity is more important than ever. It should be a permanent topic on the board meeting agendas of any large companies," he said.

"How many of the Fortune 500 companies are hacked right now? Well, 500," he added.

Themes that will be addressed at the conference range from regulation, including a General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) health check, to the impact of Brexit as well as ways to improve your organisation's security health, from cloud to Saas, and the emerging mass security problems as well as the risks and the threats to your business.

According to the latest 'Global CEO Outlook' from international consulting firm KPMG, US chief executives, with whom digital agendas rank high, list cybersecurity as the biggest risk when it comes to business growth.

The international survey also showed that chief executives are concerned by the risks posed by disruptive technology.

Closer to home, a recent report from PwC on economic crime and fraud showed more than 10pc of Irish businesses that have been hit by cyber criminals lost more than 4m each in the past two years as a result of the attacks.

It found half of Irish companies had been victims of economic crime within the past two years - up from 34pc in 2016 and 26pc in 2010.

The findings are part of a global PwC survey that included 7,200 participants in 123 countries. In Ireland, 77 firms took part and PwC said the respondents represented all key industries and sectors.

The survey revealed cyber crime was the top economic crime here, having overtaken asset misappropriation for the first time.

Phishing - where fraudulent emails are used to lure unsuspecting recipients into revealing data, such as bank or credit card details, from which money is then stolen - was the most prominent technique for targeted cyber attacks (66pc of cases), followed by malware in 56pc of cases.

The conference will also address the recently introduced GDPR, the EU legal framework that establishes guidelines for the collection and processing of personal information of individuals in member states.

The deadline for compliance was May 25 and while it is early days in terms of how businesses are adapting to the new rules, research commissioned by cloud aggregator and IT distributor MicroWarehouse showed that the most common action taken by firms post the GDPR is amendments to data breach procedures where one third of respondents to the survey had made this move.

It also showed that larger firms spent more money and resources on ensuring their firms were GDPR compliant.

And, worryingly, despite growing concerns internationally against the backdrop of increasing numbers of state-sponsored attacks, cybersecurity is not high on the agenda of Irish boardrooms or management.

According to the MicroWarehouse survey, 35pc of firms said that the issue is never discussed at management level, while only 13pc said it was one of the main priorities for their organisation.

As cyber, data and security threats become more sophisticated, Dublin Information Sec 2018 is the ideal forum to future-proof your business.

Other speakers at Dublin Information Sec 2018 include Dr Ciaran Mc Mahon, director of the Institute of Cyber Security and academic psychologist; Maria Farrell, writer and tech policy consultant; Rahim Jina, co-founder Edgescan; Brian Honan, chief executive at BH Consulting; Michael Gubbins, Garda head of cybersecurity; James Chappell, co-founder Digital Shadows; Bill Buchanan, professor at Edinburgh Napier University, and Adrian Weckler, technology editor with Independent News & Media.

Dublin Information Sec 2018 is an Independent News & Media event. The conference takes place on October 15. For further information go to www.independent.ie/infosec18
Minister for Children Katherine Zappone has said staff who moderate content on all social media websites should undergo child protection training offered by Tusla.

Ms Zappone made the call amid the storm of controversy over Facebook.

An investigation by Channel 4's Dispatches programme found disturbing posts, including violent videos involving assaults on children, remained on Facebook after being reported by users and reviewed by moderators. It featured an undercover reporter who went to work at CPL Resources, which acts as Facebook's largest centre for UK content moderation.

Ms Zappone said safeguarding best practice procedures for organisations are set out in the State's Children First National Guidance. She said Tusla, the child and family agency, offers training in the area.

Ms Zappone called on all social media providers to ensure their moderator and subcontractor staff undertake Children First training. She suggested this could be done through Tusla online training.

Almost 170,000 childcare professionals, teachers, medical professionals, gardai and social workers have completed this course. The Independent TD said: "These people are now better equipped to work with children and spot the signs when something is wrong. I would urge social media companies to allow their staff to do the same."

Ms Zappone said it could help end the "bad practice" highlighted in recent days.

Earlier last week, Facebook mounted a defence of its policies after the investigation.

Siobhan Cummiskey, a public policy manager at Facebook, said "in the vast majority of circumstances" content involving violence against a child was removed. She said there were narrow exceptions where leaving the post online could help bring the child to safety. Facebook also passes on information to law enforcement agencies so they can take steps to help the child. It has a "zero-tolerance" policy for child exploitation images.

Last night, a spokesperson for Facebook said creating a safe environment for its users was the company's "top priority" and they would be "happy for Tusla to come in and talk to our content reviewers".

"All our content review teams are trained in how to recognise child exploitation imagery. We welcome close collaboration between industry, experts and government to address the important issue of child safety, many of whom we have strong working relationships with," they added.

A spokesperson for CPL Resources said the organisation "fully supports" the Children First initiative and said the company "has trained over 700 people in child protection, incorporating Children First".

The spokesperson insisted CPL Resources "employs best practice across all of its processes, including relevant training for all its employees".

They said CPL has carefully noted the issues raised on the Dispatches programme and "in conjunction with Facebook, took immediate action to address these". The statement said this has included refresher training conducted by Facebook personnel "to ensure our relevant employees remain up-to-date with Facebook policy and its implementation".

Communications Minister Denis Naughten met Facebook Ireland executives last Thursday and expressed his "disgust" at the revelations.

His officials are to meet representatives of Facebook again tomorrow. The social media company is to deliver a presentation of their review of the matter and provide detail of the steps they're taking to address the issues raised in the Channel 4 programme.

The Government has come under pressure over the lack of a timeline in its Action Plan for Online Safety for the appointment of a Digital Safety Commissioner (DSC) which had been promised by Mr Naughten as early as this year.

The new office would have powers to get tech companies to remove content from their site. There is said to be "jurisdictional and other legal issues" in relation to the DSC that require greater scrutiny.

Fianna Fail children spokesperson Anne Rabbitte said the appointment of a DSC was a most pressing issue in the wake of the Dispatches programme. She said: "It is no longer acceptable to allow internet giants to 'regulate' themselves."
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday warned the USA against taking aggressive action that could lead to war with Iran.

Iran's oil exports could fall by as much as two-thirds by the end of the year because of new USA sanctions, putting oil markets under huge strain amid supply outages elsewhere in the world.

Rouhani's apparent warning on July 3 to disrupt oil shipments from neighbouring countries came in reaction to looming United States sanctions and efforts by the administration of President Donald Trump to force all countries to halt purchases of Iranian oil.

Even though Rouhani did not mention the Strait of Hormuz, his comments were nonetheless seen as a threat to the narrow strategic passageway located between Iran and Oman, where at least 18.5m barrels of oil were transported every day in 2016, according to a USA energy department report.

US President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out of a 2015 deal signed by President Obama.

After the USA pulled out of the nuclear agreement, Iran made clear that it wants to keep the deal alive, but only if the remaining five powers can guarantee that Iran will not face economic isolation under the sanctions that the US has started to revive.

Addressing Iranian diplomats, Mr Rouhani said: "America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars".

Also in a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his cabinet in Tehran on July 15, Ayatollah Khamenei said the European signatories to the nuclear deal must provide Tehran with necessary guarantees about the continued implementation of the deal.

Washington initially planned to totally shut Iran out of global oil markets after Trump abandoned the deal that limited Iran's nuclear ambitions, demanding all other countries to stop buying its crude by November.

Iranian officials have in the past threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for any hostile US action.

"Negotiations with the Europeans must continue, but we must not wait for their offer indefinitely", said Khamenei.

While Tehran still wants to go further in negotiations with Europe, Khamenei said that sitting down with Washington would be useless.
Tech investor Brendan Morrissey is to launch a "bespoke social network" for children and teenagers with dyslexia and ADHD. Stock Image

Tech investor Brendan Morrissey is to launch a "bespoke social network" for children and teenagers with dyslexia and ADHD.

Kilkenny-based Morrissey, who has a 300m venture capital fund with a range of tech investments, has partnered with the Irish Dyslexic Association and plans similar tie-ins with dyslexia associations around the world.

"One in 10 children suffer with a learning disorder so the market is enormous," said Morrissey. "On average, three children in every classroom are dyslexic."

Morrissey, who originally achieved success with 1990s rock band My Little Funhouse, said he built iDyslexic to help his son with his education.

"I left school at 15 to work with my dad because of my dyslexia. I went on to become a musician because there was no academic path. You find your way through it and discover what you love. For me, that was music," he said.

The key aim of the network is "to let children know they are not alone", he added.

"Dealing with the stigma of their condition daily is such a struggle. We're building a community to surround them with the people who love and support them. With geometrics they can see other iDyslexic users to connect and build friendships with.

"For the family it connects them with other parents in the same position. For the school it will save time and possibly classes if they can control homework and daily tasks."

Morrissey is a shareholder at eSchools, one of the UK's leading e-learning platforms, and at Wonde, which he described as Europe's "fastest-growing ed tech [educational technology] company."

"So that's our route to market. Wonde operates in half of the UK's schools. By mid-2019 we will operate in 95pc of schools." The platform is expected to go live globally at the end of September and will cost 19.99 per year for families. Morrissey said this was to cover costs and it was a not-for-profit venture.

"It's a sizable investment but there's a purpose beyond profit with some of my education projects. The apps will be free to use, but to upgrade and create a secure portal we have to charge to cover administration costs. I'm focusing on building tech that will assist people and make their lives better. We're currently working on projects for autism, Alzheimer's, cancer and a platform for the homeless," he said.
Brian Lawrence, 25yrs, of St Finians Grove, Lucan, Dublin pictured at the Four Courts for his Circuit Civil Court action.Pic: Collins Courts

A Dublin man, who stated in a 60,000 personal injury claim that he was jobless, had been driving an AMG Mercedes recently in the UK and was currently driving a 2017 Mercedes around Dublin, a judge has heard.

The cars driven by Brian Lawrence (25), of St Finian's Grove, Lucan, were drawn to the attention of the Circuit Civil Court by barrister Shane English after Mr Lawrence had withdrawn his claim and only minutes after his wife Tina had her own 60,000 claim thrown out.

Judge Patrick Quinn told Tina Lawrence to step out of the witness box after saying he had heard enough of her evidence to justify dismissing her case.

The judge earlier adjourned her case for five minutes to see if her memory would return regarding a number of claims she was alleged to have made.

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Mr English told Ms Lawrence he would present proof she was not even in a taxi in which she claimed she had been injured along with her husband. He told her she was "lying through her teeth" about previous accidents she allegedly could not remember.

"You have no idea to what extent Allianz Insurance, on behalf of its insured, has gone to in order to defend these proceedings and reject the lies you are spinning," Mr English told her.

He said there were numerous other claims involving people associated with these and other proceedings and he would produce garda evidence she was not in the taxi.

Mr English said Allianz had brought case handlers from other insurers who would tell of other numerous accidents involving the Lawrences.

When her husband's case was called immediately afterwards, the court was told he was withdrawing his claim and that the couple had already left.

After Mr English referred to the Mercedes cars Mr Lawrence had been and was driving, counsel for the Lawrences said he had been told Mr Lawrence had inherited certain monies and it had not been denied there had been an accident.
A leading obesity expert has criticised the Cadbury chocolate company's mission to encourage children "to get outdoors" for a day of physical activity in the midst of Ireland's obesity crisis.

Speaking to the Sunday Independent, Prof Donal O'Shea questioned the damage confectionery firms are doing to the health of young children, while at the same time funding children's charities and events.

Prof O'Shea, lead clinician for a hospital-based multi-disciplinary obesity service at St Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, warned the companies "want to get kids when they are young" and said confectionery firm-run activity camps are "genius from their point of view. It is sinister and cynical and planned".

His views come as Cadbury announced "everyone's favourite chocolate frog [Freddo]" is on a "mission to promote and encourage children and families to get outdoors and make the most of life and the adventures on offer".

The camp is the latest outdoor activity centre run by a confectionery food company, following Tayto Park Ireland.

On a chocolate company running a children's activity camp, he said Cadbury "has to be seen to be doing something about the obesity epidemic at a corporate level, so they will see the camp as something that will tick that box".

He added: "There is an obesity epidemic and a 10-fold rise in the number of kids who are obese that is being driven by their industry. So Cadbury is in a difficult position because they can only promote physical activity to get healthy because if they promote 'eating less', then their market gets hit."

The industry argues there is more to the obesity epidemic than food intake, but Prof O'Shea warned that the poor quality of our food consumption is 70pc of the problem.

Addressing the Freddo chocolate theme park, which will feature canoeing, biking, picnicking and zip-lining, he said: "Everything [confectionery food companies] do is aimed at improving product visibility and advertising for a younger age group. They want to get kids when they are young."

He warned that Government and leading charities now need to take responsibility and stop accepting money from the industry.

"Ronald McDonald sponsoring a wing at the new children's hospital and Coca-Cola and the Just Eat fast-food service sponsoring Dublin bikes is all more of the same behaviour," he said. "There is no doubt about it, I think that charities and the Government should say 'no thank you' where it is appropriate."

Asked if he tires of speaking out against confectionery food tactics, he said: "No, for two reasons. First of all, we are meeting people on a daily basis who are in the position they are because of this toxic-obesogenic environment, so you simply can't afford to tire of it. I get energy from seeing the patients who struggle.

"And the second reason I don't get tired is that it's just fascinating to see the tactics the industry use. They are really good at what they do and these are examples of that. They don't get tired of it, therefore we can't either."

Speaking about a recent visit to Tayto Park, he said: "I have been there and it's a lovely day out with the family but you end up with crisps coming out of your ears.

"There are crisps collection points. It is extraordinary and I would liken the Freddo chocolate healthy day to being something very similar to what Tayto are doing at Tayto Park, which is massive advertising and branding."

A spokesperson for Cadbury said: "Camp Freddo is a family event and all promotional material for it is aimed at parents. Cadbury does not market to children and always promotes responsible consumption. Cadbury Ireland has been involved in fund-raising for Barnardos for many years and is very proud to assist the organisation."

Tayto Park declined to comment.
A medical specialist has warned that an urgent response is needed to combat rapidly spreading sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, in Ireland.

The strong re-emergence of syphilis and gonorrhoea has seen 'traditional' venereal infections reach "record levels", said Dr Derek Freedman, one of the nation's most experienced sexually transmitted disease specialists, who recently hosted the International Union against Sexually Transmitted Infections (IUSTI) 2018 World Congress in Dublin.

Increasingly risky behaviour, linked to unprotected sex, has meant there is a need for a big increase in front-line doctors and clinic capacities, he said. The booming Irish economy has contributed to the big increase in STDs in Ireland: 'have money - will party' and migration to Ireland for work, together with a rise in "risky" sexual behaviour, he said.

The biggest increases in STDs were among gay men, he said.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre figures for the last week in June show there were 28 new cases of gonorrhoea, bringing the total so far this year to 1,019. The weekly total for new syphilis cases was eight, bringing the number of cases in the past six months to 261.

There were 155 new cases of chlamydia, bringing the total so far this year to 3,699.

Dr Freedman told the Sunday Independent: "In the 1990s, I might have seen two or three cases of gonorrhoea a year. Now, I would see two or three cases in a single day.

"There is a syphilis epidemic going on as we speak. I might have seen a handful of cases a year in the past. Now I'm seeing that in a month."

Latest figures show more than 7,000 people in Ireland have the HIV virus and it is estimated there are more than 900 people with the virus who remain undiagnosed.

Today the importance of early diagnosis and starting treatment as soon as possible is recognised everywhere. At the IUSTI congress, same-day diagnosis and treatment was reported from a New York walk-in neighbourhood clinic with very good results.

Where successful HIV treatment has resulted in patients' viral loads being brought down to undetectable levels, it would be "utterly unusual" for the patient to pass on HIV through sex, Dr Freedman said.

"One suspects that treatment for HIV is now so effective, people are going out cruising, partying much more. Fuelled by alcohol usually, casual encounters result in infection risk and often overburdening anxiety," the Dublin-based specialist added.

"The public clinics are unfortunately completely under-resourced to manage the infections which are in the city today."

An HSE spokeswoman said that in 2016 and 2017, the HIV notification rate in Ireland was 10.6 per 100,000 population, compared with 5.7 per 100,000 in EU/EEA countries.
A woman who spent time in the foster care system has said she feared being judged.

There are currently 6,200 children in State care for a variety of reasons - from neglect and abuse to family breakdowns and mental health issues.

The majority of children in care are placed with a foster family, while around 8pc are placed in residential care centres.

Anne* (29) experienced both of these settings throughout her nine years in care. While children in care are faced with many challenges, she says one of the biggest hurdles she faced was overcoming the stigma.

Stigma

As a child growing up in care, the issue I faced was being a child in care and people knowing I was a child in care, says Anne, who went into care at the age of nine.

Annes biological mother battled an addiction and in the years prior to entering care she had moved around homeless with her younger brother as a result.

When she was separated from her brother, who was placed in a residential care centre for boys, she expected to be reunited with him and her mother shortly after. Two years into her stay however, a social worker called into the centre to deliver the news that her mother had passed away.

She and her brother instantly became reliant on the state care system for the rest of their childhoods.

One of the things I remember about my mam dying was my line worker at the time coming on shift. She was off that day and she had come in to tell my brother and myself that she had passed. I thought it was nice at the time that she had come to tell me herself.

She says she was naive to think things could go back to the way they were before she was in care, but realises she was just a child at the time.

Looking back now I know that wasnt really feasible. My mam was really struggling to give up her addiction. We werent seeing her as often or she was presenting drunk at the time, it wasnt always appropriate.

The circumstances we were living in beforehand werent appropriate for children and there were levels of abuse happening. My brother and I suffered a lot of neglect and we didnt have anywhere to live. We had one hostel in town that was our go-to place if everything else failed.

We had lived in some flats in town, we had lived in Focus Ireland accommodation due to the circumstances but a hostel was our safe haven really.

When she was 12, a social worker decided to place an advertisement in the local newspaper calling for families or couples to foster Anne and her brother.

A couple came forward who were willing to foster both Anne and her brother.

The move from a residential care unit into a new home can be a daunting experience for children in those situations and the fear of being judged can be overwhelming.

I didnt want people to judge me for it and I didnt want people to be asking me questions about why I was different; asking me why my surname was different than my foster carers or about how I had just arrived in this area, on this street with two people who had lived here for 20 years already. Now Im their daughter who has just rocked in at the age of 12.

Pity Factor

The reaction when people hear that she grew up in care today as an adult is the same as it was when she was a child in care, according to Anne. She calls it the pity factor.

People either say ah God love you, or ah you had a terrible life," she laughs.

I came into care when I was nine years of age and prior to that I had lived with my mam and brother in homeless services.

There is that image of what a child in care is, what they look like, or how they behave and what they dress like. That isnt whats actually correct. My care experience is part of my life but its not the only part

Anne speaks confidently about her experiences now, embracing everything that she has come through but in the past public perception did impact how she saw herself.

I wouldnt have always been open about it because I was, to some degree, embarrassed by it, she says.

Peter Lane who is Advocacy officer with EPIC, an independent organisation that offers support to children during and after care, says there is a misunderstanding of the people who come through care.

First and foremost we have to see them as children, he says of those in care, adding "children who are going through the same things that any young person is going through.

Sometimes, there is neglect and abuse but sometimes these things may not be the case It could be mental health issues that parents have and it may just be for a short time that a child is in care.

There are 6,200 kids in care so thats 6,200 totally different stories. Theyre not all working class, some are middle class and there are so many different stories.

Negative Coping Mechanisms

Speaking of her own experiences of foster care the now 29-year-old Anne admits at times she found it difficult to engage with others and felt misunderstood. Children in care experience life in a way that other children dont, she says.

Often this experience leads to negative coping mechanisms as a result of circumstances out of a childs control.

I was always trying to figure out what people wanted from me. If they were giving me something, was there something I would have to do in return?

Foster children mightnt have contact with their birth family, they mightnt know what weight they were when they were born, they dont know all the stories that got them to where they are now.

All the other children get to go home and ask those questions, to see those pictures and to relive the memories. Foster children dont often have that because of the circumstances.

For children in care a lot of children have placement moves so they learn not to trust people, they learn to push people away and they learn that the biggest voice is the loudest voice and the one that gets the support. 

Despite all of the challenges she faced as a child in foster care, Anne says her foster parents provided a safe space to come to terms with everything.

My mam said she understood where we had come from and what had happened. She knew she would never replace my [birth] mam but she was going to love me like my mam and that for me was just a lovely piece for her to say.

I had good relationships with staff in residential care but it wasnt the same care as they would be gone the next day. Then here was this man and woman who were there 24/7 and just wanted the best for us.

Today Anne works as an advocate for children in care. She has concerns that the negative images of children in care could discourage people from being foster carers as demands in that area increase.

All you hear is of the lack of planning and there is a need for more training for foster carers, she says.

There is no incentive there."

If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in this article you can contact EPIC on 01 872 7661.

*Name changed to protect the identity of her brother
The accident happened on Highway 21 Photo: Wikimedia Commons

A 21-year-old Irish woman has been killed in a single-vehicle crash on a highway in Canada.

The accident happened north of Maidstone, Saskatchewan on Wednesday.

She was the only person travelling in the car.

Emergency services responded at the scene at around 10.30am Canada time (16:30pm Irish time) after the car rolled over on Highway 21.

A spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed to Independent.ie that the young woman's family has been notified.

In a news release issued yesterday, police said the crash is still under investigation.

More to follow...
A fire that forced hundreds of holidaymakers to evacuate a popular beach could have ended in "tragedy" may have been sparked by a barbecue, Defence Minister Paul Kehoe has said.

The alarm was raised about the blaze in the sand dunes at Wexford's Curracloe beach shortly after 11.30am on Sunday morning.

The beach was evacuated, traffic was diverted and people were urged to avoid the area while the emergency services tackled the blaze.

Minister Kehoe said that a barbecue may have caused the fire.

The Wexford TD told Independent.ie: "I was at the scene between 5pm and 9pm this evening, Wexford fire crew had been called to the area initially and then they called for back up from other fire stations, gardai and the air corps were also there and they managed to get it under control.

"I heard that it may have caused by a barbecue, if this is true I hope gardai do investigate as that is just completely irresponsible.

"The sand dunes are popular with people who are camping and there is some suggestion that there may have been a party and someone was using a barbecue.

"This is so dangerous and we have been warned so much over the past few weeks about the risk of fire - we haven't had any rain in the south-east in eight weeks so the land was dry as a bone and as we saw today the fire spread rapidly."

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The Fine Gael Deputy said that he is relieved that there was no loss of life following the blaze.

"Raven's Point is a woodland is a forest trail near the beach that would be particularly busy on a Sunday with walkers, if the wind had been going the other way it could have spread there.

"The area was also busy with people on the beach and those camping and staying in holiday homes nearby, this could have been detrimental, an absolute tragedy, we're lucky."

He also praised those who worked together to tackle the fire.

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Minister Kehoe said: "The emergency workers showed once again what real heroes they are, I would like to commend members of the Wexford Fire Brigade, especially its chief Fire Officer Paul LEstrange, members of An Garda Siochana , the ambulance service and of course the Air Corps for their efforts in bringing this situation under control.

"I would also like to thank the local farmers who came with tankers of waters to help, it was great to see everyone working together."

The Surf Shack in Curracloe said all surf lessons have been called off for the rest of the day, as owner Jack-Tim Murphy described the scene of the emergency.

Speaking on Beat 102-103, he said: "We are located right on the beach and we had surf lessons going on this morning, at half-eleven we saw a bit of smoke from the sand dunes and I phoned it in straight away to the fire brigade.

"About forty minutes later they were on scene and the flames had got completely out of control and we could see eight to 10 foot flames from the Surf Shack, it spread very quickly over a five to ten acre area which is all completely blackened now but they seem to have it under control now.

"The whole beach has been evacuated but there was maybe 800 people on the beach and around 200 to 250 cars and they evacuated them within about half an hour, they were very quick on the evacuation."

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

Curracloe beach was a filming location for the award-winning movie Saving Private Ryan and Mr Murphy remarked that it looks similar today after the blaze.

"It looks like a scene from Saving Private Ryan, it looks like a scene a war movie down here, its' just smoke and you can't see 20 feet in front of you, it's just smoke covering the beach and all the buildings," he said.

In June 1997, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and a host of other actors and crew, arrived to film scenes for the Hollywood war epic.

The filming lasted two months, with the Irish Defence Forces supplying 2,500 men to act as extras.
How the mighty are falling.

Remember when Simon Cowell was an untouchable shiny-floor dictator?

During The X Factor's golden era (the noughties), viewers couldn't get enough of watching pop wannabes hurl themselves like showbiz lemmings off a reality TV cliff into the Syco abyss.

For ITV, Cowell could do no wrong - he brought in serious advertisement wedge and appeared to have clout in pop circles and political spheres. Back in 2008, the then British prime minister Gordon Brown wrote letters to all the X Factor finalists, wishing them well. Surely he has better things to be doing in the middle of the financial crash?

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Cowell was also adroit at shrugging off his TV flops - Red or Black?/ X Factor USA, and the truly dreadful Food Glorious Food.

But in the Year of our Lord 2017, ratings for The X Factor plunged to a historic low - an average of just 6.5 million a week. That may sound massive, but is a considerable drop when compared to the 14 million tuning in during its heyday.

It seems our appetite for plucky OAPs/ spunky teens/ last-chance-saloon-thirty-somethings with redemptive backstories has waned. It's a reality TV field that needs to lie fallow for a few years.

Unfortunately for ITV, they and Syco are now in the second year of a three-year X Factor contract. Cowell can't do much about the contestants applying, but the panel can be reworked.

And so, he let our very own Louis Walsh walk away, before bringing in a new panel consisting of ex-One Directioner Louis Tomlinson, Robbie Williams - back from Russia - and William's wife and former Days of Our Lives soap actress Ayda Field.

Far be it for me to suggest that Williams contractually stipulated his wife be roped into the show. But Ayda is a rather unusual choice of judge, to say the least.

Apart from marrying Williams, she doesn't appear to have any actual connection with the music industry.

Granted, she has clocked up some TV airtime since moving to the UK - mainly as a panellist on Loose Women.

There, she has broached a variety of subjects. These included convincing Robbie Williams to get his back waxed, discussing the social isolation that engulfs you when attending a party with Robbie Williams, and faking orgasms with Robbie Williams. No prizes for guessing her Mastermind specialist subject.

Sensing people may question her place on the panel, Robbie defended his wife's 'underdog judging status' at the launch this week. "Ayda is a member of the public, and they never get it wrong," he said.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement, is it?

I'm also sceptical Robbie will be able to take a back-seat role, and won't spend the majority of the show rushing the stage to perform an impromptu rendition of 'Candy'. But the reason the inclusion of Robbie and Ayda (and to a lesser extent Louis T) stings is because there will be no Louis Walsh.

And Louis is reality TV gold. So, his compliments/criticism may have become a little familiar: ('You look like a pop star!'/ 'You could be a young Lenny Henry!'/ 'You're like something from a Blackpool variety show!').

But he is good at riling people up, will happily chuck glasses of water over contestants' heads, and ensures an Irish act always gets through. Let's not forget this is the man who gave us Jedward. Or perhaps we should forget that.

Perhaps Cowell thinks bringing in Robbie, Louis and Ayda will attract a younger audience. But they've flown the coup - happy watching highlights on YouTube.

By letting Louis go - and reducing the screen time of his partner in crime Sharon Osbourne - Cowell may have isolated his most loyal viewers, and hobbled the series before it begins.

Sexts and the most common mistakes of erotica

Where does he find the time? That was the first thing that crossed my mind when I heard that Tory MP Andrew Griffiths had sent 2,000 sex messages to two barmaids within the space of three weeks.

That's an average of 95 messages a day! It's almost more startling than the contents of the messages themselves. I said almost.

I'm not going to go into the detail - this is a family paper - but he made reference to all the following: Queen Elizabeth II's ill heath, public speaking, dressing women up as pigs (what is it with Tory MPs and pigs?), and the inconvenience of work meetings running over time. Griffiths has subsequently resigned, and apologised for his abysmal behaviour (his poor, poor wife was pregnant at the time).

In the UK, websites have been ranking the sexts from least to most disgusting, but would anyone's raunchy messages sound good when printed in the pages of red tops?

Writing anything remotely erotic is really tough.

I know this first-hand because when the 50 Shades of Grey book was released, my editor at the time sent me along to an X-rated writing course titled 'The Language of Seduction'.

It was taught by erotic novelist Evie Blake (no relation) who told me that I had "the perfect name" to segue into the genre.

"Someone called Kirsty Blake Knox should only write filthy things."

Evie was a great teacher and warned us of common erotica mistakes. "Nobody wants to hear about you shagging your boyfriend in the missionary position after Sunday lunch," she said, advising us to "keep things naughty".

She was also against using convoluted metaphors, or going into unnecessary descriptions of bodily fluids.

Towards the end of the seminar, one of my fellow pupils asked the million dollar question: "What's the best way to describe a willy?"

We were told length was a good option but we should use our imagination. Then we had to write a scene about someone's bottom. I couldn't do it. I blushed, and made an excuse when I was asked to read out my scene.

So part of me was impressed at the tenacity of Griffiths to keep going - 2,000 sexts - that's a novella right there.

TOPS

Sex symbol Eamonn Holmes

Unlikely on-screen crush, according to Love Island's Laura.

The 'mamma mia! Here we go again' press tour

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Combining two icons - Christine Baranski (left) and Cher (right).

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Sea swims

Hammerhead sharks are headed our way due to warming seas. Stay out of the water.

Middle children

Facing extinction as the nuclear family reduces in size. Sob.

SAY WHAT?

Theyre only short of going to the shop for you

Dublin resident Lynn Slattery talks about the self-assured nature of Dublins rat population.
Pope Francis must address the "wounds" caused by clerical child sex abuse when he visits Ireland next month, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said yesterday.

The Pope's two-day visit takes place on August 25 and 26 and coincides with the World Meeting of Families.

Some 80,000 people are expected for the climax of the gathering at Croke Park, with attendees from 116 countries.

Pope Francis will hear testimony from families from India, Iraq, Ireland and Burkina Faso on a wide range of topics.

The Festival of Families at the GAA headquarters will be a two-hour spectacle of music, dance and worship. The music line-up for the World Meeting of Families includes Daniel O'Donnell, Nathan Carter and Riverdance.

Hollywood actor and musician Patrick Bergin will also perform and five families will share their stories with Pope Francis.

A 50-strong orchestra and more than 700 Irish sean nos and contemporary dancers will also perform at the event.

All 500,000 tickets for the Mass that Pope Francis will celebrate in the Phoenix Park have been snapped up, along with the 45,000 tickets for the visit to Knock shrine earlier that day.

The pontiff will also visit Dublin Castle and the Pro-Cathedral, before a private visit to the Capuchin Day Centre for homeless families.

Yesterday on The Marian Finucane Show on RTE radio, Archbishop Martin said it is important that Pope Francis does not address the issue of abuse as part of the church's history but as part of the present because "the wounds are there and new wounds are emerging".

Archbishop Martin said that if he had been asked two years ago, he would have been talking about institutions and abuse by clergy.

But now, he said there are the Magdalene Laundries, the Mother and Baby homes and a whole series of other places where abuse is emerging as a sad dimension of the way the church developed.

He said Pope Francis recognises that Ireland has changed and that is one of the reasons he is coming.

He was also asked about the Pope's reaction to the same-sex marriage and abortion referendums.

He stated that Pope Francis never got involved but there was surprise at the numbers who voted in favour of the proposals.

Because the Pope does not speak English, there will be English text displayed on screens at events.

Asked about the dropping of references to same-sex families in promotional material for the World Meeting of Families, he said there was discomfort with one picture that he believed would have given the impression that the events were "only about gays".

He said he took responsibility for that and he added that non-traditional families were welcome.

Dr Martin said that he thought the Catholic Church's phrase "intrinsically disordered" was an unfortunate one to describe homosexuality and he said they had to get rid of language that was offensive.

Last week, the Cabinet was briefed on the papal visit and ministers were told that the State should use the visit of to send a message that Ireland is diverse, inclusive and respectful.

The arrival of the pontiff in Ireland was described as a "significant visit by one of the most recognised leaders" and that the State would provide all the necessary assistance that is appropriate for such a visit.

Ministers were also told there are health and safety concerns and security risks associated with the visit.

The Cabinet was told that among those risks is the age profile of the audience, the length of time individuals will be in the venues and transportation to and from the events.

Pope Francis will also travel through Dublin city centre, which carries a security risk.

Last Thursday, Archbishop Martin said the Festival of Families aims at celebrating family life.

"Family is central to any society. Family is the backbone of inter-generational solidarity and of the passing on of values from one generation to the next. Families face challenges. Families face challenges and at times shame all of us who watch them face difficulties while society fails them," he said.

The Archbishop added that Pope Francis will go to the Capuchin centre especially to be with families who are homeless or living in hotel rooms and who come to the centre every day because they could never have a regular meal together otherwise.

But he warned: "Pope Francis will not work miracles. In a visit of little more than 36 hours, it will not be possible for him to design a new roadmap for the Irish church.

"At most he can offer the Irish church the instruments on which that new road map can be drawn.

"We all have to understand, however, that while you can still draw maps on paper, maps today are different. They are interactive and constantly being updated. Pope Francis will challenge the Irish church to be authentically the church in a changed culture," he added.
When pressed in interviews, they defended Trump's conduct or begged ignorance, citing what some claimed as a complicated policy matter.

"Interpreting Trump's comments is a treacherous business, he says one thing at noon and another at 1 p.m." said Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who served in the Obama Administration. Once a month I eat at the International House of Pancakes. "That's my foreign policy experience", said Ron Kaufman, a longtime RNC committeeman from MA and former political director for President George H.W. Bush.

That being said, Montenegro is in Europe's most geopolitical fraught region and because of this, there is a great amount of truth to what Trump states. I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be. but I have confidence in both parties.

It was a different story last summer when the RNC formally condemned Nazis and the KKK after Trump's muddled response to violent protests by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Since then, Trump has said he misspoke and that he holds Putin responsible for election interference.

Like the White House this week, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats was backpedaling on Saturday after his off-the-cuff reaction, live on stage, drew collective gasps for its apparent shots at President Donald Trump. Trump later attempted to walk back the statement. They brought with them words of alarm from Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as well as from a host of congressional leaders and supporters of the president for whom Trump's public praise of Putin proved to be a bridge too far.

That didn't sit well with at least one prominent former RNC member.

"Who do you believe?", Lemire had asked, referring to Trump's well established disbelief in the US intelligence community's ironclad conclusions about Russia's efforts to subvert America's democracy.

Two letters got Donald Trump in trouble again later in the week.

"We build friendships, and we have not lost a single one, and at the same time we are able to boldly and defensively protect and defend our own national interests", the statement said. That contradicted the views of USA intelligence agencies so more clarifications had to follow. Although Montenegro was added to the alliance previous year, the USA president suggested that the US will not feel obligated to step in and protect the small nation if it went to war with, say, Russia. They are very strong people.

"A year and a half into his presidency, Trump's puzzling affinity for Putin has yet to be explained", Brian Bennett writes in the Time cover story. "I'll give that benefit of the doubt".

There were no note-takers present during the meeting-only Trump, Putin, and interpreters. The highly choreographed affairs had been sought out by the US leader as a way to boost his credibility overseas and his favorability at home, and he believed the latest one had accomplished the task.

If such agreements were indeed made, it seems the top U.S. officials tasked with carrying them out have not been informed. At a 2001 summit with Putin in Slovenia, Bush declared, "I looked the man in the eye".

"I am as opposed to Russians interfering in our elections as I am to racists trying to divide our country".
Thieves stole two pieces of equipment from a fire crew while they were carrying out an emergency call this evening.

Dublin Fire Brigade said that the incident happened while their fire crew was helping a person who had suffered a cardiac arrest in a pub in Cabra.

Unfortunately, while our fire crew were assitisting with a Cardiac Arrest in a pub on Fassaugh Avenue, #Cabra, two pieces of equipment were stolen off the fire engine. Similar to the pictures below if you have seen, or know where the equipment is please get in contact. pic.twitter.com/kKgI7YQ2kG  Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) July 22, 2018

They shared a photo of the stolen items on Twitter as they appealed for information.

"Unfortunately, while our fire crew were assisting with a cardiac arrest in a pub on Fassaugh Avenue, #Cabra, two pieces of equipment were stolen off the fire engine.

"Similar to the pictures below if you have seen, or know where the equipment is please get in contact."
A survivor of the Bethany mother and baby home has said he will report the institution to the gardai as he says "the children who died there deserved better."

Derek Leinster was born in the Dublin institution in 1941 to an unwed mother, he suffered mentally and physically and at one point nearly died after he was hospitalised with Bronchial Pneumonia, Diptheria, Pertussis, Enteritis.

Mr Leinster (77) was adopted when he was four but still has some medical problems which are linked to his time in the Bethany Home.

He is the founder of the Bethany Home Survivors Group and is determined to get justice for those who were abused at the institute, which was run by a committee of Protestant clergy and laypeople.

Mr Leinster, who now lives in Warwickshire in the UK, told Independent.ie: "I have thought about it long and hard but I have reported the Bethany Home to the gardai, it's a huge crime scene.

"These children were supposed to be protected and cared for but they weren't, instead they were starved ad abused.

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"Someone should be held to account over this, those children deserved better."

Mr Leinster said he contacted gardai last week with evidence he has collected over the years about the Bethany Home and he said he feels it's never too late to report what happened.

"I think the gardai should be investigating this, those who ran these homes should be exposed and this cannot continue to be brushed under the carpet.

"I'm not going to let people forget about this because those children mattered, they had rights.

"People have been put on trial for crimes committed during World War Two, time shouldn't be a barrier to the truth - gross crimes were committed against children," he added.

He continued to say: "Children were beaten, starved, uncared for, who knows what else went on?

"The State and the Church ignored the rights of children whose only 'crime' was being born out of wedlock."

A garda spokesman told Independent.ie that he could not comment on a case involving named individuals.
A leading medical consultant has spoken about a landmark moment in Ireland's battle with obesity, revealing he is treating a young patient weighing more than 330kg (51.9 stone) - too heavy for the hospital scales to weigh.

Three years after the stark warning from the World Health Organisation (Who) that Ireland is on course to become Europe's most obese nation, Prof Donal O'Shea said: "Our patients are getting bigger and they are getting younger." The professor - who has been at the forefront in Ireland's fight against obesity - told the Sunday Independent: "We had our first 'unweighable' patient on our scales.

"Our scales go up to 330kgs and we had a young person walk into the clinic who was over that. In this situation we just focused on other aspects of the patient's weight-related problems," he continued.

"Increasingly weight management clinics around the world are not able to weigh patients or are choosing not to, as they prefer to take the focus off a number that we know is very hard to shift. This allows you to set other meaningful targets like ability to self-care, tie shoe laces and increasing walking speed to cross the road safely."

Some 33pc of Irish adults will be obese by 2025, and this will lead to an annual cost to the State of 2.1bn.

Speaking about the life-altering situations his morbidly obese patients were facing on a daily basis, he said: "A number of GPs have spoken to me about patients who are totally confined to their homes because of their weight - and it's not immobility, it's can't get through the door frames.

"They will need to have the doors widened or knocked out when they die, or in the case of an emergency illness." "I recently travelled to Poland with a patient to talk to a meeting of GPs about the patient's perspective. It was a fascinating journey to walk at her pace through the airport, see the looks of disdain and disgust she is in receipt of all the time. Day-to-day living for the very obese individual is very challenging."

Dr O'Shea said the increasing weight and younger age profile of his patients "highlights that the environment is still winning in terms of driving obesity and that the food and drinks industry is still winning in terms of making the unhealthy choice the easy option".

And, in a stark warning about Ireland's future in terms of the obesity crisis, he said: "Things are levelling off with some evidence of reduction in the better-off and better-educated sections of society. But then you have a continued upward trend in the poorer parts of Ireland. This socioeconomic separation is the biggest challenge we face as a society in health terms."

He said: "If we continue on this track with the socio-economic separation we will have a true two-tier society with the best-off people living longer and with good access to healthcare, while the poorer with the largest illness burden will present later to a chronically underfunded health system that is already struggling to cope."

Asked what he would say to people who dismiss obesity statistics as being all down to 'personal responsibility', he said: "That's ignorance - and the kind of black-and-white view that, applied to any problem, is a recipe for argument. We know how complex a problem obesity is, genetically and environmentally. Personal responsibility is a key part of the solution - but not the whole thing."
Fianna Fail's decision on whether or not to renew the confidence and supply deal with Fine Gael will hinge on delivery in solving crises in health and housing, not "neat electoral timetables".

The warning from Micheal Martin came after Taoiseach Leo Varadkar asked him to agree to a general election in the summer of 2020 during a meeting in Co Kerry.

In an interview with the Sunday Independent, Mr Martin refused to be tied down on any date for the next election.

He said his party has honoured the confidence and supply deal "in good faith" and it will continue to do that.

And he put Mr Varadkar on notice that Fianna Fail won't be allowing him "carte blanche in terms of timetables or anything like that.

"We're focused on the issues and we will be influenced by the degree of progress on those issues," he said.

The pair met for more than an hour in the Great Southern Hotel in Killarney last Thursday night after weeks of sniping between the parties over the prospect of an early election. Mr Varadkar wants Fianna Fail to enter talks on renewing the deal that facilitates his minority government prior to the Budget.

Mr Martin has repeatedly insisted that talks on confidence and supply won't take place until the end of the year.

The parties released a joint statement on the meeting last Friday which outlined the broad issues that were discussed and gave a commitment that they would meet again in September.

There was anger in Fianna Fail when details of Mr Varadkar's proposal for a summer 2020 election emerged in The Irish Times yesterday.

Such timing would avoid the country going to the polls during crunch Brexit negotiations and would mean there'd be no clash with local and European elections next year.

Mr Martin said the election proposal was "just thrown out there" during the meeting and added "there wasn't any serious discussion at all of that".

He said their talks had been focused on the upcoming Budget, planned referendums and Brexit.

Mr Martin denied he had been painted into a corner by the call for a summer 2020 election. He branded this as "needless political speculation" and claimed "this is all about politics for Fine Gael".

He said there are "very serious issues" affecting people in housing and health, pointing to those who can't afford to buy houses - or are paying excessive rents - and waiting lists for operations in hospitals.

"We're not going to get obsessed with the politics of this. Focusing on the issues that affect people is what will influence our decisions, when we have to take decisions."

He refused to say when he foresees an election taking place. Instead, he said Fianna Fail is focused on progress on the measures in last year's Budget and talks ahead of the next Budget in October which he predicted will be "tough".

"Depending on how we get on in those negotiations, depending on whether or not there's delivery on key issues, that's what will determine our approach to confidence and supply in the future."

Mr Martin insisted he will not engage in speculation about the date of an election, saying it's "futile" and "missing the point".

He said Fianna Fail's focus is "not about neat electoral timetables, it's about delivering for people".
Payouts for personal injuries in Ireland are on average 4.4 times higher than in the UK, an analysis of the insurance payouts in both jurisdictions has found.

The analysis was carried out by the governments Personal Injuries Commission and has been submitted to Business Minister Heather Humphreys, with a series of recommendations on how to tackle high insurance costs.

Personal injury claims generally arise from motor, workplace or public place accidents, or medical negligence incidents. They can be resolved through direct settlement between parties, through the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) or through the Courts.

Ireland operates a fault-based system in relation to injury claims. The legislative/constitutional framework in Ireland is that the victim of an accident caused by the negligence of others is entitled to be compensated by the liable party.

While it was known that the payouts for injuries by Irish courts was higher, the difference of more than four times the average was unanticipated.

According to the report, Ireland has a very high frequency of whiplash claims, and that whiplash compensation levels are also significantly higher.

It is estimated that 80pc of motor personal injury claims currently reported are whiplash related. When compared to the UK, the whiplash claims are on an average three times higher.

The report concludes that soft-tissue injuries account for a large proportion of claims by volume in Ireland.

The Personal Injury Commission was established to investigate and report on different compensation models after car insurance premiums shot upto 70% between 2015 to 2017. The PIC was also tasked with investigating the potential for the establishment of a panel of medical experts for use in Court which would restrict the parties in personal injury proceedings to using experts from a panel designated by the Courts.

The PIC report was led by Nicholas Kearns, former president of the High Court. Reportedly, the second and final report by the PIC has been finalised is scheduled to be published in August or September.
The Pope's visit to Ireland next month will take an estimated 5m out of the annual garda budget, according to informed sources in the force.

An Garda Siochana will bear the costs of the extra policing and significant overtime expected to be incurred over the two-day visit at a time of stretched resources.

The 5m figure for policing what is anticipated to be an internationally televised event accounts for a quarter of the overall 20m cost of bringing Pope Francis to the Catholic Church's World Meeting of Families event.

The State will cover the cost of logistics and security, while the Catholic Church will contribute a substantial amount.

The Church has already raised around 5m in donations from church collections and through a fundraising drive.

In addition to the Garda's expected 5m tab, the State is also spending 1.2m for CCTV and public-address system for the event, according to recent reports.

The Office for Public Works put two contracts worth 1.5m out for tender. These are for security and stewarding services in the Phoenix Park and elsewhere, according to online news website, the Journal.ie

Garda resources are already stretched, according to senior sources, with policing and crime operations already affected by restrictions on overtime and certain policing programmes in some areas.

The Papal visit will require intense security not only over the expected 36 hours the pontiff is in Ireland, but also in the days beforehand.

The Pope will arrive in Dublin on Saturday, August 25 and will be welcomed to Ireland by President Michael D Higgins at Aras an Uachtarain.

The Pope will spend his first day attending the World Meeting of Families in Croke Park. The following day, he will fly to Knock to recite the Angelus at the Marian Shrine before an estimated 45,000 people.

He will then return to Dublin to celebrate the closing Mass of the World Meeting of Families in the Phoenix Park.

During his stay in Ireland he is also due to visit the Capuchin day centre in Dublin's city centre, Dublin Castle and Dublin's Pro Cathedral.

Hundreds of gardai will be redeployed from around the country to Knock and Dublin. Specialist units will be involved in the days beforehand in sweeping and securing points along the Pope's route. The Garda's air support unit will be deployed throughout the Pope's visit. The Defence Forces and the Air Corps will also be providing back-up for the duration of his visit.

Garda Assistant Commissioner Pat Leahy told the Dublin City Council's joint policing forum earlier this month that the event will require around 1,500 gardai to be assigned in Dublin alone. They will work up to 18-hour shifts.

The security will be at its peak at the Phoenix Park event on August 26, when an estimated 600,000 people are expected to attend the final Mass of the World Meeting of Families.

All the events are ticketed, and those who wish to attend must register online.
A ladybird might alight on an arm, to cling in a tinkling thrill, as a charmed child moved carefully to display one of nature's surprises.

A ladybird is a shiny scarlet beetle with black spots, a tiny purveyor of joy universally attractive to children, an insect welcomed without the anxiety triggered by other aerial buzzers of summer days.

The ladybird logo has appeared on clothing, crockery, slippers and books, the image inextricably linked to a toddler's world. It began with a brilliant idea for a book imprint in Loughborough, Leicestershire, by a man named Henry Wills, joined in 1904 in this enterprise by William Hepworth. Ladybird books still appear, augmented now by adult titles, under the umbrella of Penguin.

Ladybird insects - 19 species reckoned here with a seven-spot Coccinella the most commonly observed - are long livers (if not worn out by reproduction) and are tremendously useful in horticulture, feeding on aphids and mites, eating up to 50 a day.

They are safe from bird predators as they are evil-tasting and, if attacked, give off an unpleasant fluid. The insects hibernate under tree bark and in spring lay eggs under leaves and, after hatching, the grubs begin aphid feasting, pupate like butterflies and turn into ladybirds.

Warm summers should see lots of them about. (As readers have kindly notified, especially one north Leinster observer who has been counting yellowhammers!)

But there is a surprising side-story about the nursery- rhyme charmer whose name is believed to have some religious connotations - the Irish Bain De and Spanish Vaquilla de Dios translate as "God's Little Cow".

While most ladybirds gorge on aphids and some prefer plant mildew, they can also resort to cannibalism among young brothers and sisters when food stocks run low. But the real surprise in their varied spotted world is their wanton promiscuity, much of it unexplained.

Females may spread their favours widely for up to nine hours at a time, according to a genetic study at Cambridge University a decade ago. Dr Michael Majerus also found male insects were capable of producing multiple organisms which could damage their survival. He was reported as saying: "Ladybirds are lovely. Everybody loves them. But they are randy. The females are ridiculously promiscuous; the males unusually vibrant. We don't know why they do it."

He said, that by mating with a number of males, the females risked wasting some of their limited egg stock and also lost energy carrying males about. The male orgasm took more than an hour, "squandering" reproductive cells - the female's maximum capacity was for 18,000 sperm and each male package contained about 14,000. There was something theoretically wrong about this, he added. Ladybirds were also one of the few insect species that carried a sexually transmitted disease.

Whatever about such extraordinary lives, ladybirds destroy great numbers of greenfly to the enormous benefit of plants. In California, ladybird 'factories' are vital in controlling insect attacks on citrus crops. The randy pet beetle saves millions of dollars.
In September 1952, 17-year-old Mary Hazard left her home in Co Tipperary and travelled to Putney in London to train to be a nurse. It was the start of a 62-year career in Britain's National Health Service that only ended in 2014. In this extract from her memoir, 'Sixty Years a Nurse', Mary recalls what it was like to arrive in post-war London, where racial tensions ran high among some of the trainee nurses

In 1952, Putney took in about 20 new trainee nurses - mostly from Ireland, like me, but also from Holland, Germany, Hungary, Italy and England. There were strong, unresolved post-war feelings and I'm sorry to say that racism abounded, unchecked. Matron, a small intense woman called Miriam Sturgeon, said quite baldly to us that 'I'll take the Irish, because I need you, but I don't have to take the coloureds'.

However, the Dutch would not sit down with the Germans, even if they were Jewish, and there was a hell of a lot of strife between them then, which I found quite bewildering at first. One of my first new trainee friends was a lovely Dutch girl called Hanse. She was 19 and from Amsterdam, and she told me the most terrible story which explained her attitude towards the Germans...

She would stand up and eat, her back to the wall, and Sister would command, 'Sit down, nurse,' and Hanse would retort, saying, 'No, Sister, I'm fine where I am'. I'd be thinking, 'Oh, sweet Jesus, she's in for it,' and I'd entreat her to sit down next to me. 'I'm not sitting next to a verdammte Deutsche,' she'd spit. I didn't really understand the depth of her feelings or the reasons for them then at all. I was so naive back then. But Hanse would say, 'You know, Mary, the Germans killed us in Holland, just because we were hungry, so I'm not sitting down'.

Infuriated by this insubordination, Sister would stride off and get Matron, telling her there was a war still going on with the prelim nurses; Matron would then march back in, alongside Sister, and snap at the Dutch protesters, 'Have you no dignity, girls? Sit down'. Unperturbed, Hanse would say, 'Gott verdammt the lot of us'. Matron would bark, 'Well, you'll all have to learn to rub along together. The war is over now'. Indeed, on the wards she would not settle for anything else, despite Hanse's and Christe's painful feelings. We were told over and over we all had a job to do, and we had to get on and do it, regardless of any personal grudges or feelings. But the Dutch and the Germans were red rags to a bull, while the Irish were stuck in the middle with the English, for a change. For me, this was a real turn-up for the books.

Sixty Years a Nurse by Mary Hazard (with Corinne Sweet) is published by Harper Element
Donald Trump is back at the White House, leaving in his wake a Europe - and world - simultaneously gobsmacked and flummoxed that an American president could create so much chaos and controversy during less than a week abroad.

From his arrival in Brussels for Nato meetings on July 11 until the conclusion of his joint press conference with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on Monday, Trump proved to his hosts and others that instead of being his nation's chief diplomat, he was closer to personifying the role of Disrupter in Chief.

Long-established ways of conducting US foreign policy seemed insignificant throughout the trip - with precedent meaningless to this president. Allies received finger-in-the-eye treatment usually reserved for adversaries, while an abiding rival enjoyed benevolent smiles and encouraging words.

At a breakfast before the first formal Nato session, Trump began to throw verbal hand grenades in several directions - but chiefly at Germany. "Many countries are not paying what they should," he said, returning to a subject of enduring irritation before making his criticism specific.

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"Germany, as far as I'm concerned, is captive to Russia because it's getting so much of its energy from Russia," he stated. "We have to talk about the billions of dollars that's being paid to the country we're supposed to be protecting you against."

Thus began the week that was. By its end, and after Trump's articulation of many more aggravations, German foreign minister Heiko Maas offered his judgment. "We can no longer completely rely on the White House," he commented. "To maintain our partnership with the US, we must readjust it."

Then, without naming names, Maas got personal: "Europe must not let itself be divided, however sharp the verbal attacks and absurd the tweets may be."

The foreign minister's comments followed Trump's response to a television interviewer's question last weekend, asking the president to identify America's biggest foe in the world today.

"Well, I think we have a lot of foes," Trump answered.

"I think the European Union is a foe, what they do to us in trade. Now, you wouldn't think of the European Union, but they're a foe. Russia is a foe in certain respects. China is a foe economically, certainly they are a foe. But that doesn't mean they are bad."

Trump's ability to sow chaos and discord on an almost hourly basis is legendary, but there's a constancy to him, too, and it usually revolves around money and the degree to which he receives attention.

He's complained about the US getting cheated on trade for decades, and during the 2016 campaign he argued: "The problem with Nato: it's obsolete." In the next breath, he confessed: "Big statement to make when you don't know that much about it, but I learn quickly."

What Trump learned, however quickly, was that Nato depended on American financial backing at a level he couldn't abide, so he started pushing other member nations to stump up larger contributions.

Conflict comes easy

Challenging Nato countries to pay what he sees as their fair share might offend the leaders and citizens of the other 28 countries in the alliance, but Trump sees domestic political value in playing the bull in this china shop.

His supporters - his base of voters that he works so hard to keep happy and on his side - love that he's a fighter, and he consistently cultivates that impression, particularly in his daily Twitter blasts.

Conflict comes easily to Trump. For decades as a property developer and television personality, he created media attention for himself by picking fights with anyone he deemed not completely in his camp.

Operating that way, with fists always up, brought him continuous news coverage, especially in the bright lights of the New York City media market, and kept him in the public eye. The behaviour also became his reflex reaction as a candidate and now as president. (The Disrupter in Chief can, from time to time, adopt the persona of Destroyer in Chief.)

Truth be told, Trump is much less interested in formulating policy or proposing legislation than he is in projecting the image of a tough, I-know-best figure. To his faithful followers - and his approval rating is inching upwards to the mid-40pc range - the more pugnacity Trump displays at home (and abroad), the more they think he's battling on their behalf.

Observing time-honoured conventions and engaging in political niceties do not come easily to this president. After the Nato meetings, he headed for Britain. Before his first session with the prime minister Theresa May, he was interviewed by The Sun, owned by his friend, Rupert Murdoch.

Asked how he would have negotiated Brexit, the president remarked: "I would have done it much differently. I actually told Theresa May how to do it, but she didn't agree, she didn't listen to me. She wanted to go a different route. I would actually say that she probably went the opposite way."

Trump is fond of using the first-person, singular pronoun. In this case, given the circumstances, he undercut May's position (while shining a spotlight on his approach) and introduced a foreign, outsider's viewpoint into a domestic situation.

If such armchair analysis weren't enough, the president later in the interview said about former foreign secretary Boris Johnson - who "obviously likes me" - that "he would be a great prime minister. I think he's got what it takes".

Trump must have known the dynamite intertwined in his words, but at a press conference with May, he tried to duck and dodge and claim he said nothing untoward. This less-than-deft manoeuvre came after a reporter wondered: "Our countries are meant to have a special relationship, yet you publicly criticised the prime minister's policy and her personally for not listening to you this week. Is that really the behaviour of a friend?"

Without missing a beat, Trump volunteered: "I didn't criticise the prime minister. I have a lot of respect for the prime minister. And, unfortunately, there was a story that was done, which was generally fine, but it didn't put in what I said about the prime minister... It's called fake news."

Since late 2016, Trump has labelled virtually every piece of journalism presenting facts or opinions he judges in opposition to him as "fake news". Repetition of that phrase, appearing frequently on the president's Twitter account with its 53.2 million followers, is done with a definite purpose.

A prominent American television journalist - Lesley Stahl of CBS News - asked Trump why he relentlessly attacked the news media. According to Stahl, who related this anecdote in late May: "He said, 'You know why I do it? I do it to discredit you all and demean you all, so when you write negative stories about me, no one will believe you.'"

Brazen Tactics

Do such brazen tactics work? Earlier this year, a survey involving 19,000 respondents, which was conducted by Gallup and the Knight Foundation, found that "four in 10 Republicans consider accurate news stories that cast a politician or political group in a negative light to always be 'fake news'."

The key phrases in that finding are "accurate news stories" and "to always be 'fake news'." Now even truthful accounts are considered false by almost half the people of Trump's party in an environment drowning in charges of rampant fakery.

On the same day that the president met May and Queen Elizabeth, the US Justice Department announced indictments of a dozen Russian intelligence officers for their involvement in hacking the computers and emails of the Democratic Party and its 2016 presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton.

The charges, which brought Russian government participation to the fore of the long-running investigation supervised by special counsel Robert Mueller, made cyberespionage a main topic in official Washington.

Dan Coats, the director of National Intelligence, adopted a strong approach, saying: "Today, the digital infrastructure that serves this country is literally under attack." He compared the "warning signs" to those faced by the US ahead of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks: "The warning lights are blinking again."

You might think that actions of a foreign aggressor to interfere with an American election would be met with outrage - and more - from an American president. You might also think that a meeting between the president and the leader of that same foreign aggressor would be a frosty affair akin to Cold War days back in the 1960s and 1970s.

You would be wrong on both counts.

Right before Trump and Putin met for two hours last week, the president's Twitter account was blinking with its own warnings about "FAKE NEWS", charges that "much of our news media is indeed the enemy of the people," and two critiques of the "Rigged Witch Hunt," meaning the Mueller investigation.

The final tweet preceding last Monday's "summit" solemnly announced: "Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse thanks to many years of US foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!"

It is, indeed, curious that Trump seems to provoke arguments and disputes at group conferences - for example, the G7 in Canada last month and Nato recently - but conducts himself so differently at one-on-one occasions, such as the meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on June 12 and with Putin in Helsinki the other day.

One possibility is that the president, noted for an Olympian ego, enjoys the much more focused attention that comes from thousands of journalists engaged in reporting about him at each summit site. He might consider some of the news to be "fake", but all those media people are telling their outlets around the globe about his adventures on the world stage.

What he said during the press conference with Putin following their private tete-a-tete caused eyes to roll, jaws to drop and heads to spin. Referring to the Mueller investigation at one point, Trump said: "I think that the probe is a disaster for our country... It's ridiculous what's going on with the probe."

In the same response, he added: "That was a clean campaign. I beat Hillary Clinton easily. And, frankly, we beat her... we won that race. And it's a shame that there could even be a little bit of a cloud over it."

Though the next question was directed at Putin, Trump quickly intervened to continue his explanation of the 2016 campaign, how he won the Electoral College by a large margin, and swearing (as he had in his previous answer) that "there was no collusion". He concluded his defence with a flourish: "We ran a brilliant campaign, and that's why I'm president."

Rather than pivoting to contemporary world problems and the future of relations between the US and the Russian Federation, the president kept retreating to the way he arrived at the podium next to Putin. After several more excursions back in time later in the news conference, amateur psychologists had a field day providing analysis about what seems an obsession.

So, what about Russian interference in the American election, which US intelligence agencies know involved a sustained and sophisticated pattern of hacking, social media involvement (real "fake news") and attempts to manipulate voting machines across the country?

Here Trump tried to have it both ways: "I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today."

That last statement shook Washington with the force of a magnitude 8 earthquake. Comparing the "strong and powerful" denial of a former KGB officer to detailed evidence from the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Security Agency was too much, even for Trump loyalists in the Congress and at Fox News, his favourite journalistic outlet.

Coats even rushed to release an official but veiled rebuke: "We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and their ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy. We will continue to provide unvarnished and objective intelligence in support of our national security."

After the earthquake became a firestorm, Trump read a scripted clarification on Tuesday afternoon following his return to the White House, and on Wednesday he sat down with CBS for a one-on-one television interview to reiterate that he trusted the work of the American intelligence agencies and held Putin personally responsible for the election meddling.

Yet, when criticism of the Monday news conference arose, Trump pushed back.

"I totally disagree," he asserted. "I think I did great at the news conference. I think it was a strong news conference."

As if on cue, he levelled the charge of "fake news", adding: "I have to say this, some of the most honourable people I know, some great people, are reporters, journalists, et cetera. But the level of dishonesty in your profession is extremely high."

No doubt the damage control and vigorous blaming of the media will continue because what's been called "the Finnish fiasco" is the most serious international blunder since Trump took office. Indeed, the president's harshest critics were heard using the word "treason", and the usually pro-Trump editorial page of The Wall Street Journal branded the Helsinki performance "a personal and national embarrassment."

What's been the Donald Trump reality show has now become a real-life political drama.

Robert Schmuhl is professor emeritus of American Studies at the University of Notre Dame and an adjunct professor in the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University
Morocco has reiterated to the UN Security Council that the Algerian-backed separatist militia, known as the Polisairo, is not entitled to claim representation of the people living in the Sahara.

In a letter, Moroccos permanent representative to The UN Omar Hilale rebuked the presidency of the UN Security Council for spreading a letter from the Polisario to its members, Al Ahdath daily reported.

Morocco recalled that the Polisairo separatist SADR entity is not recognized by the UN as a state and called the UN body to cease spreading such letters.

Hilale stressed that letters sent to the UN by separatist armed groups should not be circulated.

Hilale added that such maneuvers are used by the Polisario in order to cover its recent diplomatic failures at the international level where an increasing number of countries have withdrawn their recognition of the separatist entity.

Support for the Algerian-sponsored separatist thesis in the Moroccan Sahara has been waning, as 43 countries have withdrawn their recognition of the SADR entity out of 80 that previously recognized it in a Cold War context.
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Colm McCarthy Opinion If you are not explaining it properly, then you are losing

When a policy cannot be explained to a receptive audience, the problem is most likely the policy itself rather than the communications strategy. Voluntary adherence to the recommended public health measures, and willingness to accept vaccination when offered, will be critical determinants of this countrys success or failure in containing the pandemic and getting people back to work.
James Kavanagh launching Virgin Media's Drive-In cinema which will be coming to Wexford, Wicklow, Dundalk and Ennis this summer. Picture: Brian McEvoy

The key ingredient to success is to just put your blinkers on and trust yourself, according to social media star James Kavanagh.

Kavanagh's rise to fame has been meteoric, he turned what was essentially an off the cuff comedy routine on Snapchat into a lucrative career with a number of brand partnerships and a burgeoning path into presenting.

"Ive had to ignore so many peoples advice on my journey because I trust my own instincts, and its worked out better," he told Independent.ie.

"Its about having a trust in yourself - to either make the job move, or leave it- you kind of just have to shut off from everyone else, put your blinkers on and trust your guts."

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He emphasised the importance of self-confidence and like all successful entrepreneurs, not to be afraid of taking a risk - which, for James, included leaving a full-time position in public relations to pursue building 'Brand James' full-time in 2016.

"Self confidence is the key. Its all about finding your inner self confidence and taking risks," he explained. "I dont know anyone who is successful who hasn't taken big risks.

"I was working elsewhere for about six years, and I just got on to Snapchat and just started to have the craic on it. I had no idea it would enable me to have an actual career. Its mad."

The most impressive part about Kavanagh's rise has been his ability to effortlessly work across mediums, which, most recently, came in the form of a presenting Ireland's Got Mor Talent on TV3, the sister programme to the network's runaway hit this year.

Expand Close James Kavanagh and William Murray have a successful food business called Currabinny Food, named after William's homeplace. Photo: Tony Gavin / Facebook

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"One moment Im filming in my bedroom, the next Im being offered a TV gig, just because of my social media stuff," he said.

"Thats probably the strangest thing that has happened to me. When they offered it to me, I was like, are you sure? I have no experience on this kind of thing!"

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However, switching from a phone screen to a TV screen was not easy, and Kavanagh said that he was nervous during the transition.

It was quite difficult. It is just myself and my phone and all of a sudden, theres a team - a producer, director, and a co-host, he said.

Expand Close James Kavanagh launching Virgin Media's Drive-In cinema which will be coming to Wexford, Wicklow, Dundalk and Ennis this summer. Picture: Brian McEvoy / Facebook

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It's this multi-tasking that has made him one of Ireland's premier influencers, and his star power is on display as he is regularly stopped by fans, usually teenage girls, wherever he goes.

A girl came up to me when I was DJing at Longitude and she started crying," he said. And I was like, oh my god, Ive never had someone cry when they meet me before!

Ive had people show up to my house. Im always filming around my house and stuff, and a lot of people have figured out where I live. Sometimes I get stuff sent to me from followers- like handmade drawings.

"Im a big collector of candelabra, and one day these two girls showed up to my house with a giant candelabro. They showed up and gave me this gift, and I was like, 'Oh my god! Its so nice of you to think of me that way!'"

One person who has grown increasingly comfortable with his newfound fame is his long-term boyfriend William Murray, who regularly appears in his feed.

Hes really shy-he was a bit taken aback cause people would come up to him on the street and whatever," he said.

"But he understands now that its all for the greater good and hes gotten a bit more confident as well, hes not as shy anymore."

In fact, the duo have launched their own food company Currabinny and will be launching their own eponymous cookbook in October.

The 29-year-old's latest project is to head off on a road trip to four towns - Wicklow, Wexford, Dundalk and Ennis, where he will be quizzing locals on their movie knowledge.

The road trip is scheduled for August, ahead of Virgin Medias Drive in series - which will bring the cult classic Grease to drive in screens in towns across the country.

"I always wanted to be one of the pink ladies," he laughed.
Pain: For the Yazidi women forced to abandon their children, the trauma of separation is compounded by the lingering stigma

The moment she was finally reunited with her family after years of slavery under Isil should have been filled with joy, but instead it was one of the worst days of Soham's life.

The 23-year-old Yazidi woman spent the five-hour ride from Mosul to Dohuk in Iraqi Kurdistan in anguish, crying for the daughter she had been forced to leave behind.

It wasn't her choice to give up her one-year-old daughter, she says. But her uncle made it clear that the child, born as a result of rape by an Isil fighter, would never be accepted in the closed Yazidi community.

"I cried and screamed, told my uncle she was my flesh and blood, but he still made me sign the paper and hand her over to the Iraqi officials. He said she would go to a special place for children like her," Soham said.

More than 6,400 women and children from the Yazidi minority were enslaved by the terror group when it overran northern Iraq in 2014, with young women and teenage girls forced to marry jihadis.

And while Yazidi elders issued a decree that they should be welcomed back with open arms when Mosul was liberated last year, they ruled that none of their children born to Isil fighters could return with them.

The children are considered a painful reminder of the years of terror and a threat to the Yazidi way of life because of their Muslim heritage.

There are no official figures for the number of these children, who are sent to Iraqi government orphanages in Baghdad or left behind in Syria, where the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) are reportedly running an orphanage.

But NGOs warn that the separation of mother and child is creating lasting trauma that could be felt in Iraq for generations to come.

Sitting in a poorly ventilated tent in one of the overcrowded camps for displaced people in the Duhok region where tens of thousands of Yazidis now reside, Soham talked about the second man who bought her during her three years in Isil slavery.

At first, the middle-ranking militant treated her cruelly, doling out beatings and rape. But once he discovered that Soham was carrying his child, his attitude changed a little. He called the baby Zaynab, meaning "a father's precious jewel".

"I hated him, I hated all of them. The last thing I wanted was getting pregnant by a Daesh fighter," she said, using the Arabic acronym for Isil. But she added: "Once my daughter was born, I loved her immediately. Every mother loves her child." She produced a picture of a little girl with dark, curly hair, big brown eyes and pale skin.

After the Isil militant was killed in an air strike in the summer of 2017, Soham fled to the Hamam al-Alil camp for displaced people, south of Mosul. When she contacted her family, she assumed they would accept her daughter. "If I had known [I was wrong], I would never have come back,'' she said.

We spoke with four Yazidi women who had children with Isil fighters in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, all of whom had been pressured by family members to leave their children behind.

A spokesman for the YPG confirmed similar cases among the Yazidi community in Sinjar and in Rojava, in northern Syria.

All four women asked to remain anonymous, in fear of the treatment they might receive from the community.

Some of the children left in the orphanages are claimed via DNA tests by the families of Isil fighters. But in a society where even tenuous links to the jihadi group can leave a family vulnerable to vigilante attacks, the majority are doomed to a lifetime of social ostracism.

"The problem is not living in an orphanage; the problem is the impact of war that will last way longer than after the war ends," said Hala al-Sarraf, the founder of the Iraq Health Access Organisation (IHAO), which has helped find these children homes in orphanages.

For the Yazidi women who have been forced to abandon them, the trauma of separation is compounded by the lingering stigma, despite the community's open-arms policy. Suicide rates among women forced to abandon their children are high, said Kristen Phelps, the regional manager for War Child, adding that there was little in the way of support or resources in the underfunded refugee camps where escaped Yazidis now live in limbo.

Behar Ali, the director of Emma, an organisation working with Yazidi women, believes a change in Iraqi law to enable women to pass on their family name and religion to their children could help relieve some of the stigma.

Under the current law, children born from a Muslim father are considered Muslim, and Yazidism is a closed religion; only children born of Yazidi parents are considered part of the ancient faith.

"Yazidi leaders fear that if they accept [these children], it will lead to more intermarriage with non-Yazidis in the future and that there will be no more Yazidis in a few hundred years. For them, it's a way of protecting their community,'' Behar Ali said.

But the casting out of these children is already tearing families apart.

During her three-year captivity, Nadema (31) met many Yazidi women who refused to return home out of fear of being forcefully separated from their children. She also gave birth to a son by a foreign Isil fighter. When she was freed, she told her husband in Kurdistan, with whom she also has children.

"He promised me that I could bring him. It turned out to be a lie. After I escaped seven months ago, he made me leave him with the forces at the Iraqi-Syrian border," she said from her house in a village near the city of Duhok.

At first, she thought she could visit her son every month, but she has no idea where he is. One day she ran away from home, trying to find him. Her plan failed, and she was brought back to her family, and her father threatened to kill her if she did not forget her son.

Thirty-year-old Saeed said his family had promised his sister that she could keep her baby if she accepted their help to be smuggled out of Syria. But she has heard the stories of other women too many times and refuses to come.

"I think she knows that many families said the same thing to the women, and still they took the kids from them," Saeed said. He said he didn't care what the community thought. "I just want my sister back, even if it means I have to buy a house far away from everybody and take care of her and the kid all by myself."

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Police officers escort people after a suspect barricaded inside a Trader Joe's supermarket in Silverlake, Los Angeles, on July 21, 2018. A suspect wanted in connection with a shooting was barricaded inside a supermarket in the US city of Los Angeles on Saturday, police said, in what US media reported was a possible hostage situation. / AFP PHOTO / Robyn BeckROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

Police in Los Angeles are trying to determine what prompted a man to shoot his grandmother and injure another woman before holding dozens of people hostage in a busy supermarket amid a tense standoff with armed officers.

A woman was shot and killed when the gunman ran into the Trader Joe's store in Silver Lake on Saturday, but no hostages were seriously hurt before the man handcuffed himself and surrendered about three hours later.

The man shot his grandmother seven times and wounded another woman, who he forced into a car, police said. Officers tracked the car, gave chase and exchanged gunfire with the man, who crashed into a pole outside the supermarket and then ran inside.

The man's grandmother is in hospital in a critical condition, while the woman he forced into a car suffered minor injuries.

Frightened customers and workers dived for cover as police bullets fired at the man shattered the store's glass doors.

Some people inside the supermarket climbed out windows, and others barricaded themselves in rooms as scores of police officers and firefighters and 18 ambulances converged on the scene and prepared for mass casualties.

Expand Close Police officers use a mirror to see inside a Trader Joe's store in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles (Christian Dunlop via AP) / Facebook

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Heavily armed officers in riot gear stood along the side of the store and used mirrors to look inside as hostage negotiators tried to coax the man into freeing his 40-50 hostages and surrendering.

At about 6.30pm local time, the man agreed to handcuff himself and walked out the front door, surrounded by four of the hostages. The unidentified man was immediately taken into custody.

Mayor Eric Garcetti congratulated police and firefighters for their work, adding: "The heroism that was shown today was second to none, and the teams that were able to respond, secure the perimeter and engage in conversation with the suspect no doubt saved lives today," he said.

Police Chief Michel Moore said the gunman made a "series of demands" during the standoff but crisis negotiators believed they could persuade him to surrender peacefully.

Investigators are not sure what led to the initial violence that produced the car chase and standoff. Mr Moore said at about 1.30pm, the suspect shot his grandmother and another woman in a South Los Angeles home and then forced the other woman into his grandmother's car.

Officers tracked the car using a stolen-vehicle tracking system and tried to stop the man in Hollywood, but he refused to pull over. During the chase, the man fired at officers, shooting out the back window of his car.

Outside the store, the man exchanged gunfire with police again and a woman was shot and killed. It is unclear if she died from police gunfire or was killed by the gunman.

Fire officials said six people, ranging in age from 12 to 81, were taken to hospital. None had been shot, and all were in fair condition.

Among those caught up in the incident was 91-year-old Don Kohles, who was walking into the supermarket when he saw "two police cars coming like a bat out of hell" and the man crashed into the pole.

The driver got out, and police started firing at him as he ran towards the supermarket. Mr Kohles said he hurried inside, and he and others took cover as the man ran in.

"Those bullets went right over the back of me as he was running right down the main aisle," Mr Kohles said.

Christian Dunlop was on a corner near the store when he saw four people run out. One person, an employee, was dragging an injured woman by the hands. "She appeared lifeless," Mr Dunlop said.

He then saw about five employees hang out a second-floor window and drop to the ground and about 15 other people run to safety from the back of the store. Among them was a police officer carrying a small child, he said.

"I know all the employees," Mr Dunlop said. "I see them all the time. My heart was just racing and thinking about all the endless possibilities."
President Donald Trump has hit out at the action taken to put a former adviser under surveillance (Susan Walsh/AP)

US President Donald Trump has asserted without evidence that newly-released documents relating to the wiretapping of his former campaign adviser Carter Page confirm with little doubt that intelligence agencies misled the court that approved the warrant.

But politicians from both political parties said the documents do not show wrongdoing and that they even appear to undermine some previous claims by top Republicans on the basis for obtaining a warrant against Mr Page.

Visible portions of the heavily redacted documents, released on Saturday under the Freedom of Information Act, show the FBI telling the court that Mr Page has been collaborating and conspiring with the Russian government.

The agency also told the court the FBI believes Page has been the subject of targeted recruitment by the Russian government.

The documents were part of officials application for a warrant to the secretive foreign intelligence surveillance court, which signed off on surveilling Mr Page.

Mr Trump tweeted on Sunday on the documents: As usual they are ridiculously heavily redacted but confirm with little doubt that the Department of Justice and FBI misled the courts. Witch Hunt Rigged, a Scam!

The release appears to undercut some of the contentions in a memo prepared by House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes earlier this year.

Mr Nunes and other Republicans had said that anti-Trump research in a dossier prepared by former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele and paid for by Democrats was used inappropriately to obtain the warrant on Mr Page.

Expand Close Carter Page, pictured last year, was a foreign policy adviser to Donald Trump (J Scott Applewhite/AP) / Facebook

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While the documents confirm the FBI relied, in part, on information from Mr Steele to obtain the initial warrant, they also show how the FBI informed the court of his likely motivation.

A page-long footnote in the warrant application lays out the FBIs assessment of Mr Steeles history and the likely interest of his backer, adding that despite the political concern, the bureau believed at least some of his report to be credible.

Democrat Adam Schiff, a ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, said the documents detail just why the FBI was so concerned that Carter Page might be acting as an agent of a foreign power.

He told ABCs This Week: It was a solid application and renewals signed by four different judges appointed by three different Republican presidents.

Republican Marco Rubio also broke with Mr Trump, saying he does not think the FBI did anything wrong in obtaining warrants against Mr Page.

I have a different view on this issue than the president and the White House, Mr Rubio said on Sunday on CBS Face The Nation.

They did not spy on the campaign from anything and everything that I have seen. You have an individual here who has openly bragged about his ties to Russia and Russians.

On Sunday, Mr Page said on CNNs State Of The Union: Ive never been the agent of a foreign power.

In a 2013 letter, Mr Page described himself as an informal adviser to the Kremlin, but now said its really spin to call him an adviser.

Mr Page has not been charged with a crime, but he has been interviewed by the FBI and congressional investigators about his ties to Russia.

White House officials have argued that Mr Page, announced by the president in early 2016 as a foreign policy adviser, played only a minor role in the Trump campaign.

Another former campaign policy aide, George Papadopoulos, pleaded guilty last year to charges brought by special counsel Robert Mueller alleging he had lied to the FBI about his Russia contacts. He is now co-operating with Mr Muellers expansive probe.
Cohens loyalty to Trump seems to have been steadily fading ever since federal agents raided his office and apartment. Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images

President Trumps former lawyer and personal fixer Michael Cohen has been privately questioning Trumps fitness for office, according to a new Axios report. Cohens critical comments about Trump apparently started after the presidents disastrous press conference with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Monday in Helsinki. Notes Axios Jonathan Swan:

Its one thing for him [Cohen] to be concerned about his suitability to be president, a knowledgeable source told me. Its quite another thing to be concerned about his [Trumps] loyalty to his country.

The alleged comments provide more evidence that the legally imperiled Cohen is turning against the president, particularly now that he has reportedly signaled a willingness to cooperate with federal prosecutors.

On Friday, news broke that Cohen had recorded private conversations with Trump and that the FBI was now in possession of them after raiding Cohens office and hotel room in April as part of a criminal investigation into Cohens business practices. On one of the recordings, Cohen and Trump reportedly discuss payments to a former Playboy model who has said she once had an affair with the president.

On Saturday, Trump speculated that Cohen may have broken the law by making the recordings, though that is probably incorrect since New York, where the tapes were presumably recorded, is a state where recording conversations is legal so long as at least one of the participants consents to the recording. Trump also repeated his false claim that federal agents broke into Cohens office during the raid, when in fact they conducted a lawful search.

What else is on the Cohen tapes, as well as what else Cohen himself may eventually be willing to say about the president and their work together, remains to be seen.
At a time when the Narendra Modi government is trying to combat the menace of mob lynchings, a member of his own cabinet has come up with a seemingly absurd claim to defend the spike in such incidents.

According to Union Minister of State of Finance, Arjun Ram Meghwal, the rise in mob lynchings are a conspiracy against PM Modi's popularity.

Speaking about the murder of Akbar Khan aliases Rakhbar who was lynched to death by a mob in Alwar, Rajasthan on the suspicion of being a cattle smuggling, the MP from Bikaner said "The more popular Modi becomes, the more such incidents will happen. In Bihar election it was 'Award Wapsi', UP election it was mob lynching. In 2019 elections, it'll be something else. All this is a reaction to the impact of Modis schemes."

ANI

He also tried to downplay the incident by saying "It is a single incident and what happened with Sikhs in 1984 was the biggest mob lynching of this nation's history."

25-year-old Akbar alias Rakhbar was lynched to death by on Friday night in Alwar, where almost a year ago another man, Pehlu Khan was beaten to death by Gau Rakshaks.

According to police, Akbar and his friend Aslam, were transporting cows on foot when they were halted and questioned by a mob in Ramgarh.

ANI

They were taking two cows on foot sometime between 12 -1 am last night when villagers stopped them. However, they tried to run away and the mob chased them and caught them. While Akbar was assaulted, Aslam managed to escape, said Sub Inspector Subhash Chand.

Died in Police Custody

Meanwhile, controversial BJP MLA Gyandev Ahuja, has claimed that the victim died in police custody and not because of mob lynching. Talking to ANI, the MLA from Ramgarh where the incident happened, said the villagers had caught the "cow smugglers" and handed over them to police.

"Police took the smuggler to custody and thrashed him to show people that they are taking strict action he claimed.

ANI

Earlier Ahuja had defended the murder of Pehlu Khan and said that he had evidence to prove that the farmer from Haryana was cattle smuggler adding that cow smugglers should meet the same fate.

"We have no regret over his death because those who are cow-smugglers are cow-killers, sinners like them have met this fate earlier and will continue to do so," Ahuja had said in April 2017.

Minister contradicts

However, Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria has contradicted Ahuja's claim and said that he don't have any inputs on the victim dying in police custody.

ANI

Earlier Kataria had promised proper investigation into the lynching incident and said strict action will be taken against the accused.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje condemned the incident and assured stern action against the perpetrators.'

Unending mob lynchings

The mob lynching of Akhbar comes days after the Supreme Court came down heavy on mob attacks across the country and asked the government to form a new law to try such cases. Most of the recent incidents of mob lynchings were triggered by either rumors of cow smuggling or child lifting, which later were found to be false.
The eye-witness, in the Alwar lynching case recalled the spine-chilling turn of events when his friend was lynched to death on suspicion of smuggling cows.

Aslam, who had a narrow escape said, "We (him and the deceased )both were going with our two cows, on seeing a speeding bike the cows ran into the fields where 6-7 people were present who fired at us, I ran away from the spot to save my life, later found that my friend was killed."

ANI

28-year-old Akbar Khan along with his friend was taking some cows to his village through a forest near Lalawandi area in the Alwar district of Rajasthan when some locals allegedly thrashed him brutally, suspecting him to be a cow smuggler.

The police immediately rushed the victim to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

ANI

In his dying statement, Akbar told police that he and his friend were walking back with two cows they had bought when they came under attack in Ramgarh, with the mob accusing them of being smugglers taking the cattle for slaughter.

Police have, so far, arrested three suspects and launched a manhunt for other suspects.

Meanwhile a VHP leader who claims to be an eyewitness to the incident has backed the claim of Ramgarh MLA Gyandev Ahuja who said that Khan died in police custody.

Naval Kishore Sharma said the police took the victim to the hospital after three hours of the incident.

The cases of mob fury have been on a rise in India. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, 45 persons were killed by mob in 40 cases across nine states between 2014 and March 03 this year.
It can be really anxiety-inducing when youre catching an Uber in a crowded situation.

So now, Uber is rolling out a host of new features to its app that should make it a lot easier for you and your driver to spot each other, even with dozens of other people milling about.

For instance, think of when youre leaving a bar or the airport. There may be a lot of other people just standing around or trying to catch a cab of their own. And while you may know the license plate of the car youre looking for, and the driver knows where youre standing, theres still the possibility of you missing each other, and the ride eventually getting cancelled. So theres now a couple of new tools to address just that possibility.

The first tool is called Spotlight. When you call an Uber, theres now a way to signal your driver, similar to how ground crew signal a plan at the airport. All you do is, when you request a pickup, also select a colour that will flash on your phone. That information is also sent to your driver. That way, instead of just waving your phone in the air towards your cab driver, you can have it also light up in a certain colour. Your driver too will know that he has to look for a green-lit phone, for example, rather than one glowing pink or yellow.

This is in fact another version of a similar feature Uber tried out a couple of years ago, called Beacon. It was basically a Bluetooth-enabled little box in the shape of the Uber logo, that driver could set on their dashboard. It would then light up in a predetermined colour to signal the rider theyre picking up.

Of course, that gadget was something Uber would need to manufacture and then distribute to its drivers, so it didnt really take off. However, the company says it hasnt given up on the idea just yet. In fact, if your driver has a Beacon (though its confined to a few cities in the US), itll take precedence over the new Spotlight feature.

Another recent addition was better communication between rider and driver, specifically with regards to your location. For instance, you can send a template message in the app saying something like be right there, or message them indicating youre wearing a certain coloured shirt or standing in front of a fountain etc.

Lastly, Uber is also working to improve its ride-hailing services by improving GPS accuracy in big cities. The new project for that is called Shadow Maps, and is currently being tested in North America, so well hopefully see it here in India as well in a few months.
Most of us spend a huge chunk of our lives at work. Therefore, the work environment, how satisfied we are with our jobs and how well we are doing, inevitably affect our lives as a whole. The definition of success varies from person to person, but it's not always about winning trophies and getting a bulky raise. It has a lot to do with your personal growth, state of mind and professional maturity.

That said, if you are looking for a paradigm shift, here are our two cents. We think it is safe to say that nothing comes without hard work, especially success. If you dont sacrifice for what you want, what you want becomes the sacrifice - dont let this be your case and do these things for a sure shot stint with success.

1. Dont make perfection the centrepiece of your professional life

First of all, perfection is a journey and not a destination. But then again, no one is perfect. Strive to do your best, but don't get all hot and bothered about everything being perfect. Most of the time, the pressure of always doing the right thing is exhausting and becomes a demon that holds you back. Wayne Gretzky is quoted as saying, You miss 100 percent of the shots you dont take. You will also miss 100 percent of the opportunities that are coming to you if you are always waiting for things or the time to be perfect.

2. Learn to be easy on yourself

The world is bad enough to take your case and there are way too many people to pull you down without you doing the same to yourself. So, don't be so hard on yourself. Work hard, do your best, and if you fail, give yourself a second chance. You dont need to beat up yourself to the point of madness everytime you lose an opportunity, fail, miss a deadline, or are wronged.

3. Regulate your time on social media

Funny that this advice has come up, but it is truly sabotaging many peoples lives. Social media - the digital monster as they call it - is the new fad thats eating up most of our time and deviating us from precisely what we are supposed to do. Other than this, it is also infusing a sense of failure, loss and anxiety when it quietly tells you that youre stuck in office while a 20-something is chilling in Hawaii.

You dont need that kind of negative energy in your life, so, regulate your time.

4. Stop making excuses

The only thing standing between you and your success is your excuses. Every time you tell yourself that you cant do it, you will do it later, you are better off without it or that it is not for you, you deprive yourself of a really great opportunity. Therefore, every time you catch yourself making excuses when things dont turn out as you had expected, shake it off and work harder.

5. Stop being a control freak

Minimal but powerful setup #satechi #lifemadeeasy A post shared by Satechi (@satechi) on Jul 17, 2018 at 9:46am PDT

The only thing you can control is yourself, therefore there is no need to lose heart over something that is beyond you. Work environment, a lost job opportunity, a clients project and the like, are things you will have very little control over. All you have to do is manage yourself, your time and direct your work in a space where it is solving problems and helping others.

6. Say no to yes

It seems, saying yes to things you do not want to do is a bigger global challenge than global warming. Most of us struggle when we have to say no to a colleague, boss or friend and then end up working on their things before our own. But, why does that happen? Highly successful people understand that in order to reach their goals, there will be times when you will have to turn others down for your own good.

So don't feel guilty about putting yourself first, at times.

7. Let the negative people go

Jim Rohn said, You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. So, the last thing that you need in your professional life is negativity. Who you spend your time with, thus, becomes a very important choice since you sure as hell cant fly with eagles if you are wasting all your time on turkeys.

8. There is no such thing as overnight success

Anyone who ever told you that their success was overnight is painting a poor picture for you. Usually, overnight success for most leaders is years and years of hard work, ideation, learning and failures. It is easily 100s of battles lost before one big victory. So, do not lose hope or give up on something just because you find it hard in the first few days. Nothing worth having comes easy.

9. Follow or lead

To be honest, you can't always be just one thing - a leader or follower. You might hold the flag in one particular area, and might be a part of the marching troops in another. Whatever you do, make sure you do your best. If you are leading the way, make sure your goal is clear and you're doing your best to be a good leader. If you are following, be sure to give it everything you have. Afterall, most people are remembered for the problem they are trying to solve.

10. Quit being unhealthy

Successful people understand the value of their time and they know it very well that if they are not fit, more than half of their battles are lost. Such people - more often than not - have a morning routine where they feed their body and mind. They work out so that they are not easily tired and exhausted with the day's work and they eat well to keep up energy levels. Therefore, being healthy is not an option, but a necessity.

11. Dont underestimate yourself

In order to be successful, you have to believe in yourself. Have an invincible attitude to conquer the world irrespective of your field of work. You should always see yourself as a leader, as someone who is out there to help people. Believe that you have an ocean full of bustling ideas and you can do things to win over insurmountable mountains.

There will be people out there to discourage you and tell you that you cant do these things, but do not let that deter you from your goal.
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Who is Jerry A. Hausman?

Jerry A. Hausman is an economics professor and director of the MIT Telecommunications Economics Research Program. Dr. Hausman's research has focused on applied microeconomics, econometrics, differentiated products, telecommunications, taxation, energy, aging, and the environment.

Key Takeaways Jerry Hausman is a professor of economics and applied econometrician at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Hausman is well known for his work in developing the Durbin-Wu-Hausman test for statistical model specification.

His applied research includes extensive work on the economics of the telecommunications industry and the estimation of price indexes.

Life and Career

Born in West Virginia in 1946, he first joined MIT in 1973 as an assistant professor. Dr. Hausman holds a Ph.D. from Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar. He has earned numerous awards, honors, and fellowships, including the John Bates Clark Award and the Frisch Medal. Dr. Hausman is widely published and has been an associate or advisory editor for numerous economics journals.

Proving that a cerebral economist of his magnitude can be deployed behind the scenes in business, Dr. Hausman has been a consultant for retailers including Starbucks, Kellogg's, Anheuser Busch, Tesco's, and Home Depot. In 2018 he was hired as a scientific advisor by Teikametrics, a Retail Optimization Platform (ROP) for sellers on Amazon and other marketplaces. "There is an opportunity to help millions of sellers using data and econometrics to help them make better decisions on pricing, advertising, and inventory selection. The technology we are building at Teikametrics is helping retailers and brands compete in this dynamic new retail economy - this is the future of retail," Hausman said in a statement. Having an advisor like Dr. Hausman to apply advanced data science techniques within the Amazon ecosystem should only make the online juggernaut even more formidable.

Contributions

Hausman has written numerous research articles in theoretical and applied econometrics. He is most well known for his work in developing the Durbin-Wu-Hausman test, and has also done extensive research on the telecommunications industry and on the estimation of price indexes.

Durbin-Wu-Hausman Test

This well-known statistical test shows the extent to which statistical models correspond to the data under study. Known as the Durbin-Wu-Hausman test, it is a test for endogeneity in an econometric model and is helpful for statisticians in determining whether a model will ultimately be effective in calculating p-values, basically the bottom line for statistical significance or non-significance.

Telecommunications Industry

Hausman is a recognized expert in the economics of the telecommunications industry. His applied research in this area has ranges from the effects of taxation and regulation in the industry to the welfare benefits to consumers of innovation in cellular telephones and networks. For example his work on telecom taxation has demonstrated that taxes on wireless services can impose a far greater burden on the economy than the revenue they raise for governments.

Price Indexes

Hausmans recent work has also included a focus on price indexes, such as the Consumer Price Index (CPI), and the benefits to consumers that result from lower prices through large discount retailers. His research indicates that failing to properly account for the lower prices offered by retailers such as Walmart supercenters, the resulting changes in shopping patterns as consumers take advantage of the lower prices, and the improvement in the quality of differentiated products and services offered by these outlets all introduce substantial upward bias into the CPI.
Kava-naw. Photo: Dennis Brack/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Its a cold, hard truth: Republicans hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate  50-49, taking into account John McCains enduring absence  so there is no way that Senate Democrats can singlehandedly prevent Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh from settling into Anthony Kennedys seat and steering the court sharply rightward. What Democrats can do is band together, as they have on Obamacare repeal and tax cuts, and force complete Republican unanimity to squeeze Kavanaugh through, making any break in the GOP ranks, however unlikely one is to materialize, fatal to his chances.

Eight Democratic Senators, most of whom face tough elections in November, have not yet signaled which way they will vote on the 53-year-old conservative heros nomination. (Three of these senators defected from the rest of their party to vote for Neil Gorsuch back in April.)

But while some reports have framed their dilemma as an agonizing, make-or-break choice, the stickiness of their predicament is likely exaggerated. The available evidence  or lack thereof  shows that there is simply no compelling reason for them to give Kavanaugh the green light. Here are five reasons why they shouldnt bend:

1) Kavanaughs nomination is not popular

Its still early going in what is likely to be a months-long confirmation battle, but three polls taken in the days after President Trumps announcement show Kavanaugh as one of the most unpopular Supreme Court nominees in recent history, according to FiveThirtyEight, with only slim majorities favoring his confirmation in each. Taken together, the polls, conducted by Fox News, Gallup, and the Pew Research Center, show that Kavanaugh has a net confirmation rating of only five points, lower than any nominees in recent history, with the notable exceptions of Harriet Miers and Robert Bork  neither of whom went on to be confirmed.

The second is that, unlike Neil Gorsuch, who earned marginally better initial poll numbers, Kavanaughs confirmation would fundamentally change the balance of the Supreme Court. Many voters probably view his nomination  correctly  as far more consequential.

Republican voters really want Kavanaugh to be confirmed. But Democratic Senators like Jon Tester of Montana or Claire McCaskill of Missouri should not mistake their ardor for widespread support. And, a yes vote may be just as likely to alienate Democrats and Independents who fiercely oppose Kavanaugh as it is to placate Republicans.

2) The policies Brett Kavanaugh champions are even less popular

Here is a sample of positions the potential next justice has taken consistently over the years: He has voted to severely curtail the power of the government to regulate climate change without explicit congressional approval. (Most Americans want stricter enforcement.) He has endorsed a maximalist interpretation of the Second Amendment, arguing that state-level assault weapons bans are unconstitutional. (Americans favor more stringent gun laws and the banning of semi-automatic rifles.) He has been openly hostile to the Affordable Care Act, leading to worries that he could help strike down the law altogether. (Obamacare is more popular with the public than ever.) And theres much more.

The issue that may hang over Kavanaughs nomination most conspicuously is abortion. While Kavanagh has never explicitly said he wants to overturn Roe v. Wade, he has made it clear, through his words and actions over the years, that that he is an avowed foe of abortion rights. Last September, he spoke approvingly of former Justice William Rehnquists dissent in Roe v. Wade. Those remarks flew in the face of the convention that possible Supreme Court nominees should at least make the right noises about upholding precedent. Anti-abortion activists are wild about Kavanaugh, a sure sign that they see him as the man who might finally end federal legalization of abortion, or at least roll it back drastically.

Polls consistently show that a large majority of the public favors preserving Roe v. Wade. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, the two most moderate Republican Senators, do too.

Its hard to find a policy Kavanaugh has championed that enjoys actual popularity among Americans. As Eric Levitz wrote this week, Kavanaugh represents a well-mannered establishment conservatism that has diligently worked to insulate the policy preferences of reactionary elites from majoritarian opinion. There is no vast constituency for Kavanaughs views, just as there isnt one for Paul Ryans.

3) There is no clear evidence that voting for Kavanaugh will help in November

One reason vulnerable Democrats have voted for some of President Trumps most controversial judicial nominees is simple: They dont want to be labeled obstructionists in states where the president remains somewhat popular. (In a way, some of those votes  like the ones to confirm torture-friendly CIA Director Gina Haspel  are less defensible than giving a nod to Kavanaugh, since voters are very unlikely to keep in mind relatively under-the-radar confirmation fights when theyre casting their ballots.)

Kavanaughs case is different for two reasons. The prospect of a transformed Supreme Court make this inherently a much higher-profile vote than anything to come down the pike in recent memory, and its proximity to the midterm elections will automatically make it a campaign-trail talking point for conservatives.

But the New Yorkers Jane Mayer writes that if the past is prologue, what looks like the politically safest course now may turn out to be just the opposite later. She raises the example of Clarence Thomas, whose ultra-contentious 1991 confirmation hearing taught Democrats some important and counterintuitive lessons. Centrist Democrats figured that voting for Thomas would insulate them from Republican attacks and ease their paths to re-election the next year.

But Klain, who was an aide on the Senate Judiciary Committee at the time, recalls that, instead, the Thomas confirmation triggered an unexpected political backlash, particularly among women who felt that the men in the Senate had disrespected womens rights. The following year, a wave of female candidates ran for office, much as they are running now. In fact, 1992 came to be known as the year of the woman. Unexpectedly, several of the Democratic senators who had voted to confirm Thomas, including Alan Dixon, of Illinois, and Wyche Fowler, of Georgia, found themselves defeated. Dixon, in fact, was knocked out in the Democratic primary by a black female candidate, Carol Moseley Braun. Others, such as Chuck Robb, of Virginia, were reelected but never fully escaped the cloud that hung over their records. Even Joe Biden, the Democratic chairman of the Judiciary Committee, who opposed Thomass confirmation, but whose treatment of Thomas was seen by critics as too deferential, continues to be dogged by it almost three decades later.

Mayer also cites a Hart Research Associates poll (admittedly conducted by two progressive groups) showing that red state voters would be forgiving of a Democratic Senators no vote if the lawmaker framed their opposition clearly as a matter of conscience, and based it on either checking the presidents power, protecting workers rights, or preserving the Affordable Care Act.

In the run-up to a midterm election that will mostly serve as a referendum on President Trump, Democrats are rightly focused on turning out their base and convincing infrequent voters, many of whom disdain the president, to get to the polls. Republicans in states like West Virginia and North Dakota who might defy their party to vote for a member of the opposition are unlikely to alter their thinking based on good-faith opposition to Kavanaugh. And if Democrats think confirming a Supreme Court justice will stave off vicious attacks from Trump and the GOP apparatus, theyve got another thing coming.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has threatened to hold a vote just weeks before the election if Democrats try to prolong Kavanaughs confirmation with record requests. They should call his bluff.

4) Merrick Garland

You may recall (if you havent blocked it from your memory in an effort not to give in to insanity) that two years ago, Senate Republicans, led by McConnell, blocked President Obamas eminently qualified Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland from even receiving a hearing after Antonin Scalias death  with the bogus justification that different rules apply during presidential election years. The shameful episode is a salient illustration of just how little political effect Democratic resistance to voting for Kavanaugh is likely to have. In 2016, Democrats tried (though probably not in the most effective way) to make their unfairly spurned Supreme Court nominee into a major campaign issue. It did not work.

Its true that in recent decades, the right has paid far closer attention than the left to matters of the judiciary; President Trumps pre-election list of potential Supreme Court nominees was a major reason some conservatives took a flyer on him. But the people for whom Brett Kavanaughs place on the Supreme Court takes priority over all other electoral issues are unlikely to vote for Democrats in the first place. Red state Dems will be safe focusing on larger slices of the electorate whose mind is on other matters, like health care, jobs, or even immigration.

The Garland episode also supplies another easy justification for Democrats to say no. Most Republicans found it in themselves to expound on a made-up Biden rule with a straight face in 2016; there is no reason that Democrats should extend any courtesies to a president under a very real investigation who appears to have tapped the nominee most likely to shield him from that investigation.

5) Its the right thing to do

If the political survival of a Democratic Senator depended on voting for a nominee who is likely to be confirmed anyway, it would be understandable for that senator to grudgingly get on board. And theres certainly an argument to be made that if Collins and Murkowski signal their support for Brett Kavanaugh, lawmakers like Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota would be fools not to join them.

But beyond the midterm calculations, there are moral ones.

Brett Kavanaugh may be well-liked by seemingly everyone he has come into contact with, from his law-school students to fellow Washington carpool dads. But make no mistake: On matters of abortion, labor unions, concentration of corporate power, the environment, and so many other issues that are near and dear to (even red state) Democrats hearts, he is a radical  and one who is likely to wield extraordinary power to codify once-unrealistic conservative priorities into law. He poses a clear and present danger to the values Democrats hold dear.

Voting for him may blow up in red state Democrats faces politically. But it would also, clearly, be the wrong decision for America.
An eight-year-old boy has died after a road collision in Banbridge, Co Down.

PSNI have confirmed that the fatal two-car crash happened on the Aughnacloy Road yesterday.
A former acting hospital CEO has said there is too much focus on waiting lists.

Patrick Plunkett is a Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at Trinity College and former acting CEO of St James' Hospital in Dublin.
The Islamic resistance organisation known as Hamas is a militant and anti-Semitic group located in the West Bank and Gaza Strip that is dedicated to the destruction of Israel and has been accused by Amnesty International and other NGOs of widespread human rights abuses.

Designated a terrorist group by Israel, the US and the EU, it needs no excuse to commit the most appalling atrocities.

Yet the parliament of Israel has just given it one by adopting a loathsome, divisive and destructive law that defines Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people and declaring that only Jews have the right to self-determination within the country.

It enshrines discrimination in the basic law of the country, with constitutional effect. That effectively makes Israel officially a sectarian state, similar to that which flourished for decades in Northern Ireland when it was governed by a Protestant parliament for a Protestant people.

A militant backlash has already started, with a young Israeli soldier shot dead on Friday, the first since the 2014 Gaza war.

Egypt and the United Nations have helped negotiate a treaty, but it is a shaky peace at best and follows some of the worst violence along the Gaza Strip in years.

The diplomatic backlash has begun, too, with opposition to the law coming from the EU and from Jewish community leaders in the US.

The EU joined Israeli Arab political leaders, Israeli opposition politicians and liberal Jewish groups in the US in voicing concern, with some saying the law amounted to apartheid.

The decision by the Israeli government to push through such a divisive law is as both perplexing and reprehensible.

It makes the 1.8m Arabs who live in Israel second-class citizens, stripping Arabic of its designation as an official language alongside Hebrew and downgrading it to a special status that enables its continued use within Israeli institutions.

That goes against the stated objectives of the founding fathers of the state of Israel in 1948 who, in their declaration of independence, considered the principle of equality as central to the society they were creating. This new law violates their memory.

It further poisons the relationship with Palestinians and all but destroys any hope of the two-state solution envisaged under an international peace framework, in which Palestinians living in Gaza and the occupied West Bank would gain their own state. It also threatens to make Israel a pariah among the international community.

In response to the most vehement criticism of its treatment of Palestinians and the advance of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the one thing the people and government of Israel could forcibly and credibly argue is that their country was the only democracy in the Middle East.

Following the adoption of a nation-state law, that argument is less persuasive, if not untenable. Israel remains democratic compared to Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Iran but,as Spock might have put it to Captain Kirk on the Starship Enterprise: This is democracy, Jim, but not as we know it.

This article was subject to an edit on August 2, 2018.
Gunmen have opened fire on a minibus carrying members of a taxi drivers' association, killing 11 people and critically wounding four others in South Africa.

Police said the victims of the Saturday night attack had attended the funeral of a colleague and were returning home when the ambush occurred.
Burma Myanmar's Intl Panel head for Rakhine State refutes criticism by outgoing secretary

Surakiart Sathirathai, a former Thai foreign minister and Chairman of the new Rakhine State Advisory Board speaks during an interview with Reuters in Bangkok, Thailand January 5, 2018. / Reuters

YANGONThe chairman of an international panel set up by Myanmar to advise on the Rohingya crisis has rebutted criticism by the bodys former secretary, saying the panel is effective and the government has acted on its recommendations.

Former Thai foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai, who last year was picked by Myanmar to chair the group, said late on Saturday progress has been made in violence-torn Rakhine State in line with the advice the panel has given to the government.

His comments follow the resignation of Kobsak Chutikul, a retired ambassador and former member of Thailands parliament, as secretary of the panel. Kobsak told Reuters on Friday that the group had been kept on a short leash and achieved little in the six months since its formation in January

Kobsak said the panel had been barred from accepting international funding or setting up a permanent office and told to conduct meetings online. Representatives of the Myanmar army have refused to meet the board.

The statement that the Advisory Board lacks achievements is incorrect and unfair, Surakiart said in a statement, citing recent moves by the Myanmar government to re-engage with the United Nations after last years crackdown on Rohingya Muslims.

Surakiart said the government has, for example, signed an outline deal with two U.N. agencies on Rohingya returns, engaged with the U.N. Special Envoy to Myanmar, invited U.N. Security Council representatives to the country and sent a minister to visit the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh.

It is unclear to what degree the recommendations of the panel, whose official name is the Advisory Board for the Committee for Implementation of the Recommendations on Rakhine State, on these matters have influenced the governments decision-making.

The panel was set up by the Myanmar government and supposed to advise it on how to implement the recommendations of an earlier commission, headed by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, on solving the crisis in its western Rakhine, which has been riven by ethnic and religious tensions for years.

Kobsaks departure has dealt another blow to the credibility of the body, after veteran U.S. politician Bill Richardson, walked out of its first set of meetings in January, dubbing it a whitewash and cheerleading operation for Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Myanmar government spokesman U Zaw Htay could not be reached for comment on Sunday.

Myanmar has faced renewed criticism from human rights investigators over the exodus of around 700,000 Rohingya Muslims who fled a sweeping army crackdown last year in Rakhine state that the U.N. has termed ethnic cleansing.
The Lifetime Income Security Solution

This book provides a straightforward methodology to achieve and protect your financial goals. It not only explains why an income-based investment strategy is superior to active management but also how to utilize certain deferred compensation strategies to better time income recognition. Finally, there is an overview of a simple and realistic asset protection methodology that relies less on hype and more on an honest appraisal of asset protections true capabilities. Concise and conversationally written, this book is a must for high net worth individuals and investment advisers.
Caretaker govt not going to make any long-term policy with IMF: Syed Ali Zafar

Caretaker Minister for Information, Broadcasting, National Heritage Syed Ali Zafar Saturday said the interim government was working as per its constitutional mandate and making decisions of only for the sake of country.



He was addressing the Media Conference On Election-2018 and Freedom of Expression organised by the Unified Media Club of Pakistan (UMCP) here at Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Responding to reporters queries, the minister said the caretaker government was not going to make any long-term policy or agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), binding the upcoming elected government to adhere to it. Any discussion with the IMF would be non-binding as the interim government did not have the mandate to make long-term agreements with international donors, he added.



The federal government, however, could take urgent decisions, which were indispensable to protect the country from any sort of crisis, he said, adding the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) had included Pakistan in the gray list in February 2018 year, with a warning to black list it if the FATFs objections were not removed till June.



Pakistan, he said, had removed most of the objections till June and the caretaker government took an urgent decision to give only a political commitment to the FATF regarding removal of the remaining ones, including legislation to curb terror financing, control money laundering and corruption. The government made that commitment just to save the country from being blacklisted, he maintained.



Regarding surge in dollar rate, Ali Zafar said normally, market forces played the role in that regard. There were two methods to control the rate of dollar, i.e., either let the market forces to decide or start withdrawing from the foreign reserves to artificially control the rupees devaluation. The second method affected the countrys exports. It had been in vogue for the last four to five years and reduced the foreign reserves up to 40 percent. The caretaker government had stopped the practice to save the foreign reserves, he added.



To a question about Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiquis remark, he said the matter should be probed by the judiciary, and there should be no comment on it from any other quarter.



To another query, he said the Punjab home minister had confirmed to him that facilities were being provided to Nawaz Sharif as per the Jail Manual and if anybody had the objection, he could approach courts in that regard.



About the merger of FATA into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under a constitutional amendment in May 2018, he said five years were required for infrastructural development, putting in place proper administration and provision of other civic amenities there. Since people of FATA had yet to get facilities at par with the residents of other cities, therefore, the federal government had exempted the FATA people from taxes, he added.
Australias two biggest telcos  Telstra and Optus  fared poorly in a survey of Australian telecommunications consumers who say they are unimpressed by the amount of time they spend getting a resolution to a telco issue.

The survey of 1347 telecommunications consumers conducted for Australias peak communications consumer group  the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network  reveals that for many consumers resolving the hardest telecoms issues can blow out from an average of 21 days to two months.

ACCAN's findings are revealed in its report "Can you hear me?", which will be made available to the public via its website at 9am today, 23 July.

And while customers reported experiences of having to contact providers multiple times about an issue, repeatedly explaining the problem, the countrys third largest telco, Vodafone, trumped Telstra and Optus in the eyes of its customers.

Sixty-one percent of Vodafone customers said they had a positive experience in dealing with the telco, compared to just 43% and 42% for Telstra and Optus respectively.

Vodafones 61% ranking was followed by customers of TPG/iiNet, Amaysim, Dodo/iPrimus at just over 50%.

The lowest ranked telcos were Belong and regional provider Active8Me, both getting positive scores of only 36%.

Another regional provider, Skymesh, was rated more positively at 46%, while the highest scorer Virgin (70%) is no longer in the market.

ACCAN says its survey of telco customers  conducted by Colmar Brunton  found the bar is low across the industry and showed disappointing levels of first contact resolution and that escalating an issue to a formal complaint can be difficult.

Weve all got our own experience of telco customer service, but we wanted to quantify this and give consumers some idea of who is providing the best service across a number of metrics, said ACCAN chief executive Teresa Corbin.

Nearly half the complaints received by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) last year identified customer service as an issue, so we know its a source of considerable frustration.

Its obvious that there is clear need for improvement, Corbin stressed.

Poor customer service by the industry shifts costs from providers to their customers, who are experiencing loss and disruption by spending far too long trying to resolve issues.

We found customers are spending days trying to sort out very straightforward things like changing a plan, updating contact details, and general account inquiries. This is not acceptable. Its time to shift the balance back to telcos so that customers are not carrying such heavy costs to maintain their essential telecommunications services.

Corbin said ACCAN is recommending a fresh look at customer service by the industry and the regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

Theres an opportunity to do this now with the current review of the industry Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code, and a new ACMA Complaints Handling Standard. Wed like to see more concrete obligations in the Code, and more active enforcement by the regulator.

Recommendations identified by ACCAN include reduced timeframes to resolve issues, reduced wait times to contact customer service staff, increased first contact resolution.

Key findings of the survey:

Time it takes to get a resolution: on average customers have to contact their provider 2.6 times, and spend 13 days seeking a resolution (37.6 for Activ8me and 35.5 for Skymesh) 19% of respondents reported their issue to be unresolved at the time of the survey. For these people the average number of days spent seeking a resolution increased to 60 to date

on average customers have to contact their provider 2.6 times, and spend 13 days seeking a resolution (37.6 for Activ8me and 35.5 for Skymesh) Methods of contact: going instore will get you a resolution the fastest (average of 8 days), followed by social media (average of 15.5 days), online chat or messenger feature on the providers website (average of 19.6 days), phone (average of 23.3 days), and email (average 30 days)

going instore will get you a resolution the fastest (average of 8 days), followed by social media (average of 15.5 days), online chat or messenger feature on the providers website (average of 19.6 days), phone (average of 23.3 days), and email (average 30 days) Phone contact is most preferred (66%) by respondents, but respondents reported this involved contacting their provider on average 2.7 times, an average of 3 transfers, and spendimg on average 1.2 hours on the phone before reaching the right person. Less than half (46%) of these respondents reported being told the wait time to speak to someone whilst on hold and only 48% were offered the option of a call-back

(66%) by respondents, but respondents reported this involved contacting their provider on average 2.7 times, an average of 3 transfers, and spendimg on average 1.2 hours on the phone before reaching the right person. Less than half (46%) of these respondents reported being told the wait time to speak to someone whilst on hold and only 48% were offered the option of a call-back Re-providing information: 58% of respondents said they needed to re-provide some (34%) or most (24%) of the details of their use on subsequent contacts (86% for Virgin stomers). 26% said they needed to repeat their case information more than five times

58% of respondents said they needed to re-provide some (34%) or most (24%) of the details of their use on subsequent contacts (86% for Virgin stomers). 26% said they needed to repeat their case information more than five times Making a complaint: 55% of people who looked for information on how to lodge a complaint with their provider said the information was difficult to find. Of those who lodge complaint with their provider, only 18% found the process easy

55% of people who looked for information on how to lodge a complaint with their provider said the information was difficult to find. Of those who lodge complaint with their provider, only 18% found the process easy Complaining to the TIO: 24% of respondents wanted to, or did lodge a complaint with the TIO. Only 3% proceeded with lodging a complaint to the TIO. Potential reasons for this could be: 48% of those who either wanted to or had complained to the TIO reported it was difficult to find information from their provider about how to do so Of those who escalated their query with their provider or lodged a formal complaint with either the provider or TIO, 32% said their provider discouraged them from taking the matter to the TIO 48% of those looking for information from their provider about lodging a complaint with the TIO said it was difficult to find

24% of respondents wanted to, or did lodge a complaint with the TIO. Only 3% proceeded with lodging a complaint to the TIO. Potential reasons for this could be:

The Communications Alliance has already responded to the report, noting positives, but also noting its disappointment with some of the report's findings.

That commentary can be read in full in iTWire's report here.
The president of Ecuador, Lenin Moreno, has either finalised, or is about to finalise, an agreement with the UK to end the asylum protection for WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange even as early as this week, The Intercept reports.

The website's editor, Glenn Greenwald, wrote that Moreno had begun an unofficial visit to London on Friday during which it was claimed things would be finalised to hand over Assange to British authorities.

Moreno is also due to visit Spain which had taken strong objection to Assange's criticism of alleged human rights abuses by Spain at the time when Catalonia launched protests for independence. Ecuador has blocked Assange from the Internet for the last three months, with his intervention in the Catalonia affair reportedly being the reason.

Ecuador signed a security agreement with the US in May, a sharp move away from policies pursued by the previous government led by Rafael Correa.

Greenwald wrote: "It is thus highly unlikely that Moreno  who has shown himself willing to submit to threats and coercion from the UK, Spain and the US  will obtain a guarantee that the UK not to extradite Assange to the US, where top Trump officials have vowed to prosecute Assange and destroy WikiLeaks."

In April, Assange lost a bid in court to get an UK arrest warrant against him dropped.

The Australian has been taking refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since June 2012.

His problems began when he visited Sweden in August 2010 to attend a conference where he was scheduled to give a talk. During that visit, he had sex with two women whom he met. The pair filed rape and molestation complaints against him later, claims that he denied.

He was questioned by Swedish authorities and cleared of all accusations. He could have left the country then and there but stayed for a while, in case the authorities decided to question him again.

Interpol issued a Red Notice for his arrest on 20 November 2010. On 27 November, Assange surrendered to authorities and appeared before a Westminster judge. Bail was granted to him in December after his backers provided 240,000 in cash and sureties.

Then began a protracted period of legal back and forth that went on until June 2012, when Swedish prosecutors sought his extradition.

Assange's lawyers, among them the world-renowned Australian Geoffrey Robertson, replied that if he agreed to the extradition request, then he could be flown to the US from there.

On 19 June 2012, he jumped bail and took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy, seeking asylum in the South American country. British police surrounded the building and blocked any chance of his leaving.

Ecuador granted him asylum in August 2012. He has had to stay inside the four walls of the embassy since then. He was recently granted Ecuadorian citizenship.
PML-N Hanif Abbasi sent to Adiala jail for life term

ISLAMABAD: Hanif Abbasi, a leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), was arrested and sent to Adiala jail on Saturday night after he was convicted by the Control of Narcotics Substances (CNS) Court of Rawalpindi and handed down life term in the case related to misuse of controlled chemical ephedrine.



Abbasi is contesting election against Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid from NA-60, Rawalpindi. The conviction of Abbasi will give Mr Rashid a walkover since there is no covering candidate of the PML-N in the constituency. The AML chief had regularly predicted in his speeches that Abbasi would be disqualified.



Earlier, three other PML-N candidates for National Assembly seats  Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of the partys supremo Nawaz Sharif, from Lahore, her husband retired Capt Safdar from Mansehra and Danyal Aziz from Narowal  have been disqualified from contesting polls after being convicted; Maryam and Safdar in Avenflied properties reference and Aziz in a contempt of court case.



Following his conviction, officials of the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) arrested Abbasi on the premises of the CNS court.



The ANF had registered a case against Abbasi and his accomplices in June 2012 under Section 9-C, 14 and 15 of the CNS Act under which a convict may be awarded the death sentence.



The court, however, acquitted Mr Hanifs brother Basit Abbasi and other accused in this case.



Earlier in the day the court reserved the judgement in the case, but later in compliance with the Lahore High Courts order to announce the verdict before July 25 elections, CNS Court Judge Sardar Mohammad Akram Khan announced the order at 11pm.



On June 11, Justice Ibadur Rehman Lodhi of the LHCs Rawalpindi bench had ordered the judge of the special court to announce its verdict by July 21  four days before coming general elections. The trial court was also directed to hear the matter on a daily basis from July 16.



Shahid Orakzai, who is known to be a habitual litigant, had filed the petition seeking the daily trial of Abbasi and a decision in the ephedrine case before the elections.



Abbasi had filed an appeal against the directives of the LHC bench in a Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed which was rejected on Friday.



The ANF had booked Mr Abbasi on the charge of misuse of 500kg ephedrine. The ANF in 2011 had registered another case against former federal minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Ali Musa Gilani, son of former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, and others for alleged misuse of 9,000kg ephedrine, which is still pending before the CNS court of Islamabad.



Last month Mr Orakzai had filed objections against Abbasis candidature which had been dismissed by the returning officer as well as the appellate tribunal presided over by Justice Lodhi.



The CNS court on Oct 29, 2014 had indicted Hanif Abbasi and his brother Basit Abbasi, director of the formers firm Grey Pharmaceutical and some employees of the company.



The co-accused in the ephedrine case had been charged under Section 14-15 of CNS Act for abetment in the said crime.



The challan included the statements of two employees of Arafaat Traders, the Karachi-based medicine distribution company, to which Abbasi claimed to have supplied 11,000 ephedrine-containing tablets. The employees of the distribution company denied Abbasis claim, the challan said, though the same company had earlier told the ANF that Abbasi had provided them ephedrine-containing tablets.



The challan also incorporated a statement of Razia Bakhtawari, the owner of D-Watson Chemist, who contradicted the statement of Abbasi about supplying the ephedrine-containing medicine to her outlets.



Last year Abbasi had requested the CNS court for an early verdict in the case. The ANF, however, had dragged the case as it had launched an investigation into financial transactions and bank accounts of Abbasi and his family members.







In his reaction, Shaikh Rashid said that he was not happy over the court decision but it was expected as you sow so shall you reap. Hanif Abbasi was involved in the drug trade and he should face the results, he said.





Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan has said that another PML-N man is going to Adiala jail because the judiciary is strong and independent. He said that former ministers Ishaq Dar and Khwaja Saad Rafiq were also involved in some scandals.
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THE TYRANNY of STRUCTURELESSNESS

by Jo Freeman aka Joreen

The earliest version of this article was given as a talk at a conference called by the Southern Female Rights Union, held in Beulah, Mississippi in May 1970. It was written up for Notes from the Third Year (1971), but the editors did not use it. It was then submitted to several movement publications, but only one asked permission to publish it; others did so without permission. The first official place of publication was in Vol. 2, No. 1 of The Second Wave (1972). This early version in movement publications was authored by Joreen. Different versions were published in the Berkeley Journal of Sociology , Vol. 17, 1972-73, pp. 151-165, and Ms. magazine, July 1973, pp. 76-78, 86-89, authored by Jo Freeman. This piece spread all over the world. Numerous people have edited, reprinted, cut, and translated "Tyranny" for magazines, books and web sites, usually without the permission or knowledge of the author. The version below is a blend of the three cited here.





During the years in which the women's liberation movement has been taking shape, a great emphasis has been placed on what are called leaderless, structureless groups as the main -- if not sole -- organizational form of the movement. The source of this idea was a natural reaction against the over-structured society in which most of us found ourselves, and the inevitable control this gave others over our lives, and the continual elitism of the Left and similar groups among those who were supposedly fighting this overstructuredness.

The idea of "structurelessness," however, has moved from a healthy counter to those tendencies to becoming a goddess in its own right. The idea is as little examined as the term is much used, but it has become an intrinsic and unquestioned part of women's liberation ideology. For the early development of the movement this did not much matter. It early defined its main goal, and its main method, as consciousness-raising, and the "structureless" rap group was an excellent means to this end. The looseness and informality of it encouraged participation in discussion, and its often supportive atmosphere elicited personal insight. If nothing more concrete than personal insight ever resulted from these groups, that did not much matter, because their purpose did not really extend beyond this.



The basic problems didn't appear until individual rap groups exhausted the virtues of consciousness-raising and decided they wanted to do something more specific. At this point they usually foundered because most groups were unwilling to change their structure when they changed their tasks. Women had thoroughly accepted the idea of "structurelessness" without realizing the limitations of its uses. People would try to use the "structureless" group and the informal conference for purposes for which they were unsuitable out of a blind belief that no other means could possibly be anything but oppressive.

If the movement is to grow beyond these elementary stages of development, it will have to disabuse itself of some of its prejudices about organization and structure. There is nothing inherently bad about either of these. They can be and often are misused, but to reject them out of hand because they are misused is to deny ourselves the necessary tools to further development. We need to understand why "structurelessness" does not work. FORMAL AND INFORMAL STRUCTURES Contrary to what we would like to believe, there is no such thing as a structureless group. Any group of people of whatever nature that comes together for any length of time for any purpose will inevitably structure itself in some fashion. The structure may be flexible; it may vary over time; it may evenly or unevenly distribute tasks, power and resources over the members of the group. But it will be formed regardless of the abilities, personalities, or intentions of the people involved. The very fact that we are individuals, with different talents, predispositions, and backgrounds makes this inevitable. Only if we refused to relate or interact on any basis whatsoever could we approximate structurelessness -- and that is not the nature of a human group.

This means that to strive for a structureless group is as useful, and as deceptive, as to aim at an "objective" news story, "value-free" social science, or a "free" economy. A "laissez faire" group is about as realistic as a "laissez faire" society; the idea becomes a smokescreen for the strong or the lucky to establish unquestioned hegemony over others. This hegemony can be so easily established because the idea of "structurelessness" does not prevent the formation of informal structures, only formal ones. Similarly "laissez faire" philosophy did not prevent the economically powerful from establishing control over wages, prices, and distribution of goods; it only prevented the government from doing so. Thus structurelessness becomes a way of masking power, and within the women's movement is usually most strongly advocated by those who are the most powerful (whether they are conscious of their power or not). As long as the structure of the group is informal, the rules of how decisions are made are known only to a few and awareness of power is limited to those who know the rules. Those who do not know the rules and are not chosen for initiation must remain in confusion, or suffer from paranoid delusions that something is happening of which they are not quite aware.



For everyone to have the opportunity to be involved in a given group and to participate in its activities the structure must be explicit, not implicit. The rules of decision-making must be open and available to everyone, and this can happen only if they are formalized. This is not to say that formalization of a structure of a group will destroy the informal structure. It usually doesn't. But it does hinder the informal structure from having predominant control and make available some means of attacking it if the people involved are not at least responsible to the needs of the group at large. "Structurelessness" is organizationally impossible. We cannot decide whether to have a structured or structureless group, only whether or not to have a formally structured one. Therefore the word will not be used any longer except to refer to the idea it represents. Unstructured will refer to those groups which have not been deliberately structured in a particular manner. Structured will refer to those which have. A Structured group always has formal structure, and may also have an informal, or covert, structure. It is this informal structure, particularly in Unstructured groups, which forms the basis for elites. THE NATURE OF ELITISM "Elitist" is probably the most abused word in the women's liberation movement. It is used as frequently, and for the same reasons, as "pinko" was used in the fifties. It is rarely used correctly. Within the movement it commonly refers to individuals, though the personal characteristics and activities of those to whom it is directed may differ widely: An individual, as an individual can never be an elitist, because the only proper application of the term "elite" is to groups. Any individual, regardless of how well-known that person may be, can never be an elite.

Correctly, an elite refers to a small group of people who have power over a larger group of which they are part, usually without direct responsibility to that larger group, and often without their knowledge or consent. A person becomes an elitist by being part of, or advocating the rule by, such a small group, whether or not that individual is well known or not known at all. Notoriety is not a definition of an elitist. The most insidious elites are usually run by people not known to the larger public at all. Intelligent elitists are usually smart enough not to allow themselves to become well known; when they become known, they are watched, and the mask over their power is no longer firmly lodged.

Elites are not conspiracies. Very seldom does a small group of people get together and deliberately try to take over a larger group for its own ends. Elites are nothing more, and nothing less, than groups of friends who also happen to participate in the same political activities. They would probably maintain their friendship whether or not they were involved in political activities; they would probably be involved in political activities whether or not they maintained their friendships. It is the coincidence of these two phenomena which creates elites in any group and makes them so difficult to break.

These friendship groups function as networks of communication outside any regular channels for such communication that may have been set up by a group. If no channels are set up, they function as the only networks of communication. Because people are friends, because they usually share the same values and orientations, because they talk to each other socially and consult with each other when common decisions have to be made, the people involved in these networks have more power in the group than those who don't. And it is a rare group that does not establish some informal networks of communication through the friends that are made in it.

Some groups, depending on their size, may have more than one such informal communications network. Networks may even overlap. When only one such network exists, it is the elite of an otherwise Unstructured group, whether the participants in it want to be elitists or not. If it is the only such network in a Structured group it may or may not be an elite depending on its composition and the nature of the formal Structure. If there are two or more such networks of friends, they may compete for power within the group, thus forming factions, or one may deliberately opt out of the competition, leaving the other as the elite. In a Structured group, two or more such friendship networks usually compete with each other for formal power. This is often the healthiest situation, as the other members are in a position to arbitrate between the two competitors for power and thus to make demands on those to whom they give their temporary allegiance.

The inevitably elitist and exclusive nature of informal communication networks of friends is neither a new phenomenon characteristic of the women's movement nor a phenomenon new to women. Such informal relationships have excluded women for centuries from participating in integrated groups of which they were a part. In any profession or organization these networks have created the "locker room" mentality and the "old school" ties which have effectively prevented women as a group (as well as some men individually) from having equal access to the sources of power or social reward. Much of the energy of past women's movements has been directed to having the structures of decision-making and the selection processes formalized so that the exclusion of women could be confronted directly. As we well know, these efforts have not prevented the informal male-only networks from discriminating against women, but they have made it more difficult.

Because elites are informal does not mean they are invisible. At any small group meeting anyone with a sharp eye and an acute ear can tell who is influencing whom. The members of a friendship group will relate more to each other than to other people. They listen more attentively, and interrupt less; they repeat each other's points and give in amiably; they tend to ignore or grapple with the "outs" whose approval is not necessary for making a decision. But it is necessary for the "outs" to stay on good terms with the "ins." Of course the lines are not as sharp as I have drawn them. They are nuances of interaction, not prewritten scripts. But they are discernible, and they do have their effect. Once one knows with whom it is important to check before a decision is made, and whose approval is the stamp of acceptance, one knows who is running things.

Since movement groups have made no concrete decisions about who shall exercise power within them, many different criteria are used around the country. Most criteria are along the lines of traditional female characteristics. For instance, in the early days of the movement, marriage was usually a prerequisite for participation in the informal elite. As women have been traditionally taught, married women relate primarily to each other, and look upon single women as too threatening to have as close friends. In many cities, this criterion was further refined to include only those women married to New Left men. This standard had more than tradition behind it, however, because New Left men often had access to resources needed by the movement -- such as mailing lists, printing presses, contacts, and information -- and women were used to getting what they needed through men rather than independently. As the movement has charged through time, marriage has become a less universal criterion for effective participation, but all informal elites establish standards by which only women who possess certain material or personal characteristics may join. They frequently include: middle-class background (despite all the rhetoric about relating to the working class); being married; not being married but living with someone; being or pretending to be a lesbian; being between the ages of twenty and thirty; being college educated or at least having some college background; being "hip"; not being too "hip"; holding a certain political line or identification as a "radical"; having children or at least liking them; not having children; having certain "feminine" personality characteristics such as being "nice"; dressing right (whether in the traditional style or the antitraditional style); etc. There are also some characteristics which will almost always tag one as a "deviant" who should not be related to. They include: being too old; working full time, particularly if one is actively committed to a "career"; not being "nice"; and being avowedly single (i.e., neither actively heterosexual nor homosexual).

Other criteria could be included, but they all have common themes. The characteristics prerequisite for participating in the informal elites of the movement, and thus for exercising power, concern one's background, personality, or allocation of time. They do not include one's competence, dedication to feminism, talents, or potential contribution to the movement. The former are the criteria one usually uses in determining one's friends. The latter are what any movement or organization has to use if it is going to be politically effective.

The criteria of participation may differ from group to group, but the means of becoming a member of the informal elite if one meets those criteria art pretty much the same. The only main difference depends on whether one is in a group from the beginning, or joins it after it has begun. If involved from the beginning it is important to have as many of one's personal friends as possible also join. If no one knows anyone else very well, then one must deliberately form friendships with a select number and establish the informal interaction patterns crucial to the creation of an informal structure. Once the informal patterns are formed they act to maintain themselves, and one of the most successful tactics of maintenance is to continuously recruit new people who "fit in." One joins such an elite much the same way one pledges a sorority. If perceived as a potential addition, one is "rushed" by the members of the informal structure and eventually either dropped or initiated. If the sorority is not politically aware enough to actively engage in this process itself it can be started by the outsider pretty much the same way one joins any private club. Find a sponsor, i.e., pick some member of the elite who appears to be well respected within it, and actively cultivate that person's friendship. Eventually, she will most likely bring you into the inner circle.



All of these procedures take time. So if one works full time or has a similar major commitment, it is usually impossible to join simply because there are not enough hours left to go to all the meetings and cultivate the personal relationship necessary to have a voice in the decision-making. That is why formal structures of decision making are a boon to the overworked person. Having an established process for decision-making ensures that everyone can participate in it to some extent.

Although this dissection of the process of elite formation within small groups has been critical in perspective, it is not made in the belief that these informal structures are inevitably bad -- merely inevitable. All groups create informal structures as a result of interaction patterns among the members of the group. Such informal structures can do very useful things But only Unstructured groups are totally governed by them. When informal elites are combined with a myth of "structurelessness," there can be no attempt to put limits on the use of power. It becomes capricious.

This has two potentially negative consequences of which we should be aware. The first is that the informal structure of decision-making will be much like a sorority -- one in which people listen to others because they like them and not because they say significant things. As long as the movement does not do significant things this does not much matter. But if its development is not to be arrested at this preliminary stage, it will have to alter this trend. The second is that informal structures have no obligation to be responsible to the group at large. Their power was not given to them; it cannot be taken away. Their influence is not based on what they do for the group; therefore they cannot be directly influenced by the group. This does not necessarily make informal structures irresponsible. Those who are concerned with maintaining their influence will usually try to be responsible. The group simply cannot compel such responsibility; it is dependent on the interests of the elite. THE "STAR" SYSTEM The idea of "structurelessness" has created the "star" system. We live in a society which expects political groups to make decisions and to select people to articulate those decisions to the public at large. The press and the public do not know how to listen seriously to individual women as women; they want to know how the group feels. Only three techniques have ever been developed for establishing mass group opinion: the vote or referendum, the public opinion survey questionnaire, and the selection of group spokespeople at an appropriate meeting. The women's liberation movement has used none of these to communicate with the public. Neither the movement as a whole nor most of the multitudinous groups within it have established a means of explaining their position on various issues. But the public is conditioned to look for spokespeople.

While it has consciously not chosen spokespeople, the movement has thrown up many women who have caught the public eye for varying reasons. These women represent no particular group or established opinion; they know this and usually say so. But because there are no official spokespeople nor any decision-making body that the press can query when it wants to know the movement's position on a subject, these women are perceived as the spokespeople. Thus, whether they want to or not, whether the movement likes it or not, women of public note are put in the role of spokespeople by default.

This is one main source of the ire that is often felt toward the women who are labeled "stars." Because they were not selected by the women in the movement to represent the movement's views, they are resented when the press presumes that they speak for the movement. But as long as the movement does not select its own spokeswomen, such women will be placed in that role by the press and the public, regardless of their own desires.

This has several negative consequences for both the movement and the women labeled "stars." First, because the movement didn't put them in the role of spokesperson, the movement cannot remove them. The press put them there and only the press can choose not to listen. The press will continue to look to "stars" as spokeswomen as long as it has no official alternatives to go to for authoritative statements from the movement. The movement has no control in the selection of its representatives to the public as long as it believes that it should have no representatives at all. Second, women put in this position often find themselves viciously attacked by their sisters. This achieves nothing for the movement and is painfully destructive to the individuals involved. Such attacks only result in either the woman leaving the movement entirely-often bitterly alienated -- or in her ceasing to feel responsible to her "sisters." She may maintain some loyalty to the movement, vaguely defined, but she is no longer susceptible to pressures from other women in it. One cannot feel responsible to people who have been the source of such pain without being a masochist, and these women are usually too strong to bow to that kind of personal pressure. Thus the backlash to the "star" system in effect encourages the very kind of individualistic nonresponsibility that the movement condemns. By purging a sister as a "star," the movement loses whatever control it may have had over the person who then becomes free to commit all of the individualistic sins of which she has been accused. POLITICAL IMPOTENCE Unstructured groups may be very effective in getting women to talk about their lives; they aren't very good for getting things done. It is when people get tired of "just talking" and want to do something more that the groups flounder, unless they change the nature of their operation. Occasionally, the developed informal structure of the group coincides with an available need that the group can fill in such a way as to give the appearance that an Unstructured group "works." That is, the group has fortuitously developed precisely the kind of structure best suited for engaging in a particular project.

While working in this kind of group is a very heady experience, it is also rare and very hard to replicate. There are almost inevitably four conditions found in such a group;

1) It is task oriented. Its function is very narrow and very specific, like putting on a conference or putting out a newspaper. It is the task that basically structures the group. The task determines what needs to be done and when it needs to be done. It provides a guide by which people can judge their actions and make plans for future activity.

2) It is relatively small and homogeneous. Homogeneity is necessary to insure that participants have a "common language" for interaction. People from widely different backgrounds may provide richness to a consciousness-raising group where each can learn from the others' experience, but too great a diversity among members of a task-oriented group means only that they continually misunderstand each other. Such diverse people interpret words and actions differently. They have different expectations about each other's behavior and judge the results according to different criteria. If everyone knows everyone else well enough to understand the nuances, these can be accommodated. Usually, they only lead to confusion and endless hours spent straightening out conflicts no one ever thought would arise.

3) There is a high degree of communication. Information must be passed on to everyone, opinions checked, work divided up, and participation assured in the relevant decisions. This is only possible if the group is small and people practically live together for the most crucial phases of the task. Needless to say, the number of interactions necessary to involve everybody increases geometrically with the number of participants. This inevitably limits group participants to about five, or excludes some from some of the decisions. Successful groups can be as large as 10 or 15, but only when they are in fact composed of several smaller subgroups which perform specific parts of the task, and whose members overlap with each other so that knowledge of what the different subgroups are doing can be passed around easily.

4) There is a low degree of skill specialization. Not everyone has to be able to do everything, but everything must be able to be done by more than one person. Thus no one is indispensable. To a certain extent, people become interchangeable parts.

While these conditions can occur serendipitously in small groups, this is not possible in large ones. Consequently, because the larger movement in most cities is as unstructured as individual rap groups, it is not too much more effective than the separate groups at specific tasks. The informal structure is rarely together enough or in touch enough with the people to be able to operate effectively. So the movement generates much motion and few results. Unfortunately, the consequences of all this motion are not as innocuous as the results' and their victim is the movement itself.

Some groups have formed themselves into local action projects if they do not involve many people and work on a small scale. But this form restricts movement activity to the local level; it cannot be done on the regional or national. Also, to function well the groups must usually pare themselves down to that informal group of friends who were running things in the first place. This excludes many women from participating. As long as the only way women can participate in the movement is through membership in a small group, the nongregarious are at a distinct disadvantage. As long as friendship groups are the main means of organizational activity, elitism becomes institutionalized.

For those groups which cannot find a local project to which to devote themselves, the mere act of staying together becomes the reason for their staying together. When a group has no specific task (and consciousness raising is a task), the people in it turn their energies to controlling others in the group. This is not done so much out of a malicious desire to manipulate others (though sometimes it is) as out of a lack of anything better to do with their talents. Able people with time on their hands and a need to justify their coming together put their efforts into personal control, and spend their time criticizing the personalities of the other members in the group. Infighting and personal power games rule the day. When a group is involved in a task, people learn to get along with others as they are and to subsume personal dislikes for the sake of the larger goal. There are limits placed on the compulsion to remold every person in our image of what they should be.



The end of consciousness-raising leaves people with no place to go, and the lack of structure leaves them with no way of getting there. The women the movement either turn in on themselves and their sisters or seek other alternatives of action. There are few that are available. Some women just "do their own thing." This can lead to a great deal of individual creativity, much of which is useful for the movement, but it is not a viable alternative for most women and certainly does not foster a spirit of cooperative group effort. Other women drift out of the movement entirely because they don't want to develop an individual project and they have found no way of discovering, joining, or starting group projects that interest them.

Many turn to other political organizations to give them the kind of structured, effective activity that they have not been able to find in the women's movement. Those political organizations which see women's liberation as only one of many issues to which women should devote their time thus find the movement a vast recruiting ground for new members. There is no need for such organizations to "infiltrate" (though this is not precluded). The desire for meaningful political activity generated in women by their becoming part of the women's liberation movement is sufficient to make them eager to join other organizations when the movement itself provides no outlets for their new ideas and energies. Those women who join other political organizations while remaining within the women's liberation movement, or who join women's liberation while remaining in other political organizations, in turn become the framework for new informal structures. These friendship networks are based upon their common nonfeminist politics rather than the characteristics discussed earlier, but operate in much the same way. Because these women share common values, ideas, and political orientations, they too become informal, unplanned, unselected, unresponsible elites -- whether they intend to be so or not.

These new informal elites are often perceived as threats by the old informal elites previously developed within different movement groups. This is a correct perception. Such politically oriented networks are rarely willing to be merely "sororities" as many of the old ones were, and want to proselytize their political as well as their feminist ideas. This is only natural, but its implications for women's liberation have never been adequately discussed. The old elites are rarely willing to bring such differences of opinion out into the open because it would involve exposing the nature of the informal structure of the group.

Many of these informal elites have been hiding under the banner of "anti-elitism" and "structurelessness." To effectively counter the competition from another informal structure, they would have to become "public," and this possibility is fraught with many dangerous implications. Thus, to maintain its own power, it is easier to rationalize the exclusion of the members of the other informal structure by such means as "red-baiting," "reformist-baiting," "lesbian-baiting," or "straight-baiting." The only other alternative is to formally structure the group in such a way that the original power structure is institutionalized. This is not always possible. If the informal elites have been well structured and have exercised a fair amount of power in the past, such a task is feasible. These groups have a history of being somewhat politically effective in the past, as the tightness of the informal structure has proven an adequate substitute for a formal structure. Becoming Structured does not alter their operation much, though the institutionalization of the power structure does open it to formal challenge. It is those groups which are in greatest need of structure that are often least capable of creating it. Their informal structures have not been too well formed and adherence to the ideology of "structurelessness" makes them reluctant to change tactics. The more Unstructured a group is, the more lacking it is in informal structures, and the more it adheres to an ideology of "structurelessness," the more vulnerable it is to being taken over by a group of political comrades.

Since the movement at large is just as Unstructured as most of its constituent groups, it is similarly susceptible to indirect influence. But the phenomenon manifests itself differently. On a local level most groups can operate autonomously; but the only groups that can organize a national activity are nationally organized groups. Thus, it is often the Structured feminist organizations that provide national direction for feminist activities, and this direction is determined by the priorities of those organizations. Such groups as NOW, WEAL, and some leftist women's caucuses are simply the only organizations capable of mounting a national campaign. The multitude of Unstructured women's liberation groups can choose to support or not support the national campaigns, but are incapable of mounting their own. Thus their members become the troops under the leadership of the Structured organizations. The avowedly Unstructured groups have no way of drawing upon the movement's vast resources to support its priorities. It doesn't even have a way of deciding what they are.

The more unstructured a movement it, the less control it has over the directions in which it develops and the political actions in which it engages. This does not mean that its ideas do not spread. Given a certain amount of interest by the media and the appropriateness of social conditions, the ideas will still be diffused widely. But diffusion of ideas does not mean they are implemented; it only means they are talked about. Insofar as they can be applied individually they may be acted on; insofar as they require coordinated political power to be implemented, they will not be.

As long as the women's liberation movement stays dedicated to a form of organization which stresses small, inactive discussion groups among friends, the worst problems of Unstructuredness will not be felt. But this style of organization has its limits; it is politically inefficacious, exclusive, and discriminatory against those women who are not or cannot be tied into the friendship networks. Those who do not fit into what already exists because of class, race, occupation, education, parental or marital status, personality, etc., will inevitably be discouraged from trying to participate. Those who do fit in will develop vested interests in maintaining things as they are.

The informal groups' vested interests will be sustained by the informal structures which exist, and the movement will have no way of determining who shall exercise power within it. If the movement continues deliberately to not select who shall exercise power, it does not thereby abolish power. All it does is abdicate the right to demand that those who do exercise power and influence be responsible for it. If the movement continues to keep power as diffuse as possible because it knows it cannot demand responsibility from those who have it, it does prevent any group or person from totally dominating. But it simultaneously insures that the movement is as ineffective as possible. Some middle ground between domination and ineffectiveness can and must be found.

These problems are coming to a head at this time because the nature of the movement is necessarily changing. Consciousness-raising as the main function of the women's liberation movement is becoming obsolete. Due to the intense press publicity of the last two years and the numerous overground books and articles now being circulated, women's liberation has become a household word. Its issues are discussed and informal rap groups are formed by people who have no explicit connection with any movement group. The movement must go on to other tasks. It now needs to establish its priorities, articulate its goals, and pursue its objectives in a coordinated fashion. To do this it must get organized -- locally, regionally, and nationally. PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRATIC STRUCTURING Once the movement no longer clings tenaciously to the ideology of "structurelessness," it is free to develop those forms of organization best suited to its healthy functioning. This does not mean that we should go to the other extreme and blindly imitate the traditional forms of organization. But neither should we blindly reject them all. Some of the traditional techniques will prove useful, albeit not perfect; some will give us insights into what we should and should not do to obtain certain ends with minimal costs to the individuals in the movement. Mostly, we will have to experiment with different kinds of structuring and develop a variety of techniques to use for different situations. The Lot System is one such idea which has emerged from the movement. It is not applicable to all situations, but is useful in some. Other ideas for structuring are needed. But before we can proceed to experiment intelligently, we must accept the idea that there is nothing inherently bad about structure itself -- only its excess use.


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Irans clerical Leader, Ali Khamenei, spoke Saturday to a gathering of diplomats in Tehran.

Speaking of the Trump administrations full court press to put Iran under severe sanctions now that Trump has violated the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, Khamenei said he approved of the threat made by President Hassan Rouhani on his recent visit to Europe. Rouhani had intimated that Iran could close the Straits of Hormuz, interrupting the petroleum and gas exports of other nations on the Gulf littoral, if it was pushed to the wall. He said, If Iran cannot export oil, no country in the region will be able to. Khamenei said that the obligation of the ministry of foreign affairs is to advance such positions of the president.

[Id just like to point out that it probably is not technically possible for Iran, which has no proper navy, to close the Straits of Hormuz. And that if it did so, it would be hurting itself, since US sanctions cant stop Iranian exports entirely. And that if it did so, it would likely lead to tit-for-tat attacks that would hurt Iran as much as its neighbors. Even at the height of the Iran-Iraq War, this was a step Iran never took, for fear of mutual assured destruction of its own oil facilities. Moreover, the Europeans have asked Iran to stop talking like this, since this sort of threat makes it harder for them to buck the Trump administration.]

Khamenei criticized those pragmatists who sought to separate diplomacy and ideology. He insisted that ideological diplomacy is unproblematic, and that ideology and the national interest are compatible.

He pointed out that American diplomats are always going on about American values, which he said was their ideology. Similar ideologies are part, he said, of much European diplomacy.

He argued that the European and American focus on democracy is hypocritical. They hardly allowed democracy in their colonies during the age of colonialism. Nowadays, he said, several of them suffer from the dictatorship of party rule. Some of them have collaborated with Saudi Arabia in killing people. The Europeans, he said, are perfect examples of the lack of human rights, but then impudently turn around and accuse Iran of human rights abuses.

(This is not actually a thing. Democracy is not actually incompatible with parties. While it is true that Europeans and Americans have allied with the Saudis in their war on Yemen, that does not let Iran off the hook with regard to its human rights abuses. Two wrongs dont make a right.)

Khamenei said that it was a mistake to negotiate with the United States, since Washington has a basic antipathy toward the Islamic Republic of Iran. He said that the US wanted to return to its position [of neocolonial dominance] in Iran that characterized the situation before the 1979 revolution.

The leader said that he has been stressing for ages that it is not possible to depend on the word or even the signature of the Americans. For this reason, negotiating with them is useless.

In contrast, he said that negotiations with Europe should not be cut off, but that there should not be delays, since many projects needed to be undertaken in Iran.

Featured Photo via Hossein Zohrevand, Tasnim News, Creative Commons/ WikiMedia Commons.
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A security guard outside a branch of one Iraqs most powerful paramilitary groups shot and killed a protester on Friday while trying to push back a crowd, police sources said, ratcheting up tensions over a lack of basic services sweeping southern cities.

Two people were wounded when demonstrators throwing bricks and stones gathered outside the local headquarters of the Iranian-backed Badr Organisation.

We received the body of a protester with a bullet wound to the head, said a doctor in a hospital in the city of Diwaniya.

Fridays death brings to four the number of protesters killed in nearly two weeks of demonstrations against corrupt politicians blamed for failing to deliver basic services and jobs to the crumbling oil hub of Basra and other cities.

Dozens of members of the security forces have been injured in the protests, some of which have taken place at the entrance to oilfields. Officials say production has not been affected.

Anger has also been directed at paramilitary groups such as Badr, which is unusual. Badr politicians had a strong showing in the May 12 parliamentary election which was tainted by allegations of fraud.

Thousands protested in southern cities and Baghdad on Friday, calling for the downfall of political parties, as they escalated demonstrations backed by the countrys most influential clerics.

In Basra, crumbling from years of neglect and under-investment, about 3,000 people gathered outside the headquarters of the provincial governorate.

The people want the downfall of political parties! they chanted, a slogan similar to one used in the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, as politicians struggled to form a new government.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is seeking a second term, promised that his Shiite-led government would fund electricity and water projects in Basra, where the colour of tap water is often brown because it contains dirt and where garbage is piled up along many streets.

The promises they make are all lies, said Khaled Hassan, 42, a health worker in Basra. We will not keep quiet.

On Thursday, Shia Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose bloc finished first in the election, said politicians should suspend efforts to form a coalition until the protesters demands are met.

Sadr won the election promising to eradicate poverty and corruption and resist interference from Iran.

Sadr, whose militiamen staged uprisings against US forces after the 2003 invasion, has in the past mobilised tens of thousands of people to press his demands.

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most powerful cleric in Iraq, has also expressed solidarity with the demonstrators.

Iraqs Shia heartland in the south has long been neglected, first by Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein and then by Shia-dominated governments after him.

We are demanding the sacking of the governor and removal of all corrupt officials from the province, said Faris Abdel Karim, who helped organise a protest outside the house of the provincial governor in the city of Nasiriya, where police fired in the air, wielded batons and fired tear gas.

About 300 people demonstrated at one of Baghdads main squares. One held up a poster which read: The revolution of the poor. Riot police used water cannons to disperse the crowd.

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Via Middle East Monitor



Bonus video added by Informed Comment:

Anger mounts in Iraq as protests spread to the capital Baghdad | Al Jazeera English
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Washington (AFP)  US President Donald Trumps controversial former advisor Steve Bannon plans to set up a foundation in Europe called The Movement to spark a populist rightwing revolt, according to a report.

Bannon envisages the organization rivalling George Soros Open Foundation, which has given away $32 billion to liberal causes since it was established in 1984, according to the report by the Daily Beast published late Friday.

The non-profit will be a central source of polling, advice on messaging, data targeting, and think-tank research.

He told the Daily Beat he was convinced the coming years will see an end to decades of European integration.

Right-wing populist nationalism is what will happen. Thats what will govern, he said. Youre going to have individual nation states with their own identities, their own borders.

He added he had held talks with right-wing groups across the continent, from Nigel Farage and members of Marine Le Pens Front National (recently renamed Rassemblement National) in the West, to Hungarys Viktor Orban and the Polish populists in the East.

The organization will likely be based out of Brussels initially and has set its sights on the 2019 European parliament elections.

The architect of Trumps nationalist-populist campaign and his election victory, White House chief strategist Steve Bannon was nicknamed the Prince of Darkness and the Shadow President.

His economic nationalism became the lynchpin of Trump policies, even as many of his other ideas were rebuffed by policy rivals.

After new Chief of Staff John Kelly arrived, Bannons constant clashes with other advisors became untenable, as did his ties to the extreme right, which drew accusations that Trump fostered racists. Bannon left the White House last August.

Featured Photo: AFP/File / Michal Cizek. The architect of Trumps nationalist-populist campaign and his election victory, White House chief strategist Steve Bannon was nicknamed the Prince of Darkness and the Shadow President.
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By Brian Galle | 

Washington, D.C. (The Conversation)  Editors note: U.S. authorities have arrested Mariia Butina, a Russian advocate for firearms ownership also known as Maria. In a criminal complaint that led to her indictment, the Justice Department accused her of secretly infiltrating American electoral politics as a foreign agent working on behalf of Russia and engaged in an anti-U.S. conspiracy. Numerous media reports allege that Butina illegally helped funnel Russian money into Donald Trumps presidential campaign through the National Rifle Association. Brian Galle, a law professor who used to work for the Justice Department, explains what the consequences might be if the charges and accounts are true.

1. How could the government punish the organization?

The court papers allude to the NRA, although not by name. Several news sources have described in detail the relationship Butina and her Russian employer built with the organization, starting in 2013 or earlier. Depending on what NRA officials knew and when they knew it, the government could make a case that the gun advocacy and lobby group coordinated with Butina to help her advance Russian interests here in the U.S.  making it a co-conspirator in her individual lawbreaking.

The NRA has several arms. Its largest operation is technically known as a social welfare group or 501(c)(4) organization, granting it exemption from U.S. taxes. Another branch is a traditional charitable organization, making contributions to that entity tax deductible. Under federal tax law, when either of these kinds of nonprofits break laws, they jeopardize their tax exempt status.

The government has stripped several nonprofits of their tax exemptions for breaking the law over the years, including organizations that used their charitable status to defraud donors and, in the 1940s and 50s, groups suspected of supporting communism.

Some media reports suggest the NRA served as a conduit for Russian money that landed in the Trump presidential campaigns coffers. If that proves true, it would violate election laws that bar foreigners from funding political candidates. At the same time, however, there could be some ways to structure such transactions as technically legal, as dark money expert Robert Maguire notes.

In addition, many state and federal laws treat the use of fake or straw donors to make campaign contributions with someone elses money as a crime, punishable with fines. Conceivably, there could be individual criminal liability, even jail time, for any NRA leaders who might be found guilty of scheming to misreport campaign expenditures.

But, I want to emphasize, nothing in the court papers unsealed on July 16, 2018, support those scenarios.

2. What might happen to its influence?

Since charitable giving tends to be an emotional act, some donors might not continue to support the NRA if it lands in legal trouble. Past scandals have weakened support for other prominent nonprofits, such as the Wounded Warrior Project.

For an organization that has cast itself as a bulwark of patriotism, any evidence that it conspired to undermine U.S. laws seems off-brand. On the other hand, polls indicate that support for Vladimir Putin has soared among Republicans, making it hard to predict how the NRAs members and big donors might respond.

Public scrutiny might also make the NRA more cautious in how it doles out its political spending, a major source of its influence these days. The organization spent more than $30 million supporting President Trump alone in 2016, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. If its benefactors become more suspect, even among the NRAs base, that could loosen its grip over many American politicians and policymakers.

3. How might the government catch more of these alleged infractions?

Although U.S. charities cant engage in political spending, they are allowed to partner with social welfare groups, as the NRA and the NRA Foundation do.

Unlike charities, social welfare groups can lobby, and they are allowed to spend at least some of their budget on election-related activity. Their donors are known to the government, but hidden from the public, which is why their funding is sometimes called dark money.

And the Trump administration just made dark money darker.

Just hours after the government announced Butinas arrest, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin declared that the IRS was reducing the reporting requirements for donations to social welfare groups. Under this new guidance, 501(c)(4) groups will no longer need to reveal most of their donations on their tax returns, even to the IRS.

In my opinion, its hard to see this move as anything except an effort to help big-money donors cover their tracks. Without a list of donors, the IRS cant know when an organization is being used to further the interests of those backers, instead of the public.

Brian Galle, Professor of Law, Georgetown University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.



Bonus video added by Informed Comment:

From Wednesday: Bombshell: NRA-Linked Russian Charged With Being Foreign Agent | The Beat With Ari Melber | MSNBC
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Morek (Syria) (AFP)  More rebel fighters with their families boarded buses to leave southern Syria on Saturday under deals with the regime, a war monitor said, after hundreds reached opposition territory in the north.

On Saturday evening, a second bus convoy prepared to leave Quneitra province, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

State news agency SANA published images of white buses it said were leaving Quneitras Umm Batna area on the ceasefire line, watched by men in military uniform.



AFP / OMAR HAJ KADOUR. A Syrian child looks through the windows of a bus carrying rebels and their families from the southern province of Quneitra to northern Syria on on July 21, 2018.

In neighbouring Daraa province, 19 buses carrying rebels and civilians hit the road north, more than half from the town of Nawa, the Observatory said.

Earlier in the day, an AFP correspondent said around 50 buses carrying opposition fighters and civilians from Quneitra reached the Morek crossing on the edge of northwestern rebel-held Idlib province.

Just over a month into a Russia-backed regime campaign to retake Daraa and Quneitra from rebels, Moscow-brokered surrender deals are paving the way for government institutions to return to nearly all parts of these provinces.

The deals provide for rebels who do not agree to a government takeover to board buses with their families to join other opposition fighters in the north of the country.

Damascus has been determined to retake Daraa and Quneitra, which borders the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, with Daraa seen as the cradle of Syrias seven-year uprising.

 Six dead in air strikes 

But the surrender agreements do not include jihadists, and Russian air strikes on Saturday killed six civilians in an Islamic State group holdout in Daraa province, the Observatory said.

The deadly raids came just a day after strikes in the same area took the lives of 26 non-combatants including 11 children.

On Saturday, clashes between loyalists and jihadists in the area also killed 13 regime fighters, including eight in a car bombing.

The first bus convoy on Saturday carried around 2,800 people, more than half women and children, and has reached rebel held territory, according to the monitor.

Near the parked buses in Morek, a woman and five children waited by a cluster of small suitcases, the eldest among them carrying bottles of water and a blanket.

Men with light weapons slung on their backs shared a bite to eat and some water as they stood around waiting. Several wore scarves wrapped around their faces.



AFP / Youssef KARWASHAN. Syrian government soldiers hold portraits of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the city of Quneitra on July 19, 2018.

Syrian forces launched their southern offensive on June 19, targeting the province of Daraa that borders Jordan to the south, then turning their attention to neighbouring Quneitra.

With a mix of military power and negotiated surrenders, President Bashar al-Assads troops this month captured more than 90 percent of Daraa, where protests against him first erupted in 2011.

Syrias conflict has killed more than 350,000 people and displaced millions since it began in 2011 with a brutal government crackdown on protesters.

Featured Photo: AFP / Youssef KARWASHAN. Syrian government soldiers wave national flags after retaking control of the city of Quneitra from rebels, on July 19, 2018.
PTI candidate Ikramullah Gandapur injured in a blast in Dera Ismail Khan

Ikramullah Gandapur, an election candidate of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), has been injured in a blast in Dera Ismail Khan on Sunday, police said.

Two security guards and Gandapur's driver were also injured in the explosion, which took place in Kolachi area of Dera Ismail Khan. The candidate is contesting elections on a provincial assembly seat from PK-99 constituency.

According to the police, he was targeted near his residence when he was going to a political convention.

The nature of the blast has yet to be ascertained; however, police officials believe that it was a remote-control bomb.

Gandapur served as the provincial agricultural minister in the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet. He was elected through a by-election on the Dera Ismail Khan PK-67 seat, after it was vacated following the death of his brother Law Minister Israrulah Gandapur in a suicide attack.
Raza Rabbani declared interim government to be partial 22 July, 2018



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Hand Wash and Toiletries in Pakistan And the Role of DUPAS in Reshaping the Industry

Woke Bingo Former chairman of the Upper House of parliament Raza Rabbani Saturday slammed the caretaker government and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), questioning their purported intentions ahead of the upcoming general elections.



Addressing the Senate session, Rabbani declared the interim government to be partial and claimed the National Accountability Bureau was being used to advance certain political agendas during the electoral process. He lamented that two major political parties were being targeted, and raised doubts over the transparency of the upcoming polls.



Thundering at the ECP for its criminal silence over perceived irregularities in the run-up to the polls, Rabbani warned of dire consequences for the government if the elections are engineered.



Raising questions over the role of the armed forces in the polling process, the PPP leader said the ECP had not defined a code of conduct or terms of reference to govern the deployment of the army on polling day. At first, the ECP kept saying that soldiers would be deployed outside the polling stations. Now it is saying they will be also be deployed inside. What is the reason for their being stationed inside? he asked. The ECP should tell us why they eventually decided to deploy soldiers inside the polling stations. And if they will be inside, what will their function be? he asked.



Senator Rabbani raised questions over the participation of banned groups in the general election. Under what law has the ECP permitted banned groups to contest elections? he asked. Under what law have Fourth Schedulers been allowed to contest elections? Did the ECP summon details of contestants belonging to banned outfits? Did it ask for records of those candidates who have cases registered against them? he questioned. Under which section of the law and constitution are [these individuals] being allowed to contest the elections, he asked, holding the ECP answerable.



Is the ECP sleeping? he asked, wondering if the ECP had failed to notice that two major parties of the country were being targeted. He referred to stoppage of Bilawal Bhuttos convoy at various points, as well as an incident of stone pelting at a meeting held by former prime minister and PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. Is the ECP unable to see PML-N leaders being arrested? he asked, referring to a crackdown on members of the political party in various parts of Punjab in the days leading up to Nawaz Sharifs return to the country. Did the ECP question the government about it? he thundered.



The PPP leader drew the Senates attention towards restrictions being placed on the media by disruptions to the circulation of certain newspapers and instructions to television channels not to air certain programmes.



The former Senate chairman also criticised the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for summoning election candidates and interrupting their campaigns. Candidates are being told to abandon their election campaigns and keep sitting down at the NAB offices, he said. This is criminal silence on the part of the ECP  current events make it very clear that the caretaker government is biased. The ECP has remained silent, as though it is being told something from somewhere else, he claimed. The caretaker government is saying one thing, and the ECP another, he said, adding that these developments are casting doubts over the transparency of the upcoming polls. How can these elections be called free, fair and transparent? he questioned.



Rabbani lambasted both ECP and the caretaker government, saying they had failed to fulfill their constitutional responsibilities. How will the elections be free and fair in this environment? People of Pakistan want answers to these questions, he asserted.



Leader of Opposition in Senate Sherry Rehman also criticised the Punjab home minister for saying that he would remove certain names from the Fourth Schedule, and demanded his resignation. She warned against allowing banned organisations to contest elections, saying that it would bring extremist elements into the mainstream. Will we have to apologise for being open-minded? she asked. We wont be able to breathe if these people enter the parliament.



Sherry claimed that divisions were being created in Pakistan by mainstreaming the extremist parties. We have paid a huge price in the war against terrorism, she said. What explanation will we give to the world if women and non-Muslims start being targeted in the country?



PML-N Senator Pervaiz Rashid criticised a recent statement made by Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Prof Hassan Askari wherein he predicted that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) would gain more seats in the upcoming elections while the number of seats won by PML-N will decline.



Condemning Askaris statement, Rashid said that as caretaker chief minister, it was not his place to make predictions about the results of the upcoming elections. He demanded that Askari should resign for making statements regarding the outcome of the polls.



National Party Senator Ashok Kumar told the Senate that internet access in some areas of Balochistan had been cut off, disrupting communication in the province. We have never seen elections being held in this manner, he claimed. Everyone knows what kind of elections will take place in Balochistan.
US officials meeting former Taliban members: US media

WASHINGTON: US officials are meeting former Taliban members as the Trump administration has intensified its efforts to seek a negotiated settlement of Americas longest war, the US media reported on Saturday.



In a joint report by its correspondents in Kabul, Peshawar and Washington, NBC News claimed that the meetings took place at undisclosed locations in Afghanistan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.



At least five Americans participated in a series of recent meetings in hotel suites in Doha, Qatar, the report added, quoting three senior Taliban commanders.



The report noted that Taliban often use a network of former commanders and political leaders as interlocutors and negotiators.



Some of those used as interlocutors have previously been imprisoned by the US or Afghanistan and no longer have active roles, the report added.



NBC News also pointed out that the US has lost more than 2,400 soldiers in Afghanistan since late 2001, when it invaded the country after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.



A Doha meeting participant told NBC News the gatherings were very friendly with tea and cookies being served.



The security was very tight, both in and outside the hotel, and even hotel staff were not allowed to enter the rooms where the meetings took place, the participant added.



NBC News reported that the Taliban delegates had also demanded strict security as they did not want to be identified by the intelligence services of Russia, China and Arab countries.



The participant claimed that to avoid detection, the Taliban did not travel in groups. Once they [the Americans] reach the meeting place, we go there one by one, he added.



The report claimed that hotels were chosen as venues because the Taliban and US officials initially didnt trust each other.



When NBC News contacted a State Department spokesperson, the official did not confirm that any meetings had taken place, but did say the Trump administration was eager to resolve the conflict.



A spokesperson for the US Department of Defence told NBC News that it remained prepared to support and facilitate an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process.



The report noted that the Trump administration was eager to end the Afghan war but only if it could be assured that the US-backed government in Kabul would survive the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
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Its peculiar, I think, that we live in a time of physician shortage and yet some things remain abundantly clear:

1. Physicians cant work together to fight, either for their own good or the good of their patients.

2. Like hostages, or abused spouses, they just keep going back for more of whatever bad policies they endure.

3. They are devalued.

Now, this isnt about money. Im not enough of a medical economics expert to suggest whether or not each speciality is being paid equitably. I have ideas, but this is not the space.

Perhaps devalued is the wrong phrase. They are treated as commodities. Allow me to elucidate.

I have a friend who was fired over a column he wrote that really wasnt salacious, didnt refer to the facility in any negative way, wasnt (G-d forbid) politically incorrect. His employers just didnt like it.

I have friends who are employees of large hospital systems, but not allowed to work anywhere else (for money) on their time off. I wonder if the corporation decides which side of the bed they can sleep on each night? How this is legal I have no idea.

Another friend has a job where every activity she does outside the hospital, that involves speaking or writing, has to be approved by her employer. Whether or not it has anything to do with medicine or her job as a physician. Madness.

And the greatest insult of all, in far too many hospitals around the country, physicians, nurses, PAs, NPs and other clinicians are not allowed to keep food or drink at their desks. Its an infection control issue. Nope. Its just a control issue.

Those who make the rules happily skip off to desks with coffee, cookies, candy and all the rest. And they get breaks and lunches. They can leave the campus! Not so the clinicians in endoscopy suites, ORs, ICUs, etc. who are chained to their computers all day and all night (oh, and to patient care, blah, blah, blah). No snacks for you! And often no bathroom breaks.

How did this happen? l dont know. I dont know how we became the enemy of an occupying power in the administrative suites of America. How we became, not their allies, not their raison detre, but their subjects.

But I know it needs to stop. Because being a commodity takes away the joy of medicine. I also know that history suggests you can only push so hard. And there arent nearly enough of us to go around.

The current situation isnt good for anybody.

Lets hope it changes before its too late.

Edwin Leap is an emergency physician who blogs at edwinleap.com and is the author of the Practice Test and Life in Emergistan.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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Im a creature of habit. My first activity every day is to read the New York Times. Depending on my schedule, some days I read more articles than others. This week I was away at a conference and found myself with some early morning extra time before the first meeting session, so I delved into the Arts section. I began to read the first article: Women of the Philharmonic Can Play It All. Just Not in Pants. It begins:

Women can wear pants at the Oscars, the Tony Awards and state dinners. They can wear pants while graduating from the Naval Academy, figure skating at the Olympics and running for president. They can wear them at just about any workplace in America. But when the women of the New York Philharmonic walked on stage at David Geffen Hall recently to play Mozart and Tchaikovsky, they all wore floor-length black skirts or gowns. And theyre required to: The Philharmonic, alone among the nations 20 largest orchestras, does not allow women to wear pants for formal evening concerts.

The article goes on to discuss some of the unique problems that this dress code presents for musicians, such as the difficulties encountered when playing large stringed instruments, and one woman who plays the English horn recounted how the folds of her long dress got caught in the keys of her instrument during a critical passage.

I found the article interesting, but as an outsider to the music world simply thought that its another example of how the frivolous often eclipses the big issues in life. Then I came to this quote from a female violinist, One thing is really clear: People in the orchestra want to remain dressy. Its important that we look like we care. That is sending a message. We put so much into the preparation of our programs that, yes, we need to look good as well. At this point, the light bulb turned on and all of the dots connected for me: here is the musical equivalent of the judgmental doctors who think that all doctors must wear white coats. And then I knew that the pathologic manifestations of professionalism are not limited to medicine.

Well at least in medicine our clothing police arent sexist, I thought. But then I remembered that it was only three years ago that Mayo Clinic dropped its pantyhose requirement for women physicians. And in a recent essay, Roshini Pinto-Powell, the associate dean of student affairs at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, writes about how professionalism forces nearly every woman interviewing for medical school or residency to follow rigid rules of dress that makes her look like a penguin. Maybe we arent ahead of the New York Philharmonic after all.

You might think that in medicine weve overcome ageism and classism in our sartorial expectations. However, its worth pointing out that the department of medicine at Johns Hopkins is just now dropping the requirement of short white coats for interns. In the video attached to this article about that in the Baltimore Sun, the internal medicine chief residents express their sorrow at the loss of the short coat. Really? In 2018? Yet almost everywhere medical students are still relegated to the short coat. How about we just get rid of them all given that hierarchy with its associated authority gradient in medicine makes it much less likely that a short-coated person will speak up when she sees a long-coated person about to make an error?

On a happy note, there are always positive deviants, and I want to point out two of them. In the musical world, there is Seiji Ozawa, who was the conductor of the Boston Symphony for three decades. Instead of wearing the customary white tie and tails, he boldly wore a white turtleneck and tails, a look that became his trademark. The other is Jorge Mario Bergolio. As he was about to step out onto the balcony in St. Peters Square to be introduced to the world as Francis, he was handed the mozzetta, a short red velvet cape trimmed in ermine worn only by the pope. He declined this heirarchical symbol despite the professionalistic expectations of his peers in the College of Cardinals.

I remain convinced that we need to assess work attire using simple humanistic criteria. Your clothes should be clean, comfortable, functional, and safe. No need for white coats. No long gowns. No mozzetta. No penguin suits. And the only people that will care are those who remain blinded by professionalism.

Michael Edmond is an infectious disease physician who blogs at Controversies in Hospital Infection Prevention.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
By Yi Whan-woo



North Korea's state-run media outlets are insisting on opening an investigation into a claim that 12 North Korean waitresses in China were kidnapped by South Korea in 2016.



They are also asking for the punishment of those responsible for plotting the abduction and producing propaganda that the restaurant workers defected to the South en masse.



They reiterated Pyongyang's call to repatriate the waitresses and warned that any failure could "result in obstacles" for a reunion of separated families planned from Aug. 20 to 26.



The status of the North Korean waitresses have been hotly debated, especially since May when their male manager revealed that he tricked them into going to the South at the bidding of the National Intelligence Service.



The incident took place under the conservative Park Geun-hye administration. The Moon Jae-in government maintains the view that the 12 young women defected of their own free will and rules out their family members' claim that they were forcibly taken to the South.



The debate apparently embarrassed the South that had accused the North of violating human rights and being uncooperative in humanitarian efforts such as the reunion of the separated families.



Tomas Ojea Quintana, U.N. special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights, gave the upper hand to the Kim Jong-un regime, too. In a July 10 press conference in Seoul, he called for a "thorough and independent" probe and said those responsible need to be held accountable.



"Although it is too late, the South Korean government should acknowledge its inhumane criminal acts committed under the Park government, open an investigation to find out the truth and put those who are responsible under heavy punishment," an op-ed of the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party said Saturday.



It said the South should immediately return the abductees and show its determination to implement a declaration jointly announced by Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their first summit at Panmunjeom in April.



"A failure to return our people urgently could result in an obstacle for reunion of the separated families and the future of North-South relations."



The newspaper lashed out at the Moon administration for repeatedly assuring it would root out the ill practices witnessed during the Park administration while being reluctant to deal with the abduction-related issues."



Also on Saturday, the Korean Central News Agency argued repatriating the restaurant works was "a matter that should not be delayed any longer," saying "How the South deals with the case will help us judge its willingness to improve cross-border relations."



On Friday, the North's Uriminzokkiri propaganda website warned that any delay in resolving the issue could negatively affect inter-Korean relations.



"We will closely watch what action the South Korean government will take," it said.



Meari, another North Korean propaganda website, claimed that the North Korean workers were "kidnapped," and warned against a failure to resolve the issue.



Kim Hyun-wook, a professor at Korea National Diplomatic Academy, speculated that the Kim regime is not bluffing, saying "The reunion of the separated families does not interest them much."



"The regime has only agreed on cross-border cooperation in sports, culture and humanitarian issues because it wants economic aid in return ultimately," the professor said. "It would not worry much about calling off the reunion."






By Jung Hae-myoung, Park Si-soo







Mid-sized typhoon Ampil is heading toward the Korean Peninsula.







It made landfall in Shanghai, China, on Sunday morning, battering the area with heavy rain and winds of up to up to 30 meters per second. There were no reports of casualties or property damage.







Ampil is moving northeast at 86 kilometers per hour with the central pressure reaching 985 hPa as of Sunday 10 a.m.







The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said Ampil continued to lose its steam and was forecast to subside somewhere near Qingdao in coming days. But there was still a chance the typhoon could change direction and strike the peninsula, KMA officials said.







The typhoon brought rain to South Korea's western and southern islands, including Jeju, Sunday.







"We are taking a close look at the typhoon's travel path," a KMA official said.











If the typhoon dies in China, the next chance of rain on the "sizzling" peninsula would come in about 10 days, according to the KMA.







"The boiling hot weather will continue to grip the country for a while," the KMA official said. "We see chances of rain (on mainland Korea) in 10 days. But it's not 100 percent certain."







The weather agency issued a heatwave warning across the country at 11 a.m. as the average temperature reached 37.4C. Seoul's midday high reached 36C, while in some southern areas the mercury soared to 37C.


New Delhi, July 22 (PTI) A London-bound Jet Airways flight from Mumbai was today diverted to Bucharest in Romania due to a medical emergency, but it remained stranded there reportedly for more than four hours, passengers complained.

Author Suhel Seth was one of the passengers on the flight. He took to Twitter to vent his anger.

"The commander of @jetairways 9W 116 which is now stranded at Bucharest tells us that while all local clearances have been given, they are waiting for the goddamn DGCA to give them an approval and that too from Bombay? How stupid can things get?" he tweeted.

In another tweet, he said, "Passengers on @jetairways 9W 116 have been sitting in the plane at Bucharest which has now been on the Tarmac for four hours. Waiting for some stupid chap in the DGCA BOMBAY to give us an approval to take off for London. What's going on @jayantsinha and @sureshpprabhu?".

Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu reacted to his tweet: "I am getting this looked into and sorted out immediately."

Minutes later, the Ministry of Civil Aviation tweeted that no permission from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation was required but they were awaiting clearance from Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer, as the flight had landed with excess fuel weight.

"There is no permission pending from DGCA.However, since the landing was with excess fuel weight (en route London), clearance has been sought from the manufacturer (Boeing) so that there is no technical safety issue on take-off.Should take off as soon as the clearance is received," the tweet read.

A response from Jet Airways is awaited.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Brussels [Belgium], Jul 22 (ANI): The only way out for the people of Maldives is to remove President Abdulla Yameen from power, said Member of European Parliament (MEP) Nicolas Bay, Co-President Group: Europe of Nations and Freedom on Friday.

Vnews.mv quoted an article from EP Today, a monthly news magazine for the European Parliament, saying that the "peace-loving Maldivians" are falling prey to Yameen's political and international gamesmanship, whose primary motive is to serve his own prosperity and at the same time play with the interests of the common man.

Due to this, the democracy of the Maldives is in total danger, with Yameen taking no heed to the law and judiciary of the country.

Bay added that Yameen ousted the entire opposition in the Maldives and imprisoned several senior figures, who could pose a potential threat to his post, such as his brother and nephew, former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Ahmed Faris Maumoon respectively.

Bay stated that the Maldivian President also amended laws so that the leaders-in-exile, including former President Mohamed Nasheed and Jumhooree Party (JP) founder Qasim Ibrahim are barred from contesting elections for at least 10 years.

"While local leaders who were courageous enough to question President Yameen's actions are facing prison sentences of more than 20 years, the presidential election draws near and President Yameen's actions show that he would not allow a united opposition candidate to beat him in the elections. His hijacking of the two key institutions essential for the election process - the Elections Commission and the Supreme Court - shows that the elections would neither be free nor fair, and the EU and UN are unlikely to send an official Election Observation Mission," Vnews.mv quoted the EP Today article as stating.

Bay continued that Yameen's lust for strengthening his power was evident when he imposed a state of emergency by conceiving 'an ingenious way' of dodging the Supreme Court's order of February 1, which directed the release of nine political prisoners.

He said that the appeals for the conditions for free and fair elections in the island country, made by the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU), are being ignored by Yameen.

"Government officials are hesitant to raise their voice against President Yameen for fear of losing their jobs while opposition rallies are dealt with severely, further pushing the public into forced compliance," Bay was quoted by EP Today.

Yameen has borrowed huge amount of money from China and Saudi Arabia for initiating several infrastructural and social welfare projects, in what is seen as a last-ditch attempt to amass public support.

The MEP underscores Yameen's clear disregard for liberal democratic values by openly playing the "Islamic card" and appointing Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, the Chancellor of the Islamic University, as his running mate.

Bay believes that if the Maldivians can pronounce an "overwhelming vote" to remove Yameen from power, then that is "the only way out."

Quoting another article from The Parliament, vnews.mv states that former President of the European Economic and Social Committee, Henri Malosse said that the Maldivian government is selling its land to foreign governments, such as to the Chinese government for infrastructural projects, which is a great concern.

Malosse stated that although the Constitution of the Maldives bans the selling of its land to the foreign governments, it can be fudged if huge amounts of money are concerned.

"The international community, including the EU, has now called on President Yameen to maintain rule of law and abide by the Constitution. He must allow the opposition to stand in elections, ensure freedom of the press and stop all intimidation, harassment and other illegal means that risk the credibility, civil liberties and democracy of the Maldives. The EU sanctions could result in the inevitable decline of tourism, the principal resource for the people of the Maldives", he was quoted by vnews.mv.

Echoing similar sentiments, Member of the European Parliament and EPP Party Rapporteur on Maldives Tomas Zdechovsky implied that "the EU had followed up on the February 26 Council conclusions by adopting the framework sanctions, which in no way indicates that the EU is satisfied with the Maldivian government's efforts to address concerns".

Zdechovsky also has a word of advise for the Yameen government- take immediate actions to rectify the current political situation and not fall prey to its own propaganda. (ANI)

(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, July 21: After Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government passed the no-confidenc motion moved by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has said that "Bharatiya Janata Party has betrayed" the state yet again. More reactions are expected to come from politicians across the partyline. The Modi government defeated the no-confidence motion with an overwhelming majority with the government getting 325 out of a total 451 votes. Only 126 MPs voted in favour of the motion.

Earlier today, a batch of 1,632 pilgrims left Jammu to perform the Amarnath Yatra. The pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in two batches of 1,011 and 621. The first one headed to Pahalgam base camp and the other to the Baltal one in escorted convoys. A total of 2,24,340 pilgrims have performed the Yatra since it started on June 28.

Police authorities on Saturday seized Rs 2 crore from Mughalsarai railway station and arrested two people. Further investigation was underway. Various parts of Mumbai once again witnessed rainfall on Saturday. However, rain and road traffic was normal. Meanwhile, a shocking incident was reported from Madhya Pradesh's Sagar where a 16-year-old girl allegedly committed suicide on Friday after she was allegedly gang-raped by three men. All accused were arrested. Further investigation was underway.
Mumbai, July 22: The Mumbai - London Jet Airways flight has been diverted to Bucharest (Romania) due to a medical emergency. More details awaited. According to a tweet by ANI, the Jet Airways flight 9W 116 has been diverted to Romania.

To meet growing travel demand, Jet Airways, Indias premier full-service international airline announced the introduction of its third, non-stop, daily service between Mumbai and London Heathrow last year in May last year. The services came into effect from October 29, 2017.

The airline had announced that as part of the airlines Winter schedule, the new daytime service  9W 116 will depart from Mumbai at 0905 hrs.to arrive at London Heathrow at 1335 hrs. On its return, the planned departure for 9W 115 from London Heathrow is at 1530 hrs., arriving in Mumbai at 0555 hrs., giving guests a head start to their day in Indias economic capital.
Jul 22, 2018, 4:21am ET

Lexus boss: EV push coming "too soon"

\"I prefer to approach the future in a more honest way.\"

The transition to electric cars is happening too fast, according to Lexus' top executive. He raised questions about the technology, how it fits into the lives of motorists, and the impact it has on the environment.

"We understand that electric is very necessary -- more than some, perhaps, with our early move to hybrid -- but we can also see that full EV will not suit everyone. You can't make an electric Land Cruiser work, for instance, and there are people in remote parts of the world whose lives depend on that car," explained Lexus president Yoshihiro Sawa in an interview with British magazine Autocar.

He added charging an electric car remains a lengthy process. And, for all the talk of EVs saving the planet, he pointed out manufacturing a battery pack isn't an environmentally-friendly process because minerals like cobalt need to be mined. Batteries degrade over time, too, and need to be disposed of properly when they reach their of their life cycle.

"It's a complex issue -- much more complex than the current rhetoric perhaps suggests. I prefer to approach the future in a more honest way," he concluded.

According to Sawa, car companies need to spend money on improving the gasoline engine and developing hybrid, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen powertrains for the coming decades instead of praising electric technology as a one-size-fits-all solution.

Photo by Ronan Glon.
A red Ford Escape veered off the road Sunday morning in the 2100 block of Willow Park Road in Bethlehem Township, slammed into a pole and then swerved into a front yard, according to a report from the scene.

The driver was taken for treatment to St. Luke's Hospital in the township, a Northampton County emergency dispatch supervisor confirmed. The woman, who was the only person in the SUV, suffered minor injuries, according to the witness account. The wreck happened just before 8 a.m. near Walnut Street.

The Ford was heading toward William Penn Highway and the road is coming out of a slight curve in the stretch where the SUV veered into the pole.

The cleanup was complete before 9:30 a.m., county records show.

The Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Company, the Nancy Run Fire Company and township EMS assisted township police at the scene.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
After 266 years of operation, Easton Farmers' Market is trying something new.

The market launched July 7 its Easton Compost Program, the city's first residential composting initiative. It gives city residents -- and those willing to travel to the market -- the opportunity to make use of kitchen scraps and reduce food waste.

Every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., people can pick up a five gallon bucket with an odor-controlling lid at the farmers' market in the city circle. Once the bucket is filled, people can bring it down to a drop-off station at the back of the town's public market on Church Street.

Easton Market District Director Megan McBride said the food waste will be weighed and tipped into a city truck before it's sent to American Biosoils for processing. Once the program is further established, she said people will be able to receive a bucket of compost in return for their food scrap contributions.

"So far, the reaction and the response has been great," McBride said. "We gave out a 150 buckets in the first two weeks. On our first collection day, we collected just shy of 300 pounds of food waste."

The program, McBride said, has been something the market has wanted to do for a long time, given the success of a prior composting program for farmers' market vendors and resident demand.

"We started getting a lot of emails in the past year from people that are moving into the Easton area, from Brooklyn or New Jersey or where have you, who were asking, 'So where's the compost pile? What's your community compost program?'" McBride said. "We felt bad to say, 'We don't have something like that.' We were seeing the need for it, for sure."

It wasn't until the Greater Easton Development Partnership received a $10,000 grant from the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation that the program was able to be actualized, she said.

Miranda Wilcha, the initiative's compost coordinator, said the fact that over 35 people returned with full buckets to the first collection date was a testament to how much Easton residents care about the area.

To encourage people to continue composting, she said the program has an initiative called "Weigh our Waste," that will award $100 in market tokens to the person who brings in the most food waste by September. Second place will receive $50, and third place will receive $25, she said.

People can bring their food waste to the same location during the week, but Wilcha encouraged people to do so at the Saturday market to foster a sense of community. Food waste brought other days of the week will not be weighed and counted towards the "Weigh our Waste" program, she said.

She views the program as a "grassroots effort," one she said proves the efficacy of hands-on community involvement.

"Sometimes, when people think of successful composting programs or green practices, they'll immediately think about Seattle, which, granted, has a really great composting program, but I think we're seeing these pop-up programs in smaller cities," Wilcha said. "I know the Greater Easton Development Partnership was really interested in a program that Lambertville in New Jersey put together, and that it's taken ideas from smaller cities like Princeton, too."

Because American Biosoils is a commercial composting facility, people are able to recycle things they wouldn't be able to do in a traditional at-home system, like meat and bones, according to McBride. They're still able to compost "all the normal things," like fruit, vegetables, eggshells, coffee grounds and grains.

McBride said organic waste sequestered to landfills produces a "tremendous amount" of methane, a gas that contributes to global warming. Composting food scraps and converting it into nutrient-rich soil creates a self-fulfilling loop.

While the program is still in its infancy, McBride said "the better this initiative goes," the higher the chance the city adopt a large-scale, door-to-door composting program.

People interested in volunteering with Saturday composting are encouraged to reach out to the Easton Farmers' Market at 610-330-9942.

Jake Holland may be reached at jholland@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @jakewholland. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A stretch of William Penn Highway that was the scene of a fatal wreck early Saturday morning in Palmer Township likely won't reopen to traffic until at least Monday, authorities said.

The approximately 1 a.m. wreck killed 23-year-old Michael Kutz of Easton, Palmer Township police said. He reportedly lost control of the Honda Civic he was driving. The vehicle completely sheered two utility poles. Kutz, the only occupant, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Palmer Township police Detective Jim Alercia said Saturday afternoon that the sheered poles carried wires for several utilities, including phone, cable and electric. The poles remained dangling from the wires as of Saturday afternoon and it was unclear when the utility companies would be able to fix the damage, he said.

But with a forecast of heavy rain through Sunday, Alercia said it is unlikely that the necessary work would happen anytime sooner than Monday. He said the highway, between Stones Crossing Road and South Nulton Avenue, would remain closed because the dangling poles pose a safety hazard.

The wreck happened at the highway's intersection with Stones Crossing Road. Kutz was reportedly traveling eastbound on the highway when he lost control.

Agencies including Palmer Township Fire Department, Suburban EMS, and Bethlehem Township Fire Department assisted township police at the scene.

Nick Falsone may be reached at nfalsone@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickfalsone. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A judge has ordered the release secret grand jury report on allegations of priest sex abuse dating back decades and involving six Pennsylvania dioceses, including the Diocese of Allentown.

Cambria County Judge Norman A. Krumenacker, who has jurisdiction over the grand jury report, gave the order on Friday in a move that could bring an end to a lengthy legal battle over whether the report should be made public.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro filed a brief arguing for the report's release earlier this month after the state Supreme Court temporarily sealed it.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Friday that the Supreme Court decision was based on objections from 14 lawyers representing individuals named in the report, but not charged criminally. Those names have since been redacted.

The judge wrote in his order that the redacted report does not violate grand jury secrecy and "may be filed and made public in its current form at the discretion of the Supreme Court."

The redacted report had not been released as of Saturday afternoon, but it is expected to reveal details of widespread abuse and efforts to conceal and protect abusive priests at six Pennsylvania dioceses, including Allentown, which administers to Catholics in the Lehigh Valley.

"Our office continues to fight to ensure this report is released and victims' voices are heard by the people of Pennsylvania," Shapiro said in a statement. "This marks an important step in that process."

Among those publicly calling for the report's release were Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli and Allentown Diocese Bishop Alfred Schlert.

Schlert, an Easton native, last week sent a letter to more than 80,000 households across the diocese. He reiterated that the diocese fully cooperated with the grand jury investigation and has made no attempts to block the release of its report.

"What is important to understand is that most incidents of abuse in the Allentown Diocese date back decades, and offending priests are either no longer in active ministry or are deceased," the bishop wrote. "In the past, the Church did not always deal with abuse and abusers in the way it does now."

Nick Falsone may be reached at nfalsone@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickfalsone. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A 64-year-old Berks County woman suffered serious injuries late Saturday morning in a head-on crash with a turning vehicle on Route 663 in Milford Township, Bucks County, according to the Pennsylvania State Police.

Keys Beasley-Washington, 21, of Pottstown, was driving a 2010 Volkswagen CC 2.0 east at 11:57 a.m. when he attempted to make a left onto Spinnerstown Road, police said. Michele L. Weller, of Bally, was driving a Toyota Venza west on Route 663 -- which is also known as John Fries highway -- when the vehicles collided, police said.

The Volkswagen came to a stop in the westbound lanes and the Toyota ended up on the westbound shoulder, police said.

Beasley-Washington was take to St. Luke's Hospital in Quakertown for treatment of a minor injury, police said.

Weller was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township, police said. Her injuries were not life-threatening, police said.

Both vehicles had to be towed and Beasley-Washington was cited with a left-turn violation, police said.

Upper Perkiomen Ambulance and Grand View Health EMS assisted at the scene, police said.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
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Water flowing in the Lehigh Canal in Easton could become a clean and renewable energy source.

Northampton County Council voted Thursday to back a proposed hydroelectric power generator in the Lehigh Canal near Hugh Moore Park.

Council voted 7-2 Monday to commit up to $1.5 million in matching funds should the New England Hydropower Company receive a grant from the Pennsylvania Alternative and Clean Energy Program.

The hydropower company needed a committed municipal partner to be eligible for the grant. If a lower amount is awarded, the county would only have to match that dollar amount. If the grant is not awarded, the county would not provide any money, according to Thursday's resolution.

Plans call for a small-scale "Archimedes screw" hydro turbine. Typically the spinning screw design has been used to pump water from lower elevations to higher elevations, often for irrigation purposes.

The proposed design would do the reverse with water flowing downward that would turn the screw and generate power. There are about three hundred of these types of generators in Europe and only one in the United States, according to New England Hydropower representative Chris Conover.

New England Hydropower operates the existing system in Connecticut.

Conover said the system would be in the canal but would not block the canal completely or damage any existing canal lock mechanisms. Fish and other creatures would still have access downstream, he said.

"It is a small system but it would be a start in renewable energy in the Lehigh Valley," Conover said.

The company has been talking with Easton officials and would still need to come to an agreement about using the site. The power generated could eventually be sold to government or private entities, according to Conover.

Conover said the grant application is the first of many steps to make this project happen. The project also needs federal permits.

Delaware Canal 21 Deputy Director Douglas Dolan said his group--a nonprofit organization created to support the Delaware Canal--endorses the project.

Dolan said, if this project is a success there may be opportunities to create similar projects in the Delaware Canal.

"It can be a way to think about using our historic 19th century infrastructure in a way to have new life in the 21st century," Dolan said.

The county money is slated for the 2019 budget.

Council members John Cusick and Peg Ferraro voted against the resolution.

"From a science and engineering standpoint, this is terrific," Cusick said. "From a dollars and cents standpoint, it is not."

Others on council disagreed and said this is an important project.

"I can't wait to see this thing up and running," Council President Ken Kraft said.

John Best is a freelance writer. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Drivers crash into deer all the time, but on the remote roads of northern Warren County, a much more durable beast can sometimes wander into a vehicle's path.

A 37-year-old driver escaped unscathed Sunday afternoon when the SUV she was piloting struck a bear on Stillwater Road in Hardwick Township around 12:24 p.m.

The 2017 Ford Explorer was able to be driven away and the bear appeared to survive the collision, New Jersey State Police said.

Dispatches indicated there were injuries in the Ford, but police said Erin Zabrinskie, of Hardwick, was uninjured. Zabrinskie was the vehicle's only occupant, police said.

The bear ran off into the woods, dispatches said. It wasn't immediately clear how big the bear was or what kind of bear it was.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A Roxbury Township, Morris County, woman was jailed after waving a six-inch folding knife at a group of women with whom she was in a fight early Friday morning in Hackettstown, police say.

Alana Mitchell, 22, was in the parking lot of Bea McNally's Irish Pub at 109 Grand Ave. when she went to her vehicle and grabbed the knife around 2 a.m., town police said in a news release.

She "then started swinging the knife back and forth in front of the crowd until she was tackled and disarmed by another person," police said.

She was taken to Hackettstown Medical Center for unspecified treatment, police said.

She was charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon, police said.

She was lodged in Warren County jail awaiting a court date, police said.

Mansfield Township and Independence Township police assisted at the scene, town police said.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Naas General Hospital recently held a graduation ceremony for the Project Search interns who had completed the programme at the hospital.

Eight of the nine graduates from last year are in paid employment following their internship at the hospital the previous year.

At the event, interns of the class of 2017/18 shared their unique experience of the programme and talked about the sense of purpose and being part of the team that they have experienced in Naas Hospital.

Emma McGrane, Physiotherapy Manager on behalf of the staff at Naas Hospital thanked the real heroes of the department .

Ms McGrane also acknowledged the valuable contribution of the graduates who have become an integral part of the Hospital.

NGH has supported and participated in Project Search since 2012.

Project SEARCH, developed originally in Cincinnati Childrens Medical Centre, Ohio, Massachusetts is a business-led initiative.

It aims to transform the lives of young people with intellectual disabilities. This is done through internship programmes and employment opportunities in the community. Hospital manager Alice Kinsella pledged to continue to support this wonderful programme that plays a hugely positive role for the participants and for the hospital.
Leitrim Calling is a local cause that has benefitted from the Tesco Community Fund. Founded in 2007, Leitrim Calling is a confidential friendly telephone call service available to the older and vulnerable people living in Leitrim.



Volunteers make free, friendly, confidential phone calls every week Monday to Friday, Bank Holidays and Christmas Day to about 100 active service users. Initially set up to address the issues of loneliness and rural isolation by befriending older people living alone, the service now addresses a range of further needs and has recently expanded to also include people of any age, who are feeling lonely or facing difficult challenges in their lives.



Marion Quigley, Co-ordinator at Leitrim Calling, explains why the service was founded.



Leitrim is unique in that it has a higher (12.5%) than average proportion of older people living in the county, coupled with the fact that many of these people are living in remote rural areas.



In 2007 this was worsened due to the crash which saw many young people emigrate, leaving more people alone and isolated, so the service couldnt have started up at a better time.



Leitrim Calling plans to use the support from the Tesco Community Fund to print Tips for Wellness & Security flyers for their service users.



Our idea is to provide a flyer people can keep on the fridge with tips for staying well during the winter months, personal care, safety around the home, keeping private information secure and confidential, increasing awareness of scams, taking care collecting pensions or answering the door, explains Marion.



Christine Heffernan, Director of Corporate Affairs, Tesco Ireland said: Its wonderful to see the impact that the Community Fund can have in the locality.



Leitrim Calling is a fantastic example of the community-based services. Tesco loves to support and we wish them every continued success for the coming years. Irish people have a strong commitment to charitable and community causes, and we are proud to be able to support local good causes through our Community Fund.



To nominate a local cause to participate in the Tesco Community Fund, simply call in to your local store and complete a nomination form.

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A SPECIAL REPORT carried out by the States financial watchdog into allegations that the University of Limerick, or people in it, may have misled its office will go directly to the office of the Minister for Education prior to its publication.

The Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) drafted a special report into the findings of an internal audit carried out at UL, which found that the university provided inaccurate or incomplete information to several government bodies.

This report is now being finalised and will be sent to the office of the Minister for Education Richard Bruton prior its publication, which is expected in September.

Once it has been signed, the Minister has three months to present it.

The findings of an internal audit carried out by Deloitte found that UL provided inaccurate or incomplete information, in relation to 1.2 million in severance payments, breaches in procurement policy and spending on study abroad schemes for staff to a number of Government departments.

Details of this internal audit first came to light in February 2018.

The Deloitte report found that a number of the universitys most senior staff, notably the former president Dr Don Barry and former head of human resources Tommy Foy, provided inaccurate or incomplete information to the Department of Education and Skills, the Dail Public Accounts Committee, the Comptroller and Auditor General, public broadcaster RTE, and even ULs own legal advisors.

None of the severance agreements examined as part of this audit had been approved by the Department of Education.

One compromise agreement was also backdated and presented to the C&AG as a factual representation of what occurred.

The audit also found that UL spent 91,047 on two senior staff members in the HR department  Mr Foy and Patrick Rockett - obtaining three-year online doctorates at Walden University in the United States, an institution ranked academically inferior to UL.

This figure included 12,000 on trips to Paris, Texas and Florida for workshops and a graduation ceremony. The report states that, in both cases, there were multiple instances of the further study not being in compliance with ULs stated policy.

Dr Barry admitted to Deloitte auditors that he was not aware of UL having a policy of further study.

Following the publication of the audit, UL advised the Public Accounts Committee that 17 of the audits 42 recommendations had been implemented and 25 were currently in progress.

Tommy Foy, the former head of human resources named in the Deloitte audit, stepped down from his position at the university in early July.

The Limerick Leader understands that Mr Foy has since joined UL subsidiary UniJobs.

A source confirmed that no financial agreement or settlement was made with Mr Foy before he stepped down from the role of HR director.
AN OFF-DUTY Bruff garda sergeant stopped a vehicle after he observed it being driven in an erratic manner.

Gerard Mason, aged 60, of Towerhill, Cappamore pleaded guilty to drink driving at Dromsallagh, Cappamore on July 17, 2017. Sergeant Michelle Leahy said Sergeant Ted Riordan stopped the defendant while he was off-duty after observing his driving.

He called Bruff Garda Station to dispatch a van. When Garda Aidan Larkin came he saw that Mr Mason was very unsteady on his feet. He was arrested and conveyed to Bruff Garda Station, said Sgt Leahy. A urine sample gave a reading of 303mgs of alcohol per 100 mls of urine.

On a separate date, Mr Mason pleaded guilty to driving without insurance, certificate of road worthiness or driving license, speeding at 71kmph in a 50km zone, and not wearing a safety belt. Garda John Ryan said he stopped Mr Mason at Main Street, Cappamore on September 15, 2017.

Garda Ryan said Mr Mason has a total of 107 previous convictions including 11 for no insurance. Con Barry, solicitor for Mr Mason, said there is no getting away from his clients previous convictions.

There were tragic circumstances around this time, said Mr Barry, who told Kilmallock court a person close to the family died in a road traffic accident. Judge Marian OLeary said: Yet, he goes out and drinks and drives...

Mr Barry said his client slipped back into his old ways due to a lot of tragic circumstances. He apologises to the court and the gardai. He is unemployed, said Mr Barry.

For drink driving, Judge OLeary put Mr Mason off the road for three years and fined him 500. The judge sentenced Mr Mason to five months in prison, disqualified him from driving for 10 years and fined him 400 for no insurance.

Judge OLeary fined him 200 for no certificate of road worthiness, 300 for no driving licence, 150 for speeding and 150 for not wearing a seatbelt. Recognisance was fixed in the event of an appeal.
THE FORMER Mayor of Limerick and councillor for the Adare-Rathkeale district has called on gardai to tackle the unlawful re-selling of stolen tools, branding the act a slap in the face for hardworking tradesmen.

Speaking at a recent meeting of the Joint Policing Committee (JPC), former Mayor Stephen Keary called on gardai to take action to prevent the unlawful peddling of stolen property, which he believes is ongoing at many markets in Limerick.

If you visit any of the county marts or fairs, you will see stalls with tools of all varieties being sold, cllr Keary said.

Where is the paperwork for that?Tools would be the bread and butter of a tradesman's profession and this is a slap in the face for hardworking tradesmen.

There needs to be more of a concentration in that area, he added.

In response, Chief Superintendent Gerard Roche agreed that the selling of stolen property is an issue that needs to be tackled.

The selling of stolen property at fairs is considered a massive issue all over the country, Chief Supt Roche said.

Cllr Keary also requested an update from the previous JPC, at which the Criminal Assests Bureau revealed that Limerick has the second highest number of ongoing investigations outside of Dublin.

Has there been feedback on CABs outcomes? I query this because in Adare and Rathkeale there is a lot of property there where you would wonder where the proceeds came from to purchase them.

According to the Chief Supt, CAB currently has a number of ongoing live investigations in Limerick.

CAB is more active in this county than any other, he said.

In April, CAB had 61 live investigations ongoing in Limerick City and County.
Sharks can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Their home in Mexico's Revillagigedo National Park  North America's largest marine protected area  is now protected by none other than the Mexican navy, thanks in large part to a team of dedicated researchers.

This expansive upgrade didn't happen overnight. Rather, the hard work of researchers, who spent years tagging and tracking sharks, has finally translated into political policy, making the park's extension a reality.

"I'm very excited," James Ketchum, who helped tag the sharks while a graduate student at the University of California, Davis, and is now the conservation director of Palagios Kakunja, a nongovernmental organization for marine conservation, said in a statement published by UC Davis. "It shows all these years of work have been useful for something." [In Photos: Mexico's New Ocean Reserve Protects Stunning Biodiversity]

Revillagigedo National Park  also known as the "Galapagos of North America"  protects more than 58,000 square miles (150,000 square kilometers) around the Revillagigedo Archipelago, four volcanic islands about 300 miles (480 km) southwest of Baja Peninsula. Mexico announced the park's creation last November, Live Science previously reported, with the purpose of protecting sharks, giant manta rays, humpback whales, dolphins, fish and migrating birds.

"It used to be protected 6 miles [10 km] around every island," Mauricio Hoyos-Padilla, who took part in the shark-tagging research as a doctoral student with Mexico's Interdisciplinary Center for Marine Sciences, said in the statement. "But thanks to all the information we gathered about the connectivity between all these islands, we were able to protect 40 square miles [100 square km] around the islands."

This map shows the Revillagigedo Archipelago marine reserve expansion design. (Image credit: Courtesy Palagios Kakunja)

The researchers realized that the sharks need more than just 6 miles around each island after analyzing acoustic and satellite shark-tracking data from 2009 to 2015. They found that the sharks used large swaths around each island, sometimes up to 100 miles (160 km).

After tagging scalloped hammerhead sharks, the researchers showed that 40 nautical miles around each island would best protect the animals and their ecosystem.

Using this research, the first park design was proposed in 2014 to the Mexican Commission of Natural Protected Areas. This proposal was even included in the site's official documentation as a heritage site with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The researchers later presented an expanded park design, which eventually morphed into the new national park, which became official on Nov. 24, 2017.

After the creation of Revillagigedo National Park, the Mexican navy agreed to patrol the area with boats and drones to ensure that the park remains protected, the researchers noted. Pew Charitable Trusts is also planning to help monitor the islands by satellite.

Sharks often get a bad rap in Hollywood and the media, but they're key predators that keep ecosystems within the ocean healthy.

"When you protect the highly mobile top predator, you protect the reef fishes and reef fauna that are less mobile," Ketchum said. "The idea is you're protecting everything. This archipelago had been highly exploited. The need for protection has been there for at least 20 years or more, and finally it has arrived."

Original article on Live Science.
Two more firefighters were injured as crews struggled to gain containment Saturday of a relentless inferno fueled by dry terrain and hot weather near Yosemite National Park, officials said.

The Ferguson Fire swelled to 29,045 acres by Saturday  growing by more than 6,000 acres since Friday  and was still only 6 percent contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Two firefighters suffered back injuries and were taken to hospitals Friday, said Jim Mackensen, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service.

Theyve been released and are going home to recover, Mackensen said.

A total of four firefighters have been injured and one killed since the blaze started July 13.

Braden Varney of Mariposa, a bulldozer operator for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, died last weekend when his vehicle rolled down a ravine near El Portal.

Another firefighter broke a leg, and one suffered a heat-related illness, Cal Fire spokesman Richard Eagan said.

The tough and often inaccessible landscape, triple-digit heat and low humidity posed challenges to fire crews trying to control the blaze, said Michael Whitaker, also a spokesman for Cal Fire.

The bulk of the fires growth overnight occurred north of Highway 140 near Neds Gulch, Cal Fire said. On Saturday, firefighters were scouting the area to find the best routes to establish containment lines.

Crews made progress on the southeast side of the blaze near El Portal and Wawona Road. Most of the containment lines in that area were complete, and crews were lining the area Saturday with hoses to put more water on the blaze, Cal Fire said.

Mandatory evacuations remained in place along Incline Road, in the Jerseydale/Mariposa Pines area, the Cedar Lodge/Indian Flat Campground area, Savages Trading Post, Sweetwater Ridge, El Portal Trailer Court, Rancheria Flat, Old El Portal, Yosemite View Lodge and Foresta.

Evacuation centers were open at the New Christian Fellowship in Mariposa and Yosemite Valley Elementary School in Yosemite National Park.

As of Thursday, the cost of fighting the blaze was $8.4 million, and officials expect that amount to rise with 204 engines, 38 water tenders, 17 helicopters, 70 crews and 40 bulldozers working the Ferguson Fire, Whitaker said.

No homes or buildings have been destroyed, but 216 structures remain threatened.

Yosemite National Park remains open.

The stubborn blaze is one of more than a dozen wildfires burning around the state. The latest fire to erupt in California came Saturday afternoon in Lake County, Cal Fire said.

The Carder Fire ignited around 2:40 p.m., prompting evacuations as it quickly grew to 60 acres, devouring dry grass, brush and trees south of Kelseyville.

The fire was 20 percent contained as of Saturday evening, Cal Fire reported.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani
By wide margins, Americans give President Donald Trump negative marks for his conduct during a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week and for his casting doubt on U.S. intelligence conclusions that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds.

But public reaction nationally appears more muted than in Washington, where Trump faced withering bipartisan criticism for appearing to side with Putin over U.S. intelligence agencies at a Monday news conference in Helsinki. Most Americans do not feel Trump went "too far" in supporting Putin, and while more Americans say U.S. leadership has gotten weaker than stronger under Trump, his ratings on this question are slightly improved from last fall.

The findings indicate that while Trump was judged critically for his summit performance, the event has not at this time proved to be a significant turning point in his presidency, despite the sharp criticism he received in the hours and days after the meeting and the multiple efforts by White House officials and the president to clarify his remarks in Helsinki. The poll results suggest that overall attitudes toward the president have hardened on both sides and that major events like Helsinki produce only modest changes in his overall standing, if any.

The Post-ABC poll conducted Wednesday through Friday finds that overall, 33 percent of Americans approve of Trump's handling of his meeting with Putin while 50 percent disapprove. A sizable 18 percent say they have no opinion. A slightly larger 56 percent disapprove of Trump expressing doubts about U.S. intelligence agencies' conclusion that Russia tried to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. On both questions, those who say they "strongly disapprove" of Trump's performance outnumber those who say they "strongly approve" by better than 2 to 1.

Trump's ratings for handling the summit represent a weakened moment for him, but they are not markedly worse than ratings of his presidency overall in other recent polls. A Washington Post-Schar School poll earlier this month, for instance, found 43 percent approved of Trump's job performance while 55 percent disapproved, with strong disapproval outpacing strong approval by roughly 2 to 1.

The new Post-ABC poll finds 40 percent saying Trump went "too far" in supporting Putin, a criticism that was voiced by both Democrats and Republicans in Washington over the past week.

However, almost as many - 35 percent - say Trump handled Putin "about right," while another 15 percent say he did not go far enough to support Putin. The rest have no opinion. Democrats, liberals and college graduates are the only groups in the poll among whom a majority say Trump went too far in supporting Putin.

Partisans split in their ratings of Trump's meeting with Putin, but Republicans are less united in support for Trump than in other recent polls about his presidency. Among Democrats, 83 percent disapprove of Trump's handling of the meeting, while among Republicans, 66 percent approve of Trump's performance. By way of comparison, in the Post-Schar School survey, 87 percent of Republicans said they approved of Trump's overall job performance as president.

A bare majority of Republicans in the new poll - 51 percent - approve of Trump expressing doubts about U.S. intelligence conclusions on Russian election interference. But a smaller 31 percent disapprove, with 18 percent offering no opinion. Among Democrats, 78 percent disapprove of what Trump said about U.S. intelligence findings, as do 59 percent of independents.

Independents lean negative on Trump's handling of the summit overall, with 33 percent approving and 46 percent disapproving. Self-identified "moderates" are particularly negative, with 64 percent disapproving of how Trump handled the meeting, nearly as high as 73 percent among liberals. A smaller 58 percent majority of conservatives approve of Trump's conduct at the summit.

The Post-ABC poll finds that 47 percent say that under Trump, America's leadership in the world has gotten weaker, versus 30 percent who say it has gotten stronger. That is an improvement on last November, when the margin between those who said weaker versus those who said stronger was 27 percentage points.

Despite Republicans' lukewarm support for Trump's Helsinki performance, they express growing confidence in his ability to project U.S. strength around the world. A 74 percent majority of Republicans say American leadership has "gotten stronger" under Trump, up from 53 percent last November and 61 percent last July. By contrast, 80 percent of Democrats currently say Trump has weakened U.S. leadership around the world.

On this question, independents lean more negatively than positively, with 22 percent saying America's leadership has gotten stronger under Trump, 47 percent weaker and about one-quarter saying it has stayed the same.

College graduates had a much sharper negative reaction to Putin's summit than those without college degrees - college grads are 18 points more likely to disapprove of Trump's summit performance (62 percent vs. 44 percent). Those without college degrees are nearly three times as likely to say they have no opinion of Trump's performance.

In contrast to many surveys about the president and politics, the Helsinki poll produced only modest gender differences. Men were slightly less disapproving of the president's handling of the summit than women, but the gap was not statistically significant.

Young Americans - those under age 40 - gave Trump lower marks for his overall handling of the summit than did those over 40. But younger and older Americans tended to offer similar assessments to other questions.

The Post-ABC poll was conducted by landlines and cellphones from July 18 to 20 among a random national sample of 464 adults. Overall results have a margin of sampling error of 5.5 percentage points, which is larger among subgroups.

---

The Washington Post's Emily Guskin contributed to this report.
Jerusalem

Gaza's militant Hamas rulers said Saturday they had accepted a cease-fire ending a massive Israeli onslaught on militant positions after a soldier was shot dead, once again pulling the sides back from the brink of a full-fledged war.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars over the past decade. Hamas agreed to the second cease-fire in a week under heavy Egyptian and international pressure.

Even after last week's cease-fire ended the fiercest exchange of rocket fire and Israeli airstrikes since the 2014 war, incendiary kites and balloons floated from Gaza into Israel, sparking fires to farmlands. Israel has stepped up air strikes.

On Friday, a Palestinian sniper killed an Israeli soldier along the border  the first casualty Israel sustained in four years  and Israel unleashed an offensive it says destroyed more than 60 Hamas targets, including three battalion headquarters. Four Palestinians were killed.

"The attack delivered a severe blow to the Hamas' training array, command and control abilities, weaponry, aerial defense and logistic capabilities along with additional military infrastructure," the Israeli military said in a statement, adding that the strikes "will intensify as necessary."

The recent outburst of violence comes after months of near-weekly border protests against the Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Gaza. Over 130 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the protests began on March 30. Israel and Egypt have maintained a blockade on Gaza for over a decade in an attempt to weaken Hamas. The blockade has caused widespread economic hardship. Israel says the naval blockade is protects Israelis from weapons smuggling.

"Hamas terrorists opened fire today on Israelis. Those are not 'protesters,'" Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon wrote Friday on Twitter.

Israeli retaliation Friday was fierce. Hamas response was far meeker: a few projectiles launched that Israel intercepted.
BEIRUT - An international operation to rescue more than a hundred Syrian rescue workers and their families took place early Sunday, carrying hundreds of civilians through Israel and Jordan under cover of darkness as President Bashar al-Assad's forces prepared to take control of the area.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that the operation had been carried out due to an "immediate threat" to the rescue workers' lives, and that it had been coordinated with the United States and several European nations. Jordan said later 422 Syrian citizens had crossed its border, and that they would now be resettled as refugees in several Western countries.

The White Helmets rescue workers - most of them women - had been among tens of thousands of civilians packed into a final pocket of opposition-held territory along Syria's border with Israel as rebel forces there struck a surrender deal with the government.

Under the terms of the agreement, militants who do not wish to reconcile with the state are being bused to northern Syria where they will join more than 2 million people, around half of them displaced from other areas, in the final zone of opposition control.

But fears for the rescue workers, who have often been targeted while racing to sites of government bombing, had been growing for weeks.

The Syrian government views the group a "terrorist" organization because it works in areas controlled by the country's armed opposition, and White Helmets have been pulled from buses by pro-government forces during previous evacuations of opposition-held territory before disappearing into the state's notorious network of prisons.

"It was an operation to rescue the rescuers," said one person with knowledge of the mission who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not publicly authorized to discuss its details.

"They were in a terrible state. They'd been on the move for days, having to rely on really scant information. Even hours before they didn't know what was going to happen."

The unprecedented operation came perilously close to failure on multiple occasions through the night, sources with knowledge of the matter said. An initial plan to leave through three separate crossings was scuppered when Islamic State forces took over one of the positions, leaving part of the group trapped and unable to reach the border. Their fate remained uncertain Sunday.

Eventually, the rescue workers and their families - fragile and exhausted - crossed the Israeli border on foot as searchlights lit up the night sky. They were then bused through northern Israel to Jordan, where they were met by representatives of the United Nations refugee agency.

Still formally at war with Syria, Israel has periodically waded into the conflict to curtail Iran's growing influence in the region or deal with spillover from battles along its border. But despite international pleas, it has consistently pushed back against international pressure to take in refugees, even as neighboring Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey have altogether accepted millions of Syrian civilians.

In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had been approached by President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several other world leaders, and asked for help evacuating White Helmets in "mortal danger."

"At the same time, we are not ceasing to act in Syria against Iran's military buildup there," he said.

After seven years of civil war, the Syrian government forces are back in control of most of the country and the battle against rebel groups is almost over. In Syrian state media on Sunday, the dramatic rescue mission was framed as part of an international conspiracy, highlighting the group's Western funding and saying that countries involved in the mission had given safe passage to "terrorists" from Syrian soil.

In a joint statement, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt paid tribute to the rescue workers' "brave and selfless work" and said that the White Helmets was believed to have saved more than 100,000 lives during the course of Syria's war.

"We judged that, in these particular circumstances, the volunteers required immediate protection," the pair said.

---

The Washington Post's Ruth Eglash in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
Early projections show only one Midland ISD elementary school is not likely to meet the states standard for performance on accountability tests during the 2017-18 school year.

Midland ISD officials provided a forecast for school board members at their meeting last week. The list accounts for a more rigorous accountability system, according to Monica Hernandez, the districts executive director of Accountability and Student Data Systems.

The forecast shows those schools with a strong chance for meeting standard are Carver, Bonham, Jones, Parker, Pease and Fasken.

Those schools with a good chance are Greathouse, Emerson, Bush, Long Burnet, Long, South, Bowie and Franks.

Those schools identified as close are Milam, Fannin, Washington, Houston, Santa Rita, De Zavala, Henderson, Bunche, Scharbauer, Yarbrough, Lamar and Rusk.

The lone campus identified as not likely is Travis.

The Texas Education Agency identifies those campuses that do not meet standard as improvement required, IR, or failing. At the beginning of the academic year, Travis was a three-time improvement required campus. Midland ISD officials this spring announced plans to convert Travis into MISDs first in-district charter school.

Three other campuses started 2017-18 as IR schools: South, Houston and Lamar.

Houston also was a three-time IR campus. No matter the result, Midland ISD already has decided to turn Sam Houston Elementary into a collegiate preparatory school. The campus will be under new administration and operate using an Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) system. AVID, according to the programs website, helps teachers shift from delivering content to facilitating learning, resulting in an inquiry-based, student-centric classroom. These elements are at the core of our approach to closing the opportunity gap.

South appears on its ways out of IR. Hernandez told the Reporter-Telegram last week that South students and staff worked tirelessly, and the result was South increased significantly when comparing benchmarks from the beginning of the year to the end.

The progress that we saw (South) students make in reading and math is amazing, Hernandez said. We have seen huge amount of progress.  We are sure they are coming out.

South joins Bonham and Milam as schools that worked their way out of extended IR streaks. Last year, Milam went from IR to earning TEA distinction designations. The forecast shows Bonham as having a strong chance to meet standard, joining some of the districts elite campuses. Hernandez described Bonham as not getting the credit it deserves.

The 2017-18 academic year was Superintendent Orlando Riddicks first year at Midland ISD. The district came into the year having seen a trend of falling IR schools going back to 2015. That year, there were 11 campuses on the TEAs list of failing campuses. At the end of the 2015-16 school year, that number dropped to nine. At the end of the 2016-17 campaign, that number was five, but that list included the former Crockett Elementary campus, which the district closed and then turned into Franks Elementary. Franks has a different administration and student leadership.

Hernandez was open about the number of schools in the close column. She and Midland ISDs Chief Academic Officer Patrick Jones made clear in their remarks to trustees that it is difficult to determine what the ultimate outcome will be when it comes to TEA. There are factors and domain that make the new accountability system more rigorous, according to Hernandez.

I hope (the number of IR schools) is reduced, Hernandez said. If we remain stagnant or see an increase, it does not mean those campuses have not made progress.

Forecast for Midland ISD elementary schools as far as meeting standard, based on their students performance tests on state accountability tests.

--Strong chance: Carver, Bonham, Jones, Parker, Pease, Fasken

--Good chance: Greathouse, Emerson, Bush, Long Burnet, Long, South, Bowie, Franks

--Close: Milam, Fannin, Washington, Houston, Santa Rita, De Zavala, Henderson, Bunche, Scharbauer, Yarbrough, Lamar, Rusk

--Not likely: Travis
Longford is blessed with talented makeup artists if this year's Irish Makeup Awards are anything to go by.

Two young makeup enthusiasts in the county were nominated in this year's awards - Ellen Thornton and Natalie Devine - and both brought the prize home after the ceremony in Dublin on Sunday night.

Being at the Irish Makeup Awards 2018 was breathtaking, being surrounded by the most talented Makeup Artists in Ireland, it was amazing to be a part of such a night, Ellen told the Longford Leader on Monday, while she was still bursting with excitement.

When it came to my category I had a gut feeling that I wasnt going to win, being up against all the other artists, but when Andrea, the MC, announced my name, I was in complete and utter shock.

Sitting at my table surrounded by friends, family and my past tutor from college the table burst into cheers. I couldnt believe it.

I walked up on stage and felt like my legs were going to go from under me. I didnt feel like it was real.

Longford makeup artist headed for Irish Makeup Awards this week

Ellen is currently the in-studio makeup artist at Studio 3 in Longford town, where she has been building a reputation for herself since she graduated with distinction from FX Makeup Academy last September.

The young makeup artist is thrilled to have hit this milestone so young in her career.

I just want to thank every single person who nominated me to begin with; without them I wouldnt have been there, she said.

To all my clients who have supported me from the start and to the clients who are only recently joining my journey: you are all the reason why I am where I am today.

I want to thank my friends and family for their constant love, support and encouragement.

I dont think it has sunk in yet that I am now the Creative Makeup Artist Midlands Winner 2018. This is only the start of the rest of my career, and I know it can only get bigger and better from here.

Natalie Devine is currently renting and running a beauty bar in Love Culture, Longford town.

The shop is like a one-stop shop for beauty and fashion, and has helped Natalie build up a strong following on social media, as well as a reputation in Longford.

Unfortunately, Natalie was unable to attend the awards night in the Crowne Plaza, Dublin, on Sunday night, but was thrilled to be a finalist in the Makeup Influencer category - and even more thrilled when she learned she had won the award.

I had prior work commitments so, unfortunately, did not make it to the awards. But work and my clients always come first, said Natalie, who is busy this week doing makeup for girls attending their debs.

I am shocked and completely overwhelmed to have won. The ladies in my category are successful, powerful and talented females, she said.

I genuinely cannot believe that Ive won Makeup Influencer of the Year. I am elated and overjoyed.

Abbeylara native listed among the greats in Irish Makeup Awards

The Abbeylara native left a career as a teacher to pursue makeup and was thrilled to see her name alongside the likes of Suzanne Jackson of SoSueMe fame at this year's awards.

This is a big milestone for her career and she's extremely grateful to those who helped her to get to this stage.

Thank you to the people of Longford who have got behind me, she said.

The support has been nothing short of incredible. A massive thank you to my clients who have supported me from day one.

o my family and partner, they are the driving force behind me. I would not be doing a job I absolutely adore if it was not for them.

I am speechless. Its surreal. Finally, well done to all the winners and finalists. Its incredible that the makeup industry is growing in Ireland and slowly getting the recognition it deserves.
Lucas Ropek

Kency Gilet, 30, of Springfield, and Jennifer Raschilla, 45, of East Longmeadow, helped to organize the event.

After he heard about the slaying of Weymouth Police Sgt. Michael Chesna, Kency "Ken" Gilet, 30, of Springfield, felt he had to do something to demonstrate his appreciation for police and their service to his community.

So, Gilet helped organize a "back the blue" event-- calling together a small crowd to stand on Boston Road Saturday morning to wave flags and show support for law enforcement in Massachusetts and across the country.

Gilet, who moved to the Springfield area five years ago and lives here with his family, said that police need to be appreciated because they keep the community safe.

"I talked to people and said, you know, we need to do something here in Springfield," Gilet said. "We wanted to show support for police here in Springfield."

Gilet further stated that because his parents were immigrants that came to the U.S. from Haiti years ago they had instilled in him a respect for law enforcement from a young age. He said that he felt that police were generally underappreciated--in Massachusetts and across the country.

"Overall the climate [for police] is negative in Springfield, and we're trying to change that," Gilet said.

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Jennifer Raschilla, 45, of East Longmeadow, also helped to organize Saturday's event. She said that because there were a lot of events honoring the life of Chesna out east, she and fellow organizers wanted to do something for people out west.

"In the wake of the recent murders, not everybody can drive out east...so we just wanted to get a bunch of Western Mass folks of all parties and walks of life together and just show that we care," Raschilla said.

Raschilla, whose family has a history of involvement in the military and law enforcement, said she feels the climate for police across the country is bad. "It's terrible, it's really gone down hill," she said.

Part of the reason this might be the case, Raschilla said, is because there's no respect for authority anymore.

However, Raschilla said that she feels people need to come together around solutions and not feel divided.

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David Sanders, 69, of Wilbraham, also helped to organize Saturday's event along with Gilet and Raschilla.

A retired data processor, Sanders said he feels that the climate for law enforcement is bad across the country, and that he "absolutely" feels that police are being targeted for violence.

"People who are protecting you, you attack them? That's kind of messed up," Sanders said.

Sanders said part of the problem is political and part of the problem, perhaps, is that criminals are not getting harsh enough punishments. "We're a nation of laws...we need to follow the laws," he said.

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Left to right: Virginia Neill, Sid Starks, David Sanders, stand with another supporter at Saturday's event.

Two other people to show support for police Saturday were Virginia Neill, of Springfield, and Sid Starks, of East Longmeadow. Both said they felt that law enforcement and police were often under appreciated.

"I think that people who put their life on the line for us every single day are not getting the respect and gratitude that they deserve, so I'm showing mine" said Neill, holding a blue-striped flag.

"This is a way to show respect," said Starks. "Often times our law enforcement and public safety officers are taken for granted," he said, who explained that law enforcement and military had "always been very important" to him and his family.

"It's actually sad we have to be here, honoring a fallen officer," Starks said, referring to Chesna.

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Matt and Michelle Moriarty at Saturday's 'Back the Blue' event.

Pioneer Valley residents Matt and Michelle Moriarty said they showed up to Saturday's event to show respect to police and because they felt violence towards law enforcement is a real problem.

"Two police officers from Massachusetts have been murdered in the last three months," Matt Moriarty said, before citing other statistics about police deaths in the line of duty.

The couple also said they felt that everyday people's support for police was not necessarily projected by the media or other institutions.

"I think there's more support than most people realize [for law enforcement]," he said, but explained he didn't think this appreciation was expressed by news outlets.

Michelle agreed: "The negative...is what people hear and that's what they focus on, unfortunately," she said.

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Alicia Gilet "backs the blue."

Kency Gilet's daughter, Alicia, holds an American flag sign at "Back the Blue" on Boston Road.

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Left to right: Abigail, Adam, and Alicia Gilet "back the blue."

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Police supporters line Boston Road.

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Ken Gilet holds a 'Back the Blue' sign out to passing drivers.

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A supporter carries a homemade sign and an American flag.
A double shooting in Boston Sunday morning left one man dead and another man injured.

Boston police responded to Mattapan around 4:25 a.m. for a report of two people shot. The victims were found in the area of Osceola Street and Hopewell Road, police said.

One man was rushed to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. The second victim had non-life-threatening injuries and is being treated at a local hospital, according to police.

Homicide detectives are investigating the double shooting.
The shooting of a 64-year-old woman who was found injured inside her Topsfield home Saturday remains under investigation.

Authorities were called to Juniper Lane around 4:25 p.m. for a report of a person shot. Paramedics found the woman with a gunshot wound to the chest.

The victim was conscious and alert, according to authorities. Paramedics took the woman to Beverly Hospital. She was then transferred to a Boston hospital.

Police officials told CBS Boston the victim is expected to survive. A relative was home during the shooting, but no arrest had been made as of Saturday night.
GILL - A driver who struck and seriously injured a bicyclist has been cited for motor vehicle violations.

A 57-year-old man was riding his bicycle southbound on Main Street when he was struck by a car at about 4 p.m., Saturday, at the intersection of Route 2, said Mary Carey, spokeswoman for Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan.

The bicyclist, who was visiting the area, is being treated at Baystate Medical Center, in Springfield, for serious injuries.

The driver, a 23-year-old Montague man, struck him when turning left onto Route 2 westbound. He has been cited for negligent operation, failure to yield and unlicensed operation, Carey said.

Carey did not release the name of the driver or the bicyclist.

The crash remains under investigation by the Gill Police, Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Northwestern District Attorney's Officer and the Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, she said.
When officers responded to a noise complaint in one Massachusetts community last week, they found themselves in the middle of a dance-off.

Officers from the Barnstable Police Department responded to a noise complaint Thursday and learned the children were being taught dance moves.

Raphael Morales told Boston 25 News he was showing kids a dance routine for Drake's "In My Feelings" when someone called in a noise complaint.

Once the officers arrived for a second time, a dance-off challenge was thrown down.

A video posted on Facebook shows police dancing next to the cruiser after responding to Spring Street in Hyannis.
LOS ANGELES -- A woman was shot and killed when a gunman ran into a busy Los Angeles supermarket where he held dozens of people hostage for about three hours Saturday before handcuffing himself and surrendering to police. No hostages were seriously hurt.

About two hours before taking the hostages, police say the man shot his grandmother seven times and wounded another woman, who he forced into a car. Police chased the vehicle and exchanged gunfire with the man, who crashed into a pole outside the Trader Joe's in the city's Silver Lake section and ran inside.

Frightened customers and workers dove for cover as police bullets fired at the suspect shattered the store's glass doors. Some inside the supermarket climbed out windows and others barricaded themselves in rooms as scores of police and firefighters and 18 ambulances converged on the scene and prepared for mass casualties.

Heavily armed officers in riot gear stood along the side of the store and used mirrors to look inside as hostage negotiators tried to coax the man into freeing his 40 to 50 hostages and surrendering.

At about 6:30 p.m., the man agreed to handcuff himself and walked out the front door, surrounded by four of the hostages. The unidentified man, who police said is about 28, was immediately taken into custody. Police said he had a wound to his arm.

Mayor Eric Garcetti congratulated police and firefighters for their work and mourned the loss of life at the Trader Joe's where he and his wife regularly shopped when they lived in the neighborhood.

"The heroism that was shown today was second to none and the teams that were able to respond, secure the perimeter and engage in conversation with the suspect no doubt saved lives today," he said, adding "our hearts go out to everyone who has been traumatized."

Among those who survived the harrowing afternoon was 91-year-old Don Kohles. He lives in the neighborhood and was walking into the supermarket when he saw "two police cars coming like a bat out of hell" and the suspect crashed into the pole.

The driver got out and police started firing at him as he ran toward the Trader Joe's. Kohles hurried inside and he and others took cover as the suspect ran in.

"Those bullets went right over the back of me as he was running right down the main aisle," Kohles said. He was terrorized as he lay on the floor and others around him sobbed.

At 1:30pm today, a shooting occurred in Newton Division, the suspect then fled the scene. The suspect was located via LoJack and a pursuit ensued at which point the suspect fired multiple rounds at pursuing officers.  LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) July 22, 2018

Christian Dunlop, a real estate agent and actor who lives nearby and frequents the Trader Joe's, was on a corner near the store when he saw four people run out. One person, an employee, was dragging an injured woman by the hands.

"She appeared lifeless," Dunlop said.

He then saw about five employees hang out a second-floor window and drop to the ground, and about 15 other people run to safety from the back of the store. Among them was a police officer carrying a small child, he said.

"I know all the employees. I see them all the time. My heart was just racing and thinking about all the endless possibilities," Dunlop said.

Makela Wilson, 26, an office manager, had finished shopping and was driving out of the parking lot when the suspect crashed his vehicle and police opened fire. She heard three or four gunshots and then officers in SWAT gear arrived and ordered her and other people in their cars to hunch down in their seats.

"Duck down! Duck down!" an officer shouted at her. She estimates she was in the car for a half-hour until officers escorted her to safety. At about the same time, other officers went into the store and rushed out Kolhes and others near him.

Police Chief Michel Moore said the suspect made a "series of demands" during the standoff but crisis negotiators believed they could convince him to surrender peacefully.

"Our hostage negotiators believed they had established a good rapport with him," the chief said.

Police aren't sure what led to the initial violence that produced the car chase and standoff. Moore said at about 1:30 p.m. the suspect shot his grandmother and another woman in a South Los Angeles home and then forced the other woman into his grandmother's car. The grandmother was in critical condition while the other woman suffered a grazing wound.

Officers were able to track the car using LoJack -- a stolen vehicle tracking system -- and officers tried to stop the suspect in Hollywood, but the man refused to pull over, Moore said. During the chase, the suspect fired at officers, shooting out the back window of his car.

Outside the store, the man exchanged gunfire with police again and the woman was shot and killed, Moore said. It was not clear if she died from police gunfire or was killed by the gunman. Moore said police and firefighters responded quickly but could not save her.

Fire officials said six people, ranging in age from 12 to 81, were taken to the hospital. None had been shot and all were in fair condition.

The destructive and tragic consequences one person can inflict are at the forefront of our minds tonight, as is the valor & dedication of our men & women who strived to protect so many innocent people-Our thoughts, prayers & hearts are with all effected by this senseless incident pic.twitter.com/NFXrM52tm3  Chief Michel Moore (@LAPDChiefMoore) July 22, 2018

--By Christopher Weber and Michael Balsamo
LONDONDERRY, Vt. -- A 55-year-old woman from Manchester Center, Vermont, was pronounced dead at a Londonderry swimming area after she tried to save her 5-year-old grandson from drowning.

Vermont State Police said Julie Lawrence was with her two grandsons at the Lowell Lake State Park about 5 p.m. Friday when 5-year-old Jackson Lawrence fell off a flotation device and struggled in the water. Both Julie Lawrence and the boy's 9-year-old brother went into the water to try to save him.

After trying to rescue his brother, the 9-year-old swam to get help while Lawrence continued to search for the boy. She began to struggle and slipped underwater.

Rescuers located both grandmother and grandson and attempted to resuscitate them. Lawrence was pronounced dead at the scene, while the boy was airlifted to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, New Hampshire, where he is listed in critical condition in the hospital's pediatric intensive care unit.

Police said the 9-year-old is safe.
Wayne E. Phaneuf, executive editor of The Republican and Sunday Republican, will be honored this fall with the Yankee Quill Award, the highest individual honor bestowed on journalists in New England.

Phaneuf, whose career spans 49 years with The Republican and its predecessor publications, is among five honorees who will be recognized in October at the fall conference of the New England Newspaper and Press Association. Established in the 1960s and presented by the New England Academy of Journalists, the Yankee Quill "recognizes the lifetime achievement of those who have had a broad influence for good, both inside and outside the newsroom."

William Ketter, chairman of the academy which includes prior recipients and the presidents of several New England media associations, said selection for the award "is not based on any single achievement but rather on broad influence for good on New England journalism." "Among those achievements (by Phaneuf) are the high ethical and press freedom standards (he has) espoused during nearly a half-century with the Springfield newspapers, transformation of The Republican from print-only to also a digital journalism powerhouse in the region and noteworthy interaction with readers and the community, including public speaking appearances and authoring several books about the history of Springfield and Western Massachusetts," Ketter said.

"Wayne Phaneuf has devoted a lifetime to providing Springfield readers with fair and objective news, without fear or favor," said George Arwady, publisher and CEO of The Republican. "This award recognizes thousands of small acts of great journalism."

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, who joined Arwady in nominating Phaneuf for the honor, said the award is also important in recognizing what Phaneuf's reporting and leadership at the newspaper have meant for the community at large. In particular, Neal credited Phaneuf for having had a major role in keeping the story of the revitalization of Springfield's Union Station in the public consciousness for the decades leading up to its grand reopening last year after a $95 million rehabilitation.

"He kept the Union Station story alive. The stories, plus the editorials written along the way, were really very important to the success of this important project," Neal said.

"Wayne is very much a Springfield guy. His affections for the city are well-known," the congressman added. "He covered a lot of controversial issues when he was a beat reporter. I thought he was a champion of the idea that there is a second opinion. He came from an age and time as a reporter when he wanted the real story."

Phaneuf was named executive editor in 1998. That appointment followed a long career that began at the Springfield Daily News where he started working on his 20th birthday. He has been a reporter, columnist, suburban editor, assistant managing editor and was managing editor for a decade before becoming executive editor.

"For those of us who have spent our working life in journalism the Yankee Quill Award is considered the pinnacle of achievement," said Phaneuf. "I am humbled and thankful to be able to join the distinguished ranks of New England newspaper men and women who have received this award. As I close in on my 50th year at The Republican I look back proudly on a career in which you can say that 'we made a difference.' There is no better calling."

A Classical High School graduate, Phaneuf attended American International College and is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. A local historian, Phaneuf was a founder and first vice president of the Springfield Historical Society and received a historical preservation award from the Springfield Historical Commission. For more than 10 years, he wrote "Looking Backward," a column on local history.

In 1999, he was the co-author of "Bringing Home the News," a 175-year history of the Springfield Newspapers and, since 2011, has been the lead author of The Republican's Heritage book series which now includes 14 volumes with three more in the process of being published.

In the community, Phaneuf is a member of the board of trustees of the Springfield Museum Association, a founding member of the Springfield Central Cultural District and a member of the Springfield Armory Alliance. He is a former trustee and current honorary trustee of Old Sturbridge Village.

Previous Yankee Quill honorees from Springfield have included the late Springfield Republican editor Waldo L. Cook in 1961, who was honored posthumously for his leadership of the newspaper beginning in the 1920s, the late associate publisher and Springfield Daily News editor Richard C. Garvey in 1981, the late editor of the Union-News and Sunday Republican Arnold S. Friedman in 1992, former publisher and president of The Republican Co. David Starr in 1994 and former publisher Larry A. McDermott in 2007.

Said Starr, who was among those who submitted letters of nomination on Phaneuf's behalf for the Yankee Quill honor, "As a reporter and editor, as a community spokesman and community historian, Wayne has served our industry and our profession with distinction."

Added Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, "From his home grown Springfield community attributes of knowing the grassroots of an issue and the people, to his exceptional knowledge of history, especially Civil War and civil rights history, Wayne is a testament to and a total professional in his profession."

From 2011 through 2015, Phaneuf authored a 49-month series published in The Republican that chronicled the Civil War's impact on Western Massachusetts. The series, later turned into two books, also earned Phaneuf a first place award for history reporting from the New England Newspaper & Press Association.

This year's Yankee Quill honors will also go to three other contemporary journalists, including Lou Ureneck, former editor of the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram and current journalism professor at Boston University, Ken Squirer, veteran race car sportscaster and longtime owner of the Radio Vermont Group of "Live and Local" stations, and David Moats, Pulitzer Prize-winning editorialist and former longtime editorial page editor of the Rutland, Vermont, Herald.

The academy is also posthumously honoring, with its historic contributions award, Henry Martyn Burt, the founder, publisher and editor of the 19th century daily newspaper, Among the Clouds, atop the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire, serving tourists with news of the day that once caused the sheriff of Coos County to jail him for criminal libel for accusing the proprietor of a hotel with overcharging a family to remove from the mountain their young son killed in the collapse of a snow arch. The meritless suit, which Burt vigorously fought, was eventually dismissed. Burt also founded the Massachusetts-based New England Homestead, an important farm paper at the time, and the Northampton Free Press, a champion of the anti-slavery movement.
by Tanya Gazdik , July 22, 2018

Sergio Marchionne and Mike Manley, who was then-president and CEO of Jeep Brand, at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.



Fiat Chrysler Automobiles unexpectedly named a new CEO on Saturday after long-time leader Sergio Marchionne experienced complications while recovering from surgery.

Marchionnes last public appearance was June 26, when he spoke at an event in Rome, according to Bloomberg. The company said on July 5 that the CEO underwent an operation on his right shoulder and was expected to require a short period of convalescence.

The 66-year-old had already announced he was planning to leave by early next year. FCA issued an emotional statement Saturday: With reference to the health of Sergio Marchionne, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles communicates with profound sorrow that during the course of this week unexpected complications arose while Mr. Marchionne was recovering from surgery and that these have worsened significantly in recent hours. As a consequence, Mr. Marchionne will be unable to return to work.

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FCAs Board of Directors met Saturday and opted to accelerate the CEO transition process that has been proceeding over the past months and named Mike Manley, 55, to the position. FCA Chairman John Elkann said in an emotional and eloquent statement that he was profoundly saddened to learn of Sergios state of health. It is a situation that was unthinkable until a few hours ago, and one that leaves us all with a real sense of injustice.

Elkann said that even more than Marchionnes management skills and unusual intelligence, were his human qualities, his generosity and the way he understood people. Over the past 14 years together we have lived through successes and difficulties, internal and external crises, but also unique and unrepeatable moments, both personal and professional. For so many, Sergio has been an enlightened leader and a matchless point of reference.

Manley, 54, a native of Edenbridge, England, was appointed head of the Ram brand in 2015. He has also been head of Jeep brand since 2009. He was previously chief operating officer of Asia, and ran international sales and global product planning for the company. He will proceed with the implementation of the 201822 business plan presented on June 1 of this year, a plan that will further assure FCAs strong and independent future, according to the company.

The automotive industry is reacting with shock to the news.

"Sergio's departure comes as incredibly sad news for the entire industry, said Jeremy Acevedo, manager of industry analysis, Edmunds, in an email. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Marchionnes bold, confident leadership style set the bar for whats needed to be successful in todays transformative times.

Acevedo and others agree that Manley is the logical choice.

Theres no question that he's leaving behind big shoes to fill, but Manley makes perfect sense to carry the torch of his legacy, Acevedo says. Given his profound success in elevating the company's Jeep and Ram brands, he's already been responsible for driving the bulk of profit for FCA.

Manleys global experience and international experience in growing the Jeep brand will play a key role as he applies those techniques to all of the Fiat Chrysler divisions, says Karl Brauer, executive publisher of Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book.

Rebecca Lindland, executive analyst at Kelley Blue Book, says Manley has a huge challenge ahead.

Its an end of an era with the iconic, highly quotable, sweater-wearing Sergio Marchionne stepping down, with significant very concerns about his ailing health, Lindland says. Mike Manley is a worthy replacement at FCA, but its a huge job to not only fill Sergios shoes, but to run many brands that are facing capricious fortunes in a variety of markets. But Manleys masterful management of Jeep and Ram will serve him well as he moves into this huge, global role.




DUBAI, July 25: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday cautioned U.S. President Donald Trump about pursuing hostile policies against Tehran, saying America should know ... war with Iran is the mother of all wars, the state new agency IRNA reported.





Iran faces increased U.S. pressure and looming sanctions after Trumps decision to withdraw the United States from a 2015 international deal over Irans nuclear program.





Addressing a gathering of Iranian diplomats, Rouhani said: Mr Trump, dont play with the lions tail, this would only lead to regret, IRNA reported.





America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars, Rouhani said.





You are not in a position to incite the Iranian nation against Irans security and interests, Rouhani said, in an apparent reference to reported efforts by Washington to destabilize Irans Islamic government.





In Washington, U.S. officials familiar with the matter told Reuters that the Trump administration has launched an offensive of speeches and online communications meant to foment unrest and help pressure Iran to end its nuclear program and its support of militant groups.




Kathmandu, Nepal: Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba has issued a challenge to the incumbent Nepal Communist Party (NCP) led government whether to correct the working style or be ready to face the severe consequences.





Speaking at a program organized by party central committee on the occasion of the 36th BP Memorial Day on Sunday in Kathmandu, President Deuba accused the government of trying to impose totalitarianism even suppressing citizens' fundamental rights of peaceful protest.





The government has not only been declaring prohibited area but also suppressing the peaceful protests going against the fundamental values of the democracy and human rights, Deuba, who is also the fourth time prime minister of the country, said.





During the function he also urged the government to settle the issue related to the reform in the medical education by making corrections in the medical education bill as per the spirit of the Mathema commission.





On the occasion, senior leader of the party Ram Chandra Poudel also alleged the government for suppressing the peaceful demonstration.





During the function he also underlined the need of democratic socialism as envisaged by BP Koirala. As the constitution was promulgated through the Constituent Assembly, the Nepali Congress has to play constructive role to flourish the democratic socialism as envisaged by By BP, senior leader Poudel said.





General Secretary Dr Sashank Koirala also underlined the need of internalization of the principles and guidelines of democratic socialism set by BP Koirala.





Real tribute to the late BP Koirala would be internalization of the principles and guidelines of democratic socialism set by BP Koirala, General Secretary Koirala said.





During the function, he also urged the party leadership to end groupism in the party and make the party united to be able to cope the present challenges faced by the nation and the party as well.




Branson, Mo.

"Grab the baby!"

Those were the last words Tia Coleman recalls her sister-in-law yelling before the tourist boat they were on sank into a Missouri lake, killing 17 people, including nine of Coleman's family members.

A huge wave hit, scattering passengers on the vessel known as a duck boat into Table Rock Lake near Branson, Coleman said. When the Indianapolis woman came up for air, she was alone. She prayed.

"I said, 'Lord, please, let me get to my babies," she told reporters from her wheelchair Saturday in the lobby of a hospital where she's recovering after swallowing lake water. "'... If they don't make it, Lord, take me too. I don't need to be here.'"

Coleman recalled spotting the rescue boat and managed to reach it, "somehow." Earlier, from her hospital bed, she recounted to television station KOLR her sister-in-law's last words.

Coleman's husband and three children, ages 9, 7 and 1; her 45-year-old sister-in-law and 2-year-old nephew; her mother-in-law and father-in-law and her husband's uncle all died Thursday night in the deadliest accident of its kind in nearly two decades.

Others killed included a Missouri couple who had just celebrated a birthday; another Missouri couple on what was planned as their last extended vacation; an Illinois woman who died while saving her granddaughter's life; an Arkansas father and son; and a retired pastor who was the boat's operator.

None of the 31 passengers on board was wearing a life jacket, according to an incident report released Saturday by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

State and federal investigators were trying to determine what sent the vessel, originally built for military use in World War II, to its demise.
newsclick.in

As rationalists, we are long used to attacks from religious fundamentalists of all tinges, trades and callings! We were labelled as anti-Christians when we opposed the evangelical healers; anti-Muslims when we criticised people like Zakir Naik; and now the Hindutva brigade has set their evil eyes upon us. Be it the vicious trolling on web sites, physical attacks or murders, there seems to be a diabolic method in this campaign of hate and contempt! For several years now, I have been on the alleged ahit lista of such forces. Once I was joking with K.S.Bhagwan, who was allegedly on top of their hit list, that they would have to get him and five others before they could come for me since I was ranked 7 in the hit list. Bhagwan retorted and asked how I could be so sure that these people were noble enough to even follow the list! This was years ago, the hate campaigns have only become more and more vicious ever since. Last month, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for the Gauri Lankesh murder investigation submitted a list of people for whom security has to be provided and I was among the top four.

While I do not regret anything that I have said or not said, I do feel that some incidents need to be narrated. Last year, when I was on a jatha from Mangalore to North Karnataka, I got a call from a leading Kannada asking me to come to their studio for a panel discussion. I told them that I was not in Mangalore, so they arranged for my broadcast from Shivamogga, where I was to halt for the night. When the show started, the anchor grandly announced that he had decided to go on air despite it being a Sunday, due to a major incident needed to be discussed.I was wondering what this catastrophe could be, when the anchor said that the then Chief minister Siddharamiaha had gone to the Dharmasthala Manjunatha temple after eating fish. While the topic for the panel discussion was bizarre in itself, I soon realised that it was a ploy to get to me since the show started with me instead of Siddharamiaha! The anchor asked me to be grateful to the Hindus for letting me stay in India despite being an atheist. I asked who made him the spokesman of the Hindu community and whether it was a self-appointed, elected post or had he been given the GPA by the Hindu community. I also reminded him that I was a citizen of Indiaa a secular nation which came into existence through a constitutiona and not a Hindu rashtra, to which he asked me to go to Saudi Arabia and proclaim that I am an atheist. I asked him to go there instead and do a puja, which effectively shut him up. While this is just an example of the various discriminatory exchanges that we face every day, it reflects on the attitudes of those who feel that oneas freedom of expression should be guided by their sentiments.

This is also something that we we are increasingly seeing in the media as well. While there are extremists in other religions as well, it is the Hindutva brigade of the so-called majority religion, which is becoming a greater threat. They seem to have the patronage of the state since the ruling dispensation at the center tacitly encourages them and turns a blind eye to the menace they create. There are people who demand shariat laws, there are Khap panchayats encouraged by local elected representatives who are seen as vote banks.

At the receiving end of these threats however, are people like us who profess rational thinking and vocal expression. Many raised voices might have been silenced, but those that arenat, are still fighting the battle. SITas recent investigations into the Gauri Lankesh murder unravelled a very chilling plot. The conspirators had amassed funds to eliminate the voices of reason and there was a long list of people who had been marked. The same team had also written to the Home department demanding enhanced security for me, Girish Karnad, K.S.Bhagwan, and Veerabhadra Chennamalla Swami of the Nidumamidi math. Strangely enough, all four of us are Hindus going by their own definition of the same! These forces believe that we have been the most effective in countering their vicious propaganda of lies and manipulations; therefore they try to discredit us through their brazen lies and label us as naxalites and foreign funded. A so called Yogi Ashwini made the same allegation in a panel discussion that was held a few days ago. All this to suppress the voices of reason, not to forget their good old habit of tampering photographs and videos to spread lies.

Hundreds of lives have been lost courtesy to such propagandas. Almost thirty people died last month because of rumours of child lifting spread through various social media platforms. As the next general elections are approaching, the voices are becoming shriller, the propaganda more vicious, and efforts more concerted. The ruling partyas hollow promises are being called out and facing failures on all fronts, they seem to be getting more and more desperate. So, now the card to be played seems to be that of Hinduism in danger. Even though there are credible voices of reason which effectively counters their false propaganda and expose their lies within their own community, they are trying to silence us. Since threats do not work, they are now resorting to permanently silence these voices through a dedicated group of trained murderers.

While they might have succeeded in silencing some of the voices, there is no dearth of activists who have refused to be cowed down and will fight against these forces to make sure that the voices of reason are heard.
Still undetermined is whether the impact caused the October leak, or if the line was hit by something else at a later date.
Lets create games for education! The ERASMUS+ project Create Digital Games for Education (CDG4E)

Lets create games for education!The ERASMUS+ project Create Digital Games for Education (CDG4E)

Digital games are increasingly drawing our students attention outside the classroom. In addition, games are increasingly recognized as powerful tools to facilitate learning. In particular, games allow students to be at the heart of the learning experience, allow a trial and error approach, and make learning fun and engaging.

A strategic ERASMUS+ partnership between the Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA), the Science Centre (Department of Curriculum Management), waza! UG, the University of Luxembourg, the Danube Krems University, and Research and Innovation Management GmbH aims to challenge traditional pedagogies and encourage the use of innovative game-based learning methodologies for learning purposes. A first version of an easy-to-use educational game creation tool (Game Creator) has been developed to enrich the toolbox of teachers at local and European levels. The tool will allow both students and teachers to develop learning games and share them with the user community.

Within the framework of the project two pilot educational games will be developed, one on the subject of Fake News and the other relating to the field of STEM learning (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics). These two games will demonstrate the features and capabilities of a Game Creator.

Given the current impact of false news on social media and information portals, it is essential that the general public, especially young learners, know how to identify reliable sources of information. The STEM game will develop an inquiry-based learning approach, where students will develop skills in both the scientific process and critical thinking.

A synergetic working relationship has been created between the European partners from Malta, Austria, Germany and Luxembourg, which will strengthen cooperation between higher education organisations and institutions and also facilitate the exchange, testing and development of inspiring practices in education.

The partnership aims to improve the level and quality of digital competences and the relevance of students knowledge and skills and to promote student-centred learning approaches through ICT. Thus, the consortium seeks to create an innovative method of teaching and learning. The results of the project allow educators to diversify their pedagogies and students to learn using a modern and attractive tool, thus stimulating students appetite to learn.

This project has received funding from the European Unions ERASMUS+ programme under grant agreement 2017-1-MT01-KA201-026955 (Key Action 2: Strategic Partnerships). The European Commission support for the production of this material does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
SANILAC COUNTY, MI -- A 49-year-old Melvin man was injured after being ejected during a rollover crash late Saturday night in Sanilac County.

Sanilac County Central Dispatch received a call around 11:45 p.m. July 21 for a single vehicle rollover accident on Brockway Road near Galbraith Lane Road in Speaker Township.

An investigation by the Sanilac County Sheriff's Office has determined the man was driving his 2002 GMC Sierra north on Brockway Road when he lost control of the vehicle and left the east side of the road.

The pickup truck rolled more than once before coming to a rest. He was transported by Marlette EMS to McKenzie Hospital in Sandusky for treatment of injuries. The driver was the only occupant in the vehicle.

He was not wearing a seatbelt, the airbags did not deploy, and alcohol was a contributing factor in the crash, police said. Charges will be requested by the Sanilac County Prosecutor's Office

Deputies with the Sanilac County Sheriff's Office were assisted at the scene by the Speaker Township Fire Department.
(L to R) Martize Evanish and Cordario Colter

FLINT, MI -- A 28-year-old Flint man has been convicted in connection with the August 2015 abduction and rape of a woman as police seek additional suspects in the case.

Martize Rede-Jordan Evanish was found guilty Friday, July 20 in Genesee Circuit Court on two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count each of kidnapping and armed robbery, as well as six felony weapons charges.

Evanish picked up the victim in his car in the vicinity of Fenton Road and Pettibone Avenue and drove her to another location where a group of men got into the vehicle with guns and a taser.

The woman was then assaulted by the men and later released, according to the Genesee County Prosecutor's Office. She went door-to-door seeking help before a passerby offered her a phone to call 911.

She later identified Evanish and Cordario Arthur-Lavelle Colter, Evanish's half-brother, as suspects in the case after looking at mugshots over the course of the next two months.

Colter plead guilty in April to two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count each of kidnapping and armed robbery, and three felony weapons charges. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

"Our victim suffered through a horrible ordeal our victim suffered through," said Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton. "I give her great credit for the courage she has shown throughout the process and for seeing justice through."

Evanish is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 20 in Genesee Circuit Court. Other suspects in the case are still being sought by Flint police as part of an ongoing investigation.

Anyone with information on the incident may contact Flint police at 810-237-6901 or report a tip anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-422-JAIL (5245) or on the P3 Tips app.
Rachael Denhollander, the first woman to publicly accuse Larry Nassar of sexually abusing patients, honored a Michigan State University detective in naming her newborn daughter.

Denhollander, a Kalamazoo native, gave birth Friday to her fourth child, whose name is Elora Renee Joy.

Denhollander explained the name in a Twitter post: "Elora - to God belongs the victory. Renee - Rebirth, redemption. And after Dt. Lt. Andrea Renee Munford, who fought for us and made redeeming so much evil, possible.



"Just need a few more babies so we can have namesakes for the others who fought for us too :)," she added.

Denhollander also tweeted a photo of the newborn.

Denhollander was a 15-year-old Kalamazoo homeschooler when she was molested in 2000 by Nassar, a Michigan State University sports-medicine doctor

She publicly came forward in August 2016 after reading an Indianapolis Star expose on USA Gymnastics' alleged mishandling of sexual-abuse allegations.

Nassar wasn't mentioned in the Star's initial story. But Denhollander thought the investigation offered an opportunity to bring Nassar to justice.

Denhollander filed a report with MSU police, and it was Munford who interviewed Denhollander and headed the investigation into her accusations.

Denhollander and another Nassar victim, Olympian Jamie Dantzscher, also gave interviews to the Indianapolis Star detailing their abuse. Unlike Dantzscher, Denhollander was identified by name in that Sept. 12, 2016 story.

The media attention combined with Munford's investigation led to Nassar's downfall. He has since pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct and possession of child pornography, and is serving a 60-year sentence in federal prison.

Denhollander has been among the most outspoken Nassar victims, and other women abused by Nassar have cited her as a role model. In April, she made Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people.

News of the baby's birth and name drew congratulations for Denhollander and her husband, Jacob, who live in Kentucky.

"I have such happy tears right," tweeted Angela Povilaitis, the Michigan assistant attorney general who prosecuted the Nassar case. "What a beautiful and perfect name."
LANSING, MI - As the election inches closer, Michigan candidates for governor are increasingly talking about abortion, an issue that's been thrust to the forefront of political consciousness after laying partially dormant under a longstanding U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Here's the political calculus: President Donald Trump has nominated Brett Kavanaugh, who has the support of pro-life leaders, to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court. If he is confirmed the court would likely have a pro-life majority, possibly putting it in a position to overturn the court's landmark 1973 decision in the case Roe v. Wade, which put in place national abortion protections.

If all of that happens - and some characterize it as a big if - abortion as an issue could land back in the laps of state leaders. It's a possibility candidates for governor on both sides of the aisle are preparing for.

Pro-life candidates have an existing law to fall back on. Genevieve Marnon, legislative director for Right to Life of Michigan, said Michigan has a law dating back to 1846 still on the books that makes abortion illegal. It's not being enforced because of Roe v. Wade.

Unlike other states, Marnon said, Michigan hasn't repealed its laws or enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution. In fact, she said, "we've actively maintained our law throughout the years" by making sure other laws that have to do with abortion don't guarantee it as a right.

Republican governor candidates - Brian Calley, Patrick Colbeck, Jim Hines and Bill Schuette are all pro-life -- could fall back on that old law if Roe v. Wade is overturned. It's what Calley would do, said spokesperson Michael Schrimpf.

"If Roe v. Wade is overturned, Michigan's law protecting unborn children would go into effect. Brian is pro-life and would support that happening," Schrimpf said.

Scheutte spokesman John Sellek, too, cited the existing law.

"Bill Schuette is 100% pro life and is proud to be endorsed by Right to Life of Michigan in his campaign for governor. He is not going to get into hypotheticals and try to guess what the court will do in the future. As governor he would enforce the laws on the books, as he does now as attorney general," Sellek said.

Pro-choice Democratic candidates Abdul El-Sayed, Shri Thanedar and Gretchen Whitmer, meanwhile, are exploring ways to change the existing law before it has a chance to go into effect.

Gretchen Whitmer said she would push to change the laws banning abortion on day one.

"I think that as soon as this election's over we have to prepare for that possibility. It's scary, but that's what we need our next governor to do," Whitmer said.

Abdul El-Sayed, too, wants to get the law off the books.

"It's in mission critical right now. We cannot allow an abortion ban to exist in the state of Michigan. We've got to go after any means that we have of abrogating the current law that exists on the books, and I would be willing to explore all of them," El-Sayed said.

Democrat Shri Thanedar, too, said he would "absolutely" work to repeal the abortion ban on the books.

"I am 100 percent pro-women's choice. I would do everything possible to fight for our women," Thanedar said.

Lori Carpentier, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan, which has endorsed Whitmer in the governor's race, said Roe v. Wade has been the law of the land for years. Pro-choice women see it as a basic right at this point, she said, and will go to the ballot box to defend it.

"They now see, many, that there's a threat of that going away," Carpentier said.

Asked about their possible actions if Roe v. Wade were overturned, some Republican candidates stayed farther away from the hypothetical but affirmed their pro-life commitments.

"I have no idea what a future Supreme Court would do and won't speculate on something that may or may not happen," Hines said in a statement. "I am pro-life and I am endorsed by Right to Life of Michigan. As Governor I will do everything I can to preserve and protect life at every stage. I will work to encourage adoption, improve foster care, and oppose efforts to make Michigan a state that supports assisted suicide."

"Removing Roe v. Wade is speculative. Patrick has a solid Right to Life record. He has voted to defund Planned Parenthood and fund a Pro Life License plate. Patrick believes the best way to address this moral issue is through the political process," said Colbeck spokesperson AnneMarie Schieber Dykstra.

Marnon pointed out that getting a Trump-nominated justice on the court doesn't mean an automatic overturn. The court would need to be presented with a relevant case and then decide to take it up. But she said longtime pro-life supporters are energized by the possibility.

The primary election takes place Aug. 7. Afterward, candidates who secure their parties' nominations will face off in the Nov. 6 general election.
KALAMAZOO, MI -- Two Republicans are running to hold Kalamazoo County's 8th District board seat, but will face each other first in the August primary election.

Incumbent John Gisler and Kraig Lee will appear on the Aug. 7 ballot. The winner will face Democrat Cody Dekker in the November general election, with the top vote-earner serving a two-year term.

The Board of Commissioners is the legislative policy-making branch of Kalamazoo County government. The 8th District includes townships of Brady, Pavilion, Prairie Ronde, Schoolcraft, and villages of Schoolcraft and Vicksburg.

This year, MLive Media Group partnered with the League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide candidate information and other voting resources to our readers. Each candidate was asked to answer a series of questions about their policy stances.

Information on all state and federal races and many of Michigan's county and local races will be available at Vote411.org - the election-information website run by the League of Women Voters.

Gisler, 74, served on the board for three terms; from 2011-12 and 2015-18. The retired Pfizer Inc. manager ran uncontested in 2016.

He has an associate's degree in zoology and chemistry from Wabash College and a master's degree in finance from Syracuse University.

Lee, 47, is business manager and financial secretary for the Electrical Workers Local Union 131. He also serves as secretary for the Kalamazoo County Building Authority.

Lee graduated from Schoolcraft High School, the National Joint Electrical Training Alliance and George Meany College.

Answers were lightly edited for grammar and readability.

How will your talents, experience and skills enable you to succeed in your work as a Commissioner to improve the quality of life for residents of Kalamazoo County?

GISLER

My years as a manager with budget responsibilities, coupled with my MBA in finance, will enable me to help keep Kalamazoo one of the most fiscally sound counties in Michigan.

LEE

My experience as a business manager for a local labor union has afforded me a unique perspective of the benefits of working together to achieve common goals. Through several contract negotiations, I have always been able to articulate my viewpoints successfully.

I am confident that I can take these skills to the county level to find working solutions.

What are the two most critical issues facing your District in the next 10 years? What actions will you take as a member of the Commission to address them in the next two years?

GISLER

We must learn to prioritize our annual budget.

We cannot continue to provide all services to all people all the time. Some services may have to be reduced or even eliminated.

Taxes should not be increased.

LEE

As the number of older adults increasing becomes a larger portion of the county's population, we need to strengthen programs that will ensure their opportunities to retire with dignity and stay in their homes longer.

I support the upcoming small millage on the August ballot to raise more than $2 million. This millage will help support older adults and their families.

Partisan extremists have not served the residents of our county at all.

An unwillingness to compromise has failed to move our county forward.

There are many great things that can be accomplished by working together and keeping the benefits of all residents as the end goal.

What policies and programs will you promote to enhance citizen engagement in the well-being of our communities and the democratic process?

GISLER

I will scrutinize every expenditure of taxpayer dollars.

I will seek to limit government intrusion into our daily lives and encourage policies that promote personal responsibility and individual liberty.

LEE

I believe we need to restore transparency and trust to our county government.

The more we engage residents and include them in strategic planning the more ownership they feel. There are many social media platforms that could be better utilized to deliver our message.

Couple that with face-to-face meetings, such as monthly coffee hours. The more community involvement, the better off we all are.

How will your political philosophy or platform guide your actions on the Commission?

GISLER

I will continue to promote fiscal responsibility and encourage priority-based budgeting.

Kalamazoo County is one of the most financially sound of Michigan's 83 counties.

We must keep it that way.

LEE

I have been a life long resident of the south county, and there have been many small-town values instilled in me.

One of those many values has been not only to help your neighbor, but also to listen and understand their point of view.

If given the opportunity, I will take these values to the county level and work with all members of our community to improve the quality of life throughout Kalamazoo County.
NORTON SHORES, MI - Mona Shores Middle School students will be safer on campus this year with the addition of a school resource police officer.

The Norton Shores Police Department (NSPD), Muskegon Health Project and Mona Shores Public Schools came together to provide an officer to the middle school for the next three years. Mona Shores High School has had an officer for two years.

When asked if the officer position is a result of the rise in school shootings in the United States, Interim Superintendent Bill O'Brien said: "This position is a result of a collaborative effort between community agencies to increase student safety."

The officer will work proactively with staff and students to increase student safety, awareness and education.

Muskegon Health Project will contribute a $50,000 grant to the full-time position for each of the next three years while Mona Shores schools will contribute $40,000 annually through its countywide safety and technology millage. The officer will be an employee of the police department.

"Having (a school resource officer) brings about so many positive pieces to our middle school," said Doug Ammeraal, middle school principal. "It enhances an already solid relationship with NSPD, provides additional security, creates positive relationships within our community and develops a sense of collective ownership in educating of our students."

The officers at the middle and high schools are part of the district's Ride With Pride Program, which focuses on positive behavior supports for students.

The Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, spurred outcry and marches by students across the United States who said they deserve to feel safe at school. Seventeen people were killed in the shooting. It was the deadliest school shooting to take place in the United States during 2018 to date.

Mona Shores students participated in the National Student Walkout on March 14 to honor the victims of the Parkland shooting and stand against gun violence in schools.
SANDUSKY, MI -- A Lexington police officer is in critical condition after hitting a traffic light pole while attempting to avoid a head-on crash Sunday morning in downtown Sandusky.

Officers with the Sandusky Police Department responded around 10 a.m. July 22 to Sanilac Avenue and Elk Street for a personal injury accident involving a police cruiser.

A Sandusky police officer was on stationary patrol at the intersection and witnessed the crash, according to a news release from Sandusky police Chief Brett Lester.

The Lexington police cruiser was heading east through the intersection at Sanilac Avenue and Elk Street with the right of way when a vehicle driven by a 61-year-old Sandusky resident failed to yield and turned left in front of the officer.

The officer was able to avoid a head-on collision with the resident, but he lost control of the cruiser due to wet road conditions and hit a traffic light pole in the southeast corner of the intersection, police said.

Sanilac EMS transported the officer to McKenzie Health System in Sandusky for immediate treatment of his injuries and later transferred to Ascension St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit. He is listed in critical condition.

The incident remains under investigation. The Lexington Police Department was assisted at the scene by the Sandusky Community Fire Department.
The identity of a man who died after he fell from a boat at the fuel dock of a Norris Lake marina is being released.

Richard Curry, 52, from Jamestown, Oh., died on Saturday at approximately 7:54 pm, after he fell into Norris Lake from a pontoon boat at the fuel dock of Shanghai Marina.

According to TWRA Boating Officer Jeff Roberson, a bass boat and a pontoon were involved in a minor property damage accident inside the No Wake zone at Shanghai Marina. Following the accident, both boats headed towards the fuel dock and Mr.

8:31 p.m.

Curry fell between the pontoon boat he was onboard and the fuel dock as he attempted to step off. Witnesses say that Mr. Curry fell into the water, went under and did not resurface. Members of the Campbell Co. Rescue Squad recovered his body at approximatelyin about 64 feet of water.

Witnesses also say that Mr. Curry had unfortunately just removed his lifejacket before the incident occurred. Officials said, "A properly worn lifejacket is without a doubt the best safety practice for boaters or anyone around the water. If someone who is wearing a lifejacket falls into the water and loses consciousness, it is much more likely that they will survive than someone who is not wearing one."

TWRA offers prayers and condolences for Mr. Currys family and those involved in the incident. Following the incident, his body was been taken to LaFollette Medical Center and the incident is under investigation by TWRA.
Fortis Healthcare | In the September quarter, Rakesh Junjhunwala held a 2.65 percent holding in the stock, and FIIs have increased its stake to 41.04 percent from 40.98 percent in the June quarter. In FY21 so far the stock price has risen 0 percent to Rs 125.70 as on October 26.

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With the the approval of shareholders for IHH Healthcare's offer to buy Fortis now a mere formality, as the boards choice may not face backlash from majority shareholders this time unlike previous occasions.

One possible danger that could derail IHH-Fortis deal could be the litigation over enforcement of Rs 3500 crore arbitration award between Japanese drug maker Daiichi Sankyo and Fortis erstwhile promoters Singh brothers.

A Singapore arbitration tribunal gave Daiichi Rs 3500 crore arbitration award in 2016, on grounds that the brothers made false claims in a self-assessment report and fraudulently misrepresented and concealed the genesis, nature and severity of the US regulatory investigations of Ranbaxy when Daiichi bought their 34.82 percent stake for USD 2.4 billion in 2008.

Last week, the Delhi High Court had impleaded Fortis as one of the parties in the arbitration award, based on the application filed by Daiichi seeking stay on the Fortis-IHH Healthcare deal.

Daiichi in its application contended that the implementation of the Fortis-IHH transaction "will contravene orders issued by this honourable court, the honourable Supreme Court of India as well as significantly defeat the execution of the award in India, stated the application.

This includes orders to maintain the value of unencumbered assets that two holding companies of the Singhs disclosed to court.

While the court has not passed orders to block the Fortis-IHH deal, it suggested that it would intervene if the transaction was found to violate earlier court orders.

The court has asked Fortis and the Singh brothers, Malvinder and Shivinder, to respond to Daiichi's application by the next hearing scheduled on August 1, suggesting the deal may be blocked in case the court finds merits in Daiichi's arguments.

So, what next for Fortis?

Fortis is moving ahead with the IHH deal as it believes that Daiichi's plea to block the deal is "unfounded".

Fortis said it is neither a party in the arbitration award nor in the disputes between Daiichi and Malvinder Singh, Shivinder Singh and others.

"To note, Malvinder Singh and Shivinder Singh have already tendered their resignation as Directors of Fortis Healthcare Ltd effective, February 8, 2018, and currently hold negligible shareholding in the said company," the company said in statement last week.

The shareholders of Fortis are scheduled to meet at an extraordinary general meeting in Delhi on August 13 to approve IHHs offer, there after it needs Competition Commission of India (CCI) approval to consummate the deal.

Singh brothers stake has fallen to 0.74 percent as on June from 34.43 percent in February as lenders invoked the shares pledged by them.

Pharma Q1 results

The coming week kick starts the earning season for pharmaceutical companies. Dr Reddy's, Biocon and Glaxosmithkline Pharmaceuticals will report this week.

Analysts expect pharmaceutical companies to deliver improved performance in Q1FY19 helped by rebound of domestic formulation business on a base disrupted by GST last year and on currency tailwinds.

The US generic business that contributes around 40-50 percent of overall sales for many large Indian drug makers has started to see favourable regulatory environment and pick up of generic approvals.
Consumer durable makers today welcomed the government's move to bring - ACs, washing machines, refrigerators,etc - in the lower GST slab, saying that it will act as a catalyst for the industry.

The move will also help the domestic manufacturing, and help in creating more employment opportunities, said Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA).

The industry was demanding a lower GST rate on white goods since July last year, when GST was implemented.

CEAMA president Manish Sharma said "This is a welcome move by the government which has come at an impending time, when we are just about to prepare ourselves for the upcoming festive season."

The GST Council in its meeting held today has decided to reduce tax rates on several general-used items like TV (below 26 inches), washing machines and refrigerators from 28 to 18 percent.

According to the industry body, reduction in duty on TV sets up to 26 inches will create more demand from the rural areas.

"The reduction of GST slab on television sets of up to 26 inches from 28 percent to 18 percent will certainly improve the products penetration and affordability in smaller towns across the country," said Sharma.

Home appliances and electronic good maker Haier has also welcomed the move and said that its a boost for the industry.

Haier India president Eric Braganza told PTI, "This should be a good boost to the industry. This would stoke the demand. Hopefully we would see good growth in washing machines for the rest of the year and good business in ACs next year.

However, he also added that government should have extended this benefit to all sizes of TV panels.

Sharma who is also president and CEO of Panasonic India and South Asia said "However, in order to improve the gamut of its usage even further, we had hoped for TV sets of at least up to 43 inches to be taxed under the 18 percent tax slab."
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South-based private sector lender Federal Bank has received the regulatory nod to open offices in Bahrain, Kuwait and Singapore, but is awaiting local clearances before it starts operations, a top official has said.

The Kochi-headquartered bank, which leads diaspora remittances, already has representative offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and its desire to expand comes even as a majority of its larger peers are downsizing their overseas presence following the Rs 13,500-crore Nirav Modi scam and poor asset quality back home due to toxic loans.

"We have received the Reserve Bank nod for having representative offices in Bahrain, Kuwait and Singapore and are now awaiting clearances from local regulators in the host countries," chief executive officer and managing director Shyam Srinivasan told PTI over phone.

He, however, did not give a timeline by when the bank expects the approvals from local regulators will come in, saying it depends on a lot of factors.

It can be noted that following the over Rs 13,500-crore Nirav Modi scam at state-run Punjab National Bank, almost all the nationalised banks which account for the bulk of overseas presence by domestic lenders, have been reducing their overseas presence as part of a government directive.

However, the private sector ones have been continuing with their overseas expansion plans, with the likes of Axis Bank and Yes Bank having done so in recent months.

Domestically, Federal Bank does not have any plans to increase its presence and will concentrate on the digital alternatives to help reach out to more customers, he said.

Srinivasan said the bank, which reported a massive 25 per cent spike in net income in the June quarter, has not opened new branches in the last four years, since when it has been focusing on the technology-led interventions.

It has relocated branches within a specific area to make them more profitable or realign the staff as the banking landscape changes to a relationship management-led model, he said.

The bank will be focusing more on the unsecured lending segment, where its book stands at Rs 380 crore at present, he said.

Having constituted a dedicated team for the unsecured play, the bank is targeting to at least double the loan book on the low base, Srinivasan said, adding the potential to grow in the segment is tremendous.

At a theoretical level, the bank has the scope to grow its unsecured book to Rs 10,000 crore given its overall loan book size of over Rs 95,500 crore.
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By Sumit Bilgaiyan

We have seen roller coaster moves in the market since the starting of this year. If we exclude the market caps of top 10 stocks, the remaining over 4,000 stocks listed on BSE have lost a whopping almost Rs 16.5 lakh crores since January 2018!

Most of these stocks have fallen anywhere from 35% to as high as 90% from their one-year high prices. Reasons are many. Be it consolidation of MF schemes, ASM on midcaps and smallcaps or rising crude oil prices. All went against the rising stock market.

But we believe as results have started coming and we are seeing some value emerging in quality names. There are key events happening in this week, investors and traders must pay attention to it.

On 23rd July, its midcap heavy results day as ACC, Delta Corp, Granules India, HOEC, Hindustan Zinc, Indiabulls Ventures, L&T Infotech, L&T Tech, Saregama, Tejas Networks, United Spirits, Vijaya Bank, V-Mart Retail and Welspun Corp will come out with numbers.

On 24th July, Asian Paints will declare its quarterly results along with Hexaware, Century Plywood, Chambal Fertilizers, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, INOX Leisure, Kajaria Ceramics, Kalyani Steels, Info Edge, Radico Khaitan, Music Broadcast, Symphony, Teamlease, TV18 Broadcast and KRBL.

25th is quite a heavy day as Hero MotoCorp, Bharti Infratel and L&T will declare their respective numbers. HDFC Asset Management Companys IPO will also start on the same day which will get closed on 27th.

On 26th July, Bharti Airtel, Dr Reddy, ITC, Maruti and Yes Bank will declare their numbers while the market will also see the expiry on July series F&O contracts. On 27th July HCL Tech and ICICI Bank will declare their quarterly numbers.

ITC

ITC has been a steady compounder for the last thirty years! We expect the companys performance to improve with a steady rise in revenues and improvement in margins due to GST.

Higher taxation will put a stress on cigarette volumes but that being a business with inelastic demand, is expected to bounce back in the long term. With per capita consumption 1/18th Chinas, cigarette opportunity in India remains attractive over the long term. However, with cigarettes still contributing ~85% to ITCs EBIT, dependency on regulated business continues to remain high. Currently, the stock trades at 25X FY19 PE. We recommend a BUY on the stock.

Mahindra Finance

The Indian rural economy has emerged as an important growth engine of our nation. In 2018-19, ministries to spend Rs 14.34 lakh crore on the creation of livelihood in rural areas; national livelihood scheme to get Rs 5,750 crore.

Housing for all by 2022 scheme, one crore houses to be built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in rural areas. Mahindra Finance has 1284 offices covering 27 states and 4 union territories in India, with over 5.34 million vehicles. Government objective of doubling farmers income shall boost sentiments and improve earnings of the company.

Normal monsoon will also help the company to grow above industry growth. During FY18, Company has raised almost Rs.2111crore via preferential allotment and QIP. The company has AUM of Rs 5000 crore in SME financing business and Rs 3352 crore AUM in Mutual fund business. Its total Assets under management raised 18% to Rs 55101 crore from Rs 46776 crore in FY18 and overall disbursement registered a growth of 19% at Rs 37772.9 crore as compared to Rs 31659.1 crore in FY18. The stock trades at PE ratio of 27x earnings. Based on the above financial and performance parameters we are recommending BUY.

YES BANK

Yes Bank had posted a very strong set of numbers for Q4FY18 with Net Interest Income (NII) growing by 31.4% YoY while the non-interest income increased by 13.0% YoY. Provisions declined by 5.1% sequentially. Advances growth was robust at 54% YoY while deposits surged by 40.5% YoY.

The asset quality performance was also healthy as GNPA ratio declined by 44 bps to 1.28% while net NPAs were down by 29bps to 0.64% on a sequential basis. Of the earlier reported NPA divergence of Rs 6355 crore, Rs 2434 crore has already been paid, fully or partially, Rs 2632 crore have been upgraded to standard account due to satisfactory performance. The net profit for the quarter increased by 29% YoY.

Disclaimer: The author is Founder, Equity99. The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts 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.

As Bank will post its Q1FY19 numbers in this week, we are quite confident that this numbers can be replicated in the coming results. We have a BUY rating on YES BANK with on the back of stable metrics of asset quality and franchise.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is likely to finalise a deal with the Gujarat government by next month for the proposed Rs 2,000 crore Dholera airport, a senior state official said.

"We have already sent the proposal to them (AAI) and they have accorded in-principle approval for it. We hope that by mid-August we will be able to finalise it," chief secretary, Gujarat government, Jagdip Narayan Singh told PTI here.

The airport is set to come up in greenfield city under the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project at Dholera and will be built over four years.

"We are hopeful that the project will also move to the Department of Economic Affairs for further approvals by that time," he added.

Speaking about the need for the airport, Singh explained that Ahmedabad already has heavy traffic and needs an alternative.

He said Dholera would be the next growth centre for the state, with a need for robust transport infrastructure.

"This airport will not just improve connectivity but will also become a catalyst for growth of the greenfield city," he said.

The total cost of the project is expected to be around Rs 2,000 crore and an equity participation between AAI and Gujarat has been agreed at 51 per cent and 49 per cent, respectively.

In its initial proposal, the government had offered to maintain 74 per cent stake in the project, which AAI refused to accept.

Dholera Industrial City Development's managing director Jai Prakash Shivahare said many companies have already shown interest to set up businesses in this new city, which it plans to make a hub for defence manufacturing.

"In the defence sector, companies require huge land parcels like 400 to 500 hectares. Such large land parcels are not available anywhere else in the country now," he said.

"We have land parcels as large as 750 hectares and are hopeful of completing the work for the first phase of development by 2019. We are getting many queries from potential investors from the defence sector," Shivahare added.
India saw a major reduction in the number of new HIV infections, AIDS-related deaths and people living with HIV from 2010 to 2017 on the back of sustained and focussed efforts, according to a UN report which warned that the epidemic was growing in Pakistan.

The Joint UN Agency on AIDS (UNAIDS) report titled 'Miles to go  closing gaps, breaking barriers, righting injustices' said Asia and the Pacific regions have made strong inroads with its HIV response.

Sustained and focused efforts to reach key populations have led to major reductions in HIV infections in Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam between 2010 and 2017.

The report, however, warned that the global new HIV infections were not declining fast enough. It also noted that the epidemics were expanding in Pakistan and the Philippines.

In India, new HIV infections dropped from 120,000 in 2010 to 88,000 in 2017, AIDS-related deaths from 160,000 to 69,000 and people living with HIV from 2,300,000 to 2,100,000 in the same time period, the report said.

India has an approved social protection strategy, policy or framework that is being implemented, it said.

Successive surveys in Cambodia, India, Thailand and Vietnam also indicate that attitudes towards people living with HIV have improved creating safer working conditions for sex workers and engaging them closely in the design and implementation of programmes make a huge difference, it said.

The report underscored the public health benefits of decriminalising sex work.

It found that countries that had decriminalised at least some aspects of sex work have fewer sex workers living with HIV than countries that criminalise all aspects of sex work.

Modelling based on data from Canada, India and Kenya indicates that the decriminalisation of sex work could avert 3346 per cent of HIV infections over the course of a decade.

The report cited the example of Karnataka, where advocacy work with senior police officials, sensitisation workshops and the inclusion of HIV and human rights topics in pre-service curricula led to significant decreases in the arrest of female sex workers, especially during police raids.

Before the interventions, half (50 percent) of the 4,110 surveyed female sex workers said they had been arrested or detained at some point during police raids, that proportion shrank to 20 percent after the interventions, the report said.

Referring to the initiative sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to reduce the spread of HIV in India, the report said the Avahan programme in Karnataka and other States remained a "sterling example" of the impact of combining condom programming with community empowerment and structural improvements that tackle stigma, violence and unsafe working environments.

UNAIDS, however, issued a stark wake-up call for nations, warning that the global response to HIV is at a precarious point.

At the halfway point to the 2020 targets, the report warned that the pace of progress was not matching global ambition.

"We are sounding the alarm", said Michel Sidibe, Executive Director of UNAIDS.

"Entire regions are falling behind, the huge gains we made for children are not being sustained, women are still most affected, resources are still not matching political commitments and key populations continue to be ignored. All these elements are halting progress and urgently need to be addressed head-on," Sidibe said.

Global new HIV infections have declined by just 18 percent in the past seven years, from 2.2 million in 2010 to 1.8 million in 2017, the report noted.

Although this is nearly half the number of new infections compared to the peak in 1996 (3.4 million), the decline is not quick enough to reach the target of fewer than 500,000 by 2020.

In 2017, an estimated 36.9 million people globally were living with HIV and 21.7 million people were accessing treatment, it said.

The report also shows that key populations are not being considered enough in HIV programming.

Key populations and their sexual partners account for 47 percent of the new HIV infections worldwide and 97 percent of new HIV infections in eastern Europe and central Asia, where one third of new HIV infections are among people who inject drugs.

"The right to health for all is non-negotiable," said Sidibe.

"Sex workers, gay men and other men who have sex with men, prisoners, migrants, refugees and transgender people are more affected by HIV but are still being left out from HIV programmes. More investments are needed in reaching these key populations," Sidibe added.
One person was killed and 32 others injured when an overloaded scaffolding of an under-construction building collapsed here, police said today.

The incident took place around 7:15 pm yesterday, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan, who visited the spot near Kanthanchavadi, told reporters.

"Unfortunately, one person identified as Bablu died. Twenty-seven people have been rescued and are undergoing treatment as in-patients at hospitals," he said.

Besides, five were treated as out-patients, the health secretary said.

Radhakrishnan said that the chief minister has instructed that there was no need to shift 16 of those undergoing treatment at Apollo hospitals at Old Mahabalipuram Road as the government would bear all the expenses.

Three of those admitted in the hospital have undergone surgery, he added.

Twelve others injured in the incident are undergoing treatment at a government hospital.

The Kanchipuram district collector, and police, ambulance and fire services personnel are working round-the-clock. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel joined the rescue operations late last night, the health secretary said.

According to the police, a case was registered and investigation is underway.

"All the injured, including the deceased, Bablu, are migrants," police said.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today backed Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate of a joint opposition alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

At the extended meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), he also supported senior party leader P Chidambaram's views on the need for a broad-based alliance with other opposition parties.

Reiterating his earlier stand, Singh said Rahul was fully competent to lead the country and would surely prove to be a successful prime minister.

He said the Congress should explore all alliance possibilities for next year's Lok Sabha elections and Rahul should lead the joint opposition front to oust the 'divisive' BJP-led NDA from power.

"The alignments will have to happen at the national level. Whatever call the national leadership will take on alliances and whatever they decide will apply to the states," he told reporters at Parliament House Annexe after addressing the meeting.

The Punjab chief minister said alliances for the Lok Sabha polls would be worked out by the party at the national level, with the state units following suit.

Asked if he was open to an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which the Congress had routed in Punjab, he said, "This is a decision to be taken at the national level. The alliances will be dependent on where the central leadership takes us. And wherever it takes us, we will go."

Singh also said the alliance at the national level should be made as big as possible to include many players to take on and defeat the BJP.

Amarinder Singh said he supported former finance minister P Chidambaram, who told the CWC that the Congress would have to enter broad-based alliances to win the 2019 elections.

"I endorse what Mr Chidambaram has said I think he said a very good thing  that we should bring in as many people in the Opposition together as possible," he added.

All the like-minded parties who want to restore India's glorious secular and harmonious character should get together in their collective interest, and more importantly in the interest of the country, Singh said.

To a question on the people's mood in Punjab ahead of the LS polls, the chief minister said it was entirely in favour of the Congress. Pointing out that the Congress had won Gurdaspur and Shahkot with record margins in recent months, he expressed confidence that the party would win hands down in the parliamentary elections next year.

"I have promised them (the high command) Punjab, and will give it to them," he said, adding that he had also told them, "if you want to use us elsewhere too, we are there."

Replying to another question, Singh said the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was their main opponent in the state.

In response to a question, the chief minister said there was no harm in bringing the new vice chancellor of Panjab University in Chandigarh from the Banaras Hindu University.

Top academicians can be from any state and there is nothing wrong in appointing them to universities in the other states, he added when asked about the appointment of Raj Kumar, Dean and Head of Institute of Management Studies, BHU, as Panjab University VC.
amit shah

BJP President Amit Shah asked party workers and leaders in Rajasthan to work for 18 hours a day for the next few months to ensure its victory in the next Assembly and the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

According to BJP MLA Ashok Parnami, Shah's message to the party workers at the concluding session of the state BJP's working committee meeting here was clear -- that they have to work with dedication.

The two-day meeting began yesterday at Totuka Bhawan and the party's national president addressed the concluding session today.

"The party president said that every worker of the party should dedicate 18 hours a day for the party for the next few months. The party's workers are full of energy and fully charged," Parnami told reporters after the meeting.

State Housing and Urban Development minister Shrichand Kriplani said that Shah wants the party to win more Assembly seats this time compared to last state elections.

"His visit has given a strength to the party and party workers and we will achieve the target of winning more than 180 Assembly seats in the upcoming elections," he said.

Elections for the 200 Assembly seats in the state are due later this year.

Education minister Vasudev Devnani said Shah has asked partymen to reach out to the masses on the basis of works done by the Centre and the state government.

"He said the party workers should go among the masses and tell them the works done by our governments. Congress cannot do anything and victory in next elections is ours," Devnani said.

Shah is also scheduled to hold meetings with the MPs and MLAs, social media volunteers, district presidents, and members of the core committee and the election campaigning committee.


Our Defence Minister said she would, but now she wont. She flip flops between its-not-a-secret & its-a-BIG-secret. The PM squirms when asked about the price of RAFALE and refuses to look me in the eye. Sure smells like a scam. #RAFALEscam

 Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 22, 2018

Continuing his attack on the Rafale deal, Congress President Rahul Gandhi in a tweet on Sunday, targeted Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, reacting to her confusing response. Rahul Gandhis tweet alleged that Sitharam flip flops between its-not-a-secret & its-a-BIG-secret.Gandhi also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue, alleging he "squirms" when asked about the prices of the fighter aircraft.

Gandhi's fresh attack on the government over the deal comes two days after he told Parliament during the debate on no-confidence motion that French president had conveyed to him that there was no problem in sharing details relating to the Rafale, contrary to what the government has been saying.

"The Defence Minister has clearly spoken an untruth," he had said.

Referring to Prime Minister Modi, he had said, "I can see him smiling. There is a touch of nervousness. He is looking away, not looking into my eyes."

The truth is that Modi is not a "chowkidar" (guard) but a "bhagidaar" (collaborator) in the wrong-doings, the Congress chief had said.

"I personally met the French president and asked him if there is such a pact between the French and Indian governments. The French president told me that there is no such pact between the French and Indian governments," Gandhi had said.

"This is the truth, and he told me that I have no objection to it (details of Rafale deal) being made public, you can tell it to entire India."

Prime Minister Modi had called these charges as "distortion of truth".

After Gandhi's claims, the French government had issued a statement, saying a security agreement it concluded with India in 2008 legally binds the two countries to protect the classified information relating to operational capabilities of defence equipment.

However, it did not clarify whether the provisions of the pact restrict the Indian government to disclose price details of the Rafale deal.

(with inputs from PTI)
Shehbaz Sharif, PML(N) leader, Pakistan

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Shehbaz Sharif has said that he would make Pakistan better than its arch-rival India after coming into power, according to a media report today.

Addressing a rally in Sargodha district of his stronghold of Punjab yesterday, Sharif said that people can change his name if he does not take Pakistan ahead of India after coming into power, The Express Tribune reported.

"They (Indians) will come to Wahga Border and call Pakistanis their master," 65-year-old Sharif was quoted as saying by the paper.

The former Punjab chief minister said that he would bring Pakistan at par with Malaysia and Turkey. He added that he would visit Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan "to learn from them and make Pakistan a great nation again".

He said that Pakistan cannot become a great nation by voting leaders like Imran Khan who have made false promises to "our nation".

"The U-turn signs should be removed from roads and should be replaced by the picture of Imran Khan," he said, adding that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief's politics is based on baseless allegations and false promises.

"Khan alleged corruption against the Punjab government but not a single penny has been proved against me," the PML-N president said.

He said his elder brother Nawaz Sharif came back to Pakistan leaving his ailing wife in London but Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz were arrested at the airport.

"Nawaz Sharif was not even allowed to meet his mother," he added.

Both Sharif and Maryam have been sentenced by a court to 10 and seven years in prison, respectively, for corruption charges. Maryam's husband Muhammad Safdar was jailed for one year.
The past week, earnings dominated the news related to the IT sector, with Wipro, Mindtree, NIIT Technologies and WNS announcing results for the June-ended quarter. The week also saw several developments, within and outside India- from Google to WhatsApp- that will have an impact on how technology is seen and used by people across the world.

Here is how the week gone by was like for technology :

Wipro reports Q1 above expectations

The third largest IT company Wipro reported June quarter numbers above analysts estimates, helped by improved revenues from banking, financial services and insurance business. Though some challenges in its healthcare and infrastructure business still continue, the companys digital strategy seems to be paying off.

Mindtree, NIIT Tech report Q1

Bengaluru-based Mindtree and NIIT Technologies both reported results on Wednesday.

Mindtrees results beat analysts estimates, based on a strong deal pipeline, and the companys CFO stepped down. NIIT Technologies also reported healthy revenue growth backed by strong revenue rise in three of its largest verticals.

The results once again showed that midcaps are performing better than their larger counterparts, because of the ability to pivot and adapt faster to changing business models.

WhatsApp caps message forwards in India to curb fake news

Embroiled in controversy over fake news ahead of general elections in India next year, WhatsApp last week said users in India will not be allowed to forward more than five chats at once.

The company will remove the quick forward button that appears next to media messages, as part of its efforts to reduce circulation of fake messages on the platform that have even incited mob lynching incidents.

Tata Communications focus on skilling for the future in cybersecurity

Talking about a host of issues and approaches the company is taking towards building safer systems, chief digital officer of Tata Communications CR Srinivasan told Moneycontrol in an interview that the company is looking to enhance digital and IP infrastructure internally and will focus on capacity building for cybersecurity and new technologies.

WNS BPO posts June-quarter results

WNS, the business process management company also posted strong results for the June quarter helped by automation.

Net revenue in the June-ended quarter was $196.0 million, up by 11.8 percent since the previous year, while profit grew 34.1 percent to $22.4 million.

Google fined by EU for Android dominance

Search giant Google was slapped with a fine of 4.34 billion euros by the European Commission on Wednesday for illegally using Android mobile devices to reinforce authority of Googles search engine.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai, in a blogpost, wrote that the company does not impose Google search on Android users, and even said that phone makers dont have to include its services, and theyre also free to pre-install rival apps along with ours.

BPMs automation pivot

Moneycontrol took a deeper look at how the business process management industry has undergone a change in fortunes for the better after automation, while all the time fighting a battle to improve its perception of being a non serious career option.

Also Read: How has the BPM industry changed after its automation pivot?

Once seen by urban youth as a stopgap arrangement, the business process outsourcing industry has come a long way from its call centre days and transitioned into BPM. This is likely to continue to be positive for the industry going forward.
China President Xi Jinping

Chinese President Xi Jinping has offered Sri Lanka a fresh grant of 2 billion yuan ($295 million), as Beijing tries to expand its influence in the tiny island country off India's southern tip.

President Maithripala Sirisena of Sri Lanka, a partner in Beijing's multi-country Belt and Road infrastructure push, made the announcement on Saturday at a ceremony to mark the start of construction of a Chinese-funded kidney hospital in his home constituency of Polonnaruwa, 230 km (142.92 miles) from capital Colombo.

"When the Chinese ambassador visited my house to fix the date for this ceremony, he said that Chinese President Xi Jinping sent me another gift," Sirisena told the gathering.

"He has gifted 2 billion yuan to be utilized for any project of my wish. I'm going to hand over a proposal to the Chinese ambassador to build houses in all the electorates in the country," he added.

Reuters could not immediately contact officials from the Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka for comment.

The grant offer comes at a time when a Chinese firm is facing heavy criticism for allegedly financing the last election campaign of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Last month, the New York Times reported that China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC) gave $7.6 million for Rajapaksa's re-election bid, which he lost to Sirisena in early 2015.

Rajapaksa, the Chinese embassy in Colombo and state-owned CHEC have all denied the allegation, but Sirisena's coalition government held a parliament debate on Thursday over the report and called for an investigation into the alleged funding.

Sirisena had at the start of his term suspended most of the Chinese-backed infrastructure projects started under Rajapaksa over suspected corruption, overpricing and for flouting government procedures.

But more than a year later, the Sirisena government allowed Chinese projects to resume after a few changes in some of them.

China was among the first countries that stepped in to help the reconstruction of Sri Lanka after a 26-year-long civil war ended in 2009.

Many of Beijing's projects, backed by loans from the Chinese government and initiated by Rajapaksa government, have faced opposition in Sri Lanka amid concerns raised by the United States, India and Japan that China might use Sri Lanka as a military base.

The 2014 docking of a Chinese navy submarine in Colombo raised an alarm in New Delhi, prompting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to boost ties with Sri Lanka and claw back influence in the Indian Ocean region.

Both the Sri Lankan government and Chinese embassy in Colombo have denied any plans to use a southern port now handled by a Chinese firm for military purpose.
State-actors were likely behind Singapore's biggest ever cyberattack to date, security experts say, citing the scale and sophistication of the hack.

The city-state announced yesterday that hackers had broken into a government database and stolen the health records of 1.5 million Singaporeans, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who was specifically targeted in the "unprecedented" attack.

Singapore's health minister said the strike was "a deliberate, targeted, and well-planned cyberattack and not the work of casual hackers or criminal gangs".

While officials refused to comment on the identity of the hackers citing "operational security", experts told AFP that the complexity of the attack and its focus on high-profile targets like the prime minister pointed to the hand of a state-actor.

"A cyber espionage threat actor could leverage disclosure of sensitive health information... to coerce an individual in (a) position of interest to conduct espionage" on its behalf, said Eric Hoh, Asia-Pacific president of cybersecurity firm FireEye.

Hoh told national broadcaster Channel NewsAsia that the attack was an "advanced persistent threat".

"The nature of such attacks are that they are conducted by nation states using very advanced tools," he said.

"They tend to be well resourced, well-funded and highly sophisticated." Healthcare data is of particular interest to cyberattackers because it can be used to blackmail people in positions of power, said Jeff Middleton, chief executive of cybersecurity consultancy Lantium.

"A lot of information about a person's health can be gleaned from the medications that they take," Middleton told AFP today.

"Any non-public health information could be used for extortion. Russian spy services have a long history of doing this," he added.

Medical information, like personal data, can also be easily monetised on criminal forums, said Sanjay Aurora, Asia Pacific managing director of Darktrace.

"Beyond making a quick buck, a more sinister reason to attack would be to cause widespread disruption and systemic damage to the healthcare service - as a fundamental part of critical infrastructure - or to undermine trust in a nation's competency to keep personal data safe," he told AFP.

Wealthy Singapore is hyper-connected and on a drive to digitise government records and essential services, including medical records which public hospitals and clinics can share via a centralised database.

But authorities have put the brakes on these plans while they investigate the cyberattack. A former judge will head an inquiry looking into the incident.

Singapore officials have cautioned against jumping to conclusions about the attackers.

"With regard to the prime minister's data and why he was targeted, I would say that it's perhaps best not to speculate what the attacker had in mind," said David Koh, head of Singapore's Cyber Security Agency.

The hackers used a computer infected with malware to gain access to the database between June 27 and July 4 before administrators spotted "unusual activity", authorities said.

While Singapore has some of the most advanced military weaponry in the region, the government says it fends off thousands of cyberattacks every day and has long warned of breaches by actors as varied as high-school students in their bedrooms to nation states.

Earlier this month US intelligence chief Dan Coats described Russia, China, Iran and North Korea as the "worst offenders" when it came to attacks on American "digital infrastructure".
A suicide bomber killed or wounded at least 10 people at the entrance to Kabul international airport today, officials said, as scores gathered to welcome home Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum from exile.

Senior government officials, political leaders and supporters were leaving the airport after greeting the powerful ethnic Uzbek leader and former warlord when the explosion happened.

Dostum, clad in a Western suit and sunglasses and travelling in an armoured vehicle, was unharmed, said his spokesman Bashir Ahmad Tayanj.

"We can confirm 10 people have been killed or wounded in the explosion caused by a suicide attacker on foot," said interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish, without giving a breakdown.

He said civilians including a child and security force members were among the casualties.

Dostum, who is linked to a catalogue of human rights abuses in Afghanistan, was mobbed like a celebrity as he left the chartered plane from Turkey where he has lived since May 2017.

His return, which has been the subject of much speculation, comes amid violent protests in several provinces across northern Afghanistan, his traditional power base.

Thousands of Dostum's supporters have taken to the streets in recent weeks, shuttering election and government offices and blocking sections of highways to demand the release of a pro-government militia leader and call for Dostum's return.

Expectations of the return did little to quell the unrest, with protesters vowing Sunday to continue demonstrating until the burly leader of the Uzbek ethnic minority tells them otherwise.

"We don't trust the government. We will continue our protests unless General Dostum tells us to stop," Ehsanullah Qowanch, a protest leader in Faryab province, told AFP.

Qowanch also repeated calls for the release of Nezamuddin Qaisari - a district police chief and Dostum's provincial representative in Faryab - whose arrest earlier this month ignited the protests.

Another protester, Massoud Khan, said: "We have been on the streets for 20 days now. We are not going to stop our protests unless our demands are met."

Observers say President Ashraf Ghani, an ethnic Pashtun, gave the green light for Dostum to come home to stabilise the north and secure Uzbek support before next year's presidential election, which he is widely expected to contest.

Dostum left Afghanistan in May 2017 after he was accused of organising the rape and torture of a political rival.

He had denied the allegations and said his departure was for medical check-ups and family reasons.

Ghani in 2009 described Dostum as a "known killer". Yet he chose him as his running mate in the 2014 presidential election, underlining the sometimes uncomfortable ethnic realities of Afghan politics.

Presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri said Saturday that Dostum had been "treated" and would resume his duties upon his return.

Seven of Dostum's bodyguards have been convicted of the sexual assault and illegal imprisonment of Ahmad Ishchi, a former governor of the northern province of Jowzjan, in 2016.

Dostum allegedly had Ishchi abducted in Jowzjan and then kept him hostage in his private compound for several days, where the captive was said to have been tortured and sodomised.

Chakhansuri deflected questions about whether Dostum would face charges over the incident, saying "the judiciary is an independent body, the government does not interfere in their decisions".

Dostum is one of several controversial figures whom Kabul has sought to reintegrate into mainstream politics since the US-led invasion in 2001.

His heroic status in the north belies the barbarities for which he is known.

Dostum, who helped the United States oust the Taliban regime in 2001, allegedly allowed hundreds of Taliban prisoners to be suffocated in shipping containers.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said today that the overall US economy has not been harmed by the trade battles set off by President Donald Trump's get-tough policies although some individual sectors have been hurt.

He said the administration was exploring ways to help farmers and other specific industries that have been affected.

Mnuchin spoke to reporters on the sidelines of meetings of finance ministers and central bank presidents from the Group of 20 nations, composed of traditional economic powers such as the US, Japan and Germany and emerging economic powers including China, Brazil, India and Argentina.

Mnuchin said that there had not been an adverse effect on overall growth from the tariffs but that certain industries were being harmed because other countries were retaliating by targeting specific industries.

"Certain countries have targeted very specific levels of things that are not coincidental," Mnuchin told reporters. "So if you are looking at lobsters in Maine or you are looking at bourbon in Kentucky or you are looking at soybeans, there are clearly markets being followed."

Mnuchin said that the administration would be "looking at different opportunities to help the farmers" and provide assistance to other sectors being "unfairly targeted" by tariffs from other nations.

"But I still think from a macro basis, we do not see yet any impact on what's a very positive growth" performance for the US economy this year, Mnuchin said.

At a briefing before the G-20 meetings began, US Treasury officials told reporters that Mnuchin would be prepared to respond to concerns being raised by other countries about the Trump administration's trade policies.

Also speaking in Buenos Aires at the G-20 summit, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said the recent series of trade tariffs would significantly harm the global economy.

"In the worst case scenario under current measures" the impact on the global economy "is in the range of 0.5 percent" of gross domestic product on a global basis, Lagarde said.

The United States and China are now in a full-blown trade war with both nations imposing tariffs on billions of dollars of each other's goods with even bigger tariffs being threatened. Despite the standoff, US officials said Mnuchin had no individual meetings scheduled with China during the G-20 meetings. Mnuchin did have about a dozen one-on-one sessions scheduled with other countries.

In a recent appearance before the House Financial Services Committee, Mnuchin said that the talks with China had broken down and indicated that the United States was waiting for China to come up with concessions to break the impasse.

The United States and China have hit each other with tariffs on USD 34 billion goods with another USD 16 billion in penalty tariffs in the pipeline. The Trump administration is preparing to impose tariffs on another USD 200 billion and Trump has threatened to add USD 300 billion more to that figure.
The upcoming James Bond film is searching for a Maori actor to play the villain's henchman.



A fan site has uncovered a casting notice that calls for a Russian male villain, a Russian woman and a Maori henchman to play opposite Daniel Craig.

The role asks for an authoritative, cunning, ruthless, and loyal character between the ages of 35 and 55. The actor must also have advanced physical, fighting, and stage combat skills.

In 2002, Lawrence Makoare played Maori henchman Mr Kil opposite Pierce Brosnan in Lee Tamahori's Die Another Day.

The production on the 25th Bond instalment is set to begin shooting in December, with the film due to be released in October next year.

It is written and will be directed by Danny Boyle, who made Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, and 127 Hours.

Newshub.
Schlitterbahn Waterparks co-owner Jeffrey Henry has denied that he knew about nearly a dozen injuries and maintenance problems on a water slide at the companys Kansas City park before a 10-year-old boy died on the ride in 2016.

Henry pleaded not guilty in April to charges in Kansas including second-degree murder in connection with the July 2016 death of 10-year-old Caleb Schwab, who was decapitated while riding the 17-story Verruckt waterslide at the park.

If I really believed I was responsible for the death of that little boy, Id kill myself right now, Henry said in an interview published Friday in Texas Monthly magazine. There are members of my family who would like to commit me to a facility because Im suffering from depression. Sometimes I cant get out of bed for four days.

Schlitterbahn Waterparks spokeswoman Pam Renteria would not provide further comment on Henrys remarks in the Texas Monthly piece.

Prosecutors allege that Henry, Verruckts lead designer John Schooley and Schlitterbahns construction firm Henry and Sons Construction Co. Inc. recklessly killed Caleb by fast-tracking the rides development, failing to make key repairs and ignoring warnings from employees about the danger the slide posed to riders.

In the interview, Henry pushed back on the allegations, insisting he wasnt privy to staff reports about 11 injuries suffered by park guests while riding Verruckt and maintenance issues plaguing the ride. He said Verruckt is the state-of-the-art technology.

Henry told Texas Monthly he believed a report by an outside engineering firm relied on outdated information when it found that a raft with three passengers whose combined weight was between 400 and 550 pounds could go airborne.

If any raft had left the surface, that ride should have been shut down, and I would have gone straight there to figure out what was wrong, Henry told Texas Monthly. But nobody bothered to tell me something was wrong with it.

Kansas prosecutors say Henry conceived of the ride to catch the attention of producers at the Travel Channels Xtreme Waterparks series and that the ride violated nearly all aspects of long-standing industry safety standards. A March indictment quotes Henrys remarks from an episode of the show.

According to the indictment, Henry says in the episode that Verruckt could hurt me, it could kill me, it is a seriously dangerous piece of equipment today because there are things that we dont know about it. Every day we learn more. Ive seen what this one has done to the crash dummies and to the boats we sent down it. Ever since the prototype. And we had boats flying in the prototype too. Its complex, its fast, its mean. If we mess up, it could be the end. I could die going down this ride.

Henry told Texas Monthly that he was acting when he made those comments.

The real Jeff Henry was not indicted, Henry said in the interview. The actor Jeff Henry, who was trying to glamorize the ride, was indicted.

Henry, Schooley and Henry and Sons Construction Co. Inc. were charged in March with second-degree murder, aggravated battery and aggravated endangering of a child. Henry and Schooley designed the ride despite having no formal education in engineering or physics, according to the indictment.

I thought we had designed the biggest, baddest thing ever built, a ride that could operate safely and never have a serious accident, ever, if things were complied with and if the thing was maintained and operated as designed, Henry told Texas Monthly. Im telling you, the ride that was built by John Schooley and Jeff Henry is not the same ride that that boy was on the day he died.

Schlitterbahn Waterparks and three employees also were indicted, in addition to Henry, Schooley and Henry and Sons.

David Hughes, a maintenance supervisor at the Kansas City park, and John Zalsman, a maintenance worker at the park, pleaded not guilty in May in Wyandotte County Court to charges of obstruction of justice. The two men were accused of lying to two Kansas Bureau of Investigation special agents about a brake mat intended to slow rafts on the Verruckt that had fallen off the ride days before Caleb was killed.

Tyler Austin Miles, former director of operations at the Kansas park, has pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter, aggravated battery, aggravated endangerment of a child, giving false information to a detective and interfering with law enforcement by concealing evidence.

Miles allegedly told detectives he didnt know about complaints about Verruckts safety issues, despite receiving 17 staff reports that the raft Caleb rode the day he died had been going abnormally fast and went airborne more frequently, injuring guests, than did other rafts. Those notes were in addition to another 21 staff reports that the rides brake system was failing, prosecutors allege.

Investigators later accused Miles of loading the written reports into a vehicle in November 2016 and driving them from the Kansas City park to the companys corporate headquarters in New Braunfels. Miles told detectives he was following company policy, according to the indictment.

Henry was plagued with financial and legal troubles before being charged with murder in the boys death and has a history of drug arrests and domestic violence accusations.

Schlitterbahn has had a bumpy ride in the past few months.

In May, IBC Bank took over ownership of Schlitterbahn Riverpark & Resort on North Padre Island, a year after Upper Padre Partners, formed to build and operate the park and a surrounding development, declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy to avoid a foreclosure on the property by an Austin lender.

And last week it was revealed that the company plans to tear down the Verruckt waterslide.

Joshua Fechter is a staff writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | jfechter@express-news.net | Twitter: @JFreports
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Pilot Club of Jacksonville members Carol Wallbaum (from left), Lisa Pierce, Diane Farmer, Vickie Austin, Shelle Allen and Karla Henderson recently attended the 97th Pilot International Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. They were among more than 800 Pilots who participated in the global event, which drew representatives from around the world.
GRAFTON  A married couple were injured Saturday evening in a boat explosion near Grafton Harbor.

The explosion happened at approximately 5:57 p.m. Remains of the boat continued to burn after the explosion. Dennis and Beverly Day, of Grafton, reportedly suffered burns, the degree to which isnt immediately known. Two ARCH Air Medical Services ambulance transport helicopters were dispatched to transport both victims to the hospital.

The boat was coming in from the river, it had engine problems, and the next thing you know it blew up, a first responder said at 6:15 p.m. Saturday to The Telegraph at the scene.

A man on a jet ski arrived first to offer help and he threw out life jackets. The passengers appeared to put their arms upon the flotation devices and made it to a Grafton Harbor dock. QEM Fire Protection District responded to the scene.

The boat was completely destroyed in the explosion.

As a first responder rushed passed a bystander, who asked if the woman was going to be OK, the responder replied, Hope shes going to be alright.

Dennis Day, a 1971 graduate of Alton High School and a Grafton alderman, works at the Grafton Harbor, conducting tours at the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. Day married Beverly in 2009.

The cause of the fire is yet known.

Reach Jill Moon at 618-208-6448 and Twitter @jill_moon.
Excerpts from the investigative summary

(Complainant) raised serious concerns about the leadership of the administrators at Weinert Elementary.

The campus is divided as teachers are expressing concerns that not all students are being served at the campus. Remarks made by the principal in meeting with teachers supports the concerns that all students are not served and are looked at in terms of numbers and not individually. Teachers have stated that they had to administer the Benchmark as directed by the principal and doing so has caused a great amount of stress.

Some teachers expressed that it was easier to give the principal the data she wanted on the Benchmark knowing that it was not a true reflection of the students ability to perform.

The principal has made numerous remarks that support that the campus focus is on the numbers and not the students. Sadly some of the remarks support the concerns raised by teachers that there is cheating on the STARR test. The principal stated to this interviewer that if the way she had the Benchmark test administered led to irregularities on the STARR test that it was never her intention.

Comments made by the principal to teachers that she doesnt care what happens the next year she wants the numbers this year demonstrates the principals short sighted understanding that students are behind the numbers and how they perform the next year at the middle school is important. A teachers remark that Tm like Brandi, [referring to the principal] I could care less what they [referring to the students] make next year. I want numbers this year. demonstrates that the teachers concerns that the principal is sacrificing students in order to meet scores is valid and tragic.
A Katy woman was arrested in Wichita County on Thursday after she allegedly tried mailing meth to a high-profile Conroe double murderer in a North Texas prison, according to local reports.

Sara Elizabeth Russell was jailed Thursday and held on $10,000 bond after an Allred Unit mailroom worker spotted an unexpected bulge disguising a powdery packet stashed in an incoming card, according to KFDX.

The handmade note allegedly included written instructions - apparently tips for how to disguise the drugs inside.

The illicit supplies were allegedly headed to prisoner Jason Aaron Burkett, a Montgomery County man who later admitted he'd made the card and mailed it to Russell, according to investigators. But he said that, despite the packaging instructions, he wasn't asking her to send him drugs.

The Texas Department of Public Safety crime lab tied fingerprints on the package back to Russell, the TV station reported, and jail records show she was charged with one count of prohibited substance in a correctional facility.

READ MORE: Inmate executed for Conroe nurse's murder

Burkett is serving a life sentence for his role in a brutal 2001 triple murder that left dead two teens and a mother.

His co-defendant, Michael James "Romeo" Perry, was executed in 2010 for the drug-fueled slaying of 50-year-old Sandra Stotler, a nurse killed in her tony Bentwater home near Lake Conroe.

In 2001, two fisherman found her body wrapped in a blanket and tossed in Crater Lake.

The bodies of her 16-year-old son Adam Stotler and his 18-year-old friend Jeremy Richardson were later recovered in a wooded area west of Conroe.

Minutes before he was put to death, Perry called his execution an "atrocity" and blamed the woman's slaying on Burkett, saying his initial confessions were coerced through physical intimidation.

"Burkett should be up there, too, on the gurney with him," Charles Richardson, Jeremy's brother, said after witnessing the execution. "This was friends stabbing friends in the back."

Before trial, a jailhouse snitch apparently backed Perry's claim, writing in an affidavit that Burkett had admitted to all three killings

Still, Burkett netted a life sentence for the boys' deaths. It's not clear if he'll face additional charges stemming from the alleged smuggling attempt.
Les images de la visite de Xi Jinping au Senegal

Le President chinois, Xi Jinping, a effectue une visite dEtat de 36 heures au Senegal. Il a ete accueilli par son homologue senegalais, Macky Sall, dans une ambiance chaleureuse et coloree. Les deux delegations ont partage un diner et signe de nombreux accords. En conclusion, les deux dirigeants ont anime une conference de presse conjointe. Seneweb revient en images sur les etapes de cette visite.

VISITE D'ETAT XI JINPIN_ACCUEIL FR from Presidence Sn on Vimeo.
A federal lawsuit by Texas officials earlier this year seeking to order the end of the federal immigration program called the Deferred Act for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, will have "immediate, irreparable injury" to Texas businesses and cost the state's economy billions of dollars, according to a coalition of pro-business organizations.

Seven Texas-based chambers of commerce, two pro-business consortiums and four prominent companies  including Southwest Airlines  filed an unprecedented court brief late Saturday asking a federal judge in Houston to reject Attorney General Ken Paxton's argument that the DACA program be ended and dismantled.

RELATED: Are 91% of DACA recipients employed, in school or in the military?

Lawyers for Vinson & Elkins, which represents the business coalition that includes the Texas Association of Business, argue that Paxton's case  if successful  would significantly damage their operations, deprive them of much needed work expertise and cost the state of Texas tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues.

Texas and six other states filed the lawsuit in May asking the court to "immediately rescind and cancel all DACA permits currently in existence," which legal experts say would lead to the deportation of more than 126,000 young Texans  widely referred to as "Dreamers"  who were brought into the U.S. when they were small children.

In a 20-page legal brief filed Saturday just before midnight, lawyers representing the coalition of businesses argue that the state's lawsuit is legally flawed and should be denied.

The pro-business groups say that Paxton's lawsuit will cost the Texas economy to lose more than $6 billion in gross domestic product  $2 billion of it from the Houston area economy.

"Dreamers are important to the health of the Texas economy, and enjoining the DACA initiative will have significant negative consequences for Texas businesses," Texas businesses argue in their newly filed court documents.

"Dreamers are active participants in the Texas economy, creating jobs, contributing to Texas businesses as employees, supporting Texas businesses as consumers, and paying taxes to the State to support important programs," V&E lawyers Harry Reasoner, Tom Leatherbury and Beto Cardenas argue for their clients.

RELATED: Immigrant GI at Fort Sam forced out of Army

"Researchers have estimated that if Dreamers could no longer be granted deferred action under the DACA guidelines, the United States would lose approximately $460 billion of its GDP over the next decade, and the State of Texas would lose more than $6 billion to its annual GDP."

The pro-business consortium signing the brief includes the Hispanic chambers of commerce in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, Midland, Brazoria County and Rio Grande Valley, as well as Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Laredo-based International Bancshares Corp. and College Station-based Marek Brothers Construction. Combined, they represent tens-of-thousands of businesses that employ hundreds of thousands of Texans.

The court document cites studies showing that more than 8 percent of Dreamers over the age of 25 start their own business. The brief also estimates that the presence of the 126,000 Dreamers living in Texas and their combined purchasing power has led to the existence of 5,800 manufacturing jobs.

"Granting young immigrants deferred action under DACA brings them out of the shadows and gives them the ability to participate fully in the Texas economy, which benefits Texas, in part, through higher tax revenues," V&E lawyers argue.

The brief states that DACA individuals are expected to contribute about $244.7 million in Texas taxes in 2018.

"Enjoining the DACA initiative would damage the Texas economy by forcing Texas's Dreamer consumers to the sidelines and reducing the revenues of Texas businesses," the pro-business brief states. "The instability of life as an undocumented immigrant who might be subject to deportation at any time discourages those Texans from spending their money freely.

The pro-business brief states that about 1,000 Texas-based Dreamers are employed as critical first responders, including police officers, fire fighters and emergency healthcare personnel. Many are public school teachers.

Houston Methodist Hospital, according to the brief, employs 57 Dreamers as lab technicians, nurses and pharmacists. The document quotes the hospital's president, Dr. Marc Bloom, saying that Dreamers are "essential" to the nation's health workforce.

The business organizations point out that DACA was initiated by the Obama Administration in 2012, but the fact that Texas and the six other states suing waited until 2018 to challenge the program is a major legal argument in favor of keeping the status quo.

"The States waited almost six years after the announcement of the DACA guidelines before challenging them in Court, despite challenging similar initiatives implemented after DACA in 2015," V&E lawyers argue. "Since an injunction is an equitable remedy, it may be denied on the basis of laches if an unreasonable delay by the party seeking injunctive relief works to the disadvantage or prejudice of another party.

"The States' delay has substantially impacted businesses in Texas, who have, as described above, come to rely upon Dreamers as valued employees, customers, and fellow members of the business community and now stand to incur significant costs if DACA is enjoined," the brief states. "The States' delay also undercuts any claim they have to immediate, irreparable injury, since they have been living with the status quo for six years."

The federal judge hearing the case, Andrew Hanen of Brownsville, is scheduled to hold a hearing on the matter in Houston on Aug. 8.
BROOKFIELD  Volunteer firefighters helped out with one of the fire departments oldest calls in the book Saturday  getting a cat out of a tree.

Brookfield fire companies were dispatched just before noon for a cat who was stuck in a tree, according to Brookfield Volunteer Fire Department, Candlewood Company Inc.s Facebook page.
REDDING  In her time tutoring kids in Bridgeport, Samantha Kane has noted a gap between native English speakers and those learning the language.

But the Joel Barlow High School students Gold Award project aims to use music to shrink that divide. The Gold Award is the highest honor in Girl Scouts, and scouts who receive the prize typically do so by making a significant change in their communities.

Kane, who has been a Girl Scout since kindergarten, created a music curriculum that helps young kids, especially English learners, build language skills. She said music helps the children learn words faster and in a fun way.

I found that music was the connector, Kane said.

The curriculum is already being used at the Adam J. Lewis Preschool in Bridgeport, and Kane is leaving Monday for Uganda to bring the project to a preschool in Nakaseke, a town in the central part of the country.

When developing her project, Kane recalled a story her friends sister had told her about the sisters own experience in Uganda. The girl had told Kane about preschool children who knew little English, but ran around singing songs from the musical Annie.

They would recognize the music, but not the words, Kane said.

Her curriculum includes a binder for each month of the school year, as well as the summer, each with 12 to 15 songs often based around a theme. Songs include classic nursery rhymes, such as Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, and tunes in languages besides English, such as the French song, Alouette.

Julie Mombello, director of the Adam J. Lewis Preschool, has been instrumental in broadening the kids vocabulary. She said the teachers add gestures to the songs to help the children understand the lyrics, while kids often ask what new words mean.

It is another way to introduce language to them, she said. For the same reason you remember the words to a song better than you might remember the text in a textbook you read, it really helps them to pick up new words.

Kane also created activities to go along with the music.

They are great jumping off points for all different lessons, Mombello said.

Kane visited the preschool recently to see the kids in action.

It was adorable, she said. They were mostly 3 years old and they knew the words better than me and they weren't looking at the book at all. You could tell they really enjoyed it and liked to practice.

Mombello said the preschool helps an underserved population and that many of the students are already a year-and-a-half behind on language skills. This is why the binders have been key.

The kids love them, the teachers love them, Mombello said. It was really a special gift. We are incredibly lucky to be the beneficiary of a project that is so needed.

Kane does not sing or play instruments, so she enlisted a team of musicians, artists, educators and others to help her select and record the songs.

I had to learn how to lead them and how to lead a giant group project like this, she said.

Her then 4-year-old brother helped, too. Kane would turn on a song for him and see if he liked it.

He really was my guinea pig for a lot of it, she said.

Kane also raised $5,000 through a silent auction and concert at her house. Though she has already won her Gold Award for the project, she is still working on it.

She will intern this summer at BCS Interactive, a digital marketing agency, where she hopes to pick up the skills that will help her create a web site and offer the curriculum online for any school to use. Kane said 20 schools are already interested.

Kane will spend more than a week in Uganda as part of a service trip where she will visit a preschool, hospital and orphanage. She will also spend a couple hours in the school where her curriculum will be implemented.

Im really excited, she said. I never expected my project to grow that big. Ive never experienced anything like (the service trip), so it will be really eye-opening.
Anyone with information about these or other crimes can call the appropriate Crimestoppers number. Callers can be anonymous; a reward of as much as $1,000 will be paid for information leading to an arrest.



Crimestoppers of Morgan and Scott Counties

Submit tips anonymously at tipsubmit.com, by calling 217-243-7300 or by text messaging CRIMES (274637) with payout as the first word of the tip.

 Crimestoppers is seeking information to assist the Jacksonville Police Department with its investigation of a burglary.

Between noon July 14 and 7 a.m. July 16, someone entered a business in the 1600 block of West Lafayette Street and removed a water cooler. The black Chunghoa-brand cooler is valued at more than $3,000.



Two Rivers Crime Stoppers

Serves Calhoun, Greene and Jersey counties. Submit tips to 1-800-300-2590.



Schuyler County Crimestoppers

Call 217-322-3326



Pike County Crimestoppers

Call 217-285-1500



Wanted on warrants

The following are being sought on arrest warrants, according to the various sheriffs departments. The addresses listed are the last known addresses provided by the warrants and may be outdated.

Morgan County

 Demario Bush, 29, of 1235 McCasland St., Apt. 38G, East St. Louis, is being sought on a warrant accusing him of failing to appear in court on charges of revocation of probation for reckless discharge of a firearm and driving under the influence.

He is a black male standing 5-foot-11 and weighing 185 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes.

 Aurora K. Dixon, 28, of 311 Clay Ave. is being sought on a warrant accusing her of violation probation on an unlawful use of property charge.

She is a white female standing 5-foot-2 and weighing 130 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes

Greene, Calhoun and Jersey counties

 Victoria Alice Porter, 63, of 201 Early St., Apt T, Hardin, is being sought on a warrant accusing her of two counts of delivery of oxycodone and hydrocodone.

She is a white female standing 5-foot-3 and weighing 295 pounds. She has gray hair and brown eyes.

 Dylan Pollard, 21, of 413 Centennial St., White Hall, is being sought on a warrant accusing him of domestic violence and aggravated domestic violence.

He is a white male standing 5-foot-7 and weighing 220 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes.
Members of Illinois congressional delegation are pointing fingers back and forth on the issue of who is obstructing what in the effort to get to the bottom of whether Russia interfered with the 2016 U.S. Presidential election.

While Democrats herald allegations of possible collusion between Trump associates and Russia, Republicans are holding hearings about the anti-Trump bias of some high-ranking FBI agents involved in investigations.

The day after President Donald Trumps widely criticized summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield, blasted Republicans on the Senate floor.

Sadly the vast majority of congressional Republicans are actively working to undermine the investigation, Durbin said Tuesday.

Durbin complained about Republicans confirming Brian Benczkowski the week before to lead the U.S. Department of Justice criminal division. Durbin said Benczkowski has ties to Alfa Bank, a financial institution with ties to Russia. He said if Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein were removed, as some Republicans have called for, Benczkowski would take the oversight role of Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russia meddling in the 2016 election. Muellers investigation is also reportedly looking into whether Trump obstructed justice by firing FBI Director James Comey.

Enough is enough, Durbin said. Today is the day. I hope my colleagues, Democrat and Republican alike, will come forward and speak up.

Some of Durbins Democratic colleagues have said Republicans holding hearings about anti-Trump text messages that senior FBI agent Peter Strzok sent FBI attorney Lisa Page, whom Strzok was having an affair with, is an attempt to undermine Muellers investigation.

Strzok was part of the investigation into Hillary Clintons improper use of an email server to process classified materials. Strzok is also the one who allegedly changed the term grossly negligent, which has legal liability in the Espionage Act, to extremely careless in Comeys announcement of no charges against Clinton.

Congressional investigators and the FBIs inspector general found Strzok also withheld revelations of additional classified emails from Clinton on Anthony Weiners laptop for weeks.

Strzok later went on to be part of Muellers Russia probe, but was removed from the team when his profanity laden anti-Trump texts with Page were revealed. In one of those texts, Strzok said, Well stop him, referring to Trump before the election. Another one talked about an insurance policy, something Republicans say refers to the fabrication of the Russia collusion story.

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, said Durbin knows Congress needs to play its constitutional oversight role.

When you have a senior member of the FBI texting another member of the FBI 50,000 times over a certain amount of time, thats a work product question that needs to be asked, Davis said.

Davis said he supports law enforcement, but oversight must take place.

While Davis said Trump should have been more forceful against Putin this week in Helsinki, he said Durbins criticism of Trump is typical partisan hypocrisy.

We didnt see many comments out of him when the President of the United States Barack Obama (in 2012) leaned over to (then Russian President) Dmitri Medvedev and said tell Vladimir that if we win this election Ill have more flexibility, Davis said. Thats the hypocrisy of so many people out here in Washington.

Trump further backtracked Wednesday, saying he holds Putin responsible for the 2016 election interference and he believe Russia remains a cyber threat.
 "Can a criminal be sentenced to run a 'help desk'?" | Main | "Setting the Record Straight: The Pardon Power is Part of the Rule of Law" 

This extended local article, headlined "South Florida killers avoiding death row under new law," spotlights the new capital realities in Florida now that the state was forced by new constitutional rulings to require unanimous jury verdicts to secure death sentences. Here are excerpts:

South Florida juries appear to be less likely, so far, to send convicted killers to death row under the states newest death penalty law. Two juries in Broward County decided to spare the lives of convicted killers in the past week in cases where capital punishment would have seemed likely just a few years ago.

On July 16, convicted cop killers Bernard Forbes, Eloyn Ingraham and Andre Delancy learned they would not face execution for the 2006 ambush murder of Broward Sheriffs Deputy Brian Tephford. And on July 19, Eric Montgomerys life was spared by the same jury that convicted him of fatally shooting his stepdaughter in the face, chasing down her terrified mother and shooting her to death while his own grandmother physically tried to stop him, taking a bullet in the process.

In three first-degree murder trials in Palm Beach County since September, juries have recommended life sentences for the men they convicted. The challenge appears to be the stringent requirement of the death penalty law passed in the spring of 2017. The state now requires juries to unanimously find at least one aggravating factor justifying the imposition of the death penalty, and a second unanimous vote recommending it....

Simple majorities were required before 2016, but a combination of federal and state supreme court decisions found that without a unanimous verdict, Floridas death penalty process was unconstitutional.

Since the newest law was enacted, Broward juries have rejected the death penalty in three of four cases. In each of those cases, the defense put up a fight, calling witnesses and urging jurors to show mercy. The unanimous death decision came against Peter Avsenew, convicted of killing a Wilton Manors couple near Christmas 2010, using their credit cards, stealing their car and trying to hide out at his mothers house in Polk County. After his conviction, Avsenew fired his defense lawyers and represented himself in front of the jury, making no effort to plead for his life or show a hint of remorse. I have no regrets in my life and I am proud of the decisions Ive made, he said.

Defense lawyers and prosecutors agree that its too soon to determine whether the new law will result in a long term reduction in the number of capital sentences. According to the state corrections department, Florida sent 12 inmates to death row in 2014 and 2015. From 2017 to 2018 so far, four have been condemned: one each from Collier, Polk, Duval and St. Johns County. But in Palm Beach, prosecutors have not gotten a death penalty since 1998, even under the old law....

Whenever you have 12 people in a room, its hard to get them to agree on anything, said former Broward prosecutor Marjorie Sommer, now a jury consultant with Focus Consulting Services.

Potential jurors in death penalty cases are typically removed if they have philosophical objections to capital punishment. But sometimes they slip through. Last year, a Broward jury convicted Jacqueline Luongo of killing her roommate for insurance money, stuffing her body in a closet for days while disguising herself as her victim to make bank withdrawals.

When it came time to deliberate over the penalty, juror Sarah Miller said she was stunned to learn that a fellow panelist had no intention of even considering death. She faked her way onto the jury, said Miller. It was so unfair to the victims family. It didnt sit well with me. We didnt do justice. The vote, Miller said, was 11-1. Luongo was sentenced to life in prison.

The outcome of that case has Miller worried that securing a death penalty in Broward will be impossible under the new law. Miller lives in Parkland and is a 2012 graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, scene of last Februarys mass shooting. She worries that if the shooter is convicted, he will escape the death penalty because of the new law. Its very scary to me to think that ... another dishonest juror pretends to be open minded about it, she said.
Every few days, Tasiu Abdurrahman takes the money he makes from selling spices in Nigeria's biggest northern city and buries it in his yard.

The 55-year-old closed his bank account eight years ago after growing disillusioned with standing in long lines for hours to deposit or withdraw cash. Abdurrahman is one of about 50 million of the unbanked in Nigeria, which despite having Africa's largest mobile-phone market, is only just opening up to the technology to bring banking to its estimated 200 million people.

"My business partners need cash," said Abdurrahman as he juggled two mobile phones at his ginger and tamarind stand, one of many dotting the streets in Kano. "If they all opened bank accounts, I would be happy to."

Financial inclusion in Nigeria -- which vies with South Africa as the continent's biggest economy -- has gone backward as the regulator blocked network operators from applying for mobile-money licenses that would allow cash transfers without the need for a bank account. Between 2014 and 2017, the percentage of banked adults dropped nearly 4 percentage points to 39 percent, while the sub-Saharan African average increased more than 8 percentage points to 43 percent.

The Central Bank of Nigeria this month announced it is not on track to reach its target of increasing financial inclusion to 80 percent by 2020. It is now reviewing the path it took in 2012 with a "refreshed strategy" and has also signed a cooperation agreement with the Nigerian Communications Commission to improve the penetration of financial services using mobile phones.

Less than 6 percent of Nigerians use their handsets to transact using mobile money, compared with 73 percent of Kenyans, where more than two-thirds of adults have a bank account, according to the World Bank. That's even though there are more than two phones for every bank account in the West African nation.

"We're taking baby steps when we should be running," Yomi Ibosiola, an associate director at Deloitte Nigeria's data analytics practice, said in an interview in Lagos, the commercial hub.

Cellular phone operators would invest more if they were allowed to lead the way, said Emeka Oparah, a spokesman for Bharti Airtel's Nigerian unit, which has 40 million subscribers.

"Right now, we're only providing a platform for some people to use, if it becomes our business, we will invest in it," Oparah said. The government should adjust its policies "if it wants to move very quickly."

Fidelity Bank allows people to open an account using a mobile phone, said Chief Operations and Information Officer Gbolahan Joshua. It is also using agents to offer banking services, such as small payments and deposits, through informal branches, he said, adding the lender has 3.9 million customers.

"When you open an account on your mobile, you can receive money but you cannot make payments," Joshua said. "You need a Bank Verification Number to make transactions on that account you opened on mobile. Since the targets for financial inclusion are people that don't have BVN already, some infrastructure needs to be deployed, like mobile BVN."

There are efforts being made to remove those obstacles. One includes issuing identity numbers to 70 million people by the end of next year and pulling together the government's various identity verification systems into a centralized database, which will make it easier for people to plug into financial services.

The central bank in March also announced an initiative that would allow the number of banking agents to increase to 500,000 within two years, from 100,000, according to estimates by Enhancing Financial Innovation & Access, a research organization.

Standard Bank Group's Stanbic IBTC is using agency banking to strengthen its retail base, even if it means losing money in some areas, Chief Executive Officer Yinka Sanni said. "You must see it as part of investing in the long-term interest of Nigeria," he said. "It will enhance what we do in the future."

Most of the biggest lenders are focused on business banking. Zenith Bank, the country's largest lender with the equivalent of $15.4 billion in assets, makes about 6 percent of its revenue from retail banking and about 58 percent from corporates.

There are not enough incentives for people to open bank accounts, especially among the poor, said Ameya Upadhyay, a principal in the investment team of Omidyar Network Fund Inc., which has invested in a Nigerian startup providing mobile-money services and a company that gives loans to small- and medium-sized businesses. About 87 million Nigerians live on less than $1.90 a day, according to Vienna-based World Data Lab's World Poverty Clock.

"You have to create a 'pull' to these accounts and that happens when those accounts are meaningful to people's every day lives," he said, such as increasing the number of merchants with pay points or offering more insurance, savings or lending products. "People don't eat accounts."

Abdurrahman, the Kano spice merchant, agrees and is also unconvinced about using his phone to transact.

"I may decide to go for mobile money if more of my suppliers have it," he said. "But for now I am very comfortable keeping cash at the shop to pay for supplies and keeping the rest at home."
Today at about 9:53 A.M. the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call for a car that crashed into a tractor trailer just East of Bryant's Bridge Road on Route 29 in the Town of Saratoga.

The driver of a small station wagon was eastbound when it struck the rear part of the tractor trailer which was headed west. The driver of the station wagon was trapped inside the vehicle and he was the lone occupant.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  A feud between a man and his grandmother over his girlfriend staying at the grandmother's home exploded into violence that ultimately led to him taking dozens of people hostage inside a Los Angeles supermarket, a relative said Sunday.

Investigators believe Gene Evin Atkins, 28, shot his grandmother several times and wounded his girlfriend at their South Los Angeles home on Saturday afternoon before he led police on a chase, while exchanging gunfire with officers, crashed into a pole outside the Trader Joe's in the city's Silver Lake section and ran inside.

Atkins was booked Sunday on suspicion of murder after an employee was killed as he ran into the supermarket, police said.

His cousin, Charlene Egland, told The Associated Press that he had been arguing with his grandmother  who had raised him since he was 7 years old  "on and off for about two or three weeks" over his girlfriend staying at elder woman's home.

RELATED: Trump Says He Watched Trader Joe's Stand-Off 'Very Closely'

"She didn't want the girl over there anymore," Egland said.

On Saturday, Atkins' grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Madison, 76, was walking back into the home and told her grandson "he needs to turn some of them TVs off" when he shot her, she said.

Egland said she heard about six gunshots before another cousin came running from the porch and shouted to Egland, "I think Gene shot my mama!"

Egland said she ran to call 911 and waited for an ambulance to arrive. At the same time, police said Atkins stole his grandmother's car and forced his girlfriend into the vehicle.

Officers tracked the car using a stolen-vehicle tracking system and tried to stop the man in Hollywood, but he refused to pull over, police said. During the chase, he fired at officers, shooting out the back window of his car.

More gunfire ensued before Atkins crashed into a pole outside the supermarket. The man exchanged gunfire with police again and that's when a 27-year-old Trader Joe's employee, Melyda Corado, was shot and killed, Police Chief Michel Moore said. Officers escorted the girlfriend from the vehicle.

RELATED: Florida Sheriff Cites 'Stand Your Ground' in Not Arresting Shooter in Parking Lot Killing

Customers and employees frantically dove for cover and barricaded themselves inside storerooms and bathrooms as bullets fired by police shattered the store's glass doors.

As he heard gunfire, Sean Gerace, who was working in the back of the supermarket, grabbed several of his co-workers and the group made their way into an upstairs storage area. He grabbed a folding ladder and tossed it out a window, helping his colleagues escape to safety, he told KNBC-TV.

"I grabbed an emergency ladder, barricaded the hallway, grabbed a weapon, put the ladder out the window and just tried to get the attention of the SWAT officer," Gerace told the television station.

RELATED: Open Carry Texas rallies in Olmos Park calling for the dismissal of city's police chief

About three hours later, Atkins agreed to handcuff himself and walked out the front door, surrounded by four of the hostages. He was being held on $2 million bail Sunday and it wasn't clear if he had an attorney to comment on the allegations.

His grandmother was taken to a hospital in critical condition and police said she had been shot seven times, but Egland, who visited Madison at the hospital on Sunday, said she had only been shot three times, had undergone surgery and her condition was improving.

Atkins, who has two daughters, bounced between several jobs, including working as a security guard, but had been repeatedly fired, Egland said. His license to work as a security guard expired in November 2017, according to state records. It was not clear whether the particular license he possessed would have allowed him to legally carry a firearm.

His grandmother had also tried to help him find employment and "was just trying to make him do better," Egland said.

Atkins never grew violent toward his grandmother before, Egland said, but she started to grow concerned about him over the last several weeks because he seemed upset and distant.

"He didn't seem right to me," Egland said. "I'm just devastated."

On Sunday, grieving family members, co-workers and customers remembered Corado, the Trader Joe's worker, as lively, hardworking and always smiling. A makeshift memorial of flowers, candles and notes grew on the sidewalk outside of the store on Sunday.

"I'm sad to say she didn't make it. My baby sister. My world," her brother, Albert Corado said on Twitter.

Trader Joe's said the store  known by customers as a neighborhood hangout with great customer service  would remain closed for the foreseeable future to give their employees time to process and grieve.

"Yesterday marks the saddest day in Trader Joe's history as we mourn the loss of one our own," company spokeswoman Kenya Friend-Daniel said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with her family, and our Crew Members and customers who experienced this terrifying and unimaginable ordeal."

___

Associated Press writers Christopher Weber and Robert Jablon contributed to this report.
A high-speed chase ended in arrest early Saturday night as Bexar County sheriffs deputies pursued a fleeing pickup into northern Atascosa County.

After about 20 to 25 minutes, the truck crashed, deputies on the site said. The driver, who has not been identified, was arrested.

Top speeds during the chase reached 80 to 85 mph, according to Sgt. Edward Calderon of the Bexar County Sheriffs Office. The pursuit began near Interstate 35 and Shepherd Road in southern Bexar County shortly after 6 p.m. when deputies responded to a call about reckless and wrong-way driving.

READ ALSO: San Antonio man killed in home invasion shootout identified by authorities

The deputies attempted to stop the pickup; but when the driver didnt stop, they pursued him down Shepherd Road onto Pearsall Road, all the way down to (Loop) 410 and all the way up to (Texas) Highway 16 where it then came into Atascosa County, Calderon said. The chase was about to be terminated when the driver decided to turn ... on Waxwing and lost control of the truck and hit the fence of a house at the intersection of Waxwing and Bocawood, he said.

The driver then reversed his truck, attempting to get away, Calderon said, but hit one of the BCSO vehicles. Police used a stun gun on the man after he got out of the truck, Calderon said, because he didnt want to go down to the ground immediately and was refusing to give his hands.

brian.contreras@express-news.net
There wasnt much William E. Davis wouldnt do for his students.

The Rhodes Middle School technology teacher, who went by Bill, taught youngsters about computer systems, web design and video broadcasting. Hed dress up like the Cat in the Hat to make learning fun for students. As a World Strides Trip coordinator, he shared his love for travel with his students, taking them across the nation, to Washington, D.C.; New York City; and California.

During the last school year, he decided to have his students connect with children more than 13,000 miles away in Kampala, Uganda, by becoming pen pals. His class and students at Lady Sarah Primary School in Kampala have been writing each other since November.

That connection spurred Davis to seek a stronger one.

Im going to go to Uganda, he told his principal, Moises Ortiz. Ive already booked my flight.

Before Davis left, he sent Ortiz a text, saying he was on his way to deliver the latest batch of letters from his students.

Once in Uganda, he sent photos to his daughter Andrea Davis. In one of them, hes beaming with a wide smile that family, friends and colleagues said was always present, no matter the situation.

The photo ended up being the last one he would send her.

Friday morning, his family, friends and co-workers at the school and San Antonio Independent School District learned that Davis, 47, had died in a car accident Tuesday in Uganda. Police are investigating.

Mr. Davis was a very unique individual in his commitment to Rhodes, Ortiz said. When he introduced himself to me, he was very clear  he said he started his career at Rhodes and he would end his career at Rhodes. He was there to make an impact, make a difference and prepare kids, and he never wavered from that.

Ortiz said he plans to continue Davis impact by having students continue writing to their Ugandan peers.

But Davis influence spread beyond the school, located at Tampico Street on the West Side.

He also was active with the districts teachers union, the San Antonio Alliance of Teachers and Support Personnel. Last year, at the SAISD Foundations annual Inspire Awards, the district honored Davis for being part of Rhodes innovative technology team.

The school plans to host a memorial service that will be open to the public early this week.

Davis, who was originally from Lafayette, Indiana, was a great father and listener, and deeply cared for his students, said his ex-wife, Viviana Davis.

He was able to bring people together, said Davis, also an SAISD teacher. He didnt take life hard or seriously. Even with my partner, he had a good personality, where you just got along with him.

Her fiance, James Rodriguez, said Bill Davis was a loyal fried to him and many others.

Davis had planned to visit France and England next summer with Andrea, the older of his two daughters. She said her father loved traveling because he enjoyed learning about different cultures and sharing the experiences with his loved ones.

My dad was the best dad a daughter could ask for, said Andrea, 17. He was the most goofiest and warmhearted man you could ever meet, definitely one of a kind.

Davis started teaching at Rhodes, a charter school focused on technology and media, in August 1995. Ortiz recalled the teachers humorous nature.

Davis favorite thing to say  whether it was during a competition, the first day of school or the last  was We got this, Ortiz said.

With 23 years, hes had an impact on many lives, Ortiz said. Its a big testimonial to him.

Marie Epstein worked with Davis for five years at Rhodes. She was a first-year teacher when she started there, and he was her mentor in the department he helped found. He taught her the ins and outs of technology and that the students always came first. She recalled how hed have a working-type lunch in his classroom so students could come by for help or advice.

He welcomed everyone with open arms. Hed stop what he was doing and pay attention to them.

Bill Davis has left a legacy that will be hard to fill, she said.

Ortiz said he was struck by the outpouring of messages, especially an email from an eighth-grade student.

He insisted we put up a plaque to commemorate everything Davis did for the school, he said. The student also talked about what Davis had done for him, including being responsible for igniting his passion in technology.

Vincent T. Davis is a staff writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | vtdavis@express-news.net | Twitter: @vincentdavis
Fire investigators, on Sunday, were able to recover three bodies from the scene of a fire that damaged the the Iconic Village Apartments in San Marcos.

Six people were injured, one critically after the massive apartment fire that affected about 200 residents Friday, officials said. Five people had been listed as unaccounted for on Friday evening.

The blaze was reported around 4:30 a.m. Friday at the Iconic Village Apartments in the 200 block of Ramsay Street. One building was fully engulfed in flames and another in the complex was also damaged.

The victims recovered Sunday were declared dead at the scene, according to a press release from the City of San Marcos. Their identities were not released. Search and recovery efforts were expected to continue throughout the day.

MORE: Police: 2 shot and stabbed in Bandidos bar fight

Friday's blaze jumped to a neighboring apartment complex, the Vintage Pads Apartments in the 1000 block of North LBJ Drive.

The City of San Marcos Fire Marshal's Office will investigate the fire with the State Fire Marshal's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Of the six people injured, five suffered non-life threatening injuries and the sixth suffered critical injuries. The critically injured person was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio for treatment. Immediately after the fire, five people were unaccounted for.

Several of those injured were students at Texas State University, according to a statement from the school. The Dean of Students Office and Residential Life are now "working on support services for these students during this difficult time."

RELATED: Teen accused of killing neighbors was kicked out of his home hours prior

Some residents took themselves to local hospitals for treatment, so the number of injured residents may rise.

Officials established a shelter for displaced residents at the San Marcos Activity Center at 501 East Hopkins. The Red Cross is onsite and another organization is providing food. A family assistance center will be established for victims at the Westover Baptist Church at 1310 Advance Street.

San Marcos city officials say donations can be made to the Blanco River Regional Recovery Team at br3t.org. Click "donate" and then enter the word "Iconic" in the comments.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

Caleb Downs is a crime reporter for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here.| cdowns@mysa.com | Twitter: @calebjdowns
A person was taken to a San Antonio hospital in serious condition early Sunday after a head-on collision.

Officers responded about 2:30 a.m. to the intersection of Commercial Aveanue and Sunglo Drive where a southbound SUV veered toward oncoming traffic and hit a vehicle head on, according to the San Antonio Police Department.




The assessment was made in an article published in the newspaper on July 20.



Author of the story Refat Khaled said during the visit to Egypt in last May, Vo Van Thuong, Politburo member and Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, highlighted the growing relations between Vietnam and Egypt in all fields, especially after the historical visit to Vietnam by Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi in September 2017.



The Presidents visit created a good foundation for the bilateral cooperation to grow in various spheres, particularly marine economy and tourism.



The article pointed to Egypts significant geo-strategic position, serving as the gateway between the three continents of Africa, Europe and Asia.



Meanwhile, Vietnam has great potential in sea-based economy development with 48 bays and more than 3,000 islands in the East Sea.



Regarding fishery resources, Vietnam is on the list of 20 most economically advantageous seas for marine fisheries in the world, with many species of high economic value.



Vietnam is also a popular destination for millions of foreign tourists with white beaches and world-renowned scenic sites in Ha Long, Nha Trang, Da Nang and Phu Quoc along the countrys 3,260 km long coastline.



In 2017, Vietnam welcomed 12 million international visitors, including tens of thousands of holidaymakers from Africa and Egypt in particular.



At the same time, an increasing number of Vietnamese people are also visiting Egypt  the country of pyramids.



According to the article, Vietnam and Egypt have signed nine cooperation agreements, including four relating to marine economy and tourism. This shows that the two sectors are the focuses and priorities for win-win cooperation.-VNA
Re: As logic, science come under attack, push back with facts, Another View by John Blanton, Feb. 11:

John Blanton, a member of the Freethinkers Association of Central Texas, paints what he calls religious people as opponents of reason and free thought. Specifically, he cites creationists on a wide spectrum challenging established science.

First of all, it is a well-known fact that science did not begin with Darwin, whose 209th birthday was being celebrated by FACT. Rather, science has its origin within the Christian church, with the command from God to be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth (Genesis 1:28). In order to subdue nature, one must understand it  hence the biblical injunction to pursue science.

Second of all, because it cannot be directly observed or verified, macro-level evolution cannot be considered to be a fact, however strong FACT would insist that it is. Explanations are offered only as to how species could have evolved. Lacking is the exact, precise demonstration that organisms did evolve. Thus evolution is only a theory.

Furthermore, it should never be a crime to question the authority of a well-nigh monolithic theory, which thousands of Ph.D.-level scientists such as I call into question based on scientific evidence. Blanton should remember that in 1925 the American Civil Liberties Union argued for equal representation of evolutionary theory during the Scopes trial, to which he referred. One voice openly questioning evolutionary theory should become millions, since half the population of the United States doesnt accept evolution. An open public debate between creationism and evolution leads to more healthy science. Offering always only one side of the story leads to bad science and bad explanations.

Blanton cannot see the forest because of the trees. Blantons religion is materialistic naturalism, stemming from Jean-Jacques Rousseaus idea that nature is everything that was, is and ever shall be, purposefully excluding God and the divine from the grand picture a priori. How can you be open-minded if youre willing to consider only one line of explanation? Taken to the logical extreme, skeptics must doubt everything. Thus, truly, like Descartes they know next nothing. But God knows everything.

Creationism is scientific. Atheists acknowledge the fact that why the universe came into existence is a metaphysical question. Thus whether the universe came about either through natural or supernatural means is an open question. Therefore, since the origin of the universe has not been observed by a human eye, it is certainly possible that God created it. And, in such a supernaturally created world, it is possible to pursue origins science. Creationism doesnt claim to be privy to the supernatural process of divine creation. Rather, creation science studies the handiwork of Gods creative acts. God created, therefore, let us examine the created world.

It is a well-known fact that thousands of so-called living fossils exist all over the world, resisting change over long periods of time. Taxonomists have discovered and studied millions of species, which all cluster into disjunct kinds that are spoken of in Genesis 1:21. Missing links are still missing. The scientific literature is chock-full of examples of genetic structures being evolutionarily conserved, an oxymoron if there ever was one. Genome reduction in organisms is so pervasive that researchers Yuri Wolf and Eugene Koonin in 2013 devised the biphasic model of genomic evolution whereby the genomes of organisms undergo initial rapid (miraculous) complexification, followed by gradual genome reduction, which is itself contrary to evolution.

Thus instead of trying to extinguish other opinions and points of view, so-called freethinkers should allow them to flourish.

Matthew Cserhati is a bioinformatics programmer living in San Antonio. He has a doctorate in biology and a bachelors degree in computer science. He has been active in the creation/evolution debate for 17 years and has presented on this subject numerous times.
Even President Donald Trumps supporters sometimes yearn for him to simply acquiesce to his critics and say the words they want him to use. In Charlottesville, condemn the racists and stop talking. In speeches, stick to the teleprompter. In Helsinki, look at Russian President Vladimir Putin and tell him  oh, maybe something like cut it out, which was enough to earn President Barack Obama a pass.

Instead, in Helsinki, Trump said exactly what he always says on the subject of foreign interference in the 2016 election, to wit, Putin denies it, there was no collusion, its a witch hunt, and what about Hillary Clintons server and her 30,000 missing emails? What got him into hot water was repeating that mantra with Putin standing at his side.

Career politicians would have known better. Trump only knows how to be who he is and say what he thinks, regardless of whos standing at the other lectern. It was hardly treasonous or impeachable, as too many cable TV talking heads and Twitter commentators hysterically declared. But it was a diplomatic blunder that unfortunately will detract from an otherwise appropriate outreach designed to lower tensions between superpowers. And even in reversing his comments on Tuesday, who knew what Wednesday would bring.

Just as wrong as Trumps news conference performance was the insistence from some quarters that he should have traveled to Helsinki to publicly humiliate Putin. What Trump knows is that the endless attention on election interference is connected not to real concern over the sovereignty of our democracy, but rather to the fact that the wrong candidate won.

Foreign interference in our elections did not begin in 2016, but you can be forgiven if you dont know that. The media largely yawned about it in 2008 and 2012, but there were a few isolated stories.

In May 2013, Time magazine reported that in August 2011 the Obama campaign learned that foreign nation-states were trying to gain access to the campaigns databases and social media accounts with extraordinarily sophisticated means.

The article added that the same was true for the Romney campaign, which was under constant attack. The National Republican Congressional Committee was also later targeted. While no one would confirm which foreign powers were suspects, one Obama campaign staffer said she was warned about the threat from China in particular.

The story noted that similar efforts had been detected back in 2008 when both the Obama and McCain campaigns were the victims of a sophisticated hack, believed by law enforcement to be tied to foreign governments.

The article - written five years ago, mind you  added, The revelation in the days following Obamas historic victory was largely overlooked, and it was just a taste of what was to follow.

Consider that last point  the hacks were largely overlooked in the wake of Obamas historic victory. In other words, no big deal. The right candidate won in 2008. No special counsel needed. No more ink or airtime wasted on the subject. No sanctions suggested.

But in 2016, Trump was, of course, the wrong winner, and his narrow, upset victory made Russian interference wall-to-wall news, all day, every day, which, in turn, made Russias goal of sowing discord and distrust among Americans wildly successful.

A New York Times article earlier this year noted that career intelligence veterans were not overly alarmed at Russias attacks in 2016. Loch K. Johnson, a renowned intelligence scholar, told the Times that Russias 2016 operation was simply the cyber-age version of what the United States itself has long done.

Everyone quantifies such admissions with a reminder that there is no moral equivalency  the United States interferes in elections for the right reasons, and its done to us for the wrong reasons.

But although Russian election interference in 2016 was quickly weaponized politically, even Trumps supporters sometimes wish he would just say the words that will make everyone happy. But Trump seldom grants such small favors, and hysteria ensues.

Gary Abernathy, a contributing columnist for the Washingon Post, is a freelance writer based in Hillsboro, Ohio.
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.




ANGOLAN president Joao Manuel Goncalves has dispatched his foreign affairs minister to Zimbabwe to assess the situation in the country ahead of the watershed July 30 elections.

MDC Alliance leader and presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa confirmed the development at a campaign rally he addressed in Bulawayo Saturday.

The opposition coalition recently launched a regional diplomatic offensive aimed at helping put pressure on the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) which is refusing to accede to demands regarding the printing, design and storage of the ballot paper.

Chamisa told supporters that the Angolan leader was sending his foreign affairs minister to Harare.

Angola currently chairs the defence, peace and security organ of the regional SADC grouping.

SADCs mission follows that of former United Nations secretary general Koffi Annan who has been in Harare leading The Elders group of former world leaders.

Said Chamisa; Most of you may have heard that the elders are around in the country.

They requested to meet with us (and) we met with them after we had written to SADC regarding our concerns to ZEC.

So, SADC has informed us the Angola has sent its foreign Affairs minister to appraise himself of what is really happening in the country.

The MDC-T leader said his team would meet the Angolan minister on Monday.

We are looking forward to giving SADC all the evidence concerning election rigging, he said.

We presented three key issues to the Elders. One of the issues is that of the ballot paper; we need a genuine ballot paper.

He added; I do not want what happened to my old man (Morgan) Tsvangirai to happen to me.

I have sent my team to ZEC demanding that the ballot papers should be printed afresh even if time is not on our side.

The least we are prepared to do is test (the paper) batch by batch.

The rally was also attended by Zapu president Dumiso Dabengwa and late vice president Joshua Nkomos son, Sibangilizwe.

Dabengwa said he has decided to back Chamisa after realising that a fragmented opposition cannot remove Zanu PF from power.

My wish was to see a united opposition confronting Zanu PF during the elections but unfortunately that did not happen, he said.

I personally tried to mediate between Chamisa and Thokozani Khupe, but unfortunately that did not happen.

However, I am backing Chamisa and I know he is capable of delivering change in Zimbabwe.

 NewZimbabwe

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- The suspect Emmanuel Eghaghe was said to have travelled from Benin to Lagos to demand for the money from the victim

- He got violent and smashed her head into the wall when she said she did not have that much money to give him

- Lagos police spokesperson Chike Oti confirmed the incident and said the police were searching for the suspect

It was a tale of tears in Ajangbadi area of Lagos state on Friday, July 6 after a 27-year-old man identified as Emmanuel Eghaghe beat his mother to death for allegedly refusing to give him N20,000 pocket money.

The Punch reports that Emmanuel had reportedly visited his 61-year-old mother Helen at her shop on Jinadu Street, Ajangbadi and demanded for sum as pocket money.

He however turned violent when the elderly woman said she could not afford the amount.

READ ALSO: Senator Adeleke emerges winner of PDP gubernatorial primary after defeating closest rival by 7 votes

Reports said he slammed her head on the wall while struggling to get the money by force and on seeing blood gushing out of her head, Emmanuel fled the scene.

The suspect, Emmanuel Eghaghe (pictured), was said to have smashed his mother's head into the wall when she did give him the money. Photo: Punch

An unnamed resident said the case was reported to the police at the Ajangbadi Police Division and to the deceaseds brother, who is based in Benin, Edo State.

He said: The sister of the suspect has a hotel in the community. He gave their mother a room in the hotel. She also opened a shop for the woman in front of the hotel. On that day, the suspect approached his mother and asked her to give him N20,000 pocket money.

The woman said she did not have that kind of money. He pushed her to the wall and broke her head in the process. There were bloodstains everywhere and the woman eventually died in a hospital. He ran away immediately and has yet to be found. His sister was abroad and she was planning to relocate him there. A resident informed the womans brother and he travelled to Lagos from Benin. I was surprised why a child would do such a cruel thing to his mother.

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Meanwhile, Lagos police spokesperson CSP Chike Oti confirmed the incident and noted that a manhunt had been launched for the suspect.

He said: The police got a report that the suspect hit his mothers head against the wall in an attempt to get money from her forcefully. As a result, she became unconscious and was rushed to the hospital for treatment. She gave up the ghost at the hospital.

The suspect is now at large. Detectives visited the scene and deposited the corpse at the Isolo General Hospital mortuary for autopsy. A manhunt for the suspect is being intensified.

In a separate event, Legit.ng reported that a man named Auwal who lives at Kwaru Majalisa, Badarawa in Kaduna, the capital of Kaduna state, was allegedly beaten by two policemen when they saw him smoke cigarette and mistook it for Mar.ijuana.

Legit.ng gathered that the policemen confronted Auwal on Friday night, July 20, around 11:00pm and asked him what was he smoking? "Its non of your business", Auwal was said to have responded angrily.

Auwal's response was said to have infuriated the policemen, who allegedly beat him until he became unconscious.

See the faces of newly arrested criminals in Lagos State - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit
- Umar Imam, the former speaker of the Kogi state House Assembly, has defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP)

- Among the reasons Imam gave for his defecton, he mentioned that he was insulted for not supporting Senator Dino Melaye's recall

- He said that the move came after serious consultation with his supporters in the ruling party

The immediate past speaker of the Kogi House of Assembly, Umar Imam, on Sunday, July 22, defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Imam, stating that had formerly notified the Assembly concerning his move, said that he was shut out of the party by its leadership in Kogi, Nigerian Tribune reports.

READ ALSO: APC is begging us to return because of 2019 election - R-APC alleges

He said he defected from the APC because of its continuous internal that friction that has led to its factionalisation nationally.

Briefing journalists on the development in Lokoja, the state capital, Imam revealed his intention to contest the forthcoming by-election into the Lokoja/Kogi federal constituency seat on the platform of the SDP, alleging that the ruling party's present leadership betrayed its pioneers.

The former speaker claimed that all those that worked for the success of the APC in the last general election were shut out by the state government

He further said that as a founding member of the APC and a former speaker of the house, he helped to the stabilisation of the Yahaya Bello-led government which was surrounded with crises because of the circumstances of its emergence.

He added that before deciding to quit the ruling party, he made several efforts at reconciling aggrieved members by meeting the former national chairman of the party, John Odigie-Oyegun and other members of the leadership of the party.

Imam said: I was vilified for not supporting the recall of senator Dino Melaye, I made my stand known that I was for reconciliation, I spoke for the people, I was attacked and removed for it, those who suffered to build the party were not rewarded.

There were three national efforts at about Kogi reconciliation but they all failed. I told the newly constituted reconciliation committee that they were behind time and that the committee was not a sincere one, if they are sincere they should go back to Tony Momohs committee report.

However, the former speaker said he delayed on his defection because he hoped that the leadership of the party would inspire full participation its member in its affairs and decision-making process and genuinely unite and reconcile aggrieved persons.

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He also said that his defection came after much consultation between himself and his supporters, adding that the SDP is the only united party in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had said the commencement of the recall process of Senator Dino Melaye would be part of the decisions taken at its next meeting on Thursday, March 22.

Legit.ng gathered that after removing legal restrictions on the recall process, the commission may likely release a revised recall timetable and schedule of activities in the next few days.

Nigeria News: Dino Melaye and 2019 Criminal Conspiracy | Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit
Ecuador Will Imminently Withdraw Asylum for Julian Assange and Hand Him Over to the UK. What Comes Next? The Intercept

Multimillion-dollar award against PwC is window into typically secret auditor settlements Francine McKenna, MarketWatch

The Case of the Khrapunovs The Diplomat

Nobel Symposium on Money and Banking Day 1 The Grumpy Economist. Day 2.

St. Louis Uber driver has put video of hundreds of passengers online. Most have no idea. St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Your phone companys shitty security is all thats standing between you and total digital destruction Boing Boing

Big Red Flag: Automakers Trade Secrets Exposed in Data Leak NYT

Brexit

Michel Barniers pointed questions point to no deal The Spectator

As the SpaceX steamroller surges, European rocket industry vows to resist Ars Technica

China?

Nicaragua protesters defy Ortega crackdown Agence France Presse

New Cold War

The Secret History of Leviticus NYT

The brainwashing myth The Conversation

Trump Transition

Democrats in Disarray

Youth voter registration went up 41 percent in Florida after Parkland Miami Herald

Guillotine Watch

How Enslaved Chefs Helped Shape American Cuisine Smithsonian

Class Warfare

Why Is Google Translate Spitting Out Sinister Religious Prophecies? Motherboard (DK).

A path to clean water Science

The Lesson of the Chateau de Calberte NYT. Dammit, why cant the Times just be bad all the time?

Antidote du jour (via):

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Lambert here: Im impressed they got 10% of all UK MPs to sign up.

Interview between David Sloan Wilson, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Biology and Anthropology at Binghamton University, and John Bunzl and Nick Duffell, authors of The SIMPOL Solution. Originally published at Evonomics.

A while back I received a book in the mail titled The SIMPOL Solution: A New Way to Think About Solving the Worlds Biggest Problems by John Bunzl and Nick Duffell, who were unknown to me. I get sent a lot of books with grandiose titles and dont get around to reading most of them. But something about this one intrigued me, along with an endorsement by Noam Chomsky, who wrote Its ambitious and provocative: Can it work? Certainly worth a serious try.

So I read it in a single sitting on a transatlantic flight and was triply impressed. Not only did the authors have a clear understanding of Destructive Global Competition (DGC) between nations and the need for worldwide cooperation, but they actually had a plan called Simultaneous Policy (SIMPOL) for how to achieve it in an incremental fashion. As if that werent enough, theyve started to implement SIMPOL in the UK and elsewhere.

Soon I was trading emails with John and Nick and learned that an American edition was in the works. Im pleased to publish this conversation about their new book an an excerpts from the book, which is now available to an American audience.

DSW: Greetings and congratulations on the American publication of your book!

JB & ND: Thanks, David! Were delighted you read it and glad you liked it.

DSW: Please introduce yourselves. What are your backgrounds and how did SIMPOL occur to you?

JB: Im a businessman and part-owner of a company trading in textile raw materials. Back in 1998, I was having a Sunday lunch with my family and we were discussing climate change because the kids were covering it at school. Afterwards, my Mum unexpectedly confronted me with a question: what would you do about it? Her disarming directness had a strange effect because, almost from nowhere, I responded that it would have to happen simultaneously. All, or nearly all, nations would have to act simultaneously. Perhaps because of my business background, I realized that no nation could decisively reduce its carbon emissions unless virtually all other nations did so too because any nation trying to go it alone would only land its economy with increased costs and a competitive disadvantage. I also realized that simultaneity could be a great way to solve so many other issues from wealth inequality to nuclear disarmament, because the all-important pre-condition of simultaneous implementation makes supporting such reforms risk-free. Governments could support decisive action without risking their competitiveness. And so the SIMPOL campaign was born.

ND: My wife first brought SIMPOL to my attention, after which I invited John to take part in a mens event I was co-convening. John then read an early draft of my 2014 book Wounded Leaders, about the psychology of the UK political scene, whereupon he invited me to co-author The SIMPOL Solution. My main task was to set out the psychological resistance to the idea, which involved going quite deeply into identity issues and the psychology of denial. It was especially important to show how environmentalists failed to pick up the idea because of their entrenched identity position of being the good guys against the bad guys.

DSW: It was a pleasure to discover that youre so well informed about evolution. When did the modern evolutionary literature come to your attention and what role did it play in developing SIMPOL?

JB: It first came to my attention around 2000. I was contacted by Australian evolutionary biologist John Stewart, author of Evolutions Arrow, who suggested SIMPOL had many common features with how evolution had resolved key competition bottle-necks in the past, such as the evolution of eukaryote cells from earlier proto-cells. At first, I didnt understand, but, after reading his book and some others, I began to see how SIMPOL could be part of our on-going evolutionary story.

In particular, I saw how the vicious circle of Destructive Global Competition (DGC)  every nations inability to move first to solve global problems  is really just part-and-parcel of the evolutionary dance of cycles, first of competition and then of cooperation, that have taken us from hunter-gather tribes to larger agrarian Middle-Age small-states, to still-larger industrial nation-states. Each new and larger cooperative social unit pushed competition to new higher level and, today, globalization means that competition is now global, requiring the urgent evolution of global cooperation between nation-states. And there, I realized, SIMPOL had a potentially crucial role to play.

Since then, I also came across your work, in particular Does Altruism Exist? and others such as Peter Turchin and Martin Nowak, which all helped to demonstrate how Simpol fits very well with your and E.O. Wilsons theory of Multi-level Selection.

But that only describes external evolution. The other aspect is internal; the evolution of peoples ways of thinking so brilliantly described by Clare Graves and more recently by Beck and Cowan in Spiral Dynamics, or by Ken Wilber with his All Quadrants All Levels model. Understanding how peoples thinking evolves is crucial. Our problem today, at least in the West, is that most people including our politicians still operate with a nation-centric worldview whereas solving global problems depends on a critical number of us adopting a world-centric worldview. Little wonder were failing to understand our globalized world and failing, likewise, to solve global problems!

Realizing SIMPOLs success would depend on helping to change peoples thinking, I understood that the problem was primarily one of psychology. Thats why I got together with a psychotherapist and psycho-historian.

ND: Ive been involved with consciousness movements all my life and trained in systems theory and Psychosynthesis. Consciousness is clearly evolving, but it needs our cooperation. And at times of stress consciousness also regresses. This is whats happening today with the anxiety-driven movements towards protectionism and keeping foreigners out. Its quite natural that humans backpedal when theyre on the brink of a big change. Our challenge today, then, is to really see ourselves in the same boat but that will mean letting go of our familiar ideas of national sovereignty. We have to grieve and then embrace the change.

Where SIMPOL chimes with me is that my work has been about helping people and groups to develop the skills to self-regulate. Self-regulation is what defines maturity in organisms, and in groups; its already the major operating principle in the human body  and, of course, in the psyche. For humans, despite our wonderful but immaturely used technology, maturing means to intentionally self-regulate, and this means introducing it into politics.

DSW: Your analysis of Destructive Global Competition (DGC) dovetails with what I call the Iron Law of Multilevel Selection: Adaptation at any level of a multitier hierarchy requires a process of selection at that level and tends to be undermined by selection at lower levels. This is profoundly different than the invisible hand, which pretends that the pursuit of lower-level self-interest benefits the common good. It reveals the unregulated competition among nations and corporations as the problem and the formulation of policies with the welfare of the whole earth in mind as the only solution. The excerpts from your book that accompany this conversation show how you lay this out in your own words. The most original part of your book, for me, is your plan for building global cooperation in an incremental fashion. Please describe how this works.

JB: Ok, but first some background. Not only does DGC prevent nations from acting meaningfully on social or environmental issues, it also means that whichever party we elect has no choice but to adopt very narrow business-friendly, neoliberal policies; that is, policies that keep the nation internationally competitive. Thats why, once in office, one party behaves much like another and voters become increasingly disillusioned: an effect we call pseudo-democracy. Our votes, apparently, have become substantially meaningless.

With this situation in mind, SIMPOL invites us to have a little fun by using our votes in a completely new, creative way that turns the tables on our pseudo-democratic political systems while liberating politicians from the tyranny of DGC.

The Simultaneous Policy (SIMPOL) will consist of a series of multi-issue global problem-solving policy packages, each of which is to be implemented by all or sufficient nations simultaneously, on the same date, so that no nation loses out. Citizens who join the campaign can contribute to the design of those policies and to getting them implemented. But how?

By joining the campaign, citizens agree to give strong voting preference in all future national elections to politicians or parties that have signed a pledge to implement Simpol simultaneously alongside other governments, to the probable exclusion of those who choose not to sign. This pledge (the Pledge) commits a politician, party or government to implement SIMPOLs policies alongside other governments, if and when sufficient other governments have also signed on.

In this simple way, politicians who sign enhance their electoral chances, while those who refuse risk losing our votes to politicians who signed instead. Thus, in tightly contested electoral areas, failing to sign could cost a politician their seat.

To further enhance the pressure on politicians, SIMPOL never divulges how many supporters we have in any electoral area, so politicians are left to wonder  and worry. Conversely, politicians who do sign dont risk anything because SIMPOL only gets implemented if and when all or sufficient nations have similarly signed up. So, signing is a win-win for them while failing to sign could spell disaster, especially as the number of supporting citizens grows.The paradox of SIMPOL, then, is that it turbo-charges party-political competition to produce global cooperation. It puts citizens firmly in the political driving seat, giving us a powerful vote in global affairs in a way that politicians cant ignore.

For citizens, you could say that joining SIMPOL is a bit like getting two votes: one thats global, the other national. Joining the campaign and telling politicians youll be giving strong preference at national elections to those that sign the SIMPOL Pledge to the probable exclusion of those who dont represents your global vote. Then, on election day, you get your national vote just like everyone else. Just when you thought your vote had become substantially meaningless, SIMPOL transforms it into the most powerful driver for global cooperation.

That said, experience shows that politicians often need little persuasion to sign the Pledge. Even those in safe seats sometimes happily sign it simply because they see its common sense.

As the campaign develops, our hope is that, as UN efforts to solve global problems continue to fall short, SIMPOL might gradually emerge as the only alternative. If so, and as non-democratic governments see Western democratic governments gradually starting to support Simpol, they will not want to be left out and will voluntarily sign the Pledge too. In fact, as global problems worsen, all nations will need a way out of the stranglehold that DGC has us in. Corporations, too, may ultimately realize that its in their interests to have a global level playing field of simultaneously implemented regulations which keep the global economy fair and sustainable for all companies.

There are, of course, many other aspects to the project, not least the method for developing SIMPOLs policy content and how citizens can participate, how multiple global issues can allow nations that might lose on one issue to gain on another, how global agreements would be negotiated, and how potentially harmful policies would be screened out. But more on all that can be found on our website.

DSW: Not only have you devised this solution, youve already put it into action, to a degree. Please tell us more.

JB: Weve put the process into action in a number of countries in a small but significant way. In the UK where SIMPOL is most developed, at the last national election in 2017 we got over 650 candidates from all the main political parties to sign the Pledge. Of those, 65 are now Members of Parliament (MPs), which is about 10% of all UK MPs.

Demonstrating SIMPOLs enormous leverage, we also found that in closely contested electoral areas, a kind of domino effect occurred. As one candidate signed the Pledge, his competitors, one after another, felt obliged to follow, resulting in nearly all the competing candidates signing up as election day approached. This meant that whichever candidate won the seat, SIMPOL was sure to gain another MP committed to implementing its global policy agenda. This, then, is how SIMPOL works across parties and across the political spectrum pushing politicians towards global cooperation. For those who are fed up with the meaningless ding-dong between the political parties, Simpol offers a way to cut through that, driving all politicians towards implementing what really matters: a sustainable and just world.

Right now this process is slow. But as citizen-support becomes significant, we expect that just as individual politicians have signed the Pledge, whole political parties will feel pressured to do so too. In that way, the turbo-charging of competition wont only work at the level of individual politicians but between whole parties. There, too, we can expect the domino effect to come into play.

SIMPOL is likely to work most powerfully in first-past-the-post electoral systems, such as in the UK. But at the last national elections in Germany and Ireland, both countries with proportional representation systems, we got over 50 candidates in each of those countries to sign the Pledge. Of those, we now have 14 pledged MPs in the Irish Parliament and 11 in the German Bundestag. So, it seems the process works regardless of the electoral system concerned.

Beyond those countries, we have a handful of MPs in the EU parliament, in Australia, Argentina and Luxembourg. What we most need, however, is for citizens to get involved in every democratic country.

ND: What impresses me most about SIMPOL is that its good to go. It uses existing structures in a smart way so we dont need to wait for a world parliament or a reformed UN. And thats good, because we have to act now if we are to tackle the climate issue, tax havens, corporation tax loopholes, and so on. Also important is that in most countries there is now extreme polarization as well as political apathy amongst the young. Yet events like Trump and Brexit show that voting does matter. By engaging our votes, SIMPOL shows citizens that we already have the power and how to wield it effectively.

DSW: What are your hopes for implementing SIMPOL in the USA?

JB: We do have supporters in the USA but no proper campaign there yet. Were hoping this interview might change that soon. Like elsewhere, theres widespread dissatisfaction in the U.S. with both mainstream parties. Meanwhile, some people hope that more extreme options  such as Trump or Sanders  might offer a solution. But were hoping that, as U.S. citizens come to understand DGC and Pseudo-democracy, theyll increasingly realize that none of them can offer real solutions because, until we solve the problem at the global level through something like SIMPOL, DGC will inevitably stay in control, forcing whoever is in the Oval Office to implement the same old narrow neoliberal agenda. Even Trump, who promised an America First, protectionist agenda has largely used tariffs tactically to obtain more preferential free-trade arrangements. Why? Because Donald Trump is not really in control; DGC is.

So were hoping to build a vibrant SIMPOL campaign in the U.S. soon. We already have a website but we need citizens to sign on and get involved.

SIMPOL is certainly ambitious. But we can be sure that evolution is on our side. Evolution and multi-level selection tend towards ever-larger scales of cooperation. As competition between nations  what weve called DGC  becomes increasingly acute and damaging, and as people increasingly become aware of it, the only solution is global cooperation. SIMPOL, I like to think, is the political embodiment of that. Its conscious evolution in action. Its just waiting for people to take it up and run with it.

DSW: Lets hope so, and Im glad to give it a boost with this interview!

Excerpts from The SIMPOL Solution: Solving Global Problems Could Be Easier Than We Think.
(Natural News) Arizona-based researchers are analyzing wastewater from the sewers of U.S. cities for signs of chemicals associated with opioids. The contents of sludge and slurries could provide a more accurate overview of the opioid crisis sweeping the nation, an article in Scientific American stated.

The Human Health Observatory has been scouring sewage since 2003. Currently based at the Arizona State University (ASU), it operates the biggest network of wastewater monitoring sites in the world.

In the past, the laboratory has looked for harmful chemicals, nicotine, and stress hormones. It is now looking for signs of opioid use in wastewater.

History has taught us that when you ask people about drug use, you often dont get a truthful answer, said Rolf Haden, the director of the Observatory. Sewage doesnt lie. (Related: Kentucky sues WALGREENS for promoting opioid epidemic.)

Wastewater analysis can reveal true extent of drug use in cities

Cities and municipalities send samples of their sewage to the Observatory. The laboratory performs tests that measure the total intake of opioid-based chemicals  such as heroin, fentanyl, and oxycodone  of residents in those areas.

The monthly data sent by the Observatory is more accurate than the hospital data and surveys that public health officials usually rely on. It is also much faster than traditional sources, which may take years to complete and end up delivering obsolete data long after the fact.

Hadens research team takes just one or two days to analyze a sample of sewage. The information extracted from the wastewater can guide cities that are trying to control their epidemics.

If the amount of opioids in the sewage goes down after a city arrests a drug ring, then the operation is probably effective. A sudden spike in the level of fentanyl after the closure of a pill mill might suggest that legal users are being forced to use street drugs because their source of prescription drugs got caught in the crossfire.

Street drugs often contain fentanyl or carfentanyl. The former is 50 times stronger than heroin while the latter is 5,000 times stronger; carfentanyl is normally used as a tranquilizer for elephants.

Carfentanyl is almost identical to fentanyl. It is also almost never prescribed, so an increase of the drug in sewage is normally attributed to its presence in street drugs.

Early warning about a spike in dangerous drugs will allow city officials to inform first responders to amass sufficient amounts of antidotes to opioid poisoning. Responders will also be prepared to administer the antidote in the bigger doses required for treating fentanyl over-dosage.

Studying sewage could provide real time data on opioid epidemic

Sewage monitoring started in Europe in 2010. Between its success and the Observatorys accomplishments, city governments in the U.S. are starting to take notice.

Cities like Louisville, Kentucky, and Tempe, Arizona were not prepared for the opioid crisis. Local officials are scrambling for ways to respond faster and more effectively to increasing numbers of deaths due to a drug overdose.

Sewage analysis can help cities determine the number of opioid antidotes, sterilized needles, and other vital supplies to be distributed in areas. It can also show the best places to set up drug take-back programs and therapy centers for drug addicts and victims of overdose. Finally, it could quickly determine if a drug education campaign is working or not.

The city of Tempe recently teamed up with ASUs Observatory. Opioid levels in wastewater will provide a real-time guide for Tempe city officials about their drug interventions.

Likewise, Cary, North Carolina has tapped an MIT-affiliated company for robots that can fit inside sewage pipes. The robots will analyze the levels of drugs in the wastewater and send the data back.

Keep an eye on the opioid epidemic at Opioids.news.

Sources include:

ScientificAmerican.com

StatePress.com
(Natural News) A new study found that using cannabis, partnered with anti-epilepsy treatments, helped lower the risk of epileptic seizures of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome patients by almost 50 percent.

The study was carried out by a team of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital who looked at the effectiveness and safety of cannabidiol, which is found in marijuana plants, in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome patients.

Lennox-Gastaut syndrome is a severe case of epilepsy that has multiple seizures  in particular, tonic (a persons muscles stiffen, and he/she loses consciousness) and atonic (a condition wherein a person loses muscle tone and falls limply to the ground). It also is rare: the condition accounts for only two to five percent of total childhood epilepsy cases.

In conducting the study, the research team evaluated 171 individuals aged two to 55 who suffer from Lennox-Gastaut syndrome from the Netherlands or Poland. The participants experienced a minimum of two drop seizures a week every month, and were highly resistant to treatment before the study started; they had not responded to an average of six anti-epilepsy drugs, were taking three anti-epilepsy drugs, and experienced an average of 73.8 drop seizures every 28 days.

The participants were given either 20 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) of cannabis drug or placebo in addition to their usual treatment every day for 14 weeks. The patients or their caregivers wrote down the number and types of seizures, medication use, and side effects every day.

Results showed that the participants who received cannabis drug had a 43.9 percent lower risk of drop seizures, in comparison to the 21.8 percent decrease in those who did not receive cannabis drug treatment. Moreover, the cannabis drug group had a greater decrease in the levels of other seizures and a decrease of 41.2 percent in their monthly seizure frequency.

However, 62 percent of the cannabis drug group experienced side effects associated with the treatment in comparison with the placebo group wherein 34 percent of them experienced side effects. The most common side effects in the cannabis group were diarrhea, drowsiness, fever, loss of appetite, and vomiting. Meanwhile, 12 participants in the cannabis group and one participant in the control group withdrew from the study due to side effects, including temporary increases in the liver enzyme. (Related: Cannabidiol (CBD) found to cut seizures in HALF among severe epilepsy patients, scientists find.)

Our results suggest that the use of cannabidiol as an add-on therapy with other anti-epilepsy drugs might significantly reduce the frequency of drop seizures in patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, which is positive news for these patients, who often do not respond to treatment, said lead author Elizabeth Thiele.

Cannabidiol found to reduce seizures in Dravet syndrome patients

Another study published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that cannabidiol decreased the number of convulsive seizures in children with Dravet syndrome. Researchers randomly divided 120 children and young adults with the Dravet syndrome and drug-resistant seizures to receive an additional treatment of either cannabidiol drug at a dose of 20 mg/kg of body weight per day or placebo for 14 weeks. Dravet syndrome is a childhood epilepsy disorder that is linked to drug-resistant seizures and a high mortality rate.

Results showed that the average frequency of seizures every month decreased from 12.4 to 5.9 with cannabidiol, compared with a reduction from 14.9 to 14.1 with placebo. A 43 percent reduction in convulsive seizures was observed in the cannabidiol group in comparison with a 17 percent decrease for the placebo group. However, the cannabidiol group experienced more side effects compared to the placebo group. Side effects included diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, pyrexia, somnolence, and abnormal results on liver-function tests.

Learn more about medical marijuana at CannabisCures.news.

Sources include:

Science.news

ScienceDaily.com

DailyMail.co.uk

NEJM.org

Epilepsy.com 1

Epilepsy.com 2
Police are working Sunday to determine what prompted a man to shoot his grandmother and wound another woman before he crashed his car and ran into a busy L.A. supermarket, where he held dozens of people hostage in a tense standoff with scores of heavily armed officers outside.

The suspect has been identified as 28-year-old Gene Evin Atkins. He has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is being held in lieu of $2 million bail.

A woman was shot and killed when a gunman ran into the Trader Joe's supermarket in Silver Lake on Saturday but no hostages were seriously hurt before the man handcuffed himself and surrendered about three hours later, police said. The man's grandmother was in critical condition on Sunday, police said.



The woman killed at the Trader Joe's was identified as 27-year-old store employee Melyda Maricela Corado by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office. Corado's co-workers appear to have set up a GoFundMe page.

If you would like to donate to a GoFundMe, you may do so here. Click here for information about pricing and fees associated with GoFundMe transactions.

The man shot his grandmother seven times and wounded another woman, whom he forced into a car, police said. Officers tracked the car, gave chase and exchanged gunfire with the man, who crashed into a pole outside the supermarket and then ran inside, they said.

Frightened customers and workers dived for cover as police bullets fired at the man shattered the store's glass doors.

Some people inside the supermarket climbed out windows and others barricaded themselves in rooms as scores of police officers and firefighters and 18 ambulances converged on the scene and prepared for mass casualties.

Heavily armed officers in riot gear stood along the side of the store and used mirrors to look inside as hostage negotiators tried to coax the man into freeing his 40 to 50 hostages and surrendering.

At about 6:30 p.m., the man agreed to handcuff himself and walked out the front door, surrounded by four of the hostages. He was immediately taken into custody.

Mayor Eric Garcetti congratulated police and firefighters for their work and mourned the loss of life at the Trader Joe's, where he and his wife regularly shopped when they lived in the neighborhood.

"The heroism that was shown today was second to none, and the teams that were able to respond, secure the perimeter and engage in conversation with the suspect no doubt saved lives today," he said.

Among those who survived the harrowing afternoon was 91-year-old Don Kohles, who lives in the neighborhood and was walking into the supermarket when he saw "two police cars coming like a bat out of hell" and the man crashed into the pole.

The driver got out and police started firing at him as he ran toward the supermarket. Kohles hurried inside, and he and others took cover as the man ran in.

"Those bullets went right over the back of me as he was running right down the main aisle," Kohles said.

Christian Dunlop, a real estate agent and actor who lives nearby and frequents the Trader Joe's, was on a corner near the store when he saw four people run out. One person, an employee, was dragging an injured woman by the hands.

"She appeared lifeless," Dunlop said.

He then saw about five employees hang out a second-floor window and drop to the ground and about 15 other people run to safety from the back of the store. Among them was a police officer carrying a small child, he said.

"I know all the employees," Dunlop said. "I see them all the time. My heart was just racing and thinking about all the endless possibilities."

Police Chief Michel Moore said the gunman made a "series of demands" during the standoff but crisis negotiators believed they could persuade him to surrender peacefully.

Police aren't sure what led to the initial violence that produced the car chase and standoff. Moore said at about 1:30 p.m. the suspect shot his grandmother and another woman in a South Los Angeles home and then forced the other woman into his grandmother's car. The other woman suffered a graze wound.

Officers tracked the car using a stolen-vehicle tracking system and tried to stop the man in Hollywood, but he refused to pull over, Moore said. During the chase, the man fired at officers, shooting out the back window of his car.

Outside the store, the man exchanged gunfire with police again and the woman was shot and killed, Moore said. It was unclear if she died from police gunfire or was killed by the gunman. Moore said police and firefighters responded quickly but could not save her.

Fire officials said six people, ranging in age from 12 to 81, were taken to the hospital. None had been shot, and all were in fair condition.
One woman is dead after a gunman being chased by police entered a Silver Lake Trader Joe's Saturday afternoon, held several people hostage and engaged in an hours-long standoff with police before eventually surrendering.

The LAPD confirmed the suspect was an adult male in his late 20s, and the police pursuit stemmed from a shooting that occurred at 1:30 p.m. on the 1600 block of East 32nd Street in Los Angeles. Police said the suspect shot his grandmother, a woman in her 70s, and a second woman, a person in her 20s later confirmed to be the suspect's girlfriend. Authorities confirmed the suspect had shot his grandmother as many as seven times and that she was in critical condition.

The suspect got into his grandmother's car with the second woman and fled the scene in the 2015 Toyota Camry, LAPD said. After the vehicle was located in the Hollywood area by a tracking system, police began their pursuit there and the chase ended in front of the Los Angeles store.



When Newschopper4 Bravo arrived over the scene at approximately 3:30 p.m. local time, the vehicle was crashed into a pole near the store.

The suspect "jumped out of the car, and it looked like he shot some rounds off when he got out of the car," said Dan Zito, who said he was only feet away from the crash. Police then "returned some fire at him, but he ran straight in" Trader Joe's.

Moments later, LAPD approached under heavy caution and rescued the woman, who was left behind in the pursuit vehicle. She was taken to a nearby hospital with a grazing wound.

Newschopper4 was able to view LAPD tactically working to rescue employees and customers trapped inside. Both customers and workers could be seen running from the store to safety, jumping out of store windows and escaping down a ladder at a window.

PHOTOS: Armed Suspect Takes Hostages in Silver Lake Trader Joe's

Police had immediately surrounded the Trader Joe's and were working to take control of the store.

"Ive never seen so many police in my life," Derek Anthony, who has lived in the neighborhood for 15 years, said.

The Los Angeles Fire Department also responded to the scene and stated that 100 firefighters and 18 ambulances had been deployed to the scene.

Police pulled a woman from the car that led police on a chase starting in the Hollywood area on Saturday, July 21, 2018. The driver barricaded himself inside a Trader Joes in Silver Lake, with multiple shots being fired at the scene.

Anthony said he saw the end of the pursuit: "The car had heavy damage, had flat tires and (the suspect) was still careening around the corner with all the police behind him, and he was shooting his gun as he came around the corner."

After the barricade situation began, a young male hostage was able to walk out of the front door with his arms raised, and he was taken to safety.

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti later confirmed that one person, a woman, was shot and killed inside the Trader Joe's. She was an employee, and her body was dragged out by another Trader Joe's employee early in the standoff. The woman was the only confirmed fatality from the store.

The barricade was still active by 5:15 p.m. SWAT vehicles were in position and a location to perform emergency triage had been set up.

Officers rescued a group of children and a dog after an armed suspect opened fire and barricaded himself inside a Trader Joes in the Hollywood area on Saturday, July 21, 2018.

The barricade lasted about three hours and ended about 6:40 p.m. Five hostages exited the front doors of the Trader Joe's with the suspect also exiting in handcuffs. He was quickly taken into custody against a side wall, while the hostages left without further incident.

Police said they were in contact with the suspect during the "horrific" standoff, and the negotiation team included a psychologist and tactical members.

"That dialogue resulted ultimately him handcuffing himself and coming outside and surrendering to SWAT," LAPD chief-of-police Michel Moore said at a news conference.

The investigation into the hostage situation and death of the woman is ongoing, and the pursuit vehicle remained on the scene late into the night.

A young hostage is released from a barricade situation at a Silver Lake Trader Joe's on Saturday, July 21, 2018.

The LA Fire Department said it evaluated a total of 10 patients at Trader Joe's. Six patients were transported to the hospital, including a 12-year-old boy. With the exception of the woman who died, those taken to the hospital related to the incident were in fair condition.

A family reunification center is located at LAPD HQ Northeast Division at 3353 North San Fernando Road for those involved in the incident. The number to call for further support information is 323-561-3211.

The LAPD also stated that Hyperion Avenue would remain shut down between Griffith Park Boulevard and Ettrick Street until noon on Sunday.

Trader Joe's PR director Kenya Friend-Daniel said in a statement, "Our hearts are broken over what happened today. This has been an incredible trauma, and our thoughts are with our Crew Members and customers. Our focus is on doing whatever we can to support them at this time. We appreciate everything Los Angeles law enforcement did to ensure an end to this ordeal."
The owner of a high-end lemonade stand in San Francisco said he was approached by police officers demanding proof that he wasnt breaking in, all because he is black.

Viktor Stevenson, owner of Gourmonade, says he was talking on the phone when four police officers approached him when figuring out a bug in the security system Thursday, five days after opening up his business in the Mission District.

"The cops approached me, and I say to them, he is about three feet away, I say, 'oh, did the security system go off? If it did, my apologies, I am on the phone with the company now.' They go to say, 'no,' [accusing me that] you are breaking into the store," he said.

Stevenson said he has been getting his store ready for the last six months and people in the area know him. However, he said police immediately asked to see his hands, which were in his pockets and prove it what his store.

"I said, 'yeah absolutely, here is my key,'" Stevenson said. "Took my key out, opened my door, closed my door. 'Are we ok? Are we good to go?' He said, 'no, can I see your ID?'"[[488835041, C]]

Stevenson recorded the aftermath of situation, which follows similar high-profile incident here in the Bay Area, like BBQ Becky and Permit Patty. He was told that a neighbor called police and though he admits officers were correct to ask for his ID to prove ownership, he insists this was motivated by race.

"I am standing here at my business, on the phone, there is no way that looks suspicious. I am sorry. A three year old would be like he is not doing anything," Stevenson said.

Stevenson says that as a black entrepreneur, these types of incidents just prove that his reality is different from others when out on the streets even in a city as diverse as San Francisco.[[488832251, C]]

On Monday, the San Francisco Police Department released body cam footage of the incident along with a statement which said officers were responding to reports of a burglary call.

According to SFPD, officers were dispatched to the 800 block of Valencia Street around 7:36 a.m. on July 17 "on a call of a possible burglary in progress at a business."

"The caller stated that the person was removing items from a small, open door," SFPD said in a statement.

Four officers responded to the scene and spoke to the person and determined he was the owner of the business. The entire encounter lasted less than three minutes, the statement added. While we have no say over who requests our services, we do have a say over how we respond. The men and women of SFPD are committed to providing safety with respect to all of the people of San Francisco. It is the duty of San Francisco Police to respond to calls for service and we believe our officers responded appropriately and with courtesy to this call.

The body cam video shows an SFPD officer walking up to Stevenson and asking him, Do you have something that shows that you own this place? Somebody called us saying that youre breaking in  Were just here to figure it out.



Stevenson, dressed in a big jacket, hands over his ID to the officer, who asks him for the address of the storefront. He responds with the address, and the officer then asks him if he has a California ID, which Stevenson then hands over.

The officer also informs the others, He has a key. The officers leave the storefront after this exchange.



Stevenson's wife says this situation has her on alert and that even when her husband goes to work, he is a potential target.

"Im just sitting at home, just thinking about, would he be home safe? Or will I get a phone call if something happens. You never know. Its just terrifying for me," Santhia Stevenson said.

Stevenson says he wont let this rest. He wants to use this as way to get the community to do something to bring about a change in policy. He has already met with members of City Hall and plans to discuss this with Mayor London Breed.[[488949381, C]]
Rhode Island investigators say one person was shot in Cranston's Park Avenue early Sunday morning.

WJAR NBC 10 reported that the shooting was apparently part of a series of incidents that occurred around 1 a.m. in that area.

One person suffering from a gunshot wound was taken to Rhode Island Hospital for treatment, according to fire officials. Three other people were taken for treatment of other types of injuries. One unconfirmed report indicates one of those victims may have been hit by a car near where the shooting occurred, WJAR reports.
Police are investigating a fatal head-on crash that killed two people in South Londonderry, Vermont, Saturday night.

Police said a 42-year-old man, who was driving the car, and his 47-year-old female passenger, were both killed in the 8:24 p.m. accident, which happened on Route 100. Two cars were involved in the crash, according to police.

The crash occurred in the area of Spring Hill Road and witness statements indicated the 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan they were riding in was traveling at a high rate of speed northbound, according to police.

"The Volkswagen began leaving yaw marks in the road as it began swerving to the left in the northbound lane," according to a Vermont State Police news release. "The Volkswagen then crossed the centerline while leaving yaw marks in the southbound lane while it traveled north. The Volkswagen then struck a 2009 Chevy 2500 pick-up truck, which was pulling a pop up trailer that was traveling south on VT RT 100."

The impact spun the Volkswagen violently, sending the engine into the woods where it landed about 50 feet from the car's final stopping point. Police said the driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The female passenger was ejected and her body was found about 10 feet behind the car. Police are withholding their names pending notification of next of kin.

The occupants of the pickup truck were identified as driver James Thoin, 65, of Jaffrey, NH; and passenger Brooklyn Thoin, 8, of Bolton, MA. Both were taken to Springfield Hospital and treated for non-lifethreatening injuries, police said.

Police said the occupants of the pickup truck were wearing seatbelts while the occupants of the Volkswagen were not.

The VT Agency of Transportation, Winhall Police Department, the Londonderry Fire Department along with the Londonderry Rescue Squad assisted with the investigation, which remains open. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact Tpr. Gagnon at (802) 722-4600.
A man was killed and six others were wounded in a shooting Saturday night in the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side, according to police.

About 9:40 p.m., the seven men were gathered at a park bench in the 3100 block of West Fulton when four people approached them and opened fire, Chicago Police said.

A 30-year-old man was shot in the head and pronounced at Stroger Hospital, according to police.

Six other men, ranging from 22 to 47 years old, were shot and taken by paramedics to hospitals in various conditions, police said.

The 47-year-old was shot in his chest and leg, and the 22-year-old was shot in his chest, police said. They were both taken to Stroger in critical condition.

A 33-year-old was struck multiples times in his back, and a 31-year-old was shot in his face, police said. They were both in serious condition at the same hospital.

A 30-year-old man was taken to Stroger with a gunshot wound to his leg, police said. His condition had stabilized.

The last victim, a 26-year-old man, was shot in his arm and leg, and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition stabilized, according to police.

The Cook County Medical Examiners Office did not immediately provide information on the death.
Multiple agencies are still searching for a man who was swept off a boat participating in the Race to Mackinac on Saturday.

53-year-old Jon Santarelli, a Lincoln Park-native, was nearly four miles offshore from Navy Pier on the boat "Imedi" when the incident took place, according to authorities.

Race organizers say that the Coast Guard alerted them to the search at approximately 3 p.m. Saturday aftenroon.

According to a Chicago Yacht Club spokesman, Santarelli was moving to the stern of the ship to make a sail adjustment when a wave knocked him into the water.

"This is an enormous tragedy," the spokesman said.

Santarelli was wearing a self-inflating life vest, according to the spokesman, but it did not function properly.

After Santarelli went into the water, crew members engaged in "man overboard" procedures, throwing him a life preserver and circling the boat around to find him.

All competitors in the vicinity of the incident tried to help find Santarelli, according to race organizers. Nearly 20 boats and three helicopters participated in a search over 45 nautical miles after the incident.

After seven hours, the search was suspended due to darkness. Waves of up to six feet caused issues with the search.
A heavy police presence closed off part of a neighborhood in Manchester for hours on Saturday night.

It left people on edge wondering what was going on.

Our crew saw detectives out on Walker Street for hours apparently scouring for evidence. Earlier they saw two men taken out in handcuffs.

Police have yet to reveal what happened to them or even what prompted officers to swarm the area in the first place.

Police with their guns drawn were seen staking out the street after neighbors reported hearing what sounded like gunshots.

We were just sitting on the couch watching tv and my cat jumped up, said Jennifer Ruel, of Manchester.

Neighbors were stunned to see the heavy police presence at the intersection with East Center Street, not far from Manchester High School.

Nearby roads were closed and people were urged to stay away as police donned tactical gear.

They were definitely dressed in armor and they had the shields and everything. Its pretty serious, said Danny Foster, of Manchester.

The SWAT guy came out and said, 'you know this is Manchester PD. Please come out. Pretty much make yourself known come outside, said Ruel.

After several tense hours, two men were taken out in handcuffs. That was followed by an apparently painstaking hunt for any clues.

People are still waiting for answers as to what happened there.

Usually this is a quiet area, so nothing ever happens over here, Ruel said.

Officers have not released more details about what happened or why the two people were taken out in handcuffs.
What to Know A suspected intoxicated driver refused to stop for Denton police

The chase lasted an hour going from Denton through a large part of Dallas

The suspect is charged with DWI and evading detention

An hour-long police chase through two North Texas counties came to an end, thanks to an empty fuel tank Sunday morning.

Denton police said shortly after midnight they tried to pull over a possibly intoxicated driver in the 900 block of Fulton when the person refused to pull over for the officer.

A chase began going on Interstate 35 East from Denton County to Dallas County and going on to Loop 12 through parts of south and east Dallas. At one point another agency tried to spike the tires of the suspect on Interstate 35 East.

The pursuit ended near the intersection of Abrams Road and Forest Lane in Dallas when the vehicle ran out of gas.

The suspect was taken into custody and charged with driving while intoxicated and evading detention.
Authorities say a Texas felon accused in a criminal rampage that killed three people shows cracks in the state's criminal justice system.

State parole officers each have to monitor dozens of offenders and parolees. They say offenders can go days undetected after they violate terms of their release.

The Texas State Employees Union argues the state isn't hiring enough to keep up with mounting caseloads.

The debate was sparked by the Tuesday arrest of 46-year-old Jose Gilberto Rodriguez. Investigators say he's linked to the shooting deaths of three Houston-area people. Investigators say he'd cut off his ankle monitor several days before the first killing.

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo says he wants to establish a regional task force that uses "risk-assessment categories" in pursuing parolees who reoffend.
The new face of an emerging democratic socialist movement joined its patriarch in the most unlikely place Friday, calling on Kansans unhappy with the direction of the country to get off the sidelines in a pivotal Republican-held congressional district.

"We know that people in Kansas, just like everywhere else in this country, just like families in the Bronx, just want a fair shake," Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the surprise winner in a New York House primary last month, told a frenetic crowd of more than 3,000 in a Kansas suburb of Kansas City.

Headlining a rally with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez sought to infuse the final weeks of Democrat Brent Welder's congressional primary campaign with the enthusiasm that lifted her over 20-year Democratic incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley last month.

In an election year defined by energized Democratic voters seeking to send President Donald Trump a message, Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez were betting they could stir up liberals in places where the left rarely competes.

The 28-year-old Latina from New York and the 76-year-old Jewish senator from Vermont struck a stark contrast in the hotel ballroom, though they reflected the range of people in the racially and ethnically mixed crowd, weighted toward millennials but including gray-haired activists and parents with children.

Their combined messages sought to unite not just the diverse group in the hall, but restless liberals around the country.

"Whether you live in Kansas or Vermont or New York City, you want your children to have a decent life," Sanders said. "And yes, we have differences. But despite these huge differences, we have a hell of a lot more in common."

Kansas, where Trump won by more than 20 percentage points in 2016, would seem inhospitable for a duo championing strikingly progressive positions such as universal, single-payer health care and government-paid tuition to public college.

But Democrats see reasons for hope in a campaign year in which progressive candidates have won competitive primaries in GOP-leaning districts in suburban Philadelphia, metropolitan Omaha and Orange County, California, this year.

Thirty-two-year-old registered nurse Kristen Burroughs said she'd grown tired of feeling locked out of representation in Kansas.

"I wasn't sure when I'd have the chance to vote for someone this liberal in Kansas," Burroughs said, referring to Welder, a Sanders campaign activist and labor lawyer.

Kansas' 3rd District, where Welder is competing, represented by four-term Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder, is on Democrats' target list as they aim to seize the GOP-controlled House in November. Nationally, the party must pick up at least 23 Republican-held seats to claim the House majority, and they are focusing on 25 districts where Clinton won, or Trump won narrowly.

Democrats have been shut out of statewide and congressional races in Kansas since 2010.

Earlier Friday, Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders headlined a rally in Wichita for Democrat James Thompson, a civil rights lawyer running in Kansas' 4th District. He also was an activist for Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign.

Sherri Lower, a 67-year-old retired emergency medical technician, showed up at the Wichita rally wearing a t-shirt that read: "We Care. We Vote. Do You?"

"This is the most important year we've ever had, and Thompson is one of our main guys," Lower said. "I want Democrats to go out and vote."

But Democrats have higher hopes in the 3rd District, one of only a handful Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the general election and Sanders won in the presidential nominating caucuses.

Republicans in the 3rd District outnumber their Democratic counterparts by more than 50,000, while unaffiliated voters also edge Democrats. Republicans outnumber Democrats by 2-to-1 in the 4th District.

Liberals argue that they are not just convincing moderate Democrats or disaffected Republicans but also engaging new primary voters, as Ocasio-Cortez did in New York this summer and as Sanders did in his insurgent 2016 presidential campaign.

While the Kansas campaign swing created a lot of buzz, Republicans were skeptical it would help Democrats make inroads in a conservative state.

State Rep. Tom Cox, a moderate Kansas City-area Republican, said there are pockets of liberal Democrats in the Kansas City suburbs but questioned whether Sanders' message will resonate more broadly. He said Democrats tend to be split between liberals and moderates, with some union members and supporters holding conservative views on social issues.

"Even our Democrats around here are not socialist democrats," he said. "If someone would describe the 3rd District, I would say center-right."

Leading candidates in the Democratic primary for governor have said their party must rebuild its brand in rural, heavily GOP areas. And despite surging energy among leftist Democrats in the Trump era, it was unclear if there were enough votes in the 3rd District for a liberal Democrat to win.

Before Yoder won in 2010, it had been held for 12 years by centrist Democrat Dennis Moore, who relied on moderate Republicans during his tenure.

Yet Sanders and his brand of liberalism have proved popular. He won more than two-thirds of the votes in the state's 2016 presidential caucuses, surpassing Barack Obama's 2008 vote total.

And Ocasio-Cortez said it can be done in Kansas by broadening the electorate to include previously less active voters, rather than trying to convert moderates.

"It is going to take every single person in this room knocking on 10, 50, 100 doors apiece," she said. "So, if you have never knocked on a door before, I am talking to you."
Sean Gerace was working in the backroom of a Trader Joe's in Silver Lake Saturday afternoon when he heard screaming and gunfire.

He ran upstairs, grabbed a couple of his co-workers, made his way into a storage area.

"I grabbed an emergency ladder, barricaded the hallway, grabbed a weapon, put the ladder out the window, and just tried to get the attention of a SWAT officer," he said.

Watching Los Angeles possible hostage situation very closely. Active barricaded suspect. L.A.P.D. working with Federal Law Enforcement.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 22, 2018

Once he got his attention, he signaled that he wanted to go down the ladder and the officer gave him the thumbs up. He and several co-workers got down the ladder to safety.

PHOTOS: Armed Suspect Takes Hostages in Silver Lake Trader Joe's

They were among the dozens of terrified workers and customers caught up in the standoff between police and a man accused of shooting his grandmother and girlfriend in South Los Angeles before leading police on a car chase, engaging in a gunbattle gun battle with officers and taking hostages at the Trader Joe's.

The unidentified man was taken into custody after the tense, hours-long standoff that left one employee dead.

It was unknown how many people were inside the store when the suspect ran in. A throng of police and fire crews surrounded the store by 4 p.m.

Aerial footage showed what appeared to be a store employee dragging a woman from the grocery store. Police confirmed the woman was the employee who died.

A young hostage is released from a barricade situation at a Silver Lake Trader Joe's on Saturday, July 21, 2018.

Police also were seen carrying children away from the store.

In a news conference, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti expressed sympathy for the community. He said he and his wife were regular shoppers at the Silver Lake store for years.

Officers rescued a group of children and a dog after an armed suspect opened fire and barricaded himself inside a Trader Joes in the Hollywood area on Saturday, July 21, 2018.

"Our hearts go out to everybody who has been traumatized," he said.

City News Service contributed to this report.
Former NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin was noticeably absent from a gala kicking off a yearlong celebration of the 50-year anniversary of the first moon landing, even though his nonprofit space education foundation is a sponsor and he typically is the star attraction.

The black-tie Apollo Celebration Gala held under a Saturn V rocket at the Kennedy Space Center on Saturday evening featured a panel discussion by astronauts, an awards ceremony and an auction of space memorabilia.

Hundreds of people attended the sold-out event, including British physicist Brian Cox, who presented Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson with the ShareSpace Foundation's Innovation award.

Branson, whose company is developing a new generation of commercial spacecraft, said in a recorded video that the Apollo missions influenced his generation.

"Space is still hard, really hard. It still really matters," Branson said. "There would be no Virgin Galactic, no Virgin Orbit and no spaceship company had it not been for Apollo astronauts and the thousands of talented people who made their mission possible."

Dr. Carolyn Williams of the nonprofit From One Hand To AnOTHER received the foundation's Education award, and former Johnson Space Center director Gerry Griffin, a flight director for all of the crewed Apollo missions, was honored with the Pioneer award.

"It's very humbling, it kind of came out of the blue," Griffin said. "It is so neat to know that we've passed the torch that will let this next generation take us to this next step."

That next step, Griffin said, is a return of Americans to the Moon and, eventually, Mars  something former Apollo astronauts Walt Cunningham, Harrison Schmitt, Rusty Schweickart and Tom Stafford discussed during a conversation with Cox.

"We're sort of going through a second door here. The door isn't all the way open  we haven't gone all the way through it  but it's cracked open," Schweickart, who flew as the lunar module pilot on Apollo 9, told The Associated Press. "Space is going to be much less expensive to go to, and that's going to open up not just opportunities for people to fly, but because of the decreased cost, real opportunities for innovators to generate new ideas and to do things that have never been done before."

Aldrin's ShareSpace Foundation is one of the sponsors of the annual gala, which raises money for Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics  or STEAM education  and Astronaut Scholarship Foundation scholarships.

Renowned Brazilian pop artist Romero Britto donated artwork from his "Buzz Aldrin Space Series" for the auction, which also included a behind-the-scenes tour of Virgin Galactic in California and autographed space memorabilia. Tickets for the event ranged from $750 to $2,500 per person.

The former astronaut's expected absence comes just a month after he sued two of his adult children and a former business manager, accusing them of misusing his credit cards, transferring money from an account and slandering him by saying he has dementia. Only weeks before the lawsuit, Andrew and Jan Aldrin filed a petition claiming their 88-year-old father was suffering from memory loss, delusions, paranoia and confusion.

Andrew and Jan Aldrin, as well as business manager Christina Korp, are on the foundation's board and attended the gala. Aldrin's oldest son, James, isn't involved in the legal fight.

Andrew Aldrin acknowledged his father's absence during the gala.

"We're sorry dad can't be here, I know some of you are disappointed," Aldrin said. "Ultimately, what we're about is creating the first generation of Martians."

Buzz Aldrin, along with Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins, was part of the Apollo 11 mission which landed the first two humans on the moon on July 20, 1969.
Capping a week of drama, backtracking, a double negative and blistering statements from allies about his attitude toward Russian election interference, President Donald Trump on Sunday was back to referring to "a big hoax."

Trump spent days trying to reassure the country that he accepts that the longtime foe interfered in the 2016 election after his public undermining of U.S. intelligence agencies in Helsinki while standing alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin. But Trump cast doubt once again in a Sunday tweet, diminishing at least the significance, if not the existence, of the interference and the U.S. investigation into Russia's actions.

"So President Obama knew about Russia before the Election," Trump tweeted. "Why didn't he do something about it? Why didn't he tell our campaign? Because it is all a big hoax, that's why, and he thought Crooked Hillary was going to win!!!"

It was not immediately clear whether Trump was suggesting that the entire notion of Russian interference  U.S. intelligence agencies unanimously concur it took place and Trump reluctantly accepted their assessment amid the firestorm  was fraudulent, or just the investigation of potential collusion by Trump associates with Russian agents.

Either way, it appeared to keep alive a controversy that had separated Trump from aides and longtime political supporters and brought some of the most striking rebukes of his tenure in the Oval Office.

"The evidence is overwhelming and the president needs to say that and act like it," said Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, in an interview with "Fox News Sunday" aired hours before Trump's tweet.

Two Trump associates, former national security adviser Mike Flynn and campaign foreign policy aide George Papadopoulos, pleaded guilty last year to charges brought by special counsel Robert Mueller alleging they had lied to the FBI about their Russia contacts.

Trump's latest missive came hours after he asserted without evidence that newly released documents relating to the wiretapping of his onetime campaign adviser Carter Page "confirm with little doubt" that intelligence agencies misled the court that approved the warrant.

But lawmakers from both political parties said that the documents don't show wrongdoing and that they even appear to undermine some previous claims by top Republicans on the basis for obtaining a warrant against Page.

Visible portions of the heavily redacted documents, released Saturday under the Freedom of Information Act, show the FBI telling the court that Page "has been collaborating and conspiring with the Russian government." The agency also told the court that "the FBI believes Page has been the subject of targeted recruitment by the Russian government."

The documents were part of officials' application for a warrant to the secretive foreign intelligence surveillance court, which signed off on surveilling Page.

Trump tweeted Sunday on the documents: "As usual they are ridiculously heavily redacted but confirm with little doubt that the Department of 'Justice' and FBI misled the courts. Witch Hunt Rigged, a Scam!"

The release appears to undercut some of the contentions in a memo prepared by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes earlier this year. Nunes, R-Calif., and other Republicans had said that anti-Trump research in a dossier prepared by former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele and paid for by Democrats was used inappropriately to obtain the warrant on Page.

While the documents confirm that the FBI relied, in part, on information from Steele to obtain the initial warrant, they also show how the FBI informed the court of his likely motivation.

A page-long footnote in the warrant application lays out the FBI's assessment of Steele's history and the likely interest of his backer, adding that despite the political concern, the bureau believed at least some of his report to be "credible."

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California, a ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, said the documents detail "just why the FBI was so concerned that Carter Page might be acting as an agent of a foreign power."

"It was a solid application and renewals signed by four different judges appointed by three different Republican presidents," Schiff said on ABC's "This Week."

In a statement late Sunday, Nunes said the documents supported his committee's view "that unverified information from the Steele dossier formed an essential part of all the FISA applications on Carter Page. It proves that the FBI used outright political propaganda to spy on an American citizen during the election."

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida also broke with Trump, saying he didn't think the FBI did anything wrong in obtaining warrants against Page.

"I have a different view on this issue than the president and the White House," Rubio said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation." ''They did not spy on the campaign from anything and everything that I have seen. You have an individual here who has openly bragged about his ties to Russia and Russians."

On Sunday, Page said on CNN's "State of the Union": "I've never been the agent of a foreign power."

In a 2013 letter, Page had described himself as an "informal adviser' to the Kremlin but now said "it's really spin" to call him an adviser.

Page has not been charged with a crime, but he has been interviewed by the FBI and congressional investigators about his ties to Russia. White House officials have argued that Page, announced by the president in early 2016 as a foreign policy adviser, played only a minor role in the Trump campaign.

The documents released Saturday include the FBI's October 2016 request to surveil Page and several renewal applications. It marks the first time in the more than 40-year history of the highly secretive court that underlying documents for a warrant have been released.
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office charged three people with child neglect after welfare investigators found three children living in a cockroach-infested Florida home lacking air conditioning.

FCSO said officials found three children  ages 4-months, 1 and 4  covered in bug bites and living in filth on July 3.

The Florida Department of Children and Families first investigated the home after the four-month-old child was brought to Florida Hospital Flagler over multiple insect bites and bone fractures, according to police.

Lynn Marie Kulka, Michael Alan Choate and Rene Elizabeth Marchetta were arrested and charged on Friday after a two-week investigation. It was not immediately clear if the suspects have attorney representation.



"The investigation revealed all three children inside the residence were living in deplorable conditions," FCSO said in a statement on Saturday. "The home was infested with bugs, so severely that hundreds of cockroaches were seen crawling on the floors, walls, ceilings, cabinets, and on all of the furniture including the childrens mattresses, playpens, and bassinet. All three children in the home were covered in multiple bug bites."

Kulka told authorities she did not address the lack of air conditioning because she did not want the property's landlord to discover the conditions inside the home, according to FCSO.

This is a traumatic situation for all of the children involved, FCSO Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement. The children who were living in this house were subjected to deplorable living conditions. Im very proud of the hard work our investigators did to put this case together and thankful that the children are now safe from these three individuals who obviously don't know how to be parents or properly care for children.
What to Know The New York City Department of Education has rescinded a job offer it made to New Rochelle High School Principal Reginald Richardson

Richardson resigned from his post as principal on Friday and planned to become a Director of School Quality for the DOE

The DOE rescinded the offer after it "became aware of additional information"

A Westchester County principal who resigned to accept a job with the New York City Department of Education has had his offer rescinded, the department said.

New Rochelle High School Principal Reginald Richardson tendered his resignation on Friday with plans to become a Director of School Quality for the New York City DOE, but the DOE on Saturday rescinded the job offer, LoHud reported.

Mr. Richardson received a part-time, conditional offer as a consultant with the title Director of School Quality, which was rescinded after we became aware of additional information, a spokesman for the DOE told NBC New York, without providing additional details.

The City School District of New Rochelle was in the process of investigating the school over alleged grade-fixing, according to LoHud.

The school was also plagued by violence this past year. In January, a 16-year-old girl was stabbed to death by another student. Less than two weeks later, a 16-year-old boy was stabbed when a fight broke out inside the school.

Last month, meanwhile, the school ramped up security after it received three potential threats, including graffiti in a bathroom that read, "we are gonna shoot the school up June 5."
What to Know A woman accused of conning several people in New Jersey and Pittsburgh wrote a public apology on Facebook.

Kiley White, 26, allegedly pretended to have brain cancer in order to trick a New Jersey family.

White was charged for the Egg Harbor Township incident but other people came forward saying she conned them as well.

A woman accused of tricking a New Jersey family into thinking she was dying of brain cancer and pulling similar fraud in Pittsburgh and South Jersey wrote a lengthy public apology on Facebook.

"First and foremost, to those I have hurt - purposefully or not - from the absolute depth of my soul, I am sorry," Kiley White wrote Friday. "Words could never express just how many tears I have shed over knowing I contributed to the heartache of another human being."

In the post, White goes on to explain her actions and thought process while remaining apologetic.



"I don't know much but what I do know is that my inability to love myself has left me with the need to find people who do," she wrote. "The way I have done that is clearly so beyond wrong. Its taken advantage of peoples feelings, robbed them of their emotions and broken their hearts when they found out it was all a lie."

On July 12, White, 26, was charged with theft by deception and harassment after allegedly taking advantage of Linda and Steve Evans of Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey.



"All night long, she would be moaning and groaning and I would be massaging her legs," Linda Evans said in an interview. "Every day was just like she has one more day to live."

Police believe it was all a hoax.

White met the Evans through a mutual friend in early June. The couple said they took her in because White said she had no safe place to spend her final days due to a traumatic family history.

"It was all lies  all lies. And I just want this girl exposed," Linda Evans said.



White stayed with the Evans family for about five straight weeks.

Nearly every day White would leave the house to supposedly visit a hospital in Philadelphia. But the Evans now believe she was babysitting and working at a local restaurant instead.

White pulled off a complicated lie, police allege.

"During the investigation, Egg Harbor Township police discovered that Ms. White pretended to be other individuals as well, including her own hospice nurse," Detective Sgt. Cherie Burgan said in a statement.

The Evans showed purported text messages from White's "nurse" that provided medical instructions.

"It's just amazing that someone could come up with that elaborate of a story and have verifications along the way," Steve Evans said.

The family went to police after their relatives got suspicious and discovered a similar scheme in the Pittsburgh area.

Burgan confirmed that the alleged Egg Harbor incident isn't believed to be White's first foray into such deception.

"It has been documented that White has used similar tactics on other occasions in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, but she has never been charged with a crime," Burgan said. "On each occasion, she has preyed on the sympathy and compassion of others, receiving services and goods from those victims whom she scammed."

After her arrest, White was issued a summons for a future court date.

NBC10 tried to get comment from White at a Galloway Township home where she's now staying.

"I don't have any comments," White said through a window.

White wrote about the Evans family in her Facebook post however.

"My lies were to desperately hang onto a rope with blistering hands, willing to do anything to keep this family I thought I had," White wrote. "Looking back, maybe they would have loved me without all that nonsense. Just me. Just Kiley from Pittsburgh with a crappy past. Ill never know that now, but will probably wonder about it for all the rest of my days."

The Evans said they spent close to $1,000 on White but the alleged fraud also had an emotional cost.

"I was shaken, totally shaken to my core," Linda Evans said, her voice breaking. "Because here I loved on a girl that never existed and gave everything."



Evans added: "She needs help  she needs serious help."

After NBC10 aired the initial story on White, an administrator for a Galloway Township, New Jersey, church came forward, alleging she pulled a similar stunt last year.

"We know the emotion of that and the emotional pain that went through it," Mike Bult of Mainland Baptist Church said.

Bult told NBC10 a member of Mainland Baptist Church was conned into giving White hundreds of dollars for housing-related costs. Police investigated but say no charges were filed after White confessed to lying, apologized and repaid the money.

"Our goal was to see her get help," Bult said.

After White was charged for the Egg Harbor Township incident, police are taking another look at the Galloway Township case.

"I think we're going to revisit our case to see if we have enough evidence moving forward to change on our end," Galloway Township Police Chief Donna Higbee said.

Galloway Township Police said White agreed to get help following the incident at Mainland Baptist Church but continued to con other people.

"She threw that all away," Chief Higbee said. "She looked a gift horse in the mouth and decided to go on her own and continue to victimize people."



Besides Evans and Bult, other people came forward and accused White of tricking them with a similar story.

"She was an awesome actress," Judy Levy of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania said.

Levy told NBC10 White stayed with her in her Pittsburgh home for three months in 2014.

"It just made my blood boil that she's still doing it to other people," Levy said.

While some who commented on White's public Facebook post remained outraged over her alleged actions, others offered her prayers and urged her to get help.



"I am sorry to everyone I have hurt in this process," White wrote. "I am sorry that your lives were turned upside down, your reputations ruined and your hearts played with. I am more sorry than you will ever, ever know."

Read White's full statement below:


The Israeli military in coordination with its U.S. and European allies evacuated hundreds of Syrian rescue workers known as the White Helmets from near its volatile frontier with Syria, in a complex and first-of-a-kind operation.

The evacuees, who were hemmed in from one side by advancing hostile Syrian troops and from another by militants affiliated with the Islamic State group, were transported to Jordan, from where they are expected to be resettled in Europe and Canada in the coming weeks.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Sunday that 422 White Helmets volunteers were evacuated, instead of the initial 800 cleared for the operation.

Israel's military said the overnight operation was "an exceptional humanitarian gesture" at the request of the United States and European allies due to an "immediate threat to the (Syrians) lives." It posted a video online showing its soldiers handing out water bottles to the evacuees.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a separate video statement, said U.S. President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and others had asked him to help evacuate the group's members.

"These are people who saved lives and whose lives are now in danger. I authorized bringing them through Israel to other countries as an important humanitarian gesture," Netanyahu said.

The U.S. State Department welcomed the rescue of "these brave volunteers" and cited the United Nations, Israel and Jordan for helping with the operation.

The statement from spokeswoman Heather Nauert also called on Syria's government and its ally Russia "to abide by their commitments, end the violence, and protect all Syrian civilians, including humanitarians such as the White Helmets, in areas formerly part of the southwest de-escalation zone and throughout Syria."

Britain said the operation was possible due to the joint diplomatic efforts, hailing the efforts of the White Helmets volunteers to save lives in opposition areas.

Jeremy Hunt, U.K's foreign secretary, called the successful evacuation "fantastic news," and thanked Israel and Jordan in a tweet for acting quickly following the request. The White Helmets, he said, "are the bravest of the brave and in a desperate situation this is at least one ray of hope."

The members of the White Helmets and their families had been stranded along the frontier with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights following the Syrian government offensive in southwestern Syria which began in June.

Raed Saleh, head of the White Helmets, also known as the Syrian Civil Defense, said a number of volunteers and their families were evacuated from a dangerous, besieged area.

This was the first such Israeli intervention in Syria's lengthy civil war, now in its eighth year. Although it has sent aid into Syria and has provided medical treatment to thousands of Syrians who reached the Golan Heights frontier, the Israeli military said its actions did not reflect a change to Israel's non-intervention policy in Syria's war, where all the warring parties are considered hostile.

It was an unprecedented operation to provide protection and asylum to allies of Western nations in Syria's complex battlefield.

The White Helmets have enjoyed backing and received finances and training from the United States and other Western nations for years. Because of their work in opposition areas, where they were almost exclusively the only ones to offer rescue services in the face of the government military advances, they were considered public enemy number one by the Syrian government.

They offered services where state institutions and services are non-existent. Their facilities were targeted, and their volunteers hit in what became known as "double tap" attacks that drew the volunteers to areas of bombings only to hit them once on site.

The Syrian government, and Russia have called the White Helmets "terrorists," accused them of being "agents" for foreign powers, and of cooperating with radical insurgent groups. Both Moscow and Damascus have accused the White Helmets of staging rescue missions and chemical attacks to blame on the government.

On Sunday, Syrian state media kept up the campaign against the group, pointing out that Israel facilitated the evacuation, citing it as evidence that the group was collaborating with an enemy power. Syrian state TV al-Ikhbariya called the evacuation a "scandal." The State News Agency SANA said "the secret" of the group had been revealed and their "role as an agent ended."

Syrian lawmaker Khaled Abboud said that "foreign powers are pulling their agents out of the battlefield" because of the Syrian military victories that have quashed the "aggression" against Syria.

In a quick offensive, Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air forces, have been advancing from the east on areas held by the opposition in the strategic southwestern region that straddles the Jordanian border and the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel in 1967. They first seized the border with Jordan, squeezing the opposition in the center and progressively chipping away at areas the rebels held for years. For the first time since the war began in 2011, government forces regained positions along the disengagement line following a cease-fire deal with Israel in 1974.

This left the rebels and the White Helmets besieged by the government from one side, the sealed frontier with Israel, and by the group affiliated with the Islamic State group from the south.

Surrender deals were reached with the armed groups, allowing thousands to evacuate to the northern province of Idlib, where the opposition still holds sway. But one civil defense official, refusing to be identified by name for his safety, said the Russians refused to allow the White Helmets to be evacuated to the north.

The Associated Press first reported on Friday that U.S. officials were finalizing plans to evacuate several hundred Syrian civil defense workers and their families from southwest Syria as Russian-backed government forces closed in on the area along the Golan Heights frontier.

Evacuation plans were accelerated after last week's NATO summit in Brussels.

The evacuees are being assisted by the U.N. Refugee agency in Jordan pending international resettlement, the secretaries said.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry's spokesman, Mohammed al-Kayed, said the Syrians would remain in a closed area in Jordan for three months. Safadi, Jordan's foreign minister, said in a tweet that his government approved the evacuation after a pledge from Britain, Germany and Canada that the evacuees will be resettled in three months.

It is not clear if the White Helmets who have been previously evacuated to Idlib from other parts of Syria will receive similar treatment.

Since the offensive began, Jordan said it will not open its borders to the newly displaced Syrians. Jordan hosts at least 650,000 registered Syrian refugees, according to the U.N., but Amman says a similar number of undocumented Syrians are also in the kingdom. Some 300,000 have been displaced by the fighting, with only a few thousand opting for evacuation to Idlib, which is expected to be the target of the next government offensive.

Aron Lund, a Syria expert with the Century Foundation, said after the international community's funding and promoting the White Helmets for years, the evacuation should not be a surprise.

"It seems like simple moral math to me that when the uprising fails, they should try to get their guys out alive, with their families," he told AP in an email. "Had the international community done this much earlier and also offered safe haven to the rebel leaders they've been backing, they could have helped get irreconcilables out of the equation and reduce the amount of killing and destruction."

"All sides benefit from giving the losing team a safe exit," he said.

Separately Sunday, al-Ikhbariya TV quoted a military official as saying that a military post in the town of Masyaf in Hama province was hit by an Israeli airstrike. The area houses several defense ministry facilities.

AP writers Fares Akram and Omar Akour contributed to this report.
A previously suspended Prince George's County police captain was charged with assault in an unrelated case.

The Washington Post reports Capt. Thomas Hart was charged with one count of felony assault and one count of misdemeanor assault in connection with a dispute involving someone Hart knows.

Hart had been charged in April with theft and forgery. Police say he was accused of forging a signature on a withdrawal check he shares with his ex-wife. He was suspended without pay in April.

The assault charge this month and the theft and forgery charges in April are separate from an internal investigation that started in January that the department was conducting "on several unrelated matters."

An attorney listed for Hart couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
Brussels (Belgium), July 22, 2018 (SPS) - Sahrawi delegate minister for Europe, Mohamed Sidati, said Sunday that the European Commission which agreed with Morocco about a text on the Fisheries Agreement including Western Sahara waters "only encourages the Moroccan occupation of the Sahrawi territories."



Such attitude puts the European Union credibility in doubt.



"Morocco steals the resources of Western Sahara people, who largely live in exile and in poverty, deprived of their land and sea. And the European Commission is accomplice to this robbery," Sidati told APS, after the European Commission and Morocco agreed on 20 July on a fisheries agreement text that includes Western Sahara waters, thus violating the decision of the EU Court of Justice of 18 February 2018.



The Sahrawi official and member of the Polisario Fronts national secretariat added by "negotiating with Morocco on Western Sahara-related matters, the EU Commission, which affirms respecting the UN-led peace process and not willing to influence it, merely encourages the Moroccan occupation of the territory : it actually hampers the process led by UN envoy Horst Kohler from succeeding."



"It is the credibility of the EU which is at stake here," said Sidati, saying in this regard that "the Unions Member States and the Members of its Parliament must know it. Not only they must not ratify this shameful draft agreement, they must call on the Union to discuss the resources-related matters with the only legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people, namely the Polisario Front."



"When we know that the catches of European boats in the Sahrawi waters, in recent years, account for more than 91% of the total European catches negotiated with Morocco - less than 9% of them being made in the Moroccan waters - we cannot but be indignant to hear the Spanish Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries hope that Spanish boats will soon be able to fish again in Moroccan waters!," the Sahrawi Minister added.



Henceforth, insisted Sidati," when the EU Commission celebrates the improvements introduced to the fisheries agreement text in order to maximize the benefits for the populations living in the concerned areas, complying with the principles of the sustainable and fair management of the fishing resources, we only see lie and hypocrisy."



He insisted that "neither Western Sahara nor the waters adjacent to it are part of Morocco or its exclusive economic zone". (SPS)



062/SPS/APS
The Trump administration said Thursday that Somalis granted special immigration status in the U.S. can keep the designation, making them one of the few groups permitted to stay in the U.S. under a program that has allowed them to remain here for years.

Somalia was first designated for the special status in 1991, following the collapse of the authoritarian Siad Barre regime, and the designation had been extended in part because nationals feared returning because of the ongoing armed conflict there. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen cited the armed conflict and other extraordinary conditions in supporting the continuation of Somalia's designation for about 500 people.

But the administration will not take on new applicants, disappointing advocacy groups.

Those already with the status will be able to remain in the U.S. and will be allowed to work through March 17, 2020.

Many Somalis have settled in Minnesota, which has the largest Somali population in the U.S. Community and immigration advocates have said that returning to Somalia would be a death sentence for some and that it would separate families.

Democratic Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton wrote a letter to President Donald Trump on Tuesday, urging him to extend the special status. Dayton's letter said the conditions in Somalia are treacherous, and he pointed to a recent State Department advisory that tells people to avoid traveling to Somalia because of crime, terrorism and piracy. The advisory says those who do travel to Somalia should draft a will before traveling, name a family member to be a point of contact in the event of a hostage situation and leave a DNA sample in case it is needed to identify remains.

"Under those conditions, it would be horribly 'Un-American' to force innocent people to return to Somalia, to break up many of their families, and to forgo their chances to live safe and decent lives," Dayton wrote.

Members of Congress, including Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith of Minnesota, also wrote to the president, urging that the status be extended.

Advocates for Somali nationals who are living in the U.S. said Thursday they are relieved that about 500 Somalis will be able to reregister to extend their protected status for 18 months, but they are disappointed the administration didn't do more. The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said if the administration would have redesignated the status instead of just extending it, then more than 1,000 Somali nationals could have enrolled.

The International Rescue Committee and Muslim Advocates also expressed disappointment.

"It is not only a mistake, it is a death sentence," Muslim Advocates said in a statement.

Around 437,000 immigrants from 10 countries have had temporary protected status, a designation created in 1990 to allow people from countries ravaged by natural disasters like earthquakes or man-made disasters like war to have a short-term safe haven.

Those with it have generally been able to work and, with permission, travel outside the U.S. and return.

Countries are added to the list as circumstances warrant, with renewals coming usually around every 18 months. While some countries were removed, others have stayed on for years, which critics say turns the program into default amnesty. Other countries that had the status for long periods of time  like El Salvador or Honduras  were cut off under Trump.

The protections were never meant to be permanent.

Under Trump, the Department of Homeland Security also ended the program for Sudan, Nicaragua, Nepal and Haiti. Several groups are suing to stay in the U.S.

Protections were extended for about 1,100 Yemenis and 6,900 Syrians who already have them, but the administration has said it won't take on new applicants.

Trump has said he wants to curtail legal immigration and has been cracking down broadly on illegal immigration.
A fire that destroyed a building in disrepair in Massachusetts is being considered suspicious, according to the State Fire Marshall's Office.

The West Yarmouth building where the fire took place has been vacant for an extended period of time and had no utilities, authorities said. Investigators believe someone was inside the building without permission and either intentionally or accidentally started the fire.

Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call the confidential Arson Hotline at 1-800-682-9229 or the Yarmouth Police Department.

Yarmouth Fire said it received a call about a fire with fire through the roof at 606/610 Route 28 in West Yarmouth Saturday at approximately 4:20 a.m.

The first engine to arrive at the scene reported that at least 50 percent of the building was involved in the fire. It immediately called for a Second Alarm Assignment, officials said.

According to authorities, the three-unit building was not occupied and in disrepair. The fire was fully involved from the center unit from the floor through the roof.

Crews responding to the scene did an exterior fire attack because the structure was not safe to enter, officials said.

According to officials, the fire was put out in 45 minutes.

The quick decision to go to a Second Alarm due to limited response while other crews were on medical calls was key to a successful outcome at this fire," said Deputy Fire Chief Jon Sawyer. "The Second Alarm quickly brought in our neighboring fire departments, and, through our combined efforts, the fire was confined to this structure only. A neighboring house and the West Yarmouth Post Office was not affected by the fire. All crews on location did a fantastic job with no reported injuries.

According to officials, crews are still on scene, wetting down hot spots.

The Massachusetts State Police Fire Investigation Team from the Fire Marshall's Office is on location, assisting Yarmouth's Fire Investigation Team to determine the origin and cause of the fire.

It remains an active investigation. No cause has been determined at this time.
A Maine man is on the list of U.S. officials that Russian President Vladimir Putin says he'd like his prosecutors to interrogate.

Old Town native and former U.S. House committee staffer Kyle Parker helped draft sanctions against Russians suspected of human rights violations. Parker tweeted he was "honored'' to make Putin's list.

Congress passed the 2012 sanctions following Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky's death in prison after exposing a tax fraud scheme involving Russian officials.

The White House Thursday said Trump "disagrees'' with Putin's offer to allow U.S. questioning of 12 Russians who have been indicted for election interference. Putin in exchange wanted Russian interviews with the former U.S. ambassador to Russia and other Americans the Kremlin accuses of unspecified crimes.

Trump initially had described the idea as an "incredible offer.''
More than 200,000 people have visited Dippy at Norwich Cathedral and, ahead of the iconic dinosaurs final week, emergency services workers were last night treated to a special preview of the Dippy at Night farewell spectacle.

More than 200,000 people have visited Dippy at Norwich Cathedral and, ahead of the iconic dinosaurs final week, emergency services workers were last night treated to a special preview of the Dippy at Night farewell spectacle.

Time for the church to take action? In his two previous articles, Nigel Fox asked if we had an adequate view of Jesus is, challenging some of our preconceptions, and then explained why he believes that Jesus is now angry with the world. His final column in this trilogy is a call to action. Read more

Music event at Revelation in Norwich Following last year's hugely successful and entertaining event the Trustees of Revelation will be holding another six hour 'MusicOn' marathon fundraising event at St Michael at Plea Church on Saturday October 30 between 10am - 4pm. Read more

Norfolk Churches receive Historic England grants Four Norfolk churches have received Historic England grants for repairs. Read more

'Visions of Salvation' Julian retreat The Friends of Julian of Norwich present 'Visions of Salvation', a two day in-person and online retreat taking place on October 29 and 30. Read more

A Kenyan farmer looks at climate change in Norwich screening To mark COP26, St Peter Mancroft Church in Norwich will host a screening of 'Thank you for the Rain' in partnership with Christian Aid. Read more

Norwich musician creates songs for loss of a twin brother Norwich Christian musician Ben Lawrence is producing an album which talks openly about the loss of his twin brother Dan to cancer and the hope he has since found. Here he shares the vision. Read more

Norwich dinner invitation for everyday people How many of your friends have walked in space, been a pop star, served time for murder, raised the dead? asks Norwich FGB branch president Barrie Lawrence. Read more

Climate change talk at Norwich science fest In an open lecture on Monday October 25, Dr Justine Huxley will talk on the subject Climate and conflict: bridging our divisions for the sake of the Earth. This will focus on the social implications of the climate emergency in many parts of the world. Read more

Norwich church hosts charity quiz and chips Norwich Central Baptist Church are taking on Tearfunds Big Quiz Night on Saturday November 20, to take the charitys fundraising efforts past the 1 million mark, helping their work in some of the worlds poorest countries. Read more

We should care for Gods beautiful creation Philip Young explains his passion for Gods creation, which has prompted him to write a poem to challenge us to action. Read more

Norwich church collects tools for charity Heartsease Lane Methodist Church are organising a collection tools for Christian charity Tools With a Mission on October 23, followed by a service on Climate Control on October 24. Read more

Dereham Baptist Church to host free CAP money course Christians Against Poverty (CAP) is offering a free, three-session course that equips people with the skills they need to effectively manage their money well. Read more

Singing celebration of Dippy's visit to Norwich More than 1,000 schoolchildren joined with Norwich Cathedral Choir to celebrate Dippy the dinosaurs visit with some new music last week. Read more

Harrison family rocks the boat on the Waveney Hilary Harrisons new book Rock the Boat records the adventures of her family on the sailing barge Golden Mean. Thomas Harrison adds a story from Norfolk to bring it up to date. Read more

The Dean of Norwich announces her retirement The Dean of Norwich has announced that she is to retire from her role at the helm of Norwich Cathedral in May next year. Read more

New vacancies at Norfolk Christian holiday centre The Pleasaunce Christian Endeavour Holiday Centre near Cromer in North Norfolk is looking for a housekeeper, a kitchen assistant and a general assistant. Read more

Dereham District Youth and Schools Worker North Breckland Youth for Christ is looking to appoint a Dereham District Youth and Schools Worker, to include running youth cafes and other projects and developing schools work. Read more


Ordination is first for 25 years from St Johns Cathedral Ordination is first for 25 years from St Johns Cathedral

Academic and former prison chaplain, Andrew Eburne, last night (Friday July 20) became the first parishioner from St John the Baptist Cathedral in Norwich to be ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 25 years. Keith Morris reports.
Headteacher praises overwhelmingly positive report after one-day inspection

THE Willink School in Burghfield Common has maintained its good rating following a one-day Ofsted inspection.

The visit, on June 12, was the first short inspection carried out at the Burghfield Common school since it was judged to be good in February 2014.

Good is the highest Ofsted rating a school can gain during a one-day inspection.

Headteacher Peter Fry described the report as overwhelmingly positive.

He added: Overall, our feeling is satisfaction with a tinge of disappointment.

We knew by the very nature of a short inspection we could not be judged to be outstanding on the day, but it was a little deflating nevertheless.

The report says pastoral support in the school remains very strong and pupils were praised for being excellent ambassadors, with incidents of poor behaviour and bullying rare.

It also highlighted the significant number of pupils that had both entered for and achieved the English Baccalaureate, which was higher than the national average.

The report added that pupils, including the most able, disadvantaged and those with special needs, make progress above the national average in English, mathematics and the subjects that make up the English Baccalaureate.

The Willink became a Teaching School in 2017  a school that works with others to provide high-quality training and development to new and experienced staff.

It is part of the Governments plan to develop a self-improving and sustainable school-led system.

The quality of teaching was deemed as high standard, but inspectors noted that there are some slight variations in the quality of teaching within the school, while governance was also reported to be strong.

Leadership in the schools sixth form was also identified as being healthy, with the inspector noting the quick response of leaders to a dip in performance by students following vocational courses, by making curriculum changes.

Ofsted identified two areas where the school could make improvements.

These were to ensure all teaching and learning is of the highest standard and to make sure strategic plans have clear measures of success.
The supermarket branch boosts an Englefield-based charity for disabled children

A WEST Berkshire-based charity that supports children and young people with physical disabilities has received a financial boost of more than 15,000 from a national scheme run by Sainsburys.

PALS  formally known as Partners Active for Leisure Scheme  was chosen as a charity partner by the Sainsburys branch in Newbury two years ago.

A collaboration has seen PALS volunteers fundraise in the store, while Sainsburys colleagues added to the funds raised by organising a number of events including cake sales, tombolas, raffles and a sponsored climb of Snowdon.

Children supported by PALS also visited the store for behind-the-scenes tours, where they tried their hand at pizza-making and checkout scanning with staff.

The partnership was such a success during its first year that the Englefield-based charity was nominated and won a vote to be supported for a second consecutive year.

On Friday, July 6, store manager Rob Barnes, operations manager James Beisly and PR ambassador Carol Irwin presented 15,331 on behalf of the store to charity representatives.

Mr Barnes said: There are so many fantastic charities in the local area which do brilliant work in our community.

Weve had a great two years working in partnership with PALS.

They have worked really hard to make it such a success and were excited to be able to present them with the money raised by our customers and colleagues.

PALS manager Helen Randall said: The last two years has been a huge success, the colleagues and customers have made everyone at PALS feel very welcome and we all feel a part of the Sainsburys Newbury team.

We are extremely grateful to everyone who has supported us during the partnership and look forward to continuing the great relationship we have built with the store.

Last month, Sainsburys customers voted in store and online to choose from three shortlisted local causes for the shops next charity partner  which has since been revealed as The Rosemary Appeal.

The Rosemary Appeal will finance the 4.5m Greenham Wing, providing state-of-the-art cancer treatment and renal dialysis at West Berkshire Community Hospital.

The newly-elected charity will be fundraising at the supermarket during a number of weekends throughout the coming year, including a launch event in August.

Now in its 10th year, Sainsburys Local Charity of the Year scheme is open to any UK registered charity.

Last year, it raised more than 1.2m, providing support to charities across the UK.
After fading late from the pocket in the nine-furlong Hambletonian Maturity last week, ACL Stuteri AB and Kjell Johansson's Guardian Angel As ($5.60) broke his own track record for four-year-old trotting entires and soared to a 1:50.4 mile in a $30,000 Great Northeast Series event on Sunday afternoon (July 22) at Harrah's Philadelphia.

With regular driver Tim Tetrick at the lines for trainer Anette Lorentzon in the day's sixth race, the son of Archangel yielded to outsider Muscle Diamond (Andy McCarthy) before working to the fore just past a sharp :26.3 first quarter. After clearing, Guardian Angel As was forced to maintain a strenuous pace throughout, as Broadway Donna (David Miller) began a first-over bid from fourth with five-eighths to go and prompted middle splits of :55.4 and 1:23.1. With three-sixteenths remaining, Guardian Angel As shrugged off her competition and powered clear by 2-1/4 lengths while well in hand. Muscle Diamond, who chased evenly from a loose pocket off the far turn, regained second, while Broadway Donna levelled off to finish third.

Just four weeks prior to Sunday's score, Guardian Angel As etched his name in the Harrah's Philadelphia record books with a 1:52 mile. The 13-time winner has now won four of five races to date this season.

In the $30,000 Great Northeast event for pacing mares (race 11), Yonkers invader Tequila Monday ($6.40) worked clear up the backstretch and bottomed out her six rivals through the final three-eighths of a 1:49.4 win, a new lifetime mark for the 16-time winner. After stalking Blue Moon Stride (David Miller) and Caviart Ally (McCarthy) through a :26.1 first quarter, Eric Goodell angled the four-year-old daughter of American Ideal out on the bridge turn to force a :55.1 half. Up the far side, Tequila Monday sped away, and she held her ground late to win by a diminishing 1-1/4 lengths. L A Delight (Yannick Gingras) rallied off cover to take second, while Nike Franco N (Tim Tetrick) hooked out of traffic from last at the top of the stretch and stormed home for third.

Sixteen-time winner Tequila Monday earned her fourth win of the year for trainer Hunter Oakes and owners Northfork Racing Stable and Chuck Pompey.

No players successfully chose the winning Jackpot Hi-5 combination in the day's fifth race, resulting in a carryover of $3,225.46 for the Wednesday (July 25) card. Post time is 12:25 p.m. Eastern.

(Harrah's Philadelphia)
The Sherman Volunteer Fire Department will hold its 54th annual ball Aug. 4 at the firehouse.

Tickets are $35 each and $40 at the door, and can be purchased at www.Shermanvfd.org.
It has now become a pattern for Dave Walker, former U.S. Comptroller General: lose a primary  or fail to qualify  and put your waterfront Black Rock home on the market.

Walker put his Beacon Street home on the market for $1.25 million just over a month after missing in May the threshold for delegate support to qualify for the Republican gubernatorial primary. In 2014, he listed the house for $1.7 million after losing the Republican primary for lieutenant governor.
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CM Punk says more comics are in his future, and he already has a creator-owned offer on the table

The recently-returned wrestler talks about returning to comics
Islamabad : Pakistan has welcomed foreign observers for the July 25 parliamentary elections and two observer groups from the EU and Commonwealth are currently deployed to observe the polls.

Former President of Nigeria and Head of Commonwealth Observers Group, Abdulsalami Abubakar, called on Pakistan Foreign Minister Hussain Haroon and discussed matters relating to the elections, the Foreign Ministry was cited as saying by Xinhua news agency.

Abubakar is leading a 24-member delegation of Commonwealth Election Observers Group to observe the polls. The group was earlier deployed in Pakistan during 2002 and 2013 general elections.

Abubakar said he was looking forward to a peaceful electoral process and conveyed his positive impressions on the preparations for the elections. "Pakistan has a tradition of welcoming international election observers," the ministry said.
Jaipur : With its plush interiors and latest Bollywood flicks, the city's Raj Mandir is as popular as any other tourist place.



On Saturday, instead of running Sanjay Dutt's biopic " Sanju", it hosted a different performance: the Amit Shah Show. The BJP chief came in along with an array of state BJP leaders. At the centre of attention were the party's social media volunteers.

Adorned with party flags, the hall brimmed over with around 5,000 volunteers who came from different parts of Rajasthan for tips on fighting the election battle in the state later this year.

"Since the city's auditoriums cannot accommodate so many volunteers, we zeroed in Raj Mandir," said a state party leader.

Amit Shah called upon the 'cyber warriors' to ensure that public welfare schemes reach every person of the state. "The aim for all of us is Mission 180 (winning that many seats in the 200-member Assembly)", he said. Sharing his winning tips with them, he said that "fake claims" of the Opposition should be given a befitting reply on social media platforms.



Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia also reposed her trust in the social media warriors.

For local party leaders, it was nothing short of a thrill.

Bhawarlal Mali, chairman, municipal corporation, Jalore, said Shah has infused a new life in the party members. "The party chief has told us to stay united and win these elections," he said.

Mukesh Rajpurohit, an ABVP member from Jalore, found Shah's advice quite encouraging. "Shah told us to seek help from our cyber warriors to win the Assembly elections. We will try to work on it," he said.

Anjana Sharma, corporator and BJP vice-president-Nagore rural, said Shah's visit to Jaipur and Modi's address in Lok Sabha on Friday have motivated the BJP workers. "Today, instead of watching reel-time heroes, we saw the real hero in Shah," she said.

BJP sources said Raj Mandir was booked for a day. The IT department's workshop for state working committee started at 11 a.m. and the cinema hall turned into a political venue.

After the culmination of IT department's workshop, the social media volunteers meeting continued in this iconic cinema hall which was addressed by Amit Shah. Other prominent leaders seen were national vice-president and Rajasthan in charge Avinash Rai Khanna, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia and other senior BJP leaders like V. Satish, Bhupendra Yadav, Chandrashekhar, Muralidhar Rao and Ramlal.

(Archana Sharma can be contacted at archana.s@ians.in)
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Georgian Downs hosted both the Gold and Grassroots legs for the thee-year-old trotting fillies on Saturday evening and Illusioneesta took sole control of top spot in the Gold Series standings with her second straight victory in the provincial program.

Starting from Post 3 in the second $95,600 Gold division, Illusioneesta and driver Chris Christoforou, Jr. employed their usual come-from-behind tactics, getting away in the middle of the pack and allowing Magical Lady to ring up fractions of :28, :59.1 and 1:28.4 before shifting into high gear and sprinting home to a one length victory in 1:58. Magical Lady settled for second and pocket-sitter Gotta Pay To Play was third.

Thats what she do, she dont like to go early, she likes to race at the end of it, and thats where the money is, said trainer Per Henriksen of the fan favourite. Shes nice, very nice, and shes made a pile of money so far this year, and quite a few Golds and the Super Final left, if everything goes right.

Norwood resident Henriksen conditions Illusioneesta for Harbor Racing Stable LLC of Aurora and Asa Farm of Norwood, Ontario. Through eight sophomore starts the Kadabra daughter has tallied four wins and three thirds for earnings of $191,546.

And you know, shes just such a pleasure to be around and dont have no issues or nothing, added Henriksen. The only thing weve got to watch with her is that we dont feed her too much, because shed look like a drum if youd let her.

With two wins and one second through the first three Gold events Illusioneesta has accumulated 125 points, putting her almost 50 points ahead of the competition with two events remaining.

In the first Gold division, Collateral Beauty earned her first-ever Ontario Sires Stakes victory with a come-from-behind trip that saw her reel in the leaders through the stretch and trot under the wire in 1:58. Apprentice M finished two and three-quarter lengths back in second and Town Hall Justice was third.

She raced phenomenal for me, I was extremely happy. Shes very nice to drive, said reinsman Rick Zeron, who drove the filly to the win for trainer Herb Holland and owner Carolyn MacIsaac of Milton, Ontario. She seems to be just getting better and better every week, and I was extremely happy for Herb and Carolyn, because theyre hard-working people and they love their horses.

The win was the Kadabra daughters first through six starts this season and boosts her lifetime earnings to $79,504. Seventh in the Gold Series season opener, the win also bumped Collateral Beauty up to 52 points, putting her among the top 10 point earners.

All three Grassroots divisions were also captured by first-time OSS winners.

Fan favourite Stormont Charlotte led off with a 1:57.3 victory in the first $19,150 division for driver Scott Coulter and owner-trainer Alan Fair of Ancaster, Ontario. The Justice Hall daughter bested Hopes Solo and Power And Grace.

In the second division Robert Shepherd steered fan favourite Pretty N Well to a 2:00.4 score for trainer Mark Johnson and owner-breeder Denise Ball of Bailieboro, Ontario. Northern Lightning finished second and Gradabra was third, giving Ontario trotting sire Kadabra a sweep of the top three spots.

The final Grassroots division saw Sharpes Summer Series winner Superlative retain her hold on the Georgian Downs winners circle.

Making her Ontario Sires Stakes debut, Superlative allowed P L Layla to control the early tempo, leading the field through fractions of :28.1, :57.4 and 1:27 before kicking into gear in the final quarter and storming home to a three-length victory in 1:57.3. P L Layla settled for second and Frick was third.

Thornton resident Stephen Byron was in Superlatives race bike for the win, as he has been for all five of her lifetime starts. After a bobble in her May 21 debut the Holiday Road daughter has been flawless, sweeping both legs and the final of the Sharpes Summer Series and Saturdays Grassroots division.

Rob Walker, Jr. of Sharon trains Superlative for his partners Brilo Farms of Sharon and A J Cachia Sales Ltd. of Newmarket, Ontario.

Superlative and her peers will have an opportunity to add to their Grassroots point tally in the fourth event on August 27 at Grand River Raceway, while the Gold Series fillies will compete in their fourth event at Woodbine Mohawk Park on August 16.

Ontario Sires Stakes action returns to Georgian Downs next Sunday, July 29 with the second Gold event for the two-year-old trotting colts.

(OSS)

To view results for Saturday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Saturday Results  Georgian Downs.
Standardbred horseman Mario Lachance, the beloved husband of Lynda Fortin, passed away on Saturday, July 21 in Mirabel, Quebec at the age of 57.

In addition to Lynda, Mario is survived by his sons, Jonathan (Karine) and Mathieu (Beanne); as well as his grandchildren, Raphael and Timothe.

Mario also leaves his father, Gilles Lachance (Danielle); and his mother, Suzanne Latendresse; his sister, Sylvie; his brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews and nieces, and other relatives and friends.

The family will receive condolences on Saturday, August 4 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Goyer Funeral Complex, 105 boul. Desjardins East, St. Therese, 450-473-5934.

A tribute will take place in the complexs chapel at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

The family wishes to give a very special thank you to the staff of the Montreal Heart Institute for their dedication and attention. For further information on Mario's passing, click here.

To view this obituary in French, click here.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Mario Lachance.
Tuesday

The Milford Chamber of Commerce Tuesday Morning Leads Group: meets at 8:30 a.m. at the Chamber, 5 Broad St., Milford. Call 203-878-0681.

The Rotary Club of Hamden: meets each Tuesday. For meeting time and location please visit the calendar section of their website at www.hamdenctrotary.org.

The Rotary Club of New Haven: meets at 12:15 p.m. at the Graduate Club, 155 Elm St. Call 203-624-3197.

The Rotary Club of North Haven: meets at 7:15 a.m. at the Breakfast Nook, 448 Washington Ave. Visit www.nhrotary.org.

Wednesday

The Rotary Club of Branford: meets from 7:15 to 8:30 a.m. at the Parthenon Diner, 374 E. Main St., Branford. Call 203-315-2444, ext. 450.

The Devon Rotary: meets at 7:30 a.m. at the Bridge House Restaurant, 49 Bridgeport Ave., Milford. Visit www.devonrotary.org.

The Greater New Haven chapter of Toastmasters International: meets at 6:30 p.m. at New Haven City Hall, 165 Church St. Call 203-287-0037.

The Milford Chamber of Commerce Wednesday Morning Leads Group: meets at 8:30 a.m. at the Chamber, 5 Broad St., Milford. Call 203-878-0681.

The Rotary Club of Guilford: meets at 12:15 p.m. at The Maritime Grille, 2548 Boston Post Road, Guilford. Call 203-453-0774.

The Greater New Haven Business & Professional Association: meets at 11 a.m. at 192 Dixwell Ave. Call 203-562-2193.

The Rotary Club of Wallingford: meets at 12:10 p.m. at the Library Wine Bar and Bistro, 60 North Main Street. Call 203-235-3816.

North Branford Rotary: meets at 6 p.m. at Nataz, 2025 Foxon Road. Call 203-484-7707.

The Greater New Haven Breakfast Club: meets at 8 a.m. at Clarks Pizza & Restaurant, 68 Whitney Ave., New Haven. Email info@rosnerdoherty.com.

The Rotary Club of West Haven: meets at 12:15 p.m. at Apps Ristorante, 283 Captain Thomas Blvd.

Thursday

The Middlesex County Toastmasters: meets from 7-8:30 p.m., Wesleyan University, Exley Science Center (Woodhead Lounge), 265 Church St., Middletown, http://middlesex.toastmastersclubs.org.

The Madison Rotary Club: meets at 8 a.m. at the Madison Senior Center, 29 Bradley Road. Call Robert Anderson, 203-907-9032.

The Clinton Rotary Club: meets 6:30 p.m. at Clinton Country Club, Old Westbrook Road. Call Dee Tully at 860-388-7013.

The East Haven Rotary Club: meets at 5:45 p.m. at Twin Pines Diner Restaurant, 34 Main St., East Haven.

The Milford Rotary Club meets: from 12:15-1:15 p.m. at Gusto Restaurant, 255 Boston Post Road. Visit www.milfordrotary.org.

Friday

The Orange Rotary Club: meets at 12:15 p.m. at Racebrook Country Club, 246 Derby Ave. Call 203-799-2327.

The Woodbridge Rotary Club: meets at 12:15 p.m. for a luncheon meeting at Woodbridge Social, 12 Selden St., Woodbridge. For more information, call Mary Ellen LaRocca at 203-389-3429.

The Milford Chamber of Commerce Friday Morning Leads Group: meets at 11 a.m. at the Chamber, 5 Broad St., Milford. Call 203-878-0681.

Send notices of business events to Business Datebook, New Haven Register, 100 Gando Drive, New Haven 06513 or email to business@nhregister.com, at least a week before the event.
A few weeks ago, I noticed the heavy traffic on Interstate 95 north, especially on Friday afternoons. My assumption is that many are headed to The Cape. Now that summer has arrived, generations of families who have vacationed at the seashore towns that comprise Cape Cod are making their way back.

It is known for its hundreds of miles of beaches, lighthouses, scenic views of the Atlantic Ocean, spectacular sunsets, waterfowl and seabirds, and rustic architecture. When it comes to food, it is there too; from the freshest seafood to fine dining with an ocean view, to clam shacks serving up some of the best fried clams. How about a tour of a cranberry bog, visiting a winery, sampling locally grown foods at a farmers market, or a tour of the Cape Cod Potato Chip factory? You are bound to find culinary experiences to savor at the Cape.

The food scene reflects the spirit of the people who live there, and their many cultures and cuisines. Culinary traditions exist, however, from what I read in Great Food Finds: Cape Cod by John F. Carafoli (2018, Globe Pequot, $24.95) there is a dynamic food and dining evolution taking place; from the finest white tablecloth restaurants to homey mom and pop cafes, and chic new eateries. This is the book to bring with you to guide you to new places to eat and bring back home so you can recreate the recipes from the regions most celebrated eateries. You will find not only recipes, but stories about the restaurants, information about local food entrepreneurs, kitchen and gourmet food stores, clambakes, fishermen, and farms. Check out these recipes from a couple of the restaurants in the book. For the recipes for The Glass Onions (37 North Main St., Falmouth, Mass., 508-540-3730 www.theglassoniondining.com ) Lobster Strudel and Hangar B Eaterys (240 George Ryder Road at the Chatham airport, Chatham, Mass., 508-593-3655 www.hangarbcapecod.com ) Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, please visit https://bit.ly/2lCLiQS

Lobster Trap Crab Cake

The headnote says, The Lobster Trap (290 Shore Road, Bourne, Mass., 508-759-7600 www.lobstertrap.net) was founded in 1969 as a fish market in Bourne. Dave Delaney started working as a chef in 1998 for the previous owners when the owner decided to expand and open a restaurant. Dave bought the establishment in 2003, enlarged the restaurant, started a catering business, and formed a distribution company that serves restaurants and markets worldwide. We are committed to providing guests with the best possible products we can source, prepared with care and served with pride. After all, this isnt just a job for us, its a way of life, he said.

The Lobster Shack is a true Cape Cod experience. One can take the view of Buzzards Bay, the Back River, and surrounding saltwater marshes, while having a cold brew or margarita at the bar or lunch or dinner in the large dining room.

1 pound jumbo lump crab meat

 red pepper, diced small

 green pepper, diced small

 red onion, diced small

5 ounces crushed Ritz crackers

3 ounces panko bread crumbs

 bunch cilantro, chopped fine

 bunch scallions, chopped fine

2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard

 cup mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

Fold all ingredients together and make cakes. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 350F oven for

10 minutes. Serves 4

Place each crab cake on a plate, drizzle with avocado cream, and top with the mango salsa.

For Avocado Cream:

2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted

14 cup sour cream

Juice of 1 lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Place ingredients into food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

For Mango Salsa:

12 ripe mango, skin removed, diced small

12 red pepper, diced small

12 green pepper, diced small

14 red onion, diced small

12 bunch cilantro

12 bunch scallions

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl.

Chatham Littleneck Clams in Portuguese Kale Stew

The headnote says, Sue Connors and Ann Feeley have created a charming restaurant (Pisces, 2653 Main St., Route 28, 508-432-4600, www.piscesofchatham.com ) with a cozy five-seat bar Ihe seaside town of Chatham. Wainscoting on the wall is topped with original artworks by local artists. With dishes like pan-roasted Chatham littleneck clams and lobster ravioli, its clear that they have taken the restaurants motto, All good things come to the coast, to heart.

2 tablespoons canola or olive oil

1/3 cup diced onions

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1 bay leaf

34 cup sliced Portuguese chorizo

34 cup peeled, diced carrots

34 cup diced red potatoes, skin on

1 (24-ounce) bottle clam juice or lobster stock

1 bunch kale, washed, dried, stemmed, and leaves

coarsely chopped

12 cup canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

13 cup diced fresh tomatoes

32 littleneck clams, shells scrubbed in cold water to remove sand

Focaccia or other rustic Italian bread, sliced thick

Softened Garlic Butter or olive oil

Heat the oil in an 8-quart, straight-sided saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, just until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf; cook 1 minute more. Add the chorizo and cook until it begins to release some of its oil, then add the carrots and potatoes and continue cooking until vegetables begin to soften. Add the clam juice or lobster stock, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Stir in the kale, beans, and tomatoes and when mixture returns to a boil, lower the heat so the stew simmers until the kale turns dark green and is very tender, 5 to 8 minutes.

Arrange the clams in a single layer over the stew and cover tightly with a lid or foil. Let the clams steam until they open, 5 to 10 minutes. (Discard any clams that do not open.) Taste the broth and adjust seasoning, adding a little more water if its too salty.

To assemble the dish: Use tongs to divide the clams among warm shallow pasta bowls and ladle the stew over them. Serve with bread for dipping, brushed with garlic butter or oil and toasted or grilled if desired. Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as a main course.

DESPERATELY SEEKING

Alice Lei of New Haven wrote, I regularly read your column in the New Haven Register. Would you kindly answer the following questions?

How does one soften white granulated sugar that has hardened like a rock?

Church members, years ago had a recipe for cranberry sauce that includes walnuts and maybe orange zest. It was delicious.

Chilis in East Haven has a very good salad dressing. Is it possible for you to get the recipe?

Alice, thanks for your requests. Lets see if any readers can help out. Perhaps they have a hint to for you sugar question and a recipe for the cranberry sauce. I will try to track down the salad dressing recipe; perhaps someone out there has this recipe.

What chef would you like me to interview? Which restaurant recipes or other recipes would you like to have? Which food products are you having difficulty finding? Do you have cooking questions? Send them to me: Stephen Fries, professor and coordinator of the Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway Community College, at gw-stephen.fries@gwcc.commnet.edu or Dept. FC, Gateway Community College, 20 Church St., New Haven, 06510. Include your full name, address and phone number. (Due to volume, I might not be able to publish every request. For more, go to stephenfries.com.)

CULINARY CALENDAR

Summer BBQ with views of the Middletown fireworks. July 7 (rain date July 8), reservations begin at 5:30 pm; fireworks at 9pm. $65 per person. Mattabesett Canoe Club, 80 Harbor Drive, Middletown. Seafood appetizer station, carving station, barbecue pork ribs, chicken and all the fixings, build your own strawberry shortcake. More info and reservations 860-347-9999 www.canoeclubmiddletown.com

Kids Cooking Camp-Ciao Italia: July 9 through 13, 10 a.m. to noon, Chefs Emporium, 449 Boston Post Road, Orange, $200. Reservations 203-799-2665. During this 5-day camp experience, your young chef (ages 5-11) will participate in hands-on classes under guidance of expert chef instructors. Campers will be creating and eating recipes each day that focus on Italian foods. Same class is offered for teens from 1 to 3 p.m. For menu and other kids cooking camps visit https://bit.ly/2kwz1hm.

Food Networks Chopped, features Consiglios Chef Danny Brelsford. Tune in and watch Danny compete on Food Network on July 17 at 9p.m. On July 18, at 6:30 p.m., at Consiglios, 165 Wooster St., New Haven, a special demonstration cooking class and 4-course dinner will be held, using some of the secret ingredients Chef Danny was presented on the show. $75 (beverages, tax and gratuity not included)

Flights of Fancy, July 19, 4:30to 8 p.m. $20, includes commemorative wine glass. An evening of shopping, wine and food tastings, in-store discounts, free parking York Street Garage, exciting raffle prizes, and special gifts for attendees. A welcome party at The Study Hotel, 1157 Chapel St., New Haven. Tickets and more details at https://bit.ly/2JwaFSF

Worth Tasting Culinary Walking Tour: 10:45 a.m. July 21, four-hour culinary walking tour of downtown New Haven. 8-9 stops at some of New Havens favorites. You wont be hungry after this tour. Reservations required, tickets at https://bit.ly/2FjiwMP 203-415-3519, 203-777-8550, $64.

Consiglios Cooking Demonstration and Dinner: July 26, 6:30 p.m., Consiglios Restaurant, 165 Wooster St., New Haven, 203-865-4489 (reservations required), $75 (beverages, tax and gratuity not included). Learn how to make tuna and white bean bruschetta, tomato, watermelon, creamy burrata salad, boneless beef short ribs, balsamic barbecue, profiteroles.
Currently Reading

Things you should worry about but probably aren't
North American Harness Update is live Sunday (July 22) from Running Aces Casino & Racetrack with its live show, Three Wide, for the 10-race program highlighted by the $50,000 Dan Patch Free-For-All, the signature race of Minnesota harness racing as well as the richest in Minnesota harness racing history.

Host Ray Cotolo will be joined by Mike Pribozie and Rod Allums Jr. to present live coverage of the Dan Patch undercard as well as the final, and will provide live analysis of the races and interviews through the card both on the track live feed as well as on the Three Wide stream, broadcasted on Facebook, Periscope, YouTube and at nahupicks.com.

After broadcasting the worlds first helmet-cam at Vernon Downs back in April, Three Wide will again provide this live unique perspective in the eighth race as Rod Allums Jr. will sit behind Cadbury Colt. Allums, participating in TrotCasts Trotting 4 Charity fundraiser, will be wearing his jersey supporting the Leukemia Research Foundation and will donate his purse earnings towards the cause. The jersey will then go for auction with the final price also going to the Leukemia Research Foundation.

Through the night, North American Harness Update along with Running Aces Casino & Racetrack will be giving away a slew of prizes, including on-track swag bags consisting of merchandise from North American Harness Update, Running Aces, the Hambletonian Society, Minnesota Harness Racing Inc. and the Meadowlands Racetrack. The grand prize giveaway for people on track is a $1,500-value trip for two to the Hambletonian, which includes hotel, rental car voucher, roundtrip flights and admission. Those on-track can also participate in losing-ticket drawings for betting vouchers and swag bags.

Viewers off-track can also participate in giveaway opportunities for additional swag from North American Harness Update, Running Aces and the Hambletonian Society. By sharing the broadcast on Facebook and Twitter (Periscope), off-track viewers will be entered to win merchandise with winners being announced intermittently through the night.

Those who share the video will also be entered into a drawing to win one of two $50 win bets on the 2018 Hambletonian. In partnership with Harness Racing Replays on Facebook, those who comment the winning exacta for the fifth race on the contest post also have a chance to win a $50 win bet on the Hambletonian. If more than one person picks the correct order, the winner will be chosen by random drawing.

Sponsors for the giveaways as well as Three Wide from Running Aces includes Running Aces Casino & Racetrack, the Hambletonian Society, Meadowlands Racetrack, Minnesota Harness Racing Inc., Team Orange Crush and Hickory Lane Farms.

North American Harness Update airs regularly Fridays from 9-11 p.m. (EDT) on SRN One and archived broadcasts can be accessed on demand via the YouTube page or from their website, nahupicks.com, the day after it airs.

Follow the show on Twitter and like the show on Facebook to stay updated on news regarding the show.

(North American Harness Update)
NEW HAVEN  The Rev. Herron Gaston calls himself a people person, the perfect qualification for his job of recruiting an increasingly diverse student body to Yale Divinity School, including clergy from the New Haven area.

At the same time, he is well known in Bridgeport as senior pastor of Summerfield United Methodist Church for giving young people a path to become productive, mature citizens.

I really care about the flourishing of humanity and helping people to reach their full potential, said Gaston, associate director of admissions at the divinity school. People normally say to me that my personality is magnetic and theres something that they feel drawn toward.

Its a quality that has helped him carry out Dean Gregory Sterlings goal of opening the seminary to a broader range of people, and letting potential students from Greater New Haven know that the high-quality theological education the school offers is available to them, and so are many free programs and speakers.

Gaston, 30, who holds two masters degrees from Yale Divinity School, as well as a doctorate from Andover Newton Seminary at Yale, has been in his position for three years, focusing on colleges whose students didnt necessarily think of Yale as a welcoming place, such as the 105 historically black colleges and universities, as well as institutions in areas such as the western region of Texas.

What Yale offers is a broad range of theological thought, Gaston said. I think its very important for ministers to have a wide array of perspectives, so theyre not engaging in spiritual malpractice, he said.

Harvard University professor Cornel West, the internationally known activist and philosopher, called dear Brother Gaston such a powerful force for good in ensuring that students of color get a fair chance and have an opportunity to gain access to a Yale education.

A graduate of the largest historically black public college in the nation, Florida A&M in Tallahassee, Gaston said, When I came in [to Yale], I said we can recruit in other places.

In New Haven, Gaston drew in clergy such as the Rev. Boise Kimber, senior pastor of First Calvary Baptist Church, who just earned a masters in sacred theology to add to his masters from Hartford Seminary and doctorate from United Theological Seminary. Kimbers wife, the Rev. Shevalle Kimber, who was ordained July 1 and also ministers at First Calvary, will begin a three-year masters program in the fall.

He was very instrumental in looking at my application and helping to figure out the areas of study that I should take, Boise Kimber said. If Herron Gaston was not there I probably would have taken other routes to getting a masters.

Kimber said Gaston also recognized my pastoral experience, leadership skills and Kimber has responded by having more 75 local black clergy and other leaders attend a dinner to become acquainted with the school.

As a partner with my husband in ministry its just important that I do this, Shevalle Kimber said. You have people sitting in your congregation that are smarter than you are. Its important to be credentialed, especially by Yale. Where better to get a master of divinity from? Im born and raised right here in New Haven, Connecticut.

Since, the 2014-15 academic year, the percentage of students from underrepresented groups has almost doubled at the seminary, from 17 percent to 32 percent for the incoming class. These include African Americans, Latinos and Latinas, Asian Americans, Native Americans and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, according to school figures.

Diversity among the faculty and staff also has increased. Sterling said Yale will conduct a search for a professor of African-American religious history this year.

Herron is a phenomenal salesperson, Sterling said. Hes a very gifted and charismatic individual and he does a first-rate job of representing the school to a wide group of people. I think one of the challenges is, sometimes people have perceptions that have to be overcome and they dont consider Yale.

What I know is that our immediate neighbors in Newhallville often viewed Yale  as at least an unknown and perhaps unfriendly place, so its of vital importance to us if were going to have good relationships with the local community  to have ties with the black churches.

Sterling said welcoming people of color is the morally right thing to do.  I worry about the tensions in our society and the racism that exists in our society and we have to overcome it. We have no choice.

Besides academics, Yale Divinity School offers programs free to the public. Recent speakers have included poet Elizabeth Alexander and the Rev. Otis Moss III, pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Barack and Michelle Obamas church.

Gaston said Yale has a mission to educating a critical mass of people who have been historically kept out of certain places. In addition to recruiting people of color, Gaston said, he also seeks students from various socioeconomic backgrounds, students who are from various religious traditions, students from different ethnic groups, as well as white students.

In New Haven, Gaston is especially interested in bringing in younger clergy, members of what is known as the Joshua Generation, who basically believe in more progressive forms of theology and are much more diverse and radically inclusive in hearing the voices of the younger prophets.

He believes the church needs to be relevant, addressing issues such as unarmed black men being killed by police. Its time for our church to answer the clarion call and to stand on the right side of justice by holding our civic leaders accountable. I think that the church and its leaders must raise its voice and be instrumental in helping to shape public policy and to write a new narrative in our community that this issue is a human rights issue and not a black-vs.-white issue.

A force in Bridgeport

At Summerfield on Clermont Avenue in Bridgeport, Gaston has made a mark with his Youth with a Purpose program, which offers 75 at-risk youths a chance to change their behavioral circumstances and to put them on a clear pathway to success.

The Rev. Cass Shaw, president of the Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport, said, When Herron became the pastor of Summerfield, the church was really struggling and they were on their way to closing. Gaston absolutely revived the church, she said.

Shaw said the youth program begins with elementary school students but even more impressively is the mentoring of high school students. They give them the kind of encouragement and support that really develops a plan for their lives  a vision for whats possible and they are college-bound. They know their worth and they have a sense of not just dreaming but the steps they need to achieve their dreams. Hes really done an amazing job.

Gaston also has recruited students from Bridgeport, including a Democratic state representative, the Rev. Charles Stallworth, who will enter Yale Divinity School in the fall. I want to focus on political consciousness and Yale has a rich history for being progressive  and inclusive over a period of time, Stallworth said.

Stallworth has been pastor of the East End Baptist Tabernacle Church for 12 years and said he wants to study the junction of politics and religion. He said it took a little convincing for him to enroll at Yale but that he realized learning is an ever-growing process. We never know all there is to know about God.

The Rev. Quavon Newton of New Haven is pastor of Mount Pleasant AME Zion Church in Danbury. He said he had wanted to go back to school but couldnt because of his work schedule. Upon meeting Reverend Gaston he not only reaffirmed what Ive known about the school  but also told me what I didnt know in terms of doing a terrific job of diversifying the school, Newton said.

Upon visiting the school  what I saw and felt reaffirmed everything he said. He plans to attend full time, earning a masters in divinity in three years.

edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382.
In their most recent edition of Horse Highlight, Post Time with Mike and Mike features Michigan veteran If All Else Fails, who was donated by Tim and Ashley Leineke in 2009 to the New Vocations Michigan facility.

If All Else Fails is a beautiful 17-year-old pacing gelding that stands 15.1 hands tall and has been broke to ride for many years. He was placed again because of life changes for his previous adopter, stated Winnie Nemeth, Standardbred Program Director.

When talking with past connections, Ashley Leineke said, Ill never forget the first time I saw him. I think he was three. He had a long poofy forelock and big eyes; I thought he was the prettiest standardbred I'd ever seen. She mainly remembers the one race he won for them at the now-defunct Raceway Park in Toledo, Ohio. It was memorable because he was parked the whole mile and won by open lengths. That was pretty exciting, Ashley said. Both Nemeth and Leineke said he is really nice to work with around and in the barn.

He was used to being a pet and hadn't been ridden much, but since coming back to us, he is now adapting very well to riding, and he loves it. He would enjoy going on trails and is also a good turn out buddy for other geldings, Nemeth said.

If All Else Fails last stepped on the racetrack in 2009, rolling in over $17,000 in 84 starts. At three, he took a mark of 1:57.4. Although he hasnt stepped foot on a racetrack in eight years, he is broke to drive and it wouldn't take much practice to get him used to it again.

Although he is 17 years old, he still has a lot of life left in him, and would be the perfect horse for just about anyone. If All Else Fails is currently standing in the Laurelville, Ohio facility, with a waived adoption fee. To learn more about New Vocations, visit their website.

(Post Time with Mike and Mike)
JERSEY CITY  Despite the windy and cloudy weather, there's two animal organizations waiting for you and your pet at Lincoln Park.

Liberty Humane Society and People For Animals is together at the Duncan Avenue Parking Lot at 353 Duncan Ave. Workers will be there from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, hosting a free rabies clinic and dog licensing.

The city is providing the rabies clinic while People For Animals is providing the veterinarian and other low-cost services that would benefit an animal's health as well as microchipping which is used to find a pet in case they get lost.

"Absolutely," said Valerie Wilson, a worker with People For Animals., when asked if she enjoys the event.

The rabies vaccines are free while one-year licenses range between $10-20. If owners don't have enough cash on them, they may mail the remaining balance.
Jersey City is the first in our state to seek to decriminalize marijuana, by letting people have a small amount and treating it like a traffic ticket, instead of arresting them.



But now it's in a legal tussle with the state Attorney General, who says the city doesn't have the authority to do this on its own. However that gets resolved, we're rooting for Jersey City.



Towns can control the priorities of their police and prosecutors. So if such an ordinance is indeed overridden by existing state law, perhaps the city could simply make marijuana arrests its lowest priority.

New Jersey A.G. to Jersey City: no, you can't decriminalize pot



As Mayor Steven Fulop notes, prosecutors can amend or dismiss charges as they see fit. In practice, Jersey City can carry this out, even if it can't do so by letter of the law.



This is necessary because a bill that would solve this altogether by legalizing marijuana for adults remains stalled in the Legislature. Some, like Sen. Ronald Rice, have argued that we should just decriminalize marijuana statewide.



That would solve this legal snafu for Jersey City. But decriminalization only lightens the penalties, or eliminates them for small quantities. It doesn't establish a legal trade.

So we'd still have the bad guys running the business. We'd continue to prop up drug kingpins with millions of dollars, which we could be using to fund vital public programs, including drug treatment.

Possession's not enough: Expunge all weed convictions | Editorial



No, if this state is going to make a move on marijuana, it should put its efforts into fixing the problem altogether, by legalizing it. We'd rather lawmakers take a longer time and get this right, than rush it.



In the meantime, though, we've got to stop arresting people for a substance that most New Jerseyans agree should be legal. Police still arrest someone for marijuana possession every 22 minutes, on average, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey.



We're wasting $143 million of taxpayer money each year on this. Nine out of 10 of these arrests target users rather than dealers, and the racial disparity is alarming.

Blacks are three times more likely than whites to be arrested, even though they use pot at the same rate. It's particularly bad in Shore towns.



Having a criminal record, even just for marijuana, can really wreck your life. It costs a person living paycheck to paycheck more than $1,000 in fines and fees. You could lose your college financial aid, ability to legally drive, job, access to public housing, or permission to adopt kids.



"We shouldn't continue a policy of creating records and ruining a person's future over small quantities of marijuana," as Fulop argues.



So don't wait for lawmakers to get their act together. Prosecutors and police across the state can change a lot of this in practice, right now.

State Police don't stop drivers who go 60 mph in a 55 mph zone. Our hope is that police in New Jersey towns and cities use the same kind of discretion, and stop arresting people for silly pot offenses.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
By Donald Norcross

The best social program is a good job with fair wages and the dignity that comes with it.

Last week, Governor Murphy reiterated that raising the state minimum wage to $15 an hour is one of his top three legislative priorities this year, and I not only applaud his strong stance, but urge my friends in the state legislature and my colleagues in Congress to heed our shared call to raise wages.



I've spent my life fighting for good pay for workers, and spent years working as an electrician installing and restoring power for New Jersey homes, businesses and industrial sites. Raising wages for hardworking families is the first issue I talked to the governor and the new team in Trenton about. In fact, we brought together Murphy, Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, and Assembly Leader Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, for their first joint public appearance after last year's election to call for a $15 minimum wage.

Today, the wage floor is $7.25 an hour nationally and $8.60 in New Jersey, leaving Americans who work full time living in poverty. Families are coming up thousands of dollars short each month just trying to meet basic living standards -- asking if they should pay for heat or for medicine. Food or rent. Those types of choices shouldn't have to be made -- not by an American with a full-time job. That doesn't reflect our country's values. But until wages rise, economic anxiety will continue to be the norm.



It's illogical that our nation's workers are more productive than ever, but profits are all going to CEO bonuses and offshore accounts instead of actual paychecks. And while everyone deserves a fair day's pay for a hard day's work, our policies are not addressing the needs of everyday Americans -- the many of us without trust funds, yachts and private jets. Trumpism favors the wealthiest among us -- it doesn't match American ingenuity or productivity.



To make matters worse, President Donald Trump and his Republican accomplices passed a heinous tax scam that gives 83 percent of the tax cuts to the wealthiest 1 percent. They rewarded billionaires, prioritized corporate profits and hurt working families -- particularly in New Jersey -- by gutting critical state and local tax deductions that Americans depend on.



The author of the tax bill -- U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas -- attended a closed-door meeting with me and other members of Congress last week. I brought up the importance of raising the federal minimum wage. He dismissed my comments with excuses and ignorance, saying that raising the wage is a "matter for the states" and "too hot of a political issue."



On the latter point, every time Congress raised the minimum wage, it passed with strong bipartisan support. History shows that if we can just put the issue to a vote, it will pass by a wide margin, so it's by no means a "hot" political issue -- or even a "political" issue at all. It is, however, a national issue, as wages have been stagnant for decades in our country, making economic security a thing of the past for far too many Americans. We need a national living wage, and then states with regional needs can choose to go higher than that.

Exactly a year ago, I wrote here in The Star Ledger that "first and foremost for me is raising your wages," and that remains the same today.It's been 11 years since Congress last voted to increase the minimum wage, and millions of Americans are suffering because of this neglect. Let's follow our governor's call and bring the "Fight for $15" here to New Jersey, and let's do what Americans need and deserve by mirroring that action in Congress.



We need to come together and take real action for America's workers. Join me. Demand the raise you have earned, that your daughter or son has earned, that your hardworking neighbor has earned. Demand lawmakers do the right thing and raise the wage.



U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross is a Democrat who represents the 1st Congressional District.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
Since I was a boy, back in the Civil War era, I've been going to Nauset Beach at Cape Cod every summer with my big Irish-Catholic clan.

The water is freezing, and we stay in as long as we can bear it, sometimes three generations at once. Sea gulls dive into schools of fish a few hundred yards out. Seals play in the waves just offshore, popping up their enormous heads to look around every few minutes. When we're lucky, we see a whale leap out of the water near the horizon, splashing as it lands.

It's paradise, basically, the kind of place you leave a piece of your soul for safekeeping at the end of the summer and remember it's there only when you return.

So, it broke my heart when I visited last weekend and saw the damage that climate change had done. Suddenly, the political was personal.

For decades, the gently rolling dunes behind the beach have extended for hundreds of yards, the sea grass a magical mix of greens, yellows and tans that seem to sparkle as sunset approaches. It may be the prettiest spot on the Cape, a place where my family and many others line up the kids to take photos.

I arrived last weekend and saw those magical dunes had been flattened, leaving a much narrower strip of dunes, along with lots of bare sand. Thanks to rising sea levels and a series of four tough storms in March, the ocean breached the dunes, and like a merciless thief, carried away the treasure.

"It's a piece of Cape Cod that's just gone," says John Ohman, 70, who spent three decades selling fried clams, onion rings, and milk shakes at "Liam's," a famous feeding place named after his son, about 100 yards north of the dunes.

Liam's is gone now, too, swallowed by the ocean, just like the dunes.

"Every person you talk to has a different attitude on climate," Ohman says. "But I've seen it. The erosion is dramatic. I watch it every day. In 13 hours it took 80 feet of beach away. The waves were hitting the building."

I can hear the skeptics now and am ready to offer a few concessions.

Ohman's shack was built too close to the water. Cape Cod is a flimsy spit of sand left behind by retreating glaciers and is doomed in the long run anyway. Tough storms are a fact of life on the Atlantic and have been hitting these shores hard long before anyone started burning oil. True, true, and true.

But I want to ask the skeptics to make a few concessions, too.

The sea level in Cape Cod is about a foot higher than it was in 1930, when scientists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution began taking careful measurements. And today, it's rising three to five times as fast as it was then, according to Jeff Donnelly, a senior scientist at Woods Hole.

So, each storm packs a bigger punch. Without that extra foot, these storms might not have breached the dune barrier.

"That's the real issue," says Donnelly. "We're more vulnerable. And these sorts of events are going to become more frequent."

It amazes me when I hear climate skeptics strain to explain away the measurable damage that's already been done. Glaciers are shrinking, heat waves have become more intense, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier, plant and animal ranges have shifted, sea levels have risen, and so on.

All that is listed as fact by NASA, even with Donald Trump in the White House. And while you can find quirky dissenters, not a single scientific organization disputes this consensus.

And yet, while these effects intensify, polls show that public opinion in America has barely moved in the last two decades, with just under half telling Gallup they are concerned "a great deal" about the effects of climate change.

Republicans have moved the other way, with only 18 percent saying they share that level of concern, down from 42 percent in 2000.

I figured the best person to explain this to me would be Rep. Leonard Lance, a Republican who was once a hero to environmentalists, endorsed over and over by the Sierra Club when he was a state legislator, and a rebel Republican in 2009 when he voted in favor of a cap-and-trade system to contain carbon emissions.

Lance has moved in the wrong direction, just like his party's voters. He says he would not vote for cap-and-trade again, and even supported a resolution pushed by oil interests last week pre-emptively opposing any carbon tax.

"Climate change occurs, the question is how to approach it in a way that can be effective," Lance said. "What I voted for in 2009 I don't think is politically feasible today."

He favors subsidies for green energy, he says, and supports the Obama regulations requiring greater fuel efficiency in cars. But that's it.

So why did he shift on the merits of cap and trade? He says China should do more, which is true, but was true in 2009 as well. Now he says, "We've moved beyond that as a result of natural gas."

Which makes no sense. Natural gas emits half the carbon of coal, so the shift helps. But no one, including Lance, pretends that solves the problem.

It's obvious what's really happening. Lance has abandoned the fight on climate for political reasons, no doubt because he fears the GOP leadership will hold it against him.

Tom Malinowski, his Democratic challenger, puts it this way: "He's a weather vane, and the problem with weather vanes is they don't change the way the wind is blowing."

What bothers me most is that vulnerable people are going to suffer because of climate change, and many already are. I'll miss those Nauset dunes, but it's a trifle compared to the stakes for a farmer who gets no rain, a fisherman who can find no fish, or a refugee in Syria or Sudan, stuck in a civil war that's aggravated by the lack of water. This is life and death stuff.

In 2008, the Republican Party platform treated this as a serious problem, and its candidate, Sen. John McCain, campaigned on cap and trade. Today, Donald Trump is looking for ways to subsidize coal, and the party's foot-soldiers like Leonard Lance are looking for hiding places.

I'm afraid for the remaining strip of dunes at Nauset. A few more storms, and I might have to find a new place to store that piece of my soul.

More: Tom Moran columns

Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com or call (973) 836-4909. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said it was "beyond comprehension" that President Donald Trump would invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to the White House.

Menendez, D-N.J., said on "Fox News Sunday" that Trump "seems to want to be chummy with Putin instead of challenging him."

"We are going to give him, you know, a red carpet treatment and invite him to Washington," Menendez said. "To me, that's beyond comprehension. You can speak to adversaries, but at the end of the day, you have to do it in a way in which you challenge them."

House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy also questioned Trump's invitation to Putin.

"The United States of America sometimes has to meet with people that we don't have anything in common with," Gowdy, R-S.C., said on Fox. "The fact that we have to talk to you about Syria or other matters is very different from issuing an invitation. Those should be reserved for, I think, our allies like Great Britain and Canada and Australia and those who are with us day in and day out."

Menendez said in a Senate floor speech last week that he would introduce legislation to strengthen sanctions against Russia, which was found by U.S. intelligence agencies and the Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee to have intervened in the 2016 presidential election on behalf of Trump.

The bill also would protect special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., agreed with Menendez's call for new sanctions against Putin and Russia.

"I want this man to stay out of our elections and quit disrupting the world," Graham said on CBS's "Face the Nation." "We need new sanctions. Heavy-handed sanctions hanging over his head. Then meet with him."

Numerous lawmakers of both parties criticized Trump's performance during the joint press conference with Putin on Monday, where he appeared to side with the Russian president over the findings of U.S. intelligence. He then partially walked back the comments the next day.

"When you had an opportunity to show the world, all of our allies, show NATO, show the free world that you would in fact were not supplicant to Vladimir Putin, but a challenge to him, you failed to do so," Menendez said on Fox.

"And then to come back, you know, it's too late, too little and the wrong continent, and now change your tune once you're here versus when you are there standing alongside Putin," he said.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., acknowledged that Trump's initial performance "was not a good moment."

"At the end of the day, I am never going to side with Vladimir Putin," Rubio said on CBS. "We should never side with him against our own government and against our own people."

And Gowdy, who was called out by New Jersey Democratic Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman during a hearing into the ongoing probe of possible collusion, said there was no question that Russia intervened in the 2016 election and Trump needed to say that.

"It can be proven beyond any evidentiary burden that Russia is not our friend and they tried to attack us in 2016," Gowdy said. "The disconnect cannot continue. The evidence is overwhelming and the president needs to say that and act like it."

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
A CVS pharmacist refused to fill an Arizona transgender woman's hormone prescription on the basis of moral grounds, according to the Arizona Republic.

Hilde Hall said she was "elated" when her doctor handed her the prescription for her first round of hormone medication, the Arizona Republic reported. However, instead of walking out of the Fountain Hills CVS with her treatment in hand, Hall said she was denied her hormones and "loudly questioned" by the pharmacist as to why she had the prescription.

The pharmacist also refused to give Hall her prescription note back, according to Arizona Republic, and she left the store feeling "mortified." Hall told her doctor, who sent the order to a Walgreens instead, where Hall was able to get the prescription filled.

According to Arizona Republic, CVS apologized for the incident in a statement.

Arizona is one of six states where pharmacists can legally deny patients their prescriptions based on moral or religious grounds, Arizona Republic reported.

Read Arizona Republic's report here.
Following a litany of sui generis dishes at Alinea in Chicago that included a dish of minuscule cremini and maitake mushrooms whose plate is perched on an inflatable pillow filled with pine smoke, Mr. Gold broke into the interrogative voice:

Is it quibbling to suggest that the delicate fragrance of maitake, a mushroom prized for its aroma of pine, was obliterated by the seepage from the pillow, and that nearly every dish was oversalted to the same, undoubtedly intentional degree? Is it merely clever to scent an all-white dish of halibut, parsnip curls and almond with the jet-black aromas of pepper, licorice and coffee? Is trotting out a version of a classic Escoffier dish, in this case slightly overcooked lamb with seared potatoes and a sauce Choron, the equivalent of Picasso executing the occasional formal portrait to prove that he knows that human eyes do not stack like those of a turbot?

The hallmark of his style, though, was the second-person voice. He used it prodigiously. Taken literally, he seemed to be saying that you, personally, had visited a great number of restaurants and consumed a wide variety of animal parts.

In City of Gold, Sue Horton, an editor at Reuters, says of his use of the second person, Hes forming a bond with the reader: You and I are people who eat deer penis.

His prose was apparently as agonizing to produce as it was pleasurable to read. For a time he saw a therapist for writers block until it was mutually agreed that somebody as prolific as Mr. Gold could not be described as blocked. Editors were driven to despair by his habit of taking deadlines seriously only once they were safely in the past. Mr. Powers, who edited him at LA Weekly, called him the Usain Bolt of being slow.

Like many restaurant critics, he tried to keep his image out of circulation for years. Anybody who had seen him was unlikely to forget him, though. He was more than six feet tall, with wispy ripples of shoulder-length strawberry blond hair that in recent years had tended to avoid the top of his scalp. His chin was capacious. When he turned up at a Peruvian stall in a food court a few years ago, the chef, Ricardo Zarate, wondered why so many pictures were being taken by a man who looked like George Washington. He figured it out a few weeks later after Mr. Golds review had been published.

Informally, the incognito phase ended when a photograph of Mr. Gold celebrating his Pulitzer win in a pink, Champagne-basted shirt got around. Officially, it was finished when he allowed The Los Angeles Times to publish his photograph shortly before the release of City of Gold in 2015.

Between his amiability and his longevity on the job, he accumulated friends in the restaurant business. Some of his disclosures could make interesting reading. When he reviewed David Changs new restaurant in Los Angeles, Majordomo, his thoughts on the cooking took up only slightly more space than his partial history of his dealings with Mr. Chang.
ARTS & LEISURE

A photo caption with an article on Page 8 about films that explore the emotional toll of violence against black people misstates the name of the actress with Kofi Siriboe. She is Dawn-Lyen Gardner, not Bianca Lawson.



An article on Page 7 about a rare production of Anton Rubinsteins 1871 opera Demon includes a picture caption that misstates the name of a character in the opera. He is Prince Sinodal, not Prince Gudal.

SUNDAY BUSINESS

An article last Sunday about retirees who return to their former employers misstated how long a nurse, Ilana Benet, worked at Montefiore Health System in the Bronx. It was 40 years, not 26. The article also misstated the status of Montefiore retirees who returned. They are working in a series of informal arrangements, not in a formal program.



An article last Sunday about the lamp designer Margit Wittig referred incorrectly to the museum where Ms. Wittig once spent time. It was the Art Institute of Chicago, not the Chicago Institute of Art.
BRANSON, Mo.  At first, the water splashing into the boat was comforting, a cool-down on a hot day.

But then came a massive swell that rocked the boat, and Tia Coleman started getting nervous. Before she knew it, another wave tore through, the boat sank and she could not see or feel anything. Not the son who had been sitting next to her, not her other two children, not any of the 10 family members who had joined her on an amphibious tourist bus  or duck boat  on Thursday afternoon.

Lord, please let me get to my babies, she prayed at one point, recalling the ordeal at a news conference on Saturday.

If they dont make it, Lord, take me, too, she thought at another.

As it turned out, Ms. Coleman, 34, and her 13-year-old nephew, Donovan, were the only members of the Coleman family to survive one of the deadliest duck boat accidents in the countrys history.
A man who shot and killed another man in Florida this week during an argument over a parking space will not be arrested or charged by the sheriffs office because of the states so-called Stand Your Ground law, the authorities said.

Britany Jacobs, 25, was sitting in a car parked in a handicapped space outside a convenience store in Clearwater, Fla., on Thursday afternoon when a man, Michael Drejka, approached her vehicle and started looking for a handicap permit, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri of Pinellas County said at a news conference on Friday. Ms. Jacobss boyfriend, Markeis McGlockton, and their 5-year-old son were in the store when Ms. Jacobs and Mr. Drejka began to yell at each other about whether she was permitted to be in that space, Sheriff Gualtieri said.

In a video recorded on a surveillance camera, Mr. McGlockton, 28, exits the Circle A Food Store, approaches Mr. Drejka and shoves him to the ground. After Mr. McGlockton takes a few steps back, Mr. Drejka, 47, pulls out a gun and shoots him once in the chest.

Mr. McGlockton then retreats back into the store, clutching his chest. He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Sheriff Gualtieri said.
Mr. Kemp spoke briefly, sticking to his vows to bring an outsiders perspective, prioritize small-business owners over special interests and embrace a tougher stance on illegal immigration. He also declared he would be the Republicans best shot at defeating the Democratic candidate, Stacey Abrams, a former state lawmaker who is trying to become the nations first black female governor.

Georgians are sick and tired of these politically correct liberals like Stacey Abrams who are offended and outraged by our faith, our guns and our big trucks, Mr. Kemp said.

The rally was one of the first in which Mr. Kemp appeared as the front-runner in Tuesdays runoff. Mr. Cagle has stumbled since leading the five-candidate primary by double digits two months ago. In a secretly recorded conversation that was made public this summer, he said that the primary had become about who could be the craziest. Another recording, released in late spring, revealed that he had supported a bad bill to undermine a political rival.

Some political observers wonder whether Mr. Kemp will adopt a more centrist tone  in an attempt to win moderate voters  should he defeat Mr. Cagle. But Charles Bullock III, a professor of political science at the University of Georgia, said Georgias demographics make it possible for Mr. Kemp to win the general election without softening his campaigns strong rhetoric, which Democrats have criticized as divisive.

If Mr. Kemp wins the runoff, he will talk about attracting suburban voters, said Kerwin Swint, a professor of political science at Kennesaw State University. But the biggest part of his campaign, Mr. Swint said, will be cranking out the Republican base  Trump voters. And being in the Trump tent, so to speak, will allow him to really crank that up.
LOS ANGELES  One person was killed at a Trader Joes in Los Angeles on Saturday, when a gunman exchanged fire with the police, ran into the store and barricaded himself with hostages for about three hours before surrendering, city officials said.

The victims family identified her on social media as Melyda Corado, an employee at the store. In a statement on Sunday, Trader Joes said the tragedy was the saddest day in Trader Joes history as we mourn the loss of one of our own.

The Los Angeles Police Department identified the suspect as Gene Atkins, 28. A police spokesman said Mr. Atkins had been charged with murder. Records show he was being held with bail set at $2 million.
1. Your favorite President did nothing wrong!

President Trump lashed out on Twitter early Saturday at his longtime lawyer, Michael Cohen, who secretly recorded a discussion about paying a former Playboy model who said she had an affair with Mr. Trump.

The recording was seized during an F.B.I. raid on Mr. Cohens office, and undercuts previous Trump administration claims that the president didnt know anything about the payment.

The news capped a chaotic week, which began with Mr. Trumps meeting with Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, in Finland, and their widely condemned news conference. Mr. Trump reversed his position on Russia several times, and announced plans to invite Mr. Putin to Washington this year.
The portion of Bank of Americas derivatives portfolio that isnt reported to regulators is not discernible in its public filings. A bank spokesman would say only that the percentage is small. A Morgan Stanley spokesman said virtually all of its trades were reported to American regulators.

The banks say that they arent trying to hide anything and that in some cases they are responding to demands from overseas clients who dont want the United States government looking at their transactions. Even foreign bank regulators argue theres no reason American law should apply to financial instruments held outside the United States.

This problem, I think, is really driven more by regulators each wanting their own silo, said Sheila Bair, a former chairwoman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. I think the industry would be fine with some type of consolidated reporting.

Mr. Dempsey, the lawyer, said, What you have is a picture that has more clarity to it than what the regulators had in 2008, but you still dont have maximum clarity.

Regulators can still monitor risk for individual institutions. The Federal Reserve, for example, can ask for specific information about derivatives trades as it sees fit. But because the trades arent automatically reported, the regulator would have to decide which trades to ask about beforehand. Theoretically, the Fed could ask for banks to report every single trade, but the central bank hasnt done that.

In October 2016, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission proposed a rule that would have closed the reporting loophole by requiring all American bank subsidiaries to report their derivatives exposure. It also would have subjected the subsidiaries to financial regulations that would have made derivatives trading less profitable.

The banking industry opposed the rule. After President Trump took office, it was never authorized.

Officials at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission acknowledge that there is a problem. The agency noted in an April paper that the current reporting cannot provide regulators with a complete and accurate picture of risks in the market.
He confronted President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia about meddling in American elections, presented him with a copy of the special counsels indictment of a dozen Russian intelligence agents and, to Mr. Putins clear displeasure, asked why so many of his political opponents ended up dead.

So Chris Wallace, after wrapping up his contentious interview with the Russian leader in Helsinki last week, did the logical next thing: He took a vacation.

To Russia.

I had a few doubts, the Fox News anchor said by phone the other day from St. Petersburg, where he and his wife, Lorraine, were preparing for an evening at the Mariinsky Ballet. But I figured, Why not?

Well, one could think of a few reasons. Mr. Putin, after all, does not take kindly to being challenged. But besides being recognized on the street a few times  Is that the fellow who interviewed President Putin?  Mr. Wallace said that his travels (and his hotel rooms) had gone undisturbed: Theres been no sign of any trouble or anything at all.
Elaia says it generates 14 percent of Portugals olive oil today, contributing to a renaissance in Portuguese exports, which now constitute 40 percent of economic activity. Drones buzz over vast olive groves, precision-planted with 2,000 trees per hectare, or roughly 2.5 acres, compared with around 150 trees for a traditional farm, monitoring crops for insect infestations, water levels and optimum harvesting time. Olives are picked by machine. Instead of field hands, the company hires technicians to operate the robots, and it has teamed up with universities for research.

Portugal has benefited a lot after the tough years we had, said Jorge de Melo, Sovenas chief executive. The mood is much better than it was before, and thats important for the economy.

Yet Portugals success is still vulnerable.

Growth is cooling from 2.7 percent last year, as Mr. Costa keeps public investment at a 40-year low to cut the deficit. While he restored public sector salaries to previous levels, they have barely budged since before the crisis. Social precariousness lingers, worsened by the spread of low-paying part-time contracts. And the minimum wage of 580 euros a month, although up, remains one of the lowest in the eurozone.
The future of the Trump hotels company depends on how they do with their four hotels in the Mississippi Delta, he wrote in a previously unreported email exchange with the governor last year. Unreal!!!

The governor, Phil Bryant, cheered the Chawlas on and extended an invitation to Trump hotel executives to visit the governors mansion, emails obtained through a records request show. In 2016, the governor had introduced Suresh Chawla to Mr. Trump, then a presidential candidate, during a campaign stop in Mississippi.

The Chawlas, who arrived in the United States as children and are naturalized citizens, shrugged off questions about their politics, saying they play by the rules and focus on projects that will uplift their economically depressed region. Dinesh Chawla said that their company had had no contact with Mr. Trump since he became president  I didnt think he had a chance in hell of winning, he said  and that their dealings with the presidents sons were largely limited to business and pleasantries.

The ups and downs of President Trump are just theater, said Dinesh Chawla, in his work attire of black slacks and a checked shirt unbuttoned at the collar. I have my familys finances at stake here. I cannot worry about Twitter postings and investigations.

Image V. K. Chawla, Dinesh and Suresh Chawlas father, dreamed of owning a hotel and called Donald J. Trump in the 1980s to ask for a loan.

For the Trump Organization, the unconventional partnership with the Chawlas signals a sharp turn from its heady days of global expansion and five-star luxury; the nearest Trump hotel to Mississippi is in a skyscraper in Chicago, and room rates there can be multiples of what the Chawlas are likely to charge.

The company, which the president still owns, has said it will not pursue new foreign deals and will subject many domestic ones to outside ethics vetting, shrinking the pool of potential partners. The Chawlas signed a deal to open three budget-friendly properties under the Trump Organizations new American Idea brand and one four-star hotel here in Cleveland as a Scion, the companys other new brand.
Good morning. I think you ought to cook barefoot today, imagining a salt breeze coming in off the ocean to cut the humidity, almost hearing the crash of surf across the dunes. Your recipe: Atlantic Beach pie (above), the chef Bill Smiths saltine-crusted take on the lemon pies he ate as a kid in restaurants along the Eastern Shore of North Carolina, and which he eventually took to his Crooks Corner restaurant in Chapel Hill.

The pie comes together in well under an hour and holds up for several days in the refrigerator. I think itd be fantastic to follow a meal of beer-can chicken and simple slaw, but if thats all too much, you could make David Taniss luscious new recipe for garlicky tomato toast instead. (Tar Heels may prefer pulled pork.)

So thats Sunday cared for, and nicely, too, with a soundtrack from North Carolinas own Superchunk, though you cant play the song at work.

On Mondays in America, some eschew flesh. Mark Bittmans recipe for zucchini pasta makes this no trial. Its delicious, especially if you follow the lead of some of our sites cooks and add a sprinkle of red-pepper flakes at the end, along with plenty of Parmesan.
Chloe Elizabeth Zale and Matthew David Sternberg were married July 21. Rabbi Sarah H. Reines officiated at the Weekapaug Inn in Westerly, R.I.

Ms. Zale, 28, is a strategy consultant in New York, advising companies in the health and wellness industry. She graduated magna cum laude from Yale.

She is the daughter of Dr. Carol F. Zale and David Zale of New York. The brides father is an investment adviser in New York. Her mother is a psychiatrist in New York.

The bride is a great-granddaughter of Morris Zale, one of the founders of the Zale Corporation, which operates jewelry stores throughout the United States.
Kaleigh Noel Rogers and Stuart Andrew Thompson were married July 21 at the home of the brides parents in Hepworth, Ontario. Curtiss Law, the deputy clerk of Owen Sound, Ontario, and a friend of the couple, officiated.

The bride, 29, and groom, 32, met at Western University in London, Ontario, from which each graduated with honors.

Mrs. Thompson is a reporter in New York with Motherboard, the science and technology website for Vice Media. She also received a masters degree in journalism from Western University.

She is the daughter of Brenda Rogers and Randy Rogers of Hepworth. The brides parents, both retired, founded Keystone Computer Resources, a company in Hepworth that created software to manage records for small urban municipalities in Ontario.
Leela May Hauser and Justin Koutras Bozonelis were married July 21. The Rev. John Vlahos, performed the ceremony at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York, where he is the dean, with the Rev. Alexander Karloutsos, another Greek Orthodox priest, among those taking part.

Mrs. Bozonelis, 32, is the global marketing director for media intelligence at LexisNexis, the legal and business information provider, in New York. She graduated from Champlain College in Burlington, Vt.

She is a daughter of Sue E. Hauser and Edward P. Hauser of Topsham, Me. The brides father is a senior planner at Bath Iron Works, a shipyard in Bath, Me., and a subsidiary of General Dynamics. Her mother retired as an administrative assistant at Mount Ararat Middle School in Topsham.

Mr. Bozonelis, 42, is a managing director at Cantor Fitzgerald, the financial services firm in New York, and is in charge of raising money for hedge funds in the United States. He graduated from N.Y.U.
Leela Wansook Vosko and Robert Tappan Hamlin III were married July 20 at the Country Club in Brookline, Mass. The Rev. F. Washington Jarvis, an Episcopal priest, officiated.

Ms. Vosko, 29, is the manager of marketing and communications at the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association in Washington. On July 30, she is to begin working as the director of marketing engagement at the Independent Community Bankers of America, a nonprofit trade association representing community banks, in Washington. She graduated from the New School.

She is the daughter of Chaweewan Vosko and William M. Vosko of Bangkok. The brides father is the coordinator of the primary English language development program at the Regents International School, a private prekindergarten to Year-13 school in Bangkok, where her mother is a Thai language and culture teacher.

The groom, 31, is an associate investment officer focusing on the global financial technology sector at the International Finance Corporation, the World Bank's private investment arm in Washington. Mr. Hamlin graduated cum laude from Harvard, and received an M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a chairman of the leadership council of the Resolution Project in New York, a nonprofit organization that encourages social entrepreneurship of college students.
On Saturdays since 2012, protesters have gathered outside the Choices Womens Medical Center in Jamaica, Queens, starting at 7 a.m. to urge women arriving at the clinic not to have an abortion.

For the next three hours, according to a lawsuit filed in June 2017 by Eric T. Schneiderman, the former New York attorney general, protesters violated federal, state and city laws guaranteeing access to reproductive health care by crowding women as they entered the clinic and ignoring their requests to be left alone. Protesters tried to block the entrance with 3-by-5-foot signs with what they said were pictures of aborted fetuses and allegedly made death threats to people trying to escort women  not all of whom were there for an abortion  into the clinic.

The lawsuit against 13 of the regular protesters asked a federal judge to issue a preliminary injunction against the protests and create a 16-foot buffer zone around the clinic.

But in a ruling issued late Friday denying the request for the injunction, Judge Carol Bagley Amon of the Federal District Court for the Eastern District said the attorney generals office failed to show that any of the 13 defendants had the intent to harass, annoy, or alarm patients, their companions or the people escorting women into the clinic.
Because Mr. Lamont has the party nomination, he will appear first on the ballot.

Mr. Lamont, a successful businessman, wants to attract business by investing in transportation and training workers. The state, he said, can ill afford a massive tax cut as it faces a yawning deficit next year.

We are at one of those moments where you need someone who is willing to take the slings and arrows of all the lousy choices we have to make, he said after an event at a union hall here.

I have a $2 billion deficit as far as the eye can see, and flat or declining revenues, he added. Im running against people who say theyre going to eliminate the income tax. They will tell you what you want to hear. Ill tell you the truth, but youre not going to like it.

Mr. Lamont is likely the most known candidate for governor; he engineered a stunning upset of Senator Joseph I. Lieberman in the 2006 Democratic primary, before losing in the general election to Mr. Lieberman, who ran as an independent. He then ran for governor in 2010, but lost to Mr. Malloy in the primary.

On the Republican side, voters will decide among five candidates, including Mr. Boughton, who also earned the top spot on the ballot by winning the nomination.

His challengers are Tim Herbst, former first selectman in Trumbull and perhaps the most conservative on the group; Steve Obsitnik, of Westport, a Navy veteran and technology entrepreneur; Bob Stefanowski, of Madison, a former chief executive of DFC Global, a payday lending firm; and David Stemerman, of Greenwich, who founded a multibillion-dollar hedge fund.
Three days since an underground steam pipe burst in Manhattans Flatiron district, spewing asbestos-laced muck across several blocks, many residents were still barred from their homes on Sunday, coping not only with sudden homelessness, but fear about what the exposure could do to their health.

At an impromptu information center set up by the city inside a public school, bewildered residents whose homes were still cordoned off behind police tape and hazmat signs arrived throughout the day, seeking answers. Inside, a phalanx of emergency service workers doled out information and fielded a steady stream of queries from frightened New Yorkers.

Thursdays blast resulted in the evacuation of more than 500 people from 45 buildings, but just a handful of minor injuries. And yet there was an undercurrent of deep anxiety among those whose lives were caught up in the path of the explosion, many of whom showed up at the information center set up at the Clinton School on East 15th Street. Although experts say the true risk from asbestos is from prolonged exposure over time, not a lone incident, many were anxious about their health. Others were still displaced, living out of suitcases and on friends couches; they wanted to know when they might go home.

Im a little scared, said Chree Taylor, who works in advertising, and was caught in the steam cloud from the explosion on her way to the gym. I kind of got this kind of brown mist on me, just lightly but, you know, Im sure I breathed something in.
Angela Bowen, who in a varied and influential life was a dancer, a dance teacher, a scholar and a passionate voice on lesbian, black and feminist issues, died on July 12 in Long Beach, Calif. She was 82.

She had had Alzheimers disease for a number of years, her wife, Jennifer Lynn Abod, said.

Dr. Bowen shaped countless young lives through the Bowen/Peters School of Dance in New Haven, which she ran from 1963 to 1982 with her husband at the time, Ken Peters. For the students, many of whom were black and came from less-than-affluent homes, the dancing they did was only part of the instruction.

She told each of us we were beautiful and worthy, Angela C. Robinson, who became a Superior Court judge in Connecticut, recalled at a commemorative gathering two years ago.

But that was just one phase of Dr. Bowens life. In the 1980s she and Mr. Peters divorced and she came out as a lesbian. In the ensuing years she wrote and spoke frequently on equal rights and related issues and was active in groups like the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays.
Corporate interests havent had it so good at the Supreme Court in a long time .

Under Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. the court has given big business a leg up on workers, unions, consumers and the environment  and will do so even more aggressively if the Senate confirms Brett Kavanaugh, President Trumps choice to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy .

Corporations won the power to spend unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns in the 2010 Citizens United decision. The owners of businesses have earned the right to cite their personal religious beliefs to deprive workers of reproductive health care. At the same time, the justices have made it harder for employees and customers to sue big businesses by allowing corporations to require mandatory arbitration clauses in contracts people are forced to sign if they want jobs or want to buy goods and services. The court has also made it easier for polluters to get away with poisoning the air and water.

In many of these decisions the five conservative justices have shown no restraint in rejecting judicial precedent and in substituting their own judgment for that of lawmakers. Just last month , in a blow to public-sector unions with contracts covering nearly seven million workers, their 5-to-4 ruling dismissed a unanimous 40-year- old decision that state governments and unions had long relied on. I n the recent case, Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the court held that government workers covered by union contracts do not have to pay fees for collective bargaining expenses if they are not members. The ruling does not directly involve businesses. But it will hurt all workers because benefits won by unions often establish benchmarks that help improve wages and working conditions even at companies without unions.

Under the Roberts court, between 2005 and 2015, when businesses were either plaintiffs or respondents but not both, businesses prevailed 61 percent of the time, according to a study by Lee Epstein, William Landes and Richard Posner published last year. That compares with a rate of 44 percent when Chief Justice William Rehnquist led the court from 1986 to 2004, and 43 percent when Warren Burger was chief justice from 1969 to 1986.
To the Editor:

Re Judge Chides Administration as It Asks for More Time to Reunite Families (news article, July 15):

If Donald Trump and his minions had even a sliver of thought of reuniting families separated at the border, they could have employed a very simple procedure. They could have prepared tags to hang around the necks of each family member with their dates of birth, names and origins. Adult tags would be one color and childrens another. Each family would be assigned an ID number. Embedded chips could allow them to be traced.

From that point on, the authorities would know at every moment where each and every family member was located. Instead of the current logistical nightmare, family reuniting efforts would be relatively easy.

Except for certain maximum-security prisons, every jail in this country is open to visitors, including the press. Has the White House classified these children as violent offenders? If not, why have some reporters and lawmakers been denied access? And worse, why does none of this surprise us?

HERBERT H. FELDMAN

WHITE PLAINS
The Russian operatives accused of hacking the Democratic National Committee in 2016 didnt use cash or credit cards. To pay for servers and domain names, they turned to Bitcoin, a digital currency that allows for secure payments without banks, government authorization or verified identities.

Yet what makes Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies appealing to criminals also limits their usefulness to them. Bitcoin transaction records helped investigators find the Russian agents under indictment. To cover their tracks, the perpetrators of the hacking scheme would have been better off using briefcases full of cash.

The details of this case are an encouraging sign. Cryptocurrencies are part of a global experiment in making money  the secure exchange of value  as decentralized as information on the internet. Just as anyone can put up a blog without going through traditional media, cryptocurrencies can remove control from financial intermediaries.
President Trump has told the United States Congress that his administration has no time limit for North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons arsenal. Shortly after meeting leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore last month, Trump declared the process would go pretty quickly.

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Emojiland takes place inside a smartphone, in a digital mini-world peopled with emojis, and its hero looks about the way youd think: like an undiluted dweeb  though, since this is a pop musical, the chartreuse frames on his glasses are kind of fabulous.

My names Nerd Face, he says, and with a jolt of laughter from the audience, our hero has arrived. A newcomer to Emojiland, Nerd Face was installed with the latest update. And the moment he spies Smize  thats short for Smiling Face with Smiling Eyes, and shes not as happy as she seems  the show fizzes with rom-com effervescence.

Of the three full productions at the center of the New York Musical Festival this past week, Emojiland (closes Sunday, July 22, at the Acorn Theater at Theater Row) is the most charmingly silly fun. It is also, surprisingly yet subtly enough, the most politically resonant. (The festival continues through Aug. 5, with six more full productions to come.)
Two such accreditation programs are the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the National Association for Family Child Care.

Examine the caregiver-to-child ratio.

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents to choose a day care that does not exceed the professional associations recommended maximum caregiver-to-child ratios. For children 12 months and younger, for example, the ratio should not exceed three to one, according to the associations website. For children between 13 months and 35 months, the ratio should be four to one or less.

The fewer children per adult, the more attention those children receive.

Check the turnover rate.

There may be good reasons for staff turnover, such as staff receiving professional training or completing advanced degrees allowing for their own career advancement, Dr. Anixt said. However, high rates of staff turnover could be a red flag that there are problems with the program such as dissatisfied employees working too many hours with low pay, feeling unsupported or having concerns with the childrens safety or approaches to discipline.

If a program retains its caregivers, however, it is a sign that the employees are happy and that they will become a consistent presence for the children.

All children, especially infants, need consistency and to build trust in their relationships with caregivers to thrive, Dr. Anixt said. Frequent staff turnover disrupts these bonds and attachments between children and their caregivers and can create stress for the child, especially if it happens frequently.

This is partly why programs that assign primary caregivers are so effective.

A caregiver who knows a childs behavior well will know what to look for when supervising the child in group settings, Dr. Anixt said. And it is easier for caregivers to keep close track of a smaller group of children whom they know they are immediately responsible for.

Review the minimum standards.

A 2015 report from the Administration for Children and Families outlines the minimum health and safety standards that experts believe should be in place for children receiving child care outside their home, Dr. Anixt said, including a section on transportation that specifies that head counts of children should be taken before and after transporting to prevent a child from being left in a vehicle.
All this is playing out against the backdrop of midterm elections, where lawmakers will face Republican voters who are still wildly enthusiastic about Mr. Trump and have, in many cases, adopted his skepticism about the Russian interference. Attacks by Mr. Trump and his allies on Capitol Hill and Fox News against those investigating him have not only fired up the presidents base but, polls show, substantially eroded trust in the impartiality of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, and the F.B.I. itself.

Some Republicans have concluded that keeping their heads down without uttering much more than general statements about Russian hostility is the only safe course.

Theres nothing you can do to stop a president, let alone this president, from saying what he thinks or what he wants to say, said Representative Ryan Costello, Republican of Pennsylvania, who broke with party leaders to endorse proposed legislation protecting Mr. Muellers job. I think a lot of Republicans feel its not worth engaging because all you do is upset a lot of Republican voters.

Democrats view Russias election interference as nothing short of an existential threat to American democracy, and have repeatedly pushed Republican leaders to take a tougher line toward Mr. Trump and stop the attacks on investigators.

The road to the Helsinki disaster was paved by Republican inaction every time Trump overstepped, said Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader. Their silence, their acquiescence to things they know are wrong have given Trump the extra jolt he needed.

Even before Mr. Trump was elected, Democrats and Republicans grappled with how to respond as Russians were hacking and leaking Democratic emails, flooding social media with pro-Trump and anti-Hillary Clinton messages, and even organizing pro-Trump rallies. In September 2016, President Barack Obama summoned congressional leaders to the Oval Office to ask them to issue a strongly-worded bipartisan letter to state and local officials raising alarms about the Russian threat.
In a private meeting on Friday morning, Democratic governors reviewed their political strategy for the midterms: Corey Platt, a strategist for the governors, laid out a map of 18 Republican-controlled states where Democrats could conceivably take power, including five important Midwestern battlegrounds and traditionally conservative-leaning states like Tennessee and Georgia.

Mr. Platt also highlighted several important races where the Republican Partys rightward lurch had widened political openings for Democrats, people familiar with the presentation said. In Florida, the presidents support for Representative Ron DeSantis, a hard-line member of the House who appears frequently on Fox News, in a contested governors primary has badly undermined Republican chances there, Mr. Platt argued.

Mr. Platt also pointed to Adam Laxalt, Nevadas attorney general and Republican nominee for governor, as a candidate who could be too conservative to win a state Hillary Clinton carried two years ago.

Mr. Laxalt is hindered by the refusal of Gov. Brian Sandoval  a more moderate Republican, who is departing  to endorse him. In a sign that the chill between the two has not thawed, Mr. Sandoval said in an interview here that he wont support a candidate that is going to undo anything that I put forward.

As Democrats weighed how best to harness the anti-Trump energy, Republicans locked in competitive races acknowledged the headwinds they are facing and vowed to emphasize their own governing records and political identities to separate themselves from the president.

Deploying euphemisms about Washington or national politics so as not to offend the president and his supporters, Republican governors said they would seek to localize their races.

Theres energy on the left, theres anger on the left and theres some signs of organization, said Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona, who is facing a competitive re-election bid. So I think the role of the campaign is not only to communicate the message but to separate from Washington and differentiate what weve done over the last four years.
The only plot is to interfere in the election by the Russians, he added.

Since returning from a widely criticized meeting with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in Helsinki, Finland, Mr. Trump has fixated on election interference, but he has been ready to place blame not on the Russians but on the Democrats. On the plane ride home from Finland, Mr. Trump asked advisers once again about the Democratic National Committee server that was hacked  he had raised the server issue while standing next to Mr. Putin  and why cyberintruders had not penetrated Republican National Committee systems.

Supporters of Mr. Trump, including Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee, have seized on the fact that the F.B.I., in making the case to judges that Mr. Page might be a Russian agent, used some claims included in a notorious Democratic-funded dossier compiled by Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence agent.

Republicans criticism has centered on the fact that the F.B.I. used material from the dossier without telling the court that the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign, by name, had funded the research.

I dont have an issue with looking into people that have cozy relationships with Russia, Mr. Gowdy said. I do have an issue when you rely on unvetted political opposition research.

But the application shows that the F.B.I. acknowledged to the court that it believed that the person who hired Mr. Steele was looking for information to discredit Mr. Trumps campaign, later emphasizing that regardless of Mr. Steeles reason for conducting research into Mr. Trumps ties to Russia, it believed his reporting about Mr. Page was credible.

The application also shows that the Justice Departments general practice in surveillance applications was not to specifically name Americans or American organizations. For example, it referred to Mr. Trump not by name but as Candidate #1, despite noting in renewal applications that this person had since become president.

Mr. Trump and some of his supporters nevertheless claimed vindication. In another tweet on Sunday, the president quoted a Fox News commentator, Andrew McCarthy, as saying: I said this could never happen. This is so bad that they should be looking at the judges who signed off on this stuff, not just the people who gave it. It is so bad it screams out at you.
MANAGUA, Nicaragua  Nicaraguas senior Catholic clergy linked arms and pressed through a hostile, pro-government crowd screaming murderers. As they reached the basilica with a dozen people trapped inside, some of the mob burst in behind them.

In the scuffle, somebody slashed Managuas auxiliary bishop, Msgr. Silvio Jose Baez, in the arm and ripped the insignia from his cassock. Eventually, the shoving ended and the clerics brought out the group  paramedics and Franciscan missionaries who had sought safety from the crowd.

Monsignor Baez brushed off the assault.

What the people are going through is much more serious, he said to reporters accompanying the clerics.

The Roman Catholic Church is on the front lines of an escalating conflict between the increasingly authoritarian government of President Daniel Ortega and the broad-based opposition that wants him gone. In a country where the church has often been immersed in politics, priests are both witnesses and players in the crisis that has racked the nation for the past three months and claimed almost 300 lives.
But press a little harder, and there are signs the novelty is wearing thin, even for people like Lidija Ogorevc, one of the local guides who occasionally takes tourists on a tour of the towns Melania-related sites for about $35 a head.

Yes, that is the Melania wine, Ms. Ogorevc sighed on a recent tour, as she breezed past a bottle of First Lady on sale at the towns 12th-century castle.

But this, she added, pointing to a nearby bottle of Grajska Kri, a Blaufrankisch red, this is the top wine.

These days, Ms. Ogorevc does not hide her indifference to all the commotion over Melania. For me, I really dont really care about these things, Ms. Ogorevc said, not seeming to mind how this might sound on a Melania tour. Sevnica has much more to show than just this story.
MOSCOW  Russia, which American intelligence agencies said spread its fair share of misinformation during the 2016 United States election, says it will crack down on fake news at home, with a proposed law that critics say could limit freedom of speech on the internet.

The bill, submitted by lawmakers from the governing party, United Russia, proposes holding social networks accountable for inaccurate comments users post. Under existing Russian law, social media users can be punished for content deemed to promote homosexuality, to threaten public order or to be extremist in nature, with fines as well as prison time.

Under the proposed rule, part of a creeping crackdown on digital rights under President Vladimir V. Putin, websites with more than 100,000 daily visitors and a commenting feature must take down factually inaccurate posts or face a fine of up to 50 million rubles, about $800,000.

The bill gives social media companies 24 hours to delete inaccurate information after being notified of its existence, raising concerns that moderators will be left to interpret the term, which is vaguely defined in the measure.
The new prime minister does not have to call another general election until 2020, but Spain is set to hold municipal and regional elections in May; those results could determine whether Mr. Sanchez will be able to complete his term in office.

Still, Mr. Casados priority will be to reunite his own party, which was left bruised and fractured by the abrupt and unexpected ouster of Mr. Rajoy a week after his party was sentenced for operating a slush fund. According to recent opinion polls, the Popular Party has been losing voters to Ciudadanos, a center-right party that has fiercely opposed Catalan secessionism.

After being chosen to lead the Popular Party on Saturday, Mr. Casado promised in his victory speech to party loyalists to try to strengthen our criminal code to stop any secessionist challenge.

He has proposed a law that would declare illegal any political formation that advocates separatism. He is also opposed to the transfer of militants from ETA, the Basque separatist group, who have been jailed across Spain but are demanding to serve their prison terms in the Basque region.

ETA dissolved itself in May, after one of the longest terrorism campaigns in modern Europe, which left more than 800 people in Spain dead.

On Thursday, a Supreme Court justice dropped a European Union arrest warrant for the former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and other separatist politicians who had fled Spain to avoid prosecution. The move came after a German regional court ruled that Mr. Puigdemont could be extradited to Spain only to stand trial for a financial crime, and not for the more serious charge of rebellion for which Spanish prosecutors want him to face trial.

Mr. Puigdemont, who was arrested while traveling through Germany, is expected to return to Belgium, where he had first fled, and to renew his efforts to lead Catalan politics and his own political formation from there.
BEIRUT, Lebanon  Israel has facilitated the evacuation of hundreds of rescue workers, known as the White Helmets, and their families from an embattled pocket of southern Syria, helping them to travel through Israeli-held territory to reach Jordan, Israeli and Jordanian officials said on Sunday.

The move in a part of Syria where pro-government forces are advancing followed a push by Western countries including the United States to protect members of the White Helmets, volunteer emergency workers who rush to the scene of airstrikes in civilian areas.

The Israeli Army said in a statement on Sunday that the United States and European countries had asked for help with the evacuation of the civilians due to an immediate threat to their lives.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman in Jordan, Mohammad al-Kayed, said that his country had authorized the United Nations to facilitate the entry of hundreds of Syrians to Jordan after Britain, Germany and Canada had made a legally binding undertaking to resettle them within a specified period of time due to a risk to their lives.
This summer, Geoffrey Michael Hubona from Lookout Mountain, Ga., was chosen to take part in a unique academic and career oriented development experience, Business Innovation: Six Days to Start-Up at Yale Universitys Pauli Murray College of Business.

Business Innovation: Six Days to Startup is one of the Envision family of programs (www.envisionexperience.com) that enable students to explore their interests and experience learning beyond the classroom. Business Innovation: Six Days to Startup chooses outstanding high school students across the nation to participate in a program that culminates in presenting ideas for business start-ups to nationally recognized venture capitalists.



Mr.l Hubona is a rising senior at Gordon Lee High School. He is the son of Dr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Hubona (Laura) of Lookout Mountain. He participates in varsity cross-country and track at Gordon Lee. He excels in Gordon Lees mathematics, engineering and business classes. Upon his graduation from Gordon-Lee, he plans to attend Texas A&M University, where his father currently teaches information systems and data analytics in the business school.



Business Innovation: Six Days to Start-up is a great opportunity for high-achieving scholars to get outside the classroom and see, through hands-on interactive learning, how to innovate and think creatively, said Andrew Potter, the chief academic officer for Envision. These students, who have already proven themselves academically, will be challenged to work on real-world, student-created projects to bring their studies and career interests to life.



Since 1985, Envision programs have served more than 800,000 students in more than 145 countries, with programs designed to help students develop the leadership, scholarship and career skills needed to succeed in todays competitive college and career landscape.


Rahul Gandhi meets party leaders from Gujarat, asks them to be prepared for assembly polls

After hugging the PM, Rahul says only compassion can build a nation

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

New Delhi, July 22: After creating a splash in the Lok Sabha by hugging Prime Minister Narendra Modi , Congress president Rahul Gandhi said that only way to build a nation was by harnessing love and compassion of people.

He said yesterday's debate in Parliament on the no-confidence motion was about the prime minister using "hate, fear and anger" in the hearts of some people to build his narrative, and the Congress countering that through love and compassion.

"The point of yesterday's debate in Parliament.. PM uses Hate, Fear and Anger in the hearts of some of our people to build his narrative. We are going to prove that Love and Compassion in the hearts of all Indians, is the only way to build a nation (sic)," he said on Twitter.

The point of yesterday's debate in Parliament.

PM uses Hate, Fear and Anger in the hearts of some of our people to build his narrative.

We are going to prove that Love and Compassion in the hearts of all Indians, is the only way to build a nation.

Gandhi gave a 45-minute fiery speech during the no-confidence motion debate in the Lok Sabha yesterday, accusing the prime minister of unleashing "jumla strike" on people in the form of demonetisation, joblessness, Rafale deal, poor state of economy, mob violence, lynching, and incidents of alleged atrocities on Dalits and women.

After concluding his speech, Gandhi walked across the aisle to where the prime minister was sitting and hugged him, capping his blistering attack on Modi.

The prime minster shook Gandhi's hands but ignored his call to stand so that he could hug the BJP leader. The Congress chief, however, embraced him as he remained seated.

Modi initially looked nonplussed and did not stand up to hug him, but recovered quickly and called Gandhi back and patted him on the back. He also appeared to say a few words, which were inaudible

During his reply to the debate, the prime minister shot back at Gandhi giving a point-to-point rebuttal on the attack on him.
Arrest me if I am anti-national says Digvijaya Singh

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

Bhopal, July 22: After Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan called his actions and statements anti-national, Congress leader Digvijay Singh said he would appear before police and they could arrest him.

"I have taken the oath to follow Constitution. So I have decided to present myself before the law to protect the unity and integrity of India....I would present myself at TT Nagar Police Station (in Bhopal) on July 26," Singh said in a letter to Chouhan.

"Meanwhile, submit the evidence of my being anti-national to your administration, so that they can file a case and arrest me," the senior Congress leader said.

Chouhan had slammed the former chief minister for visiting the homes of slain terrorists' and talking about "Hindu terrorism" two days ago.

"Talking about Hindu terrorism is an insult to the country and its culture....He is the kind of person who visits the homes of terrorists killed by police and glorifies them.

Many times, such acts of Digvijay-ji seem anti-national," a BJP release quoted Chouhan as saying at Satna on July 19.

In apparent reference to Singh's calling Osama bin Laden as "Osama-ji", Chouhan asked, according to the BJP release, if adding the honorific Ji' for a terrorist was not an anti-national act.

In his letter, Singh said, "Being the chief minister, it is your constitutional duty to take legal action if any such case falling under the category of anti-nationalism comes to your knowledge."

If the chief minister does not have any evidence against him, then he should apologise, Singh demanded.

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Story first published: Sunday, July 22, 2018, 8:17 [IST]
"Frivolity and the No Confidence Motion, how Rahul hurt Indias image

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

New Delhi, July 22: Accusing Rahul Gandhi of "concocting" a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron, Union Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said the Congress President has seriously hurt the image of an Indian politician before the world at large.

Participating in the debate on 'no-confidence motion' in the Lok Sabha on Friday Gandhi said that Macron told him that there was no binding secrecy clause in the Rafale deal. The statement was denied by the French government.

"Rahul Gandhi, by concocting a conversation with President Macron, has lowered his own credibility and seriously hurt the image of an Indian politician before the world at large," Jaitley said in a Facebook post.

The minister also hit out at the Congress President accusing him of trivialising the no-confidence motion debate stressing "facts are always sacrosanct".

"None should ever trivialise the debate. Those who desire to be Prime Minister never blend ignorance, falsehood and acrobatics."

In the post titled "Frivolity and the No Confidence Motion", Jaitley said the lead participants in the debate are normally senior political leaders. They are expected to raise the level of political discourse.

"A Vote of No Confidence against the Government is a serious business. It is not an occasion for frivolity," he said.

The minister said if a participant in the debate happens to be a president of a national political party nourishing prime ministerial aspirations, every word he speaks should be precious. His facts should convey credibility. The NDA government on Friday faced the no-confidence motion brought in by opposition in Parliament on Friday.

The government won the motion by 325 against 126 votes in the Lok Sabha. In his speech, Gandhi had launched a frontal attack on the NDA government over unfulfilled promises and questioned the Rafale deal, demanding answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on why he allegedly favoured a particular businessman in the contract.

Stating that Gandhi missed a great opportunity, Jaitley said "if this was his best argument for 2019, God help his party". Attacking Gandhi, Jaitley said his lack of understanding is not only confined to basic issues but also to the niceties of protocol. "One should never misquote a conversation with a Head of Government or a Head of State. You do it once, serious people will be reluctant to speak to you or speak in your presence," the minister said.

On Gandhi's accusation about secrecy of the Rafale fighter jet deal, Jaitley said the UPA government itself had entered into the secrecy pact. "Rahul has repeatedly shown that he is ignorant of facts. But to insist on disclosure of financial details, which indirectly involves the disclosures of the strategic equipment on the aircraft, is to hurt national interest. Cost gives away a clue to the weaponry in the aircraft," Jaitley said.

He said there is no minister who either desires to change or is constitutionally entitled to change the Constitution of India. Referring to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Jaitley said the last Indian politician who wanted the power to change the Constitution was Rahul's grandmother and "she too failed".

Taking a dig at Gandhi, he said hallucinations can give momentary pleasure to a person.

"Therefore, to hallucinate after an embarrassing performance that he has won future election or to hallucinate that he is the reincarnation of Mark Antony being complemented by friends and foes alike, may give him self-satisfaction but for serious observers it is more than just self-praise - in fact a serious problem. Even in dynasties many successors remind you of the virtues of their predecessors. Yesterday, I reread two of Panditji's (former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru) legendary speeches - 'Tryst with Destiny' and 'Light has gone out of Lives'," Jaitley said.

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Story first published: Sunday, July 22, 2018, 9:20 [IST]
K'taka HC grants interim relief to Twitter India MD, asks cops not to take coercive steps against him

Ghaziabad building collapse: One body recovered from debris, nine others rescued

India

oi-Madhuri

Ghaziabad, July 22: A five-storey building came down near Missal Gadi in Ghaziabad on Sunday. Rescue services have reached the accident spot where several labourers are feared trapped under the debris. The building collapsed around 3 pm.

Police, fire dept and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team are present at the spot, news agency ANI reported.

As soon as we got info police was the first responder,rescue is being done on war footing. We have rescued 7 people out of whom 1 died & 6 are in hospital. Once rescue ops are completed we will investigate who are responsible for it: IG law & order, on Ghaziabad Building Collapse pic.twitter.com/m1EW6k0Tdb  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 22, 2018

Meanwhile, the NDRF team has rescued nine persons from the site of a five-storey building collapse in Ghaziabad's Missal Gadi. And one body has also been recovered by the team.

.According to the initial reports, the building was under construction and was located in a dense locality. The labourers were working when the incident took places, eyewitnesses said. The owner of the building has been identified as Prasanjeet.

Prima facie, there seems to be issues with quality of the building. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered. 7 people have been rescued and sent to hospital. There is no casualty as of now. Rescue ops are underway: Ritu Maheshwari, Ghaziabad DM on building collapse in Missal Gadi pic.twitter.com/o1AjX62cfm  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 22, 2018

The incident comes on a day when authorities in Greater Noida ordered a building in Shah Beri village to be vacated after a crack developed on one of the pillars.
Om Birla says it pained him that Lok Sabha did not run smoothly during Monsoon session

Modi's speech on no-trust motion full of hatred: Kapil Sibal

India

pti-PTI

Mumbai, July 21: Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said on Saturday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reply to the Lok Sabha debate on the no-confidence motion was "full of hatred".

"The country cannot run on hatred. Our country is a family. Modi's speech in the Lok Sabha yesterday was full of hatred. The need of the hour is to protect the country and its Constitution," Sibal said at a 'Bharat Bachao' meeting organised here by the Youth Congress.

"It is not the BJP, but the RSS that is ruling the country," he alleged. The former Union minister alleged there was a threat to democracy and the Constitution as the BJP was "using institutions for its own interests".

"The Congress doesn't hate anyone," Sibal said. "We can win the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on the strength of the Youth Congress and make Rahul Gandhi the prime minister," he said.

PTI
'We will hear you after you deposit Rs 10 crore', says Delhi HC in National Herald case

National Herald: Restrain Swamy from sharing info on social media says plea in HC

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

New Delhi, July 22: Senior Congress leader Motilal Vora has approached a Delhi court seeking to restrain BJP leader Subramanian Swamy from sharing information about the National Herald case on social media.

Swamy has filed the case against Vora, Rahul Gandhi, his mother Sonia Gandhi and others.

In an application moved before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal, Vora said he has "time and again noticed that the complainant (Swamy) has been putting up various posts on social media regarding the daily proceedings of the instant case for the purpose of causing defamation of the accused and vilification of the court process .

He submitted, The complainant has been indulging in loud and persistent publicity amounting to an interference with the administration of justice."

The application, moved through advocate Tarannum Cheema, said, "Before and after every date of hearing he (Swamy) unleashes hostile publicity through tweets, posts on social media or statements to the media.

Meanwhile, the court recorded a part of Swamy's statement as the complainant and posted the matter for further hearing on August 25 when it will record the remaining part of his testimony.

The BJP leader, in a private criminal complaint, has accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying just Rs 50 lakh, through which Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI) obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that Associate Journals Ltd owed to the Congress.

All the seven accused -- the Gandhis, Motilal Vora (AICC treasurer), Oscar Fernandes (AICC general secretary), Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda and YI -- have denied the allegations levelled against them in the case.

The court had summoned the accused persons, besides YI, on June 26, 2014.

On December 19, 2015, it had granted bail to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Vora, Fernandes and Dubey, who had appeared before it pursuant to summonses. Pitroda was also granted bail on February 20, 2016 when he had appeared in the court.

Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Vora, Fernandes, Dubey and Pitroda had been summoned for the alleged offences of misappropriation of property, criminal breach of trust and cheating, read with criminal conspiracy of the Indian Penal Code.

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Story first published: Sunday, July 22, 2018, 13:30 [IST]
No confidence vote: How the numbers stacked up against the opposition

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, July 22: Following a 12 debate in the Lok Sabha on Friday, the no-confidence motion moved by the TDP and backed the opposition parties against the NDA government was defeated.

The final count- Ayes-126 and Noes-325. The NDA's number which ought to have been at 312 came down to 294 with the Shiv Sena not voting. The BJP's sulking partner, Shiv Sena has 18 MPs in the Lok Sabha. The party at the last minute decided to stay away from voting.

While the NDA's number stood at 294 with the Shiv Sena staying away, it still managed to get a shot in the arm with the AIADMK backing it. With 37 MPs of the AIADMK, the final tally should have been at 331, but the board in the Lok Sabha showed the final count at 325. This is because, four AIADMK MPs and 2 from the BJP did not vote.

Kirti Azad of the BJP was not present as he was away from the country due to personal reasons. Vitthal Radadiya could not make it to the Lok Sabha on Friday owing to health reasons. For the NDA, the final tally would have been at 323, but two MPs were brought to the Lok Sabha on stretchers to vote.

The opposition should have 144 voting in favour of the motion. The tally however stood at 126. The TRS walked out before the vote, while the BJD abstained. Kamal Nath and Nonong Ering of the Congress were not present in the House and had sought prior permission for the same.

Among those who did not vote were, Shiv Sena (18), BJD (19), TRS (11), AIADMK (4), BJP (2) and Congress (2).

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Story first published: Sunday, July 22, 2018, 8:15 [IST]
Congress trying to copy us: TMC on decision to field 40 per cent women candidates for UP polls

Have never seen such chaos, anarchy as what is playing out in Punjab Cong: Manish Tewari

Rahul to be PM candidate, will better 2004 performance: Congress after CWC meeting

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

The Congress on Sunday authorised Rahul Gandhi to take all key decisions, including finalising alliances and charting out campaign plans, ahead of the 2019 general elections. This was among several other key decisions taken at the five-hour long meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) held in New Delhi today, during which the grand old party sounded the bugle for 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Party president Rahul Gandhi said that a group of experienced leaders has been set up that would start working towards alliances for 2019. A strategy to reach out to the voters so as to win back their trust was also discussed the meeting.

"We expect to better our 2004 performance. People will decide. Once Congress party becomes the single largest party touching the same magic figure of 200 or more, naturally Congress party will be leading whoever else wants to come and walk hand in hand," Congress' Randeep Surjewala told the media after the meeting.

Rahul's alliance strategy will be tested in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the states which would go to elections this year before the big Lok Sabha finale in 2019.

"Rahul ji has been authorised to form election campaign committee and take decisions on pre-poll and post-poll alliance," said Ashok Gehlot, AICC General Secretary.

When asked about Prime Ministerial candidate of the Congress, Surjewala told the media, "Naturally then Congress President would be the only face to be projected. Congress would fight this election by putting forward our leader - Rahul Gandhi."

Rahul also warned the party workers to choose words carefully while speaking before media or at public forums so as not to dent the image of the party.

"I am fighting bigger fights. Everyone has the right to speak in party forum but if a party leader gives a wrong statement and weakens this fight, I will not hesitate to take an action," Rahul said.

Rahul chaired the first meeting of the recently-constituted Congress Working Committee today in the Parliament Annexe Building.

Rahul's mother Sonia Gandhi, former PM Manmohan Singh, Ambika Soni, Mallikarjun Kharge, senior general secretary, Ashok Gehlot, were among the key leaders who took part in the meeting.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, in his address, assured Rahul that he and all other Congressmen would help him in the onerous task of restoring India's social harmony and economic development.

"I assure Rahul Gandhiji that we will fully support him in his onerous task of restoring India's social harmony and economic development, he said, rejecting the culture of constant 'self praise and jumlas' (gimmicks), as against solid policy framework for driving the engine of growth," he said.

Gandhi on July 17 reconstituted the party's highest decision-making body with a blend of experienced and GenNext leaders. Of the 51 members, 23 are in the main panel, followed by 18 permanent invitees and 10 special invitees.

CWC, which acts as an advisory panel on all key decisions of the party, has not been in place since a plenary session in March. The committee also has some veteran leaders on it, including Motilal Vora, Ashok Gehlot and AK Antony.

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Story first published: Sunday, July 22, 2018, 19:03 [IST]
DU cut off: 52k students have secured admission so far

Rahul Gandhi chairs first Congress Working Committee meeting

India

oi-Madhuri

New Delhi, July 22: Congress President Rahul Gandhi chaired the first meeting of the recently-constituted Congress Working Committee on Sunday, 22 July, in the Parliament Annexe Building.

Rahul, his mother and previous party president, Sonia Gandhi, and senior general secretary, Ashok Gehlot, were among the key speakers at the meeting.

Speaking at the event, Congress spokeperson, RS Surjewala said,''Rahul Gandhi calls the newly constituted CWC as an institution comprising of experience & energy, as a bridge between the past, present and the future. Calls upon Congressmen/women to rise and fight for India's oppressed.''

''Dr. Manmohan Singh rejects culture of constant self praise&Jumlas of PM as against solid policy framework for driving engine of growth. Points out claim of doubling farm income by 2022 will require an Agri Growth Rate of 14%, which is nowhere in sight,'' he further said.

Gandhi on July 17 reconstituted the party's highest decision-making body with a blend of experienced and GenNext leaders.

Of the 51 members, 23 are in the main panel, followed by 18 permanent invitees and 10 special invitees.

CWC, which acts as an advisory panel on all key decisions of the party, has not been in place since a plenary session in March. The committee also has some veteran leaders on it, including Motilal Vora, Ashok Gehlot and AK Antony.
Lockdown without aid package is inhuman and will cause huge suffering and damage: AAP

Report on oxygen utilisation: What APP and BJP are sparring over

Rahul hugs PM: What is the fuss about asks AAP

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

Patna, July 22: The Aam Aadmi Party lauded Rahul Gandhi's speech during the no-confidence debate in Parliament and criticised the BJP for making a fuss over the hug the Congress president gave to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Although we have differences with Rahul Gandhi on most issues, we admit that his speech yesterday was excellent and he did a fine job of exposing the Modi government's failures, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said.

Asked if the AAP was open to joining an anti-BJP front of parties like the Congress, he said as of now it was not part of any such front.

But Singh, who is member of the AAP's political affairs committee, added it was the need of the hour that all parties opposed to the BJP come together.

We are unable to understand the fuss being made by the BJP over his gesture of hugging the Prime Minister, he said, referring to debate on the opposition's no-confidence motion against the Modi government.

Gandhi had created a flutter during the debate by walking up to the prime minister's seat and hugging him.

"They are fine with the PM hugging his then Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, US President Donald Trump and other heads of state. What is their problem with Gandhi? Singh asked.

He said the prime minister's own reply to the debate on the motion was devoid of gravitas".

The opposition yesterday did a fine job of putting the government in the dock for its numerous failings, Singh said.

The government may have won the trust vote on the floor of the House, but it has lost the trust of the people of the country and the same would get reflected in the results of the next Lok Sabha polls, he told reporters.

Singh accused the BJP of having "vitiated" the atmosphere in the entire country, mentioning incidents like the lynching of a man in Rajasthan by cow vigilantes and the recent assault on social activist Swami Agnivesh in Jharkhand.

Ironically, these acts are carried out while raising slogans in praise of Bharat Mata and gau mata'. The BJP should tell us which mother would condone such barbaric acts in her name, the AAP leader said.

Singh said the AAP supported all parties opposed to the BJP as it felt that its return to power in 2019 would be the worst thing that could happen to the country.

We had therefore supported the Rashtriya Lok Dal candidate in the Kairana bypoll, he said referring to the recent opposition victory in Uttar Pradesh.

He also said in states like Delhi and Punjab, the AAP planned to contest all seats. In Haryana, it will field candidates in most constituencies.

Our aim is to fight 80-90 seats across the country. We will also play a role in places where we may not enter the fray but have some influence, he said.

We have learnt from our mistakes in 2014 when we fought in 403 seats and ended up losing deposits in most of them, he said.

We are now more focused on consolidation in places where we have acquired the potential to win and on strengthening our organization in other places, he added.

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Story first published: Sunday, July 22, 2018, 11:30 [IST]
Sampark se Samarthan: Amit Shah meets Lata Mangeshkar

India

pti-PTI

Mumbai, July 22: BJP president Amit Shah on Sunday held a closed-door assessment meeting of senior party leaders here with the focus on the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and strengthening the cadre in Maharashtra.

After attending the meetings, Shah met melody queen Lata Mangeshkar at her home in south Mumbai as part of the party's "contact for support" campaign. Earlier in the day, the BJP chief, who was supposed to reach Mumbai before noon, landed at the city airport at 1 PM due to some developments in New Delhi.

He spent the entire day in 'Vasant Smruti' building, the BJP headquarter, in south-central Mumbai, a BJP official said. At the meeting, Shah laid down a 23-point working strategy and discussed issues such as increasing the party strength, addressing new voters' groups based on their profession, gender, likings etc and a regular follow up of the voters by the local party workers.

"The national president plainly stated that the strategy has to be implemented in all the Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in the state. At present, the BJP shares its political space with the Shiv Sena and a couple of smaller allies. It is a message that says 'prepare for contesting elections alone'. We will have to rush as the general election are now less than a year away," said a senior BJP minister who attended the meeting.

Shah also reviewed the BJP's performance of 2014 polls, as Maharashtra is the second largest state in the country going by the number of Lok Sabha seats after Uttar Pradesh. Of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, BJP had won 23, the Shiv Sena (18), the NCP four, the Congress two, and the Swabhimani Paksh, a former ally of the BJP, one.

Apart from meeting the 'Vistaraks' of the party whose mandate is to increase the network of the BJP in different geographies, Shah also interacted with the members of the 'Lok Sabha Toli', a group that consists of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, state unit chief Raosaheb Danve, Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, ministers Sudhir Mungantiwar, Chandrakant Patil and Pankaja Munde, Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar, among others.

"The mandate of the group is to identify weaknesses of the party in certain areas, (ways) to overcome them and the current key issues related to the people of Maharashtra. The candidates who had contested and won the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and the current image of the candidates in the same constituency was also discussed at the general-level in this meeting," the BJP official said. He said the BJP is also mulling over holding some events with a view to demonstrate its strength and communicate with the people. "...It could be in the form of discussions, holding bike rallies as well as some innovative ways of reaching out to certain groups of people," the official said, without elaborating.

After the meetings concluded at 8.30 PM, Shah left for the party's "Sampark Abhiyan" under which he met Mangeshkar (88). The BJP chief was scheduled to meet Mangeshkar on June 6, but the visit was cancelled as she was down with food poisoning. He was accompanied by Fadnavis, Danve and Shelar to Mangeshkar's house .

On June 6, Mangeshkar had tweeted in Hindi that she had spoken to Shah over phone and expressed her inability to meet him since she had suffered from food poisoning. She also requested that they can meet during his next visit to Mumbai.

In today's meeting, Shah presented the Bharat Ratna awardee with a booklet on the achievements of the Narendra Modi government in the last four years. On June 6, Shah had called on actress Madhuri Dixit and industrialist Ratan Tata as part of his party's "Sampark for Samarthan" (contact for support) campaign.

PTI
Afghanistan: 14 killed in blast near Kabul airport, VP Dostum has a narrow escape

International

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

Kabul, July 22: At least 14 people were killed and around 60 others injured in what is being suspected as a suicide attack near Kabul airport on Sunday.

Afghan Vice-President Abdul Rashid Dostum is said to have narrowly escaped the bomb attack as he returned home today after more than a year in exile in Turkey.

Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanekzai said the blast went off near the main airport entrance, where Dostum's supporters had been waiting to greet him.

"The number of casualties may rise. The blast happened right after Dostum's convoy left the airport," he reportedly said.

On July 15, at least 10 people died and several others injured in a suicide attack in Afghanistan's Darulaman. A suicide bomber targeted the gate of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development in Darulaman.

['Same source' behind terrorism in India, Afghanistan: Afghan envoy's veiled attack on Pakistan]

On July 1, at least 19 people were killed and around 20 injured in a bomb blast in Afghanistan's Jalalabad city. Among the 19 dead were 12 Sikhs and Hindus. The attack, responsibility of which was claimed by terror group ISIS, happened at a market located near the provincial governor's compound where President Ashraf Ghani was holding meetings.
Congress abandons bid to reverse Trump deal with ZTE

International

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

Washington, July 22: Congress is abandoning an effort to clamp down on the Chinese telecom giant ZTE in a defence bill, essentially green-lighting the Trump administration's deal to save a company that was accused of selling sensitive information to hostile regimes, aides have said.

Senators from both parties expressed outrage that the revised defence legislation, which will be unveiled early next week, guts a provision to reinstate penalties and restrict the Chinese company's ability to buy US component parts.

ZTE was almost forced out of business after being accused of selling sensitive information to nations hostile to the US, namely Iran and North Korea, in violation of trade laws.

President Donald Trump in May warned the ban was causing heavy job losses in China and said he had discussed the matter with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Commerce Department reached a deal with ZTE to lift the ban in June, allowing the company's business with the US to resume.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio, an architect of the anti-ZTE language in the defence bill, said on Twitter he was surprised that House and Senate leaders negotiating the compromise "caved so easily".

Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia called the outcome "a huge mistake." "Beyond frustrated that Republican leaders are caving to the Trump Administration's demands on ZTE. This can only make our country less safe," he tweeted.

Both lawmakers are members of the Senate intelligence committee and have raised concerns about the Chinese company and the White House's approach to it.

Congress was pressured by the White House to yield, with the administration making clear to lawmakers that it viewed the language as tying its hands, according to a source granted anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the negotiations.

The Republican-controlled Senate had tucked the ZTE language into the annual defence bill this summer, delivering a rare rebuke of the White House after it eased up on the telecom company. While the House version of the defence bill blocked the US government purchases and contracting with ZTE, the Senate version went further, reinstating penalties on the company and blocking export provisions.

An aide said the group of House and Senate lawmakers who were appointed to negotiate a compromise between the two bills thought the Senate went too far in inserting Congress into the administration's decision-making.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry viewed it as a separation of power issue. The aide was granted anonymity because the person was not authorised to discuss the talks.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the outcome was just another example of Trump "being weak" against foreign leaders "while Republicans just follow along."

Schumer said, "By stripping the Senate's tough ZTE sanctions provision from the defense bill, President Trump - and the Congressional Republicans who acted at his behest - have once again made President Xi and the Chinese Government the big winners and the American worker and our national security the big losers."

The Commerce Department barred ZTE in April from importing American components for seven years after concluding that the company deceived US regulators after settling charges last year of sanctions violations.

The decision amounted to a death sentence for ZTE, which relies on US parts. The company quickly announced it was halting operations. The ban also hurt American companies that supply ZTE. But the US and China reached a deal that allows ZTE to stay in business in exchange for paying an additional 1 billion in fines and agreeing to let US regulators monitor its operations.

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Story first published: Sunday, July 22, 2018, 13:00 [IST]
Nawaz Sharif's passport will be cancelled on Feb 16, says Pak minister

Imran Khan, military generals to be responsible if anything happens to Maryam: Nawaz Sharif

Lawyers meet jailed Sharifs, discuss appeal against conviction

International

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

Islamabad, July 22: Lawyers for Pakistan's jailed former premier Nawaz Sharif, his daughter and his son-in-law, met them to discuss the appeal against their conviction.

Sharif, 68, and his daughter Maryam, 44, were arrested in Lahore on July 13 on their arrival from London after an accountability court found them guilty over his family's ownership of four luxury flats in London. They were later taken to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

Both Sharif and Maryam have been sentenced by the court to 10 and seven years in prison, respectively, for corruption charges. Maryam's husband Muhammad Safdar was jailed for one year.

But all of them lodged appeals in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against their conviction and the court after initial hearing on Monday adjourned the case till the last week of this month.

Counsel Amjad Pervaiz, a member of their legal team, said they met with Sharif, Maryam and Safdar and discussed legal matters.

He said Sharif was in good health but the former premier complained that facilities they deserved were not provided to them.

Pervaiz also said Safdar had some health issues.

Safdar is a heart patient and his medical record is available. He doesn't want to opt for any other medical facility than the one in jail, nor does Maryam," he said.

Earlier, the legal team was not given access to the Sharifs and their meeting on July 18 was cancelled.

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Story first published: Sunday, July 22, 2018, 12:00 [IST]
India, US have 'one mind, one approach: US Deputy State Secretary on Afghanistan

Hope India, US will be able to resolve differences over S-400 deal: Sherman

Russian foreign minister Lavrov, US State Secy Pompeo speak on bilateral, international issues

International

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

Washington, July 22: Russian Foreign Ministry Sergei Lavrov discussed with his American counterpart Mike Pompeo on Saturday, July 21, prospects of relations between the two countries and possible cooperation on Syria and the Korean Peninsula, the Russian foreign ministry said, reported Xinhua News Agency.

Lavrov and Pompeo had also spoken ahead of US President Donald Trump's controversial summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, on Monday, July 16, and also during it.

During the telephonic discussion, both the officials exchanged their views over further normalising the relations between the two countries that are historically known not to share their best of relationship. They now eye normalisation of the relations "on an equal and mutually beneficial basis," a statement by Russia's foreign ministry said, Xinhua reported.

Lavrov and Pompeo also spoke on issues including possible talks of the Kremlin and White House with other countries to address issues in Syria and also promote denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, the statement said, reported Xinhua.

Trump and Putin discussed several issues besides the two nations' bilateral relations at their first-ever summit in Helsinki. Although the summit sparked controversy since Trump sided with Putin instead of his own country's intelligence over the charges of Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election in the US, he planned to invite Putin to the White House next.

On Friday, July 20, Pompeo confirmed Trump's continuing talks with the Russian president and said the two leaders started discussing return of millions of Syrian refugees.

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Story first published: Sunday, July 22, 2018, 15:58 [IST]
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena attended a groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday to launch the construction of a China-Sri Lanka friendship hospital in Polonnaruwa in north central Sri Lanka.

The National Nephrology Specialist Hospital is being constructed following a request by President Sirisena to the Chinese government.

The 25,517-square-meter hospital, which will be the largest kidney hospital in South Asia, will include 200 inpatient beds and 100 hemodialysis beds.

The construction of the hospital is expected to be completed in two years.

Speaking at the ceremony, President Sirisena said this hospital would not only benefit the people of Polonnaruwa, but would benefit the entire island country.

He said with the assistance of China, this kidney hospital would have state-of-the-art facilities and would be one of the finest kidney hospitals in the region.

Sirisena thanked the Chinese government for fulfilling his request and conducting the feasibility studies to build the hospital.

Noting that China and Sri Lanka shared very strong ties, he said China had also contributed to Sri Lankas economic development.

Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said the hospital would include all the latest facilities to treat patients suffering from kidney diseases and it was being constructed in Polonnaruwa as it was the district which had the highest number of patients with chronic kidney diseases.

Senaratne said to date officials were unable to detect the specific reasons leading to kidney diseases in this area and this hospital would be beneficial for these patients as it would also include facilities to conduct kidney dialysis.

Foreign patients who are suffering from kidney diseases can also seek treatment in this hospital once it is completed in 2020. We are thankful to the Chinese government for fulfilling the presidents request and constructing this hospital, Senaratne said.

Chinese Ambassador Cheng Xueyuan said Polonnaruwa, which was dubbed as Asias capital, is a UNESCO World Heritage Center.

He said the construction of this special hospital in Polonnaruwa would add more value to this city and the hospital itself would treat thousands of people suffering from chronic kidney disease.

The China-Sri Lanka Friendship Nephrology Hospital will also include an Out Patients Treatment Department and six modern surgical theatres needed for kidney transplants.

There will also be a 200-seat auditorium with a car park which can accommodate 300 vehicles.

(Xinhua)
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From Robert Reich Blog

To: Senators Jeff Flake, John McCain, Bob Corker, and Susan Collins

From: Robert Reich

Senators, I write you not as a Democrat reaching out to Republicans, or as a former cabinet member making a request of sitting senators.

I write you as a patriotic American concerned about the peril now facing our democracy, asking you to exercise your power to defend it.

A foreign power has attacked our democratic institutions and, according to American intelligence, continues to do so.

Yet the President of the United States is unwilling to fully acknowledge this, or aggressively stop it. Most of your Republican colleagues in the Senate will not force his hand. As a result, because your party has control of the Senate, there is no effective check on the President -- or on Putin.

What is America to do? We will exercise our right to vote on November 6. But by that time our system may be compromised. The President must be constrained, now. Putin's aggression must be stopped, now.

If just two of you changed parties -- becoming Independent, and caucusing with the Democrats -- the Republican Party would no longer have a majority in the Senate. The Senate would become a check on the President, as the Framers of the Constitution envisioned it would be. And the President could be forced to defend the United States, as the Framers intended.

I implore you to do so.

There is precedent. I'm sure you remember Jim Jeffords of Vermont, who served as a Republican senator from 1989 until 2001. He then left the GOP to become an Independent and began caucusing with the Democrats. Jeffords' switch changed control of the Senate from Republican to Democratic.

Jeffords left the Republican Party because of issues on which he parted with his Republican colleagues and the Bush administration. As he said at the time, "Increasingly, I find myself in disagreement with my party" Given the changing nature of the national party, it has become a struggle for our leaders to deal with me and for me to deal with them."

I knew and admired Jeffords years before he switched parties. We worked together on a number of initiatives when I was secretary of labor. He was a humble man of principle and integrity. He retired from the Senate in 2007, and died in 2014.

I appeal to the four of you to follow his noble example.

The stakes for the nation are far higher than they were in 2001. The issue today is not one on which honorable people like Jeffords may reasonably disagree. The issue now is the fate of our system of government.

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This Neiman Lab story, Newsprint tariffs are a Black Swan event that could speed up the death of U.S. newspapers, reports an effort to create tariffs that will massively raise the costs of newsprint. This is disturbing and suspicious.

Apparently a newsprint company, NORPAC, or Northern Pacific Paper Company owned by One Rock Capital Partners, has brought a claim against Canada that has led to potential tariffs on newsprint that could cause a lot of publishers, especially smaller ones, to go out of business or curtail their publishing.

Forbes magazine reports,

"NORPAC claims that the Canadian government has subsidized the paper companies, creating an unfair arrangement that injured NORPAC's business."

One Rock acquired NORPAC in 2016, from Weyerhauser corporation and a Japanese company, Nippon Paper Industries, which together, ran the company. Nippon Paper reported they sold their share for $40 million.

The Forbes article reports that NORPAC has about 400 employees and that none of the other companies making newsprint in the US have advocated for tariffs. That makes sense, since a tariff could destroy the businesses that buy newsprint. What doesn't make sense is why the Commerce department would proceed with consideration of tariffs to protect a single company when the tariffs would adversely affect the print newspaper industry, with what congressional legislators opposing the tariff report to exceed 175,000 employees.

That's what makes this all very suspicious.

To add to the strangeness of this situation, Mitsubishi corporation is a partner with One Rock. According to Wikipedia, Mitsubishi is

"Japan's largest trading company" and "employs over 60,000 people and has seven business segments,including finance, banking, energy, machinery, chemicals and food." One has to wonder what would motivate Mitsubishi corporation to want to aid in causing the destruction of the print media in the United States.

"Black swan events -- like sudden oil shortages, 9/11 strikes, stock market meltdowns, volcanic eruptions, the Black Death of medieval Europe -- unexpectedly and sometimes catastrophically swoop in, causing, exacerbating, or proliferating great change, as author Nicholas Taleb wrote in his bestseller The Black Swan. "Most vulnerable to such natural or man-made disasters: those individuals or companies already ailing," he wrote. Exhibit A: the newspaper industry."

That one small company could change the economic balance of the newspaper industry seems crazy. But Neimanlab suggests that this move really could do disastrous, catastrophic damage to the print news industry. For example, they explain,

"The financial sustainability of the Black Press of America is now facing a catastrophic and a possible deadly impact, because of these new tariffs," Ben Chavis, CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, wrote this week. His association represents more than 200 African American publishers. "During the past 191 years, the Black Press has survived, endured and overcome past firebombing and improvised explosive attacks, as well as other deadly manifestations of racial violence," he wrote. "Given that newsprint and labor account for most of the cost of running a newspaper, it is easy to see how jacking up the price of newsprint by more than 30 percent could spell the difference between these publications eking out a modest profit or going out of business." In an era when the foundations of democracy and press meet daily new challenges in the homeland, we may encounter one of the hallmarks of non-democracies -- a scarcity of the very stuff that newspaper printing depends upon. Here, even as a president assails the press nationally as the enemy of the people, and as Congress members now use the same mantra against publications like the Fresno Bee, that's just collateral damage. Yet, it's damage nonetheless, with the same impact of such newsprint-restricting moves in Russia and Turkey: less newsprint, less news, fewer journalists. Publishers now find themselves even more boxed in than they were six months ago. What will that prompt? More selling by independent publishers, for sure."

I've written this article to raise questions. Who benefits from destroying the print media? Are there ulterior motives for One Rock Capital Partners, NORPAC and Mitsubishi or any of the people associated with them?

Or maybe they are just predatorily using protection laws, as Steve Forbes is cited as telling the Wall Street Journal, by Neimanlabs:
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Everyone's talking about election hacking these days. In the country's latest reprise of "the Russians are coming," we're all in turmoil about Putin's interference in U.S. elections.

However, don't you find it highly ironic politicians on all sides are so worried about "Russian hacking," while virtually none of them is addressing much more significant forms of election rigging? I'm talking about the criminal fixes arranged by the U.S. officials themselves?

More specifically, these include the retention of the outdated electoral college itself, outrageous gerrymandering of voting districts, super delegates at nominating conventions, voter suppression's many forms (from voter IDs to felony disenfranchisement laws), Koch brother funding of candidates' election campaigns (as in Citizens United), and the use of highly hackable computerized technology that miscounts and discounts millions of votes each election cycle. (No wonder so many of us decide on election day, "Why bother?")

The upshot of it all is that we end up with a system controlled at all levels by a minority party that doesn't want everyone to vote. That's because its members could never be elected to the presidency (and its control of the judiciary) if voters exercised their franchise in anything like the numbers in other industrially-developed countries.

And so, we end up with a crisis of political leadership with one-percenters like Donald Trump and George W. Bush running things -- and with corporate-funded Barrack Obama trailing not very far behind.

I bring all of this up because the theme of today's Liturgy of the Word is political leadership.

The liturgical image at play is shepherding. That pastoral metaphor brings to mind characteristics of presence, watchfulness, protection, and overriding concern for the sheep of the flock. I'm confident you'd agree that the political leaders I mentioned earlier in no way embody those qualities.

The first reading from the Prophet Jeremiah joins us in lamenting the absence of political leaders with the qualities just mentioned. Instead of uniting people, and drawing them together, the would-be leaders even in Jeremiah's day (all men, of course) were dividing and scattering them as effectively as our own. Through Jeremiah God promises to appoint new governance to reverse that syndrome.

Today's reading from the Gospel of Mark elaborates the theme. It focuses on Jesus' own practice of spiritual shepherding. Jesus fulfills the promise of Jeremiah by drawing his apprentice shepherds from an entirely new class of people -- not from the tribe of Levi and its inherited priesthood, not from the royal palace -- not from the one-percenters of his day -- but from the marginalized and decidedly unroyal and unpriestly in the traditional sense. Jesus chooses illiterate fishermen, day-laborers, and possibly real working shepherds. By all accounts women also prominently filled shepherding roles in Jesus' practice.

Finally, the responsorial psalm and Paul's letter to the Christian community at Ephesus remind us of the reason for shepherds at all -- not the preservation of tradition, much less of patriarchy. Rather, shepherds are there to embody compassion. They exist for the welfare of the sheep.

In Paul's words, leaders are to foster the emergence of a new kind of person. In the familiar phrasing of Psalm 23, that new version of humanity is not over-worked, but rested, and lives in pleasant surroundings, without fear, lacking nothing, with plenty to eat and drink. Shepherds are there for the sake of righteousness, justice, and compassion. (Read Psalm 23 again with that in mind.)

So, given our broken electoral system, how do we get from here to there -- to something approaching the biblical vision just described?

Well, I've just read a wonderful book that suggests the path ahead. But, get ready: it involves hard work for all of us. The book is called Grassroots, Geeks, Pros, and Pols. It's written by OpEdNews editor, Marta Steele, and is a magisterial study of the corruption of our electoral system.

To begin with, Steele suggests that we must face up to the facts that:

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ECUADOR'S PRESIDENT Lenin Moreno traveled to London on Friday for the ostensible purpose of speaking at the 2018 Global Disabilities Summit (Moreno has been using a wheelchair since being shot in a 1998 robbery attempt). The concealed, actual purpose of the President's trip is to meet with British officials to finalize an agreement under which Ecuador will withdraw its asylum protection of Julian Assange, in place since 2012, eject him from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, and then hand over the WikiLeaks founder to British authorities.

Moreno's itinerary also notably includes a trip to Madrid, where he will meet with Spanish officials still seething over Assange's denunciation of human rights abuses perpetrated by Spain's central government against protesters marching for Catalonia independence. Almost three months ago, Ecuador blocked Assange from accessing the internet, and Assange has not been able to communicate with the outside world ever since. The primary factor in Ecuador's decision to silence him was Spanish anger over Assange's tweets about Catalonia.

[........]

A source close to the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry and the President's office, unauthorized to speak publicly, has confirmed to the Intercept that Moreno is close to finalizing, if he has not already finalized, an agreement to hand over Assange to the UK within the next several weeks. The withdrawal of asylum and physical ejection of Assange could come as early as this week. On Friday, RT reported that Ecuador was preparing to enter into such an agreement.

The consequences of such an agreement depend in part on the concessions Ecuador extracts in exchange for withdrawing Assange's asylum. But as former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa told the Intercept in an interview in May, Moreno's government has returned Ecuador to a highly "subservient" and "submissive" posture toward western governments.

It is thus highly unlikely that Moreno -- who has shown himself willing to submit to threats and coercion from the UK, Spain and the U.S. -- will obtain a guarantee that the U.K. not extradite Assange to the U.S., where top Trump officials have vowed to prosecute Assange and destroy WikiLeaks.

Click Here to Read Whole Article

Go to The Intercept to read the entire article.
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From Our Future

What does it mean when Timothy Geithner, Barack Obama's bro-ish and apparently self-satisfied former Secretary of the Treasury, becomes president of a company that hoodwinks the victims of the financial system he helped rescue?

If you care about economic justice, or if you want the Democratic Party to win more elections, the answer is: more than you might think.

Monetizing the Poor

Geithner made some (presumably unwelcome) news last week when it was reported that Warburg Pincus, the financial firm he now helms, is in the words of one employee, "monetizing poor people" with exploitative practices and rates that meet the textbook definition of usury.

A Warburg subsidiary called Mariner Finance operates on a simple business model: It mails checks to financially struggling Americans, hides many of its potential charges in the fine print, and counts on them to cash the checks on impulse -- or, more likely, out of a combination of impulse and desperation.

Here's what most people don't know when they cash a check from Mariner Finance, either because it is not disclosed or is hidden in that fine print: The company typically borrows money at 4 to 5 percent interest, but charges customers as much as 36 percent. It charges them an exorbitant amount for a flaky "insurance" policy, which is managed through an offshore company to evade U.S. regulations.

That's grift, pure and simple.

Aggressive Collection

Mariner Finance also uses extremely invasive collection tactics, including phone calls to friends, family, and employers. Customers can be charged an additional 20 percent for legal fees -- and lawsuits are part of the company's aggressive business model.

Last year the company filed 300 lawsuits in Baltimore alone, the Washington Post reports, and customers can be sued within five months of borrowing money.

Websites like Ripoff Report are filled with horror stories like this one about Mariner Finance's practices. Job websites tell grim stories, too, like this one from a self-described former employee:

"It was a requirement to try and make your sales goals by offering sub-prime loans to people with somewhat bad credit scores. They pushed to try and up sell by getting a secured loan by have some form of collateral (car, boat, etc.) There was (sic) a few times where you could actually help... Skip tracing the people that do not pay and constantly calling people for payments were the worst part of the job."

"Mariner Finance was a great place to work," another ex-employee commented, but "I just wasn't very comfortable with the loan business."

The Book of Timothy

Tim Geithner, as president of the private equity investing firm that owns and manages Mariner Finance, seems to feel no such discomfort when he profits from the poor.

The Warburg Pincus website says that the firm's "unique, globally integrated partnership ensures that all of our resources are committed to the success of each portfolio company." The website also boasts of the company's "accountability, ethical business conduct and a sense of responsibility for the local communities in which we operate," which proves you can't believe everything you read.

Predatory financing isn't the only kind of investment you'll find in Warburg Pincus's book of business. Its fossil-fuel investments, according to Bloomberg, include "oil and gas exploration and production, refining, upstream, midstream and oilfield services, (and) power generation and transmission," with some alternative-energy investments thrown in for good measure.

Warburg Pincus also profits from our misshapen, profit-driven health economy. HEWlth investments include "biopharmaceuticals, healthcare services, consumer and digital health, medical devices, diagnostics, biotechnology, and specialty pharmaceuticals."

Where the Money Is

Why did Geithner, who served as President Obama's Secretary of the Treasury, choose to parachute into a private equity firm, instead of one of the more obvious choices on Wall Street for White House alums, like Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase or Goldman Sachs?

CNBC reports that "a person familiar with (Geithner's) thinking" -- it could be Geithner himself, of course -- "said" Geithner specifically did not want to work for a company that he either directly or indirectly regulated" because he was "concerned with worsening the perception of mistrust that many Americans feel toward government and Wall Street."

That unnamed source, according to CNBC, said that he was therefore "looking for a job that would not bring him on a daily basis in contact with the people he did business with in the government."

That all sounds very high-minded, unless you've read these words from The Economist magazine: "Private equity's vitality has seen it replace investment banking as the most sought-after job in finance."

By chance, it would seem, Geithner's noble intentions happened to lead him to one of the most sought-after and lucrative positions in the financial world. Apparently it's true: Virtue is its own reward.

Rewarding the Underserving

Why does the grim story of Geithner's grift even matter? Because it demonstrates that even the supposed good guys and the party that claims to stand up for working people are deeply embedded in the corrupt and exploitative culture of American finance.

I once met Geithner, as part of a group of writers while he was Treasury Secretary. I asked him why he wasn't willing to provide principal relief for American mortgage holders. He replied that it would "reward the undeserving."

Geithner also famously said that foreclosing on struggling homeowners would help "foam the runway" for troubled banks. That's an almost sociopathically callous way to view families who were losing their homes and, in many cases, their life savings: as raw material for Wall Street's rescue.

This is the man Barack Obama chose to guide the American economy, during its gravest crisis since the Great Depression. That says volumes -- about Obama, his party, and the milieu in which they both operate.

Easy Credit Terms

When the government, under Geithner's guidance, bailed out the insurance giant AIG in 2008 with a loan of more than $170 billion, it set strict lending terms. It replaced the firm's leadership, and took an ownership position in the company. (Disclosure: I was a mid-level manager at AIG many years ago, as part of a non-financial subsidiary company.)

That was the right way to handle a mismanaged company.

Why didn't the Obama Administration, and Geithner, do the same thing with the banks and other financial firms it rescued? Why did it help criminal, reckless bankers keep their ill-gotten gains with loans at virtually no cost?

Why did it bend the rules by retroactively declaring Goldman Sachs a bank, despite that firm's well-documented misdeeds? Why did Geithner and Obama both declare that Wall Street bankers had committed no crimes, despite mountains of evidence to the contrary? Why did Geithner appear to let rate-rigging banks off the hook when he ran the New York Fed?

Perhaps it's because those firms and the decision-makers in the administration had too much in common, culturally and socially. They traveled in the same circles, attended the same fundraisers, shared many of the same values. The insurance company operatives were outsiders, rogues, strangers. Executives like Chase's Jamie Dimon and Goldman's Lloyd Blankfein were... well, they were people the administration knew.

Payday Rolls Around

Geithner is not the only veteran of a Democratic administration to cash in. Cashing in is the rule, not the exception. As Zach Carter and Paul Blumenthal wrote recently, "many (Obama Administration alums) are lending the prestige of their White House resume's to scandal-fraught organizations in return for large sums of money. Some are even doing business with the Trump administration."

Many Clinton administration officials, including Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, who helmed Citigroup after leaving the White House, did the same thing.

Nor are presidents immune from the lure of post-political payouts from morally dubious sources. The Washington Post reports that Bill Clinton earned $104.9 million for giving 542 speeches to wealthy and powerful interests, most frequently from the financial industry, in his first 12 years after leaving office. Barack Obama accepted a $400,000 speaking fee from an investment firm less than three months after leaving the presidency.

These speeches aren't just "bad optics," to use the parlance of political operatives, although they certainly hurt the Democratic Party's image. They also hint at a polite, if unstated, agreement: If these politicians and officials don't make life too uncomfortable for Wall Street banks and other predatory interests, someday those interests will make them very, very comfortable indeed.

Fixing The Game

Donald Trump became president for many reasons -- some known and some, perhaps, still to be revealed, but one of them is surely this: Some voters were willing to believe him when he stole Bernie Sanders' rhetoric to say, accurately, that "the economic game was rigged" against working people by big banks.

Trump was lying when he said he'd fix the rigged game, of course. But, after years of disappointment, some people were prepared to believe him. They knew that their financial troubles were created by policies that ignored them and favored the powerful. They also saw that there were people in both parties who were willing to profit from their misery.

Unfortunately, they're seeing the same thing today.
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From Robert Reich Blog



Trump False Fake?

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Trump's meeting with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki was a betrayal of the nation he has a sworn duty to protect.

Under Article III Section 3 of the Constitution, the crime of treason is defined as "giving aid and comfort" to enemies of the United States. Trump has betrayed the American people in five ways we already know of:

1. He ignores attacks on our democracy. According to American intelligence, there's no doubt about Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. And no doubt they're continuing to attack, and planning further attacks, on our democratic institutions and even our energy infrastructure.

Yet Trump casts doubt about the conclusions of the intelligence community, blames past presidents, and turns a blind eye to safeguarding America from current and future attacks.

2. He publicly undermines U.S. intelligence officials -- taking the side of Putin, a former KGB officer, when Putin claims Russia didn't interfere in the election. And Trump accuses his own government officials of being part of a so-called "deep-state" conspiracy out to get him.

3. He attacks our closest allies, weakening America's standing in the world and playing into Putin's hands. During his trip to Europe, Trump insulted German Chancellor Angela Merkel, mocked British Prime Minister Theresa May, and was rebuked by the French President. His unreasonable demands on NATO -- that members increase their military expenditures to 4 percent of their GDPs -- have frayed our most important security alliance.

4. His campaign knowingly sought help from a Russian agent. In June, 2016, senior members of Trump's campaign, including Don Jr., Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort, met with a Russian lawyer who, before they met, had promised them damaging information on Clinton.

5. Then in July 2016 Trump publicly encouraged Russia to meddle in our election, asking Russia to hack Hillary Clinton's email server and release the emails to the public. That same day Russian operatives initiated their cyberattack, and weeks later released the emails.

Never before has a President of the United States so brazenly sided with a ruthless dictator intent on destroying American democracy.

If this is not treason, what is it?
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"In Bottom-Up, Rob Kall offers a blueprint for human surviving and thriving that everyone can follow. Using personal stories from his many famous contacts (from Capra to Quinn), he shows how in every aspect of life we can reconnect with that which is in our DNA by replacing our artificial and oppressive hierarchical priorities via a return to a consciousness based on the kind of egalitarian relationships that we honored for most of human history."



Four Arrows, aka Don Trent Jacobs, PhD, EdD, author of Unlearning the Language of Conquest and Teaching Truly: A Curriculum to Indigenize Mainstream Education
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Why couldn't they prove their own stories?

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I challenged the Atlantic Council, Ukrainian Diaspora, and some of their affiliated publications that designed the Russian hacking and Russian influence narrative to falsify the proof in the articles I presented. I walked though exactly why Robert Mueller's indictment of 13 Russian nationals in February and 12 Russian nationals in July 2018 are political rubbish. Both indictments prove Fancy Bear was Ukrainian Intel.

The Atlantic Council's publisher at large Michael D. Weiss must have taken it seriously, the Daily Beast turned out two stories within a day of my article's publication. As part of their proof, the Daily Beast insist Fancy Bear hacked itself and that is what proves they are Russian hackers. Well, they don't say it quite like that, but they should make an effort to understand what they are reading before blindly agreeing with my position.

We'll get to that in a minute but I want to present a different concept on the entire Russian influence and Russian hacker saga. I call it the "sour milk argument" and it's another way of proving Fancy Bear is Ukrainian Intel.

Sour Milk the Story of Russian Influence and hacking

The premise goes like this-When you take a liter of milk out of the fridge that's questionable, the first thing you do after asking-"honey, is the milk bad?" Is to smell it and look at the expiration date. Once you've done both, you know the truth. If it smells bad and it's after the expiration date, it might be a Mueller indictment.

How can the hackers have an expiration date? If the Fancy Bear Hackers are FSB and GRU, they need to be under Russian command, use Russian infrastructure, and serve Russian interests. Remember, they are Fancy Bear hacking and influencing the 2016 US elections for Russia, not anyone else.

Could the Russian GRU and FSB Russian Fancy Bear hackers hack the DNC and influence the 2016 US elections if they were in Ukraine, using Ukrainian infrastructure, under Ukrainian command, and serving Ukrainian interests? Keep in mind, before you answer this question, Ukraine claims to be at war with Russia since 2014. That's four years and still going.

Robert Mueller indicted Shaltai Boltai for the DNC hacks and claiming they are Russian agents working for the Russian government who have the X-Agent and other signature Fancy Bear tools.

For Mueller's indictment to hold up, the hackers had to be working for Russia during 2016. The expiration of service date for the hackers(when they stopped working for Russia) has to show they did all the DNC hacks and exerted influence on the 2016 election sometime before they left Russian government employment and entered Ukrainian government employment.

Shaltai Boltai's expiration date is first hinted at in the Guardian. They did an interview with Shaltai Boltai aka Anonymous International in Aug 2014. Shaltai Boltai hacked Russian Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev's twitter account. They fabricated the Info Operation which evolved into the Russian influence narrative while on the run as fugitives from the Russian government.

During the interview with the Guardian, they made three things very clear. They supported Ukraine, stood against Russia, and they were in it for the money. By Aug 2014 they had been out of Russian employment for a while and they were trying to hurt and embarrass Russia.

According to Stratfor, "In a 2015 interview, the leader of Shaltai Boltai, code-named "Lewis," said his group was driven purely by money, not ideology... The narrative linking Shaltai Boltai to the FSB officers came just three days after the initial stories suggesting the FSB officers were the sources of leaks to U.S. intelligence."

In 2015, Shaltai Boltai was delivering spreadsheets to Ukrainian Intel which it claimed were official Kremlin worksheets showing which bloggers the Kremlin trusted, which were neutral, and which were opposition. The official groups that make up the Ukrainian government Intel agency which took the docs were CyberHunta, Cyber Alliance, InformNapalm, and Stopfake.

By 2016, as I've shown through overwhelming evidence in previous articles, Shaltai Boltai was still on the run from the Russian government. Because of their activities working for and with Ukrainian Intel against the Russian government, they were arrested, tried, and convicted of treason in late 2016-2017.

For Robert Mueller's indictment not to smell like sour milk, the only reasonable expiration date when Shaltai Boltai had an opportunity to do any DNC hacking and 2016 election influencing while working for the Russian government was in the late winter or very early spring of 2014.

If you want the truth, I'm being generous with that. People don't just wake up one morning, decide to betray their country then hit that project running. Everything they did after late winter in 2014 was for the Ukrainian government and to enrich themselves.

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During the last few days we have witnessed an exemplar display of God's wisdom. The Good Book tells us that God leaves people free to be bad, but lets the wicked fall into their own snares.

The gall of President Putin! How could he ever conceive of a more nefarious plot than to convince President Trump of the brilliance of his scheme. We ask only for reciprocity. We'll let the American jurisprudence have the 12 Russians who have recently been indicted; we ask only for the Russian jurisprudence to "question" 11 Americans who are on our wish list.

What, in President Trump's words, could be a more "incredible offer" than this?

What gullibility on the part of President Trump!

It has taken four days for the Trump Administration to disavow this deal, a decision announced only after a 98-to-0 vote against it in the US Senate.

The rush of the Senate decision has not allowed for a detailed explanation for its unanimous decision.

The seriousness of the situation, a seriousness underscored by President Trump and the Trump Administration to invite President Putin for a state visit in the fall, warrants a detailed explanation of the meaning of these events.

President Trump has betrayed the TRUST that the American people have placed in him.

- It is not in the interest of the 11 American citizens requested by President Putin to be delivered to the Russian jurisprudence;

- It is not in the interest of the American people to make them believe the lie that there is such a thing as Russian jurisprudence, presumably anything like the American jurisprudence, which obeys the rule of law, starting with the US Constitution;

- Russian jurists are executioners of Mr. Putin's will;

- Mr. Putin has declared those 11 American citizens his own personal enemies;

- There is not a shred of evidence that, apart from contradicting the will of Mr. Putin, those 11 American citizens did anything illegal or immoral;

- Mr. Putin is a dictator who has ordered the killing--has killed--his enemies on Russian soil as well as abroad.

- Mr. Putin, by ordering the murder of his enemies while on English soil, has betrayed all rules of international law that protect the integrity of each country on earth;

- Mr. Putin is not working in the interest of the Russian people;

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Turkey last week commemorated the second anniversary of an abortive coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that left nearly 290 people dead and hundreds wounded.

On July 15, 2016, renegade factions within the military used tanks, warplanes and helicopters in an attempt to overthrow President Erdogan.

Clashes took place in Istanbul, Ankara and Marmaris, where Erdogan was on holiday and barely escaped capture. Fighter jets bombed parliament and other spots in Turkey's capital.

Turkey has blamed U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen for being behind the coup attempt. For many observers Gulen is seen a CIA asset living in USA since 1999. Tellingly, Gulen was given permanent residence in the US at the recommendation of three former CIA operatives [Wikipedia].

Some 150,000 people have been sacked or suspended from jobs in the civil service and private sector and more than 50,000 detained for links to the putsch. On July 13, the government said it had dismissed 7,000 more police, civil servants and academics for suspected links to Gulen.

President Erdogan: West hypocritical on freedoms, rights

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized last week the West for having double standards and being hypocritical on rights and freedoms when it comes to Turkey. Speaking in Ankara during an event marking the failed coup attempt, Erdogan commented on the recent decision by the United States to ban banners on July 15 and some European countries' banning Turkish ministers from attending July 15 events organized by the Turkish community.

"We see the U.S. does not allow July 15 posters displayed on subways. We see similar things in Europe. We went to the G20 summit and wanted to meet our citizens in hall meetings. The applications were submitted, however, they did not allow the president of Turkey, they did not allow the ministers. When it comes to it, they talk about freedoms. What kind of freedom is this?" Erdogan said.

Vowing that the fallen victims and those injured on July 15 will not be forgotten, Erdogan also said those aiding-and-abetting coup plotters will not be forgotten, nodding toward Gulenist Terror Group (FET-) members who have not been extradited by some EU countries and the United States.

"The West asked documents from us. What more documents do you want? We have 250 martyrs and 2,193 veterans. What documents are you talking about?" he added. Ankara says that concrete evidence has been submitted to Western allies for the extradition of FET- members in their countries; however due to political reasons, there have been no legal steps taken against FET- members.

22 world leaders attend Erdogan's inauguration

On July 9, 2018, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was sworn in under the country's new presidential system. Twenty-two heads of state attended, including key Ankara allies such as Qatar, Venezuela and numerous Balkan and sub-Saharan African states.

Erdogan's new term promises to seek to revive Turkey's influence on the regional and world stage after years of turmoil that saw a coup attempt in 2016 and widening Turkish involvement in the conflict in Syria.



Turkish media highlighted the attendance of the 22 foreign heads of state as well as "special friends" such as former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Tunisia Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi.

In the Balkans, where Turkey's influence is a remnant of Ottoman-era rule, Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Moldova, Kosovo and Bulgaria sent their presidents. In Africa, Turkey has sought to widen its influence, and the leaders of Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Zambia, Somalia, Sudan and Mauritania came. Ankara's key ally, the emir of Qatar, also came, as did Pakistan. The only high-level leader from the Americas in attendance was Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro.

Prime Minister of Russia Dimitry Medvedev and Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah also attended the inauguration of President Erdogan.

On June 24, 2018, Turkish voters re-elected President Erdogan to another term in office in elections whose outcome is likely to shape the country for years or even decades to come.

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"It's clear that White House stenographers do not serve his administration, but rather his adversary: the truth."

By Andrea Germanos, staff writer



Former White House stenographer Beck Dorey-Stein speaking with CNN's 'New Day' on Wednesday morning.

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A former White House stenographer on Wednesday offered new details into why she resigned from the post, saying she felt President Donald Trump was "not even trying to tell the truth" to the American public.

Beck Dorey-Stein began as a White House stenographer in 2012 under the Obama administration, and resigned just months after Trump took office.

"I quit because I couldn't be proud of where I worked anymore," she told CNN's "New Day."

"I was so proud to serve under the Obama administration, and I felt like president Trump was lying to the American people and also not even trying to tell the truth -- he wasn't even going the extra mile to have the stenographers in the room," she said.

Breaking with precedent, she said the Trump White House office often "didn't include us [stenographers] in his meetings with the press." The president, "we quickly learned, does not like microphones near his face."

She said she'd "never seen anything" like what happened before Trump's interview with Bill O'Reilly in 2017 when Trump spent an hour with the former Fox News host in private ahead of their interview.

"In my five years with President Barack Obama, off-the-record discussions with reporters happened after work hours -- not for an hour in the middle of the work day, and certainly not before an interview," she wrote in an op-ed at th e New York Times. "When a president spoke on the record with a reporter, his staff made sure to have a stenographer present so there could be an official White House transcript, just in case the reporter came out with an inaccurate quotation."

"If President Trump was really interested in fighting 'fake news,' he would have a stenographer present and also would have that transcript ready to go and say, '...We have the transcript, we can just refer to this,'" she said, also pointed to a recent interview Trump gave with British tabloid The Sun which he dubbed "fake news."

"Mr. Trump likes to call anyone who disagrees with him 'fake news,'" she wrote at the Times. "But if he's really the victim of so much inaccurate reporting, why is he so averse to having the facts recorded and transcribed?"

"It's clear that White House stenographers do not serve his administration, but rather his adversary: the truth," she concluded. Watch her interview on CNN below:
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It is the most natural of behaviors for the guilty to lay the blame elsewhere and to make the most noise. The Democratic Party leadership did the meddling -- not the Russians -- when it conspired with Hillary Clinton to deny Bernie Sanders the Democratic nomination. Thus Hillary was an illegitimate candidate to begin with.

Then there was the question of emails. Hillary refused to use the secure State Department server, preferring a personal one. Why? Because she would then be selective in the emails that became public record. And an accurate historic picture of her tenure as Secretary of State is debatable if 33,000 emails were not surrendered. She said these were personal and not work-related but the FBI later recovered about 17,000 and many of these were work-related (para 7 from end of ABC report).



How did the Clintons become so rich? First, if you give commercial banks a license to gamble with depositors' money, they ought to be grateful. Speaking fees are one answer, and heaven knows what else. That gambling can also lead to ruin proved true. Bankrupted, the banks sought help, and were rescued through the public purse. Turning losses public while bonuses and profits remained private emerged as a new capitalism for the very rich. The banks' crooked schemes included certain risky mortgage-backed securities sold as safe that caused huge state pension-funds losses, destroying state finances in some cases. People in those states are still suffering. Any surprise then if Donald Trump's pejorative "crooked Hillary" resonates to this day.

Second, during Hillary Clinton's tenure as Secretary of State, there was talk of her either using the position, or of the position itself leading to favor seekers donating to the Clinton Foundation. During the 2016 election campaign, Trump said Hillary Clinton received tens of millions by countries that 'treat women horribly ... and countries that kill gays'. Politifact says the claim is half-true. He also asked that she return the $25 million Saudi Arabia gave to the foundation.



The Democrats continue to blame the Russians for the election loss despite their own meddling -- nothing like shooting the messenger --- and other issues like emails erupting just before the election. Hence the uproar over the Helsinki summit. Add the Ukraine and Crimea issue and assorted lobbies, and soon Republicans joined in. But anger and hysteria are their own catharsis, and after Trump had been accused of treason and called a traitor, there was little else except to cool off.

When Trump placed the blame for poor relations with Russia on 'many years of US foolishness and stupidity,' he was being mild. Others might have said worse. Look at the record. Years of recruiting Eastern-bloc countries into NATO after promising not to; after all, Russia accepted peace and disbanded the Warsaw Pact. Then the blatant interference in Ukraine, toppling an elected government and dismembering the country, leaving a trail of blood.



The fact is, one either supports peace or one does not. In the US unfortunately, there are plenty of supporters for war. Otherwise, why would we get Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan (17 years and continuing), etc., etc., etc. And the Nobel Peace Laureate Barack Obama delivering the 2018 Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture. A supreme irony because the old man himself refused to meet Obama after what he had done to his friend Gaddafi. One has to be reminded, Gaddafi provided financial support to the ANC independence movement when no one else cared or dared. At the time in the West, Mandela was a terrorist. Gaddafi also helped the IRA. And what do we have in Libya now? A descent from a secular country supporting women's rights and leading Africa in the Human Development Index to a disaster spawning fundamentalist extremists as far south as Nigeria. How soon the world forgets.

One may criticize Trump for much of his agenda -- and I do often enough -- but he has kept us mostly out of war. With Hillary the Hawk, we would have been mired in Syria up to our necks, in serious danger of a major conflagration with Russia.



Let's support peace irrespective of who nurtures that gentle dove.


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From Wallwritings

Bibi Netanyahu has long begged for others to recognize that "Israel is a Jewish state." No one has agreed to do so. So Bibi and his Likud right-wing party did it for themselves.

Netanyahu is the Donald Trump of the Mediterranean. Both men are driven by a desperate need for political and economic power for its own sake, coupled with an equally strong need to be loved. Donald wants the love for himself and his family. Bibi seeks love for himself and his tribe.

They arrived on the world political stage at just the moment to sustain each other.

In its sham negotiations with the Palestinian people, recognizing Israel as the Jewish state was always Israel's basic demand. Bibi does not care that it is impossible to have a state that is a democracy of exclusively Jewish people. To identify Israel as a Jewish democracy is to label the nation with an oxymoron.

Both Trump and Bibi embrace non-democratic tyrants. Donald and Vladimir Putin are currently cementing their affair in public. Most recent example: The "would/wouldn't" game Trump played against his own intelligence agencies.

Seattle-based Jewish blogger Richard Silverstein, writes that, like Trump, "Bibi Netanyahu, desperate to find a few paltry allies somewhere, anywhere, has cultivated a bromance with Hungary's Viktor Orban. Orban isn't such a metzieh (Yiddish for 'a find'). He is the far-right, anti-immigrant, Islamophobic anti-Semitic premier of Hungary. Netanyahu is the far right, Islamophobic, racist, anti-refugee-PM of Israel."

Donald Trump's embrace of strongmen tyrants will not be his downfall, even though he embraces Russian President Vlad Putin, who has intervened in our 2016 presidential election and is busy working to do the same in our 2018 mid-term election.

American establishment types are outraged over Trump's blatant and undisguised racism. But Republicans nominated him while Democrats failed to defeat him. Those who voted for him, and those who did not oppose him with vigor, gave him a big electric train to keep him amused. The train is called, "the most powerful job in the world."

Nor will Trump's cringe-inducing sexual conduct and mindset bring him down. His sexual and financial conduct look to those who swear by him, as just good old Trump doing his thing. And even among among voters not enamored of him, at least he is neither Hillary nor Barack.

Will the Mueller investigations deliver hope? Is impeachment a way to take back that electric train? Probably not. Impeachment would simply give Vice President Mike Pence the White House, where he would be a slicker, more rational Trump.

Unless Pence is dragged down with Trump by either Mueller or impeachment, he is next in line.

A conservative radio and TV talk show host in the 1990s. Pence successfully ran for Congress in 2000 where he became the House Republican conference chairman, before being elected governor of Indiana in 2012. The Republican party made him Trump's running mate.

Trump's soulmate Netanyahu is confronting legal findings in Israel, which could lead to his ouster. But just as Trump could be replaced by Pence, Bibi is the leader of the right-wing Likud which would replace him with an equally hard-right leader.

The two nations, partners in oppression, are now radically right in political outlook. Opposition parties in Israel and the U.S. show few signs of being able to change that outlook anytime soon.

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Utilities Energy Management Software Market Challenges, Standardization, Competitive Market Share, Operator Case Studies

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The report portraying an all-inclusive research of the global Utilities Energy Management Software market encircles the rate of expansion of the market for the estimated period. Offering a brief summary, the report includes the estimation and size of the global Utilities Energy Management Software market in the upcoming period. It also highlights major conveying factors for the expansion of the global Utilities Energy Management Software market as well as established players in the market along with their market share.New market research report helps analyze the Utilities Energy Management Software market on a global basis and also offers forecast and statistics in terms of revenue for the anticipated forecast period. This research study offers a detailed overview of the market dynamics that are expected to affect the overall industry in the coming few years. In addition, the study explains the impact of the key factors on the development and growth of the global market through the forecast period.Get Sample copy of this Report:To offer a clear understanding of the Global Utilities Energy Management Software market, several questions have been addressed in the research study concerning the growth of the global market. It is also been discussed with respect to projected growth rate of the global market in the near future. Also, depending on the ongoing trend of the market, the region which is anticipated to witness high growth in the next few years is studied in detail.Companies Profiled in this Report includes: MapMyFitness Inc, Runtastic GmbH, FitnessKeeper Inc, Azumio Inc, Endomondo ApS, Wahoo, Garmin Ltd, Jawbone, Polar Electro, PearsportsFor the purpose of study, Global Utilities Energy Management Software market is segmented based on various parameters. An in-depth regional classification of the market is also included herein. The factors which are impacting the markets growth are studied in detail. The report also presents a round-up of vulnerabilities which companies operating in the market must avoid in order to enjoy sustainable growth through the course of the forecast period.Get Discount on this Premium Report:The report provides information on the technological advancements that are bound to take place in the coming years or are currently taking place in the market. Furthermore, the opportunities and threats faced by the main players dominant in the Global Utilities Energy Management Software market have been highlighted. This report covers the market from the bottom line, starting from its definition. Later, it segments the market on various criteria to give a depth of understanding on the various product types and pricing structures and applications. Each and every segment is examined carefully by factoring in revenue and market size in order to understand the potential of growth and scope.Table of ContentsGlobal Utilities Energy Management Software Market Research ReportChapter 1 Utilities Energy Management Software Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic Impact on IndustryChapter 3 Global Market Competition by ManufacturersChapter 4 Global Production, Revenue (Value) by RegionChapter 5 Global Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by RegionsChapter 6 Global Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 Global Market Analysis by ApplicationChapter 8 Manufacturing Cost AnalysisChapter 9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersChapter 10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersChapter 11 Market Effect Factors AnalysisChapter 12 Global Utilities Energy Management Software Market ForecastFor more information:About us: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.Contact us:Sunny DenisU.S. Address10916, Gold Point, Dr,Houston, TX - 77064E-mail:sales@researchnreports.comPhone:+1 888-631-6977
Medical Imaging Systems Market by Manufacturers,Types,Regions and Applications Top Key Vendors like

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The medical imaging contains different types of modalities that are used to image the human body for diagnosis and treatment of various diseases, and therefore plays an important role in improving health. The medical imaging industry has been altered from bed-side monitoring towards high-end digital scanning. These instruments help in creating a database of normal anatomy and physiology of internal organs so that any abnormality can be observed immediately. The ability to create pictures of a patient-2019s internal anatomy and convert them to picture through diagnostic imaging has transformed the way various diseases and injuries are detected, diagnosed, and treated.Free 10 % Customization in this Report @Top 10 Players Medical Imaging System Market Overview:Philips Healthcare,GE Healthcare,Shimadzu Corporation,Varian Medical Systems,Toshiba Medical Systems, Inc.,Carestream,Aribex Corporation,Ziehm Imaging Inc.,and others.The medical imaging system market has been witnessing significant growth over the past few years owing to technological developments in diagnostic imaging devices, increasing incidences of chronic diseases combined with the rapidly aging population, rise in number of medical imaging procedures, and awareness for early diagnosis of clinical disorders are the crucial factors that are anticipated to boost the medical imaging system market growth. Technological developments coupled with supportive investments and funds by government particularly in developing countries such as India and China is also likely to contribute towards the market growth. Though, factors such as the high cost of diagnostic imaging systems, technological limitations related with standalone systems, negative healthcare reforms in the U.S., and the shortage of helium are projected to confine the growth of this market to a certain extent.Browse Free detailed TOC and Charts & Tables of Medical Imaging System Market Research Report available atThe market report includes the following sections:Chapter 1: IntroductionChapter 2: Executive SummaryChapter 3: Global Medical Imaging System Market  Market DynamicsDriversRestraintsOpportunitiesChapter 4: Global Medical Imaging System Market  By Product TypeComputed Tomography ScannersX-Ray Imaging SystemsMRI Systems.Chapter 5: Global Medical Imaging System Market  By ApplicationsObstetrics HealthOrthopedics & MusculoskeletalNeuro and SpineCardiovascular and ThoracicGeneral ImagingBreast HealthChapter 6: Global Medical Imaging System Market  By RegionNorth AmericaUSCanadaEuropeUKGermanyFranceRest of EuropeAsia PacificJapanChinaIndiaRest of Asia PacificLatin AmericaMexicoBrazilRest of Latin AmericaMiddle East & AfricaSouth AfricaUAESaudi ArabiaRest of Middle East & AfricaChapter 7: Company ProfilesBrowse Complete Report Buy-now @The medical imaging system market based on the geography is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. The North American market is further segmented into US and Canada. The Europe market is categorized into UK, Germany, and France. The market for Medical Imaging System in Asia Pacific is segmented into Japan, China, and India. The Latin American market is categorized as Mexico and Brazil. The Middle East & Africa region is classified as South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. The medical imaging system market report includes market size and analysis for all the above-mentioned regions and countries for product type and application.About Us:Global Market Forecasts is a global business intelligence and consulting firm aimed at assisting our clients to make critical business decisions and achieve exponential growth in their business. We focus on emerging markets and technologies, and insights on niche markets. Our reports include information on recent trends and innovations. Our pool of more than 300 off-shelf reports in each industry and customized reports based on the clients requirement aids our client in making faster business decisions.Contact Us:Company Name: Global Market ForecastsTel: +1-201-564-4683 / +44-33-0606-0991Web:
I was recently invited to join a nonviolent protest where I may be arrested. I am a rabbi, Jewish leader and role model. My religious colleague's challenge arrived on the heels of a conversation that questioned what I and others are doing to protest President Donald Trump's undermining of our most basic beliefs.

Trump subtly endorses racial and ethnic bigotry. He removes children from their parents, rejects international efforts to fight climate changes, admires tyrants who subvert basic human rights and declares our international allies as foes. He exaggerates and lies daily. He has a personal history of misogyny and began his campaign by denigrating Mexican immigrants as criminals and rapists while casting aspersions on a federal judge because of his Mexican heritage, then questioning the loyalty of gold star parents.

I plan to join the upcoming demonstration at Sheridan's federal prison where 121 asylum-seeking men, some separated from family, are detained. Whether they should be granted asylum is less significant than how this administration denigrates potential immigrants seeking refuge in our country.

My parents were refugees from Nazi Germany when a civilized nation went crazy. We wonder how good people did nothing during the 1930s. Though we are not living in Nazi Germany, we must all question our individual responsibilities as our values are being sabotaged before our eyes.

My potential arrest may not alter existing immigration policies. It is nevertheless necessary to act in protest to the shocking direction of this administration. Our children and grandchildren are depending on us.

-- Daniel Isaak, Southwest Portland

Isaak is Rabbi Emeritus at Southwest Portland's Congregation Neveh Shalom.
By ANDREW SELSKY, Associated Press

SALEM, Ore. (AP)  Strip searches. Overcrowded cells with open toilets. Scant meals that violate religious restrictions.

Federal public defenders say 120 asylum seekers are enduring those conditions at a federal prison in Sheridan where some have considered suicide and at least one has attempted it.

"We are dying day by day inside here," one detainee said, William Teesdale, chief investigator for the federal public defender's office in Oregon, wrote in a filing in federal court in Portland.

The immigrant was unwilling to be identified in the filing due to fear of persecution or retaliation, Teesdale said in the documents.

Most of the asylum seekers held at the prison in rural Sheridan say they faced risks in their home countries, including India, Nepal, Guatemala, Mexico and China.

Instead of being welcomed to the U.S., they ran into the "zero-tolerance" policy of the Trump administration that calls for the detention of people who try to enter the country illegally.

"Here we have come to save our lives but I think we will die here in jail," one detainee said, according to Teesdale's affidavit.

Several detainees have untreated medical conditions, including a heart problem, gunshot wound and broken leg.

He said they are triple-bunked and confined for long hours in cells with open toilets. They must eat in the cells and have no indoor or outdoor recreational opportunities.

They are strip-searched in front of other detainees, and Hindus were given beef and pork to eat, even though it's against their religion, and tried to survive on just the vegetables accompanying the meals, Teesdale said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently transferred four detainees to a center in Tacoma, Washington, for specialized medical care, ICE spokeswoman Clarissa Cutrell said.

The agency has no comment on the conditions in Sheridan due to pending litigation, Cutrell said.

Leland Baxter-Neal, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, called the conditions inhumane and unconstitutional.

The Trump administration's decision to put the immigrants in the prison, where they mixed for three weeks with the general prison population, has caused "chaos, confusion and massive human suffering," he said.

Federal Public Defender Lisa Hay said in a letter to Warden Josaias Salazar and Acting ICE Field Office Director Elizabeth Godfrey that her office learned of an apparent suicide attempt by a detainee.

"Both those who witnessed the incident and those who heard of it have expressed great distress," Hay said.

Other detainees also considered killing themselves, court documents state.

Petitions were filed Wednesday by Hay's office seeking court hearings for five detainees, whose names were redacted because of their security concerns.

"I have to cry in my pillow," an immigrant identified as ICE detainee No. 1 said in his habeas corpus brief. "I have suicidal thoughts but then I remember my family. My family is all that keeps me going."

The public affairs office of the Federal Bureau of Prisons did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A statement filed in court shows the prison had to scramble to take in the immigrants, who were sent there because other holding facilities used by ICE were overloaded.

The prison received only one day of notice  on May 30  that about 130 detainees would be arriving, Amberly Newman, an adviser to the prison warden, said in a declaration in federal court.

She said they had to be mixed with the general prison population for the first three weeks before they could be separated into different units.

One of the detainees described guards making him and his two cellmates strip to their underwear.

"In the night, it gets so cold in the cell and when l was in boxers and T-shirt, I was terribly cold," he said, according to his habeas corpus filing.

Victoria Bejarano Muirhead of Innovation Law Lab said her Portland-based group has engaged over 80 volunteers to provide legal services to the detainees.

Those seeking asylum must show authorities they have credible fear in their homelands. Twenty of those immigrants at the prison have provided statements that lead to hearings before a judge, Muirhead said in a conference call with journalists.

Hay wrote on July 9 to Salazar and Godfrey that some conditions have improved, "but continue to fall below the minimum standards set by our government for immigration detention and, in my view, violate the Constitution by imposing punitive detention on civil detainees."
GRASS VALLEY  The Substation wildfire that raged across 80,000 acres is out, officials said. Focuses are shifting toward recovery after days of blazes.

"In Sherman County and for the folks in Wasco County, you showed the state how to get stuff done, and we did it," Sherman County Sheriff Brad Lohrey said. "This thing is done."

The goal is to have the fire completely contained within the next day or two, said Kyle Cannon, operations sections chief for Pacific Northwest Team Two. It's mostly black, charred earth inside the fire zone. Firefighters are checking the fire's perimeter to feel for any heat that could be dangerous if strong wind comes.

This marks the end of a wildfire that drew firefighting resources from around Washington and Oregon. Once designated the country's No. 1 firefighting priority, some firefighters are being sent home or to other fires breaking out in southern Oregon.

Fire officials hosted a community meeting in Grass Valley on Saturday afternoon to inform the community on steps to move forward. The fire stopped on the outskirts of the town, so its quiet main street remains intact.

Farmers and others with damaged property and losses need to report damages to their private insurance within 72 hours, Jim Johnson, a representative from the Oregon Department of Agriculture cautioned. However, most basic crop insurance policies do not cover fire losses.

Grass Valley resident Eric Whitley, 46, remained in town even while level three evacuations were issued. He helped evacuate his daughter and her family and sent his four dogs and cats away to a safer area. He wouldn't leave, though, because he said his family has had property in the town since 1904.

"It's just not an option," Whitley said.

While his property wasn't damaged, he knows the fire's destruction is going to having a dire effect on the surrounding area for the farmers, the hunters, the fishers and all who work with the land.

The area the fire struck is known for wheat farming. But the destruction wasn't limited to the wheat crop, so Johnson said farmers should make sure to document everything impacted by the flames, from livestock to fencing.

The relief programs available are mostly loan based but could expand to include grants, Johnson said. Later this month, the National Guard will have agencies assembled at in Wasco and Moro to aid with insurance, building codes, permitting, short term loans and other resources as people begin to rebuild.

Nearly 15 volunteers from the Red Cross have been on hand since the fire broke out to provide temporary housing for evacuees and coordinate with fire officials and communities. Two people stayed in the Red Cross shelter.

They will continue to help the communities as they move past the immediate danger and into recovery and rebuilding, volunteer Carrie Sammons said. Case workers from the organization will reach out to families who lost their homes to offer financial aid.

The Red Cross also has nurses and mental health professionals available.

After the dangerous few days, Sammons said she was struck by how people took care of each other. The reason so few people were stayed in the Red Cross's shelter she said was because they stayed in their homes or with a neighbor.

"The resilience of communities never ceases to amaze me," Sammons said.

Cash donations are the best way to help after a disaster, Sammons advised. Donations to organizations like the Red Cross or Salvation Army help.

A

donation page has also been started. It's one step toward rebuilding the devastated land.
Updated at 7:22 a.m. Monday

The Substation fire, which burned up thousands of acres southeast of The Dalles, is 92 percent contained.

The fire perimeter has also been reduced from 80,000 to 78,425 acres after more accurate mapping was used, fire officials announced on Facebook Monday morning.

Little fire activity was seen Sunday, but some areas along Eightmile Canyon and the Deschutes River are still smoldering as the hot, dry weather continues, officials said.

All evacuation areas in Sherman and Wasco counties were reduced to level one (get ready) Sunday morning.

The towns of Biggs, Rufus, Wasco, Moro and Grass Valley have since been downgraded to a zero, while Kent remain at level one, the Sherman County Sheriff's Office announced on Facebook Sunday evening.

The Substation fire rages southeast of The Dalles on Wednesday, July 18, 2018. Mark Graves/The Oregonian

Fire spokesman Kale Casey said there was zero fire movement Saturday and no fire-related road closures as of Monday morning.

As of Monday morning, 65 firefighters remain on scene, Casey said.

The Deschutes River is open again, but Casey warned people to be careful when camping and boating in the area as there may be some hot ash pits.

"People still need to be vigilant and very very cautious because this is going to be a horrific fire season," Shawn Payne, emergency manager for the county, said Sunday.

Type 3 Incident Commander Kenny Gaynor said some smoldering from trees and other objects is expected through the next week, but he encourages anyone who sees significant smoke or flames to call Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch at 541-316-7700.

The most recent count on damaged structures included four primary structures and four secondary structures, Casey said. A damage map is being put together to help with rebuilding.

While there was no damage to wind turbines, some of the buildings on the electrical grid were impacted, Casey said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Wasco County Sheriff's Office.

Though outside fire crews are heading back to their own communities, local resources will remain in place, said Lt. Damon Simmons with the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office

"Right now the situation is looking good," Simmons said.

There will be a community resources meeting regarding the fire on July 30 in The Dalles, Casey said.

--Anna Spoerre
The victim of the fatal shooting at a York County bar was sticking up for a friend who was the target of some racial slurs.

Chad Merrill, 25, died at the York Hospital after he was shot in the chest around 1 a.m. Saturday at the Red Rose Restaurant and Lounge.

Shortly afterwards, police took James Saylor, 24, of Lower Windsor Township, into custody and charged him with one count of criminal homicide.

James Saylor.

A little more light has been shed on what happened now that investigators say Saylor made racist comments directed at a black man, Jerrell Douglas, whom Merrill defended just before the fatal shooting outside of the Hellam Township bar, the York Daily Record is reporting.

Saylor had been arguing with Douglas before he was kicked out of the bar, and that's when surveillance video shows him heading towards his pickup truck and shooting towards the building, according to reports.

The same video shows Merrill walking towards Saylor, then falling to the ground. Witnesses say Merrill may have been approaching Saylor to try to keep the peace, according to the YDR.

Merrill was the father of a 5-month-old son, Layton and was remembered by his family as a "fun-loving guy" who always wanted to create peace, reports indicate.

The family has set up a GoFundMe page for his funeral expenses.

The incident remains under investigation. Saylor is set for a preliminary hearing Aug. 3 before Magisterial District Judge Robert A. Eckenrode.
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In another eye-opening Hillary Clinton interview, the 2016 popular vote winner told MSNBCs Joy Reid that she cant say that Donald Trump isnt a white supremacist, particularly following his response to the racist violence in Charlottesville this summer.

The former Secretary of State did not definitively call Trump a white supremacist, but its rather stunning that she refused to say he isnt one.

Video:

This is pretty stunning: Hillary Clinton essentially refuses to say Trump isnt a white supremacist #AMJoy pic.twitter.com/TwDNgNTSMD  Sean Colarossi (@SeanColarossi) September 23, 2017

Joy Reid asked, In your view  I mean, this has been said about him  is Donald Trump a white supremacist?

Hillary Clinton refused to say the man in the Oval Office isnt:

Well, I certainly think theres a lot of evidence as to how he has behaved historically, during the campaign, and as president, that he is appealing to those who are. I cant look into his heart, I cant say what he really feels because I think he is such a political opportunist that if he thought he could get votes and loyalty from a different direction, he would probably go there. But he started off from the very first day, attacking Mexicans, calling them rapists. He had dog whistles that got increasingly louder on immigrants and Latinos and African Americans and women and Muslims and the whole panoply of scapegoats that he was holding out to his supporters as the explanation for whatever their grievance was.

As Clinton said, its hard to truly tell what is in Trumps heart  to the extent that he has one  but it essentially becomes irrelevant whether he is truly a white supremacist or if hes just appealing to them for his own political gain.

In either case, he is emboldening those who do openly subscribe to the hateful ideology of the KKK or other white supremacist groups. That is unacceptable for anybody seeking to hold elected office, especially the President of the United States.
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By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters)  The FBI on Saturday released documents related to the surveillance of former Trump presidential campaign adviser Carter Page as part of a probe into whether he conspired with the Russian government to undermine the 2016 U.S. election.

The 412 pages, mostly heavily redacted and made public by the Federal Bureau of Investigation late Saturday, included surveillance applications to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and warrants surrounding the investigation into Page.

The FBI believes that Page has been collaborating and conspiring with the Russian Government, the surveillance application filed in October 2016 said. The documents released include applications and renewal warrants filed in 2017 after Trump took office. Page has denied being an agent of the Russian government and has not been charged with any crime.

Earlier Saturday, the New York Times reported it had received a copy from the Justice Department after it and other news organizations had filed suit.

The documents released said the FBI believes that the Russian Governments efforts are being coordinated with Page and perhaps other individuals associated with Trumps campaign. It added Page has established relationships with Russian Government officials, including Russian intelligence officers.

Republicans lawmakers have contended that the FBI made serious missteps when it sought a warrant to monitor Page in October 2016 shortly after he left the Trump campaign.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said on Saturday that these documents provide clear evidence of Russias coordination with Carter Page, a high-ranking Trump campaign official, to undermine and improperly and illegally influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election.'

Last week, a federal grand jury charged 12 Russian intelligence officers with hacking Democratic computer networks in 2016, in the most detailed U.S. accusation yet that Moscow meddled in the presidential election to help Trump. Earlier this year, thirteen other Russians and three Russian companies were indicted on charges of conspiring to interfere with the election.

Michael Horowitz, the departments inspector general, said in March that he would review whether the FBI and the Justice Department followed proper procedures when they applied for a warrant to secretly conduct surveillance on Page and his ties to Russia.

Republicans have claimed that the FBI used in part a dossier compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele to justify the warrant, and failed to disclose to the court that Steele was employed by a firm funded by Democrats to do opposition research on Trumps business dealings.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
By David Brunnstrom and Karen Freifeld

WASHINGTON (Reuters)  U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday denied any wrongdoing a day after reports that his onetime attorney Michael Cohen had recorded them both discussing buying the rights to a story by a woman who said she had an affair with Trump.

The president said in a tweet it was perhaps illegal for a lawyer to record a client. An attorney for Cohen called Trumps statement false.

Inconceivable that the government would break into a lawyers office (early in the morning)  almost unheard of, Trump tweeted, in an apparent reference to an FBI raid on Cohen in April.

Even more inconceivable that a lawyer would tape a client  totally unheard of & perhaps illegal. The good news is that your favorite President did nothing wrong! Trump added.

Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani told Reuters on Friday Cohen recorded a conversation with Trump in September, two months before the 2016 election, in which they discussed buying the rights to a story by a former Playboy model, Karen McDougal, who said she had an affair with Trump.

On Saturday, Giuliani told Reuters the conversation was held at Trumps office in Trump Tower and that Cohen used a hidden device to record the conversation. In New York state, it is legal to record a conversation if one party consents.

Giuliani said no campaign funding was involved in the discussion between Trump and Cohen, who has distanced himself from Trump in recent months as the FBI investigates Cohens business dealings. If campaign funds were used, that could run afoul of federal election law, legal experts say.

In a tweet on Saturday, a lawyer for Cohen, Lanny Davis called Trump and Giulianis strategy flawed and the presidents Twitter statement against Cohen false.

Rudy claims the tape is exculpatory. Why so angry? Davis added.

Before the election, the Trump campaign denied any knowledge of payment to McDougal, but the taped conversation could undermine those denials.

The existence of the audio recording was first reported by the New York Times, which said Trump and Cohen discussed a potential payment to McDougal.

Giuliani said the conversation involved reimbursing the parent company of the National Enquirer tabloid for McDougals story rights. The payment was never made, he said.

Its pretty clear from the tape, its the first time Trump is finding out  AMI had bought the rights from McDougal, Giuliani said in a short interview on Saturday.

AMI, American Media Inc., is the parent company of the National Enquirer. Giuliani added that Cohen was speaking with Trump to tell him that information and Cohen recommended Trump buy the rights from AMI.

Giuliani had earlier denied Trump had an affair with McDougal. He said the tape would show that Trump makes clear that if there is going to be a payment, it should be done by check, which would be easily traced.

Speaking on Friday, Giuliani said the FBI seized the recording this year during a raid on Cohens office.

The FBI investigation stemmed in part from a referral by the U.S. special counsels office, which is looking into possible coordination during the election campaign between Trumps aides and Russian officials. Moscow denies U.S. allegations that it interfered in the election and Trump denies any campaign ties to Russian officials.

A representative for McDougal has not responded to requests for comment. The White House had also declined comment.

McDougal has said she began a nearly year-long affair with Trump in 2006 shortly after his wife, Melania, gave birth.

She sold her story for $150,000 in August 2016 but it was never published by the National Enquirer, a practice known as catch and kill to prevent a potentially damaging story from becoming public. David Pecker, the chairman of parent company American Media Inc (AMI), is Trumps friend.

Giuliani said the discussion of payment did not mean McDougals claim of an affair was true and characterized it as an attempt to resolve false allegations that were personally damaging to Trump.

Under U.S. election law, presidential candidates must disclose campaign contributions, which are defined as things of value given to a campaign in order to influence an election.

Giuliani said the proposed payment was a personal matter and not subject to campaign finance law.

The New Yorker magazine reported in February that Trump had an affair with McDougal at the same time he had a relationship with porn star Stormy Daniels and that the National Enquirer prevented McDougals story being made public.

The White House has said Trump denies having sex with Daniels.

Federal prosecutors in New York are investigating Cohen for possible bank and tax fraud, and for possible campaign law violations linked to a $130,000 payment to Daniels and other matters related to Trumps campaign, a person familiar with the investigation has told Reuters. Cohen has not been charged with any crime.

(Reporting by Andrew Heavens, David Brunnstrom and Karen Freifeld; additional reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
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By Ed Stoddard

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters)  Thousands of pages of U.S. intelligence documents on Nelson Mandela were made public on Wednesday, revealing that Washington continued to monitor the South African anti-apartheid hero as a potential Communist menace even after he was released from prison, a group that sued to obtain the papers said.

The Washington-based group Property of the People released the papers to mark the 100th anniversary of Mandelas birth. It said it obtained them after years of litigation.

The documents reveal that, just as it did in the 1950s and 60s with Martin Luther King Jr and the civil rights movement, the FBI aggressively investigated the U.S. and South African anti-apartheid movements as Communist plots imperiling American security, the groups president Ryan Shapiro said in a statement.

Worse still, the documents demonstrate the FBI continued its wrong-headed Communist menace investigations of Mandela and the anti-apartheid movement even after U.S. imposition of trade sanctions against apartheid South Africa, after Mandelas globally-celebrated release from prison, and after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

South Africas first black president, who died in 2013 and remains a global icon for his struggle against apartheid and message of reconciliation after 27 years in prison, was regarded with suspicion by Washington during the Cold War and remained on the U.S. terrorism watchlist until 2008.

Property of the People said its trove included documents from the major U.S. intelligence agencies, the FBI, CIA, DIA and NSA, most of which have never been seen by the public.

The Mandela Files can be found on its website https://propertyofthepeople.org.

Mandelas African National Congress (ANC) has been in power since the end of apartheid in 1994 and remains in a governing coalition with the South African Communist Party, which also resisted the white-minority government.

Southern Africa was a key Cold War battleground, as newly independent states in the region such as Angola and Mozambique aligned with Moscow.

Celebrations have been held across South Africa this week to mark Mandelas 100th birthday, including a rousing speech on Tuesday by former U.S. president Barack Obama, who said the world should resist cynicism over the rise of strongmen.

(Editing by Peter Graff)
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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was in Kansas on Friday campaigning for local Democratic congressional candidates and he had some choice words for the current occupant of the White House. Sanders said he was appalled at the way President Donald Trump handled Russian President Vladimir Putin during their summit meeting in Helsinki on Monday.

Addressing a rally of Democratic supporters in Wichita Sanders tore into the Trump administration for tearing children from their families as part of the presidents zero tolerance border policy which began in April.

We say to Trump, instead of showing us your strength by tearing children from their families, where was your strength in standing up to Putin and Russia for undermining American democracy? Sanders said to the exuberant crowd.

How courageous he is to tear children from their families, how cowardly he is to stand up to people who are trying to undermine not only American democracy but other aspects of our lives, Sanders added.

Sanders also addressed a Democratic rally in Kansas City on Friday where his speech hit on similar themes. Sanders is traveling with the new progressive Democratic star, fellow democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York City. Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez were campaigning to support of Democrat Brent Welder in his attempt to beat conservative GOP Representative Kevin Yoder.

We have a president thats so tough when hes terrorizing little children. When he was up against Vladimir Putin, he wasnt so tough, Sanders told the Kansas City crowd.

Welder and Yoder are congressional candidates in Kansas 3rd district which narrowly went for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, so it is considered a possible pickup seat for the Democrats.

Sanders has been touring the country helping progressive candidates in congressional districts where it is believed that his message will resonate with voters. After her upset victory in the New York congressional primary, Ocasio-Cortez has been going with Sanders to attempt to appeal to a young and diverse block of voters.

Ocasio-Cortez has said she is fully supportive of such Sanders proposals as Medicare for All, free college tuition, offering a job with benefits to every American, and revitalizing labor unions.
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An Alabama organization designated as a white supremacist hate group has launched a new website to attempt to form an alliance between Russia and the American South.

The group, League of the South is based in Alabama and is classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

White supremacist group launches Russian webpage to promote "Southern nationalism" https://t.co/aGOQvG8mAV pic.twitter.com/lrYOp1RBpq  The Hill (@thehill) July 22, 2018

They are launching a Russian-language page which calls on Russia and the American South to become allies. In a letter posted to the League of the Souths website they speak about natural similarities between Russian culture and the conservative southerners. They said they want to attract people to their group who are interested in Southern nationalism.

As fellow Whites of northern European extraction, we come from the same general gene pool. As inheritors of the European cultural tradition, we share similar values, customs, and ways of life. And as Christians, we worship the same Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and our common faith binds us as brothers and sisters, the groups leader Michael Hill wrote in the letter posted online.

Hills letter also said that the groups Russian-language page would be the first step toward building a firm and resolute understanding and commitment to cooperation between the Russian people and the people of the South that could indeed be the foundation for a better world in which our peoples thrive and prosper far into the future.

Hill wrote the Russian language section will be first step in this direction. He created the Russian language page just days after President Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump has repeatedly discussed decreasing tensions between the two nations and has said he would like Russia to be an ally.

According to the Anti Defamation League, Hill, a former history professor at Stillman College, founded the League of the South in 1994. The group has chapters in 16 states, including several in Alabama.
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A new 33-foot tall blimp with a characterization of President Donald Trump made to look like a chicken was put on an Alcatraz prisoner boat in San Francisco Bay on Sunday. The blimp owners said their goal was to speak truth to poultry.

Inflatable Trump Chicken dressed like a prisoner sails off coast of San Francisco

The newest version of the Trump Chicken is shown wearing black-and-white prison stripes and a garment label that says Prisoner 45, according to the Bay Area KRON 4 News. The Trump Chicken blimp was photographed floating on an Alcatraz Prison Transport boat that was sailing around San Francisco Harbor and the notorious Alcatraz prison island known as the Rock.

A GoFundMe page was set up by the owners of the Trump Chicken in an attempt to raise money to pay for the chicken blimp and the costs of rental boats. Here is more information about the blimp written by the owners:

We at Trump Chicken are civic minded. We want to give you a chance to speak your piece to the Chicken President when we sail our 33-foot bird in his Prisoner45 shirt slowly down the Embarcadero and further south this Sunday in a prison transport boat.

As he sails past, you can say anything you want to President Chicken. You can mock and squawk and swear like youve never sworn before in a proud expression of your First Amendment right. Bring your friends. Make some signs and banners. Wear costumes. Dance. Everyone remember were still free.

You may think of the Trump Chicken from August on the White House Ellipse , or this Presidents Day weekend sailing around Alcatraz as #chickenofthesea. This Sunday from 11:30 to 3, help us raise the money to bring the #TheChickenHomeToRoost.

We are proven custodians of the peoples funds, having pulled off the Tax March in 2017 and Prisoner45 earlier this year. We need your voice at the waters edge. Come one and all to the Eastern Shore of San Francisco Sunday 11:30 to 3 to speak truth to poultry.

Trump blimps have become popular this year. During Trumps visit a few weeks ago a 20-foot inflatable Trump Baby Blimp made its debut in England and Scotland. The orange diaper-clad baby holding a cell phone flew over London and Edinburg.

The original Trump Chicken appeared last year during the San Francisco Tax March and then appeared at the White House in February.
Gregory Yee covers the city of Charleston. He's a native Angeleno and previously covered crime and courts for the Press-Telegram in Long Beach, CA. He studied journalism and Spanish literature at the University of California, Irvine.
Political Reporter

Caitlin Byrd is a political reporter at The Post and Courier and author of the Palmetto Politics newsletter. Before moving to Charleston in 2016, her byline appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times. To date, Byrd has won 17 awards for her work.
Its not just here in California and New York that climate change lawsuits are being dismissed. Over in Britain a similar lawsuit has just been dismissed:

Environmental campaigners lose High Court battle over carbon target Environmental campaigners have lost their High Court challenge against the Government over its policy for tackling climate change. Charity Plan B Earth brought legal action against the Governments stance on the 2050 carbon target, set under the Climate Change Act 2008. The charity and 11 UK citizens aged nine to 79  including publisher Dame Carmen Callil  wanted to bring a judicial review against Business Secretary Greg Clark over the policy. But Mr Justice Supperstone rejected Plan B Earths case on Friday, saying it was unarguable. . . But, refusing permission for a full hearing, Mr Justice Supperstone said Plan B Earths arguments were based on an incorrect interpretation of the Paris Agreement. He said: In my view the Secretary of State was plainly entitled  to refuse to change the 2050 target at the present time. I do not consider it arguable that the Secretary of States refusal to amend the 2050 target is an unlawful exercise of his discretion.

Discretion in the executive branch? Ahit seems the administrative state is just as strong on Britain as it is here. And as Trump is proving, live by executive power, die by executive power.

Meanwhile, apparently the political class in Baltimore didnt get the memo from the federal judges who rejected the California and New York climate lawsuits:

Baltimore joins cities filing climate change lawsuits against fossil fuel companies Baltimore on Friday became the latest city to file a lawsuit against oil and gas giants seeking to hold the companies financially responsible for contributing to global climate change. The city filed a suit challenging BP, Exxon, Shell Oil and 23 other oil and gas giants that do business in the city, accusing the companies of knowingly emitting harmful carbon dioxide pollution. The lawsuit, which seeks damages and legal penalties from the companies, cites eight alleged offenses including failure to warn the public and public nuisance. . . Fridays suit is the latest in a string of similar cases  many of which have been promptly thrown out by courts  that cities across the U.S. have filed challenging fossil fuel companies for knowingly contributing and profiting off of a product that directly contributes to climate change. The suit follows on the heels of a case dismissed by a federal judge in New York on Thursday evening.

I guess Baltimore is doing such a great job fighting crime that they have time on their hands to save the world.

Clearly someone should file one of these cases in Hawaii.
A new poll of the West Virginia Senate race suggests that Sen. Joe Manchin is a shoe-in for reelection if he votes to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, but faces an extremely close race if he votes against confirmation. According to the survey, taken by the Trafalgar Group, West Virginia voters favor Manchin over Republican Patrick Morrisey by 29 points if Manchin votes for confirmation but by only two points if he votes the other way. The two point spread is within the polls margin of error.

When likely voters were asked by Trafalgar whom they favor without any reference to the Kavanaugh vote, Manchin came out 10 points ahead. Manchins lead in the Real Clear Politics poll average is seven points.

Im not sure I believe that Manchins vote on Kavanaugh will be quite as impactful as the Trafalgar poll indicates. However, if Manchins lead is somewhere between seven and ten points, its easy to believe that a no vote by Mancin on Kavanaugh would create a much closer race than the Senator wants and possibly a toss-up. Keep in mind too that, as the election approaches, stepped-up advertising in the state and/or visits by President Trump could drive up the cost of a vote by Manchin not to confirm.

In January, a Gallup poll placed President Trumps approval rating in West Virginia at 61 percent. Since then, the presidents national numbers have improved, so his West Virginia approval rating is probably even higher than it was in January.

Joe Manchin has always been popular in West Virginia, and remains so. However, I infer that West Virginia voters dont want to see significant distance between their senior Senator and their President on key issues.

A vote to confirm Kavanaugh would signal the kind of relationship between the two that most West Virginia voters would like to see. A vote not to confirm would signal the opposite, and likely cause Trump to campaign vigorously against Manchin.

Thus, it seems clear that, as things stand now, the smart move is for Manchin to vote in favor of Brett Kavanaugh, just as he voted in favor of Neil Gorsuch. And his Gorsuch vote shows that Manchin is willing to buck his party in these cases.
Ive commented on two appalling aspects of Trumps Helsinki news conference  his placing equal blame on the United States for the problematic state of RussianAmerican relations and his refusal to side with his own intelligence appointees on the matter of Russias cyberespionage. Andy McCarthy finds it even more mind-boggling that Trump touted Putins incredible offer to have Robert Muellers team come to Russia to work with Russian investigators regarding the dozen officers in Russias military-intelligence service indicted by Mueller.

McCarthy explains:

As a condition of so generously helping Mueller, Putin expects that our government would reciprocate by making available for questioning by Russian investigators officers of law enforcement and intelligence services of the United States, whom we believe have something to do with illegal actions on the territory of Russia. This is classic Putin. The former KGB agent takes every Western misstep as a precedent, to be contorted and pushed to maximum advantage. . . . Naturally, Putin expects us to help him investigate Bill Browder. . .Browder (who is British, though American born and educated) was the force behind both Magnitskys investigation and the sanctions legislation enacted in the U.S. and elsewhere in retaliation for Magnitskys murder  legislation that has cost Putins cronies lots of money, and the regime lots of embarrassment.

But thats not all:

Two days after Helsinki, the Russian prosecutor general issued a list of Americans the Kremlin wants interrogated for illegal activities. The list includes Michael McFaul, the Obama administrations ambassador to Russia, and at least one former intelligence official. Memo to DOJ: Expect Russia to issue indictments and international arrest warrants soon  as Putin said, its all about reciprocity. Yes, it is outrageous for Russia to demand investigative access to our diplomats and officials. But what did we expect was going to happen? After the president seemed to gush at Putins incredible offer that we assist each others investigations, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders was in no position to dismiss Russias proposal out of hand. Only when senior administration officials and Congress erupted in protest (with the Republican-controlled Senate quickly passing a 980 resolution in opposition) did the White House beat its retreat. First, though, the president made sure to invite Putin to come to Washington for another meeting in the fall. What could go wrong?

The incredible deal that Putin proposed wont materialize. But the fact that Trump characterized Putins offer that way, and crowed about it as if this vindicates his diplomacy, is shocking. Putin and his associates are probably engaged in a lively debate over who is the bigger fool, Donald Trump or Barack Obama.

Speaking of Obama, McCarthy reminds us that Trump is not the first president to be rolled by Putin. True. But each succeeding president has less excuse than his predecessor for being rolled.

Bush was mistaken to see Putin as other than a thuggish tyrant opposed to our interests However, the record when Bush made his initial assessment wasnt conclusive.

Obama was foolish to blame America for poor relations with Putin and to think that the relations could be reset by the push of a button, plus major U.S. concessions. But then, Putin had annexed part of Georgia. Yet, he had not yet annexed Crimea, intruded into Eastern Ukraine, or committed atrocities in defense of the Assad regime.

Now that he has done all of this and more, there is no excuse for Trumps performance in Helsinki. I dont say Trump shouldnt have met with Putin. But to espouse Russian talking points after the meeting in what McCarthy calls a delusional quest for bromance with Vladimir Putin was a disservice to our nation.
The Technical University, (Tech-U), Ibadan, Oyo State is an institution of learning which prides itself as the revolution the Nigerian university system has been waiting for. The university was commissioned in June 2017 and celebrated its anniversary last month. In this interview with PREMIUM TIMES Oladeinde Olawoyin, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Ayobami Salami, a professor, speaks on the journey so far.

Excerpt:

PT: How would you describe the journey so far in the last one year?

Salami: The journey has been tasking, rewarding and exciting.

PT: How has it been running the university and realising the vision for its establishment in the last one year?

Salami: I am happy that I have the opportunity not only to envision something but also to see to the execution. I am happy to pilot something right from the beginning and see it grow. When you plant a seed and you water it and in your own very eyes, it begins to grow and sprout, there is a kind of joy that you have, rather than just going into a field that somebody has already planted and just plucking the fruit. So I can say that here, it has been an exciting thing seeing that we started based on the vision of the visitor to the university, Senator Abiola Ajimobi. He had a dream, we are interpreting the dream and we are seeing the result.

PT: The last time we were here, there were students coming in through scholarship, about a 100 students. What exactly is the population of the students right now?

Salami: We were able to offer admission to 200 students through the last JAMB exercise but eventually we were able to matriculate 183  thats the total population of the students, including those on scholarship and those who are not on scholarship.

PT: How have the basic academic activities been generally?

Salami: The full academic activities have since commenced in the university and everything is going in line with our calendar. And so far, we have not had any form of disruption or any reason to adjust or deviate from what we plan to do. Rather, what we have is to add some things to what we have; so we have really done beyond what we planned to do.

PT: I remember one of the fears we had with the idea ab initio was funding. In the last one year, how would you describe the experience with regards to funding?

Salami: For me, it has been an interesting and exciting journey. There was a lot of skepticism when we started; a lot of apprehension on how it was going to run. But I can tell you that as of today, we are raising our head far above water. We are not only running, we are comfortable running this university so far.

PT: In terms of staff strength, how would you describe the staff strength with regards to delivering on the university mandate?

Salami: In the last one year, our staff have continued to grow. Like youd know, for a university like this, it is not prudent to employ and engage staff that you dont need. So, we have been engaging staff on the basis of need and I can say that for every area where there is a need, staff have been engaged.

PT: What about their welfare, generally?

Salami: Let me talk in terms of welfare because I believe without motivating the staff, you should not expect them to give their best. And the commitment of the staff is critical to the achievement of our goal and for staff to be committed, their welfare must be taken care of. One, we pay our salary as and when due. I can tell you today, our salary is paid 25th of every month. For the past one year, we have never failed and you can ask from our staff.

PT: So nobody is being owed salary?

Salami: Not at all. We pay salary 25th of every month. And secondly, let me say that we pay more than what they pay in other institutions. We can say that at Technical University, our staff earn more than what staff of other universities earn and at the same time, we dont owe anybody salary. When you talk about the pension scheme, in other institution, I came from Obafemi Awolowo University, with the pension scheme that operates there, I pay seven and a half per cent, the federal government is supposed to pay seven and a half, making 15 per cent.

But in this university, we are implementing the new pension law which means the staff will pay eight per cent, the employer will pay ten per cent. So every of our permanent staff has 18 per cent every month as pension scheme (contribution) instead of 15 per cent that youd find in most public institutions in Nigeria. That is to tell you how much we are interested in the welfare of our staff so that when they retire, they would have more from their scheme than their colleagues from other institutions.

Vice-Chancellor, Technical University, (Tech-U), Ibadan, Oyo State, Ayobami Salami

PT: Last year, you mentioned that that no student of this university would look for a job after graduation. It was a vision at the time, so, in the last one year, how would you appraise your realisation of that vision?

Salami: With regard to implementing what we put on ground, I can tell you that we have covered a lot of mileage. For instance, we brought in so many stakeholders to partner with us in training the students. We signed MoU with the Nigerian Society of Engineers through which engineers who are actually on the field will train our students. We signed MoU with the private sector, through which our students will have access to hands-on experience in the industry to learn on site apart from learning in the university. So we have been able to engage these industry partners and they have signed on to this vision and ready to engage our students for hands-on experience.

Apart from that, despite that we are just running this curriculum for less than one year, we had what we call a curriculum review which in essence, we brought in NECA (Nigerian Employers Consultaive Association), COREN and others because these are the end users, to come and look at what we are doing so that when these students graduate, they can actually fit in. Like I keep on saying, they cant serve as plug and play, so that we can be double sure that we are actually on track. So we are not just doing it as if, since we have put it on, we run it till the end. We dont want to get to the end of the journey before we now look at what are the inputs.

So within the first semester of running this programme, we brought in NECA, COREN and the private sector, and they are already partnering with us. Secondly, we promised them hands-on experience, as I am talking to you, we have two workshops under construction that will be ready before the next three months. This is to tell you how far we have gone in actually implementing our vision and even going beyond our original plan. Here we train our students to think, not within the box, not outside of the box, but without the box.

PT: Last year, you promised that the hostel accommodation along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway was temporary? Whats the latest about the construction of the permanent hostel?

Salami: The arrangement is that before December this year, the new permanent accommodation will be ready on campus here and where we are using now will be for our staff.

PT: The university locationalong the Lagos-Ibadan expresswayis quite unique, away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Has it been a minus or a plus?

Salami: For me, it is a plus because what we intend to do is to create a completely new community in this place. A place thats going to be a model, a reference point, where people can run to, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. We want to create our environment and this place is good for that. Here, we have the opportunity to modulate. Now, we are located within the free trade zone within Oyo State where 175 private investors have signed on to establish their presence under the Pacesetter Consortium. As at now, we are sharing boundary with the Circular Road which means literally we are the gatekeeper for this city. In the next two to three years, youd see a lot of activities going on here and youd see a lot of industrial development in this area.

PT: Aside teaching, one other important mandate of the university is research. Being a STEM-focused university, what has Tech-U done or plans to do on research for staff and students?

Salami: Well, because we are the first technical university in Nigeria, we dont want to create a new university that is just operating within the national space. We are focusing on the international  in terms of research, staff, content, faculty. To that effect, within the first one year, we have gone into collaborative arrangement and before the end of this month (June), we are going to sign an MoU with Texas Tech University, in America. By that MoU, we are signing 4 plus 1 X arrangement which allows our students to spend 4 years here if you have come for a 5-year programme. And once you can afford it, you spend the next one year in Texas Tech University and come back here to earn our degree and use that our degree to have automatic admission for masters degree programme in Texas Tech in the U.S.

This means that our curriculum (with what is going on in Texas) is comparable, and that means we can exchange our staff. We want to create an environment whereby our students can be here and get instructional materials from Texas Tech and then our staff will go into joint research partnership with the staff over there so that we look at the Nigerian environment and the challenges; and then we take advantage of the findings we have there to really deal with our local problem in the country.

PT: What about the third mandate of the university  community development. How would you appraise your presence in this community?

Salami: Let me say that community development is a continuous thing and as the university grows, our footprint in the community becomes bigger. But youd agree with me that a year ago, this place was just like a jungle. Being here, we have opened up this place; economic activities are here. Let me give an example, some of the companies around come to our cafeteria to eat. Some of the travelers stop by, have some time to rest and take some snacks. Gradually, we are building a presence, we are creating a new hub of activities in this environment. We are still at the initial stage; in the next two to three years, youd see the footprint.

PT: Let us talk about the political concerns here. Last year, there were fears of the political establishment in Oyo state taking control of the university. Based on these fears, how have you managed the political atmosphere? Have there been issues with regard to the state government controlling the affairs of the university?

Salami: Let me say it clearly and without fear of contradiction that since I have been appointed as vice-chancellor of this university, Oyo State government as a government; the visitor to the university, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has never played politics with this university and I want it to be on record. And when you talk about politics, politics itself should be about development and if this university is about development, I dont see why anybody would have problem with whoever is in government once this university is to solve the problem of this country. We are happy for the first time to have an institution that is not about paper certificate. We have a silent revolution taking place in the education sector, originating from your Oyo state. So I believe whoever is in government would be proud of that achievement and legacy and I believe we have no problem with sustainability.

Former Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi

PT: On sustainability, the university is an initiative of the present government and in the next few months, we will have change in government. Is there any reason to think of uncertainty with regard to the future of the university as far as political change is concerned?

Salami: First and foremost, universities are run by laws and statutes. So it depends on the law and statutes upon which the university was established and this is a university that was established from the word go to be self-sustaining; a public university with private sector orientation. So with that, except the law is changed, I do not see any problem with that. Let me say clearly that this university is not running on government subvention.

What government gave us is the take-off grant; apart from the take-off grant, we are supposed to really, you know, generate resources to actually forge ahead while the government takes care of infrastructural development and thats what we have been doing in the last one year. We have been partnering with so many agencies and we have been running the university smoothly.

PT: The question is important because of the experiences we had in other states like Ogun, Ekiti and other places where changes in government led to change in public institutions management, with its attendant disruption and?

(Cuts in) If a university depends solely on government subvention, that will happen because he who pays the piper, dictates the tune. But thats not the case with the Technical University, we are supposed to solve problems and we cant solve problems without having resources. We dont depend solely on government subvention. Yes, government has a responsibility to support education but what we are saying is that we are not going the way of other public universities that rely solely on government. We are able to survive because we do not depend solely on government.

PT: Is the scholarship by the Oyo State government going to be sustained?

We have established a scholarship basket. In that basket, we have government, private sector and individuals contributing. I am happy to announce to you that in less than one year, we over half a billion naira in that basket which we have been utilising to fund indigent students.

PT: Meaning the scholarship is going to be sustained?

By the grace of God. It is something that the parents and students are happy about and it is going to have a spiral effect in the next 10 to 15 years down the road. Those who ordinarily wouldnt have seen the four walls of the university, even a public university, are now being brought to a university like this through scholarship and they are embracing it with both arms. They are very happy about it from the feedback we have.

Vice-Chancellor, Technical University, (Tech-U), Ibadan, Oyo State, Ayobami Salami

PT: What do you think is the missing link in the Nigerian education system?

Salami: The missing link in the Nigerian education system is about relevance. People go to the university to spend four, five, six years. At the end of the day, its not really worth it. At the end of the day, can they really fit into a part of the economy? We have cases where people go to the university, when they graduate, the society is not happy about them because they cannot deliver on their certificate. They, themselves are not happy with themselves because they have spent these years and at the end of the day, they are misfits. So thats what the university is trying to correct to ensure that we produce graduate that are fitted for our economic development. Unless we do that, we are going to wallow in the dungeon of underdevelopment.
Another multimillion naira college abandoned by the Akwa Ibom state government has been discovered in the state, few weeks after PREMIUM TIMES revealed how a top technical college in the state has been shut down and left to rot away for more than seven years now.

PREMIUM TIMES recently ran an investigative series on the poor state of public schools in the oil-rich Akwa Ibom state.

The latest discovery, located at Issiet Ekim community, Uruan Local Government Area of the state, is one of the model science and technical schools conceived and built 15 years ago by the administration of Victor Attah, the second civilian governor of the state.

The college, which covers a large expanse of land, and has more than 30 buildings, including classroom blocks, dormitories, and staff quarters, has never been put to use after its completion.

It is unclear why the Akwa Ibom state government has refused to make use of the school.

Because it has been abandoned for more than a decade now, the college premises has turned into a thick bush.

Women and children were seen farming in some parts of the school premises when this reporter visited the place on Friday.

We are still thinking of what we can do to get the government to come and start the college, Iyire Abasi, a community chief and a member of the Issiet Ekim Village Council, told PREMIUM TIMES.

The chief said the village has written several letters to the state government, and the lawmaker representing Uruan in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly. The community is yet to get a response from the government, he said.

It worries us in the village that government could build such a school, with so many beautiful structures, and then abandoned it just like that.

We dont understand why the government would abandon the school. For us in Uruan, we have been very supportive of the government and the PDP.

The chief said since there was no public secondary school in Issiet Ekim, their children travel a distance to other neighbouring villages to attend school daily.

After God, it is only the government that can do things for the generality of people. I am making an appeal to the government to come and open the school. There is nothing that is difficult for the government to do if they have the love and the desire to do it, he said.

The member representing Uruan State Constituency in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Anekan Bassey, did not respond to calls and text message sent to his phone line.

When PREMIUM TIMES contacted the Commissioner for Education in the state, Victor Inoka, he said the government would soon reactivate the school.

The sinks inside the Physics lab at Adadia Secondary School, Uruan, Akwa Ibom state. Photo_Cletus Ukpong Model science school in Uruan, Akwa Ibom, abandoned by the Akwa Ibom state government. Photo_Cletus Ukpong A classroom at the abandoned model science school in Uruan, Akwa Ibom state. Photo_Cletus Ukpong Dilapidated and empty classroom at Adadia Secondary School, Uruan, Akwa Ibom State. Photo_Cletus Ukpong

The Attah administration had built similar colleges at Ikot Ntuen in Oruk Anam, and other parts of the state.

The one at Ikot Ntuen was also abandoned and left to rot away for several years until the Nigerian Navy acquired it and turned it into a military school in April this year.

The Nigerian Navy Military School (NNMS) Ikot Ntuen was originally meant to be a Technical College by the Akwa Ibom State Government. The School was built Fifteen years ago by the then Governor of the State Obong Victor Attah.

The Technical College never took off as envisaged and the partially completed structures were left to deteriorate, the navy said on the school website.

Today, the facilities in the school  the administrative block, officers accommodation, students hostel, kitchen, sickbay, assembly hall and the classrooms  have been renovated and put to use through the assistance of the Governor Udom Emmanuel-led administration.

Back to Uruan. At Adadia community, a few kilometres from the abandoned model college, the only government secondary school in the area is in need of urgent help  the three classroom blocks, including the small-size administrative building, are all dilapidated.

A room in the main school block is unfittingly labeled Physics Lab. It has no doors and no ceilings.

Except for the sinks, two school desks, and a lonely shelf, the laboratory is completely empty. More so, it is flooded with water whenever it rains, because of its leaky roof.

Four buildings in the school are completely dilapidated and abandoned in a thick bush.

In contrast with others, the only attractive building at Adadia Secondary school is the school clinic built and donated in May this year by a young woman who did her National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) programme in Uruan.

The donor, Esther Akpan, told journalists that in the course of her national service she had realised that many schools in Uruan didnt have health posts, and also that school children were sitting on bare floor to learn.

School clinic donated to Adadia Secondary Sch, Uruan, by corp member, Esther Akpan Sickbay set up by a corp member, Esther Akpan, in a school in Uruan, Akwa Ibom state Corp member, Esther Akpan, donating desks to a school in Uruan, Akwa Ibom

Mrs Akpan, a graduate of Zaporozhye State Medical University, Ukraine, also set up sickbay in two schools, as well as donated desks to another school in the area.

She narrated an experience that inspired her to embark on the community development projects.

We were on a community development service at community secondary commercial school, Ifiayong Usuk to enlighten the students on sex education.

I was selected as one of the speakers. While we were interacting with students in a class, suddenly the whole school became rowdy; the students were shouting and running to and fro. We were all distracted. Classrooms suddenly became empty. We were scared.

The next thing I heard was, please, where is that corps doctor? Behold it was the compound mistress. I was the only corps doctor among us. I ran to her and she said to me, please come and help us, a female student has slumped. I demanded for a first aid box, but she said they didnt have it. The principal came out and said take her to her parent. I turned and asked the principal, madam, what if she dies on the way?

She said to me, Corper, as you can see, we dont have any medical facility, government has not provided that for us.

I was confused. As a medical doctor, I knew the child might die. So, I decided to rush her to Nigerian Medical Association Clinic, which was my place of primary assignment. That was where we resuscitated her.
Three persons on Saturday were confirmed dead in an auto crash involving a commercial vehicle (Sharon) and a tractor, along Gumel Hadejia road in Jigawa.

Abdu Jinjiri, the police spokesman in the state, who confirmed the incident, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse that four other persons sustained various degrees of injuries.

Mr Jinjiri said the incident occurred at about 3 a.m., after the commercial vehicle hit the rear of a tractor that was moving without rear lights.

Today, at about 8 a.m., a report was received by the Police in Kaugama Local Government Area that at about 3 a.m., there was a fatal accident at Arbus Village along Gumel-Hadejia road.

The accident occurred when Sharon vehicle driver with number plate AE 754 HJA coming from Kano to Hadejia hit an unregistered tractor without rear light moving toward the same direction.

As a result of that, the following people died: Abdul Isah of Gareri village in Kaugama LGA, Ali Umar and Dawa Yau of Malammadori LGA.

While the following people sustained injuries: Usaini Adamu and Jummai Isah of Malammadori LGA, Haruna Isah and Saadu Magaji of Gwiwa LGA, Mr Jinjiri said.

He added that the victims were rushed to General Hospital Hadejia by the Police for medical attention, while remains of the deceased have been released to their families for burial after medical examination. (NAN)
Buba Galadima, a former political ally of President Muhammadu Buhari and leader of the Reformed All Progressives Congress (R-APC), in this interview with PREMIUM TIMES Festus Owete and Nasir Ayitogo, speaks on the future of the new group, his relationship with the president and other sundry issues; Excerpts:

PT: At what point did you conceive the idea of forming the R-APC?

Galadima: We had always thought that the party and the government we formed was drifting away from our original concept of putting together a political party that will give the citizens of this country a lease of life, protect their lives and properties, give good constitutional democracy, provide an enabling environment to the rule of law. This is because throughout our 16 years of sojourn in the opposition, we had suffered those kinds of deprivation which we believe no Nigerian should be allowed to go through. We had told the nation several times as an original concept that when we come in, we will provide security, economic development, empower people and curtail youth restiveness which was becoming a menace within the society, which led a lot of people into crimes, especially the Boko Haram. And Nigerians believed us because we felt presenting a retired general who ought to be schooled in the art of security architecture, it would just have been an easy thing to do. Unfortunately, when we took government, we discovered that the man whom we thought would give that leadership just appropriated power to himself and his family. We cried and cried. He even thought that there was no need for him to appoint a minister or any adviser because he won election on his own popularity and that to him, nobody has invested in this project, forgetting those of us who invited him to join partisan politics for reasons that I have enumerated before. But we continued to give him the benefit of doubt and for those who have followed me, I complained and said we ought to be doing better than we are doing which forced him to appoint ministers against his wish and will. He was quoted on record several times that he doesnt need politicians and that they dont matter and that they are only noise makers. Not many people understood that he was referring to me and my likes. When he eventually formed his cabinet, they were people of no fixed address, they were people that were never ever seen during the struggle. They were on the other side. So, that annoyed a lot of people that invested in the movement in terms of money, blood, sweat to bring about the reality of this government. As a Nigerian, I believe that every right thinking Nigerian knows that this government and the party are a disappointment because the way we painted the picture before the emergence of this government was that in three days time after the swearing in of the president, Nigeria would be completely a place. Here we are, the economy has gone down the drains, security you cant even say anything. Nigerians are the best judges. Unemployment is on the rise, crime. You cant even afford to go to farm. If you cant go to farm, how does the ordinary man survive? He can be kidnapped or killed. The generality of our people dont even have the platform on which they will be speak and be heard. They recruited about 300 social media warriors, Anything you say, they just descend on you and your personality. They are not looking at the message, they are only looking at the messenger. They are trying to bastardise your name and do whatever they can to rubbish you. This is a way to dictatorship where courts give judgements, it will now be the will and caprices of the president to decide whether the judgement will be followed or not. That is not what we bargained for.

PT: So clearly, you are disappointed?

Galadima: Not only me. Many Nigerians are disappointed, maybe including yourself if you will confess. You should have been disappointed that this is not where we expect to be. There is a saying in Hausa that it is not what we thought it will be that the junior brother of the husband is more handsome.

PT: You worked with him from your days in the defunct CPC, where you were the national secretary. Are you saying this is not the Buhari you used to know?

Galadima: Definitely he is not the Buhari I used to know even though I have my own reservations. I didnt work with him from CPC. I called the first meeting in Kaduna at Bashir Dalhatus house. Bashir Dalhatu is a former minister of transport and Abachas-in-law; 34 of us; myself, Bashir Dalhatu, Sule Hamma, Wada Nas (the supposedly Abachas inner cabinet) were in attendance. We discussed what Obasanjo was doing to the North and to Abachas family. This is what gave birth to Buharis entry into politics. As I explained, its a long process. Out of the 34 of us, only two of us remained with him till today. I and Sule Hamma who was the director-general in the project. Every other person was thrown away. That is our disappointment. And of course even if he has done that, why cant he perform on ground  curtail security, give employment, provide infrastructure so that the ordinary man whom we have persuaded to accept him and vote for him will give a sigh of relief that at least today is better than yesterday.

PT: You said 34 of you brought Buhari into partisan politics, and only two of you are with him currently

Galadima: Im not with him now, none of us are with him. Up till the time he became president, during his swearing in, he gave a directive that we shouldnt be allowed to attend the ceremony. But his enemies who were jailing us before were all there and people who even sat down at Transcorp Hilton Hotel in 2007, I know them very well. Today one of them who sat down and wrote results without election is called a Buharist. Today they are all Buharis friends and we are his enemies according to him. In my tribe, my people always say if you want to measure the depth of a river, take your bearing from the man in front. If Buhari could do this to us that have suffered deprivation, humiliation, and whatever negative vibes, whoever is supporting him should be careful because he would have no reward.

PT: So he has not reached out to you on a personal level?

Galadima: Its not personal. What we are doing is based on principles, Im a man of principles.

PT: Some say you turned against the president because he never gave you an appointment, is it true?

Galadima: Let me start by accepting what they have said. Do you remember one man called Gen. Abdulkarim Adisa? He was asked by journalist a certain time when he was minister of works that there was an allegation that all contracts in the ministry of works were given to his friends. He told them fine, thank you Im wrong, I give jobs and contracts to my friends. Wait for your time, when you become a minister then you give it to your enemies. As far as Im concerned, I will only give it to my friends. thats what he told them. And I want to say that even if you assume that I am against the General because he did not give me an appointment, dont we deserve an appointment? Doesnt the laborer deserve his wages? Wait for your time that if you work for someone for 16 years, when he strikes the goal then he sends you away and you clap for him. Me, I will not.

Senator Abdullahi Adamu

PT: Senator Abdullahi Adamu (former Nasarawa Governor) said last week that the idea of R-APC was conceived by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki. What is your link with Saraki?

Galadima: Thank you very much, I was looking for a way to reply Abdullahi Adamu because all of you are strangers to this project. We are the foundation and we know the history. Abdullahi Adamu who is now the chief campaign officer, defender and chief warrior of General Buhari, did he also forget that when we went to Nasarawa on political campaign, he instructed every chief and Emir in Nasarawa not to welcome Buhari and whoever receives Buhari in his palace should consider himself deposed. Because today Buhari is in power, he is now a Buhari man and we are not. He is every government in power. We know those that he maltreated and got arrested and to a certain extent people alleged so many things. I wouldnt want to libel PREMIUM TIMES. So he is now today a Buhari man because he thinks that Buhari cant remember or think of what had happened yesterday or think of his enemies. Abdullahi Adamu of all people, calling us names because he is looking for Buhari to protect him, because he had to run to all the traditional rulers in Nasarawa to prostrate and cry with tears that they should prevent one Barrister Mohammed Abdullahi from contesting his senatorial seat. That is a prostitute! For me, these are the kind of things that will annoy a decent, honest, straight forward, patriotic citizen like me. I will never talk double. If I like you, I like you until you do yourself bad for me to reject you.

PT: So what you are saying in clear terms is that you (R-APC) have no link with Bukola Saraki?

Galadima: Is Bukola Saraki not a Nigerian? I am leading a political movement, dont I need people? I would wish to go and persuade Bukola Saraki to join me in this fight, it will make my job easier. If he does join, I would welcome him with open arms. Let him today declare that he is a member of the R-APC, I will lead a delegation of the executives to go and meet and congratulate him and thank him for identifying with us.

PT: So Bukola Saraki was not part of those that formed R-APC?

Galadima: Have you seen his name there?

President Muhammadu Buhari

PT: You talked about 16 years of PDP in power and curiously, these are the same people you are going into a coalition with. How would you justify that?

Galadima: Tell me, in Buharis government, apart from the ACN people, who was not a PDP man? Just mention two people who had no links with PDP, from the lowest man to Buhari himself. Who are the people running this government today? Why should people be hoodwinked by propaganda and deception? Everybody in Buharis government except the few ACN people were in PDP or has PDP origin. Ninety percent of his ministers were PDP people. Every rogue, every thief, every filthy, every criminal that the PDP were called, all of them have migrated to the APC. Tell me anyone that is afraid of EFCC arrest that has not gone to the APC. As far as Im concerned, anybody that is remaining in the PDP today is a clean person that I can do business with because any filthy man that has doubts about his sources of income would run to seek refuge in the APC and will be received with open hands, including those that established kidnapping and Boko Haram. All those that are alleged to have a hand in these things are in the APC. Those of us who are clean will also migrate and link up with the clean people in PDP if the need arises to bring about clean government.

PT: You mean this administration does not have the moral ground to criticise the 16 years of PDP administration?

Galadima: Tell me what PDP did wrong that is not happening now in the APC; just mention two.

PT: Some say the level of stealing now is not same as we had under the PDP.

Galadima: Who told you? Did they leave government for us to expose them for you to know?

PT: Do you have elected public office holders in the R-APC?

Galadima: Do you see what is happening in the National Assembly? If someone in the National Assembly will have the courage to stand up and say he belongs to R-APC, it means there are others, hes only testing the ground.

PT: Does the R-APC have a national secretariat?

Galadima: Where are you meeting me? Where the king is, is the palace.

PT: Do you have offices across the country?

Galadima: All the other states.

PT: Do you think the CUPP has a future?

Galadima: It was because I thought it would work that we congregated. If anybody says it will not work, let time tell. I want to tell you that you can make an American president with the difference of one vote. So, if out of the 39 parties, we can even get one to make the difference, we are there.

PT: As it is today, can you beat APC if your coalition contests against it?

Galadima: What brought you here to interview me?

PT: CUPP

Galadima: Which means that we are important. If we are not important, you neednt be here at this hour. Didnt we make members of the APC relevant now? They said Buba Galadima is irrelevant but because of me, they dont sleep, even if they travel. If we are not important, why are they talking about us? Why are they planning to arrest some of us and put in detention? Why are they toying with the idea of eliminating some of us? It means we are a threat to them. If you dont understand, go and engage them on a private discussion, they dont sleep. As Im talking to you, they are already talking to elders from my state to come and disown me. I didnt say Im looking for the governorship of Yobe, I didnt say Im representing Yobe people in what Im doing but they are congregating people, giving them money. The other day they sent N250,000 to each chairman of (defunct) CPC to come and disown me but only four turned up. If Im inconsequential, why will they bother? Let them allow me make my noise, but it was the noise we made that made Buhari known and what he is today. Where were they? They were fighting us on the other side. I didnt want to join issues with Adams Oshiomhole because he is just a filthy rat. He so forgot that in 2003, he was commissioned by Obasanjo to produce a false public opinion as Labour leader against Buhari and abused the hell out of him. He so forgot that he gathered everybody including an Oba of Benin to tell them that they should vote for their brother, Jonathan, against this useless Fulani man. So, today he is a Buhari man? Oshiomhole should come clean and tell us where he got the money to build his house, the palace in Abuja and the university and palace in his village. He is a public officer, let him come out and tell us. He told me he would crush me, meaning he will kill me. He said it and his welfare secretary also echoed the same thing on BBC. We are not a trade union so he cant behave like a trade union leader. This is not labourer and herdsman palaver. Its because Buhari and Tinubu dont know the ambitious guy they brought into power. He will betray them. In 2023, if we are alive, you will see that Oshiomhole will deal with the Tinubu who brought him because all their eyes are on one thing.

APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole

PT: You are saying clearly now that your life is under threat.

Galadima: Of course, but Im not afraid to stand for the people and for my country. Ive always done that. I was arrested, detained, questioned 38 times during my sojourn with General Buhari and I was arrested and locked up for treason in trying to overthrow the government of Nigeria and put underground, chained from toe to head. I wouldnt know when its Sunday, Monday or Friday, I wouldnt know whether it is night or day, all because of Buhari. So if today I will be killed by a government that I helped bring about, by a party that Im a signatory to its formation, so be it.

PT: Do you have any personal grouse with Buhari?

Galadima: It is only Buhari that will answer that because he was the first person to fire the salvos. He said he doesnt need my vote or that of any of my supporters.

PT: But you were close, how did both of you fall out?

Galadima: I dont know, you ask him.

PT: Up till the time you came to APC, you were still working for him.

Galadima: (cuts in) I say up till the election. I was instrumental to winning this election and I can challenge anybody. If I didnt force the idea of the card reader, Buhari couldnt have won the election. If I didnt do what I did during the day of the election and the day after, he wouldnt have been president, whether he knows it or not, God knows it and I dont lie and I dont speak double.

PT: Do you have any presidential material that can match Buhari from the CUPP?

Galadima: Its because you and them in the APC are not democratic and you dont know your constitution nor the constitution of any party. What I could have wanted you to say is  if there is a free, fair, transparent and level playing ground, could anybody defeat Buhari and I will say you (this interviewer) will defeat him because the perception in the country is ABB, that is Anybody But Buhari. Thats the slogan and if the opportunity presents itself, Nigerians are smart, wise and intelligent to pick a candidate that can defeat him.

PT: if you are asked to pick a candidate from CUPP now, who would you pick?

Galadima: Why should I, as a leader pick a candidate for them? I cant let the cat out of the bag. We would have conditions and regulations on how to produce a candidate and because I am a democrat, I will follow through that, whether that candidate conforms to my personal wish or not. Even if he is my enemy, if he is produced through a transparent, fair and whatever condition, I will accept and work for him.

PT: You know that Buhari is very popular in the North

Galadima: Who are those who made him popular? Is he eloquent to sell himself? So fine, its ok, I have answered your question.

PT: But its not about eloquence

Galadima: (cuts in) can the ordinary man say that his life is better off today than when Buhari came in? Has he performed? Can you please tell me a single project Buhari has done in your place for him to have your vote? Just tell me one and I will vote for him.

PT: The R-APC went to court, if you knew you were going to court, why did you need to break away? Why not stay in the APC and fight from within?

Galadima: We didnt break away, we formed an executive to reform the party because Adams Oshiomhole and others are usurpers. They were not properly elected. I dont want to say much because it is subjudice.

PT: We are aware that some of the members of your executives who could not return as officials of the APC are part of your executive.

Galadima: Like who?

PT: For instance, Bala Gwagwarwa.

Galadima: Bala Gwagwarwa did not contest an election because the processes were defective. I could have wanted to contest. You mean I dont want to be anybody? I want to be somebody. I could have contested and Im popular enough. Today by Gods grace, Im one of the most popular people in Nigeria. Even you now know me. That is why we formed the R-APC. If everything was correct, why should we waste our time and form this? And risk our lives? We know the risks involved in this. You dont know what the court case may lead to.

PT: In clear terms, is Buhari your target or APC?

Galadima: It is the APC. Now we are targeting Adams Oshiomole, we have to get him out. He has to be thrown out by the court.

PT: Is the R-APC likely to collapse into any other political party? Is that the plan?

Galadima: We have already formed a coalition.

PT: There are some of these parties in the coalition that are very insignificant and cannot pull weight even in their localities.

Galadima: (cuts in) you see, you are just behaving like the APC people. You are a fascist dictator. You mean you can call somebody known to the law of Nigeria inconsequential?

PT: You are very close to the president? If he calls you today to serve in his administration as a minister, would you accept?

Galadima: I will reject. But if he calls me to come, as an elderly person and as the President of Nigeria, I will go and listen to him. And if he asks me why Im doing this, I will tell him because we deviated from our agreed roadmap. And if he tells me; can we go back? I will tell him no, until all the processes leading to the elections of Adams Oshiomhole are nullified.

PT: Is that your major grouse?

Galadima: Of course because we promised to give Nigerians constitutional democracy. Its part of our covenant with him. Give them security.

PT: You (APC) have three major things as your agenda  security, economy and anti-corruption

Galadima: (cuts in) which one is being fought? Let me tell you something you dont know. PDP are just gullible people. If I was in the PDP, the APC and their government will not sleep. You know the reason? The two former governors that were recently jailed, Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame. They are members of the APC but who started their prosecution? PDP. So who is fighting corruption?

PT: What is your advice to the APC-led federal government? One last thing you want them to do correctly.

Galadima: Let them go back to our original roadmap. I dont need anything from anybody.

PT: That original roadmap includes restructuring. Do you support restructuring as part of your

Galadima: (cuts in) I have always fought restructuring in three consecutive conferences  1987 Constituent Assembly, 1994 National Constitutional Conference and 2014 National Conference, and for a different reason. Somebody needs to define the restructuring. For example, restructuring to certain people mean that they need one additional state in their zone; to the South-outh, restructuring means that they need to withhold all revenues from what is being manned from their soil; to the South-west, restructuring means a confederation or reducing the powers of the federal government and to the north. It is neither here nor there because nobody knows what they are talking about here except some few of us who ask questions. We have to define restructuring and how do we bring about it. Is it the rhetoric of few people or we will agree on the modalities of how to make a representation that will discuss the future of Nigeria. Unless all those things are on ground, you cant just begin to talk about restructuring, frightening people. Those who dont know start shivering. That is my take.
The Nigerian Army said on Sunday that its troops successfully repelled an attack on a military patrol team coordinated by Boko Haram insurgents at Sasawa community in Yobe.

Texas Chukwu, the Director, Army Public Relations, said this in a statement issued in Maiduguri.

According to Mr Chukwu, a brigadier general, the gallant troops on Saturday repelled an ambush by the insurgents and killed many of them in gun battles at Sasawa in Babbangida Local Government Area of Yobe.

He said the insurgents were planning to attack the Babbangida market to steal food items and laid ambush for the troops on patrol.

Troops of 233 Battalion deployed in Operation LAFIYA DOLE have neutralised scores of Boko Haram terrorists today, 21 July, along Sasawa Road in Babbangida Local Government Area of Yobe State while countering an ambush staged by element terrorists.

The troops encountered the ambush during a fighting patrol to clear the general area of the fleeing elements of Boko Haram terrorists who have been on rampage for food and logistics.

The gallant troops overpowered and neutralised the insurgents in the fierce fight that ensued and successfully extricated themselves from the ambush, he said

Mr Chukwu explained that reports indicated that the insurgents, whose original plan was to attack and loot Babbangida market, aborted the mission and laid ambush for the troops on patrol.

He, however, disclosed that the troops recorded some casualties but that the situation was under control.

The army spokesman added that additional men had been deployed to reinforce the patrol troops, while the Air Task Force was on aerial surveillance to track the fleeing terrorists.

Mr Chukwu called on the people of the affected communities not to panic over the development which is under control.

(NAN)
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Abu Ibrahim, says the fear of indiscriminate arrest and detention by state governors may kill passage of the State and Community Police Bill.

Mr Ibrahim, who made this known in an interview with journalists in Abuja, said the bill which had passed first reading in Senate, may not get two third majority to allow for a third reading and passage.

He said that while lawmakers from some parts of the country may vote in favour of the bill because of their control system, others may not for fear of abuse.

My fear is the required numbers. The disagreement between the national assembly members and governors may kill it.

This is because I know many senators and House of Representatives members think that if state governors get state police, they can trample on them, arrest and detain them.

From my assessment, there is no way it will get two thirds in the National Assembly.

Probably the bulk of South West senators will go for it because in the area, there is some control and there is synergy because of the control system.

I do not want to mention names but there are states that there is no way they will vote for its passage.

From the way I see it, nine states out of 37 will not vote for it. But let us see how it goes, he said.

On whether or not there is merit in the clamour for state and community police, the lawmaker said if passed and signed into law, it would help in tackling security challenges in the country.

However, he said, besides the fear of intimidation and abuse, there were other factors that may not allow the structure to work effectively.

According to him, basically, the problem with the police is funding.

If you create state police, will you get a better funding? These are the things we should ask ourselves.

What are the main reasons for failure of the federal police system if it is regarded as failure. The reason is lack of funding.

You give Nigeria Police N20 billion as budgetary allocation when they require about N300 billion.

Even the N20 billion is not fully released. It is sometimes between 40 per cent and 50 per cent.

So, will state police do better. They may know the locality better but do they have the resources?.

Can the states pay them their salaries and allowances. These are things we should look into, he said.

Mr Ibrahim advised that rather than creating a system that would be dead on arrival because of the mirage of problems that would come with, the current internal security system should be overhauled and properly funded.

According to him, creating state police would be overburdening for states that have to be assisted by the federal government for not being able to pay workers salaries.

He pointed out that if state police must work, there must be change in the revenue allocation formula to give states more money.

If we maintain the current allocation formula, maybe Lagos, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Kano, Kaduna may pay. But after that who else.

This is a federal function, if I have to take a federal function to state, it is reasonable that I reduce the amount going to federal and give more to the states.

Also, there are questions like, how many functions do you take from federal to states.

We cannot just say, create state police with the present allocation formula.

It will not work and that is beside the political angle I spoke about earlier, that is, the relationship between state governors and lawmakers, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a Bill seeking the amendment to the 1999 Constitution to accommodate State and Community Police passed first reading in the Senate on July 12.(NAN)
A bill seeking to regulate journalism practice in Nigeria has drawn strong skepticism and condemnation from foremost media rights groups in the country.

The Senate pushed the controversial Nigerian Press Council Amendment Bill through second reading earlier this year, eliciting widespread outrage from media practitioners who immediately identified it as an attempt to revive some of the relics of dictatorship that freedom lovers thought modernisation and democracy had consigned to the dustbin of history.

Senior executives of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria, Nigeria Guild of Editors, Nigerian Union of Journalists and Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria held a strategy meeting to consider the ramifications of the bill on July 19 and rose with the conclusion that it was draconian, primitive and unconstitutional.

The groups, members of the Nigerian Press Organisation, said the bill should not have been admitted for deliberation by the Senate because of a lawsuit that had been instituted against the existing Nigerian Press Council, which critics said was created by former military dictator Ibrahim Babangida to check independent and vigorous media.

The proposed bill is unconstitutional as it runs against the principles and tenets of the rule of law and is actually subjudice given that a case on the subject matter is still pending in the highest court of the land  the Supreme Court  in view of which the bill should not have been drafted in the first instance, the groups said in a joint statement to PREMIUM TIMES Sunday.

The Nigerian Press Council said it was necessary to have a body that would arbitrate between the media and the public, without necessarily gagging or regulating independent media practitioners out of business. Its officials argued that it would be unfair, if not impossible, to allow the media regulate itself, adding that few or no disciplinary actions had been activated to curb unethical conducts amongst journalists in the country.

But the media advocacy groups said attempts to re-legislate the NPC even while the existing one was still being challenged was not only suspicious but also bore the hallmarks of a totalitarian regime which President Muhammadu Buhari once represented.

Mr Buharis first outing as a military dictator in the 1980s saw the imprisonment of journalists who were handed long sentences for writing articles which the junta considered critical of state actors at the time. Although he never apologised for the controversial acts of the past, he, however, labelled himself as a converted democrat in the run up to the 2015 elections.

That the bill is, for all intents and purposes, draconian and anti-press freedom being an amalgamation of the obnoxious Public Officers Protection Against False Accusation Decree No. 4 of 1984 and the Newspapers Registration Decree 43 of 1993, both vestiges of the dark days of military rule and therefore incurably and irreparably bad, being also inconsistent with values of our democratic society, the groups said in a slew of observations during their meeting latest week.

They argued that the Nigerian Constitution in Section 39 and other binding statutes such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights forbade state regulation of journalism practice, and the controversial bill contained provisions that sought to do exactly that.

The groups said the bill would create a curricula in training of journalists and usurp the powers of the regulatory bodies in the educational sector affecting media training especially the National Universities Commission and the National Board for Technical Education, a measure that it said could be misused by state actors.

The media advocates accused the proponents of the bill of trying to create the impression that the Nigerian media community does not take the issues of ethics and self regulation seriously whereas it is a well known fact that the mechanisms actually exist including the Code of Conduct of Journalists in Nigeria, the Ethics Committees of the NUJ and NGE and the recently launched Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage endorsed by media stakeholders.

The bill is the latest attempt by Nigerian lawmakers to regulate speech under the current dispensation. Since 2015 when both Mr Buhari and the 8th National Assembly were inaugurated, lawmakers have proposed measures to curb activities on social media and in the mainstream press, but most of the proposals were withdrawn following public backlash.

It was unclear whether Mr Buhari had any input in any of the bills, but he had not openly condemned them. Still, the president mentioned in his recent appearance at the International Criminal Court that he was open to freedom of speech and other fundamental rights of citizens.

A spokesperson for the Nigerian Senate did not immediately return PREMIUM TIMES requests for comments about the controversial bill and the position of media groups about it.

The bill should be dropped forthwith until the determination of a similar case in the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the groups demanded. They also urged the Nigerian Senate to borrow from best practices in other jurisdictions that have expressly provided for and guaranteed press freedom without any form of government interference.

Rather than dissipating energy on primitive policies that would most likely elicit overwhelming rejection from citizens, the parliament should focus on promoting legislation that would engender public transparency, accountability and a sense of belonging amongst the citizens, the groups said.

The Senate and indeed the National Assembly should enable the media in the exercise of its constitutional obligations as spelt out in section 22 by passing laws that will promote transparency, accountability and open government such as mandatory delivery of the State of the Nation address by the president and State of the State Address by governors on specified days of the year; ensuring by law, presidential and Governorship Election Debates before elections; complete transparency in election funding including public declaration of sources of election finance by all candidates and political parties and ensuring the integrity of our electoral process, etc, they said.
The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma, has asked for 30 days extension from the Human and Environmental Development Agenda, to furnish it with details of the projects allegedly inserted into the 2018 budget by the National Assembly.

HEDA, a non-governmental organisation, had in a Freedom of Information request sent to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning demanded the list of projects allegedly inserted into the 2018 budget by the National Assembly.

HEDAs Freedom of Information (FOI) request signed by its chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, said it is really surprised and shocked to read that this increment and addition from the National Assembly is due to insertion of projects considered to be improperly valued and costed.

But in his response to the alleged insertion of projects by the lawmakers, the minister in a response acknowledged receipt of the FoI request.

In its written response contained in a statement with reference number MBNP/AB/SEC/2576 and signed Anne Nzegwu on behalf of the minister, the ministry requested for 30 days to source for the information needed.

PREMIUM TIMES has published some of the insertions, including those done by Senate President Bukola Saraki, his deputy Ike Ekweremadu, and some influenced by a sacked lawmaker, Herman Hembe.
Governor Muhammadu Bindow of Adamawa State has described as malicious and false an online report alleging that he gave N70 million to organisers of Saturdays rally in Yola by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, a presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Mr Bindow in a statement on Sunday by his Special Adviser Press and Media Affairs, Martins Dickson, said the report trying to portray him as engaging in anti-party activities was cheap blackmail by those worried over his rising profile and that of APC in the state.

The publication is false, malicious, misleading and an attempt to mask the rising profile, good virtues and sacrifice of Senator Bindow in upholding and promoting APC as the most popular party in Adamawa.

The authors of the fabricated lies have run out of substance with which to discredit him and have resorted to cheap blackmail and childish stories.

The statement urged journalists and the media to always strive to verify their facts and be professional in their operation.

The good work of APC under Bindow is spread glaringly across the 21 local government areas of the state for all to see and theres no amount of falsehood that will make anyone believe that a governor and party that have done so well in the state will be involved in any form of clandestine anti-party activity.

The statement reiterated the governors commitment to remain focused on fulfilling his campaign promises in line with his partys manifesto.

Mr Bindow was an associate of Mr Abubakar until the latter left the APC for the Peoples Democratic Party where he hopes to achieve his presidential ambition.

Mr Abubakar formally declared his presidential ambition in his home state of Adamawa on Saturday.
Former Vice President and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, Atiku Abubakar, said he would ensure Adamawa returns to PDP.

Mr Abubakar gave the assurance Saturday in Yola while speaking at a rally organised by the state branch of the party.

He said Adamawa was a PDP state and he would do all things possible to bring back the party to power in 2019.

Mr Abubakar, who formally declared his intention to vie for the presidential seat under PDP, said he was overwhelmed by the mammoth crowd that graced the occasion confirming the popularity of PDP in the state.

He criticised the All Progressives Congress (APC) for failing Nigeria in areas of economy, security and job security, adding that he would address the the problem when elected president.

The National Chairman of PDP, Uche Secondus, described Mr Abubakar as a leading presidential aspirant in the party that has the capacity to dislodge APC in 2019.

PDP is a tsunami that will soon wipe out APC. We are not afraid, we are strong and coming like train to crush APC, Mr Secondus said.

Mr Secondus assured all presidential aspirants level playing field and tasked APC on ensuring level playing field for all parties in 2019 general elections.

Without mentioning names, Mr Secondus announced the defection of some commissioners, House of Assembly members and council chairmen from APC to PDP.

Speaking on behalf PDP senators, Ben Murray-Bruce said Mr Abubakarhas what it takes to make a difference 2019.

Representatives of Mr Abubakars supporters in the North-east, North-central, South-south and South-east who spoke at the occasion also endorsed him for the 2019 election.

(NAN)
The Network of Police Reform in Nigeria has petitioned the National Human Rights Commission over the alleged infliction of physical injuries and extortion of five civilians by some soldiers in Aba, Abia State.

In a petition addressed to the commissions executive secretary, the group demanded an investigation into the incident as well as the actions of some police officers who allegedly aided the soldiers.

NOPRIN further demanded a refund of 93,000 extorted from the victims as well as a reimbursement of the cost of medical treatment for the injuries inflicted on them.

The soldiers should be subjected to appropriate disciplinary actions in accordance with military laws and regulations as deterrence to others, the group added.

The Alleged Assault

The incident occurred on May 26 at Grand Lotte World Hotels in Aba, Abia State, where the victims  Ifeanyi Ogba, Ogbonna Ogba, Orji Raymond, Chisom Anyaele, and Ifeanyi Okechukwu  were billed to perform as DJs at a birthday party, according to NOPRINs petition.

Before the party began, two soldiers drove into the hotel in a Toyota Camry accompanied by two ladies.

The victims identified one of the soldiers as Adeniyi Mayowa, attached to Ngwa Road military checkpoint in Aba.

About 15 minutes after the soldiers arrival, according to the petition, the officers came and took away Mr Anyaele and demanded he invite his colleagues over the phone.

When the other DJs arrived at the scene, following the distress call by Chisom (Mr Anyaele), they were stunned when one of the soldiers started slapping them repeatedly while they pleaded in confusion what the matter was.

This particular soldier, in a kidnap fashion, bundled them into a waiting car in handcuffs while still assaulting them mercilessly with his military belt and drove them to a police station, Cameroun Barrack Police Station, Aba at about 1 a.m.

At the police station, the soldiers accused the DJs of stealing a phone belonging to one of them, a claim the victims vehemently denied.

Without hearing from the men, the petition said, the police detained them for 19 hours until the intervention of the Divisional Police Officer who found them innocent and ordered their release.

Upon their release, the five DJs walked out of the police station but into the arms of the two soldiers who were waiting for them outside the station.

They bundled them into two Pickup vans (Hilux) and drove them straight to the Army Base at Ngwa Road by Ohanku checkpoint and resumed brutality against them, mercilessly hitting them with planks and machetes, the petition stated.

The said soldiers were filled with rage and told them that since you think you have upper hand in the police, then you forgot we are soldiers and not police men; if you wish you should go ahead and call the chief of army staff, he has no right over us and we will kill all of you and dispose your body and nothing will happen.

The soldiers forced them to strip bare and lie down, and they continued to beat them with planks and machetes on their heads, bare backs and buttocks.

One of the soldiers was filming them in their nakedness while others continued torturing them.

When they could no longer bear the pain of their injuries, the five men agreed to contribute among themselves the needed money  93,000  to replace the stolen phone.

When contacted, Geoffrey Ogbonna, the Abia State police spokesperson, said he was not aware of the incident.

An official of the National Human Rights Commission declined to say whether the agency had received the petition and asked the reporter to come to their office for her enquiries.
The Nigerian government said it plans to recruit 300,000 new beneficiaries in the second tranche of the N-Power volunteer scheme set to kick off on August 1.

Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, explained this in a press release on Thursday.

He said 200,000 beneficiaries are currently participating in the programme, and that by August 2018 the N-Power scheme will be empowering 500,000 unemployed Nigerian graduates.

READ ALSO: SPECIAL REPORT: How Buharis N-Power programme is transforming lives, improving education

The N-Power volunteer scheme is a crucial part of the administrations National Social Investment Programmes designed to benefit Nigerians. It is currently in operation in the 36 states of Nigeria. The main thrust of the N-Power scheme is to harness Nigerias young demography through appropriate skill development, providing a structure for large scale and relevant work skills acquisition and development, and linking outcomes to fixing inadequate public services and stimulating the larger economy.

Beneficiaries are engaged on different areas of public service, including education (N-Teach), health (N-Health), agriculture (N-Agro), building/construction (N-Build). Beneficiaries are paid a monthly stipend of N30,000 during their period of engagement.

The final selection list broken down by states and local government areas (LGA) for each of the three (3) N-Power components would be circulated to all focal persons in the states and Abuja.

In conjunction with all State N-Power partners, the new beneficiaries will be deployed to their assigned Primary Places of Assignment (PPA) and all successfully deployed N-Power beneficiaries in the second batch will be engaged for two-years starting from August 1, 2018 to July 31, 2020 .





In its first year, the N-Power scheme engaged about 200,000 unemployed Nigerian graduates. A recent PREMIUM TIMES report reviewed the successes of the programme and the apprehension by beneficiaries of what would happen to them once the two-year programme ends.
The Northern Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has frowned at a statement credited to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to the effect that the federal government was not ready to release Sambo Dasuki, former National Security Adviser (NSA), after perfecting the 6th bail, with the most recent granted him by the Federal High Court.

In a statement by the President of NYCN, Isah Abubakar, the group said that President Muhammadu Buhari is being misled by a northern cabal for selfish interests.

The statement read in parts thus: We are alarmed at the statement credited to the Justice Minister and to say that it is not only disgusting, myopic and insensitive but portrays the Attorney General as incapable of discharging his duties as the adviser to both the President and the nation.

Is it not unbecoming of a person labelled as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and a Northerner to engage in activities seen to be against the rule of law as courts of competent jurisdiction have granted Dasuki bail 6 times?

We dare say that President Buhari is being misled by northern cabals against other northerners, like in the case Sambo Dasuki.

We agree with one of the loudest voices against this tyrannical tendency, a former Aide de Camp (ADC) to General Muhammadu Buhari when he was Governor of Gongola and Military Head of State, Al-Mustapha Haruna Jokolo.

In a recent interview, Jokolo stated in a recent interview that Northern Cabals are misleading President Buhari from releasing Sambo Dasuki even after the fact that Dasuki facilitated the 1983 coup that brought Buhari to power and supported his political aspirations before the Sokoto Prince was appointed by Jonathans government to serve as the NSA.

Jokolo further suggested whats happening was probably pre-planned. We are happy about Jokolos consternation as a Northerner as well as his denunciation of the Northern elites for abandoning one of their sons.

Dasuki may not have been perfect but during his tenure as the National Security Adviser in the immediate past administration, he reinvigorated and facilitated the expansion of troops of Multi-national Joint Taskforce (MNJTF) with neighbouring Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger towards combating the dreaded Boko Haram insurgency.

Dasuki also facilitated a collaboration with foreign technical advisers towards ensuring the recovery of several major towns in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states from Boko Haram terrorists. Some of the liberated towns included: Abadam, Askira, Baga, Bama, Bara, Buni Yadi, Damboa, Dikwa, Gamboru-Ngala, Goniri, Gujba, Gulag, Gulani, Gwoza, Hong, Kala Balge, Konduga, Kukawa, Marte, Madagali, Michika, Monguno, Mubi, Vimtim among others.

It is pertinent to note that virtually all electorates in the above-mentioned areas voted for President Buhari in 2015. The breakdown of results from these areas confirmed that the indigenes voted for him in that election. Sadly, the current government seems to have forgotten.

They said Dasuki did nothing with all the monies he received as NSA but the authorities are yet to counter his declaration on the arms, weapons, jets and other military hardware he put out in public domain that were bought by Jonathan administration. The equipments are still being used by the Nigerian military today. The truth is that Nigeria is in trouble and clear attestation to this are instances whereby the current administration is selecting orders to obey even in an arrogant manner.

While we wont join persons and groups who have been comparing death figures under different regimes since 1999, as the right to life is sacrosanct, a presidential spokesman did this recently. He gave the infamous death checklist under previous governments when they have been regular cases of death in North-East from terrorists and Zamfara, Sokoto and Kaduna from armed bandits apart from the killing from the menace of herdsmen-farmers clashes.

NYCN wish to commend prominent groups and individuals that have come out to criticize this assault on democracy, the monumental embarrassment of the judiciary and travesty of justice. No right-thinking person should act unbothered about this situation because such may be replicated to the extent that government will start rubbishing any judgement that does not go its way.

Finally, we must state that the statement by Justice Minister that the government has a right to detain a citizen against court order is not only disgusting, myopic and insensitive but portrays the Abubakar Malami as incapable of discharging his duties as the adviser to both Mr. President and the nation. It is even unbecoming of a person labelled as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) to engage in activities seen to be against the rule of law as courts of competent jurisdiction have granted Dasuki bail 6 times

President Buhari should be careful of any legal advice that is illegal and unconstitutional and drop this vengeance and obey constitutionalism.
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, was on Sunday conferred with the traditional title of Wazirin Ilorin by the Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari.

The title was last held by his late father and former Senate Leader, Olusola Saraki.

The conferment took place at a special thanksgiving prayer organised by the Ilorin emirate over the recent victory of Mr Saraki at the Supreme Court. The court cleared him of wrongdoing in the false asset declaration charges filed by the federal government.

Details of the conferment ceremony were made available to PREMIUM TIMES through a statement by Mr Sarakis aide, Olu Onemola.

By the elevation, Mr Saraki, who formerly held the title of Turakin Ilorin, becomes the fourth Wazir Garin, succeeding his father who held the title until his demise in 2012.

Announcing the elevation, the emir said it was in acknowledgement of the Senate Presidents passion for the development of not only the emirate but the whole of Kwara as well as his political exploits that have brought fame to the state, particularly Ilorin Emirate.

Mr Sulu-Gambari was quoted as saying, We are excited by your political exploits because of late you have become the beautiful bride whom politicians across the board are beckoning to be in their camps. This is a show of recognition of your worth and achievements as a politician. We are very proud of you.

It is from here that we prayed for you to become governor, it was here that we prayed for you to become senator and it was from here that we prayed for you to become Senate President and all these came to reality. Today we are also praying from here that God will elevate you beyond your present position.

The emir noted that he was seated on a very special seat inherited from his forefathers and has their authority to conduct yesterdays programme.

He also described the event as typical of Ilorin, saying unlike some communities that celebrate victories such as Mr Sarakis with parties, the emirate believes in the efficacy of coming together to the inner chamber of the palace to offer such special prayers.

Saraki gets new traditional title

The emir, thereafter, decorated Saraki with the regalia of his new title and ordered him to wear it throughout the day.

During the prayer, the Imam Imale of Ilorin, Abdullahi AbdulHameed, noted that Mr Saraki survived his recent ordeal by the power of prayers offered from the emirate. He also led participants to offer prayers for divine guidance for Mr Saraki as he makes vital decisions over his political future.

We pray that his decision which is being awaited and which has made him the beautiful bride today would be successful, he was quoted as saying.

Reacting to the elevation, an obviously elated Mr Saraki said the development took him by surprise.

In a post on his Facebook page, Mr Saraki wrote:

This morning, I went to the Palace of the Emir of Ilorin for a Thanksgiving Prayer Session organized by the Emirate to thank Allah for my recent victory at the Supreme Court.

Saraki gets new traditional title Saraki gets new traditional title

The Holy Quran teaches us that those who give thanks to Allah for His favours will always get more. Alhamdulilahi Robil Al-amin. As the prayer session was coming to an end, the Emir, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, surprised all of us by announcing my elevation to the traditional title of Wazirin Ilorin.

The position of Wazirin Ilorin was last occupied by my late father, Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki. May the Almighty Allah (SWT) retain for him a place in Aljannah Al-Firdaus. Alhamdulillahi, Alhamdulillahi, Alhamdulilahi Robil Al-amin.
Eighteen students have emerged winners in the just-concluded zonal contests of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) National Science Quiz Competition held in the six geo-political zones of the country.

The successful participants will lock horns at the competitions grand finale scheduled to hold September 25 to September 26 in Abuja.

A statement by the NNPC spokesman, Ndu Ughamadu, explained that of the 37 contestants who emerged from the state competitions and competed at the different zones across the country, 14 were from government schools while 23 were from private schools.

Only five females participated in the competition.

Mr Ughamadu said a breakdown of participants at the zonal level were  South-south Zone, Alikah Ehiagwina of Edo came top with 65 points, Ebute Adakole of Rivers came second with 55 points, while Ohwevwo Oghenetejiri of Delta came third with 50 points.

In the South-west zone, Ezeunala Franklin of Lagos State, Igban Emmanuel of Ogun and Owoseeni Olanlesi of Osun State, tied with 55 points each.

In the South-east zone, Okeke Kabilan of Enugu State came top with 65 points, Imo contestant, Okeke Elizabeth, came second with 55 points and Uzondu Emmanuel of Abia scored 45 points.

At the close of the competition for the North-central zone, held in Ilorin, Kwara, Okeke Favour of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) scored 65, Ezemba Confidence of Plateau also had 65, while Agada Vincent of Benue scored 75.

Kwara and Kogi states, represented by Femi Olufisayo and Ibrahim Wisdom respectively, equally tied to take 4th position with 50 points each, with Niger and Nasarawa states, represented by Olamilekan Oladapo and Ajogwu Benjamin, making the sixth and 7th positions with 35 and 20 points respectively.

In the North-west zonal competition, Kaduna State representative, Chijioke Mgbeobukwa, won the contest with 55 points, beating other contestants from Kebbi and Sokoto States who emerged 2nd and 3rd positions with 45 and 40 points respectively.

At the end of a keenly contested event for the North east zone held in Bauchi, Bauchi State representative emerged winner with 50 points while Gombe and Taraba tied with 45 points apiece. Adamawa scored 40 points while Borno and Yobe ended with 25 and 20 points respectively.

All these students will represent their zones at the Grand Finale in Abuja later in the year, Mr Ughamadu said.

Mr Ughamadu said that several innovations were introduced last year to make the competition better and to help the corporation impact as many communities as possible.

He said that for the 2018 edition, which is the 16th, the aim was to build on the gains already recorded in previous editions.

(NAN)
The Peoples Democratic Party chairman in Apapa local council in Lagos was shot Saturday after a meeting between factions of the party ended in violence.

Borishade Adeniyi, who was known as the Doyen of PDP LG Chapter Chairmen in Lagos State, was allegedly shot and injured in the leg during the meeting which held at Igbosuku village in Eti-Osa local council.

The injured chieftain was rushed to First Consultant Hospital in Obalende where he died from the gunshot injuries.

Edgal Imohimi, the Lagos State police commissioner, in a statement on Sunday said the victims body had been deposited in the hospitals mortuary.

Two other persons allegedly injured during the clash, are also receiving treatment in a hospital in Ajah, Mr Imohimi said.

The fracas broke out between contending factions of the party; one faction for the State Chairman, Hon. Moshood Adegoke Salvador and the other for the Eti-Osa LG Chapter Chairman, Engr Kehinde Fasasi towards the end of the meeting.

Mr Imohimi said the Area Commander in-charge of Area J Elemoro and his men went to the crime scene where they arrested five suspects who are all chairmen of different chapters. The five suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in for further investigation.

The suspects include Kehinde Fasasi, chapter chairman, Eti-Osa local council; Rotimi Kujore, chapter chairman, Lagos Island local council; Fatai Adele, chapter chairman, Mushin local council; Ismail Abiola, chapter chairman, Amuwo Odofin local council; and Amos Fawole, chapter chairman, Surulere local council.

The police commissioner urged the party leaders in the state to call their supporters to order and put an end to their incessant violence acts in the state.

He further warned that no political party would be allowed to truncate the peace in the state and called on all political parties to disarm their members as nobody without necessary authorisation is permitted to bear firearms.

He added that henceforth, political party leaders would be liable for the actions of their supporters.
CHICAGO, July 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite more than two decades of advances in diagnostic criteria and technology, symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) too often go unrecognized or are misattributed, causing delays in appropriate diagnoses and care that are both harmful and costly. Contributing to the variability and inefficiency is the lack of multidisciplinary ADRD evaluation guidelines to inform U.S clinicians in primary and specialty care settings.

Responding to the urgent need for more timely and accurate Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and improvement in patient care, a workgroup convened by the Alzheimer's Association has developed 20 recommendations for physicians and nurse practitioners. There currently are no U.S. national consensus best clinical practice guidelines that provide integrated multispecialty recommendations for the clinical evaluation of cognitive impairment suspected to be due to ADRD for use by primary and specialty care medical and nursing practitioners.

The recommendations range from enhancing efforts to recognize and more effectively evaluate symptoms to compassionately communicating with and supporting affected individuals and their caregivers. The recommendations were reported at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2018 by Alireza Atri, MD, PhD, Co-chair of the AADx-CPG workgroup, and Director of the Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, AZ, and Lecturer in Neurology at the Center for Brain/Mind Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston. Details of the AADx-CPG workgroup document are being honed with input from leaders in the field, with the goal of publication in late 2018.

At their core, the recommendations include guidance that:

All middle-aged or older individuals who self-report or whose care partner or clinician report cognitive, behavioral or functional changes should undergo a timely evaluation.

Concerns should not be dismissed as "normal aging" without a proper assessment.

Evaluation should involve not only the patient and clinician but, almost always, also involve a care partner (e.g., family member or confidant).

"Too often cognitive and behavioral symptoms due to Alzheimer's disease and other dementias are unrecognized, or they are attributed to something else," said James Hendrix, PhD, Alzheimer's Association Director of Global Science Initiatives and staff representative to the workgroup. "This causes harmful and costly delays in getting the correct diagnosis and providing appropriate care for persons with the disease. These new guidelines will provide an important new tool for medical professionals to more accurately diagnose Alzheimer's and other dementias. As a result, people will get the right care and appropriate treatments; families will get the right support and be able to plan for the future."

In 2017, the Alzheimer's Association convened a Diagnostic Evaluation Clinical Practice Guideline workgroup (AADx-CPG workgroup) of experts from multiple disciplines in dementia care and research, representing medical, neuropsychology, and nursing specialties. The AADx-CPG workgroup used a rigorous process for evidence-based consensus guideline development.

"Our goal is to provide evidence-based and practical recommendations for the clinical evaluation process of cognitive behavioral syndromes, Alzheimer's disease and related dementias that are relevant to a broad spectrum of U.S. health care providers," Atri said. "Until now, we have not had highly specific and multispecialty U.S. national guidelines that can inform the diagnostic process across all care settings, and that provide standards meant to improve patient autonomy, care, and outcomes."

"Whether in primary or specialty care, the recommendations guide best practices for partnering with the patient and their loved ones to set goals, and to appropriately educate and evaluate memory, thinking and personality changes," Atri added.

The Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) recognize the broader category of "Cognitive Behavioral Syndromes"  indicating that neurodegenerative conditions such as ADRD lead to both behavioral and cognitive symptoms of dementia. As a result, these conditions can produce changes in mood, anxiety, sleep, and personality  plus interpersonal, work and social relationships  that are often noticeable before more familiar memory and thinking symptoms of ADRD appear.

"In all cases, there is something we can do to help and support those who entrust us with the privilege of advising and caring for them," said Atri. "The guidelines can empower patients, families, and clinicians to expect that symptoms will be evaluated in a patient-centered, structured, and collaborative manner. In addition, they help to ensure that, regardless of the specific diagnosis, the results are communicated in a timely and compassionate way to help patients and families live the best lives possible."

The 20 consensus recommendations describe a multi-tiered approach to the selection of assessments and tests that are tailored to the individual patient. The recommendations emphasize obtaining a history from not only the patient but also from someone who knows the patient well to:

First, establish the presence and characteristics of any substantial changes, to categorize the cognitive behavioral syndrome.

Second, investigate possible causes and contributing factors to arrive at a diagnosis/diagnoses.

Third, appropriately educate, communicate findings and diagnosis, and ensure ongoing management, care and support.

"Evaluation of cognitive or behavioral decline is often especially challenging in primary care settings," said Bradford Dickerson, MD, MMSc, Co-chair of the workgroup, and Director of the Frontotemporal Disorders Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, Boston. "Also, with recent advances in available diagnostic technology, there is a need for guidance on use of such tests in specialty and subspecialty care settings."

According to the workgroup, a timely and accurate diagnosis of ADRD increases patient autonomy at earlier stages when they are most able to participate in treatment, life and care decisions; allows for early intervention to maximize care and support opportunities, and available treatment outcomes; and may also reduce health care costs. The Alzheimer's Association encourages early diagnosis to provide the opportunity for people with Alzheimer's to participate in decisions about their care, current and future treatment plans, legal and financial planning, and may also increase their chances of participating in Alzheimer's research studies.

"Next steps include reaching out to physician groups and medical societies to encourage primary care doctors, dementia experts, and nurse practitioners to adopt these new best clinical practice guidelines," Hendrix said.

The Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC)

The Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) is the world's largest gathering of researchers from around the world focused on Alzheimer's and other dementias. As a part of the Alzheimer's Association's research program, AAIC serves as a catalyst for generating new knowledge about dementia and fostering a vital, collegial research community.

AAIC 2018 home page: alz.org/aaic

AAIC 2018 newsroom: alz.org/aaic/press

About the Alzheimer's Association

The Alzheimer's Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900.

Alireza Atri , MD, PhD, et al. Alzheimer's Association Best Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Evaluation of Neurodegenerative Cognitive Behavioral Syndromes, Alzheimer's Disease and Dementias in the United States . Funder: Alzheimer's Association.

, MD, PhD, et al. Alzheimer's Association Best Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Evaluation of Neurodegenerative Cognitive Behavioral Syndromes, Alzheimer's Disease and Dementias in . Funder: Alzheimer's Association. Alireza Atri , MD, PhD, et al. Details of the New Alzheimer's Association Best Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Evaluation of Neurodegenerative Cognitive Behavioral Syndromes, Alzheimer's Disease and Dementias in the United States . Funder: Alzheimer's Association.

SOURCE Alzheimer's Association International Conference
CHICAGO, July 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Philanthropists nationwide answered the call to accelerate the pace of Alzheimer's research by giving an unprecedented $109 million to the Alzheimer's Association for research, it was announced today at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2018 in Chicago. Private philanthropy has enabled the Association to increase the pace of innovative research funding commitments to $160 million for more than 400 best-in-field projects in 21 countries.

"The only way we will achieve the national goal of effectively treating and preventing Alzheimer's disease by 2025 is through research, and that is why we have led the charge to increase both public and private funding of Alzheimer's research," said Alzheimer's Association President and CEO Harry Johns. "Research funding is the fuel for discovery and has changed the trajectory of heart disease, HIV and many cancers, and we are confident that this funding will do the same for Alzheimer's disease. The Alzheimer's Association is leading the way to ensure that the robust research pipeline has the money needed to make critical discoveries that will lead us to fulfill the national goal."

Since 2014, nearly 140 donors, including individuals, corporations and organizations, made gifts ranging from $100,000 to $5 million for research to the Alzheimer's Association via its philanthropic initiative Step Up the Pace: Accelerating Alzheimer's Research.

Dick Kipper of Woody Creek, Colorado, and John Beuerlein of Clayton, Missouri, served as co-chairs of the Step Up the Pace's first phase. "I have been active in this cause for more than two decades, and the level of enthusiasm and commitment over the past four years has been unprecedented. Donors are eager to partner with the Alzheimer's Association because of the strategic focus of the organization to accelerate research and fund new opportunities quickly in order to fuel the discovery this cause so desperately needs," Kipper said.

The Alzheimer's Association is the largest nonprofit funder of Alzheimer's disease research in the world. It is also the nonprofit with the highest impact in Alzheimer's disease research worldwide, with its impact exceeded only by that of the U.S. and Chinese governments, according to data compiled by Thomson Reuters InCites. By increasing private philanthropy, the Association has doubled its annual funding of research projects, advancing discovery science, early detection and diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

Through Step Up the Pace, private philanthropy has enabled, expanded and enhanced 10 large-scale research projects. These include clinical trials of an innovative "drug cocktail" to treat Alzheimer's and drug trials designed to prevent dementia symptoms before they occur. Funded studies also include hundreds of smaller-scale investigations vetted by an international network of 6,000 dementia scientists.

The announcement comes within weeks of the U.S. Senate and House Appropriations Committees' approval of a more than $400 million increase for Alzheimer's and dementia research funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which Alzheimer's Association advocates have been calling for. If signed into law, this will mark the fourth consecutive year of historic increases and bring total federal funding of Alzheimer's research to $2.3 billion annually.

"The dramatic expansion in government funding requires an equally dramatic increase in projects to feed the pipeline," John Beuerlein added. "The Alzheimer's Association has an unparalleled track record for identifying and funding high-potential studies early to ensure that the pipeline is wide-ranging and scientists are enthusiastic to join this field of research."

The results of the Association's funding efforts have also led to the Alzheimer's Association-led U.S. POINTER study. U.S. POINTER is a two-year clinical trial to evaluate whether lifestyle interventions that simultaneously target multiple risk factors protect cognitive function in older adults (age 60-79) at increased risk for cognitive decline. It is the first such study to be conducted in a large group of Americans.

"It's estimated that more than one-third of global dementia cases may be preventable by addressing lifestyle factors," said Maria Carrillo, Ph.D., chief science officer at the Alzheimer's Association. "Heart disease and some cancers can now be effectively treated and prevented with a combination of medical and behavioral management. It's time to see if we can see the same benefits for Alzheimer's and other dementias."

About the Alzheimer's Association

The Alzheimer's Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900.

SOURCE Alzheimer's Association

Related Links

http://www.alz.org


London, July 22 : "Love Island" star Rosie Williams called the police over a "sick troll" who threatened to "rape and murder" her.

The 26-year-old has claimed to have used her legal knowledge to deal with the "vile man" who has sent her multiple death threats, reports dailymail.co.uk.

Williams is upset over the disturbing comments, but wants her fans to know they should always phone the police if they are scared.

A source told The Sun: "He has written comments about hunting her down and raping her, and has also written comments about killing her. In one he said: 'You're nothing but a f*****g s**t. If I ever see you I'll f****g stab you.' These messages were really disturbing and upsetting for Rosie."Williams rose to fame after appearing on the current 2018 series of "Love Island" where she had a turbulent romance with Adam Collard.
Paris, July 22 : A trade war is now a reality, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has warned as G20 ministers gather for a summit in Argentina.

The current US trade policy of imposing unilateral tariffs is based on "the law of the jungle", he said, BBC reported on Sunday.

But US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin defended the tariffs and urged the EU and China to open their markets to allow free competition.

Last week, US President Donald Trump described the EU as a foe on trade.

Trump later threatened to impose tariffs on all $500 billion of Chinese goods entering the US in a growing trade row.

The US has large trade deficits with both the 28-member EU and China.

The two-day talks in Buenos Aires bring together finance ministers and central bankers of the world's top 20 economies.

"World trade cannot base itself on the law of the jungle and the unilateral increase of tariffs is the law of the jungle," Le Maire said.

"The law of the jungle, the law of the fittest, this cannot be the future of global trade relations.

"The law of the jungle will only turn out losers, it will weaken growth, threaten the most fragile countries and have disastrous political consequences," Le Maire said.

He added that a trade war was now a reality, and that the EU could not consider negotiating a free trade deal with the US without America first withdrawing its tariffs on steel and aluminium.

The US treasury secretary backed Trump's stance on trade with the EU and China, saying they both need to open their markets.

"My message is pretty clear, it's the same message the president delivered at the G7 (last month in Canada): if Europe believes in free trade, we're ready to sign a free trade agreement with no tariffs, no non-tariff barriers and no subsidies. It has to be all three," he said.

Turning to China, Mnuchin warned punitive tariffs against Beijing were "a realistic possibility".

"We've been very clear with our objectives," he added.
Los Angeles, July 22 : Los Angeles Police have arrested a suspect who earlier barricaded himself in a supermarket with people inside, the media reported.

"We have successfully taken the suspect into custody without incident," the LAPD tweeted on Saturday, saying officers were "clearing the location", BBC reported.

People were earlier seen running from the Trader Joe's shop. One person was injured, reports say.

The suspect earlier fired shots after a police pursued his car. He crashed the car, running inside the shop.

A woman was taken from the crashed car and transported to a local hospital, the US media reported.

The police pursuit began after the suspect shot his grandmother and girlfriend, reports say.

US President Donald Trump tweeted that he was watching the situation "very closely".
Harare, July 22 : Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has called for racial unity ahead of landmark elections, telling white farmers their lands will not be taken.

Former President Robert Mugabe's government supported the seizure of hundreds of white-owned farms which they saw as unfairly taken by settlers.

But Mnangagwa, 75, told a crowd in Harare that the controversial policy was a thing of the past, BBC reported on Saturday.

"We should cease to talk about who owns the farm in terms of colour," he said.

"It is criminal talking about that. A farmer, a black farmer, a white farmer, is a Zimbabwean farmer."

Mnangagwa's move to ease the concerns of white voters comes ahead of historic elections on July 30.

It will be the first presidential poll since Mr Mugabe was ousted from power in November, bringing an end to his 37-year rule.

White Zimbabweans have traditionally voted for opposition parties such as the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) as opposed to Mnangagwa's Zanu-PF party.

He told the crowd that his government was "racially blind" and acknowledged the failure of his predecessor's controversial land reforms.

The farm seizures led to a crash in Zimbabwe's agricultural output, an exodus of skilled white farmers and widespread unemployment among black farm labourers.

There are more than 120 political parties registered for this month's elections, and there are likely to be 23 presidential candidates to choose from on the ballot.

Mnangagwa is favourite to win the poll, but analysts say he also has enemies -- both for overthrowing his former mentor and for being a previous enforcer of Mugabe's government.

The main opposition leader is Nelson Chamisa, 40, a lawyer and preacher who rose to the top of the MDC in February.

He is hugely popular, especially among the young and unemployed, and would become the country's youngest ever president if elected.

The youth vote is expected to be key. More than half of Zimbabweans are now under 25 and about 43.5 per cent of registered voters are under 35.
Seoul, July 22 : South Korea has asked the US to exempt its vehicles from the new 25 per cent tariffs Washington is planning to impose on imported vehicles and spare parts, officials said on Sunday.

South Korean Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon made the request to his US counterpart Steve Mnuchin in a meeting on Saturday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Efe news agency reported.

According to an official statement by the finance ministry, Kim asked Mnuchin that South Korean vehicles be excluded from the new tariffs the White House is planning to impose on national security grounds.

The South Korean official reminded his US colleague of the positive impact the Asian country's automobile industry has had on employment and investments in the US.

Currently, South Korean vehicles entering the US market are not subject to import tariffs under the free trade agreement signed by both countries in 2012.
New Delhi : Title: Humans on the Run; Author: Kumar M. Tiku; Publisher: Oxford University Press; Pages: 280; Price: Rs 650 For millions of people displaced around the world, "Home is where the heart is". Each one of them has a story to tell. The stories of injustice, persecution, war and killings in their homelands, to stories of determination, resilience, hope and survival during migration -- and then the stories of the daily struggle in alien lands, human misery, helplessness and the longing to return to their home.

With the problem of displacement reaching unprecedented proportions across the world, these stories often get buried in the debate over the cause of conflicts, the resulting large-scale migration and the response or lack of it by different countries to the problem of refugees.

Collecting stories from victims of displacement in different conflict hotspots and compiling them in a book is a challenge, for every story demands a different treatment and it has to be told in the larger context of the politico-religious conflicts.

This book is a compendium of stories of human displacement caused by conflicts both within and outside their countries From India to Afghanistan, from Myanmar to Sri Lanka and from Tibet to Syria, the stories are so different. They also vary from person to person. Yet, all are bound by a common element -- human misery.

As someone who served the United Nations in conflict-ridden countries for over 15 years, Kumar M. Tiku has seen from close quarters the sufferings of the displaced.

The book has stories by 25 exiles, refugees and asylum seekers across more than 10 countries who spoke to the author and his fellow contributors.

As the author says, the stories, mostly first-person accounts, highlight how their once calm and orderly lives changed and the hard choices they faced when they decided in favour of survival and self-preservation over threats to their lives, honour and the most primeval of all human needs -- freedom. The migrants narrate their hardships after they were uprooted from the ecosystem called home.

Kumar also served the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) in Syria, where more than a third and close to half of the population is without a home. "The sheer scale of human tragedy that has visited this once beautiful and historically rich land is beyond all human imagination," he writes.

"Life as a refugee is dehumanising. I cannot take the daily slurs," the author quotes Odai, a Syrian refugee whom he met in Turkey, as saying. "I want to go back and die in my homeland. But I know my children will never let me take them back. It's been a year since we left and they still get nightmares thinking of the bombs that rained in our neighbourhoods," says the refugee.

The author quotes a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report of 2016 that said an unprecedented 65 million people were displaced around the world due to war and persecution. Syria, Yemen and Iraq account for over half of the total conflict-induced displacements.

What makes this book special is the author himself is a displaced person in India. "This book of stories stems from my own tattered identity as a Kashmiri," writes Kumar, who belongs to Kashmiri Pandit community.

"The loss of the land into which my forebears and I were born is a stab whose pain refuses to be dulled even after a full quarter century in displacement," he writes.

"Millions of forced migrants around the globe nurture the same dream that I dream -- of returning to their home one day, when injustice, violence and terror will give way to reason, sobriety and fair play," he adds.

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) estimates that there are at least 796,000 people internally displaced as a result of conflict and violence in India, as of 2016.

The stories in the book include two from 1990 migration of Kashmiri Hindus. One of the stories is by author's wife Sudha, who recounts how love and inter-communal bonhomie in Kashmir of her birth and the exemplary peaceful land of her forefathers was overtaken by a vicious cycle of distance, distrust and destruction.

(Mohammed Shafeeq can be contacted at m.shafeeq@ians.in)
Mumbai, July 22 : Suddenly everyone is talking about actress Rajshri Deshpande. Or rather her topless shot in her love-making sequence with Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the Netflix series "Sacred Games" is being talked about. But Rajshri, who has featured in movies like "Angry Indian Goddesses" and "S Durga", is unfazed by the attention.

"When I did the scenes, I wasn't aiming at a particular impact. It was what the character Subhadra and the situation demanded. And since I had full faith in my director Anurag Kashyap, I didn't hesitate for a minute in saying yes," she said.

Rajshri wants to thank her co-star for putting her at ease during the nude scene.

"Nawazuddin Siddiqui was a very big support. He made sure I was comfortable. In fact the whole team was a big help. And it isn't as if my nudity is gratuitous. It comes with a great deal of back story.

"Nawaz who plays my husband doesn't look at women when he has sex with them. He never kisses them. That moment when I am in front of him is decisive."

More importantly, the recognition that's come Rajshri's way is helping her get recognition for her other work.

"I do a lot of work with farmers. Now that is being talked about. I was not popular on Instagram at all. Suddenly my fan following is growing. It's good to be recognised for one's work.

"And whatever work it is that I've done, I am proud of it, including the talked-about scene in 'Sacred Games'. Like I said, I did it with my eyes open. I knew what I was getting into."

She's proud to be associated with the series.

"The novel 'Scared Games' is written by the renowned Vikram Chandra. Varun Grover, Smita Singh and Vasant Nath who have adapted it to the screen have done an amazing job. The entire team is extremely accomplished. I'd have been foolish not to do this."

Rajshri is hoping that this level of recognition would now translate into more substantial work for her.

"Whatever I've achieved so far has been on my own merit. I haven't had the help of anyone in getting here. The road ahead is also my own. I am on it."
Kottayam, July 22 : The police have stepped up protection to a convent near here which is home to a nun who had alleged that she was sexually abused by a Catholic bishop.

"The increased police protection has been given after the police team probing her complaint asked for it," said the official who did not wish to be identified.

Trouble began for Franco Mulakkal, the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar (Punjab) in June when the nun alleged that she was sexually abused by him several times between 2014 and 2016.

An FIR was registered against the bishop and a 114-page detailed statement was taken from the nun and other inmates of the convent at Kuruvalangadu. She alleged that the abuse took place at the convent.

Mulakkal maintains that he has done no wrong.

A police team is now in Bengaluru to meet a few nuns who previously resided in the convent.
Chennai, July 22 : They should have battled over the chess board against several players during the past seven years. Instead, they fought their battles in legal forums against the All India Chess Federation (AICF).

They both feel that there should be a strong association to represent the players' interests with AICF. However, with a verdict in their favour from the Competition Commission of India (CCI), the two chess players -- Gurpreet Pal Singh and Karun Duggal -- are now quite happy.

"My family, and more so my wife, was fully behind me in the fight against AICF. My wife told me clearly either to leave the chess field with honour intact by winning the case -- or with the FIDE, the global chess governing body, restoring my Elo rating on its own. She asked me not the submit an apology letter to AICF," Singh told IANS over phone.

He also felt it is time for the players' association to reactivate itself and look at protecting the chess players' interests.

"The prime time of a sportsperson is very short. I lost the prime time of my sporting career with AICF removing my Elo rating. I was not able to play any tournaments within India. When I tried playing outside India, AICF saw to it that I was not allowed to play there," Singh added.

On July 12, the CCI held the undertaking prescribed by AICF for players regarding non-participation in events not authorised by it amounts to restraints that are in the nature of exclusive distribution and refusal to deal as defined in Section 3(f) and 3(4)(d) of the Competition Act 2002.

The complaint against AICF was filed by four chess players -- Singh, Duggal, Hemant Sharma and Devendra Bajpai -- alleging contravention of provisions of Sections 3 and 4 of the Act.

The players had complained to CCI that their Elo rating points were removed by AICF without giving any prior notice due to their participation in the chess tournament sponsored by the Chess Association of India (CAI) in 2010, which was not authorised by AICF.

As per the CCI order, the complainants alleged that AICF also removed ratings of 151 chess players on that ground.

According to CCI order, the investigation has revealed that there were other instances of AICF restricting players who had participated in events not recognised by AICF.

In its order, the CCI directed AICF to lay down the process and parameters governing authorisation/sanctioning of chess tournaments. In doing so, AICF will ensure that they are necessary to serve the interest of the sport and shall be applied in a fair, transparent and equitable manner.

Besides, AICF shall take all possible measure(s) to ensure that competition is not impeded while preserving the objective of development of chess in the country.

According to the order, the AICF shall establish the prejudice caused by a chess player before taking any disciplinary action against him. Needless to say, the disciplinary actions taken shall be proportional, fair and transparent.

The disciplinary actions against the four players and other similar players shall be reviewed by AICF on these lines, the CCI ordered.

Singh said perhaps this is the first time players have won a legal battle against AICF.

While his family was behind him, it was in the office that Singh -- who is employed in the Railways - - felt hurt as some of the colleagues had looked at him as a player banned by AICF.

"Not being able to play even in the department tournaments was really hurting," the 44-year-old Singh said.

According to him, AICF has played with chess players' livelihood by removing their Elo rating.

Singh, who as the National Junior Champion in 1994, was 37 with an Elo rating of 2,306 points at the time of revocation.

For a chess player building such a rating is not an easy task.

"I did not approach the chess players' association to take up my case. The association was not active at that point of time," Singh said.

Duggal, a school teacher and twice Delhi State Rapid Chess champion, also expressed similar views.

"I also lost my prime sporting time because of the ban. I had an Elo rating of 1,579 at the time of ban," Duggal said.

He said he did not play in the tournaments organised by Chess Association of India -- the rival body of AICF -- but assisted them as arbiter and in organising the tourney.

"There should be a strong association for players to protect their interests. In fact, a member of players' association should be there in the AICF governing council," Duggal said.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in)
New Delhi, July 22 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi's five-day, three-nation tour of Africa starting on Monday will see India reaching out first bilaterally and then multilaterally under the BRICS umbrella to the continent.

"The visit to Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa will further strengthen our relations with the African continent," the External Affairs Ministry said.

Over the last few years, there has been significant engagement in various fields with African countries. There have been 23 outgoing visits to Africa by the President, Vice President and Prime Minister in the last four years.

"Africa has been the top priority of India's foreign policy," the statement said.

Cooperation in defence and agriculture will be Modi's priorities during his bilateral visits to Rwanda and Uganda before he goes to South Africa for the annual Brazil, Russia, India China, South Africa (BRICS) Summit.

This will be Modi's second visit to mainland Africa after he visited Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya in 2016.

Modi will reach Rwanda on July 23 in what will be the first ever Prime Ministerial visit from India to the East African nation.

India elevated its ties with Rwanda, seen as an important gateway to eastern Africa, to that of a Strategic Partnership in January last year.

Briefing the media, T.S. Tirumurti, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the External Affairs Ministry, said India will open its first mission in Rwanda very soon. India's current High Commissioner to Rwanda has residence in Kampala, Uganda.

Rwanda is also a recipient of Indian lines of credit of nearly $400 million and of Indian training and scholarship programmes.

During Modi's visit, two more lines of credit are expected to be signed - one of $100 million for industrial parks and a similar amount for agriculture and irrigation.

"We expect agreements to be concluded in the areas of defence, dairy cooperation, leather, agriculture and culture," Tirumurti said.

In Rwanda, Modi will visit Rweru model village to gift 200 cows as part of a programme overseen by President Kagame wherein the poorest families get dairy cows from the government and the first female calf born of the cow is gifted to a neighbour to promote brotherhood.

From Rwanda, Modi will reach Uganda on July 24 in what will the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister in 21 years.

Tirumurti said training and capacity building had been the focus of defence cooperation between India and Uganda. India has an Indian military training team stationed in Jinja since 2010.

Apart from calling on Ugandan President Yowei Museveni and holding delegation-level talks, Modi will take part in an India-Uganda joint business event and address the Ugandan parliament, the first ever by an Indian Prime Minister.

He will also address members of the Indian community in Uganda.

"We expect to extend two lines of credit for the first time to Uganda of $141 million regarding electricity lines and sub-stations and $64 million for agriculture and dairy production," Tirumurti said.

From Uganda, Modi will reach South Africa on July 25 on the third and last leg of his visit.

Besides the BRICS Summit, Modi will also hold a bilateral meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa, who assumed office in February.

South Africa is organising the 10th BRICS leaders' Summit under the theme "BRICS in Africa: Collaboration with Developing Countries for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the Fourth Industrial Revolution".

Modi, along with other BRICS leaders, will participate in the restricted session, plenary session, leaders' retreat, outreach with leaders from Africa and outreach with leaders from the global South.

In the BRICS-Africa outreach, those invited include Rwanda, Uganda, Togo, Zambia, Namibia, Senegal, Gabon, Ethiopia, Angola and the African Union Chair.

In the BRICS-plus outreach, the invited countries of the global South include Argentina, Turkey, Indonesia, Jamaica and Egypt.

On the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, Modi will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. This will be the third meeting between the two leaders this year.
Johannesburg, July 22 : South African police said on Sunday that they are investigating a deadly shooting at a taxi which led to 11 deaths.

South Africa Police Service said that on Saturday night, a taxi from Gauteng province transporting people who attended a funeral came under fire between Colenso and Weenen. Unknown suspects jumped into the road from the bushes and opened fire, it said.

Xinhua news agency quoted a police spokesperson as confirming that there had been 11 fatalities while four people were seriously injured.

The victims were allegedly from a taxi association in Gauteng.

South Africa taxi operators often clash with each other for ranking facilities and routes.
New Delhi, July 22 : In an attempt to make gender neutral laws, the Women and Child Development Ministry has brought in amendments in the existing Pocso law to cover sexual abuse of the boy child and these will be sent for Cabinet approval very soon, a ministry official said.

"Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act has always striven to develop gender-neutral laws. While the Cabinet has already given its nod proposing death sentence for convicts raping girls below 12, the same has been proposed for boy victims," the official said.

The Law Ministry has cleared the amendments to enhance punishment in cases of sexual assault against young boys and it will be sent to the Cabinet in next 2-3 days, the official added.

Woman and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has been pushing for bringing in the amendment and had earlier also written to the states batting for equal rights to male child victims of sexual abuse.

Gandhi earlier had also supported a petition on Change.org by film-maker-activist Insia Dariwala, who said, "male child sexual abuse is an ignored reality in India".
Atlanta, July 22 : Rapper Cardi B says that her husband and rapper Offset, who was arrested, has been released from jail.

Offset aka Kiari Kendrell Cephus was arrested on Friday in Georgia for an improper lane change, marijuana possession, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime.

Cardi B took to her Instagram account on Saturday and uploaded a story in which she can be seen posing next to Offset, reports variety.com.

The 25-year-old captioned it: "Home and for the record, Offset is not on probation."

Offset was also arrested in 2016 for driving with a suspended license in Atlanta. He also spent time in jail in 2015 after being arrested on drug and gun charges during a concert at Georgia Southern University.
Kolkata, July 22 : The indefinite hunger strike by students of Calcutta Medical College and Hospital here entered the 13th day on Sunday even as authorities appealed to them to withdraw their agitation for hostel rooms.

Members of civil society and student organisations gathered on the hospital premises to express solidarity with the agitators.

The students began their strike on July 10 after authorities at the 183-year-old state-run medical college notified that the new 11-storey hostel building would be allotted to freshers only.

The college administration on Sunday appealed to the students to withdraw their strike, saying that additional students will be accommodated in the new hostel building subject to approval from higher authorities.

In his written appeal, new Officiating Principal Ashok Bhadra informed the students about his Saturday meeting with Director of Medical Education (DME), student representatives and heads of different departments.

"There will be open and transparent counselling for hostel accommodation if the DME approves the request made to him in the meeting," said Bhadra, who took over after R. Sinha resigned on Friday.

The agitating students, however, said that they will withdraw the strike only after receiving a written approval from the DME's office.

Members of leftist Democratic Youth Federation of India and Students Federation of India held a convention on the campus to protest what they called the state government's indifference on the issue.

"The Chief Minister is holding massive rallies in the heart of Kolkata but does not have time to meet striking students. How far is Esplanade from the Medical College?" CPI-M MP Mohammad Selim remarked.
New Delhi, July 22 : Women politicians, cutting across party lines, have welcomed the government's decision on scrapping GST on sanitary napkins.

Reactions flowed in from many women politicians after Finance minister Piyush Goyal announced that sanitary pads are now 100 percent exempt from tax.

"In a remarkable move, Piyush Goyal during the 28th GST Council Meet announced to exempt Sanitary Napkins from the GST. Indeed, this will give the required thrust to our Menstrual Hygiene initiatives and will transform lives of many Women," Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi tweeted.

Sanitary pads, which were initially taxed at 18 per cent, were brought down to 12 per cent under GST that was launched in July 2017. Gandhi, however earlier had justified the imposed tax saying that scrapping it would kill the indigenous pad makers.

Congress MP Sushmita Dev who last year had launched an online petition with Change.org demanding total removal of taxes on pads welcomed the government's move saying that it is a victory of more than four lakh citizens who had signed it.

"Some journeys take longer than others. And so here we are bearing the victory torch a year after our campaign 'tax free wings. This is monumental in the step towards improving the accessibility, availability and affordability of the product to millions of women," Dev said.

Union Textile minister Smriti Irani too tweeted thanking the Finance Minister for exempting sanitary napkins from GST.

"A welcome step towards encouraging menstrual hygiene among young girls and women. Good and Simple GST," she wrote.
Varanasi, July 22 : In a bid to strengthen the expertise and capabilities of the employees of North-Eastern Railways, Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha on Sunday inaugurated Regional Rail Training Institute (RRTI) at Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur.

He also inaugurated the newly constructed washing pit at Ghazipur City station, according to a official statement.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Sinha said the RRTI was constructed within the stipulated time and will immensely add to the development of the area.

"This training institute will give strength to the country's and state's development. It will provide modern training facilities to the railway employees and would enhance their efficiency," he said.

The institute, built with the cost of Rs 21 crore, is equipped with modern training facilities, an advanced model hostel, computer room, cafeteria and other necessary facilities.

Sinha said that the 400 metre washing pit was built at a cost of Rs 19.62 crore.

The minister said that doubling of railway tracks, their electrification and other passengers amenities are being developed in the area on priority basis.

"We will soon complete the other projects," he said mentioning the status of the projects of Tadighat to Mau via Ghazipur rail route, doubling of Chapra-Allahabad, Bhatni-Aurihar, Aurihar-Jaunpur, Indara-Phephna and Mau-Shahganj rail routes.
Ranchi, July 22 : The mastermind of the gang rape of five women in Khuti district of Jharkhand a month ago was arrested on Sunday in West Singhbhum district along with another accused, police said.

"Mastermind Junas Tudu was arrested along with Balram Samad from the Chakradharpur railway station. Junas had instigated the Maoists belonging to People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI) to commit the crime," Inspector General of Police Naveen Kumar told reporters in Khuti.

The five women -- who were creating awareness against human trafficking -- were abducted and gang-raped at Kochang village on June 21. Junas was absconding since then.

Police has already arrested PLFI member and main accused Baji Samad alias Takla, Roman Catholic Church father Alphons Aiad, and two others.

According to police, Samad has confessed that he and others gang-raped the women on the instigation of Junas and Balram. Based on his confession, police seized five rifles from a forest in Khuti district.
New Delhi, July 22 : A young man has been arrested on the charge of killing his wife and cremating her surreptitiously in west Delhi after suspecting she had an affair, police said on Sunday.

Accused Navin, 24, of Sultanpuri was arrested after he kept changing his statements regarding his wife's death.

Police said the death of a woman in suspicious circumstances and the subsequent hush-hush cremation by her husband and five to six other persons was reported on Saturday.

"Police went to the cremation ground on Saturday, doused the burning pyre fire, and seized the unburnt remains," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajender Singh Sagar said.

"During questioning, Navin claimed that his wife was electrocuted around 11 p.m. on Friday. But he later confessed to strangling his wife over suspected affair."

Navin had told his family also that his wife was electrocuted.

The couple, married for five years, had a daughter.
Kolkata, July 22 : The 'Bahuda Yatra' or the return journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra was on Sunday celebrated at Mayapur, the global headquarters of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Nadia district here along with other parts of West Bengal.

Following their stay in Gundicha temple at Prabhupad Ghat in Mayapur for nine days, the three deities went back to Rajapur temple in their opulently decorated chariots on Sunday.

The Gundicha temple was packed with people since morning as devotees were seen busy cleaning the chariots and organising the journey.

"More than 30,000 people comprising of devotees, guests and pilgrims from India as well as several countries like Australia, Spain, America, Peru, Britain, France, Brazil, Russia, China took part in the celebrations by pulling the chariots," a ISKCON spokesperson said.

"On way back the chariots were greeted by enthusiastic crowds belonging to different communities who stood on both sides of the road. Two grand tableaus depicting Narsimha Lila and Ramchandra Lila were the special attraction in the procession," he said.

In Kolkata, thousands of devotees pulled the chariots from Outram Road, JL Neheru Road and CIT Road to reach the city branch of ISKON temple, to celebrate the occasion of Lord Jagannath's return, also known locally as 'Ulto-rathayatra'.

Children across Kolkata and suburbs pulled miniature versions of the chariots to observe the occasion.
Patna, July 22 : The fear of drought looms large over Bihar once again as it has received 48 per cent deficit rain this monsoon so far but the state is ready to tackle the situation, a state official said on Sunday.

"A drought-like situation is in the making in the state due to deficit rainfall. The state government is (however) ready to face it," Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar told the media here after a high level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar reviewed the situation.

He said that another review meeting will be held on July 31.

Contrary to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast of a near normal monsoon in 2018 in Bihar, the state has so far witnessed poor monsoon.

Of Bihar's 37 districts, 22 have received 60 per cent less rainfall. Only six districts have recorded normal rainfall.

There is widespread fear of drought-like situation among millions of farmers who have faced similar situation thrice in the last seven years. Poor monsoon has affected sowing of paddy, which is in its peak season.

Monsoon normally hits the state between June 12 and 14. But it was delayed by 12 to 14 days in 2018.

"The Chief Minister is keeping a close watch on the situation. He will review the situation on July 31 and is likely to take a decision whether to announce a drought or not," the Chief Secretary said.

The official said that Public Health and Engineering Department has been directed to arrange 500 water tankers to deal with drought-like condition, adding that the state is fully alert to the situation and to deal with it.

According to him, farmers will be provided 18 to 20 hours of power supply for irrigation.
New Delhi, July 22 : A 30-year-old married woman working as an Area Manager with a multinational pharmaceutical company here has lodged a sexual harassment complaint against two senior colleagues, following which an investigation has been initiated, police said on Sunday.

Police said the woman, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, complained against company's General Manager Gaurav Pawar and Regional Manager Sarfaraz Ahmed at the Pandav Nagar police station on Friday.

"The woman said that she is working with the company since June 2011. In November 2017, Gaurav tried to quizz her about her personal life but she evaded the queries. Since then, both the accused began to touch her inappropriately whenever they found her alone in office. When the woman resisted their attempts, they threatened her with sacking," a senior police officer said.

The woman claimed that she approached the company's grievance cell and the top management but they did not take stern action against the two.

The woman told her husband, following which the couple approached Delhi police.

"We are investigating and are examining the CCTV footage from the office of the complainant as well as the accused," the officer said.
Bastad (Sweden), July 22 : Third-seeded Fabio Fognini of Italy won the Swedish Open title on Sunday after defeating fourth-seeded Richard Gasquet of France 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, lifting his second trophy in 2018.

Fognini, world No. 15, needed one hour and 46 minutes to earn his second win over Gasquet, world No. 29, in their fourth career match, reports Efe.

Playing his third final of 2018, Gasquet struggled on serve, putting only 57 percent of the first serve in play, and won only 57 percent of the second delivery.

The Italian player took advantage of the Frenchman's difficulties, creating 11 break points, five of which were enough to earn his seventh career title despite conceding his service game three times.

After recovering from a shaky start, a service break included, Fognini won five consecutive games to clinch the first set a few games later.

The second set seemed to be a carbon copy of the first, as Fognini fought back from a service break in the early stages, but Gasquet built up another break and went on to draw level at a set apiece.

However, two service breaks in the third set were all Fognini needed to seal the win.
New Delhi, July 22 : Taking a jibe at Congress President Rahul Gandhi, the BJP on Sunday dubbed him a "non-performing chief" of a party that is doing negative politics as against the positive politics pursued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"After the defeat of the no-confidence motion in Parliament, the Congress non-working committee met today (Sunday) under a non-performing party President Rahul Gandhi. His mother Sonia Gandhi chaired the CWC (Congress Working Committee) for 20 years and after that her son Rahul Gandhi is chairing it. This is not how a democracy functions," BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra told a press conference here.

He said that the two-line decision taken at the CWC meeting was that the Congress does not want to win and its sole aim is to stop Modi at any cost.

"The Congress has decided to play the role of a suicide bomber. It is negative politics. Positive Politics is being performed under the leadership of Modi. The people of the country, who believe in positive and developmental politics, will never accept this negative politics," he said.

The BJP leader also hit out at UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi for her "reverse countdown" jibe at the Prime Minister, saying the country had few days back seen the politics of "hug and wink" and the rhetoric on the floor of Parliament.

Addressing the CWC meet, Sonia Gandhi had said earlier in the day that the Prime Minister's rhetoric shows his "desperation" reflecting that the "reverse countdown" of the Modi government has begun.

"You (Sonia) were runing the country in reverse gear and you are now talking of reverse countdown. The reverse countdown of dynastic politics, appeasement politics and caste politics has begun," Patra said.

He said that the whole purpose of the CWC meet was to back Rahul Gandhi as Congress candidate for 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

"What is new in Sonia's backing of Rahul as PM. This was the whole purpose of CWC. Sonia's only ambition is to back Rahul as PM candidate," he said.

Commenting on former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram's remarks that the Congress can win three times more seats in the 2019 general elections, Patra asked: "If a party is looking at contesting only 150 seats, how can it dream of getting the Prime Minister's post?"
New Delhi, July 22 : An arbitration tribunal has rejected the claim of former Spicejet owner Kalanithi Maran and his company Kal Airways for Rs 1,323-crore as damages from Spicejet.

In a stock exchange filing on Saturday, Spicejet said that the tribunal constituted by the Delhi High Court in 2016 rejected Maran's claim to damages of Rs 1,323 crore for not issuing warrants to him and KAL Airways, but awarded him a refund of Rs 579 crore with interest.

The tribunal, comprising retired Supreme Court Judges Arijit Pasayat, Hemant Laxman Gokhale and K.S.P. Radhakrishnan ruled on Friday that there was no breach of a share sale and purchase agreement reached between Maran and the current Spicejet promoter Ajay Singh in January 2015.

The tribunal upheld SpiceJet's defence that it failed to issue the relevant convertible warrants and preference shares due to lack of approval from the authorities concerned.

"The tribunal has held that there was no breach by the company (Spicejet) in pursuing the approval from relevant authority and since the same was not received for reasons not attributable to the company, it cannot be held to be in breach or be

made liable for damages," the filing said.

"The tribunal has, however, held that since the warrants/shares cannot be issued any longer, the amount of about Rs 308 crore earlier received by the company as advance towards subscription of warrants is to be refunded to the claimants along with interest of 12 per cent per annum for a period of 30 months.

"Accordingly, no further warrants/shares are required to be issued by the company to the claimants," it added.

Following a severe cash crunch suffered by Spicejet in 2015, Maran and his KAL Airways, transferred their 58.46 per cent share in SpiceJet for Rs 2 to Singh, who, as a co-founder of the low-cost carrier, assumed its liabilities.

As part of the agreement, Maran and KAL Airways said they paid SpiceJet Rs 679 crore for issuing warrants and preference shares.

Maran filed a case in the Delhi High Court against Singh and SpiceJet after he said that neither convertible warrants and preference shares were issued nor his money refunded.

The warrants, if converted into equity, would have given Maran and KAL Airways ownership of 24 per cent stake in Spicejet.

"The company will like to clarify that the aggregate principal amount payable, including the amount of Rs 270 crore towards CRPS (if and when the same becomes

payable) has already been deposited by the company with the Registrar General of the Delhi High Court in September 2017," Spicejet said.

Singh and his family currently hold 60.25 per cent in SpiceJet.
New Delhi, July 22 : Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that a group will be formed to take a call on alliances in the run-up to 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"We are setting up a group to do it," Gandhi told reporters after a meeting of Congress Working Committee, the party's highest decision making body, which authorised him to decide on pre and post-poll alliances.

The party's decision is being seen as an unambigious message to all present and potential allies that he will take all crucial decisions for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls including on seat sharing.

Some leaders, including Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, are learnt to have more comfort level in interacting with Rahul Gand'i's mother Sonia Gandhi, who is UPA chairperson.

Sonia Gandhi had hosted a dinner for like-minded opposition parties in March this year to explore the possibility of forging a broader unity. Earlier, she had taken the initiative to bring senior opposition leaders together to put up a common candidate in Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections.

On the other hand, the Iftar he hosted was skipped by most opposition stalwarts.

The CWC decision is being seen as an indication that Rahul Gandhi should emerge as the face of larger opposition in the 2019 electoral battle.

Alliances are crucial for the Congress to defeat the BJP, which won a majority on its own in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and has since won several state assembly polls.

While Congress has a direct contest with BJP in several states, it has a difficult choice in forging alliances in some others, like West Bengal, where it state unit is divided on whether it should ally with the Trinamool Congress or the Left parties.

Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that her party would like to win all 42 seats, leaving little scope for a tie-up, but not aligning with her will have its own implications as she is emerging as pivot for a Federal Front.

Then in Uttar Pradesh, where the Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party have talked of an alliance, the Congress may be left with very few seats.

Sonia Gandhi had deftly forged alliances before the 2004 Lok Sabha polls and had ousted the BJP-led NDA in an unexpected outcome.
Michigan Auto Law attorney Steve Gursten discusses effects of new legal advertising guidelines New advertising guideline puts an end to how lawyers use the internet and social media to market legal services to consumers. - Steve Gursten

A recent change to the guidelines for attorney advertising in Michigan will make it very difficult for lawyers and law firms to advertise legal services on the internet and social media.

The new disclosure requirements, coupled with the space limitations that currently exist for online ads, effectively put an end to how lawyers use the internet and social media to market legal services to consumers, says insurance attorney Steven M. Gursten of Michigan Auto Law. Despite laudable intentions, the unintended consequences make it now impossible for lawyers to participate in most forms of paid online advertising. We have a new ethics standard that is attempting to regulate 20th Century legal services like television, billboards, bus wraps and yellow pages in a 21st Century world.

On May 30, 2018, a unanimous Michigan Supreme Court announced:

Services of a lawyer or law firm that are advertised under the heading of a phone number, web address, or trade name shall identify the name, office address, and business telephone number of at least one lawyer responsible for the content of the advertisement.

The new rule takes effect on September 1, 2018.

In addition to infringing on commercial speech on the internet and in social media ads, the new standard will also cause many law firms to alter their long-standing names. This will force law firms to make costly changes to their office signs, marketing materials, branded clothing and other marketing items such as pens, coffee mugs and flash drives.

To learn more, please check out Michigan Auto Laws blog post here.

Michigan Auto Law attorneys and legal experts have been featured in local, state and national publications. They are selected for their expertise in auto law matters. If you are in the media and would like to speak with an expert for your story, contact Todd Berg at (248) 353-7575 or TBerg@michiganautolaw.com.

About Michigan Auto Law

At Michigan Auto Law, our lawyers practice exclusively in helping people whove been hurt in car truck, and motorcycle accidents in the state of Michigan. More than 98 percent of our lawsuits resolve in substantial settlements, because our focus is combined with an excellent trial record that defense attorneys pay to avoid, including the top-reported auto accident jury verdicts and settlements in Michigan.

Michigan Auto Law has offices in Farmington Hills, Detroit, Sterling Heights, Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor. For more information, visit https://www.michiganautolaw.com or call (800) 968-1001.

Contact Information

Todd Berg

Michigan Auto Law

https://www.michiganautolaw.com/

+1 (800) 968-1001

Elizabeth Warner

Michigan Auto Law

https://www.michiganautolaw.com/

+1 (800) 968-1001
In an awards ceremony dominated by women, creators of color and LGBTQ-themed works, Emil Ferris surprise bestselling hit, My Favorite Thing is Monsters (Fantagraphics), won three Eisner awards including Best New Graphic Novel. And writer Marjorie Liu and artist Sana Takedas Monstress (Image), an epic fantasy work about a teenage girl with a monstrous demonic power, won a total of five Eisner Awards, among them best writer, best multimedia artist and best work for teens.

The 30th annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, honoring the best works of the comics medium, are held each year at the San Diego Comic-Con International. A complete list of Eisner Award winners is available on the Comic-Con website.

Written and drawn by Ferris, My Favorite Thing is Monsters, the story of a ten-year old girl in 1960s Chicago who is queer and loves monster movies, also received Eisner awards for best artist and best colorist.

Accepting the first of her three Eisner awards, Ferris, a completely unknown artist who had to overcome a terrifying bout with West Nile Virus that left her paralyzed and unable to draw, drew laughter and cheers when she thanked her artist/art-loving parents for getting jiggy on the roof of [Chicagos] Art Institute, and conceiving her. And in a series of emotional acceptances for her multiple awards, she warmly thanked Fantagraphics publisher Gary Groth, who she said, embraced the book after it was rejected by 48 publishers.

Liu accepted Eisners for herself (for best writer on Monstress, in an unusual tie with Batman and Mister Miracle writer Tom King) and for her co-creator artist Sana Takeda. Takeda was in Japan but eventually was able to connect and acknowledge the ceremony during a facetime call from the stage, after Monstress won its fifth Eisner late in the evening.

The entire evening was an emotional tribute to diversity, inclusion and the ongoing transformation of the comics industry (and comics fandom) by an influx of creators from a range of backgrounds long absent from the comics industry.

Other female and queer winners included Tillie Waldens Spinning (First Second), a graphic memoir of her life as an elite figure skater and growing up as a lesbian, won Best Nonfiction Graphic Work; Katie ONeils Tea Dragon Society (Oni), a fantasy work with LGBTQ themes, won Eisners for best middle grade graphic work and for best webcomic. Taneka Stotts Elements: Fire, A Comic Anthology by Creators of Color, a Kickstarter-funded work of queer creators, won an Eisner for Best Anthology. And My Brothers Husband Vol. 1 (Pantheon), a manga for young readers about being gay in Japan, won an Eisner for Best International Work from Asia.

The celebration continued with Damian Duffy and John Jennings graphic adaptation of Kindred (Abrams Comic Arts), novelist Octavia Butlers classic work of speculative fiction set in the American slave era, which won for Best Adaptation. And the Eisner Award for Best Academic/Scholarly work was presented to Frederick Luis Aldama for Latinx Superheroes in Mainstream Comics (University of Arizona Press).

And a highpoint of the Eisner ceremony was the induction of Jackie Ormes, the first black female syndicated newspaper cartoonist, into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame (along with another female pioneer, Karen Berger, founding editor of DC/Vertigo, as well as the late Marvel sales manager Carol Kalish). Ormes was best known for the 1930s comics character Torchy Brown in her syndicated comics strip Dixie in Harlem. The HOF induction award was accepted by Ormes great grandniece Lisa Jackson Zelznick, along with Nancy Goldstein, the author of Jackie Ormes: The First African-American Woman Cartoonist (Univ. of Michigan).

[
Here are the highlights.

Carter Page downplays his Russian connections after the release of documents on FBI surveillance of him

On CNN's "State of the Union", former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page walked back his role and wouldn't detail his relationships with Russian officials, hours after the FBI released documents related to his surveillance.

Host Jake Tapper read from a document that Page once described himself as "informal adviser" to the Kremlin. Page called this "spin" and didn't go into further detail.

An application the FBI filed in October 2016 said the surveillance was necessary because "The FBI believes that Page has been collaborating and conspiring with the Russian Government."

"I've never been an agent of a foreign power by any stretch of the imagination," Page said on Sunday.

Read more: ,

Michael Avenatti says Michael Cohen has more Trump tapes and is "ready to tell the truth"

Michael Avenatti, the attorney representing porn star Stormy Daniels, said Sunday that Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen had multiple recordings of conversations with Trump, and that he knew what was on some of them.

Avenatti said on ABC's "This Week" he could confirm there were multiple tapes and demanded a clear statement from the Trump administration.

"My accuracy rate over the last six months has been spot on in this case," Avenatti said. "Let me tell you this, if I'm wrong, then why don't we have Mr. Trump or his attorneys come forward today, right now and claim there are no other tapes?"

After running into Cohen in a Manhattan restaurant, Avenatti said he expects Cohen is "ready to tell the truth" about Trump.

"I think you have seen an evolution by Michael Cohen over the last month or so with the retention of Lanny Davis and others," Avenatti said, referring to the recent addition of a member of former President Bill Clinton's special counsel to Cohen's legal team. "I think he is ready to tell the truth."

Read more:

Sen. Lindsey Graham urges Trump to strengthen US infrastructure ahead of 2018 elections

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina urged Trump to realign his relationships within the government and strengthen US infrastructure before the midterm elections and a planned White House meeting with Putin this fall.

"Do not meet with this guy from a position of weakness," he said on CBS's "Face the Nation". "You need to be the leader of that movement and you need to work with Congress to come up with new sanctions because Putin's not getting the message."

Read more: ,

Sen. Marco Rubio calls for upping Russian sanctions and pushes back on Trump's claims his campaign was spied on illegally

Sen. Marco Rubio said newly released documents that show how the Department of Justice got authorization to monitor former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page were justified.

Appearing on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday, the Florida Republican told host Jake Tapper he has a "different view" on the meaning of the documents from Trump, whotweeted hours earlierthat they prove his campaign was being "illegally spied upon".

"I don't believe that them looking into Carter Page means they were spying on the campaign. I also don't believe it proves anything about collusion," Rubio said. "He was a guy that was on their screen even before the campaign."

He continued: "I don't think it's part of any broader plot. The only plot here is the plot to interfere in our election by the Russians."

Rubio also echoed Graham's urges when he pushed a new bill that would impose sanctions on Russia if they interfere in future elections.

"What I think is indisputable is that they did interfere and they will do so in the future," Rubio said. "If our bill passes and the director of national intelligence says they interfered in 2018, these very tough sanctions will hit them. So Putin knows going in, what the price of doing so is."

Read more: , ,

Rep. Trey Gowdy says the "disconnect" between Trump and US intelligence "cannot continue"

Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy reacted to Trump's meeting with Putin, where the president appeared to blame the US for current tensions with Russia after the special counsel Robert Mueller indicted 12 Russians on suspicion of election interference.

"The evidence is overwhelming," Gowdy said on "Fox News Sunday". "It can be proven beyond any evidentiary burden that Russia is not our friend and they tried to attack us in 2016."

Trump has since walked back his comments to say he does have faith in US intelligence, but Gowdy said the flubbed meeting was a "missed opportunity" for a power move.

"The president either needs to rely on the people that he has chosen to advise him, or those advisers need to reevaluate whether or not they can serve in this administration," Gowdy said. "But the disconnect cannot continue. The evidence is overwhelming, and the president needs to say that and act like it."
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READ MORE: Prophet in policy custody after trying to resurrect corpse

Along the way, Carr sat down because his legs were hurting and he was stopped by Officer Mark Knighten of Pelham Police Department, the department told ABC News. He told Knighten that he had eight to 10 miles left to go in the journey.

Officers Carl Perkinson and Klint Rhodes pulled up shortly after, the Pelham police added, and all three officers took the young man to breakfast.

He told the officers that he was determined to make the long journey to make it to his first day of work.

"I didnt want to defeat myself," Carr said.

At 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning, another officer, Scott Duffey, brought Carr to the home of Jenny Lamey, where was set to meet his new colleagues and begin helping her family move.

Duffey told Lamey about Carr's trek and asked if he could hang out at the home until the rest of the Bellhops crew arrived.

"My heart just stopped," Lamey told ABC News.

She said she offered Walter food and a couch to lie down on until 8:00 a.m., but he insisted they get to work.

Lamey said she thought about his all-night walk and how he now would lift heavy boxes in the excruciating heat and it blew her away.

"I burst into tears a couple times," she said.

Lamey said she learned more that impressed her about Carr. He told her children he was supposed to be receiving his Associates degree later this year, then will ship off to boot camp with the Marines.

When he was 5 years old, he told her, he and his mother lost their home in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.

When the crew arrived and introduced themselves to Walter, Lamey said she was touched that they thanked him for showing up. She said they had been shocked to learn about Carr's all-night trek.

Lamey found a way to get in contact with Bellhops CEO, Luke Marklin. She shared the story on Facebook and set up a GoFundMe to raise money for Walter to fix his car.

But, Marklin had something else in mind.

"Walter is incredible, and what he did is incredible," Marklin told ABC News. "Its everything our company stands for."

Marklin drove from his home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Homewood, Alabama, to meet Carr for lunch.

While Carr walked 30 minutes to meet Marklin, he did not know that the Lamey family, Pelham police and his colleagues were all at a nearby hotel waiting to surprise him.

When he arrived, the entire group was there and Marklin gave him the keys to the SUV he drove to Alabama, a Ford Escape.

"Walter truly raised the bar," Marklin said.

Lamey said her family will be inspired by him whenever they have tough times.

"Hes like the poster boy for no excuses," she said. "Hes just got this deep faith, he wasnt alone."

Carr said he was so happy that he had touched people with his story and that he was blessed to bless others.
The incident is said to have happened at the Shiashie branch of the financial institution in Accra where the victim, Patience Osafo, had gone to withdraw her savings.

Mr Cudjoe said he wants the victim to be "properly compensated."

He said: "Now that the bank has said they are investigating the matter, it shouldnt actually end there.

"Im likely to talk to a few lawyers to sue the bank so that the bank will pay substantial damages so that the lady is properly compensated"
The police man has been arrested by Akua Donkor has vowed to bail him hopefully on Monday.

She said: When things are going on and you dont know, be open to learn. Women lately negotiate with armed robbers and pull stunts on banks.

"She said she was withdrawing money, how much money was she taking so much so that she had to spend a week at the bank? Its obvious she was sent by robbers, its what they do.

"Some women fake pregnancy and labour by putting clothes on their tummies to trick drivers by the roadside and get their accomplices to rob them when they pick them."

She continued: The beatings they gave her were not enough, they should have beaten her even more because she is a thief. Thats what the ladies do now and I have evidence to back it.

"I dont know either of the two people; the policeman nor the woman but Im telling you the facts on the ground. They plan, get to the targeted location, wait till there are just a few persons and then they execute their plans."
According to him, the conduct of Lance Corporal Frederick Amanor aka Skalla is not in consonance with police professionalism.

I do not see anything on the video that is sufficient for him to react that way to an unarmed woman," Mr Dery told Accra-based Citi FM. From what I have seen, this behaviour is not in consonance with police professionalism. Disciplinary action must be taken and if nothing else extraordinary is found, he should be dismissed. He does not qualify to wear uniform

He made the comments after the Inspector General of Police, David Asante Apeatu, ordered for Corporal Amanor's arrest.

The action of the police service in the matter has been endorsed by the president, who decried the action of the abusive police officer yesterday.

Commenting on the matter, president Nana Akufo-Addo said: "Police men are meant to protect citizens, not to assault citizens.

"The measures that the IGP (Inspector General of Police) has taken to sanction the erring police man, and to make sure these things don't happen again have my complete support," he said.

President Akufo-Addo said he supports "100% the measures he (IGP) has taken, so that we can stop these incidents from proliferting."

--Family apology---

The family of the police officer has Ghanaians, the president and the Inspector General of Police to forgive "our son."

The family admitted his conduct was barbaric, inhumane and antithesis to the professional training of the police.

We have known Skalla as an amiable person, very caring and considerate and his conduct as captured on the tape is very unusual of him, the statement said.

"That notwithstanding, we are pleading with the good people of Ghana to find that forgiving heart deep down within to forgive our son," the family said.

READ MORE: Police investigating staff of Midland Savings and Loans Limited over assault on woman

--Donations--

Pulse.com.gh is learning that several individuals have donated cash and gifts to the assaulted woman, Patience Osafo.

It has bee reported that National Women's organiser of the governing New Patriotic Party has donated a cash of GHC5,000 to her.
READ MORE: Counsellor Lutterodt defends police officer for assaulting nursing woman

Without providing evidence, Madam Donkor said it was obvious the woman was sent by armed robbers to the bank.

She said: When things are going on and you dont know, be open to learn. Women lately negotiate with armed robbers and pull stunts on banks.

"She said she was withdrawing money, how much money was she taking so much so that she had to spend a week at the bank? Its obvious she was sent by robbers, its what they do.

"Some women fake pregnancy and labour by putting clothes on their tummies to trick drivers by the roadside and get their accomplices to rob them when they pick them."

She continued: The beatings they gave her were not enough, they should have beaten her even more because she is a thief. Thats what the ladies do now and I have evidence to back it.

"I dont know either of the two people; the policeman nor the woman but Im telling you the facts on the ground. They plan, get to the targeted location, wait till there are just a few persons and then they execute their plans."

READ MORE: Woman mercilessly assaulted by police lodges formal complaint

The police officer at the centre of the assault, Lance Corporal Frederick Amanor aka Skalla , has been interdicted by the police service.
Madam Osafo lodged an official complaint of assault at the Legon Police Station on Saturday against Lance Corporal Frederick Amanor aka Skalla.

The Director General of Police Public Affairs, ACP David Eklu, told Accra-based Citi FM that two-prong investigations will be opened against the abusive officer-- professional and criminal.

He has been identified and placed in custody. The lady in question has also been identified and has lodged a formal complaint at the Legon police station," he said.

"The next step would be in two folds  the administration or professional aspect and the criminal aspect which has already been initiated by the lady by lodging a formal complaint to the police, he added.

Lance Corporal Amanor was seen in a leaked video assaulting Madam Osafo after she had gone to withdraw her savings.
The Assin Central MP revealed the identity of the company as C&J, saying the veteran journalist has been engaged in mining for years.

READ MORE: Kennedy Agyapong drags Anas to General Legal Council

He further described Mr Baako as hypocritical, despite not showing any prove of wrong doing on the part of Mr Baako.

Mining is legal in Ghana and owning a mining company does not make one a criminal. However, Mr Agyapong's claim is part of grand scheme to accuse the veteran journalist and Anas Aremeyaw Anas as corrupt persons.

I have dig Kweku Baako and his boy (referring to Anas) very well. I have documents to suggest that he owns a mining company call C&J and he has been managing this company for years," he said on Net2 TV.He should be very careful because I have lots of information about him. He preaches virtues and practices vices, he added.
In an interview at a NeueHouse work space here  during which she laid out her Netflix plans for the first time  Rhimes sounded confident that she will deliver something unexpected.

Everybody thinks that theres a Shondaland show,' Rhimes said. No. Theres a Shondaland show that we made for ABC. Now I cant wait to show everybody what a Shondaland show is that we make for the world.

Netflixs courtship of Rhimes began, in earnest, in the late fall of 2016. At the time, she had more than a year to go on her ABC contract, so she did not tell anyone at the network about the breakfast she had planned with Ted Sarandos, the chief content officer of Netflix.

With her agent, Chris Silbermann of ICM Partners, in tow, Rhimes and Sarandos took a table in the back of Republique, a casual restaurant on South La Brea Avenue. During the sit-down, Rhimes was frank with Sarandos about how she viewed her next act.

I said, Im not going to make you a second Greys Anatomy,' Rhimes said. That was one of the first things I said. And he said, Im not interested in you making a second Greys Anatomy.'

Word of the breakfast made its way to The Hollywood Reporter  but the brief item that ran soon afterward in the trade publications Power Dining column failed to identify Rhimes correctly: Netflixs Ted Sarandos and wife Nicole Avant ate breakfast with ICM Partners Chris Silbermann at Republique, the item read.

I was like, For once, bias is working in my favor!' Rhimes said. Nicole and I are both black women. We couldnt look more not alike. But somebody decided thats who that must be. And it saved me a whole lot of trouble.

Last August, Netflix and Rhimes had an agreement for a contract with a base salary of around $150 million, with incentives that could kick the producers earnings much higher, according to two people with knowledge of the deal.

The news of a streaming companys successful wooing of a major network producer hit Hollywood like an earthquake. As Dana Walden, co-chief executive of the Fox Television Group, described it this year, That sent a message to the entire talent community: Theres a new template in town. For any uber-premium creator, the value has gone up 10 times.

 Eight Shows (One About a Grifter)

Rhimes, 48, is among the select few television producers whose work has helped define a cultural moment. In the 80s, there was Steven Bochco, with Hill Street Blues and L.A. Law. Next came David E. Kelley, of Ally McBeal and The Practice fame. And then there was Rhimes, who made her mark during what would turn out to be the last years of appointment television viewing.

The producer and director J.J. Abrams, who has known Rhimes for several years, said she brought something distinctive to network programming.

The thing that you cant deny is her characters are surprising, her characters are vulnerable, her characters are ambitious, her characters are broken, and her characters are involved in situations that are shocking and stressful, Abrams said. She is able to tell real stories in ways that feel relatable.

Rhimes said she had two principal goals for her time at Netflix. One is to come up with shows that are more expansive than her ABC fare. The other is to turn Shondaland into an enduring company that will live within Netflix in the same way that Marvel exists inside the Walt Disney Company.

It would be really amazing to me at some point down the line  not now  if somebody said, There was a Shonda for Shondaland?' Rhimes said. It needs to be bigger than me.

In the days after signing the deal, she was enthusiastic about the creative freedom Netflix had promised her, but found herself with an immediate problem: She had no idea what she was going to write.

It wasnt like I had a treasure trove of ideas in the back of my head that Id been hiding and saving, she said. So the panic overtook me for a while.

Abrams had sympathy for his friends plight. You can have all the success in the world, but none of it matters when youre there alone with the blank computer screen, he said.

Over the next few months, Rhimes tended her continuing ABC work and scouted material that could be a fit for Netflix. But she still had no clue about what, exactly, she would throw herself into as a writer-producer.

In October, she said, because of who I am, I was like: Why dont I have a show yet? I should have a show all written and ready to go. I should have eight episodes all written.'

Sarandos reassured her: You just started, take a breath. Colleagues said there was no way Rhimes could go deep into something new when she still had to wrap up the seventh and final season of Scandal.

She flirted with a sci-fi project  Im obsessed with that, but it hasnt cracked yet  while warding off the well-meaning but irksome questions from people curious about her Netflix plans. After Memorial Day, she escaped the noise of Los Angeles for the quiet of Arizona.

I was trying to meditate, which I cant do, Rhimes said.

That was when she came upon an article in New York magazine about a fashionable young grifter, Anna Delvey, who swanned about New York with a beautiful crowd  only to end up in Rikers Island on charges of grand larceny.

I knew exactly what the show was, Rhimes said, which is a very clear indicator.

She bought the rights to the story, by a New York magazine staff writer, Jessica Pressler, and started writing almost immediately.

I felt comfortable, she said. I slept differently.

Betsy Beers, Rhimes producing partner since 2002, said she could tell Rhimes was onto something.

What I heard was the excitement, Beers said. What I wait for is a tone in her voice  you hear this level of excitement in her voice, where she cant stop talking about it.

In addition to the show about the grifter, Rhimes has seven other series in the works at Netflix, ranging from period dramas to a documentary.

 An adaptation of a group of lush romance novels set in Regency England  the Bridgerton Series, by Julia Quinn  that the Scandal veteran Chris Van Dusen will turn into a dramatic series.

 A series based on Reset, a book by former tech executive Ellen Pao about sexism in Silicon Valley. Rhimes said she was likely to write this one.

 The Warmth of Other Suns, the award-winning 2010 nonfiction book by Isabel Wilkerson on the flight of African-Americans from the Jim Crow South to the North and the West. It will be adapted by actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith.

 Pico & Sepulveda, a series set in Mexican California during the 1840s.

 An upstairs-downstairs series called The Residence, based on the 2015 nonfiction book of the same title, by Kate Andersen Brower, about the private lives of U.S. presidents, their families and White House staff.

 Sunshine Scouts, a series that Rhimes described as a darkly comic, ironic, twisty show about some foul-mouthed teenage girls who are trapped at the end of the world. The writer and director Jill Alexander will be in charge of this one.

 Hot Chocolate Nutcracker, a documentary centered on dancer and choreographer Debbie Allen and her reimagining of the holiday ballet.

 The Shondaland Dream

Rhimes said the idea of building out Shondaland had been with her for some time. She stressed that she had not grown bored with the work she had been doing for ABC  far from it  but she found that she was able to solve crises that once occupied a week of her time in 30 minutes flat. She added that she remained proud of her ABC shows and the spotlight they threw on characters who had gone underrepresented in Hollywood.

We created a brand and an audience for ABC that they did not necessarily have before, which was a certain kind of woman, Rhimes said. I literally remember when we started, them saying that no woman is going to watch a woman who is this not nice and this sexually active and this competitive.

I really hate the phrase smart, strong women, but the smart, strong women thing really exploded with the shows we made, she continued. And people followed along in a way that felt really good for network television.

In contrast with her fellow super producer Ryan Murphy, who had talks with Amazon and Fox, his studio at the time, before he decamped to Netflix, Rhimes knew exactly where she wanted to achieve her Shondaland dream: Netflix.

Sarandos was eager to sign her not only because he was a fan of her work but because of something he noticed in Netflixs closely guarded data. More than half of Netflixs 124 million paying subscribers have sampled one of the Shondaland shows available on the streaming service, he said in an interview.

As Rhimes works to develop her lineup, her production company is on its way to a new location: Raleigh Studios, in Hollywood, about a mile from the Netflix headquarters. While checking out the property, Rhimes and a group of her Shondaland colleagues spent a while staring at a framed photograph on the wall of the United Artists founders Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith. Given Rhimes ambitions for the company, which she sees as a 21st-century incarnation of that artist-driven studio, she considered it a good portent.

We have this whole dream, she said. Theres going to be a row of offices, and were all going to be working on our scripts at the same time. And everyone is going to come out of their offices and scream about how bad their script is: Does anyone know what Im supposed to do for Act 5? And everyone is going to drink Scotch and then run back to work.

I dont think thats whats actually going to happen, Rhimes continued. But it does feel really good to know that it does feel like a very United Artists, creative kind of place.

The New York Times
It was unclear whether she was killed by the gunman or was caught in the crossfire with the police.

The suspect had been fleeing the police after he injured his grandmother and another woman in a shooting earlier in the day. Armed with a handgun, he took about 40 people hostage inside the store, including children, shoppers and employees, the authorities said.

For several hours, the standoff unfolded in Silver Lake, a neighborhood on the east side of the city that has been marked by gentrification and an influx of younger residents. After the standoff began, the area was locked down and streets were filled with police cars and firetrucks.

Law enforcement officers surrounded the store, and shoppers and employees fled, running away on foot and climbing out a window. Video footage showed officers carrying children away in their arms.

The authorities rescued some hostages, and the gunman released others, officials said. Finally, after about three hours, the suspect handcuffed himself and surrendered, the authorities said.

The heroism that was shown today was second to none, Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a news conference.

Officials did not release the names of the suspect or the woman who died.

The ordeal began around 1:30 p.m., when the suspect shot his grandmother as many as seven times, Moore said. The grandmother had surgery and was in critical condition Saturday night, he said.

The suspect also shot and injured another woman, whom he kidnapped in his car, Moore said.

The suspect fled from the police in a 2015 Toyota Camry and, at one point, began shooting at officers from his car, the authorities said. He eventually crashed his car near the Trader Joes and exchanged gunfire with the police in the area.

No officers were injured. The police said the suspect was being treated for a wounded arm.

The situation drew the attention of President Donald Trump, who tweeted at one point during the standoff that he was watching it very closely.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Change takes courage, she told a packed auditorium at a downtown convention center here. Change takes guts.

What you have shown me, and what we will show in the Bronx, is that working people in Kansas share the same values  the same values  as working people anywhere else, she said.

It was a message that had carried Ocasio-Cortez, 28, to victory in New York last month and all but assured her election to Congress in a heavily Democratic district in Queens and the Bronx. And whether establishment politicians like it or not, Ocasio-Cortez, a democratic socialist, is now rushing to transport her unapologetically left-wing message to other parts of the country.

On Friday she shared the energy with the 76-year-old Sanders, who came on stage after her to deafening cheers, telling the crowd, Whether you live in Vermont or the Bronx or Kansas, we share common hopes and aspirations that are much greater than the superficial differences that may separate us.

But even those who came primarily to see Sanders were aware of Ocasio-Cortez and her message. Many had seen her on social media and television and said they were inspired by her youth and enthusiasm.

Nicholas Beddow, 25, a preschool teacher wearing a vintage Bernie for President T-shirt, said he hadnt heard of Ocasio-Cortez until she won her primary, but now was a full-throated supporter. Shes very strong, he said.

The fact that she is young, he said, carries the progressive message further.

He said he felt that message could resonate, even in an area labeled the Bible Belt. Im thinking we can give it a blue buckle right in the middle, he said.

That could be a tough sell in a state that hasnt sent a Democrat to Congress in a decade. But Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders were campaigning here and in Kansas City, Kansas, on Friday in support of two candidates, Brent Welder and James Thompson, who are running progressive, grass-roots campaigns in districts Democrats consider winnable. She is also planning campaign stops in the coming days in Missouri and Michigan.

The trip to Kansas is a critical test for whether she and her Bronx-born brand of Democratic socialism resonate in the heartland  and whether she is overplaying her hand.

In the weeks since her primary victory, Ocasio-Cortez has publicly endorsed a flurry of candidates across the country. On Twitter and in interviews with the media, she has championed a progressive policy agenda that includes Medicare for all, tuition-free public college, ending private prisons and abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

While she has quickly become a political sensation, however, she has also revealed her inexperience. She provoked some outrage by referring to Israels occupation of Palestine, for instance, saying later that she was not the expert on geopolitics on this issue. She incorrectly said unemployment was low because everyone has two jobs. And on Saturday, in a move that risks alienating Democrats in the House even before she arrives on Capitol Hill, she plans to campaign in St. Louis with Cori Bush, who is running to unseat Rep. William Lacy Clay, a popular nine-term Democrat and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Still, her appearance in Kansas alongside Sanders was the clearest indication yet that she views herself as one of progressivisms next ambassadors  and that far-left Democrats, at least, see her as a key player in the partys effort to retake the House.

If there was a better way to say its the highest, the best, the No. 1 event weve ever had, I would, Thompson said in an interview the day before Fridays rally. If candidates can show that even Kansas can be changed running on progressive principles, he added, then its possible anywhere.

Later Friday, in another convention center some 200 miles away, Ocasio-Cortez again worked to fire up an enthusiastic, sweaty crowd on a humid night, speaking with more confidence than she had in the afternoon.

They told me that a message of health care, education and housing stability wouldnt resonate in Kansas, she said. But we know that thats not true.

We know enough to reject the stereotype that people in the Midwest do not care about their brothers and sisters, she said.

Conservatives in the state have taken notice of the support for progressive ideas that Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders have championed. Earlier this week President Donald Trump tweeted support for Welders Republican opponent, Kevin Yoder. And Thompsons opponent, Ron Estes, the incumbent, sounded the alarm on the Wichita rally even as it was taking place.

At this very moment self-described socialists Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are hosting a rally in Wichita for Kansas Democrats, he wrote in an email to supporters. Their goal is ambitious, extreme and dangerous.

Despite all the enthusiasm surrounding Ocasio-Cortez, many establishment Democrats have bristled at the suggestion that the far-left ideas espoused by her and Sanders represent the partys position. And they reject the notion that Ocasio-Cortezs victory last month over Joseph Crowley, the fourth-ranking House Democrat, signaled a fundamental dissatisfaction with the partys aging leaders.

Ocasio-Cortezs swift rise has also exposed divisions in the party over whether the insurgent candidates can capture victories across the country in general elections, against Republicans.

In an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal this week, Joe Lieberman, the Democrat-turned-independent former senator from Connecticut, urged voters to vote for Crowley on a third-party line instead of Ocasio-Cortez because, he said, her policies were too far left.

Her election in November would make it harder for Congress to stop fighting and start fixing problems, he wrote.

Some political strategists question whether Ocasio-Cortezs presence in districts vastly different from hers will turn off, rather than invigorate, voters.

I would hope that she would keep her eye on the critical need to elect a House Democratic majority to stop Donald Trump and allow and trust candidates to run their campaigns in a way that results in the majority that we need, said Steve Israel, a former chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and longtime New York representative. Theres an important role for her to play in progressive districts, and with vitally needed base voters. But a message that resonates in some districts could seem out of tune in others.

But supporters of Ocasio-Cortezs democratic socialism have primarily exhibited a sense of optimism  in her, in her star power, in the progressive message generally  since her victory. They note that Sanders won the 2016 presidential primaries in both Kansas and Michigan and hope they can build on that energy.

They also point to the fact that many Democratic candidates have embraced key pieces of the progressive policy agenda, including Medicare for all and a higher minimum wage.

For his part, Sanders has said he sees Ocasio-Cortezs success as proof that his progressive message is not only spreading, but winning. (He did not endorse Ocasio-Cortez.)

His swing with Ocasio-Cortez through Kansas came about organically, according to a person familiar with the decision process, after they realized they were both interested in going to the state to support candidates there. Both were eager to show that a message that works in Burlington, Vermont, and New York City can also work in a red state.

The same goes for Michigan, where Ocasio-Cortez will campaign next weekend with Abdul El-Sayed, a former director of Detroits health department, who is running for governor. Inspired by her message and campaign style, El-Sayed first connected with Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter. He now hopes he can one day tell his young daughter about the night Auntie Alexandria won in New York.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs win is a validation point, he said in an interview. She showed us how its done.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
And since then, Kemp has doubled down on his pledge to be a politically incorrect governor, playing up the gun-toting, truck-driving, Everyman image that some party leaders worry could cost them the general election.

On Saturday, Pence riled up Kemps fervent supporters and posed for selfies afterward while country music blared from the speakers.

Brian Kemp will bring the kind of leadership to the Statehouse that President Donald Trump has brought to the White House, Pence told the crowd of at least 1,000 people inside the Edgar H. Wilson Convention Center.

Kemp spoke briefly, sticking to his vows to bring an outsiders perspective, prioritize small-business owners over special interests and embrace a tougher stance on illegal immigration. He also declared he would be the Republicans best shot at defeating the Democratic candidate, Stacey Abrams, a former state lawmaker who is trying to become the nations first black female governor.

Georgians are sick and tired of these politically correct liberals like Stacey Abrams who are offended and outraged by our faith, our guns and our big trucks, Kemp said.

The rally was one of the first in which Kemp appeared as the front-runner in the runoff. Cagle has stumbled since leading the five-candidate primary by double digits two months ago. In a secretly recorded conversation that was made public this summer, he said that the primary had become about who could be the craziest. Another recording, released in late spring, revealed that he had supported a bad bill to undermine a political rival.

Some political observers wonder whether Kemp will adopt a more centrist tone  in an attempt to win moderate voters  should he defeat Cagle. But Charles Bullock III, a professor of political science at the University of Georgia, said Georgias demographics make it possible for Kemp to win the general election without softening his campaigns strong rhetoric, which Democrats have criticized as divisive.

If Kemp wins the runoff, he will talk about attracting suburban voters, said Kerwin Swint, a professor of political science at Kennesaw State University. But the biggest part of his campaign, Swint said, will be cranking out the Republican base  Trump voters. And being in the Trump tent, so to speak, will allow him to really crank that up.

On Saturday night, Trump reiterated his support for Kemp, tweeting that the candidate is very strong on Crime and Borders, LOVES our Military, Vets and the 2nd Amendment. He will be a GREAT Governor!

Kemps campaign has aimed to reach voters in all of Georgias 159 counties, and those at the Macon rally said they had driven from all corners of the state to see him stand alongside Pence.

John Wood, a retired analyst at Robins Air Force Base, said he supported Kemp because he appeals to my genre: country boy, outsider, doesnt go with the status quo, loves hunting and fishing.

Pence urged the crowd to have their friends vote in Tuesdays runoff, which is expected to have low turnout.

And it was the vice presidents appearance, said Steven Williamson  who drove over two hours from Augusta  that would lead Kemp to victory.

America trusts Vice President Pence. They trust Trump. They trust their opinions, Williamson said. Now they trust Kemp.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
The statue is located at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Hobbs, a city in Lea County, New Mexico, United States.

Speaking with the Las Cruces Sun News, Bishop Oscar Cantu of the diocese, shared the results of the analysis of the tears which have been determined to be a rose-scented olive oil.

"Some of the witnesses claimed it smelled of roses. So something similar to the oil I bless and consecrate each year that we use for baptism, for confirmations and for ordination of the priests," he said.

Church tests sculpture's tears

He revealed that the diocese has done a thorough examination of the sculpture of the Virgin Mary.

"We examined the interior of the hollow statue," Cantu said. "There's nothing on the interior that's not supposed to be there, except for cobwebs. So we took pictures; we examined it."

In order to determine the source of the tears, he also said that the diocese reached out to the manufacturer of sculpture. They contacted the manufacturer to see if any fluids could have remained inside the sculpture from the manufacturing process.

Cantu said while the wax is used in the casting of the bronze, the process is "so hot that all of the wax melts away. In that process, they assured us there would be no possibility of any moisture to remain in the bronze. So those are some of the facts that we have established."

Concerning the possibility for a hoax, he said, "But even if it were (a hoax), we are not sure how it would be done, physically. Because it is hardened bronze. We've examined the interior, and there's nothing on the interior."

The sculpture has attracted worldwide attention with visitors flocking to the church since the tears were first reported in May 2018. Reportedly, many reported have "beautiful, positive fruits" since touching the oil.

"I've read most of those written testimonies, and they are stories of tremendous faith, people who have been dealing with terrible suffering in their lives and have felt a tremendous spiritual consolation that Mary walks with us in our tears," Cantu told the Sun News.

"I can't help but think of my own shedding of tears for the poor people who come to our border, fleeing life-threatening situations. The tears of those children who are separated from their parents. There are many reasons we would shed tears, and God stands with us in those moments," he added.

Still, the church officials are yet to determine if this is a miraculous occurrence from God or an evil spirit.
In a chat with Punch, the actor said, I enjoy working with many of them. I have never really seen anyone as special because we simply go and get the job done. I do not have a favourite.

The Picture Perfect star also confessed to have been turned on while filming with an actress.

Bolanle didn't reveal the actress he was acting alongside when he got turned on but said he had gotten turned on twice on movie sets.

He said, Believe it or not, it probably happened to me once or twice within my entire career. However, my eyes and mind are always on the prize.

Ninalowo worked as a bus conductor to prepare for role in movie

To prepare and deliver a believable character in the movie, Picture Perfect, Ninalowo worked as a bus conductor in Ojuelegba for four days.

"I had to do my homework. I was a bus conductor for about four or five days before the film, and to learn the mannerism of the character. So, I was in Ojuelegba.
According to a report, Martin was been arrested and charged with raping another inmate inside a bathroom in the prison.

Martinwas arrested on Thursday, July 19, 2018 on a count of second-degree rape, authorities said.

According to a spokeswoman for the state Office of Juvenile Justice, Beth Touchet-Morgan, the incident occurred on July 6, 2018 inside a restroom near a recreational area at the jail.

Touchet-Morgan also said the incident could not be verified via CCTV because there are no cameras inside the bathroom in accordance with federal law.

However, Touchet-Morgan said Martin's victim underwent a sexual assault examination at a hospital where it was discovered that the victim was raped.

"An internal investigation is ongoing into the circumstances leading to the incident. Once the investigation is complete, appropriate employee disciplinary action will be taken if warranted. In addition, if warranted, additional security protocols and procedures will be put in force," she said.
Punch reports that the unbelievable incident occurred in the Umuneke Ngor Magistrates Court in the Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State on Tuesday, July 17, 2018.

According to the report, the Chief Magistrate, Ngozi Onyenemezu, was harassed for discharging three armed robbery suspects.

While the defence counsel, Emma Eke and Chukwuemeka Anyanwu, were also allegedly beaten, arrested and bundled to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department in Owerri.

When the lawyers were arraigned before the Magistrates Court 1 in Owerri on Friday, July 20, 2018, the Assistant Secretary of Owerri chapter of the Nigeria Bar Association, Chinedu Agu, described the action of the police as an impunity that needed to be checked.

How a DPO led police officers to beat 2 lawyers and a magistrate

Narrating how his colleagues were beaten and a magistrate harassed in a court room, Agu said the actions of the police officers should not go without being checked.

"Three accused persons were arraigned before the Umuneke Ngor Magistrates Court on Monday where the counsel representing the accused persons, Eke and Anyanwu raised a preliminary objection on the grounds that the charge was defective and urged the court to strike it out and discharge the accused persons.

"The court was said to have entertained arguments from the counsel and the prosecution and adjourned the matter till Thursday for ruling.

In his ruling, the court upheld the arguments of the counsel and struck out the charge. Immediately the ruling was delivered and while the court was still sitting, the police went berserk.

They shouted and rained vituperations on the magistrate and made to rearrest the accused persons. When the court wanted to call them to order, the policemen made for the magistrate like rabid dogs and the magistrate quickly took refuge in his chambers.

Some other lawyers and litigants scampered to safety when the police started shooting into the air. Anyau in the process escaped the beating by the police and scurried into the Magistrates chambers.

The policemen, led by the DPO of that division, banged on the door of the magistrates chambers, accusing him of taking a bribe and threatening to break down the door if he didnt open it.

ALSO READ: After beating up lawyer black and blue, policemen land boss in trouble

The DPO got hold of the accused persons and in the process of rearresting them, one escaped. He accused Eke of complicity in the escape of the other accused person.

Before he could explain himself, he got hold of one of the nail-ridden chairs and smashed it on Ekes head . Other policemen joined in this orgy and Emma was maimed and beaten into a pulp.

It took the quick intervention of the Area Commander who arrived at the scene to rescue the magistrate, he said.

Laywers granted bail after being harassed and arrested by police

At the court proceedings for the arrested lawyers by the police on Friday, July 20, 2018, no fewer than 80 lawyers led by a former Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General in the state, Soronadi Njoku, announced appearances for the two lawyers who were arraigned by the police.

Though the matter was adjourned till July 30, 2018, the presiding magistrate, ROC Nwoka, granted the two lawyers bail on self recognisance.
Aboyeji, will be joined by Dr Omobola Johnson, ex-Minister of Communication Technology and a partner at TLCom, Kola Aina of Ventures Park, and Ola Brown of Greentree Investment Company, to speak to participants of the 2018 edition of the conference.

Organised by Venia Business in collaboration with Access Bank, the conference is themed Coworking: The Catalyst for Innovation.

According to Kola Oyeneyin, CEO, Venia Business Hub and the creator, Coworking Conference Nigeria, the conference is aimed at connecting the dots of how coworking, co-creation, collaboration and technology are spurring innovation, entrepreneurship, wealth and job creation, while charting the course for a new economy and the future of work.

ALSO READ: State government to launch Edo Innovation Hub in June

Oyeneyin noted that the importance of the Coworking industry has been established by His Excellency, the Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo during his working visits to various Coworking Hubs across the country.

"We are happy to see various stakeholders embracing Coworking and leveraging on its possibilities to drive entrepreneurship. LagosInnovates is one such example of the response to Coworking Conference and we expect to see much more exciting collaborations and initiatives by various ecosystem enablers," said Oyeneyin.

The 2018 conference which invites pre-qualified entrepreneurs, freelancers, service providers and investors will hold on Thursday July 26, 2018 at IMAX Filmhouse, Lekki, Lagos.

The entrepreneurial ecosystem in Nigeria has seen a fundamental shift since the emergence of Coworking and Tech Hubs, with many leading start-ups tracing their start-up locations to Coworking spaces - including Taxify, Flutterwave, Branch Intl and AutoGenius, amongst others.
In a statement by the Presidents Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Sunday, Buhari said he joined the family, friends and professional colleagues of the highly resourceful pharmacist in celebrating the milestone.

According to him, this has been lined with many years of achievements and recognitions for his contributions to knowledge and an extensive practice to ensure a healthy country.

The president commended the exceptional brilliance of the pharmacist, whose training predated the Nigerian independence.

He noted that Wali had maintained a rising influence in his field by working for a long period and setting up a pharmacy, Tsamiya, since the 70s that had continued to cater for many with quality drugs.

Buhari affirmed that Wali, who travelled widely to acquire knowledge in Pharmacy, was magnanimous in returning to Nigeria with his family to offer his services to citizens and inspire a generation of community pharmacists committed to promoting healthy living.

The legacy of being your brothers keeper which Wali instituted with the community pharmacy will become the hallmark of pharmaceutical practice in the country, with stronger focus on providing quality health care and safe guarding the lives of the people, he added.
We have not concluded

In the video obtained from a Twitter user, @TunjiAndrews, the minister, when asked if Ethiopian airlines will be a part of the business, he said We will create a hub in Nigeria and we thank God that Nigeria is centrally located in the region and also in the world. We are at the center of the world; we have the best opportunity to create a hub.

We will create and hub and so, in that respect, yes we will create a hub and I am sure that the Nigerian hub will do much better than the other hubs in the region, because we are more centrally located.

Whether Ethiopian airlines will be a part of it, we are talking to so many airlines, including Ethiopian airlines and we have not concluded on any.

The minister also said that the airline will benefit Nigeria in an astronomical way.

The minister unveiled Nigeria Air to investors on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, at the Farnborough International Air Show in UK.

During the unveiling, Sirika said Following the extensive market research, the branding of our new airline, Nigeria Air, demonstrates a true flag carrier of our nation, soaring through the skies in the shape of our nations eagle.

The Nigerian Government will support the launch of the new flag carrier with viability gap funding, in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement to deliver a national flag carrier.

It will be guided by the international ICAO standards, that will stand the IOSA audit from the start, and lead to a fast IATA membership for international operation.

Most Nigerians on social media have criticised the governments move, with some predicting that it will fail.
Ibrahim, who disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, said the Lokoja port was 75 per cent completed while Oguta port, in Imo, was 70 per cent completed.

We are looking at Lokoja, Oguta ports to be completed in 2018. We have also completed one of our major ports in Baro.

The two ports will be completed before the end of the year. As soon as the budget implementation starts, we will swing into action, the official said.

He said by 2019, the agency would commence the Makurdi port, adding that new ports would be developed as the need arises

Ibrahim said that the agency was going to buy equipment in batches to start moving cargoes from Lagos port to Onitsha and Baro.

According to him, when the Onitsha, Lokoja and Baro river ports commence operation, they will create over 2000 jobs.

By the time Onitsha, Lokoja and Baro ports come into operation, more than 2000 jobs will be created because the operations of these ports will attract infrastructure.

The port will be connected to rail, companies like Dangote and Bua will also be handy to utilise these ports.

The NIWA boss, however, said that the dredging maintenance from Ajaokuta-Onitsha would be done as soon as allocation in the 2018 budget was released .

He said that the agency had embarked on direct maintenance dredging of its channels, which was a very cheap way of maintaining the waterways unlike the previous practice.

Ibrahim said the maintenanice of the dredging from Baro to Idah in Kogi state was recently completed.

We are acquiring additional two dredgers from our 2018 budget and every year we will be adding, until we have a pool of sufficient number of dredgers that we can maintain.

We are getting the additional dredgers to enhance our capacity for in-house maintenance dredging of the channels.
Dasuki was granted bail by of the Federal High Court Abuja on July 2, 2018, making it the sixth time that the court has ordered his release.

The former NSA has been in detention since 2015, following allegations that he embezzled funds meant for the purchase of arms to fight Boko Haram.

Part of Dasukis bail condition was to provide two sureties who will deposit N100 million each and must not be lower than grade 16 in the civil service and are private citizens that must be owners of landed properties in Asokoro, Maitama, Utako or Garki area of Abuja.

Dasuki meets bail conditions

According to Daily Post,the former NSA met his bail conditions and a warrant of release was signed by the court and served to the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mamman Daura and the Attorney General of the Federation.

The report said that a source said that the DSS boss needed to get clearance from the presidency before he will release Dasuki.

Federal Government cannot release Dasuki

On July 19, 2018, Malami, while speaking on a Voice of America (VOA) Hausa program, said that the Federal Government cannot release Dasuki.

The Attorney-General of the Federation also alleged that the former NSA was instrumental to the killing of 100,000 Nigerians.

He said So, you have to look at it from this perspective. If the issue about an individual coincides with that which affects the people of a nation and you are now saying the government did not obey a court order that infringes on a single persons rights. Remember we are talking about a person who was instrumental to the deaths of over 100,000 people. Are you saying that the right of one person is more important than that of 100,000 who lost their lives?

"Reports have shown that there was massive mismanagement of funds meant for military hardware which the military could not access and that led to the death of many, embezzlement of the fund and because of that many people have lost their lives. Obeying the court is not the issue per say.

Are we going to take the issue of an individual more important than that of the people? The governments main responsibility is for and about the people. The essence of governance is to better the lives of its people. So you have to weigh it based on that; the rights of an individual or the rights of the people.

Cabal misleading Buhari

In its reaction, the Northern Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) said that a cabal is misleading President Buhari.

The groups President, Comrade Isah Abubakar also said that the President has no regard for the judiciary.

He also wondered why Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) would advise the government to go against the rule of law.

The group issued a statement saying We are alarmed at the statement credited to the Justice Minister and to say that it is not only disgusting, myopic and insensitive but portrays the Attorney General as incapable of discharging his duties as the adviser to both the President and the nation.

Is it not unbecoming of a person labelled as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and a Northerner to engage in activities seen to be against the rule of law as courts of competent jurisdiction have granted Dasuki bail 6 times?

We dare say that President Buhari is being misled by northern cabals against other northerners, like in the case Sambo Dasuki.

We agree with one of the loudest voices against this tyrannical tendency, a former Aide de Camp (ADC) to General Muhammadu Buhari when he was Governor of Gongola and Military Head of State, Al-Mustapha Haruna Jokolo.

In a recent interview, Jokolo stated in a recent interview that Northern Cabals are misleading President Buhari from releasing Sambo Dasuki even after the fact that Dasuki facilitated the 1983 coup that brought Buhari to power and supported his political aspirations before the Sokoto Prince was appointed by Jonathans government to serve as the NSA.

Jokolo further suggested whats happening was probably pre-planned. We are happy about Jokolos consternation as a Northerner as well as his denunciation of the Northern elites for abandoning one of their sons.

Dasuki did well

NYCN also highlighted the achievements of the former NSA when he was in government.

They also said that Dasuki spearheaded the expansion of the Multi-national Joint Taskforce (MNJTF).

Dasuki may not have been perfect but during his tenure as the National Security Adviser in the immediate past administration, he reinvigorated and facilitated the expansion of troops of Multi-national Joint Taskforce (MNJTF) with neighbouring Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger towards combating the dreaded Boko Haram insurgency.

Dasuki also facilitated a collaboration with foreign technical advisers towards ensuring the recovery of several major towns in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states from Boko Haram terrorists. Some of the liberated towns included: Abadam, Askira, Baga, Bama, Bara, Buni Yadi, Damboa, Dikwa, Gamboru-Ngala, Goniri, Gujba, Gulag, Gulani, Gwoza, Hong, Kala Balge, Konduga, Kukawa, Marte, Madagali, Michika, Monguno, Mubi, Vimtim among others.

It is pertinent to note that virtually all electorates in the above-mentioned areas voted for President Buhari in 2015. The breakdown of results from these areas confirmed that the indigenes voted for him in that election. Sadly, the current government seems to have forgotten.

They said Dasuki did nothing with all the monies he received as NSA but the authorities are yet to counter his declaration on the arms, weapons, jets and other military hardware he put out in public domain that were bought by Jonathan administration. The equipments are still being used by the Nigerian military today. The truth is that Nigeria is in trouble and clear attestation to this are instances whereby the current administration is selecting orders to obey even in an arrogant manner.

While we wont join persons and groups who have been comparing death figures under different regimes since 1999, as the right to life is sacrosanct, a presidential spokesman did this recently. He gave the infamous death checklist under previous governments when they have been regular cases of death in North-East from terrorists and Zamfara, Sokoto and Kaduna from armed bandits apart from the killing from the menace of herdsmen-farmers clashes.

NYCN wish to commend prominent groups and individuals that have come out to criticize this assault on democracy, the monumental embarrassment of the judiciary and travesty of justice. No right-thinking person should act unbothered about this situation because such may be replicated to the extent that government will start rubbishing any judgement that does not go its way.

Finally, we must state that the statement by Justice Minister that the government has a right to detain a citizen against court order is not only disgusting, myopic and insensitive but portrays the Abubakar Malami as incapable of discharging his duties as the adviser to both Mr. President and the nation.

President Buhari should be careful of any legal advice that is illegal and unconstitutional and drop this vengeance and obey constitutionalism, the statement added.
The arrest was confirmed by the commands spokesman, CSP Chike Oti in a statement, stressing that what was supposed to be a peaceful political meeting of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members ended in unnecessary bloodletting.

In a swift reaction, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Imohimi Edgal, directed the Area Commander in-charge of Area J Elemoro, to ensure the arrests of all those involved in the crime.

 Pursuant to the directive, five of the principal suspects were arrested; viz: Engr Kehinde Fasasi, chapter chairman, Eti-Osa LG, Mr Rotimi Kujore, PDP chapter chairman, Lagos Island LG, Alhaji Fatai Adele, PDP chapter chairman, Mushin LG, Mr Ismail Abiola, PDP chapter chairman, Amuwo Odofin LG and Dr Amos Alabi Fawole, PDP chapter chairman, Surulere LG, he said.

Oti said that the five suspects have been transferred to SCIID, Panti, for further investigation.

He stated that the incident took place on Saturday, at about 6 p.m. during Lagos State PDP Visitation meeting at Igbosuku Village, Eti-Osa LGA, attended by Lagos State and Local Government PDP Chairmen.

The image maker noted, however, that towards the end of the meeting, fracas broke out between contending factions of the party; one faction for the State Chairman, Mr Moshood Sabadon and the other for the Eti-Osa LG Chapter Chairman, Engr Kehinde Fasasi.

Oti said during the fracas, the deceased, recognised also as the doyen of PDP LG Chapter Chairmen in Lagos State, was allegedly shot and injured on the leg.

He was rushed to First Consultant Hospital, Obalende, Lagos, where he was treated but eventually died. Corpse of the deceased is deposited in the hospital mortuary.

 Two other persons allegedly injured during the clash, are also receiving treatment in a hospital in Ajah, he said

The spokesman said CP Edgal was worried about the use of firearms and the frequency of violence involving the PDP in the state, warning that no political party will be allowed to truncate the peace in the state.

He, therefore, calls on all political parties in Lagos to disarm their members as nobody without necessary authorisation is permitted to bear firearms. He said that henceforth, political party leaders will be liable,Oti quoted the CP as saying.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), recalled that on July 12, 2018, two suspected party thugs, Wale Oye, 37 and Ganiyu Ajiboluwa, 47, were arrested at Festac Extension by Apple Junction, Amuwo Odofin.

They were arrested with two pump action rifles they claimed were given to them by one Mr Dipo Olorunrinu, a member of PDP in Lagos State House of Assembly, to escort him to a political rally.
This is coming after the Kogi state police command alleged that Melayes security aides shot a police officer at a checkpoint on Thursday, July 19, 2018.

The Kogi police spokesmanDSP William Ayaaccused the lawmaker of twisting the facts.

The Senator was also asked to report with the people in his convoy to the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department, Lokoja.

Police opened fire on my vehicle

According to Punch, Senator Dino Melaye, in a statement issued by his media aide, Gideon Ayodele said The police stopped the vehicle of the civil defence corps, arrested them and suddenly opened fire on my vehicle, including my back- up vehicle. We all had to run for dear life as they continue to shoot at my SUV and, apart from the officers of the NSCDC, there was no other security man in my convoy.

This is happening in spite of my earlier letter to the Kogi State Police Command informing them of my plans to tour my constituency and commission my projects across the seven councils. My lawyer also wrote them (police) and they acknowledged the letters.

Nobody from my convoy engaged in gun battle with the police. The police alleged that it was the last vehicle in my convoy that contained security men and that they shot at the police. This is a big lie. If it was so, why was it that nobody was arrested?

The vehicle they alleged was never shot and why was it that my car was next to civil defence vehicle that was attacked?

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)has also called for an investigation into the assassination attempt on Melayes life.

The party also called on Nigerians to hold the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Nigerian Police responsible if anything happens to the lawmaker.
Frank said that the plan has been finalised, adding that there is no going back.

According to him, the recent dialogue and secret talks initiated by the APC leadership is coming rather late.

Frank said this in a statement which he issued on Sunday, July 22, 2018.

According to Daily Post, the former APC spokesman said In a matter of days Nigerians will have cause to celebrate our final exit from party of killings, poverty and propaganda to join hands with real progressive group in the country.

The same people that could not respect the agreement we had in the last three years are now begging, promising heaven and earth to our leaders. In deception, they have failed to realise that Nigerians now know their true colour. They are much talked about integrity is a delusion, they are wolfs in sheeps cloth.

Our plan to reject them and their party is not for personal gain. It is primarily to team up with real progressive group to rescue the country from the current handlers who rejoice when Nigerians are killed in their number, who value lives of cows to Nigerians and religiously persecute opposition members in the name of fighting corruption.

ALSO READ: This is what Buhari told Saraki during meeting

In 2019 general elections, Nigerians have come to know that a vote for the APC will mean a vote for hardship, oppression, insecurity and unemployment.

We are teaming up to ensure an end to visionless leadership of the current APC government and because our leaders in rAPC are men and women of honour, there is no going back in our plan to join forces in rescue Nigeria from incompetent APC leadership."

Also, members of the Reformed All Progressives Congress (RAPC), in a statement signed by the partys spokesman, Kassim Afegbua said that they will not be movedby the juicy offers from the APC leadership and President Buhari.
According to a source who spoke to Tribune, the Senate President is considering the possibility of running on the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) platform.

The source also said that the juicy offers being offered members of the Reformed All Progressives Congress (RAPC) will not keep them from moving forward.

We dont want to be seen as greedy lots and that is why all the juicy offers cannot sway the defection plans.

We have taken the legal option early enough to preserve our members and we are taking steps to ensure all needed agreements are signed with a coalition of opposition parties. It is a meticulous plan to rescue Nigeria, the source said.

International backing

According to the report, Saraki might have gotten a nod from the international community following his trip to the United States on the invitation of the US Congress.

I can assure you that notwithstanding the outcome of the meetings being orchestrated by leaders of the APC and the juicy offers being placed on the table, the Senate President and a number of bigwigs in the R-APC have signed out of the ruling party. It is just a matter of days.

ALSO READ:This is what Buhari told Saraki during meeting

For them, the issue is not really about personal gains but good governance that would propel Nigeria to greatness in the comity of nations, the source added.

Mass defection
At a reception ceremony on Sunday, Mamman, a reputable farmer and also a former school principal, lauded President Muhammadu Buharis efforts in giving Nigeria good leadership and turning around the fortunes of the country.

Mamman was received into the All Progressives Congress at Dari Primary School, Kokona Local Government area of Nasarawa State, at a ceremony attended by the deputy Governor Silas Ali Agara and Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who also a former governor of the state.

Others dignitaries at the event were the speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, commissioners, senior special assistants and members of both the State assembly and National Assembly.

According to Mamman, his mentor in APC, Senator AbdullahI Adamu motivated him to dump the Peoples Democratic Party .

He recalled that while Senator Adamu was the governor of Nasarawa State, he rose through the ranks to become a director in the Nasarawa State civil service, Deputy chairman and supervisory councillor for social services Kokona Local Governmemt Council and later permanent secretary.

He described the APC leadership under Buhari as a government that has made its mark in many areas and pushed the country into reckoning internationally.

He said he joined the APC to contribute to governance and also make a mark.

He called on APC and PDP members to join hands as a family, to live in peace and harmony.

Politics is a game that should be played with the best intention according to the rules.Politics of decorum requires decency, because without peace there is no development

Christopher John Juddy, an APC stalwart, who was at the reception welcomed Mamman to the fold.

Juddy described Mamman as a father to all and reminiscing, said Mammans tenure at Kokona was beneficial to the people, especially in providing roads.

Another party leader, Jacob Ogari said that things will get better for the APC, with the calibre of people such as Mamman joining the party.

Seidu Kurdi the APC chairman of the local government said with Mamman joining the party, the APC would win the 2019 elections, easily.
Mr Moshood Salvador, the State Chairman of PDP, spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos while reacting to the incident.

NAN reports that violence broke on Saturday at a mobilisation meeting of the party at Eti-Osa following disagreement among its members.

Salvador described the incident as very sad, especially as the party was working hard to rise above its challenges to attain greater heights.

He blamed the incident on saboteurs who were never interested in peace and progress of the party.

Salvador said that the police had waded into the matter, believing that the perpetrators would be made to face the law.

The incident was condemnable and unfortunate, especially as the party has been working hard on its repositioning.

You see, this is what I talk about everywhere I go, that people should shun violence at all levels and embrace peace.

The incident is saddening. We feel sad that some people would still go in the way of violence in spite our efforts to promote peace, he said.

Salvador said that trouble started when suspected thugs invaded venue of the meeting and beat a chieftain of the party after a disagreement with another party leader in the area.

He said that his security details whisked him away from the scene immediately they sensed danger.

The party chairman said it was after he left the venue that he was told that there were shootings and somebody died.

Salvador said that he would write a report to the national leadership of the party for appropriate action.

He blamed the incident on act of indiscipline of some members, saying that he would fight impunity in the local chapter of the party.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Command, on Sunday said it has detained five PDP chieftains in the state for interrogation over the killing of Mr Borishade Adeniyi, the Chairman of PDP Apapa Chapter.
According to RAPCs spokesman, Kassim Afegbua the party will not be moved by the juicy offers being made to its leaders.

Afegbua said that the APC leadership has been going door to door to offer incentives to its members, after ridiculing them publicly.

Daily Independent reports that he said We members of the R-APC find it very amusing that those who boasted that they wont lose sleep over our altruistic action, have been hopping from door to door pleading with our members not to leave by dangling juicy carrots and promising them heaven and earth.

Such level of double standard is the reason why the R-APC was birthed in the first place because the leadership is not one that keeps promises and its the reason why no one should take the APC serious.

Saraki is now being celebrated

The RAPC spokesman also wondered how the Senate President, Bukola Saraki has now become the darling of APC.

Afegbua also mocked President Buhari for praising the judiciarys decision to dismiss the charges levelled against him.

He said It is interesting to suddenly see Mr. President holding meetings with the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, reportedly promising mouth-watering offers; the same leader who was ridiculed, scandalized, demonized, criminalized and called all sorts of names by agents of the presidency just to give the Senate President a bad name in order to hang him.

As soon as the Supreme Court gave a resounding verdict on the trumped up and frivolous charges against the Senate President, Mr. President suddenly felt a need to praise the judiciary for standing on its own. Hmm, power as they truly say, must be a crazy aphrodisiac.

Never a time has the number 3 (three) citizen of Nigeria been so dehumanized, criminalised and disgraced in such whimsical manner while all the present reconciliators kept conspiratorial silence, waiting for the sledge hammer to fall on the Senate President. They tried all tricks, mounted all manner of pressures, raised all dubious allegations, just to nail the Senate President. They were short of calling him a promoter of armed robbery; they linked his name to the Offa Robbery and improvised all biles to rubbish the institution of the Legislature.

They striped him naked in the market place and now desperately trying to bath him with ornaments in the inner fortress of Aso Rock. The Chairman of the Code of Conduct displayed magisterial arrogance in prosecuting the Senate President, but all that fell by the way side as the Supreme Court gave one of its landmark judgments in recent time by giving him a clean bill of health.

Buharis government does not keep promises

The RAPC spokesman also took a swipe at Buharis administration, saying that it does not keep promises.

He also cited the campaign promises made by the President before he was elected, saying that they have all been jettisoned.

This government is never a promise keeper and some of the promises contained in the manifestos of the APC have been jettisoned. The president who has held himself in the inner sanctuary of the Presidential Villa is all of a sudden, opening his doors to one meeting or the other all in the name of re-election.

ALSO READ:This is what Buhari told Saraki during meeting

Pronto, all the political conspirators in the APC swoop into dubious reconciliation assignment, hopping from door to door at the thick of the night to strike deals of reconciliation. Those who said they wont lose sleep over the R-APC, have become sleepless in the last two weeks. Does anyone need to be reminded that caveat emptor should be the operative words?

"Those who pleaded in the past, short of kneeling before their subordinates, ended up in the political belly of their benefactors when the re-election was concluded. It is an albatross that some people are still carrying till date. Examples abound in this our democracy and it is ringing bell in our consciousness every now and then, he added.
More than 280 people have been killed since April in the unrest shaking the small Central American nation of six million people.

"The people united will never be defeated," yelled the crowd. They reiterated widespread demands that Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, step down.

Many of those taking part hid their faces behind masks.

But they said they were still turning out despite a law passed last Monday that carries prison terms of 15 to 20 years for those found guilty of vaguely defined actions deemed to constitute "terrorism."

"This law doesn't matter to us," one 23-year-old protester who gave her name as Maria told AFP. "Its a risk, but as with every big insurrection there's a risk."

She added: "The protests aren't going to stop. We will continue in the streets demanding freedom."

The legislation bolstered perceptions that Ortega, 72, and his government were acting in increasingly undemocratic ways.

Ortega and Murillo, though, say their government is fighting a "coup" attempt by US-financed "satanic terrorists" and that stern action is required.

Their supporters held a rival rally in Managua on Saturday in which they demanded justice for "victims of terrorism" -- mainly for dozens of police officers killed in the months of bloodshed.

Protesters will 'pay'

The United States, the Organization for American States and the European Union have all condemned the violence in Nicaragua and backed calls for dialogue trying to have Ortega agree to early elections to help solve the crisis.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said as he arrived in Argentina for a G20 meeting of finance ministers that more US sanctions could be leveled at Nicaragua.

Two EU nations, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, announced the suspension of millions of dollars in aid projects to Nicaragua because of the rights violations reported there.

But Ortega is showing no signs of ceding power.

On top of sending his forces out to quash protest hubs, he has dismissed Catholic bishops mediating the talks as biased collaborators with the opposition.

Murillo on Friday also signaled no quarter would be given in punishing those challenging the government.

"We can pardon but never forgive these crimes against Nicaragua," she said.

She vowed that arrested "coup-mongers" would face justice.

"They have to pay for the destruction of so many lives."

Economy in peril

On Saturday, rights groups evacuated relatives away their makeshift camp outside a notorious Managua jail complex called El Chipote where protesters were locked up, as pro-government heavies turned up to intimidate them.

"Masked armed men came and told us that if we didn't leave they'd kill us," one woman who didn't give her name told AFP.

Many of the relatives were mothers and wives of the detainees. They were taken to Managua's cathedral for shelter.

The unrest in Nicaragua is the biggest challenge to Ortega's authority since he returned to power 11 years ago.

Until this year, Nicaragua was a relative haven of public safety and economic stability in Latin America.

But the protests and crackdown have put an end to that.

Triggered by ill-judged cuts to the cash-strapped social security system, demonstrations quickly grew into widespread protests cutting across society.

For many -- even erstwhile allies and a previously compliant business sector -- Ortega's increasing autocracy and a belief he was grooming Murillo to take over from him were too much, and it was time for him to go.

The opposition says elections originally scheduled for 2021 should be brought forward to next year.

Nicaragua's economy is fragile and dependent on foreign investors and tourism. Instability means it could soon crumble perilously.
His case will be heard at a central London court in September, the spokeswoman added, noting it could not confirm whether he had been released on bail.

Anadolu, Turkey's state-run international news agency, reported he was arrested on May 23 and had since been released.

Ipek is the former head of the Kozi-Ipek media conglomerate, which has been targeted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan amid a crackdown over the 2016 failed coup to unseat him.

Ankara accuses Gulen -- a one-time Erdogan ally turned arch-foe -- of orchestrating "a terrorist organisation" and being behind the failed putsch.

It accuses Kozi-Ipek of helping to finance his efforts.

The organisation's two newspapers and their sister television stations in Istanbul were stormed by riot police in October 2015.

Ipek was then listed among 65 arrest warrants issued by Turkish prosecutors in December 2015 as part of a vast probe into suspected Gulenists, according to Anadolu.

It reported he had fled on a private jet to England that August.

The state-run agency said he is on a list of "wanted terrorists" and could face life imprisonment for "attempting to overthrow the Turkish government" and "violating the constitution".

He also faces charges related to establishing and directing a terrorist organisation, it added.

Turkey claimed in April that its intelligence service had brought back 80 alleged supporters of Gulen arrested in 18 different countries.
Julian Waters joins Vaughn Davis talking apps of the week.



Alexa will now choose a wine for you.

Would you trust the internet to recommend a wine? What is an Alexa skill? How do you know with Alexa and Google whether the recommendations are true or sponsored? Does it matter?

Youll never have to think about which wine pairs well with eating your feelings again thanks to an Alexa skill called Wine Finder.

The skill helps wannabe drinkers figure out which wine varietal will work best with whatever food theyre planning to eat or serve. All you have to do is ask, Alexa, what wine goes well with . . .

Check it out here.

Bots targeting corporate reputation and share price.

As the head of media intelligence firm Zignal Labs, former political strategist Josh Ginsberg has spent the past seven years helping clients understand what people were saying about them through traditional media outlets and on social media.

But then something weird happened.

Earlier this year, Zignals data scientists started noticing data anomalies that didnt make sense. What they saw was there was massive amounts of bot activity that were impacting corporate brands.

In other words, coordinated disinformation campaigns are now targeting publicly-traded corporations.

Facebook announces a clear history feature.

This feature will enable you to see the websites and apps that send Facebook info when you use them, delete this information from your account, and turn off our ability to store it associated with your account going forward.

If you clear your history or use the new setting, Facebook will remove identifying information so a history of the websites and apps youve used wont be associated with your account.

Also, just use the newly awesome Firefox browser that promises not to tell Facebook a damn thing about what youre up to online.

Catch a rat, save a Kiwi. Theres an app for that.

Squawk Squad works by enabling people to contribute to the cost of a state-of-the-art predator trap that people can contribute $20, $40 or even $185 to be part of the squad protecting New Zealands native species.

Once the trap is fully funded and in use, funders can then use the Squawk Squad app to see where their trap is deployed in the sanctuary.

Theyll also receive a real-time notification every time their trap activates thanks to a sensor node designed by Auckland-based tech company Encounter Solutions.

To hear about all of the other hottest apps of the week, listen to the audio with Julian Waters above.

Sunday Social with Vaughn Davis, 7pm - 8pm on RadioLIVE and streaming live to the Rova app on Android and iPhone.

RadioLIVE.
Hollywood legend Roberts plays Heidi Bergman, a caseworker at the Homecoming Transitional Support Centre, a facility helping combat soldiers transition back to civilian life. Overseeing Heidi and the facility is Colin Belfast (Bobby Cannavale), an ambitious company man whose manic demands point to questionable motives. Four years later, Heidi has started a new life, living with her mother (Sissy Spacek) and working as a small-town waitress, when a Department of Defense auditor (Shea Whigham) comes to her with questions about why she left the Homecoming facility. Heidi then begins to realise that theres a whole other story behind the story shes been telling herself.Based on the popular podcast of the same name, Homecoming was created by Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg. The cast also includes Bobby Cannavale, Jeremy Allen White, Alex Karpovsky and Dermot Mulroney. Homecoming will premiere on Amazon Prime globally in English on 2 November and then in other languages in 2019.
John O. Brennan was a Fordham University senior when Jimmy Carter challenged Gerald R. Ford in the 1976 presidential election. It was, in hindsight, a feel-good election. President Ford had given this country what it needed in the aftermath of Richard Nixons disgrace -- a soothing presence who reminded Americans who we were. Carter was the fresh-faced Southern governor with a dazzling smile and a simple promise. Ill never lie to you, he said.

But 21-year-old John Brennan wanted more. What exactly, hes never explained except to say that he wanted to signal my unhappiness with the system, and the need for change. I can relate. Four years earlier, at 19, I cast my first presidential vote. My options werent as good as Brennans: The race was between Nixon, whom I disliked, and George McGovern, who lost my vote by sneering at those who worried that immediate withdrawal from Vietnam would complicate getting our POWs back. McGovern said hed go to Hanoi on his knees if necessary.

Thinking this undignified and unwise, I sought an alternative. It was easy to find one. Hubert H. Humphrey was a hero in our family for his civil rights record. So my first presidential vote was a write-in. Four years later, how did John Brennan handle his dissatisfaction with the two major party nominees? He voted for Gus Hall.

Yes, the future CIA director voted for Communist Party USAs founder. This entity wasnt funded by Americans. Hall received millions of dollars from the Soviet Union during the Cold War, made periodic pilgrimages to Moscow, and to his dying day referred to North Korea as a miracle. Gus Hall was literally a Soviet stooge.

A few conservatives had fun with that indiscretion last week, after Brennan accused President Trump of being an imbecile and a traitor following his disastrous joint Helsinki press conference with Vladimir Putin. Republican Patriots, Brennan added, Where are you?

This was hardly an isolated example from the so-called intelligence community.

James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence, told a CNN audience that Putin must be blackmailing Trump. After the Helsinki performance  I really do wonder whether the Russians have something on him, Clapper said.

Naturally, James Comey piped up. The former FBI director tweeted that Republicans in Congress had abrogated their constitutional duty to counteract ambition  yes, he said that, adding: All who believe in this countrys values must vote for Democrats this fall.

Thats right, the man who put himself in charge of investigating the 2016 presidential nominees said every loyal American should vote against Republicans in the 2018 midterms. This from the guy who assured Trump that he didnt leak or do sneaky things  before slyly leaking FBI documents to a lawyer pal in hopes of getting another ally (Robert Mueller) appointed special counsel.

Todays Democrats, along with U.S. intelligence types and their media sympathizers, have made a loyalty test out of expressing solidarity with Muellers investigation. In so doing, they have settled on an incongruous story line: (1) There is no such thing as the Deep State, which is strictly a figment of Trumps imagination; (2) the Deep State will protect Americans from this horrible president, who, by the way, is a Russian mole.

These mutually exclusive story lines can only coexist because antagonism toward Trump overrides reason.

Historically, conservatives concern was the administrative state. Thats the phrase Trump adviser Steve Bannon used a month after Trumps inauguration. What was about to ensue, Bannon vowed, was a fight over the deconstruction of the administrative state. He was referring to the 2 million federal employees  unelected bureaucrats in conservative-speak  who are supposedly overzealously injecting government into the private lives of Americans.

Thats fairly straightforward, even if one disagrees with the premise. The Deep State, though, is something different. Its been a staple of Hollywood thrillers and television programs for decades, and we all know the basic plot: World peace, racial harmony, and environmental sanity are threatened by spooks and spies and war-mongering neocons -- in and out of government. The clueless FBI agent is one archetype, along with the venal CIA brass, the amoral NSA computer nerd, small-minded retired generals, greedy defense contractors, evil corporations and their mindless mercenaries.

While this cinematic fare grows tiresome, it has origins in a serious concept, namely outgoing President Dwight Eisenhowers warning about the dangers of a military-industrial complex. This idea continued to gain traction in the mid-1960s as the Cold War dragged into its third decade and spending on black box programs grew exponentially.

Its strange these days to hear liberal Democrats and journalists scoff at the very idea of the Deep State. It was journalists who detailed the extent of the problem and liberals in Congress who tried to fight it. In a mid-1960s book, The Invisible Government, Washington reporters David Wise and Thomas B. Ross exposed the existence of a massive, hidden apparatus, secretly employing about 200,000 persons, and spending several billion dollars a year. This was the CIA, which  true to form -- tried to get Random House to kill the book.

As recently as four years ago, battling the influence of the Deep State was still a liberal cause. Theres definitely a deep state, Edward Snowden told the Nation magazine in 2014. Trust me, Ive been there. The same year, former congressional aide Mike Lofgren expounded on Bill Moyers website about a hidden government that lies beneath the surface of what Americans can see.

The subsurface part of the iceberg I shall call the Deep State, which operates according to its own compass heading regardless of who is formally in power, Lofgren wrote. It is a hybrid of national security and law enforcement agencies: the Department of Defense, the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Justice Department.

Lofgren also said the Deep State isnt limited to government agencies, and as evidence he pointed to the director of national intelligence. James R. Clapper is a former executive of Booz Allen Hamilton, one of the governments largest intelligence contractors, he wrote, adding that Clappers predecessor came from the same firm.

Today, Clapper and his fellow travelers are the darlings of Democrats and the press. How quickly things change. Less than two years ago, liberals blamed Comey and his bumbling FBI investigation for Hillary Clintons defeat, excoriated Clapper for his dishonest denials that the NSA had collected data on American citizens, and expressed deep misgivings about Brennan because of his record of targeted drone killings of suspected terrorists.

Within days of Trumps inauguration, however, the highly classified content of wiretaps of the Russian ambassadors conversations with the White House national security adviser were leaked by the FBI or the NSA to the media. Thats the Deep State at work.

On the rare occasions when they bother to justify themselves, such abuses of bureaucratic power are rationalized with a single, if expansive, rationale: Donald Trump is such an awful human being and menace as president that anything done to neutralize him is acceptable. Theres a slogan for that philosophy: The ends justify the means. As John Brennan may recall, comrade Gus Hall never stopped believing it.
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EAST LYME  A good Samaritan and the Coast Guard helped rescue four people Saturday morning from a capsized boat near Niantic Bay.

Just before 11 a.m. watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound command center received a radio call that a 21-foot pleasure craft was taking on water with four people aboard, according to a Coast Guard release.

The watchstanders issued an urgent broadcast and sent two 29-foot response boats to assist the vessel. Within five minutes, a good Samaritan who had heard the broadcast arrived and took the four people aboard their boat.

The Station New London and Waterford Police Department arrived shortly after.

All four people were wearing life jackets and were safely brought to the Niantic Boat Ramp with no injuries, the release said. The capsized boat was marked as a navigational hazard and the owner is working to remove it.

The Coast Guard reminds boaters to always wear a life jacket, the release read. The number one cause of boating fatalities is drowning, most often by sudden, unexpected entry into the water. Wearing a life jacket increases the chances of surviving a boating accident.

aquinn@newstimes.com
Connecticut has not had a Republican attorney general since 1959, but Sue Hatfield and John Shaban think 2018 is the year to change that  and both are fiercely convinced they are the candidate to do it.

Hatfield, the GOP-endorsed candidate, has been a prosecutor for the Connecticut Criminal Justice Division since 2005. She previously was a public finance attorney in New York for two years and a policy assistant to Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the U.S. House. She says her masters of law degree in taxation sets her apart from her Republican challenger Shaban and the three Democrats seeking the office.

Nobody has the large municipal finance background, which is really essential in the attorney generals office, said Hatfield, a Pomfret resident who is also a registered nurse.

Shaban, a partner at Whitman, Breed, Abbott and Morgan in Greenwich who hopes to beat Hatfield in the Aug. 14 primary, questioned whether Hatfield has enough civil litigation experience. Connecticuts attorney general is the states chief civil legal officer but does not handle criminal matters.

Shes got zero civil litigation experience, said Shaban. Of the 12 or 14 divisions that are in the attorney generals office, my practice over the last 25 years has hit almost all of them. Ive worked with the attorney generals office. Ive worked against the attorney generals office.

For her part, Hatfield said voters are tired of career politicians  a comment that could be a jab at Shaban, who was a state representative from Redding from 2011 to 2017, or at two of the Democrats running, William Tong and Paul Doyle, both of whom are in the General Assembly. (The third Democrat on the primary ballot is former federal prosecutor Chris Mattei.)

Ive worked just like all of the voters out there, said Hatfield, who has held elected office only on the Plainville Planning and Zoning Commission.

Shabans experience as a state representative taught him about working with state government, which he said would help him as attorney general. He chaired the legislatures Environment Committee, and said he favors more local control, instead of federal regulations, on environmental issues. His first act as attorney general would be to establish a business liaison to meet with Connecticut companies for private, privileged conversations, before initiating lawsuits  the current attorney general George Jepsen is too quick to litigate, Shaban said.

Also eager to be business friendly, if elected Hatfield said she would assign a team of lawyers to review Connecticuts tax code and business regulations. Although state Republicans this year opposed legislation creating state net neutrality regulations after their repeal at the federal level, Hatfield said she favored such regulations.

I would push back on the federal government because its in the best interest of the people of Connecticut, she said. The people of Connecticut need an open internet to use.

Hatfield has been taking her message to voters, with numerous appearances at Republican Town Committees and local events. On Saturday at the Ridgefield Sidewalk Sales, she handed out palm cards, got an impromptu putting lesson, threw a pitch at a dunk tank and even spontaneously sang God Bless America with a local chorale group.

Shaban accused Hatfield of avoiding debates and candidate forums where she would have to answer policy questions and challenges from him.

Shes a no-show, he said. She has secreted herself from anything that approaches a microphone.

Hatfields campaign fired back that she doesnt have time to chase around her opponent.

Basically, he should be on the campaign trail if hes going to win, said Spencer Rubin, Hatfields communications director. We havent seen him on the campaign trail.

Shaban, who has participated in a few candidate forums, has mostly avoided large civic events such as fairs and parades, opting to target Republicans at small gatherings and with social media.

He has also been calling donors  some of the same ones who gave to his unsuccessful 2016 Congressional campaign against U.S. Rep. Jim Himes.

All four other attorney general candidates are receiving grants from the states Citizens Election Program and have raised far more than Shaban, even though they are limited by the CEP participation to collecting contributions in increments of $100 or less.

Shaban, who does not have such constraints, had raised only $29,268 as of early July, according to the latest campaign finance reports. Hatfield, meanwhile, had raised $87,835 as of July 10, and more than $58,000 between April and July alone.

That money, plus a $406,275 grant she hopes to receive soon from the state, will allow Hatfield to roll out a statewide television commercial ahead of the primary, as well as digital ads and mailers.

Shaban is recording a radio spot this week, he said, and may send out mailers if his campaign can raise enough money.

emunson@hearstmediact.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson
SALISBURY  Hospice care ensures that patients are surrounded by those who mean the most to them. Salisbury Visitng Nurse Associations team includes nurses, a social worker, a doctor, a chaplain, a pharmacist, home care aides, and volunteers. This team provides families with an extra layer of support; teaching families how to care for their loved ones.

SVNAs hospice and palliative care programs provide pain management, symptom control, emotional support, and spiritual care to patients and their families. Hospice is not a place; hospice care can be provided in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, houses, apartments - in short, in any place the patient calls home. SVNA also has a group of trained volunteers who are available to provide respite, do errands, and provide companionship to patients and families.

Hospice does not go away after the death of the patient. SVNA stays in touch with the family for a year, checking in, providing support and helping families maneuver the path of grief.

Hospice care is covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and many private insurance plans. Financial assistance is available through contributions from our community and other generous donors.

For more information call SVNA at 860-435-0816 or visit www.salisburyvna.org

Mental Health First Aid training course offered

TORRINGTON  A free, two-day mental health first aid training course will be held July 31-Aug. 2, 5-9 p.m. at Torrington Area Health District, 350 Main St., Torrington.

Like CPR, Mental Health First Aid 8-hour certificate training prepares community members with tools to interact with a person in crisis and connect the person with help. First Aiders do not take on the role of professionals and do not diagnose or provide therapy; instead, the program offers concrete tools and answers questions about what to do and where someone may find help. To register, visit www.mhconn.org/education/mental-health-first-aid

According to Robert Rubbo, Director of Health, Torrington Area Health Districts goal is to promote and to protect the physical and environmental well-being of the citizens of the TAHD through direct services, wellness and promotion programs and community efforts. We are happy to sponsor this much-needed education to the public. Mental Health First Aid gives community members the tools they need to help someone whos struggling and eliminates the misconceptions that act as barriers to seeking help and treatment. 

Mental health disorders are common: In any given year, 1 in 5 Americans has a mental illness. And at some point, in our lifetime, half of us will struggle with a mental health disorder. For more information, contact Valerie English Cooper at venglishcooper@mhconn.org, 860-471-6715, or visit www.mhconn.org/education/mental-health-first-aid.

Friendly Hands seeks back to school donations

TORRINGTON  Friendly Hands Food Bank is collecting donations of backpacks, three ring binders, lined filler paper, pocket folders, three and five subject spiral notebooks, pens, pencils, mechanical pencils, markers, highlighters, colored pencils, crayons, sharpeners, rulers, erasers, protractors, compasses and calculators. The food bank will collect these donations from now through Aug. 30.

Donations can be brought in Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. to Friendly Hands Food Bank, 50 King Street, Torrington. For information, call 860 482-3338 or just stop by.

Staff members will start giving backpacks away to Friendly Hands Food Bank clients on Wednesday, Aug. 17 through Tuesday, Aug. 30, by appointment only.

Records to be destroyed

BURLINGTON  Members of the Lewis S. Mills High School CLASS OF 2010 should be aware that their cumulative folders will be destroyed on or about Aug. 1, 2018. If any members of this class would like to claim their folders, please contact Ms. Berardinelli in the Counseling Department before Aug. 3. Berardinelli may be reached at 860-673-0423 x15311.

Senior center holding AARP driving courses

TORRINGTON  The Sullivan Senior Center is hosting a series of AARP Smart Driver Courses on Sept. 6 and Nov. 1. This course is available to people age 50 and older. The 4 hour session must be completed to receive a certificate that entitles the student to a discount on auto insurance for 2 years. The cost is $15, $20 for non-members of AARP, payable by check only made out to AARP.

Participants must bring their AARP card to show the instructor. If you do not have your membership card, call 888-687-2277 to obtain your number.

All classes are held on Thursdays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Call 860-489-2211 to register.

Food bank seeks volunteers

TORRINGTON Friendly Hands Food Bank is looking for people to be part of its board of directors.

If interested, call Maureen Mo Hubert at 860-482-3338, Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or stop by Friendly Hands Food Bank on 50 King St,. Torrington.

Grief support group offered in Salisbury

SALISBURY  SVNA is hosting a Grief Support Group to help the bereaved cope with sadness and loss in a safe space. The group is facilitated by SVNAs Medical Social Worker, Liz Tanner-Horn and Sharon Health Cares Social Worker, Cindy Meritt.

The group is open to all community members, and it is not necessary to attend every session. Meetings are held every Wednesday, 1-2 p.m. at St. Johns Church, 12 Main Street, 2nd floor, Salisbury. The group is free.

For more information or to reserve a seat, call Liz Tanner-Horn at 860-435-0816 or ETanner-Horn@salisburyvna.org

Red Cross calls for blood donors

An emergency blood shortage is prompting the American Red Cross to issue an urgent call for eligible donors of all blood types - especially type O - to give now and help save lives.

This need is especially critical for type O blood donors. Type O is the most in-demand blood type and often the first to be depleted from hospital shelves during a shortage. Type O negative is the universal blood type and what emergency room personnel reach for when there is no time to determine the blood type of patients in the most serious situations. Type O positive is the most common blood type and can be transfused to Rh-positive patients of any blood type.

To schedule an appointment to donate, use the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). The Red Cross has added about 6,500 additional appointment slots at donation centers and community blood drives across the country over the next few weeks to accommodate more donors. Donation appointments and completion of a RapidPass online health history questionnaire are encouraged to help reduce the time it takes to donate.
The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now.

Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market.

In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender.

India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex.

Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted.

But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted?

Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner.

If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems.

I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now.

I want more variation in masturbation

I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own.

If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end.

What is sex toys for Indian?

Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation.

It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms.

They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable.

Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner.

The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner.

It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past.

In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping.

Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order.

In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing.

Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome.

Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own.

But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance.

More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around.

Sextoy situation in India

Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years.

In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India.

Mumbai

Kolkata

Bangalore

Delhi

Chennai

Hyderabad

These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India.

In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well.

If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too.

If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it.

What are Sextoys for beginner?

Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms.

Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy.

I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion.

I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy.

If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma.

Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it.

Advantages of using sextoy for Indians

There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians

You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways.

Can have stimulating sex

Can develop new sexual zones

If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern.

However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways.

You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation.

Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever.

There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure.

This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it.

When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems.

It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms).

For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles

[Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou...

Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India.

Sextoy for beginner men in India

So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners.

For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men!

The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men

Masturbator

Cock rings

Love Doll

Sex Lubricants

Toys for the prostate

Lets check each one in detail.

Masturbator

The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products.

It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands.

Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands.

They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.)

Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much.

Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! !

Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa   SEXToys India PR  (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018

Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood.

If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here

Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ...

[For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien...

Cock Ring

A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis.

It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow.

It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber.

In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection.

Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.

It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it.

Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time.

Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function.

Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy.

You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect.

[Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat...

Love Doll

Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex.

There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women.

Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price.

The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true.

You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste.

There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice.

You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls.

If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here

Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to...

Sex lubricants

Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules.

It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution.

Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse.

There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent.

Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent.

If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here.

What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many...

Toys for the Prostate

Another sextoy for men is prostate toys.

The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line.

Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men.

Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men.

What is the prostate?

The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm.

You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus.

By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms.

Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.)

The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation.

Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure.

sextoy for beinner women in India

The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy.

The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy.

Vibrator.

Dildo

Electric Masserger

Lets check out what each one is in detail.

If you want to check out womens toys, click here.

[BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm...

Vibrators

A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator.

Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy.

It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy.

Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women.

For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators.

Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex.

Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself.

This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual.

Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men.

When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons.

Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most...

Dildo

A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis.

It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass.

A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it.

They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well.

It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device.

A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo.

Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands.

For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis.

This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one.

To learn more about dildo, please click here.

What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th...

Electric Masserger

A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores.

It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low.

Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels.

Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation.

It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure.

For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm.

It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out.

If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager?

To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here.

What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th...

How to choose a sextoy for Indian

Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one.

Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points:  Does the size fit you (the partner)?

Does the size fit you (your partner)?

Is the environment able to produce sound without problems?

Price range

First of all, the choice of size is quite important.

Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women.

For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage.

Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems.

Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise.

If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level.

Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it.

Finally, there is the price range.

The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest.

Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy.

Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy?

I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance.

For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics.

If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out.

How to buy sextoys in India

The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping.

For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below.

Sextoy is one of them.

Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping.

SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India.

They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry.

Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card.

To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy.

ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal.

Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on.

Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture.

Cautions for Indians using sextoy

When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind

Keep sex toys clean

Watch out for electrical leakage

Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy

As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone.

Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there.

It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case.

In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness.

Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful.

If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it.

You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly.

Summary

What did you think?

In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India.

The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future.

As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values.

However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health.

If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try?

Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women.

I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it.
Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum narrowly escaped a deadly suicide bombing at Kabul airport as he returned home from more than a year in exile in Turkey over allegations of torturing and abusing a political rival.

Afghan officials said Dostum, a powerful former warlord, had left the airport in a motorcade only minutes before the blast struck at the entrance of the airport on July 22, killing at least 14 people.

Dostum was unharmed, said his spokesman, Bashir Ahmad Tayanj.

The Islamic State (IS) extremist group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, saying a suicide bomber targeted a crowd celebrating Dostum's return. It gave no further details.

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said at least 14 people, including both civilians and members of the security forces, were killed in the attack and 50 others wounded. He did not give a breakdown.

Danish said the explosion was "caused by a suicide attacker on foot."

Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanekzai also confirmed that at least 14 people were killed in the attack.

"The blast happened right after Dostums convoy left the airport," said Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanekzai.

Hundreds of Dostum's supporters had gathered at the entrance of Kabul airport to welcome home the ethnic Uzbek leader from exile.

Dostum returned to Kabul after more than a year in self-imposed exile in Turkey amid claims that he had ordered his men to abduct, beat, and rape a political rival in 2017.

Dostum had been undergoing medical treatment in Turkey, was now well, and would resume work, presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri said.

Dostum left the country in 2017, after the attorney general's office opened an investigation into allegations that his followers had tortured and sexually abused Ahmad Ischi, a former political ally from Dostums Junbesh party.

Dostum had denied the allegations and said his departure was for medical checkups and family reasons.

It was not clear whether Dostum will face charges.

A deputy government spokesman told RFE/RLs Radio Free Afghanistan on July 21 that legal matters will be pursued according to the law.

Dostum is a controversial figure who has been accused of serious human rights violations, including the deaths of hundreds of Taliban prisoners in 2001 in the custody of his militia forces.

With reporting by Radio Free Afghanistan, Reuters, AP, AFP, and ToloNews
A top Iranian body has lifted a ban imposed on a member of the minority Zoroastrian religion who had been suspended from his post on a city council in the central city of Yazd, Iranian media reported.

Sepanta Niknam was the only non-Muslim elected to the council in the central city of Yazd in May 2017.

He was suspended later in the year following a complaint by one of his fellow councilors.

It followed a statement from the head of the powerful Guardians Council that religious minorities should not have a representative in towns where the majority of the population was Muslim.

The Guardians Council, which oversees presidential and parliamentary elections in Iran and preapproves candidates, does not have any direct role in city council elections.

The reversal came after a widespread public outcry and criticism by President Hassan Rohani.

Ali Motahari, the deputy speaker of the Iranian parliament, had called the suspension illegal and said the verdict had been issued only based on the opinion of hard-line cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, who heads the Guardians Council.

The Expediency Council, tasked with resolving conflicts between parliament and the Guardians Council, backed parliamentary amendments allowing members of recognized religious minorities to run for city councils, the government new agency IRNA reported on July 21.

The ruling allows Niknam to rejoin the city council in Yazd, where he had served during a previous term without facing any issues.

Rohani had contacted the parliament speaker over Niknam's case and last month called his suspension "saddening," according to the presidential website.

Zoroastrians are followers of the ancient Iranian religion Zoroastrianism. Yazd is one of their hubs and home to thousands of followers.

According to Iran's constitution, a total of five seats in the 290-seat parliament are reserved for recognized religious minorities -- Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians.

The Bahai faith is not officially recognized in in Iran, where its followers face state persecution.

With reporting by IRNA, Reuters, AFP and AP
Iranian President Hassan Rohani has warned U.S. President Donald Trump against pursuing hostile policies against Tehran, saying "America should know peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars.

"Mr. Trump, don't play with the lion's tail. This would only lead to regret," the official government news agency IRNA quoted Rohani as saying at a July 22 gathering of Iranian diplomats.

In May, Trump announced that the United States is pulling out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers and reimposing tough sanctions.

The move was harshly criticized by Iran.

Rohani said that the pressure has strengthened national unity in the country.

Weve become more united than before. Threats bring us together, Rohani said, while adding that we will definitely defeat America.

He accused the United States of working to weaken and overthrow the clerical establishment and create divisions in the country.

"You are not in a position to incite the Iranian nation against Iran's security and interests," Rouhani said.

You declare war against the Iranian people and then claim you support them?" he added at the event in the Iranian capital.

U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have expressed support for the Iranian people and "their struggle for freedom."

Pompeo said in a recent interview with Voice of America that the goal of the United States is to change Irans behavior.

"Its about changing the behavior of the leadership in Iran to comport with what the Iranian people really want them to do," Pompeo said.

In a May 21 speech, Pompeo laid out a list of 12 demands from Iran that included a halt to its enrichment activities and an end to its support for armed groups such as the Lebanese Hizballah.

Pompeo warned Tehran that it would face the strongest sanctions in history if it didnt change course and comply with the U.S. demands.

Earlier this month, Rohani suggested that Iran may block oil exports from the Persian Gulf if its own exports are stopped by U.S. sanctions.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 21 backed Rohani's suggestion and said that "if Iran's oil is not exported, no regional country's oil will be exported."

Khamenei has the last say in all state matters in the Islamic republic.

With reporting by IRNA, ISNA, and Reuters
A summit of Caspian Sea littoral states is set for August 12 in Kazakhstans port city of Aktau. It is the fifth such summit, but this one is the big one.

After some 22 years and more than 50 meetings of working groups, the five countries -- Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan -- are reportedly prepared to sign a convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea.

The agreement should resolve many of the issues surrounding the use of the Caspian Sea by the five countries. For more than two decades, these disputes have held up many important projects, notably energy export initiatives such as the proposed Trans-Caspian Pipeline from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan that would ideally bring Turkmen gas to European markets.

This weeks Majlis podcast looks at what the agreement means for energy exports from the Caspian and the challenges ahead for the Caspian countries as they push forward with projects that had been put on hold while diplomats spent two decades hashing out the details of an agreement.

RFE/RL's media-relations manager, Muhammad Tahir, moderates the discussion.

From Washington, Theresa Sabonis-Helf, professor of national security strategy at the National War College, joins the talk. From Tbilisi, Giorgi Vashakmadze, the Georgian prime ministers adviser for the East-West energy corridor, participates. And one of the leading authorities on Caspian energy politics, Robert Cutler, who is a senior research fellow at the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa, takes part.

Listen to the podcast above or subscribe to the Majlis on iTunes.
Pakistan's Supreme Court said it had launched an investigation into allegations made by a judge that the country's powerful army was manipulating the judiciary ahead of the July 25 national elections.

Jailed former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) ruling party has alleged prepoll rigging and accused the army of influencing the judiciary to deny it a second term.

Sharif was sentenced to 10 years in prison on corruption charges in absentia. He was arrested after returning to Pakistan on July 13 and has appealed his sentence.

Islamabad High Court judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui accused the army's spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI), of interfering in legal cases.

"The ISI is fully involved in trying to manipulate the judicial proceedings," Siddiqui said in a speech to lawyers on July 21, adding the agency had told the court not to release Sharif until after the elections.

Sharif has been a vocal critic of the army, which has an oversized role in Pakistans domestic and foreign affairs.

Sharif was dismissed from office by the Supreme Court in July 2017 for allegedly concealing assets abroad and other corruption allegations. He denies any wrongdoing.

Allies of the three-time prime minister, who was toppled in a military coup in 1999, have called the proceedings a political vendetta and suggested the army might be behind it.

Based on reporting by Reuters and dpa
A Pakistani candidate and his driver were killed in a suicide attack in the country's northwest, in the latest violence related to the July 25 national elections.

Police and hospital officials told RFE/RLs Radio Mashaal that Ikramullah Gandapur died at a military hospital from injuries sustained in a July 22 suicide blast in the northwestern town of Dera Ismail Khan.

Gandapur was a member of opposition leader Imran Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI). He was contesting polls for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly.

Police officer Zahoor Afridi said a suicide bomber targeted Gandapur's vehicle near his residence as he was heading to a political gathering.

"Our hearts weep for him and his family and we pray for both," the PTI said in a statement.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in an e-mail sent to the media.



Gandapur's brother Israr was killed in a suicide attack three years ago.

Separately, the convoy of another candidate, Akram Durrani, came under fire in the northwestern town of Bannu on July 22.



Police officials told RFE/RLs Radio Mashaal that militant fired shots at Durrani's vehicle. He escaped unhurt but at least two people were injured in the attack.



This was the second attack in less than 10 days on Durrani.



On July 13, Durranis convoy was attacked when he was on his way to a political rally, killing at least four people, wounding more than 30.

Pakistan has witnessed a spate of deadly election-related attacks in recent weeks.

On July 13, a provincial assembly candidate was killed in a massive suicide bombing in southwestern Balochistan Province, along with 148 people, in one of Pakistans deadliest ever militant attacks. The Islamic State (IS) militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.

In the northwestern city of Peshawar, a suicide bombing on July 10 killed another provincial assembly candidate and 20 others. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility.



The election campaign has been marred by violence as well as what critics describe as a crackdown on political activists, journalists, and opposition figures.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP
The Abu Dhabi Investment Office has signed an agreement with the Chinese Business Council to bolster inter-institutional cooperation and exchanges and provide for further trade and investment opportunities for businesses, a media report said.



With the aim of developing strategic economic sectors including financial services, industry and manufacturing, tourism, renewable energy, and ICT and communications, the Abu Dhabi Investment Office is seeking to encourage increased international investment in the UAE capital to help realise the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, which provides for enhanced diversification across a range of sectors within the overall development of a knowledge-based economy, reported Emirates news agency.



Commenting on the memorandum of understanding (MoU), Khalifa Bin Salem Al Mansouri, Under-Secretary of the Department of Economic Development, said: "The signing of this MoU indicates the strength of business and trade relations between the UAE and China. Through ambitious joint projects run by public-private sector partnerships and attracting foreign investment, Abu Dhabi is charting a course towards greater economic diversification, liberalisation, sustainability, an enhanced non-oil export capacity."



Ahmed Bin Ghannam, CEO of the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, said: "The Abu Dhabi Investment Office is delighted to sign this MoU with this Office of the Chinese Business Council, which signifies both the strength of Abu Dhabis economic links with Chinas business sector and our commitment to working with strategic partners to maximise synergies for successful investment through bilateral cooperation for ease of business and the growth of trade between our two countries."



The MoU enhances cooperation between the two parties through the realisation of the following objectives: establishment of bilateral relations of friendship and cooperation for trade and investment promotion activities; initiation of cooperation on a planned joint business council incorporating mechanisms for an annual working meeting, a team to coordinate daily cooperation, and an annual joint review and evaluation of cooperative results achieved and expected; and establishment of a mechanism for the exchange of information relating to markets, workforce, local demand, imports and exports, and trade and investment facilities.



In addition, the agreement will also provide for the encouragement of business communities to provide feedback on economic and trade policies and work environments, and for bilateral sharing of relevant information; encouragement of experts, scholars and researcher in the economic and trade fields in both countries to exchange views, organise delegation visits, conduct regular cooperative survey and research projects, and facilitate cooperation between think tanks; and consideration of the establishment of a platform to encourage dialogue between companies to complement official talks and business relations.
The United States and Russia hailed the evacuation by the Israeli military of a Syrian volunteer civil organization from a volatile border area near the Golan Heights, although the two powers saw the operation in sharply differing ways.

The U.S. State Department on July 22 issued a statement saying it welcomes the safe evacuation of more than 400 members of the Syrian Civil Defense -- also known as the White Helmets.

We are glad that these brave volunteers, who have saved thousands of lives, are now out of harm's way.

We renew our call on the [Syria] regime and Russia to abide by their commitments, end the violence, and protect all Syrian civilians, including humanitarians such as the White Helmets, in areas formerly part of the southwest deescalation zone and throughout Syria, it added.

Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy in the Netherlands welcomed the departure of the notorious White Helmets.

"Definitely there will be less chances of new so-called #CW (chemical weapon) attacks in Syria after forced evacuation by the collective West of the notorious #WhiteHelmets," it wrote on Twitter.



The White Helmets work exclusively in rebel-held areas and receive donations from several Western governments, including Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States.

Its members say they are neutral, but Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government and his Russian ally accuse the White Helmets of being tools of their international donors.

Western powers have accused Syria of attacking rebel-held areas with illegal chemical weapons. Syria and Russia claim the Western-backed rebels and their supporters have staged the attacks in an attempt to frame Assads government.

The evacuation of the White Helmet members and their families came overnight on July 21-22 as they fled advancing Syrian government forces and slipped over the border into Jordan.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement on July 22 that he aided the evacuation at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump and other leaders based on fears the volunteer workers' lives were in danger.

"A few days ago, President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau and others approached me with the request to help extract from Syria hundreds of White Helmets," Netanyahu said.

Reuters quoted a Jordanian government source as saying that 422 people had been brought from Syria over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and into Jordan. Earlier reports had said some 800 people had been evacuated.

Those rescued will be kept in a "closed" location in Jordan before being resettled in Britain, Germany, and Canada within three months, the source told Reuters.

The U.S. statement said that we deeply appreciate Israel's role in facilitating the transit of the White Helmets and their family members. We commend Jordan's generosity in supporting their processing by UNHCR and the commitment of the United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany to provide the White Helmets and their families with permanent homes.

Russia and Iran back Assad's government in Syria's seven-year civil war, while the United States supports antigovernment rebels. Islamic State (IS) and other militant groups have also been involved in the fighting but have mainly been driven from their strongholds.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Company to open Playa del Carmen plant to recycle cigarette butts

Playa del Carmen, Q.R.  A Mexcian company says they are working on opening a plant in Playa del Carmen that will make planting pots out of cigarette butts.

The company Verde Halago is hoping to eliminate pollution by creating pots from cigarette butts that degrade in a year.

Gerardo Valencia of Verde Halago

Gerardo Valencia of Verde Halago, said that cigarette butts can be recycled to avoid contaminating water and the environment. He says that soon, they will have a factory in Playa del Carmen.

The company is an initiative of Mexican entrepreneurs that once operating, will employ between five and 10 people.

He explains that cigarette butts are one of the most thrown waste in streets and along beaches. He explains that one cigarette butt contaminates 50 liters of water.

Aside from creating plant pots from recycled butts, the company also promotes beach cleanups to raise awareness of the environmental damage due to discarded butts.

Valencia says they already have more than 600,000 butts theyve collected from the streets, eliminating the pollution of more than 20 million liters of drinking water. He says that animals also benefit because they often mistake the butts for food an ingest them.

Valencia explained that the cigarette butts undergo a process that makes them biodegradable. They are mixed with other waste products such as sawdust, adding that the pots are a highly sustainable proposal that removes butts from the streets, raises public awareness and prevents damage to the ecosystem.
Mexicos Bimbo suspends Acapulco service due to violence

Acapulco, Guerrero  Mexicos largest bakery company, Bimbo, says they have suspended several routes in the city of Acapulco due to violence.

After two delivery trucks belonging to Grupo Bimbo were burned in Acapulco, the bakery company confirmed the temporary suspension of nine of its routes in the city. They say that these particular routes represent less than one percent of its distribution throughout the state.

The temporary route suspension was confirmed by Karina Foguel Kaplan of Grupo Bimbo who said, Grupo Bimbo confirms that to guarantee the safety of its collaborators it has decided to temporarily suspend the distribution only in nine of its routes in the municipality of Acapulco, Guerrero.

The suspension was decided after two company distribution trucks were burned. In view of these acts, the company has filed complaints with local authorities.

The Secretary of Development and Economic Development of Guerrero, Alvaro Burgos Barrera, had previously announced that Bimbo had decided to suspend the distribution of Marinela products on at least seven routes in the municipality of Acapulco.

Burgos Barrera ruled out a risk of total closure of the company as occurred in the Tierra Caliente region with Coca Cola and Pepsi.
New CWC meets under Rahul Gandhi

Congress President Rahul Gandhi is today chairing his first meeting of the newly constituted Congress Working Committee (CWC) after taking over as party chief in December last. The crucial meeting of the revamped CWC is underway in Parliament House Annexe and comes two days after the no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha which the Opposition lost.

Rahul Gandhi's Congress working committee

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The committee, which was announced last week after Gandhi deliberated on its composition for close to seven months, is expected to take stock of the current political, economic and internal and external security situation of the country besides discussing party strategy for the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament. There is also a likelihood of the new committee members brainstorming on the strategies to be adopted to counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi led BJP in the run-up to assembly elections later this year and General Elections 2019.

Gandhi has set the tone for the Congress strategy by going forward and hugging Prime Minister Modi during the no-confidence motion discussions in Lok Sabha and by proclaiming that he will counter the BJP's hatred and anger with Congress' love and compassion. Among those present at today's meeting include former prime minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, top Congress leaders AK Antony, Motilal Vora, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge and Ashok Gehlot among others.

Gandhi's CWC has 23 regular members instead of 25

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This is the meeting of extended CWC which also consists of all state party chiefs and legislature party leaders apart from the regular CWC members, permanent and special invitees to the committee. Gandhi's CWC has 23 regular members instead of 25 allowed by the party constitution. It has 18 permanent and eight special invitees.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dismissed opposition attempts at unity as an opportunity for the BJP and mocked Congress president for hugging him in Parliament, virtually calling it clingy behavior. At a farmer's rally, on his third visit to politically crucial Uttar Pradesh, Modi questioned the motive behind the no-confidence motion moved by the opposition in the Lok Sabha. "Hum karan poochtey rahe avishvas ka, karan nahi bata payey to gale pad gaye," he said.

Roughly translated, the phrase conveyed unwanted clingy behavior: "We kept asking the reasons for their no confidence, they failed to answer but clung to my neck." The reference was to Rahul Gandhi's gesture during the debate walking up to the prime minister's seat in the Lok Sabha and giving him an unreciprocated hug. Modi also played with words to assert that the Bharatiya Janata Party's election symbol the lotus will rise from the mud in the 2019 general election.

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Opposition's attempts at unity an opportunity for BJP

"If one dal (party) is added to another dal, then it becomes dal-dal (muck), which is favourable for the 'kamal' to bloom," he said, in an apparent reference to the opposition's unity attempts. Modi said the opposition's bid to join hands is an opportunity for the BJP. During his nearly 45-minute speech, Modi said the opposition was merely running after the prime minister's post while ignoring the poor, the youth and farmers.

"Are you satisfied with what happened in Lok Sabha," he asked the people at the rally in Uttar Pradesh's sugarcane belt. "Have you come to know who is at fault? They are not looking at the poor and the country but have their eyes only on the PM's chair," he said. "Have I done anything wrong? I am only working for the poor and the country, fighting corruption and this is my crime," the prime minister said. Accusing the previous governments of lacking the will to help farmers, Modi listed the decisions taken by his government for them.

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Modi mocked Congress president for hugging him in Parliament

It was for the first time in the country, he said, that a government has decided to allow mills to produce ethanol from molasses and sugarcane juice. Modi said the government has hiked the fair and remunerative price (FRP) of sugarcane by Rs 20 to Rs 275 per quintal for the 2018-19 marketing year, which begins in October. Shahjahanpur is the biggest wholesale grain market and a prominent sugarcane growing district in Uttar Pradesh. This was his third visit to the state which sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha in less than a month. Barely a week ago, he addressed rallies in Varanasi, Azamgah and Mirzapur.

A large number of farmers from adjoining districts of Hardoi, Lakhimpur Kheri, Pilibhit, Sitapur, Bareilly and Badaun attended rally, Modi's first public address after his party won the no-trust vote. "We kept telling them that people's mandate is supreme in democracy and it will prove costly for them to go against it. But it looked that they were obsessed to teach a lesson to Modi and remove him," he said. He said the real power in a democracy rested with the 125 crore people of the country and the Constitution.

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Modi also hailed the efforts of Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government

The prime minister said he had understood the opposition party's designs and will not allow them to succeed even if the 'bicycle' (the Samajwadi Party's election symbol) teamed up with the 'elephant' (Bahujan Samaj Party). Without taking names, he recalled former Congress prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's infamous admission of corruption in the system, when his party was in power from the panchayat to Parliament. "Which was that 'panja' (a reference to the hand symbol of the Congress) which made one rupee turn into 15 paise," he said.

"We have found a way out and with the help of technology. The money is now directly going into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries," Modi said. Elaborating on his government's welfare schemes, he said 18,000 villages have been electrified and rued that even this move was condemned by some people. "If villages remained in darkness even 70 years after Independence, who was responsible? We have decided that all households will have electricity by 2019," he said. "We are trying to get your houses electrified but they are moving about in Parliament with the chit of no-confidence," he said. Modi also hailed the efforts of Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in Uttar Pradesh over the past year, saying it has won the trust of the people.
Rahul asks Congressmen to fight for India's oppressed

Congress President Rahul Gandhi today described the revamped Congress Working Committee (CWC) as a bridge between the past, present and future and asked party men to rise and fight for India's oppressed. Chairing the first meeting of the revamped CWC after becoming president of the party in December last, he said it was an institution comprising experience and energy. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, in his address, assured Rahul Gandhi that he and all other Congressmen will help him in the onerous task of restoring India's social harmony and economic development.

Manmohan Singh assured Rahul Gandhi that he and all other Congressmen will help him

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I assure Rahul Gandhiji that we will fully support him in his onerous task of restoring India's social harmony and economic development, he said, rejecting the culture of constant "self-praise and jumlas" (gimmicks), as against solid policy framework for driving the engine of growth. Singh said the claim of doubling farm income by 2022 will require an agricultural growth rate of 14 percent, which is nowhere in sight.

Rahul Gandhi also reminded the role of the Congress as the voice of India

The new CWC is an institution comprising experience and energy and will act as a bridge between the past, present, and the future, Rahul Gandhi said as he called upon Congressmen and women to rise and fight for India's oppressed. The Congress president also reminded the role of the Congress as the voice of India as also its responsibility of present and future, charging that the BJP attacks institutions, Dalits, tribals, backward, minorities and the poor.
Dubai Land Department (DLD) has signed an agreement with Informa Middle East, organiser of the regions foremost real estate platform, Cityscape.



The MoU aims to focus its efforts on promoting Dubai as an attractive regional and international investment destination, and strengthening its position as a prime investment hub, said Sultan Butti Bin Mejren, the director-general of DLD, after inking the agreement with Tom Rhodes, the exhibition director at Cityscape.



The new agreement aims to focus its efforts on promoting Dubai as an attractive regional and international investment destination, and strengthening its position as a prime investment hub.



The agreement will also highlight the scope of real estate investment opportunities and showcase major projects to regional and international investors across all markets in the Cityscape portfolio. The MoU will additionally see DLD partner with various events within the growing global Informa portfolio.



Bin Mejren said: "Dubai ranked highest on the list of global cities that are most attractive for foreign direct investment. As a result, Dubai has rapidly evolved into a global business and investment hub, and DLD looks forward to strengthening our emirate's position and achieving consistent success in the industry, ensuring the sustainable growth of our real estate sector."



"Our partnership seeks to reinforce confidence in the emirates real estate sector by attracting FDI, demonstrated by the hard work and economic vision that HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has achieved in catapulting the Emirate as a regional and international investment destination, especially with Expo 2020 on the horizon," he added.



Rhodes said: "Dubai is truly an important hub for investors from all over the world thanks to its buoyant economy, advanced infrastructure, high ROIs, transparent investor environment, and the legal and legislative structure that guarantees the rights of all parties."



"Regional and international investors are looking to invest in cities with these unique ingredients, and the ability to adapt to the demands of global markets and investors' expectations makes Dubai a shining example," he observed.



With support from DLD, the 17th edition of Cityscape Global returns to the Dubai World Trade Centre from October 2 to 4. The event, which will span across 41,000 sq m of exhibition space, is expected to attract a wave of real estate investors from 100 countries, including a list of new and returning heavyweight developers who will showcase hundreds of project launches.-TradeArabia News Service
The latest developments in Dubais domestic maritime community will be highlighted and discussed at the Seatrade Maritime Middle East (SMME), to be held later this year in Dubai, UAE.



The event will take place at the Dubai World Trade Centre from October 20 to 31.



Widely regarded as one of the most important maritime events and to be held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, UAE, SMME will showcase and cement anew the cosmopolitan citys status as a leading regional and international maritime hub, said a statement.



The recent news of Dubai being included for the first time in the top five international shipping centres comes in the midst of intensive efforts aimed at catapulting the local maritime industry into the ranks of the worlds best as per the directives of the UAEs leadership, it said.



Citing its innovative free-trade zone and improvement in the domestic trade environment, Dubai is one of the top five world-class maritime cities listed in the International Shipping Centre Development Index (ISCD) compiled by the Baltic Exchange and Xinhua alongside Singapore, Hong Kong, London, and Shanghai.



This landmark feat is expected to further raise the confidence of the global maritime community in Dubais world-class maritime infrastructure and capabilities, it said.



International experts are upbeat as well that the emirate is going to be the seventh leading maritime centre in the world by 2020 from being the Middle Easts current leading maritime city. This sentiment was revealed in the recent international survey conducted by Menon Business Economics Group, which benchmarks the worlds leading maritime capitals, it added.



The latest developments are seen to further bolster the positive mood in the domestic maritime community ahead of the SMME.



Amer Ali, executive director of Dubai Maritime City Authority, said: The ongoing efforts of Dubai maritime authorities are paying off as evidenced by the emirates recent global achievement.



This year, Dubai was ranked fifth in the list of the most important shipping hubs worldwide based on the ISCD released by Baltic Exchange and Xinhua news agency, he said.



It is an honour and a privilege to be recognised by the global community, further emboldening us in Dubai to continuously take the necessary steps to sustain this accomplishment, support innovation and competitiveness, and attract maritime-related businesses and investments to maintain the industrys vibrancy, sustainability, and inclusiveness, he added.



SMMEs upcoming latest edition is another initiative that will back our endeavours designed to help realize the key goals and objectives of Dubai Plan 2021, Ali concluded.



Chris Hayman, chairman of Seatrade, said: More than ever, the strategically located Dubai is poised to play a pivotal role in the continued progress and development of the many aspects of international trade and the global maritime community, specifically in the shipping segment.



SMME is an opportunity to discuss in-depth Dubais potentials and advantages as it sets to gather international and regional ship owners and operators, ports, financiers, and other maritime professionals, he said.



This years edition will again encourage maritime professionals to network, do business, strengthen and nurture new relationships, while hearing about industry topics within relevant and comprehensive conference sessions, he added.



SMME, the regions largest gathering of shipping and maritime industry decision makers, yearly attracts nearly 8,000 attendees from across 90 countries. The international participants take advantage of the platform to do business with ship owners, ship operators, ship managers, charterers, superintendents, senior management, and other industry professionals involved in the procurement of equipment and services within the maritime, offshore, oil and gas, and ports industries.



The agenda of the 2018 edition will revolve around autonomous shipping and automation, fuels of the future, digital and cyber technologies, and environmental challenges within the shipping industry, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) has signed an agreement of cooperation with the UAE Ministry of Infrastructure Development aimed at supporting the application of sustainability best practices.



Engineer Abdullah bin Mohammed Balheif Al Nuaimi, UAE Minister of Infrastructure Development, witnessed the signing of the agreement, which took place between Engineer Hassan Mohammed Jumaa Al Mansouri, undersecretary of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, chief executive officer of Masdar, said a statement from the company.



Under the agreement, Masdar aims to provide technical advice in implementing a sustainable system in projects, as well as ways to develop and implement a strategy aimed at strengthening the current sustainability standards of the ministry, it said.



Al Mansouri welcomed the cooperation with Masdar, highlighting its role in supporting the UAE's approach to sustainability and environmental conservation, and in achieving the UAE Vision 2021 and the UAE Centennial 2071 Plan, it added.



He pointed out that the ministry seeks to look at the future of sustainability by launching initiatives that are closely related to the sustainability system and focusing on innovative ideas in the same field.



Al Ramahi said: This agreement builds on our existing relationship with the ministry and other governmental entities, which has seen us collaborate on a number of highly successful energy efficiency projects in the UAE.



These have included a comprehensive energy audit of more than 70 buildings within Abu Dhabi island on behalf of Abu Dhabi Municipality; corporate level energy audits on behalf of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; the installation of solar panels at Ras Al Khaimah Hospital, also for the Ministry of Presidential Affairs; and an ongoing project with the Zayed Housing Programme to build sustainable and affordable private homes based on our Eco-Villa prototype at Masdar City, he added.



Al Ramahi continued: Through this latest agreement, our Energy Services department will be working closely with the ministrys teams to help design a consistent set of sustainability standards that may be applied across its UAE projects, whilst at the same time, implementing sustainability best practices throughout the ministrys operations.



With improved energy efficiency a core component of the UAE 2050 Energy Plan, covering both existing buildings as well as new urban infrastructure, Masdar is taking the lead in offering a suite of energy efficiency enhancement services to both government and private sector clients, from auditing through to the financing and implementation of retrofitting projects, he concluded.



The Ministry of Infrastructure Development is responsible for developing urban infrastructure plans, proposing policies and strategies to support the development of the housing sector and associated facilities.



The ministry also works with federal authorities to oversee the allocation of housing, control and maintenance of public facilities, and the development and management of the federal road network in the UAE, as well as the implementation of government buildings and facilities in various emirates of UAE.



The ministry has taken the initiative to include leading sustainability standards in its projects, including the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges, housing delivery, education and health projects. Masdar's experience will assist in assessing the most appropriate sustainability practices and internationally recognised certification systems.



The agreement between the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Masdar is expected to lead to future projects aimed at enhancing energy conservation and sustainability in the UAE and the region, said a statement.



For its part, Masdar, through its Energy Services Department, provides integrated solutions in energy management, both on the supply and demand side. These include contracting for energy performance projects, improving and modernizing buildings, replacing and improving heating, ventilation and air conditioning and improving utility lighting.



Masdar has previously conducted energy audits in the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and the UAE Embassy in Washington DC, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
Mason Trinca/Special to The Chronicle

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for parts of Northern California  including portions of Monterey County  from midday Tuesday through Wednesday night.

The affected areas are southern Salinas Valley, Los Padres National Forest, the Santa Lucia Mountains, interior Monterey County and San Benito County.
The Mexican Museum  its attendance in decline and its rent in arrears  will close its longtime galleries and offices in the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture this fall.

The private nonprofit has not paid its rent since October and will forfeit its 5,000-square-foot home in Landmark Building D, where it has been since 1982, in exchange for forgiven rent of $140,000. It will vacate in November, said Andy Kluger, chairman of the board of trustees.

The museum will not reopen until 2020 at the earliest, as it cuts overhead and conserves cash. It is racing to raise $30 million required by the city to build a new Mexican Museum in the 706 Mission St. condo tower under construction near the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

The four floors of condo space, which occupy 60,000 square feet including ground-floor restaurant and retail space, belong to the city and county of San Francisco, which has signed a 99-year lease with the Mexican Museum at a rate of $1 per year. But that is for an empty shell. The museum must pay for all tenant improvements and show the city that it has access to $30 million to gain occupancy.

The museum is separately trying to raise an additional $30 million as an endowment to cover its operating costs. In an interview with The Chronicle, Kluger was able to produce a typed document indicating the capital campaign has pledges of $9 million, plus $5 million from the tower developer, toward the $60 million total.

Leah Millis / The Chronicle 2017

Kluger also said the city, through the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure, has allocated $7.5 million toward interior tenant improvements with an additional $7 million pledged, or nearly half the $30 million needed.

But Max Barnes, spokesman for the agency, said total construction grants to the Mexican Museum could not exceed $10.5 million. In interviews, city arts and real estate officials said the museum has received $12 million in arts grants to keep it afloat over the years but has promised nothing beyond the $1-a-year lease.

Nothing can be counted for sure because the Mexican Museum has not submitted audited financial statements to the city for 2016 or 2017. The city sent the museum letters in April and May requesting the audited statements, and Kluger said his attorney is working on it. The audit will document pledges toward the capital campaign.

Were comfortable. Im not panicked, Kluger said. It looks like we will be there pretty soon.

The developer, 706 Mission Co., an entity owned by Westbook Partners, plans to complete the shell in 2019. Kluger already has a design for the museum including galleries and pledges that the museum will open in 2020.

Both deadlines sound optimistic given that the 45-story tower has not yet risen above ground level, and the museum has not yet demonstrated that it can privately raise anywhere near the $30 million it needs to build the shell into the international museum that is planned.

The project is to meld the historic 10-story Aronson Building into a new condo tower. In a deal cut in the early 1990s with the city redevelopment agency, the ground floor plus three above it, in the combined project, was deeded to the city as space to install a cultural institution.

The Mexican Museum was promised the space from the start, and the 99-year-lease has been signed, according to Tom DeCaigny, director of cultural affairs for the San Francisco Arts Commission, which is overseeing the citys end of the deal.

Leah Millis / The Chronicle 2017

We are committed to working with the Mexican Museum to see it through, DeCaigny said, emphasizing the $12 million in city grants. Now the onus is on the museum.

They need to show the $30 million in tenant improvements to us to get in the door, DeCaigny said. He would also like to see a museum director hired. It has been without one for many years, with the museum being run by its chief operating officer.

Kluger said a search committee in Mexico City has identified 12 candidates for the position of director, and the board will soon be interviewing candidates.

Kluger, a San Rafael investor, has been the board chairman for six years, during which the Mexican Museum has attempted to elevate itself from a small community museum in a makeshift gallery space that has always been temporary to a museum that holds its own in the citys cultural center.

In 2012, it was accepted as a Smithsonian affiliate, which means it is eligible to lend and receive artifacts and exhibitions administered by the Smithsonian Institution. In 2014, it completed the Museum Assessment Program administered by the American Alliance of Museums.

The museums collection has nearly 17,000 objects, many of which were donated over the years with their authenticity unverified. In advance of its move, the museum began a two-year authentication process last year. It ran into trouble right away when it was revealed that artifacts from the pre-Columbian, or pre-Hispanic, era could not be authenticated.

In the end, an estimated 300 pieces were authenticated and another 500 could not be. The pre-Columbian process is now complete, and the museum is starting to authenticate its folk art, 5,000 pieces.

To improve the quality of the collection and reduce its storage expense, the museum is de-accessioning anything that cannot be authenticated along with objects considered decorative. In May and June, Clars Auction Gallery in Oakland sold a large collection of works from the Mexican Museum.

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.

One former board member, who declined to be named, sent The Chronicle documents to indicate that various art objects he had donated to the museum, with a certified appraisal value of $53,000, had recently been sold through Clars for a total of $7,777, or 14 percent of their market value.

The things that are selling at Clars are whatever the market will bear, said Theron Kabrich, co-owner of the San Francisco Art Exchange and a Mexican Museum board member. Many of those items are duplicates or not appropriate to the collection.

But there are also new donations coming in, including a huge trove from collectors John and Kati Casida that has been appraised at $4 million, Kluger said. It will be one of the principal showpieces at the new museum, he said.

Kluger boasts about this in his pitch to investors. Hes made 19 trips to Mexico and carries a glossy 32-page brochure that includes the architectural sketch of all four floors, with naming opportunities, for $3 million each.

We have people who said, Well give, Kluger said. Now we want to see action.

At this point, the only art that seems certain at 706 Mission is a two-story public art facade that will wrap around the space reserved for the Mexican Museum. It was commissioned to Jan Hendrix, a Dutch artist who lives and works in Mexico. The facades $2 million cost will be paid for by the developer as its percent for art requirement.

The terms of the deal at 706 Mission are only that the city-owned condominium be used for cultural purposes. It was never specified that it had to be the Mexican Museum. Others would no doubt be interested in 99 years at $1 per, but DeCaigny said no other cultural institutions have been considered.

The museums collection, particularly Chicano art, has deep ties to the Bay Area, he said. We want to make sure we have a place where the collection is accessible.

In 2015, the last year it filed an audit, the Mexican Museum claimed total net assets of $2.1 million. In June, its attendance was 316, down from 376 in June 2017. When it closes in November, museum staff will move to office space it has arranged with a nonprofit near its new home at Third and Mission streets.

This turn of events will help us aggregate more funds quicker toward our goal to open on time in 2020, Kluger said.

Also planning to leave Fort Mason in a few years is the Museo Italo Americano, now in its 40th year. The museum has been gifted a commercial warehouse on Battery Street near the waterfront, where it will relocate pending a capital campaign and city entitlements.

Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SamWhitingSF Instagram: @sfchronicle_art
Taxpayers spent $297,169  about $814 a day  to provide a car and driver to state Controller Betty Yee in fiscal 2016-17, state records show.

The year before, she spent $286,608  or about $785 a day.

The California Highway Patrols near round-the-clock protection of Yee and the states six other statewide constitutional officers was highlighted this month when the unmarked car carrying the state controller and her husband was rear-ended as the couple were on their way to a Democratic Party Executive Committee meeting in Oakland.

Yees spokeswoman, Jennifer Hanson, said the CHP protection was the price of having a chief fiscal officer for the worlds fifth-largest economy  and who serves on multiple boards and commissions  making some difficult high-profile decisions with which not everyone will agree.

Hanson said her boss typically receives protection during her many public appearances throughout California  and that ensuring she is both accessible and safe comes with a cost.

No kidding.

CHP records show more than $1.6 million is currently budgeted for protection for the six down-ballot officers. That means everyone but Gov. Jerry Brown  hes the only one not required to reimburse the CHP for security services, with that money coming straight out of the state budget.

Yee is budgeted for up to $360,000 a year, or $986 a day  the highest of any of the down-ballot officers.

California Treasurer John Chiang is right behind at $350,000 a year, or about $958 a day.

State Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has a $260,000 contract with the CHP; state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, $250,000; Secretary of State Alex Padilla, $200,000; and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, $150,000.

The CHP provides the cars and drivers, then bills the individual offices for the costs.

Its all part of the $70 million a year that the state spends to protect everyone from the governor on down, as well as the state Capitol and other public buildings  plus handling terrorism threats.

As for how much money the CHP spends to ferry around and protect Brown?

We dont know and probably never will.

For security reasons, we do not release the specific cost, said Fran Clader, the CHPs director of communications.

Texas twist: The NAACPs ceremony in San Antonio honoring former Mayor Willie Brown for his lifetime achievement also turned into a national coming-out party for new San Francisco Mayor London Breed.

Everywhere she went, people were asking to take pictures with her, said Chinatown activist David Ho, who was among the dozens of San Franciscans  many with ties to City Hall  who joined Breed in making the Texas trek to honor Brown, the citys first black mayor and former speaker of the California Assembly.

The only person who overshadowed her was Bill Clinton, and that was just for 10 minutes while he introduced Brown on stage, Ho said.

Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

Brown also made sure that Breed, whom he worked hard to help get elected mayor, got plenty of face time as well  taking her backstage at the San Antonio Convention Center to meet Clinton and seating her alongside the former president at the banquets head table.

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.

An estimated 2,000 people were on hand for the dinner, including about 80 from San Francisco  many of whom reflected the former mayor and current Chronicle columnists strong ties to City Hall.

Those who flew in to watch Brown receive the NAACPs prestigious Spingarn Medal included City Administrator Naomi Kelly and her husband, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission General Manager Harlan Kelly.

Businessman and developer Lawrence Lui and his wife, Asian Art Commission member Gorretti Lo Lui, were also there, as were media consultant P.J. Johnston and his lobbyist wife, Karen; Airport Commissioner and former Brown Chief of Staff Eleanor Johns and and her husband, Historic Preservation Commission member Richard Johns; Airport Commissioner Linda Crayton; Port Commissioners Kimberly Brandon, Gail Gilman and Victor Makras; Fine Arts Museum Vice President (and former TV newswoman) Belva Davis; longtime mayoral Chief of Staff Steve Kawa and his partner, Dan Henkle; the Rev. (and former San Francisco Supervisor) Amos Brown; mayoral special events director Martha Cohen; deputy protocol chief Matthew Goudeau; lobbyist-businessman Darius Anderson; lobbyist Chris Gruwell; and Brown lawyer and business associate Steven Kay.

One face to keep an eye on in the crowd was San Francisco Police Commander David Lazar, a rumored contender to replace Chief Bill Scott someday. Lazar, who was with the Chinatown contingent in San Antonio, has become a regular at local political gatherings of late, including showing up for a banquet at the New Asia restaurant honoring Breed the night after her election.

Incidentally, for all the attention showered on Breed, Brown and Clinton, were told conventioneers staying at the the San Antonio Grand Hyatt saved most of their star gazing for the swarm of teenage girls who descended on the hotel to compete in the Miss Teen America pageant.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX-TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call 415- 777-8815, or email matierandross@ sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
The NAACPs ceremony in San Antonio honoring former Mayor Willie L. Brown for his lifetime achievement also turned into a national coming out party for new San Francisco Mayor London Breed.

Everywhere she went, people were asking to take pictures with her, said Chinatown activist David Ho, who was among the dozens of San Franciscans  many with ties to City Hall  who joined Breed in making the Texas trek to honor Brown, the citys first black mayor and former speaker of the California Assembly.

The only person who overshadowed her was Bill Clinton, and that was just for 10 minutes while he introduced Brown on stage, Ho said.

Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

Brown also made sure that Breed, whom he worked hard to help get elected mayor, got plenty of face time as well  taking her backstage at the San Antonio Convention Center to meet Clinton personally, and seating her alongside the former president at the banquets head table.

An estimated 2,000 people were on hand for the dinner, including about 80 from San Francisco  many of whom reflected the former mayor and current Chronicle columnists strong ties to City Hall.

Those who flew in to watch Brown receive the NAACPs prestigious Spingarn Medal included City Administrator Naomi Kelly and her husband, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission General Manager Harlan Kelly.

Businessman and developer Lawrence Lui and his wife, Asian Art Commission member Gorretti Lo Lui; were also there, as were media consultant P.J. Johnston and his lobbyist wife Karen; Airport Commissioner and former Brown Chief of Staff Eleanor Johns and and her husband, Historic Preservation Commission member Richard Johns; Airport Commissioner Linda Crayton, Port Commissioners Kimberly Brandon, Gail Gilman and Victor Makras; Fine Arts Museum Vice President (and former TV newswoman) Belva Davis; longtime mayoral chief of staff Steve Kawa and his partner, Dan Henkle; Rev. (and former San Francisco Supervisor) Amos Brown; mayoral special events director Martha Cohen; deputy protocol chief Matthew Goudeau; lobbyist-businessman Darius Anderson, lobbyist Chris Gruwell and Brown lawyer and business associate Steven Kay.

One face to keep an eye on in the crowd was San Francisco Police Commander David Lazar, a rumored contender to replace Chief William Scott someday. Lazar, who was with the Chinatown contingent in San Antonio, has become a regular at local political gatherings of late, including showing up for a banquet at the New Asia resturant honoring Breed the night after her election.

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.

Incidentally, for all the attention showered on Breed, Brown and Clinton, were told conventioneers staying at the the San Antonio Grand Hyatt saved most of their star gazing for the swarm of teenage girls who descended on the hotel to compete in the Miss Teen America pageant.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call 415-777-8815, or email matierandross@ sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
Salesforce is hunting worldwide for lawyers focused on data privacy. So is Google. Newly public Okta, a San Francisco software firm, also wants to hire a privacy-oriented lawyer. Same with cloud service Twilio.

The list goes on.

Data privacy, once a second-order subject in Silicon Valley, has rocketed to the fore thanks to a battery of new laws. Europes groundbreaking data-privacy rule, the General Data Protection Regulation, took effect in May and requires continuing vigilance. Last month, Sacramento lawmakers piled on with a hastily passed law called the California Consumer Privacy Act directed at companies pulling in at least $25 million in annual revenue.

Among the big winners in the scramble to comply? Lawyers and corporate information-technology firms.

The issue of privacy has virtually taken over my practice, said Cynthia Cole, a special counsel with Baker Botts who is well-versed in Europes new GDPR regulations. For example, she said, some of the disclosure paperwork in mergers and acquisitions  specifically, the data privacy representation of a company being bought  has grown from a few lines a year or so ago to three pages, as companies list topics like the various laws they have complied with.

Interest has surged particularly as companies implement technology such as blockchain and artificial intelligence, because many of them touch on data privacy issues, according to Brandyne Russell, a managing director at Major, Lindsey & Africa, a global legal recruiting firm.

Where certain companies may have had a lawyer who wore a few hats including privacy, many companies are now creating dedicated roles for that (and) building small teams, said Ray Everett, a longtime privacy expert who manages consulting projects for TrustArc, a San Francisco compliance and risk-management company.

For companies, compliance can be costly. It can go well, well into the millions, depending on the size of your company, Cole said.

And American companies may spend more than their European counterparts.

Over the years, U.S. firms have dealt with discrete privacy rules, like the specific laws governing health care records or the identity data guidelines in financial services, but have not had to contend with any overarching regulations.

By contrast, European companies have been dealing with data privacy since the 80s ... so this is not new for them, Cole said. To comply with GDPR, they didnt have to go back and revisit their entire business model.

Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press 2018

Tech firms, too, have seen increasing interest.

Ray Everett said his consulting team had grown five-fold during the past 18 months, as its number of projects has ballooned. (TrustArc, whose products and services help companies review their compliance and develop policies around privacy, is stocked with technical experts and lawyers but does not practice law.)

There been a change in the nature of the work, Everett said. While law firms have long worked on privacy aspects of contracts, notices and other documents, now firms needs are expanding to new areas, like developing processes and technologies to manage data flows and compliance reporting across the company.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

There are plenty of pickings for lobbyists, too. Californias privacy law, for example, was passed with such speed  roughly a week start to finish, as part of a deal to head off a tougher ballot measure on the same subject  that it will probably be amended before it takes effect in 2020. And while Congress seems unlikely to move quickly on privacy, other states are looking to pass rules. Colorados governor, for example, recently signed a data privacy law.

It will sort of be like county liquor laws, predicted Cole of Baker Botts, who expects more cities and states will move on data privacy.

Another major European regulation, known as the ePrivacy Regulation is in the pipeline, governing the use of web-tracking devices like cookies.

The work, in other words, is very much continuing, Everett said. The realization is that many organizations thought GDPR was a finish line they had to cross in May, and theyre realizing its very much of a lifestyle.

Kate Galbraith is the San Francisco Chronicles assistant business editor. Email: kgalbraith@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kategalbraith
British leather goods brand Aspinal of London has commenced further expansion in the Middle East with the launch of a permanent flagship store in Dubai Mall, Dubai.

The store was officially opened on July 19 by Aspinal of London CEO Lisa Montague and LIWA CEO Mark Tesseyman.

The new 1,200-sq-ft store will be the fifth store in the Middle East featuring two walls of floating shelves showcasing the brands trunk and hatbox collections, plus a library room at the back of the store which will contain a personalisation machine, circular cash desk with bar stools, elegant chandeliers and frieze mouldings.

Alongside Aspinal of Londons latest and classic ranges, the store will carry an exclusive Dubai Mall range of water snake trunks and a selection of leather goods from the Aerodrome collection in collaboration with international model, David Gandy.

In celebration of the opening, Aspinal of London is offering one lucky customer the chance to win a luxury mini trunk clutch retailing from Dh3400, until August 18.

This new opening marks the start of a renewed period of development for the brand in the Middle East, with a further five planned openings across the Middle East between 2019 and 2021, the retailer said.

The brand also currently operates three stand-alone stores, located at Avenues Mall Kuwait, Galleria Mall Abu Dhabi and Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi, plus a concession within Robinsons department store in Festival City, Dubai.  TradeArabia News Service
Rufus Boykin balled up a brown napkin in his hand and swiped at the tears on his face. The pom on top of the commemorative Super Bowl 50 knit hat he wore bobbed as he dabbed at his eyes.

We were sitting in a conference room at the Henry Robinson Center, a transitional housing building on 16th Street in downtown Oakland, and Boykin was talking to me about his trek from homelessness to moving through one of Oaklands safe haven sites to now staying in temporary housing.

Its been an emotional journey.

Wearing a dark gray Alameda County Juvenile Hall sweatshirt, he walked into the room holding two coffee cups  one with coffee and the other with oatmeal. He barely touched either.

Its been seven months since Oakland opened its first site  20 sheds on an empty lot on Sixth Street between Castro and Brush streets  in December. The goal was to move people off the street and into a shed where social workers could help them get what they needed to be self-sufficient: health screenings, jobs, long-term housing.

Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle

I wonder if the shed strategy is helping people like Boykin, 70, a senior citizen who should be enjoying retirement instead of looking for a place to live.

Since opening, the Castro Community Cabins, as the city calls them, have served 59 people, six of whom have moved to shared permanent housing. Eight people, including Boykin, have transitioned to the Henry Robinson Center. Fifteen people now have jobs they didnt have before the shed program began, according to Justin Berton, spokesman for Mayor Libby Schaaf.

At the Northgate Avenue shed site, which opened in May, 41 people have been served. Two people are now in permanent housing, and one person found a job.

Bay Area Community Services operates Oaklands shed sites and the Henry Robinson Center.

Boykin, who is black, was raised in East Oakland by his grandmother. He says he has eight children, though hes not in touch with them. Hes been to prison. Hes been addicted to drugs and admits he still uses sometimes.

The only reason I ever used drugs is to help me get through what Im going through, he said. I probably dont need all the baggage I have in my mind.

The shed sites dont allow people to bring inside many of the items theyve collected on the streets. That delayed Boykin from moving in, because he refused to discard the mattress hed slept on in tents.

The firmness of it was good for my back, he said. After some negotiating, he was allowed to bring his mattress into the shed site.

He got a new mattress when he moved into the Henry Robinson Center. Now he does yoga two days a week across 16th Street at Left Coast Power Yoga to soothe his aching back.

Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle

I would like to do it some part of every day, he said. Theres meditation involved. It has good properties for everyone. Its an American pastime, isnt it? You can calm down enough to be able to think.

Anyone whos lived on the streets for more than a few days will tell you that theres little time to be calm, because youre too busy thinking about finding the next dollar, the next meal, the next place to use the bathroom and, often, the next fix.

Its like a full-time job.

I interviewed Boykin one morning last week. He said hes friends with Schaaf, who is known to go to homeless camps to hand out food and talk to residents. Schaaf is up for re-election this year, and her opponents will surely criticize her for the citys growing homeless problem.

The mayors probably a good mayor, but she aint never been hungry, Boykin said. As far as I can see, shes a nice lady.

Sometimes Boykin answered my questions with eye-bulging indignation, like when talking about hygiene in homeless camps.

Ten years to get a bathroom out there! he shouted, referring to portable toilets placed at the Castro Street encampment. What do they expect?

Other times he answered serenely, like when we discussed displacement spurred by the Bay Areas housing crisis.

Most people out here, just like you, are just one step away from where Im at, he said.

Sometimes he couldnt stop tears from flowing. The first time he cried was when I asked what he needed most.

Love, he said between sobs. That would be a great place to start.

And sometimes he offered comic relief, like when I asked him about the job hes held the longest.

Living, he responded.

OK, what was the second longest?

Staying alive, he said with a smirk that made me crack up.

Well played, Rufus. Your third longest job?

Im at that right now, he said.

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 task, finding affordable housing in Oakland, might be the hardest challenge hes ever faced. Howard Thurmond, a Bay Area Community Services housing coordinator, has been trying to find a permanent home for Boykin since March.

Thurmond has submitted applications for Boykin, and theyve been to look at five apartments. Boykin would like to stay in Oakland, preferably in downtown, where he says his people are. Hes been homeless for more than two decades, living near Castro Street.

Most of the people out here know me, he said. This is my neighborhood.

Its probably impossible for him to stick around, because, according to Rent Cafe, a real estate tracking website, the average rent for all residential rentals in downtown Oakland is a whopping $2,698.

Boykin receives about $900 per month in Social Security income, money he told me he didnt start collecting until he moved into Henry Robinson in the spring. And he wants to live alone, but many Bay Area Community Services clients share rooms when they get apartments.

Some people are turned off on that idea, because coming from the sheds or coming from being homeless, they only had themselves to contend with, said Thurmond, who is trying to find housing for about 20 people. Having to contend with another personality is difficult.

Right now, Boykin is happy with his room at Henry Robinson.

I can lock my door, he said, jiggling the keys attached to a cord hanging from his neck. I dont have to let nobody in my room if I dont want to.

He agreed to show me his room, which is on the third floor. But he told Thurmond, who was with us, to wait in the hallway.

Hes a private individual, Thurmond told me later. Thats just him.

Thurmond, like other Bay Area Community Services social workers Ive met, understands that to solve homelessness, each homeless person needs to be treated as an individual. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.

That means going door to door  or, in the case of people living on the streets, tent flap to tent flap. However slow the progress, the citys plan is helping Boykin, even if just for a while.

In his room, Boykin proudly pointed to the succulent he has on the windowsill. He also showed me the three-wheel stroller that he uses when he scavenges for recyclables and other street finds.

I need it all, he said of the stuff he collects, because I dont have anything.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Otis R. Taylor Jr. appears Mondays and Thursdays. Email: otaylor@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @otisrtaylorjr
Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched the third and final phase of Vehicle e-Registration, enabling individuals to replace their existing vehicle registration cards by lifetime e-Registration, as of August 1.



RTA has launched the initial phase of the service last January for government vehicles, car rental companies, and taxis. Phase II kicked off last May and covered private company vehicles. The move is part of RTAs gradual electronic transformation of all services, Smart City initiative, and RTAs third strategic goal (People Happiness).



The service aims to save the time and effort of customers through enabling them to issue e-Registration using smart means to make them happier. The service is accessible through RTA Dubai App, Dubai Drive App and RTA Website, said Sultan Al Marzouqi, director of vehicles Licensing at RTAs Licensing Agency.



The customers can issue the lifetime vehicle e-Registration bearing no expiry date, as it will be renewed upon the completion of procedures. The copy of the e-Registration (Vehicle Driving Permit) will be sent to the client via e-mail, and will appear on RTA app.



Customers can keep the permanent registration and make a printout of the Vehicle Driving Permit sent via e-mail, and keep them in case vehicles leave the UAE. The Ministry of Interior has officially communicated with local and foreign entities in this regard. Details of the Vehicle Driving Permit can be verified through the link stated in the Permit, which can be printed free of charge from RTA portal, explained Al Marzouqi.



The e-Registration process is an environment-friendly product as it limits the use of environmentally harmful materials such as the polyethene and its plastic derivatives. RTA is always keen on matching the Dubai Government drive in bringing happiness to clients that ranks among RTAs top priorities, he concluded.  TradeArabia News Service
With the cost of California housing continuing to surprise even people who thought they were beyond such surprises, the pressure to do something has produced two notable solutions: inclusionary housing policies, requiring homes to be set aside for lower income families as a condition of building new homes, and campaigns to reinstate local power to impose rent control (as with the Affordable Housing Act initiative, on Californias Nov. 6 ballot as Proposition 10).

Beyond trying to hold down housing prices by law, those two approaches seem to share little. One addresses home ownership; the other, rentals. The loudest groups on the issues are different, and so are the mechanisms. However, there is an insufficiently noticed similarity: Both allow local political majorities (owners in one case; renters in the other) to advance their narrow self-interest while harming most of those they purportedly help. These regulations represent self-interested and harmful altruism.

The self-interested support for these policies grows from the distinction between their effects on current tenants and homeowners and the very different effects on future aspiring tenants and homeowners, far larger groups that are not yet residents.

The first group is primarily benefited by what will happen to rental and home prices in the near term. Lower rents help existing tenants; higher house prices help current homeowners.

The second group  aspiring renters and homeowners  is primarily harmed by the regulations effect of shrinking the housing supply in the longer term.

In other words, existing renters and owners benefit at the expense of future aspirants, who cannot vote on the policy because they are not residents.

Consider San Joses 2010 inclusionary housing ordinance, which requires housing developers of more than 19 units to sell 15 percent of the units far below market value (or pay a six-figure fee). This allows politicians to claim the mandated units as visible proof they are addressing housing availability, while the future harmful effects go largely unnoticed.

The below-market mandate obviously increases the costs of the new unsubsidized housing, which reduces demand from aspiring buyers. That, in turn, reduces the number of new units constructed and thus the future supply of homes. And it raises existing house prices as well. Potential first-time buyers are harmed, but existing homeowners wallets are padded.

Housing researchers have found just that effect from so-called inclusive policies (now in nearly 170 California cities and counties). With the large decrease in unsubsidized construction swamping the much smaller effect on mandated construction, such policies harm all buyers except those who win occupancy in new subsidized units.

Rent control follows a similar narrative. It benefits current renters at the expense of property owners by forcing down the prices of units. But by reducing or eliminating the profitability of rental housing, the regulation reduces the supply of rental housing over time via reduced new construction and maintenance, conversions to condos or to non-housing uses, etc. (Imagine how attractive Airbnb-type uses of housing would become if it could evade rent control.) That harms all future renters, even while the bonanza to current tenants continues. (This is why tenants under strict rent control almost never leave.)

Economists generally agree that rent control is harmful. Left-wing economist and Nobel laureate Gunnar Myrdal called rent control in certain Western countries maybe, the worst example of poor planning by governments lacking courage and vision, and socialist economist Assar Lindbeck asserted that in many cases rent control appears to be the most effective technique presently known to destroy a city  except for bombing.

With inclusionary housing policies and rent control, a local majority of voters is allowed to benefit itself while pretending to support those struggling to find housing. Such self-interested but harmful housing altruism is far removed from doing something good for society.

Gary M. Galles is a research fellow at the Oakland-based Independent Institute and a professor of economics at Pepperdine University. To comment, submit your letter to the editor at SFChronicle.com/letters.
The owner of a high-end lemonade stand in San Francisco's Mission District said that he was approached by officers with the San Francisco Police Department on Thursday, July 19 as he was opening his business after someone in the neighborhood thought he was breaking into his own business.

Viktor Stevenson, a black man who is the owner of Gourmonade, told AJ+ in an interview that he was checking to see if the security system for his lemonade stand was working when four cops approached him. He said one of the officers had his hand on his gun.

"The officer said 'Can you prove that this is your business?' and I said 'Absolutely. Like, I have the key,'" Stevenson told AJ+. "I opened and closed the doors."

SFGATE reached out to the San Francisco Police Department for comment, but weren't able to reach anyone at the department at the time of publication.

Stevenson's experience is the most recent in a string of instances of black Bay Area residents getting the cops called on them while doing innocuous acts. In June, a woman named Alison Ettel called the police on an 8-year-old black girl for selling water in San Francisco.

And in May, a woman named Jennifer Schulte was shown in a video calling the police on a group of Black Oakland residents who were barbecuing at the lake.

Since the incident on July 19, Stevenson has received an outpouring of support for people in the local community, with people from all over the world encouraging San Franciscans to go support his lemonade stand, even despite its high prices. A bottle of lemonade from Gourmonade, which was featured on SFGATE on July 14, costs $8 before tax.

"I work in San Francisco," Jean P. Richardson wrote on Twitter in response to the video. "I am finding this guy and buying his Lemonade and do not care if costs $20.00 a bottle."

He posted a video thanking those who have supported him on the Internet and in real life to Gourmonade's Facebook account after closing up shop on Saturday evening. "Today was an epic day...not just because we got to sell lemonade and I got to do what I love to do and my passion," he said.

"But people showed up and people were super human today. So many people came up from the neighborhood, locals and residents and business, and gave me hugs. And that's priceless."
A wildfire that ignited Saturday in rural Lake County south of Kelseyville prompted mandatory evacuations as firefighters from multiple agencies responded the scene, officials said.

The Carder Fire erupted around 2:40 p.m. and quickly grew to 60 acres as it devoured dry grass, brush and trees, officials with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.
A raging wildfire just outside of Yosemite National Park is evading the efforts of thousands of firefighters as it burns through dry brush and rugged terrain, growing daily and heading toward populated areas.

The Ferguson Fire has been burning  and growing  in and around the Merced River Canyon since July 13. The fire grew to 32,484 acres by Sunday evening and moved within about 2 miles of the northwestern portion of the national park, fire officials said. Containment continued to be listed at 6 percent.

The fire has closed Highway 140, one of three main routes into the park, and forced the evacuation of several rural towns, including the Mariposa County communities of El Portal and Yosemite West, home to many park employees and visitors. It has also jumped Highway 140 into the Stanislaus National Forest and is burning north, where rough terrain and heavy brush could make it more difficult to fight.

Theres been no history of fires there in the last 100 years, said Jim Mackensen, a fire spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service. If we cant catch it, it could work its way toward the Highway 120 corridor. Its threatening a lot more turf.

Firefighters expected to focus Sunday on halting the spread of the fire north of Highway 140, protecting El Portal, Yosemite West and Foresta, the closest communities to the park on the west, as well as Wawona, which the fire is approaching near the parks southern entrance.

The Ferguson Fire has killed one firefighter and injured six. It hasnt destroyed any structures, fire officials said, but 216 are threatened.

According to fire officials, 2,903 firefighters were battling the blaze Sunday with 204 engines, 38 water trucks, 17 helicopters and 42 bulldozers. On Sunday, they were expected to be joined by up to a dozen planes dropping fire retardant and water. Weather conditions that reduced visibility limited aircraft operations the past couple of days, said Rich Eagan, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Firefighters are also benefiting from the use of drones piloted by military experts. The devices, which are able to fly in low-visibility conditions when planes cannot, have been helpful in plotting the spread of the fire and getting a look at remote areas.

On fires like this with rough terrain, they are very useful, Eagan said.

Firefighters wont get any help from the weather this week. Forecasts call for conditions to get hotter and drier, with temperatures passing 100 degrees by midweek.

While the fire remains outside Yosemite, its sending clouds of smoke that block the valleys famous views and make breathing difficult for people with respiratory problems. The air quality index gives Yosemite a very unhealthy rating, with people sensitive to polluted air advised to avoid outdoor activities.

Despite the smoke, which comes and goes, Scott Gediman, a park spokesman, said the valley is only slightly less crowded than usual now, at its busiest time of year.

People are frustrated, of course, but they understand  they get it, he said. These are natural areas, and fire is part of the ecosystem. Theres been an impact, but people are still coming to the park. The campgrounds are busy. The hotels are busy. There are people in the meadow looking at falls.
A new promotion from CLEAR, the fast-track access to TSA security lines, brings together benefits from Lyft and from LoungeBuddy, the airport lounge app.

New members who sign up with CLEAR under the promotion will get their first three months free  a $45 value  and will also get $20 in Lyft ride credits (two $10 credits good for transportation to or from the airport) and $50 in LoungeBuddy discounts (five $10 discounts applicable toward airport lounge visits booked through LoungeBuddy).
Martin Panuco/Associated Press

SAN DIEGO  U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw appeared conflicted in early May on whether to stop families from being separated at the border. He challenged the Trump administration to explain how families were getting a fair hearing guaranteed by the Constitution, but also expressed reluctance to get too deeply involved with immigration enforcement.

There are so many (enforcement) decisions that have to be made, and each one is individual, he said in his calm, almost monotone voice. How can the court issue such a blanket, overarching order telling the attorney general, either release or detain (families) together?
In support of the Special Olympics Light Up for Inclusion campaign, state-owned holding company Mubadala illuminated the IPIC Square and Abu Dhabi Global Market in the UAE capital.



Homaid Al Shimmari, deputy Group CEO and chief corporate & human capital officer, Mubadala Investment Company, said: The Special Olympics 50th Anniversary marks an important milestone for the World Games. Athletes from around the world have inspired us all, through their determination and perseverance.



We are proud to be official partners of the Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi and honoured to support the Light Up for Inclusion campaign. The Special Olympics plays a key role in breaking down barriers facing People of Determination and empowering them to reach their full potential within society.


LOS ANGELES  A feud between a man and his grandmother over his girlfriend staying at the grandmothers home exploded into violence that ultimately led to him taking dozens of people hostage inside a Los Angeles supermarket, a relative said Sunday.

Investigators believe Gene Evin Atkins, 28, shot his grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Madison, 76, several times and wounded his girlfriend at their South Los Angeles home on Saturday afternoon before he led police on a chase. He eventually crashed outside the Trader Joes in the citys Silver Lake section and ran inside, police said.

Atkins was booked Sunday on suspicion of murder after an employee was killed as he ran into the supermarket, police said.

His cousin, Charlene Egland, said he had been arguing with his grandmother  who had raised him since he was 7 years old  on and off for about two or three weeks over his girlfriend staying at elder womans home.

She didnt want the girl over there anymore, Egland said.

Egland said she heard about six gunshots before another cousin came running from the porch and shouted to Egland, I think Gene shot my mama!

Egland said she ran to call 911 and waited for an ambulance to arrive. At the same time, police said Atkins stole his grandmothers car and forced his girlfriend into the vehicle.

Officers tracked the car using a stolen-vehicle tracking system and tried to stop the man in Hollywood, but he refused to pull over, police said. During the chase, he fired at officers, shooting out the back window of his car.

More gunfire ensued before Atkins crashed into a pole outside the supermarket. The man exchanged gunfire with police again, and thats when a Trader Joes employee, Melyda Corado, 27, was shot and killed, Police Chief Michel Moore said. Officers escorted the girlfriend from the vehicle.

Customers and employees frantically dove for cover and barricaded themselves inside storerooms and bathrooms as bullets fired by police shattered the stores glass doors.

About three hours later, Atkins agreed to handcuff himself and walked out the front door, surrounded by four of the hostages. He was being held on $2 million bail Sunday.

His grandmother was taken to a hospital in critical condition, and police said she had been shot seven times. Egland, however, visited Madison at the hospital Sunday and said she had been shot three times, had undergone surgery and her condition was improving.

Atkins, who has two daughters, bounced between several jobs, including working as a security guard, but had been repeatedly fired, Egland said. His license to work as a security guard expired in November, according to state records.

Michael Balsamo is an Associated Press writer.
Royal Jordanian (RJ) has announced that it will resume flights between Amman and Najaf, Iraq, from July 19.



The airline had suspended flights on Sunday to the Iraqi city citing security reasons at Najaf Airport.



RJ operates four weekly flights between Amman and Najaf. - TradeArabia News Service


Federal authorities examining the work President Donald Trumps former lawyer did to squelch embarrassing stories before the 2016 election have come to believe that an important ally in that effort, tabloid company American Media Inc., at times acted more as a political supporter than as a news organization, according to people briefed on the investigation.

That determination has kept the publisher in the middle of an inquiry that could create legal and political challenges for the president as prosecutors investigate whether the lawyer, Michael Cohen, violated campaign finance law.

It could also spell trouble for the company, which publishes The National Enquirer, raising thorny questions about when coverage that is favorable to a candidate strays into overt political activity, and when First Amendment protections should apply.

AMIs role in the inquiry received new attention Friday with news that federal authorities had seized a recording from Cohen in which he and Trump discussed a $150,000 deal AMI struck before the election, effectively silencing a womans claims of an affair by buying the rights to her story and not publishing it. The men also discussed whether Trump should buy the rights away from the company, which he did not ultimately do, according to a lawyer for the president, Rudy Giuliani.

The recording, from early September 2016, undercuts previous statements from Trumps representatives that he did not know about the agreement between AMI and the woman, former Playboy model Karen McDougal. It also raises questions about the extent of Cohens involvement in the deal.

From the beginning of the campaign, AMI promoted Trump and savaged his opponents, sometimes with unsubstantiated stories alleging poor health, extramarital affairs and the use of prostitutes. AMIs chairman, David J. Pecker, is a close friend of the president and his former lawyer, and company leaders were in regular contact with Cohen, former employees have said in interviews.

More for you Justice Department releases secret Carter Page surveillance docs

By burying McDougals story during the campaign in a practice known in the tabloid industry as catch and kill, AMI protected Trump from negative publicity that could have harmed his election chances, spending money to do so.

Authorities believe that the company was not always operating in what campaign finance law calls a legitimate press function, according to the people briefed on the investigation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. That may explain why prosecutors did not follow typical Justice Department protocol to avoid subpoenaing news organizations when possible, and to give journalists advance warning when demanding documents or other information.

Prosecutors did not warn AMI before subpoenaing executives there in the spring, people with knowledge of the process said. AMI, which has denied any wrongdoing, did not challenge the move.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Southern District of New York, which is handling the inquiry, declined to comment.

Cameron Stracher, an AMI lawyer, indicated that the company was cooperating with the investigation.

AMI respects the legitimate law enforcement activities by prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, he said. But he suggested there was some give-and-take in what AMI was willing to share, adding that it has asserted and will continue to assert its First Amendment rights in order to protect its newsgathering and editorial operations.

Cohen remains the primary focus of the investigation, but AMIs prominent place in what could become one of the biggest campaign finance scandals in recent years is unusual given the wide latitude news organizations have under the First Amendment.

While moves by prosecutors to subpoena journalists usually draw loud protest from groups that advocate press protections, there has been no rallying of support for AMI.

Bruce D. Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said his group hadnt mounted a staunch defense in part because the publisher had not asked for help. The situation is otherwise too murky for his group to wade into without AMIs guidance, he said.

Its really challenging for press advocates to get behind it because, one, we havent been asked, and two, we just dont know enough about the circumstances to be out with them on it, Brown said.

Alexandra Ellerbeck, North America program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said the group had not been focused on AMI, but added, You dont want people doing activity that would otherwise be illegal and putting the name of press on it for protections.

The company, denying wrongdoing in the past, has said that any actions it took were journalistic, and that any contact it had with Cohen would have been in the context of reporting. It has also said that Mr. Cohen and Mr. Trump have been personal friends of Mr. Peckers for decades.

Authorities focused on AMIs payment to McDougal early on in their investigation of Cohen.

The company completed the deal with McDougal in August 2016, paying $150,000 for rights to publish fitness columns under her name and for exclusive rights to her story about the affair, which Trumps representatives have denied. (After the campaign she negotiated permission to answer press questions about the alleged relationship, and later successfully sued to break the agreement.)

The New York Times reported in February that McDougals lawyer in the deal, Keith M. Davidson, was in contact with Cohen around the time of its conclusion. Davidson said then that he was informing Cohen it was complete. AMI also acknowledged contacting Cohen during its talks with McDougal, though only in an effort to corroborate her claims, it said.

If evidence shows that Cohen was consulting with AMI about the arrangement, and that the intention of the deal was to protect Trumps election prospects, then the publisher and Cohen could be exposed to election law violations.

Corporations are barred from spending money to influence election outcomes in coordination with federal campaigns and candidates. Campaigns cannot accept individual donations of more than $5,400 per election cycle.

If this money is spent in coordination with Trump or the campaign, then its a contribution to Trump and the campaign, and then its illegal, said Fred Wertheimer, founder of Democracy 21, a group supporting campaign finance regulation and enforcement.

In 2015, AMI paid $30,000 to a Trump Organization doorman who claimed to have damaging information. After the company bought the rights, The Enquirer chose not to run the story. Executives said that was because it did not check out.

In McDougals case, AMI has argued that First Amendment protections cover the right to publish as much as the right not to publish.

If faced with campaign finance charges  which would be extraordinary for a news organization  the company could argue that its executives did not know the ins and outs of the laws they were alleged to have violated. Under criminal provisions, prosecutors would have to prove the violation was knowing and willful, said Brendan Fischer, director of federal reform at the Campaign Legal Center.

At the same time, Trumps campaign could argue that Cohen acted on his behalf without his knowledge, as his lawyer rather than an agent of his campaign. Giuliani appeared to lay the groundwork for such an argument Friday when he said the conversation captured on the tape, which took place weeks after AMI completed the McDougal deal, appeared to be the first time Trump had heard about the arrangement and was therefore exculpatory.

Addressing the tape on Twitter on Saturday, Trump wrote, Your favorite President did nothing wrong!

It is not clear whether prosecutors have reviewed the recording, which the FBI seized during a raid of Cohens office this year and which became tied up in a courtroom fight over what materials attorney-client privilege should shield from prosecutors.

Cohens lawyer Lanny Davis said Friday, When the recording is heard, it will not hurt Mr. Cohen.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Jonathan Gold, the restaurant critic whose curious, far-ranging, relentless explorations of his native Los Angeles helped his readers understand dozens of cuisines and helped the city understand itself, died Saturday in a Los Angeles hospital. He was 57.

The cause was pancreatic cancer, said Margy Rochlin, a close friend.

In more than a thousand reviews published since the 1980s, Gold chronicled his citys pupuserias, bistros, diners, nomadic taco trucks, soot-caked outdoor rib and brisket smokers, sweaty indoor xiao long bao steamers, postmodern pizzerias, vintage delicatessens, strictly omakase sushi-yas, Roman gelaterias, Korean porridge parlors, Lanzhou hand-pullled noodle vendors, Iranian tongue-sandwich shops, vegan hot dog griddles, cloistered French-leaning hyper-seasonal tasting counters and wood-paneled Hollywood grills with chicken potpie and martinis on every other table.

Unlike some critics, Gold never saw expensive, rarefied restaurants as the peak of the terrain he surveyed, although he reviewed his share of them. Shiki Beverly Hills, Noma and Alinea all took turns under his critical loupe. He was in his element, though, when he championed small, family-run establishments where publicists and wine lists were unheard-of and English was often a second language, if it was spoken at all.

Before Tony Bourdain, before reality TV and Parts Unknown and people really being into ethnic food in a serious way, it was Jonathan who got it, completely, writer and editor Ruth Reichl said. He really got that food was a gateway into the people, and that food could really define a community. He was really writing about the people more than the food.

Gold wrote about restaurants for Gourmet, California and Los Angeles magazines, but the bulk of his reviews appeared in two newspapers: LA Weekly, where in 2007 he won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism, and the Los Angeles Times, where he had been the chief critic since 2012, treating the restaurants of famous and obscure chefs as if he saw no distinction between them. Each publication hired him twice, with long breaks between tours of duty.

He became the subject of a documentary called City of Gold, a role model imitated painstakingly and largely in vain by a generation of food writers, a living street atlas of Southern California, the inspiration for a rap tribute in which his list of 99 Essential LA Restaurants was declaimed over the beat of Jay-Zs 99 Problems, and a verb. When actor Mindy Kaling asked Twitter for a pizza recommendation, she added: Dont Jonathan Gold me and tell me to go to the San Gabriel Valley.

He may not have eaten everything in Los Angeles, but nobody came closer. He rarely went to the subject of one of his reviews without stopping to try four or five other places along the way. He once estimated that in the hunt for interesting new things to eat and write about, he put 20,000 miles on his green Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck each year. While driving, he liked listening to opera.

If a new group of immigrants turned up in Los Angeles County, chances were good he had already studied the benchmark dishes of their cuisine in one or more of the 3,000 to 5,000 cookbooks he owned. If a restaurant opened, he probably knew the names and specialties of the last five restaurants at that address. In a 2006 review of a Beverly Hills steakhouse, he recalled going to the same location to eat patty melts with his mother and to drink warm beer that a sympathetic waitress poured into teacups after hours when he was a young punk rocker, all in the first paragraph.

LA always seemed better when he wrote about it, film critic John Powers, a friend of Golds, said. You just thought, Theres so much stuff here.

He made a subspecialty of one street in particular. Reichl, who hired him at the Times and Gourmet, recalls his telling her in the 1980s that he had eaten every taco on Pico Boulevard. It was not just tacos. Eventually he wrote about his fascination with the street in a 1998 article that began, For a while in my early 20s, I had only one clearly articulated ambition: to eat at least once at every restaurant on Pico Boulevard, starting with the fried yucca dish served at a pupuseria near the downtown end and working methodically westward toward the chili fries at Toms No. 5 near the beach. It seemed a reasonable enough alternative to graduate school.

In 2016, Ecco Press bought his proposal for a memoir, which Gold called a culinary coming of age book, I guess. It was to be called Breakfast on Pico.

Jonathan Gold was born July 28, 1960, in South Los Angeles, where he was raised. His mother, Judith, was a school librarian who had been a magicians assistant. Irwin Gold, his father, was a probation officer assigned to supervise Roman Polanski and Charles Manson, among other offenders. Jonathan later recalled eating Rice-A-Roni every Tuesday night and spending much of his childhood in his room, playing the cello. When he was old enough to fall under the influence of new wave, he plugged in his instrument and sawed away at it in the short-lived local band Overman.

With cello proficiency in his favor, he attended the University of California, Los Angeles. Although he got his degree in music history, in 1982, he had a sideline in art; he took a class with and worked as an assistant for guerrilla performance artist Chris Burden. For a brief time, Gold thought of himself as a performance artist, too. A naked performance artist, to be specific, he told an interviewer. His materials for one piece were two bottles of Glade air freshener, a pile of supermarket broiler chickens, a live chicken at the end of a rope and a machete wielded by Gold, who wore only a blindfold. The chicken survived and may have come out of the ordeal in better spirits than Gold, who later said, The few minutes after an art performance are some of the most depressing in the world.

While he was in college, Gold walked into the office of LA Weekly, an alternative paper, where he was soon reading proofs and pitching big, doomed ideas about the zeitgeist. For a time in the 1980s, he was the newspapers music editor, and by the 1990s he was better known as a music journalist than a food writer, contributing long articles to Spin, Details and other magazines. While reporting a Rolling Stone article about the emergence of gangsta rap, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg gave him a nickname: Nervous Cuz.

The music scene changes at a pace that can wear out a middle-aged writer, but food writers tend to improve as they get more meals under their belt. In 1986, Gold had started a column for LA Weekly about the kinds of places where he liked to eat. It was called Counter Intelligence. Week by week, year by year, he built a reputation for finding restaurants that were virtually unknown outside the neighborhoods of immigrants who were often the only customers until he walked in.

In his peregrinations, he came to appreciate how Los Angeless far-flung neighborhoods allowed small, distinct cultures to flourish without bumping into each other.

In New York, because it is so condensed, youre very aware of whos around, he once said, whereas in Los Angeles, if you open a Korean restaurant, theres a good chance youll only serve to Koreans. That sort of isolation is not necessarily good for politics or civil life, but it is really good for food.

Far from a stunt eater, he nevertheless understood that a writer trying to persuade unseen strangers to read about a restaurant one or two counties away cannot afford to dismiss the persuasive power of chopped goats brains, pigs blood soup or an octopus leg separated from the rest of a living octopus so recently that it twirls itself around the nearest pair of chopsticks.

These delicacies and others were described in language that was anachronistic in its rolling, deliberate gait but exquisitely contemporary in its allusions. He could pack infinitesimal shadings of nuance into a rhetorical question.

The hallmark of his style, though, was the second-person voice. He used it prodigiously. Taken literally, he seemed to be saying that you, personally, had visited a great number of restaurants and consumed a wide variety of animal parts that, taken together, nobody but Gold had ever visited and consumed.

In City of Gold, Sue Horton, an editor at Reuters, says of his use of the second person, Hes forming a bond with the reader: You and I are people who eat deer penis.

His prose was apparently as agonizing to produce as it was pleasurable to read. For a time he saw a therapist for writers block until it was mutually agreed that somebody as prolific as Gold could not be described as blocked. Editors were driven to despair by his habit of taking deadlines seriously only once they were safely in the past. Powers, who edited him at LA Weekly, called him the Usain Bolt of being slow.

Like many restaurant critics, he tried to keep his image out of circulation for years. Anybody who had seen him was unlikely to forget him, though. He was more than 6 feet tall, with wispy ripples of shoulder-length strawberry blond hair that in recent years had tended to avoid the top of his scalp. His chin was capacious. When he turned up at a Peruvian stall in a food court a few years ago, the chef, Ricardo Zarate, wondered why so many pictures were being take by a man who looked like George Washington. He figured it out a few weeks later when Golds review was published.

Informally, the incognito phase ended when a photograph of Gold celebrating his Pulitzer win in a pink, Champagne-basted shirt got around. Officially, it was finished when he allowed LA Weekly to publish his photograph shortly before the release of City of Gold in 2015.

Between his amiability and his longevity on the job, he accumulated friends in the restaurant business. Some of his disclosures could make interesting reading. When he reviewed David Changs new restaurant in Los Angeles, Majordomo, his thoughts on the cooking took up only slightly more space than his partial history of his dealings with Chang.

In his first term at LA Weekly he met Laurie Ochoa, an intern and now an editor, whom he married in 1990. They went to restaurants together and contrived to work together, moving in tandem from one publication to another: the Los Angeles Times, Gourmet, LA Weekly again, the Times again.

She survives him, along with their children, Isabel and Leon, and Golds brother, Mark, the associate director of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA.

Many claims have been made for Golds criticism, but he saw his work in modest terms. He wanted to make Los Angeles smaller.

Im not a cultural anthropologist, he once said. I write about taco stands and fancy French restaurants to try to get people less afraid of their neighbors and to live in their entire city instead of sticking to their one part of town.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
WASHINGTON  The Trump administration disclosed on Saturday a previously top-secret set of documents related to the wiretapping of Carter Page, the onetime Trump campaign adviser who was at the center of highly contentious accusations by Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee that the FBI had abused its surveillance powers.

Democrats in February rejected the Republican claims that law enforcement officials had improperly obtained a warrant to monitor Page, accusing them of putting out misinformation to defend President Donald Trump and sow doubts about the origin of the Russia investigation. But even as Republicans and Democrats issued dueling memos characterizing the materials underlying the surveillance of Page, the public had no access to the records.

On Saturday evening, those materials  an October 2016 application to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to wiretap Page, along with several renewal applications  were released to The New York Times and other news organizations that had filed Freedom of Information Act lawsuits to obtain them. Trump had declassified their existence this year.

This application targets Carter Page, the document said. The FBI believes Page has been the subject of targeted recruitment by the Russian government. A line was then redacted, and then it picked up with undermine and influence the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election in violation of U.S. criminal law. Mr. Page is a former foreign policy adviser to a candidate for U.S. president.

Page has denied being a Russian agent and has not been charged with a crime in the nearly two years since the initial wiretap application was filed. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.

The spectacle of the release was itself noteworthy, given that wiretapping under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, is normally one of the governments closest-guarded secrets. No such application materials had apparently become public in the 40 years since Congress enacted that law to regulate the interception of phone calls and other communications on domestic soil in search of spies and terrorists, as opposed to wiretapping for ordinary criminal investigations.

The documents made public Saturday were heavily redacted in places, and some of the substance of the applications had become public in February, via the Republican and Democratic Intelligence Committee memos.

Visible portions showed that the FBI in stark terms had told the intelligence court that Page has established relationships with Russian government officials, including Russian intelligence officers; that the bureau believed the Russian governments efforts are being coordinated with Page and perhaps other individuals associated with Trumps campaign; and that Page has been collaborating and conspiring with the Russian government.

The fight over the surveillance of Page centered on the fact that the FBI, in making the case to judges that he might be a Russian agent, had used some claims drawn from a notorious Democratic-funded dossier compiled by Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence agent.

The application cited claims from the dossier that Page, while on a trip to Moscow in July 2016, had met with two senior Russian representatives and discussed matters like lifting sanctions imposed on Russia for its intervention in Ukraine and a purported file of compromising information about Trump that the Russian government had. (Page has denied those allegations, although he later contradicted his claims that he had not met any Russian government officials on that trip.)

Republicans portrayed the Steele dossier  which also contained salacious claims about Trump apparently not included in the wiretap application  as dubious, and blasted the FBI for using material from it while not telling the court that the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign had funded the research.

But Democrats noted that the application also contained evidence against Page unrelated to the dossier, and an unredacted portion of the application discussed efforts by Russian agents in 2013 to recruit Americans as assets. It has previously been reported that Page was one of their targets, although any discussion of Pages interactions with them in the application is still censored.

Democrats argued in February that the FBI had told the court that the researchs sponsor had the political motive of wanting to discredit Trumps campaign. They argued that it was normal not to specifically name Americans and U.S. organizations in such materials. The released documents show that portion of the filings, which the previously released Democratic memo had quoted.

The application shows that the FBI told the court it believed that the person who hired Steele was looking for dirt to discredit Trump. But it added that based on Steeles previous reporting history with the FBI, in which he had provided reliable information, the bureau believed his information cited in the application to be credible.

The applications largely avoided using names; renewal materials noted that they would continue to refer to Candidate #1 by that description, for example, even though he is now the president.

The renewal applications from 2017 told the court in boldface print that the FBI had severed its relationship with Steele because he had shared some of his claims with a news organization in October 2016, contrary to the FBIs admonishment to speak only to law enforcement officials about the matter. But they said the bureau continued to assess his prior reporting as reliable.

The final two renewal applications also contained two additional pages describing a letter Page sent to the Justice Department in February 2017 accusing the Clinton campaign of spreading false information about him.

The unredacted portions of the original application and the three renewal applications are otherwise largely identical, so it is not visible whether the FBI told the court that it was gaining useful intelligence from the wiretap of Page as it asked for extensions. But the length of the applications grew significantly each time, indicating that new information was being added: They were 66 pages, 79 pages, 91 pages and 101 pages, respectively.

The materials also revealed which U.S. District Court judges signed off on the wiretapping of Page: Judges Rosemary Collyer, Michael Mosman, Anne C. Conway and Raymond J. Dearie. All were appointed by Republican presidents.

As has been publicly known from the February congressional fight, the application also contained a description of a Yahoo News article from September 2016 that discussed the investigation into Pages Russia ties. It is now known that Steele was a source for that article, but the application and renewals state that the FBI did not believe he directly provided information to Yahoo News.

Republicans at the time claimed the FBI had misleadingly used the article as corroboration for Steeles claims, while Democrats said that was false and that it was instead included to inform the court that Page had denied the allegations.

The section of the application that describes the Yahoo News article is titled Pages Denial of Cooperation With the Russian Government to Influence the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election.

Since February, even as Trump and his allies have continued to portray the Russia investigation as a witch hunt, it has produced indictments of two dozen Russians and Russian government officials for efforts to covertly manipulate American social media and for hacking and releasing Democratic emails during the campaign.

Noting that the original application and its three renewals were approved by senior law enforcement officials in two administrations and by federal judges, for example, Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, portrayed the threat from Russia that the FBI was investigating as real and severe.

Anyone aware of these facts would recognize that these applications were necessary and appropriate, Nadler said. Those who say otherwise are trying desperately to protect President Trump from a broader investigation that must be allowed to take its course without interference.

While applications for criminal wiretap orders often become public, showing what the governments basis was for seeking it, the government until now has refused to disclose FISA materials even when using evidence gathered through such wiretaps to prosecute people.

But in February, Trump  over the objections of law enforcement professionals  took the unprecedented step of lowering the walls of secrecy around such materials to enable House Intelligence Committee Republicans, led by Rep. Devin Nunes of California, to disclose their 3 1/2-page memo, which sought to portray the surveillance of Page as scandalous.

In addition to invoking Trumps declassification to seek disclosure of the underlying materials by filing a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Justice Department, The Times also petitioned the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to unseal the materials itself. The court has not responded to that request.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB), leading provider of Sharia compliant integrated financial solutions, said it has signed a partnership agreement with Dadabhai Travel, one of the leading travel agencies in the kingdom.



This comes on the heels of the Banks relaunch of AlThuraya Privileged Banking Services, which offers a selection of new, unique features as part of its ongoing commitment to the continuous development of its products and services, said a statement from BisB.



The deal was signed by Dalal AlQais, the general manager of Retail Banking of BisB and Shahnaz Al Qaseer, the chief operating officer of Dadabhai Travel, in the presence of a number of officials from both the companies, it added.



AlQais said: "At BisB, we are always seeking to cater to the needs of our customers, by offering access to a wide range of exclusive services that simplify their daily life."



"This alliance will allow us to offer our Al Thuraya account holders special travel related deals, promotional offers and exclusive holiday packages," she noted.



Al Qaseer said: "For more than 35 years, Dadabhai Travel has continued to strengthen its position as a leader in the tourism industry of Bahrain."



"We are proud to partner with BisB, the leading provider of Sharia compliant integrated financial solutions, through which we will be able to offer an unprecedented range of services by virtue of our first-rate, experienced consultants at Dadabhai Travel," she added.-TradeArabia News Service
Radisson Hospitality has announced the signing of a new Radisson Blu Hotel in Prague, Czech Republic. The upper upscale branded hotel will complement the group's Park Inn Hotel Prague  a city that is consistently ranked as one of the top 10 destinations in the world.



The Radisson Blu Hotel, Prague is a rebranding of an existing hotel and is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2019. The hotel will undergo a full renovation to provide guests with the full Radisson Blu experience, including its personalised service and exquisite atmosphere. The historic hotel building is located at the heart of Charles Square and well-positioned within walking distance of both Pragues Old Town and New Town.



Elie Younes, executive vice president and chief development officer, Radisson Hotel Group, said: We are delighted to sign a new Radisson Blu Hotel in Prague, one of Europes gateway cities. With this deal, our team further cements the leading position of Radisson Blu in Europe as the largest upper upscale brand, that is relevant to both investors and guests."



Radisson Blu Hotel, Prague will feature 160 guest rooms  including premium suites of more than 40-sq-m. The dining facilities include a lobby bar and lounge, a terrace bar with splendid views over Prague and an all-day dining restaurant. The Meetings & Events area will be redesigned and will be comprised of six flexible conference rooms and a dedicated foyer  all ready to accommodate the increasing number of Mice and business guests to the city. The hotel will also have a well-equipped gym and one spa treatment room.



Whether guests visit for intriguing history, Unesco World Heritage architecture or the vibrant culture and buzzing nightlife, the Radisson Blu Hotel, Prague will be a perfect partner to help create the most memorable travel experience in one of Europes most exciting cities. - TradeArabia News Service
BERKELEY (BCN)



At least one person was injured following a shooting in Berkeley early this morning, according to police.



Berkeley police said gunshots were first heard by officers in the area of 1000 block of Delaware Street around 1:20 a.m. today. Soon after, calls from residents also reported the shooting.



According to Berkeley police Sgt. Chris Bonaventure, the victim suffered injuries not considered life-threatening and was transported to a hospital for treatment of what appears to be a gunshot wound to their toe.



The bullets from the shooting also struck two homes, Bonaventure said.



The shooting is under investigation. Police didn't name any suspects.





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.
DIXON (BCN)



One person was killed and another hospitalized in a shooting late Friday night during a party at a home in Dixon, police said



At about midnight, officers went to the 1000 block of Bello Drive after someone reported a shooting.



Officers found a large crowd there and two men lying in the street suffering from gunshot wounds. Police said one was dead.



Officers discovered during an investigation that during the party there had been an argument that escalated into a fight in the backyard of the home.



Police said the fight ended when a suspect shot a 43-year-old male resident of the home. The man was shot in the leg as he was trying to break up the fight.



Police said when the gun was fired another resident of the home, a 38-year-old man, confronted the group thought to be involved in the fight and he was shot to death.



Upon hearing the gunshots, the wounded 43-year-old man ran into the street where he was shot at least two more times. He was taken to a hospital.



Police said the suspects ran away on Folsom Downs Circle toward Valley Glen Drive.



Police said detectives have identified several people they want to talk to about the shooting and are trying to find them.



Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Dixon police at (707) 678-7080.





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)



Forty-one Bay Area students will share $70,000 in scholarship money Sunday, organizers of the 26th Annual Scholarship Awards Program "Celebrating Academic Achievement" said.



At 2 p.m. at the Sequoyah Country Club at 4550 Heafy Road in Oakland, the awards program's sponsor 100 Black Men of the Bay Area will give out the money.



100 Black Men of the Bay Area is a chapter of 100 Black Men of America and aims to provide mentoring, education, economic empowerment and health and wellness to Bay Area students.



The annual scholarship awards program was established in 1992 and has awarded $1.4 million to more than 600 students.





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-foot inflatable "Trump Chicken" made another appearance in the Bay Area, this time sailing around the San Francisco shore dressed in prison garb on Sunday.

The massive chicken, wearing a "Prisoner 45" striped shirt, was to be inflated at Crissy Field at noon and then leave for Fisherman's Wharf, according to The Trump Chicken website.
VALLEJO (BCN)



A woman who was hit by a car Sunday in Vallejo, suffering life-threatening injuries, is still in a coma, Vallejo police said today.



Police responded to a report of an injury collision in the 300 block of Rollingwood Drive around 10 p.m. Sunday. The officers observed that a car and a pedestrian had collided in the roadway, according to police.



The pedestrian, a 48-year-old Vallejo woman, had been walking in the middle of Rollingwood Drive north of Pope Drive as a 1997 Toyota Corolla driven by a 59-year-old Vallejo man was traveling south on Rollingwood Drive, according to police.



The woman was wearing dark clothing and was in the roadway outside of any marked or unmarked crosswalk, police said. According to police, the driver failed to see the pedestrian and the Corolla collided with her.



Emergency personnel gave the woman life-saving aid and she was taken to the hospital, police said. She is still comatose, with significant internal injuries.





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.
Veteran Four Seasons hotel executive Jeff Rednour has been appointed general manager of Four Seasons Hotel Doha.



In his new role, Rednour will be responsible for overseeing the award-winning 232-room luxury property.



Jeff is an ideal choice to lead Four Seasons Hotel Doha, along with overseeing the hotels future enhancement projects, said Simon Casson, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts president of Hotel Operations  Europe, Middle East and Africa. His depth of international experience, specifically as it relates to hotel openings and transformations, in addition to his passion and enthusiasm for day-to-day hotel operations, makes him an ideal ambassador for Doha.



Rednour, who hails from Las Vegas, Nevada, began his career with the company at Four Seasons Corporate Office in Las Vegas as an intern 18 years ago.



From his Four Seasons internship to a promotion as corporate rooms division manager, Rednours career path has taken him across the globe and assisting with the openings of a collection of hotels, including Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheikh, Four Seasons Hotel Amman, Four Seasons Hotel Damascus, Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole, Four Seasons Resort Langkawi and Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong.



Ultimately hotels are about people, said Rednour. I realised I wanted to work on-property, building strong relationships with both the staff and the guests. With that in mind, he made the transition from a corporate role to director of rooms at Four Seasons Hotel Houston in 2007, followed by stints at Four Seasons Resort Langkawi as Resort Manager and Regent Singapore, a Four Seasons Hotel as hotel manager.



Rednour makes the move to Doha most recently from Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui in Thailand, where he served as general manager of the 74-room luxury resort. Under his leadership, Koh Samui was continuously recognised as one of the top resorts in the world by well-respected travel authorities, including Travel + Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler.



Rednour is a graduate of the University of Nevada with a Bachelors Degree in Hotel Administration and holds an Executive Masters in Business Administration from Temple University in Singapore. - TradeArabia News Service
By Siddhant Mohan, TwoCircles.net

Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India and Lok Sabha MP from Varanasi, has not spent a single rupee from his MPLADS funds in all the four villages adopted under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY).

The shocking fact came in a response to an application filed under Right to Information (RTI), the response to which was sent on June 30, 2018.

The response addressed to applicant Anuj Verma from Kannauj district of Uttar Pradesh, stated that no development works conducted in the four villages adopted by Narendra Modi have been budgeted from the funds allocated under Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS).

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The Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) states that all Members of Parliament have to adopt villages in their constituency and to develop the same as a modern village. The MPs must adopt a minimum of three villages in one tenure.

As the official website of SAGY states, Since the SAANJHI has activities cutting across different spheres, in order to implement the Scheme successfully close coordination and convergence will be required across different Ministries, departments, Schemes of the Government of India, MPLADS, State Government and the private sector, the cost of developing a modern village under SAGY would come from different resources including MPLADS.

It further states, Tied and untied funds for e.g. untied resources of the Gram Panchayats like own revenue, Central and State Finance Commission grants etc must be used to optimize implementation.

In one of his addresses, PM Narendra Modi himself said that an MP is unable to unify the expenditure of MPLADS, therefore the SAGY scheme would help him in focusing his funds in a single village in developing it as a modern one. But, apparently, Narendra Modi himself has failed to do so. He first adopted Jayapur on November 7, 2014, then Nagepur on February 16, 2016, Kakarahiya on October 23, 2017, and lastly Domri on April 6, 2018. All of the works in four villages have been done by the private authorities, government banks, state-level institutions, and some central government bodies, locals informed TwoCircles.net.

For instance, a Gujarat-based firm has constructed all the bio-toilets in Jayapur, and Vedanta group has constructed one Anganbadi Centre in Nagepur village. The solar street lights have been installed by various public banks.

The RTI response and the issue followed has given an edge to the opposition. The leaders of Congress have started raising this debate on Social media. Ajay Rai, the former Congress MLA from Varanasi and opponent to Narendra Modi in Loksabha 2014 has told media that it is unfortunate that MP has not spent a single penny in developing the village he has adopted. Rai further said, Most of the works done by the private companies in these villages are to please Narendra Modi, rather make the villages modern, he told TwoCircles.net.

Following the RTI revelation, the heads of the adopted villages are refraining to talk to media on the issue, but locally, in the constituency of Narendra Modi, the issue has created a negative vibe for the leading party.

The MPLADS fund, worth Rs 5 Crore per year, can be utilised anywhere in the constituency of an elected MP. But the opposition voices in Varanasi are accusing Modi of not setting an example before other MPs by not spending his own fund for development.

Manoj Rai Dhoopchandi, a leader from Samajwadi Party and former Minister of State during the Samajwadi Party regime in Uttar Pradesh, said, See, if people love someone, they wish to do things for them. The same applies here. Corporates and big industrialists love Narendra Modi so they carried out in the villages adopted by him.

But by allowing the same, PM Modi did not set an example before other Member of Parliaments. If he would have conducted so many works with his MPLADS funds, other MPs would be motivated. So, he forgot to set an ideal working procedure for other MPs while creating an ideal village, he added.

Related pieces over Modis ideal villages:

http://twocircles.net/2015dec04/1449203727.html

http://twocircles.net/2017mar07/405925.html

http://twocircles.net/2017mar04/405755.html
By TwoCircles.net

While expressing deep concern over incidents of mob lynching in the name of cow protection, Maulana Mahmood Madani, General Secretary of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has demanded the state and central governments enact a stringent law to curb this menace.

Maulana Mahmood Madani expressed his deep sorrow over the mob lynching of Akbar Khan in Alwqar, Rajasthan. This horrific incident took place yesterday while was allegedly carrying out two bovines on vehicles.

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Maulana said that perpetrators of such ghastly crime are encouraged due because they consider themselves above law. Last year, Pehlu Khan and Omar Khan were killed by the violent mob in the name of cow protection in this same city. The Rajasthan police had given a clean chit to the six people named in the Pehlu Khan lynching incident. Thus it is a quite evident that with such lenient attitude, mob lynching could not be contained. Therefore there is an urgent need for enacting a stringent law by the central government as directed by the Apex Court of India.

Maulana Madani maintained that not only menace of mob lynching is growing in the country but these ghastly acts are being justified by some section. This attitude is resulting into encouragement of the perpetrators of these crimes. The honorable Prime Minister of India and the Home Minister has condemned mob-lynching as an act against principle of humanity, but on the other side it is unfortunate that union ministers have been practically supporting the perpetrators of hate crime. Maulana Madani urged the government to shed its dualism by acting firmly and decisively against mob-violence.

Maulana Madani also said that in the wake of recent incident in Alwar, the statement given by Mr. Arjun Meghwal, a union minister was highly unfortunate as he justified it.

Maulana Madani has demanded from the state government to order an impartial inquiry into the Alwar incident and punish the perpetrators of the crime. He also demanded adequate financial compensation to the family members of deceased Akbar Khan.
Q: I have a problem with Viator, a site that sells tours. I booked four of its tours in Naples, Italy, this year. Unfortunately, I had to cancel the tours because I developed bronchitis and a middle ear infection in both ears. My doctor said I couldnt travel.

I emailed Viator to cancel my trips. Three of the four tours offered an immediate refund. However, my tour of the Sea Grottoes of the Amalfi Coast, for which I paid $775, did not respond.

After several efforts to contact the tour operator, it declined to refund the tour, saying that it was six calendar days before my trip, and therefore will offer only a 50 percent refund. Ive read the terms, and I believe I am entitled to a full refund. Can you help me?

Jacqueline Bohnen, Kempton Park, South Africa

A: If you canceled 24 hours before your tour  which you did  you should get your money back. If you log into your Viator account and click on Manage Bookings, youll see the terms and conditions. They state that youll receive a 100 percent refund for cancellations made at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

But theres more. If you review Viators terms and conditions, youll also see that the 24-hour rule is a standard policy, but that ultimately, your tour operators policy prevails (www.viator.com/terms-and-conditions#payments). Viator didnt operate this tour, but it has some control over how youre charged (and, if necessary, refunded).

Cancellation policies vary from the standard and you must check the suppliers cancellation policy contained in the applicable product listing at the time of your booking, which is the policy that will apply to and govern the terms of your cancellation and any refunds, it notes.

In other words, Viators policy applies  except when it doesnt.

A look at the Sea Grottoes of the Amalfi Coast tour shows a five-day window for cancellations. Somehow, your tour operator had misread its own policy. Thats not as unusual as you might think. Its fairly common for airline employees to misinterpret their own fabulously complex fare rules. Repeated appeals to the tour operator wont help you  besides, as Viators terms and conditions note, Viator still has your money.

You can find Viators executive contacts on my consumer-advocacy site (Viator is owned by TripAdvisor): www.elliott.org/company-contacts/tripadvisor/. A brief, polite email to one of them might have helped.

I contacted Viator on your behalf. It reviewed your contract and determined that you were, indeed, within the window to cancel.

Were addressing this error to ensure it doesnt happen again, a TripAdvisor spokeswoman told me. The vast majority of our products are moving to a 24-hour standard cancellation policy, which will give travelers the flexibility to cancel up to a day before the start of their tour for a full refund. This new policy will give travelers more flexibility so they can book with confidence.

Youve received a full refund.

Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine. Find travel tips at www.elliott.org. Email: chris@elliott.org Twitter: @elliottdotorg
JERUSALEM  The Israeli military evacuated hundreds of Syrian rescue workers known as White Helmets from the volatile frontier area on the Golan Heights and transported them to Jordan, following a request by the United States and its European allies, officials said Sunday.

It was the first such Israeli intervention in Syrias lengthy civil war, now in its eight year.

Jordan confirmed the Syrian citizens entered its territory to be resettled in Western countries. Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the total number of evacuees was 422. Safadi later tweeted that Jordan approved the evacuations after a pledge from Britain, Germany and Canada that the Syrian evacuees would be resettled in three months.

The White Helmets and their families had been stranded along the frontier with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights after the Syrian government offensive in southwestern Syria that began in June.

The group, which operates in opposition-held areas, is often targeted in Syrian government attacks on its members and facilities. The government considers the group a terrorist organization because it works in areas controlled by rebels, where state institutions and services are nonexistent.

The Israeli military said the overnight operation was an exceptional humanitarian gesture done at the request of the United States and its European allies because of an immediate threat to the (Syrians) lives.

British International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the Syrian volunteers and their family have been able to leave Syria for safety after a joint diplomatic effort by Britain and its international partners.

The White Helmets have saved over 115,000 lives during the Syrian conflict, at great risk to their own, the two officials said in a statement Sunday. We judged that, in these particular circumstances, the volunteers required immediate protection. 

Raed Saleh, head of the Syrian Civil Defense as the White Helmets are also known, said a number of volunteers and their families were evacuated from a dangerous, besieged area and had reached Jordan.

The Syrian government and Russia view the White Helmets as agents of foreign powers and have regularly accused them of staging rescue missions or chemical attacks.

Aron Heller and Sarah El Deeb are Associated Press writers.
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan  A suicide bombing in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday killed a candidate running for a seat in the provincial assembly and his driver and wounded three other people, police said.

It was the latest violence ahead of Wednesdays elections, when Pakistanis are to elect the National Assembly, or lower house of parliament, and four provincial assemblies.

According to police officer Zahoor Afridi, candidate Ikramullah Gandapur from opposition leader Imran Khans party was returning home from a rally when the bomber struck in the city of Dera Ismail Khan. He died a short while later in a military hospital, Afridi said. Along with his driver who was also killed, three other people, including two policemen, were wounded.

Later Sunday, the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Earlier this month, a provincial assembly candidate was killed in a massive suicide bombing in Mastung district in southwestern Baluchistan province, along with 148 people. Also, in the northwestern city of Peshawar, a suicide bombing this month killed another provincial assembly candidate and 20 others.

Gandapurs brother Israr was killed in a suicide attack in 2013. After his younger brothers death, Gandapur was elected to the assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and appointed provincial minister for agriculture.

In the July 25 balloting, he was to run on the list of the Tahrike-e-Insaf party, led by Khan, who aspires to become the countrys next prime minister.

Also Sunday, the convoy of another election candidate, Akram Durrani, came under fire in the northwestern town of Bannu. No one was hurt.

Following Sundays attacks, Pakistans election oversight body postponed the balloting for the provincial assembly seat that Gandapur was contesting.

Ishtiaq Mahsud is an Associated Press writer.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Police arrested a 45-year-old off duty police lieutenant on the South Shore on Sunday for allegedly driving while intoxicated (DWI), according to the NYPD.

according to a statement from the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.

Lt. Michael Fleming was arrested on Sunday at 8:31 a.m. by police from the 123rd Precinct, according to a statement from the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.

Fleming refused to take a breathalyzer test and was charged with DWI, police said.

The details of the arrest were not yet made available by police.

Fleming's lawyer didn't return Advance phone calls seeking comment.

Check back to silive.com for updates.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Joseph Cassano, son of former FDNY Commissioner Salvatore Cassano, is back on the job after he was suspended following an arrest at the New Jersey Shore.

After serving a 30-day suspension, Cassano is back at work at Engine 162/Ladder 82 in Great Kills, according to Jim Long, an FDNY spokesman.

Cassano, a probationary firefighter, was issued a summons for trespassing.

He was subsequently arrested and charged with criminal trespassing and criminal mischief, according to the Daily News.

In addition, court papers allege he was "recklessly or negligently damaging property" by "having a bowel movement on (the victim's) lawn furniture, leaving feces behind."

According to the report, Cassano pleaded guilty during a July 10 hearing to breaking local noise and littering ordinances. The report says he agreed to pay a $4,000 fine.

He was transferred to a Staten Island firehouse after a Brooklyn neighborhood complained about his anti-Semitic tweets, according to published reports.

Cassano quit his EMS job in 2013 after his racially-charged tweets surfaced.

He reportedly tweeted in February of 2013: "Getting sick of picking up all these Obama lovers and taking them to the hospital because their Medicare pays for an ambulance and not a cab."

In other tweets, he reportedly referred to black people as "shwoogs," said "I like Jews about as much as Hitler," and on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, added: "MLK could go kick rocks for all I care, but thanks for the time and a half today."
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- An NYPD lieutenant from Staten Island graduated from the prestigious FBI National Academy last month.

Lt. Michael Walsh, the commanding officer of the Staten Island Grand Larceny Squad, was one of 232 law enforcement officials who graduated from the academy in Virginia on June 8, Walsh said in a statement to the Advance.

Walsh, who was chosen to represent the NYPD at the institution, studied leadership, cyber-crime and public speaking during the 10 week program. The graduates also had to complete seven physical fitness challenges.

The lieutenant's squad investigates Staten Island grand larceny patterns involving fraud, cyber-crime and property crimes over $1,000, said the statement.

Walsh led the efforts to nab an alleged South Shore burglar last October. His high-level surveillance team was able to apprehend the suspect, Anthony Cutaia, in the act.

Cutaia's case is still pending in state Supreme Court, St. George.
Telstra has been described as a low-performing provider when it comes to resolving customer problems and questions, with Telstra customers requiring more contacts with the telco giant to resolve an issue than customers of other major telcos, according to new research.

The report also gave Telstra staff a whack, with its customers rating their provider poorly with regards to the knowledge of customer service staff.

A new report says most Telco customers are "not positive" about their customer service experience with their telco.

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network survey of 1347 telecommunications consumers across 10 providers highlights a range of bugbears that consumers have including times to get problems/issues resolved, the need to contact a telco multiple times to get something resolved and the need to re-provide details of a concern to the company.

Of those surveyed 210 customers were with Telstra, 203 were with Optus and 205 with Vodafone. Vodafone and Virgin rated amongst the higher performing providers, the report said,
Embattled department store owner Myer has launched legal action to recover the $4 million the struggling retailer says it is owed by its product warranty insurer.

The law suit comes as Myer struggles to cope with a downturn in retail spending and amid the department store owners stoush with shareholder Premier Investments.

A courtroom win by Myer will boost the retailer's bottom line. Credit:Jessica Shaprio

The claim equates to about 10 per cent of the $40 million Myer reported as its adjusted net profit in first half.
More and more air travellers are snapping up premium economy seats, lured by the extra leg room, wider seats, quieter cabin and attentive service, according to travel experts.

Elizabeth Ellis, manager at boutique travel agency Cherrybrook Travel in Sydneys north-west, said premium economy is one of the first things people ask about when booking an overseas holiday.

"People feel they're getting so squeezed out of economy, having to pay extra for everything. Everybody is looking for that little bit of extra comfort and not everyone has the budget for business or first class," Ms Ellis said.

Premium economy Credit:Cathay Pacific

In the past few years, she has seen the demand for premium economy continue to rise. "It's what everyone asks for first  is there a special on premium economy? What's the cost difference?"
How time flies. In less than two months, it will be time to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the collapse of US investment bank Lehman Brothers. A decade since that shocking event, which brought the reality of the global financial crisis home to most Australians, policymakers continue to grapple with popular discontent that the Western liberal economic system does not work in the interests of most citizens.

In recent weeks, some of Australias most senior policymakers have highlighted the importance for future prosperity of focusing on trends in inequality - that is, whether or not the fruits of our economic progress are being shared fairly.

Future prosperity depends on addressing inequality. Credit:Jim Pavlidis

In a speech to the Australia-UK leadership forum, our most senior mandarin, Martin Parkinson, located the source of popular discontent as "the failure of some Western democracies to acknowledge and plan for the impact of an increasingly globalised economic system and rapid technological change on various groups and regions.

According to Parkinson: We need to ensure the rising tide lifts all boats and strengthens our societies, rather than fomenting inequality and division.
Uprooted Palestinians are at the heart of the conflict in the M.E Palestinians uprooted by force of arms. Yet faced immense difficulties have survived, kept alive their history and culture, passed keys of family homes in occupied Palestine from one generation to the next.
Dominique Tanner collects data from 8km under the ocean floor.

During the video chat, sea-faring scientist Dr Dominique Tanner, 30, sits below deck as the ship takes a beating.

Recently the weathers been pretty rough  I think the maximum wave height was approaching seven metres the other day, says the University of Wollongong geologist posted above the Pacific Ocean submarine Brothers Volcano, several hundred kilometres northeast of New Zealands Whakaari Island.

In such conditions, Tanner feels cooped up, but when the weather softens, surreal barbecues happen on-deck under the eye of the pretty cool albatross that shadows the JOIDES Resolution  a 143-metre-long research ship that drills into the sea-floor to gather core samples. The drill string can reach 8235 metres under the ocean.

Her research requires keen attention to detail when recording observations, and pattern recognition. While her team is always collecting data to test theories, the natural world is complex and unpredictable, so unexpected trends often crop up.

The most rewarding dynamic is finding a new dataset pattern then developing a revised theory to explain it, which takes time. However, during this process the lightbulb moments occur.

The toughest challenge she faces is handling the seven-day, 12-hour shifts. I sort of miss swimming. Im surrounded by water but I cant swim in it like Im used to at home, she says.
Having faced a grilling at the royal commission into trade unions, the former legal counsel for Toll Holdings, Damian Sloan, will now be the one asking the questions as a new Industrial Relations Commissioner.

Damian Sloan, then senior legal counsel for the Toll Group, leaves after giving evidence at the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption in 2014. Credit:Joel Carrett

Mr Sloan is one of two new appointments to the NSW Industrial Relations Commission. The other is Nichola Constant, who has been working as a director of employment law and industrial relations at the NSW Crown Solicitors Office. Ms Constant, who is married to Jason Falinski, the Liberal MP for federal seat of Mackellar, steps into her new role as Commissioner on Monday. Commissioner Sloan will start the following Monday.

The NSW Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) said Commissioner Constant had a "wealth of experience" and has represented many NSW government agencies.

"She has, therefore, an excellent knowledge of public sector employment and dispute resolution," the IRC said.
Gig economy workers would get legal rights to minimum pay and safe working conditions under a NSW Labor Party plan to rewrite state industrial laws.

NSW Labor has announced plans to revamp industrial relations laws to protect online platform workers including food delivery riders and those contracted to do individual job tasks.

NSW Opposition leader Luke Foley with delivery rider Kirby Weller. Credit:Brook Mitchell

Labor leader Luke Foley said the reforms would be a big priority for a new Labor government.

We are not going to scrap the digital economy, but we are going to make sure they treat the people that work for them fairly," he said.
Dr Michael Wong educates patients about solutions to long-term spinal pain.

Surgeon Dr Michael Wong says he treats large numbers of patients who are in the dark about why they have long-term spinal pain.

Many have been taking opioids for months when Wong meets them.

But he says the causes of their problems can be very simple to identify sometimes.

We just do a scan and say, Hang on. There is a disc prolapse. There is nerve compression. Thats why you are having pain. The treatment therefore is surgery.
Digital disruption and automation are increasing pressure on the federal government to give companies incentives to help retrain the workers they plan to sack.

Marianne Gloet, a research fellow from the University of Melbourne's department of management and marketing, said companies putting people out of work should be taking some responsibility for helping retrain them for future work opportunities. And the government should be providing them with incentives.

Marianne Gloet said Toyota provided a "best-case scenario".

She said Toyota was a "best-case scenario" in its success with helping to retrain many of the workers it had to shed. And other companies should follow that example.

"Toyota has give people opportunity to completely retrain," Dr Gloet said.
A week or so ago, our local market featured a stall staffed by a young man who was unloading loose mandarins directly from a car boot into baskets on the counter. You picked a basket, tipped the contents into your shopping jeep, and paid. There was no packaging involved whatsoever.

Most farmers market stallholders provide no bags at all, so shoppers already know they need to bring their own (calico, paper, cotton nets, please). It's a pity Coles and Woolworths didn't manage to get that message across before they dropped single-use bags last month.

We can't all shop at the farmers market  a pity, really, because, apart from everything else, it would solve the very 2018 problem of plastic-bag rage .

Meanwhile, the potato lady had her son stapling home-made labels to the calico bags she sells her spuds in  to comply, she said, with country-of-origin labelling laws for packaged food (maybe she was kidding). She does appreciate shoppers washing and returning the bags.

Another thing the farmers market lacks that the supermarket has is a bottomless supply of produce: if you get there late you'll find the sourdough bakers down to a few odd pastries, you might miss out on your regular bunch of hakurei turnips, and some weeks there are no mandarins to be had at all. This is a quiet reminder that we can't take the apparent abundance of our food supplies for granted.

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It's also a taste of what the world would look like if the counter-culture had won the 1960s: an economy driven by skinny men in woolly hats selling spotty (but delicious) produce, until they run out.

But the counter-culture didn't win, so instead we have the superabundance of suburban megamarkets stocked to the rafters with everything all the time. Industrial production of food delivers on that, but is it sustainable?
Gokal says they have not really noticed the cut-backs, such as eating out less and she is no longer missing her daily cup of hot chocolate. Uncomfortable with money Loading About one in three of more than 2000 people surveyed at the end of last year by comparison site Canstar said they were uncomfortable with their financial position. About one in three say they save nothing, with a further one in four saving less than 10 per cent of their after-tax income.

Jacqueline Park, a qualified financial planner and the co-founder of Honest Money, is developing an online "money action plan" to help people build financial capability, focused on developing skills and achieving goals. Ultimately, the foundation of your financial health and freedom comes down to getting into good habits," Park says. "We have a pragmatic view of things as we know that budgeting is really challenging for most people. You start with a spreadsheet or with a budgeting app and then you fall off the wagon. Her business is pitched at younger people for whom saving is often an uphill battle. "It's undeniable that people see their Instagram feeds and it is all about people living these unrealistic, idealised lives that involves unrealistic consumption and that feeds into what you start thinking is normal," Park says.

"The thing we ask our customers to think about first is their mind set. It'a really about what wealth means to them and what will make them happy, enduring happiness rather than momentary pleasure." Women face uphill battle Loading While both men and women could profit from learning more about money, there is strong evidence that women face a tougher battle than men in achieving financial security. For women, there are the well-known factors of unequal pay, longer lives to fund in retirement and more women than men taking time out of the paid workforce to raise children.

And it seems women are more stressed than men over money. A survey of 1000 Millennials by micro-investment app Raiz Invest (formerly known as Acorns) suggests more than two out of five women are often or always feeling financially stressed, compared to just 28 per cent of men. Women felt this stress impacting their wellbeing. Among those women saying they were often or always financially stressed, nearly two out of three said they experience sleepless nights, roughly the same number experience depression and 45 per cent illness. Paridhi Jain, the founder of SkilledSmart, the course undertaken by Sandy Golka, says there are lots of structural reasons why women are financially disadvantaged. "But being under-educated means they cannot maximise opportunities within their control either," she says.

"As a result, not only are women worse off financially, they're also more vulnerable. With more women living alone longer, financial capability is critical for the achievement of financial independence and resilience." Finance language masculine Bronwyn Bruce, who is studying for a research master's degree on barriers women face in engaging with the investment services industry, says industry needs to better cater to the needs of women, starting from the way superannuation and investment products are marketed. Bruce, who writes a blog, Miss Money Box, says even the language of the finance industry tends to be masculine and does not connect with women. "Check any news site or television finance segment and youll see that the people writing or talking about finance are pretty much middle-aged white men," she says.

"The finance industry thrives on the use of jargon and acronyms which do more to exclude, rather than include," she says. Where to seek help There are several good sources of information and courses to get better educated on personal finances. Reading the Money section in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age is a good start! Websites The best place to find general information at no cost is the MoneySmart website run by the financial services regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. As well as having helpful tips for everything from credit cards to retirement  the site has a range of calculators where you can, for example, put in the numbers and see how much you will likely have in retirement income.

There are other sites that provide lots of free, high-quality information, such as Financy, which has an emphasis on helping women becoming better money managers. The Miss Money Box, by Bronwyn Bruce, is aimed at younger women and has a lot of good information that demystifies finance. Courses Money Mentor Way is the website of Fairfax Media money columnist Nicole Pederson McKinnon, with free content and a fee-paying 12-Step Prosperity Plan interactive e-Book, with Step 1 provided free. SkilledSmart has a six week fee-paying course Get Money Smart described as a money school for adults' taught by taught by an experienced financial adviser. The site recently launched a virtual classroom for those who cannot attend classes in person.
A 20-year-old Belconnen woman will front the ACT Magistrates Court after she was caught drink driving twice in little more than an hour on Saturday.

ACT police said they stopped the womans car in Macquarie about 9pm, and the woman underwent a roadside alcohol screening test, which returned a positive result. Further investigations revealed the drivers licence had previously been suspended.

The woman was taken to the Belconnen Police Station where further testing returned a blood alcohol content of 0.065. The woman was issued with a 90-day immediate suspension notice, and released from custody.

About 10.05pm in Hennessy Street, Belconnen, police stopped a car being driven without its headlights on. The driver was the woman who had just been released from custody. She was taken back into custody and a further breath screening test returned a blood alcohol content of 0.042.

The woman was arrested and taken to the ACT Watch House, where she was charged with several offences.
Booming foreign student enrolments at Canberra's universities is fuelling growth in the city while the threat of public service job cuts is receding, says one of Australia's leading private sector forecasters assessing the health of the nation's economy.

The double digit-growth in international students living in the ACT last year drove a population surge second only to Victoria's and expanding the national capital's wealth, a business outlook report by Deloitte Access Economics said on Monday.

A stronger federal budget position had reduced the risk of public sector cuts, and Canberra's economy had grown with government spending on staff and consultants for defence projects, IT, and the roll-out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, it said.

The report warned a different threat was emerging for the ACT economy, as Australia's relations with China grew more strained, risking slower growth in international student numbers.

"Tensions in the relationship between Canberra and Beijing haven't gone unnoticed and there have been news reports about attempts to discourage attendance by Chinese nationals at Australian universities," it said.
Going Solo

The ACTU entered the petrol business in Melbourne today, selling at 16c a gallon off. ACTU-Solo Enterprises Pty Ltd will supply 16 service stations in Melbourne. ACTU president Mr Hawke said the company would be selling petrol to operators in Brisbane and Canberra in about three weeks and hoped to soon operate throughout Australia. The aim of the company was to sell petrol through independent operators at significantly lower prices.

Mail piles up

About 8500 bags of mail were piled up at the Redfern Mail Exchange last night because mail officers refused to take the place of a colleague who was on sick leave. Movement of all mail in Sydney was almost completely halted because of bans imposed by the mail officers who are protesting over a pay dispute. The Postal and Telecommunications Union said that the bans would continue until the Australian Postal Commission replied favourably.

Danny rolls with it
The long-term future of Sydney's historic Luna Park is again in doubt after a court ruled the fun park did not have the right to install a new ride called the "Flying Carousel" without seeking development approval.

The Land and Environment Court judgment means Luna Park must instead submit to a development application process every time it moves or replaces rides, managing director Peter Hearne said.

Local residents concerned about noise would most likely be able to have their objections considered as part of any application.

Luna Park's owners are fuming over the decision. Credit:Tamara Dean

"We are deeply disappointed by this decision, which places a big question mark over the long-term viability of one of Sydney's best-known and most-loved destinations," Mr Hearne said. "This is a terrible outcome not just for Luna Park but for Sydney."
Sexual consent laws should be amended in NSW so that a person who has an unreasonable but honest belief in consent is not guilty of a crime, the professional body representing the state's 2400 barristers has told the state government.

The Berejiklian government commissioned a review of sexual consent laws in May following the high-profile acquittal of Luke Lazarus, who was accused of raping an 18-year old woman in an alleyway behind his father's Kings Cross nightclub in 2013.

Luke Lazarus, son of prominent nightclub owner Andrew Lazarus, was acquitted of sexual assault last year. Credit:Facebook

One of the key issues in the case was whether the then 21-year-old Mr Lazarus had "reasonable grounds" for what the NSW District Court found was an honest but mistaken belief his alleged victim, Saxon Mullins, was consenting to anal sex.

Under NSW law, if a person has "no reasonable grounds" for believing there is consent they are deemed to have knowledge of lack of consent  a key element of the offence of sexual assault.
Illustration: Cathy Wilcox Credit:cwilcox@fairfaxmedia.com.au

The impacts of our rapid population growth, fuelled by migration and a natural increase of about 150,000 each year, are more far-reaching than your city-centric view (Flurry of questions at our doorstep as population grows, July 21-22). Coastal urban sprawl is destroying valuable natural habitat resulting in species extinctions and loss of agricultural land. More people means more resource use.

Overcrowding in coastal areas in holiday times occurs as people seek refuge from the overcrowded cities, and greenhouse gases grow with every extra person. As long as politicians listen to economists, developers and migration agents, there will be no consensus on population, just more loss of natural environment and quality of life. - Karen Joynes, Bermagui

Whether the focus is on business, mining, agriculture or manufacturing, the trend is for fewer people to be employed to lower costs in a highly competitive global economy, achieved by automation, larger machines and computers. Why does government insist on cramming more people into already overcrowded, under-serviced, inefficient, congested major capital cities when the reality points to a need for fewer workers. We should plan for fewer, not more people, well below the figure of 25 million if we are to achieve a sustainable balance between the natural environment, resources, and population. Aboriginal society achieved this and survived for 60,000 years. If we ignore their example, it is inevitable Australia will face a crisis and population collapse at some point. - Philip Drew, Annandale

In pointing to three categories of entrants and the total number of migrants, the article omits mention of one other category: the Business Innovation and Investment Program. As The Sun-Herald reported on July 8, 7260 visas for residency were approved under this category in 2016-17, the largest number in absolute terms of any country. Unlike other migrants, these millionaires were not subject to the usual tests for English, education or employment standards. Perhaps, in a gesture of memory to the long-dead Australian ethos of the fair go, we could trim migration by eliminating this category of visa-buying. On second thought, bugger the fair go, why not eliminate all other more deserving entrant categories completely and put every migrant visa up to eBay auction: then we would never have another recession and would be the economic envy of the world! Pity about the environment, housing and congestion, but so many would be so rich. - Karen Coleman, Waterloo

It is a terrible indictment that we bar the entry of genuine refugees and instead open the door to floods of people through the skilled migration program and international students via the visa program, for so-called economic reasons.

These people then put pressure on the family reunion intake. The growth economy mentality has to end. Skill up those who are here and encourage students to return to their countries. - Lyndall Nelson, Cremorne
Police are investigating after a man died in hospital following a shooting at an apartment in Sydney's south-west.

Officers arrived at an apartment block in Warwick Farm, on the corner of George and Lachlan streets, about 5.20pm on Sunday following reports that a man had suffered a gunshot wound.

Police were told two unkown men, one armed with a firearm, knocked on the front door of the 46-year-old's apartment.

They then entered the unit and shot him in the back before leaving, police say.
A third man connected to the alleged Eastern Suburbs Dark Web drug syndicate has been charged with supplying cocaine.

Police allege that Rose Bay man Daniel Sopher supplied 1.5kg of cocaine between October 6 and November 19, 2017, and that he was knowingly part of a criminal group between June 1 and July 17 last year.

Dov Tenenboim and Chaim Goldstein.

Mr Sopher was arrested this week, and charged with supplying a commercial amount of a prohibited drug and knowingly participating in a criminal group.

He appeared before Magistrate Lisa Stapleton at Waverly Local Court on Wednesday and was granted conditional bail to reappear before the same court in September.
Women who suffer major heart attacks may be experiencing discrimination from hospitals, as research finds they are receiving fewer preventative medications and treatments than men, despite being more likely to die.

The results, involving thousands of patients across Australia, came as a shock to the cardiac specialists involved in the study, who believe it could be evidence of unconscious bias against women.

Colleen Soady, 81, had a serious heart attack earlier this month. Credit:Christopher Pearce.

The study found that women who had a specific type of serious heart attack were less likely to receive diagnostic tests and treatment, and on discharge were significantly less likely to receive preventative medication and referrals to cardiac rehabilitation.

"I thought in modern-day Australia we shouldn't really have these differences in treatments by gender," said the study's senior author, cardiologist Professor Clara Chow.
An alleged gun-wielding carjacker has been charged with a string of offences after being tracked by the police helicopter and arrested by officers following an alleged crime spree in Brisbane overnight.

Police said officers were called to a unit complex in Kedron, on Brisbane's northside, after reports a man armed with a gun had followed people into the underground carpark and threatened them.

Queensland police used one of their helicopters to track an allegedly stolen vehicle and arrest the alleged offender. Credit:Nine Network

It will be alleged the man twice demanded the victims give him the keys to their car just before 9pm, but they refused and the man fled.

It will also be alleged the same armed man threatened a separate group of people in another car on Lambert Street in Kangaroo Point at about 9.50pm and managed to steal their vehicle.
A motorcyclist has died after a crash with a car north of Brisbane, which blocked the road for about four hours while emergency services cleared debris.

Police said a car and motorbike collided on Dohles Rocks Road at the intersection with Gallipoli Way in the Morton Bay suburb of Kallangur about 10.40am on Sunday.

The crash scene in Kallangur, north of Brisbane. Credit:7 News Brisbane - Twitter

The 32-year-old local male motorbike rider died at the scene and the 60-year-old female driver of the car was not physically injured, according to police.

Dohles Rocks Road was blocked until about 1.45pm while the vehicles were towed away and debris was cleared from the road.
The sole survivor of the fishing trawler Dianne, which capsized in rough seas off the coast of Central Queensland in October 2017, says he could hear screaming from his "brothers" who were trapped inside.

Ruben McDornan told Nine's 60 Minutes on Sunday night that not a day went by when he did not think of the six men, his friends and fellow divers, who died when their fishing vessel rolled.

Ruben McDornan survived hours in rough seas off the coast of Queensland after the Dianne capsized.

Mr McDornan was "miraculously" found by a couple on a passing yacht, treading water without a lifejacket about 20 nautical miles away from where the Dianne sank.

Of the seven men on board, only the bodies of 30-year-old Adam Hoffman and 45-year-old Ben Leahy were found by police divers.
The Big Thermometer has been unveiled in Stanthorpe. Credit:Sandra McEwan

After 20 years of discussions, Queensland's coldest town has celebrated its title by unveiling the Big Thermometer as its latest tourist attraction.

Residents hope the Bureau of Meteorology, which takes its temperature readings from nearby Applethorpe, will use the equipment built into the tourist attraction to record temperatures in Stanthorpe, located about 220 kilometres south-west of Brisbane near the state border.

Stanthorpe and Granite Belt Chamber of Commerce board member Josh Cavallaro said the latest push to construct the Big Thermometer had started mid-2017 and its unveiling had ended two decades of waiting.

"There were a few issues with the design and location previously so it never really took off ... and people lost interest with the negativity around it," he said.
In the freezing cold before sunrise, the small group pushed their way up the dunes, through the thick mallee scrub, boots sliding in the red sand. There were no paths to follow. Every so often, someone would stop, pull out a smartphone and play birdsong.

Eventually, the searchers reached an ancient dried lake bed surrounded by dunes. Trees rose above them to form a thick canopy, and viciously spiked grass became so thick they could barely walk.

Simon Verdon hit play on his smartphone and was almost immediately deafened.

A tiny, angry head was sticking up from a tussock and screaming at him.
South Sudanese community leader Ring Mayar.

A leader of Victoria's South Sudanese community has claimed he was bashed in a politically motivated attack, amid a growing rift within the community and a government freeze on funding.

Under siege from the Turnbull Government and grappling with the tragic death of a South Sudanese teenager in Melbourne's CBD over the weekend, Ring Mayar, chairman of the South Sudanese Community Association of Victoria (SSCAV), has alleged he was hit with a metal pole by another community member.

Mr Mayar declined to comment on the assault, but said it was under investigation. Other sources said the matter was being probed by Victoria Police.

An SMS obtained by Fairfax Media reveals that Mr Mayar claims he was attacked by an "unknown South Sudanese male" and required surgery at St Vincent's Hospital for a broken collarbone.
ASIC commissioner John Price. Credit:Jeremy Piper

ASIC commissioner John Price left a Sydney audience in no room for doubt last month when he confirmed company directors risked personal liability if they didnt consider climate change risks.

But ASICs message was about much more than climate change. Commissioner Price spoke of a fundamental change in how companies are evaluated and for them to conduct their business in a socially responsible manner. He confirmed ASIC is part of international discussions about reporting of environmental and sustainability risks and is closely monitoring international developments like the European Commissions Action Plan on Financing Sustainable Growth.

Make no mistake, the sustainable finance agenda has taken off around the world and Australia will miss out if we dont move fast. The UN Environment Inquiry has found some 267 sustainable finance measures in 53 jurisdictions.

Take Britain, for example. Since last October, Britains Conservative government has finalised a Clean Growth Strategy, an Industrial Strategy, a 25 Year Environment Plan and launched a new Green Finance Institute.
Benjamin Korff and Lily Yap at Kings and Knaves Espresso, a cafe participating in their Viva La Cup deposit scheme that lets you borrow reusable coffee cups. Credit:Joe Armao

You pride yourself on your environmental cred, and usually when you order your daily takeaway coffee, you smugly present your KeepCup to the barista.

Then one day you leave the blasted thing at home. You frantically try to think of ways to conceal, from everyone else in the cafe, the disposable cup the barista will give you. Oh, the shame, the shame!

Not to worry. Help is at hand. This week a Melbourne couple will launch Viva La Cup, a new deposit scheme allowing cafe customers to borrow and return reusable coffee cups.

Benjamin Korff and Lily Yap created Viva La Cup, in a bid to slash the number of disposable takeaway cups being used once and discarded.
Sandy Angliss' world turned upside down after an incident at her former school in 2016 Credit:Simon Schluter

As Sandy Angliss scrubbed spilled soup from her lunch bag in the school laundry, she sensed someone standing next to her in the dark room.

The art teacher glanced to her left, recognising the imposing silhouette of a female staff member who also worked at the Melbourne special school.

Ms Angliss alleges the staff member then rubbed her breasts on her back and started vigorously thrusting her groin into her bottom.

I was shocked, numb, and scared. I felt like it was a targeted attack, she said.
"It needs to be activated, it needs much more than it currently has; $470 million of taxpayers' money and it still needs to be activated so we would be open to looking at things such as this [cable car] proposal," he said. "You have got to ask yourself why the government hasn't released the feasibility study; they have been sitting on it for a year or more now. We are desperately in need of more jobs and businesses in Western Australia. The tourism sector is one of the few sectors that can, in the near term, generate business opportunities and jobs in a hurry." Tourism Council chief executive Evan Hall was unsurprised at the support for the cable car the WAtoday survey showed. He said all the Councils polling, research and social media monitoring showed strong support for the cable car across age groups and genders. It would be a must-do experience for people visiting and every grandparent would take their grandchild, he said. People want new experiences in their city. There could be nothing more Perth than catching a cable car ... a gentle ride giving views of the river and to Fremantle, and on the other side the city skyline.

Seeing the city, nature and the river while hearing the history of Kings Park, the Aboriginal history of the area, how the city has transformed. Not to mention the possibility of a three-course meal in the cable car at night. He said he was aware of one international, one interstate and two West Australian companies with access to the necessary funds and experience, which had indicated they would be interested, and that the government was also aware of. Loading But there were eight different agencies and jurisdictions involved, including Main Roads, the City of Perth and Kings Park, and investors didnt know where to go with a proposal. He said most government agencies had indicated general support, and approval was implicit for an Elizabeth Quay landing point as per the original master plan, but a proponent would need to know who was in charge, who would decide and preferably design parameters.

The best way forward was to make the WA government as a whole the responsible agency, and for the government to make it clear a proponent was welcome. They could then take an unsolicited bid. Even better, because of the complexity of the project, and the need to avoid sensitive locations within Kings Park, it would be better for a cross-agency committee to set design parameters. To set appropriate specifications, addressing logistical and environmental concerns, to create design requirements including a start and end point. The government could then invite proposals to meet those in a formal expressions of interest process. He said it wasnt just the people of Perth who wanted another experience but tourists too. Unlike the rest of Australia, which was booming, WAs visitor spend was declining. The state needed them to stay longer, do more and spend more with attractive destinations.

The Tasmanian government didnt have to pay for the Museum of Old and New Art, but just had to approve it, and that has turned around Hobart as a destination, he said. The Quay! It's beautiful although it's still early days and it has a long way to go to be a weekly or even a monthly attraction for most. Survey respondent People from across the world are flooding to Tasmania to experience MONA and now the Tasmanian government is investing $87 million in creating a cable car in Cradle Mountain National Park to create the ultimate nature-based tourism experience in Australia. Brisbane is developing one at Mount Coot-tha. There is the bridge climb in Sydney. Youre not just looking at something, youre moving across it and that makes it an active experience. Then it becomes famous, a signature. That is what we are looking for in Perth. An immediate feel of our city and its nature. When WAtoday survey respondents wrote down their favourite city space, Kings Park was a clear winner with about 220 mentions. Elizabeth Quay was close behind with about 180, but many qualified this vote with comments such as when finished or saying it needed something else. About 116 nominated the Swan River foreshore.
Voters have given the Turnbull government a boost ahead of a crucial test of the electorate at five federal byelections to be held at the weekend, with the Coalition gaining ground against Labor and lifting its standing on health and education.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has widened the gap against Opposition Leader Bill Shorten as preferred prime minister, leading by 57 per cent to 30 per cent in the biggest gulf between the two rivals in more than two years.

Bill Shorten and ALP candidate for Longman Susan Lamb in Caboolture, Queensland, on Sunday. Credit:AAP

An exclusive Fairfax/Ipsos poll shows Labor remains the preferred party to manage health and education but the Coalition has won significant support on the two issues since the previous election.

Labor has kept its long-running advantage over the Coalition in overall polling but can no longer claim a commanding lead, with the government lagging by 49 to 51 per cent in two-party terms.
Bill Shorten is doing everything he can to warn Australians not to trust Malcolm Turnbull with the nation's hospitals, but voters do not seem to be responding.

Turnbull has gone into overdrive to warn Australians that Shorten is soft on people smugglers, but voters do not seem to be convinced.

The latest Fairfax/Ipsos results are a reality check for both major parties in their duelling tactics ahead of the byelections in Longman and Braddon this Saturday.

Anyone listening? Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Each leader relies on a negative attack campaign to damage his rival. Neither leader can point to any political dividend since the last federal election.
Labor has signalled a tougher line on more than 500,000 overseas students who gain limited working rights when they come to Australia, raising the idea of halting Mickey Mouse courses that can be a pathway to entry.

In a significant warning on the migration intake, Labor employment spokesman Brendan OConnor called for stronger integrity measures on the student program and was open to the idea of putting a cap on the intake.

We need to see whether we could either cap the scheme or make sure its being used properly for the purpose it was intended, Mr OConnor said on Sunday.

He also raised the idea of putting curbs on working holiday-makers, a separate visa class with limited work rights and subject to a backpacker tax that triggered a political storm two years ago.

The number of overseas students in Australia reached 513,000 last September, up from 342,000 in the same month five years earlier, according to an analysis by the Parliamentary Library.
What caucus giveth, caucus can also taketh away. Bill Shorten will not need reminding of this baleful detail as the countdown begins this week for what are, arguably, the most consequential byelections since Labor lost the seat of Bass in Tasmania in 1975, heralding the beginning of the end of the Whitlam government.

Bill Shorten in campaign mode. Credit:AAP

More than a generation later, another Labor leader is facing a similarly testing byelection moment  not from government, but from opposition. Byelections should benefit oppositions since they provide an opportunity for voters to register a protest without actually changing a government (the average byelection swing against the government since 1901 has been 3.8 per cent); but in this case pressure is not on the government of the day but on the opposition.

This is largely because of the peculiar circumstances under which these five byelections are being held after High Court rulings on the ineligibility of sitting members under Section 44 of the Constitution.

Four of the byelections are in seats won by Labor in 2016, and one by an independent. Labor seats are Fremantle, margin 7.5 per cent; Perth, 3.3 per cent; Braddon, 2.2 per cent; and Longman, 0.8 percent.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is in Longman to boost the chances of Labor's candidate in the by-election as a poll gives the edge to the LNP candidate.

The opposition leader will officially launch Labor's campaign for the crucial by-election as a ReachTEL poll showed the LNP with 51 per cent of the vote compared with 49 to Labor on a two-party preferred basis.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and Labor candidate for Longman, Susan Lamb address the media during during the Longman byelection campaign. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The LNP's chances seemed in danger after its candidate Treveor Ruthenberg earlier this week apologised to voters for incorrectly claiming to have a medal for distinguished service in peacekeeping and non-war operations.

More than two-thirds of Longman voters believed Mr Ruthenberg genuinely made a mistake over the medal claim while a third felt it was a deliberate act, the ReachTEL poll showed.
Facebook has suspended a data analysis company whose contracts with the US government may have violated its polices about how publicly available data about users can be collected and shared.

Boston-based Crimson Hexagon had contracts with multiple US government agencies as well as a Russian non-profit called the Civil Society Development Foundation, which has ties to the Russian government.

Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has pledged to clean the social network up. Credit:AP

The news was first reported on Friday by the Wall Street Journal, which said Crimson Hexagon has at least 22 separate contracts with US government agencies that total more than $US800,000 ($1.1 million).

In a statement, Facebook said it takes the allegations seriously and has suspended the Crimson Hexagon apps while it investigates.
As the fallout continues over the government's handling of the My Health Record roll-out, a Labor backbencher has become the first to publicly disown the opt-out model both Labor and the Liberal Party support, pushing for a change back to opt-in for the scheme he now says he has "zero confidence" in.

All Australians will get a My Health Record unless they opt out by October 15. The file will be accessible by up to 900,000 healthcare professionals, all of whom will have the ability to access it unless consumers place PINs or other access restrictions on their file to lock it down. Even then, such restrictions can be overridden in emergency situations by authorised professionals.

"The rollout of this has been mishandled from the start by this government," federal Labor MP Pat Conroy told ABC News 24 on Saturday.

Labor MP Pat Conroy wants My Health Record to be opt in. Credit:Darren Pateman

"In theory, having the system is a good thing, it has the potential to save $7 billion ... but this is a government that mismanaged the census collection online. This is a government that allowed Medicare records to be stolen and put on to ... the dark web.
London: Britain will refuse to pay its 39 billion ($69 billion) divorce bill to Brussels if the European Union fails to agree a trade deal, the new Brexit Secretary, Dominic Raab, says.

Raab, who replaced David Davis who quit over Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan, said he would make the payment formally conditional on the EU "fulfilling its side of the bargain".

Brexit secretary Dominic Raab says he is still trying to persuade some cabinet members to accept Theresa May's Brexit plan. Credit:Bloomberg

The promise will be welcomed by leading Brexiteers after the government said in May that there were no plans for a legally enforceable link between the bill and a future trading relationship.

Amid a breakdown of trust with No 10, pro-Brexit MPs had threatened to force an amendment into the Government's Implementation Bill in the autumn after foreign secretary Philip Hammond claimed that "walking away from an obligation... would not make us a credible partner in future international agreements".
London: Ecuador is close to withdrawing asylum for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and evicting him from the Ecuadorian embassy in London where he has been living for six years, journalist Glenn Greenwald reported on Saturday.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange greets supporters from a balcony of the Ecuadorian embassy in London in June, 2017. Credit:AP

Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno went to Britain on Friday to meet with officials to finalise a deal under which protection for Assange will be withdrawn and he will be turned over to British authorities, Greenwald wrote on his website The Intercept.

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The Australian national has resided in Ecuador's London embassy since 2012, after he breached bail in relation to sexual assault allegations he faced in Sweden. He cannot be arrested inside the embassy.
This photo has been released by Kensington Palace to celebrate the fifth birthday of Prince George. Credit:Matt Porteous

London: An official birthday picture has been released to mark Prince George's fifth birthday - showing a happy and confident little boy.

The past 12 months have been an exciting period for George, from completing his first school year to once again joining his great grandmother the Queen on Buckingham Palace's balcony to mark her official birthday.

The future king is likely to spend the weekend celebrating his big day, which falls on Sunday, with his parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

But according to reports, the party may be in the Caribbean as William and Kate are rumoured to have taken their children on a summer break to the exclusive island of Mustique.
Canberra: An Australian soldier's skull has been buried in a French war grave a century after it was taken for eventual display in a Philadelphia medical museum, Australia's government said Saturday.

Private Thomas Hurdis was wounded in Belgium on September 26, 1917, and died a week later in a US field hospital in France at the age of 26.

The Australian government was alerted last year that the skull of an unnamed Australian soldier, with a bullet lodged in bone between his eyes, was on display at the Mutter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia.

The skull was buried in Hurdis' grave on Friday at the Mont Huon Military Cemetery near Le Treport in a ceremony attended by Hurdis' family and Australian troops, Minister for Defence Personnel Darren Chester said.
Paris: State auditors have told a French village near the Spanish border that it is "too rich" to continue taxing residents and should cancel council and property taxes this year.

Le Perthus, a community of 586 people, takes more than 700,000 ($1.1 million) a year from parking fees alone. People from the surrounding region park in the village while they cross the border on foot to shop in Spain, where food, clothes and household goods are cheaper.

French village of Le Perthus, near the Spanish border. Credit:Bertrand Grondin/Wikicommons

Andre Pezziardi, head of the Occitanie Audit Office, said: "We concluded that local taxation should be reduced to zero for council and property taxes."

Last year the council spent less than 5000 of 240000 earmarked for public facilities because the mayor and councillors could not agree how to spend the money.
Dubai: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has cautioned US President Donald Trump about pursuing hostile policies against Tehran, saying "America should know ... war with Iran is the mother of all wars," the state new agency IRNA reported.

Iran faces increased US pressure and looming sanctions after Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from a 2015 international deal over Iran's nuclear program.

Addressing a gathering of Iranian diplomats, Rouhani said: "Mr Trump, don't play with the lion's tail, this would only lead to regret," IRNA reported.

"America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars," Rouhani said.
Martin Frieberg (number 17), Mark Regev's father, survived the Nazis by hiding in the German countryside until liberation. My father's family were German Jews who didn't get out before the war, they were stuck in Europe in the years of the Holocaust and they arrived in Australia in the late 1940s as postwar refugees." Regev's father spent much of the war hiding with his parents, brother and newborn sister in the countryside around Magdeburg. Loading "And so the idea that I grew up with, that I was born with, was Jewish people have to be conscious of their history and we have to make sure that we're no longer defenceless in the way we were in the 1930s and the 1940s," he says.

Safely in Australia, Regev was educated at Mount Scopus College, the Jewish day school that has turned out some of Australias highest achievers, including businessman Solomon Lew, cabinet minister Josh Frydenberg and fashion designer Peter Alexander. But one school could not fulfil all his ambitions. Mount Scopus didnt offer politics for the matric [final exams], so I went to Kew High once a week to [study]  I even remember the textbook, Regev recalls. His early politics were socialist. He lived on a kibbutz when he left Australia in 1982 for Israel then, after joining the diplomatic corps in 1990, he enjoyed a stellar rise through the ranks, with postings to China and Washington, DC. US ambassador to Britain Lew Lukens (left) with Mark Regev at the candlelight vigil in Trafalgar Square to remember those who lost their lives in the Westminster terrorist attack. Credit:PA

In 2006, he took on the high-profile job of prime ministerial spokesperson for Ehud Olmert and later Benjamin Netanyahu, fronting the worlds media to defend Israel against increasing international criticism of its actions in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Since 2016, he has been posted to London, but visits his family - a mother, his father's sister, two sisters and brother, all still in Melbourne - every 12 to 18 months. A front-row seat As Israel's ambassador to London, Regev is in the front seat for one of the most tumultuous times in Britain's recent political history, with the vote to leave the European Union and the rise of the hard Left in Jeremy Corbyn, a Labour leader often criticised for his lacklustre response to issues of anti-Semitism in the party. Is it right that you stay here and enjoy Australia, and people are fighting and dying? Israeli ambassador to Britain, Mark Regev

Regev wont detail his private discussions with Corbyn and is uncharacteristically short when pressed. The Labour Party leadership has said that they understand that this is a challenge, this is a problem and they are dealing with it, he says. Asked if he believes Labours assurances, Regev simply says: I ... that's what they say. While insisting it is not the job of an ambassador to scorecard individual British politicians, Regev is as blunt as a diplomat can be when asked if he believes Corbyn is personally anti-Semitic: He's always stressed that he is not." Britain's Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, joins a march opposed to the visit of Donald Trump. Credit:AP

One politician Regev is willing to discuss is Donald Trump  and with good reason. Trumps decision to move the US embassy to contested Jerusalem, to the dismay of allies including Britain and Australia, sparked the recent deadly protests on the Gaza border but caused jubilation in Israel. Regev says the broadly critical Western European view of Trump is not shared by those in the Middle East, who feel let down by Obamas failure to insist on his red lines when Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad deployed chemical weapons on his own people in 2013. In my part of the world, his popularity is pretty good, says Regev. Trumps withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal is also welcomed in the region, something Regev says the European states, which continue to stand by Obamas deal, should consider. A Palestinian medic treats a protester shot in the face with a teargas canister during protests in the Gaza Strip in June. Credit:AP

I would say to the Europeans ... Arabs and Israelis don't automatically agree on everything. When we do agree, people in Europe should pay attention. As ambassador, Regev spends more time with MPs than with the media but his core mission remains the same. Wherever he goes, he is repeatedly questioned about the Netanyahu governments increasing heavy-handedness against the Palestinians. But he has a ready supply of well-rehearsed answers, regardless of who is asking. Loading Like Netanyahu he blames the Hamas terrorists who he accuses of wanting to create as many victims as possible for propaganda  a trap that, by that measure, Israel repeatedly falls into. I agree with that, says Regev. From our point of view every casualty is bad for Israel and good for Hamas and that's why we don't want to see casualties so that's why we make a maximum effort to avoid casualties. Peace through technology

In the 1970s, Regev says the Arab world had the advantage over Israel. "We were in conflict with the Arab world and they had [oil]. And because they had this huge commodity that everyone in the international community needed they had leverage and they could galvanise international support for their positions," he explains. Back then Israels attempts to build a car were so bad that the only customer was the government, who forced the clunky vehicles upon public servants. Last year, Intel paid $15 billion for the Israeli company Mobileye, which develops software for driverless cars. Eventually, he says, paraphrasing Netanyahu, technology will provide the Israelis a way to protect themselves from Hamas incursions and potentially contribute to building a path to peace. Amnon Shashua, co-founder and chief technology officer of Mobileye, speaks during a keynote address at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Credit:Bloomberg

I remember when I was sitting with my prime minister half a decade ago in my previous job and the tunnelling issue became very serious and he would approach foreign leaders and say 'do you have technology to deal with tunnelling?' And he spoke to specific countries about their experiences and there wasn't a technology. We developed that technology. Israels reputation as a startup nation is one of the nation's leading exports. Regev, now 58, sees it as critical to catching up to the Arab states now facing a reckoning in a world weaning itself off oil. Maybe in the 21st century Israel has the metaphoric oil and it's because we have the technology and the innovation that we are producing the ideas and the products that the global economy requires. We have leverage that we didn't use to have, and that's why countries like India, like China, like Japan, like South Korea, Singapore are all strengthening their relations with Israel. It is Israel's economic confidence that gives Regev optimism for peace.
"The road to the Helsinki disaster was paved by Republican inaction every time Trump overstepped," said Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader. "Their silence, their acquiescence to things they know are wrong have given Trump the extra jolt he needed." Even before Trump was elected, Democrats and Republicans grappled with how to respond as Russians were hacking and leaking Democratic emails, flooding social media with pro-Trump and anti-Hillary Clinton messages, and even organising pro-Trump rallies. In September 2016, President Barack Obama summoned congressional leaders to the Oval Office to ask them to issue a strongly-worded bipartisan letter to state and local officials raising alarms about the Russian threat. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Credit:AP Democrats say Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader, dragged his feet and watered down the letter's language. Harry Reid, the former Democratic leader, said McConnell "set a tone of weakness and complicity," while Denis R. McDonough, Obama's former chief of staff, accused McConnell of "a stunning lack of urgency." Aides to McConnell strongly disputed that account and said Democrats were shifting blame for the Obama administration's failure to prevent the interference. "They made a lot of mistakes; they should not compound them now by trying to shift their failures onto others," said Don Stewart, McConnell's deputy chief of staff.

After the election, as the full scope of the Russian campaign was coming into focus, Republican leaders empowered their intelligence committees to begin full-scale investigations into their new president and his campaign, over Trump's objections. Six months later, Republicans again angered the White House by passing, nearly unanimously, legislation imposing tough new sanctions on Russia as punishment for their interference. Wary of Trump's friendly posture toward Russia, the lawmakers limited his authority to lift them and dared him to issue a veto. Republicans say they also appropriated hundreds of millions of dollars in new grants to states for election security and issued detailed reports on hardening election security. Loading And a smaller group of senators have chided Trump for second-guessing his intelligence agencies and attacking law enforcement agencies. "I've said it over and over again, I've said it to the president," said Senator Bob Corker, Republican, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "If we have problems, let's fix them, but when you start trying to cause Americans purposefully to distrust the Department of Justice or the FBI, you're doing tremendous damage to our nation."

But in the House, Trump loyalists have taken the opposite tack. They have wielded the considerable oversight powers of Congress to initiate a damaging investigation of the Russia investigators, publicly sowing doubts about the conclusions of US intelligence agencies and the work of the FBI and the Justice Department. Often drowning out the more temperate voices in their party, they have provided a forceful lift to Trump's frontal assault on the special counsel investigation and potentially emboldened him on the world stage. Just as the House Intelligence Committee began the chamber's Russia investigation, the committee's chairman, Representative Devin Nunes, moved immediately to undercut the inquiry with a bizarre late-night dash to the White House. There, he received classified intelligence that, he suggested, at least partly justified Trump's unsupported claim that Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower. The unusual episode quickly became the subject of an ethics investigation in the House, and Nunes temporarily removed himself from his committee's Russia inquiry. Rather than take a back seat, he began collecting documents and evidence that Republican allies of Trump have used against the Mueller investigation. House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican, has not participated in those attacks and has defended Mueller. But he has also given Nunes and his allies wide latitude, and has defended him. "He's focusing on keeping our country safe, focused on national security," Ryan told reporters in February, rejecting demands from Democrats that Nunes be stripped of his chairmanship. Along the way, Trump and his allies have benefited from the missteps by the FBI and the Justice Department. After the department released damning anti-Trump texts from two top FBI officials, congressional Republicans put them center stage  especially in the conservative news media  by accusing them of cooking up a politically-motivated investigation of the president.

"The public trust in this whole thing is gone," Representative Jim Jordan, a Republican, said in December, demanding that the Mueller investigation be called off. The attacks have not let up. There were charges that the FBI and Justice Department abused their power to spy on a former Trump campaign aide; charges by Trump and some Republicans that the FBI had planted spies inside the Trump campaign itself ("Spygate," the president called it); repeated threats to impeach Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general overseeing the inquiry, who recently announced the indictment of 12 Russian military intelligence officers. And when the House Intelligence Committee closed its Russia investigation, declaring no evidence of collusion, it raised doubts about the intelligence agencies' conclusion that Putin had wanted Trump to win, before backtracking. (In Helsinki last week, Putin confirmed that he had indeed wanted Trump to win. "Yes, I did. Yes, I did," he told reporters.) "What's been allowed to happen on the House Intelligence Committee is shameful, disgraceful, absolutely disgraceful," said Mark Salter, a longtime adviser to Senator John McCain.

McConnell and Ryan have repeatedly said Mueller should be allowed to finish his job. But even now, the threats continue. On the same day that Rosenstein announced the last round of special counsel indictments, Representative Mark Meadows, chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, was spotted on the House floor carrying the deputy attorney general's impeachment papers. Loading A day earlier, House Republicans convened a raucous hearing featuring Peter Strzok, one of the FBI agents who sent the anti-Trump texts, as the sole witness. Over nearly 10 hours and countless shouting matches, they grilled Stzrok on everything from the early days of the Russia investigation he helped start to his love life, prompting him at one point to declare that the hearing was "another victory notch in Putin's belt." Meadows and others say they are not out to protect Trump but to conduct legitimate oversight. Congress has a right to know, they say, particularly if investigators have made mistakes. They insist they take no issue with examining Russia's cybercampaign, but view the investigation into whether the Trump campaign cooperated with Russia as a partisan attack on Trump.

"I think he sees it as a push to delegitimize his presidency, and I would not necessarily disagree," Meadows said. "There are a lot of people who are using this narrative to delegitimise the election results from November." The Helsinki meeting, where Trump stood shoulder to shoulder with Putin and signaled he accepted the Russian president's denials, might have been a turning point for the party. But in the days that have followed, it seems only to have reinforced the competing positions. "No prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant," McCain said in the wake of the summit. But a day later, at a regular forum hosted by the Freedom Caucus, lawmakers close to Trump declared the meeting a success, pinning blame not on his performance but on the reporters who had the audacity to ask the two leaders about the attacks. "They ask about election collusion or election meddling," Representative Andy Harris, a Republican said. "That's the problem."
Washington: US President Donald Trump has tweeted that it looks more and more as though his campaign for the 2016 presidential election was spied upon illegally.

On Sunday, he tweeted that the Russia investigation was "an illegal Scam!"

The President offered no evidence to support his assertion.

Trump was reacting after the Justice Department on Saturday released a previously classified application to wiretap former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, who was under suspicion by the FBI of being a Russian agent.
Aspen: Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats sought to clarify remarks he made at a security conference last week that infuriated President Donald Trump and raised the possibility that the nation's top intelligence official could be fired.

While interviewing Coats on stage at the Aspen Security Forum on Thursday, NBC's Andrea Mitchell read a White House tweet announcing that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been invited to Washington. A clearly surprised Coats, who had not been told of the invitation, laughed and said, "That's going to be special."

In a statement issued on Saturday, Coats said, "My admittedly awkward response was in no way meant to be disrespectful or criticise the actions of the President."
Our sun is surrounded by a deep, million-degree atmosphere that affects everything in the solar system  but how, precisely, it does so is a mystery.

The atmosphere, called the corona, produces the solar wind  a flood of charged particles that stream out of the sun and across the solar system. As the solar wind travels to Earth, it brings threats of radiation and magnetic interference.

Now, in a new study, researchers have finally managed to watch it being born in the sun's outer corona. The images provide enough detail for researchers to be able to start piecing together why it flows in such complex ways. They have concluded that one likely explanation is that the turbulence is a legacy of where it comes from. [During Eclipses, Astronomers Try to Reveal the Secrets of the Solar Wind]

"Previous images showed the outer corona as a smooth structure, but in deep space, the solar wind is turbulent and gusty," co-author Craig DeForest, a solar physicist at the Southwest Research Institute in Texas, said in a university statement. "Using new techniques to improve image fidelity, we realized that the corona is not smooth, but structured and dynamic. Every structure that we thought we understood turns out to be made of smaller ones, and to be more dynamic than we thought."

The research relied on data from STEREO, a NASA mission that has been orbiting the sun since 2006. It carries an instrument called a coronagraph, which uses a black disk to block out the bright surface of the sun. That lets scientists see what's happening in the corona, which is much fainter than the surface and would otherwise be washed out by its light.

But that data hasn't been detailed enough to let scientists see what's really happening inside the corona, according to NASA. To tackle that problem, the researchers first asked for a specific type of data from the STEREO team: long-exposure images that would capture fainter signals. Then, they set to work laboriously cleaning up the data to remove confusing factors like the light of background stars or false signals from the instrument itself.

The cleanup involved piecing together the images in a particularly careful way that considered how quickly the solar wind was flowing out and shifting the images accordingly. To do so, they matched up images over time, according to their place in the flow of solar wind, rather than their specific location in space  like tracking individual patches of solar wind as they streamed out of the sun.

The process is the equivalent of aligning sequential images of a log drifting in a current so that the log, rather than the trees along the riverbank, stacks up in every image  offering a more detailed image of the log.

The solar wind, as seen before (left) and after (right) serious imaging processing. While the processed image may look fuzzier, it's actually a better view of the solar wind, with background stars and dust eliminated from view. (Image credit: Craig DeForest, SwRI/NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center)

The result is a much clearer picture of the flow of solar wind, showing the smaller structures that make up the seemingly disorganized whole. That structure, hidden below the smooth surface, helps explain why the solar wind flows so turbulently as it travels farther away from the sun.

The research is described in a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal on July 18.

The new imaging also highlighted a region where things got particularly interesting, about 4.3 million miles (7 million kilometers) above the sun's surface. Before and after this point, the solar wind was relatively easy to track, but in this region, the flow seemed to hit a bump in the road. The team isn't sure what's happening there.

Conveniently enough, NASA is due to launch a new mission that will bring scientists even more data about the sun's corona. The Parker Solar Probe, scheduled for launch in early August with data collection beginning later this year, will eventually fly directly through this region of our star, dipping below the bumpy section  and hopefully deciphering still more mysteries about the solar wind and its birthplace.

Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
The latest version of SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket lifted off for the second time ever today (July 22), lighting up the skies over Florida's Space Coast in a dazzling predawn launch.

The "Block 5" variant of the two-stage Falcon 9 blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 1:50 a.m. EDT (0550 GMT), successfully delivering to orbit a satellite for the Canadian communications company Telesat.

And the action didn't stop there. Less than 9 minutes after launch, the rocket's first stage came back down to Earth, acing a landing aboard the SpaceX drone ship "Of Course I Still Love You" a few hundred miles off the Florida coast. [In Photos: SpaceX's Double Rocket Launches and Landings of October 2017]

The Telstar 19V satellite deploys into orbit from the second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on July 22, 2018. (Image credit: SpaceX)

The Block 5 is the newest, most powerful and most reusable version of the Falcon 9. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has said that Block 5 first stages are designed to fly at least 10 times with just inspections between landing and liftoff, and 100 times or more with some refurbishment involved.

Such extensive reuse is key to Musk's quest to slash the cost of spaceflight, making Mars colonization and other bold exploration efforts economically feasible. To date, SpaceX has successfully landed more than two dozen Falcon 9 first stages and re-flown landed boosters on more than a dozen occasions.

This morning's liftoff was the first for this particular first stage, however. The only other previous Block 5 flight, which occurred this past May, also involved a brand-new rocket.

The satellite lofted this morning, called Telstar 19V, is headed for geostationary orbit, about 22,250 miles (35,800 kilometers) above Earth. Telstar 19V, which was built by California-based company SSL, will provide broadband service to customers throughout the Americas and Atlantic Ocean region, according to a Telesat fact sheet.

This morning's launch kicks off a busy stretch for SpaceX and the Falcon 9. Block 5 vehicles are scheduled to launch communications satellites for the companies Iridium and Telkom Indonesia on July 25 and Aug. 2, respectively.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the Telstar 19V communications satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on July 22, 2018. (Image credit: SpaceX)

The July 25 mission will feature an attempt to catch the Falcon 9's payload fairing  the protective nose cone that shrouds satellites during liftoff  with SpaceX's superfast boat "Mr. Steven," according to media reports. SpaceX recently outfitted Mr. Steven with a much larger net, to give the vessel a better chance of pulling off its first mid-air snag.

The Block 5 is the last Falcon 9 variant that SpaceX will produce, Musk has said. The company eventually plans to shift all spaceflight responsibilities to its in-development BFR Mars-colonization rocket-spaceship duo.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
Bir Lahlou (Liberated Territories), July 22, 2018 (SPS) - The Polisario Front expressed its deep concern over the attitude of some countries of the European Union (EU) which are still receiving products from the occupied Sahrawi territories in flagrant violation of the humanitarian international law, said Mhamed Kheddad, head of the external relations of the Polisario Fronts national secretariat.



The Sahrawi official said in a letter sent to the German minister of Foreign Affairs that EU has become a real obstacle to the peace efforts conducted by the United Nations and prolongs, through these decisions, the sufferings of the Sahrawi people and increases tensions as well as threats on security and stability in the region.



In this letter, Mhamed Kheddad expressed the Polisario Fronts deep concern over the information according to which Germany will receive shortly a cargo of fish from the occupied territories of Western Sahara, and which will be shipped Thursday to Berlin in a Dutch boat, le Bente, loaded with nearly 3000 tonnes of fish meal.



He added that the Polisario Front, the only and legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people, firmly condemns this illegal exportation of the natural resources of the occupied territories of Western Sahara and which was carried out without consulting the Sahrawi people.



The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) invalidated in 2016 and in 2018 EU-Morocco commercial and fishing agreements for including the occupied territories of Western Sahara as they didnt respect the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination as stipulated by UN resolutions. (SPS)



062/SPS/APS
Alexander Palios was familiar with eyewear maker Warby Parkers online selection. But he still wanted to do some product testing before buying new frames.

After walking around the corner from his office to the retailers first Connecticut store, in downtown Greenwich, the 28-year-old portfolio management associate for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management quickly settled on a pair of $95 Earl Grey spectacles.

Since its July 14 opening at 346 Greenwich Ave., the showroom has attracted many other customers keen to try out their glasses before buying. The stores launch underscores the belief of the fast-growing company  whose roots are in online sales  that while digital advances continue to reshape the retail industry, brick-and-mortar options remain indispensable to large numbers of customers.

You can shop all you want online, Palios said. But its still good to have a place you can walk to in order to try on the frames.

Draw of in-person shopping

Contrasting with most of its neighbors on Greenwich Avenue, Warby Parker started, in 2010, as an online-only company.

In response to customer demand, the company has steadily grown its network of stores since the opening of its first showroom, in April 2013, in Manhattans SoHo neighborhood. Warby Parker now operates in about 70 locations in the U.S. and Canada.

Were going to create experiences that are fun and convenient for customers, Warby Parker co-founder and co-CEO Neil Blumenthal said in an interview. Were going to make it as easy as possible for customers to buy glasses through whichever mediums they prefer, whether thats on mobile devices, on a laptop or in a store. We recognize that different customers have different preferences.

The interior of the 1,250-square-foot storefront on Greenwich Avenue, which was formerly occupied by a jewelry store, features a library-like interior.

Eyeglasses and sunglasses  most of which sell, with lenses, for $95  are displayed on oak shelves, which are framed by rows of hardcover books. The selection includes a store exclusive: Hunt Wide sunglasses, in a Paloma Crystal color, that feature flash-mirror shiny lenses.

A colorful mural by illustrator Maira Kalman, which shows an assortment of bespectacled figures reading and walking, adds to the interiors visual pop.

Weve always loved Greenwich Avenue and the fact that it is this main street that has a ton of community, Blumenthal said. We have a disproportionately low number of locations in indoor malls and a relatively high number of street locations because we think street locations better represent the brand and allows us to become part of the local community.

Brick-and-mortar resilience

Warby Parker plans to expand to a total of about 90 stores by the end of this year. The company could add stores in Connecticut, possibly in Stamford, New Haven or Westport, according to Blumenthal.

We know we have lots of customers from Connecticut because we ship a lot of glasses to homes in Connecticut, Blumenthal said. Its a state thats embraced us as a brand.

Greenwich Avenue, meanwhile, is still looking for more retailers. Despite the arrival of Warby Parker, a number of vacant storefronts still dot the street, including one next to Warby Parker.

Prominent departures in the past couple of years include the closing of a Ralph Lauren store in May 2017, an exit that comprised part of a companywide downsizing that also shuttered the designers flagship store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

If you drive up and down Greenwich Avenue today versus a few months ago, the number of stores that have opened or are in the process of opening has taken a lot of vacancy off the street, said Cory Gubner, founder and CEO of Stamford-based commercial real estate firm Rhys, which brokered Warby Parkers Greenwich Avenue lease. There are still vacancies, but there is no longer an overwhelming amount of vacancies. There are always going to be vacancies  good market or bad market. A street like Greenwich Avenue is never 100 percent leased.

The tenant mix on the street increasingly favors businesses like Warby Parker. Other recent arrivals include Bonobos, another retailer with e-commerce roots, whose 1,100-square-foot storefront at 53 Greenwich Ave., launched in May 2017.

Brick and mortar is still struggling to some extent, said Jessica Curtis, Stamford-based senior vice president of commercial real estate firm CBRE. But its important to remember there is a natural life cycle to everything. A lot of the stores that were seeing close are retailers that have been around a long time and havent necessarily evolved to the changing retail landscape or customers changing preferences and tastes.

Amid those shifts, stores like Warby Parker can still count on repeat business from customers like Palios.

Today was my first purchase, Palios said. But Ill probably be back to buy three more frames.

pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; Twitter: @paulschott
David Stemerman, the Greenwich hedge fund mogul who is seeking Republican nomination for governor, released a new attack ad Wednesday, but it has already raised questions  about Stemerman.

The ad criticizes fellow Republican businessman Bob Stefanowski for not voting for the past ten years, his history of contributing to Democrats and the fact Stefanwoski was registered as a Democrat last year.

We think it is critical for people to have the essential facts, Stemerman said in a meeting with the Hearst Connecticut Media editorial board Wednesday. I dont view anything that Ive done as a personal attack in any way, it is simply highlighting the facts of the race and we will be highlighting the facts for the other competitors in the race as well so that the electorate is informed.

Stefanowski defended his voting record at Mohegan Sun last week: I didnt vote, I should have, I wish it were different.

Nevermind that Stemerman himself was registered as a Democrat from 1996 to 2003 and contributed $2,300 to Barack Obamas 2008 presidential campaign.

The contrast in this race could not be more clear - David has been a registered Republican for over 15 years and has donated tens of thousands of dollars to Republican candidates and conservative organizations over that same period of time, his campaign said. Bob Stefanowski not only didnt vote for over 15 years or support our last three Republican Presidential nominees, but he was a registered Democrat who donated to fellow Democrats right up until he decided to run for Governor last year. The facts speak for themselves and Republicans in Connecticut deserve to know them.

Stefanowski has made most of his political contributions in recent years to the political action committees of his former employers General Electric and UBS, public records from the Federal Elections Commission show. But in 2015 he made a $2,500 contribution to Brian Schatz, a Democratic senator from Hawaii, and in 2007 he contributed $2,300 to Democrat Chris Dodds presidential run and $1,000 to Colorado Democrat Jared Polis. Hes also made contributions to Republican Rudy Giuliani on several occasions, and contributed to California Republican Tom Del Beccaro in 2015.

Other Republican candidates beware: more attack ads are on the way from Stemerman. Mark Boughton, tax increases in Trumbull and Danbury are on Stemermans agenda.

kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt
S eptember, with its lingering heat and crowd-free beaches, is undoubtedly one of the best months to travel.

School's back which means family-saturated European destinations will be less tourist-heavy but the weather still lovely and warm.

The Christmas rush is still a few months away and the summer season is dying down which often means cheaper deals on flights and accommodation.

To help spark a few ideas, we've rounded up the best destinations to travel to in September below.

Accursed Mountains, Albania

For those who like to follow the path less travelled / Shutterstock / Tomas Laburda

Bjeshket e Namuna, otherwise known as the 'Accursed Mountains', has become a popular backpacking destination in recent years and for good reason - the scenery is absolutely stunning. Head there in September for warm weather and make sure you do the five hour hike between Valbona and Theth before venturing on to the Albanian Riviera.

Munich, Germany

It's not just about Oktoberfest, check out Munich's stunning scenery too / Pixabay

One word: Oktoberfest. The beloved beer festival is held at the end of September each year making it the best time to visit this city for any beer lover.

Chefchaouen, Morocco

You will definitely need to take your Instagram boyfriend here / Unsplash

The ultimate Instagrammable destination, Chefchaouen is a city located in the Rif Mountains in northern Morocco and known for its blue-washed buildings. The striking city is picture perfect and September is a great time to visit as the temperatures have dropped to an average of 28C.

Sicily, Italy

Water so blue it would be rude not to swim in it / Pixabay

While Sicily is stunning at any time of year, September means less tourists but still warm weather. While visiting the largest Mediterranean island, go for a hike along the stunning coastline, visit one of the ancient sites and indulge in delicious Italian street food.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

These colourful houses are postcard perfect / Shutterstock

Argentina's capital city combines a vibrant foodie scene with French and Italian-inspired architecture that is alluring to any traveller. What's more is Norwegian announced direct flights to Buenos Aires from London Gatwick lasy year which means getting there has never been easier.

Vis, Croatia

Make like a Dancing Queen and shimmy your way over to Vis / Shutterstock

The furthest island from Croatia's coastline, Vis is a two-hour ferry ride from Split and well worth the journey to marvel at its stunning beaches and lush landscape. September means sun worshippers are back at work, leaving the island yours to explore.

Lake District, UK

Quaint and quiet, just how we like our holidays / Pixabay

When the leaves change colour at the end of September, the Lake District transforms into a postcard perfect autumnal wonderland. Book a stay in one of the many resorts dotted across the area and head up for a relaxing long weekend filled with pampering and country walks.

Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Can someone please get us to that hammock ASAP? / Pixabay

A trip to Bora Bora is guaranteed to be filled with a number of pinch yourself moments - the first will be flying in and looking down and the clear turquoise waters. Snorkel with sharks and stingrays, read a book listening to the waves softly lapping on the shore and, at night, go for long walks on the beach and look up at the glittering stars.

Santorini, Greece

You'll leave wondering why on earth everyone doesn't make their houses this pretty / Unsplash

September is the perfect time to go to Greece, as it will be quiet now that school is back yet you can still enjoy the long summer nights. With a couple of gyros in had, secure a spot to watch the iconic Santorini sunset each night of your vacation - it truly never gets old. Top tip: skip Oia and head to the castle ruins on the hilltop town of Pyrgos to watch the sunset. Here, you'll skip the crowds and get an uninterrupted view of the sunset.

Beijing, China

Want to walk the whole thing? It's over 27,000 kilometres long / Pixabay
A three-year-old boy injured in an evil acid attack in Worcester was sitting in a pushchair when he was deliberately targeted by thugs, police have revealed.

The toddler may suffer life-changing injuries after a corrosive substance was thrown or sprayed over him in Home Bargains on Saturday.

West Mercia Police said the child, who was treated for burns to his hands and arm, was released on Sunday afternoon and is now recovering at home.

Chief Superintendent Mark Travis told Sky News: We are uncertain about the long-term implications of those burns, but we do hope that these won't be life-changing injuries."

Police want to speak to these three men in connection with the incident / PA

Ch Supt Travis renewed the appeal for information about three men seen in images released by police.

"We are really, really keen that the images we have released will hopefully bring forward information about people who may be able to help us, who were in the store at the time of the incident.

"If those people can come forward or people could identify those people it will help us understand the motivation for this," he said.

He said the men were in the shop at the time of the attack and were "in very close proximity to the little boy".

The attack happened at Home Bargains in Shrub Hill Retail Park in Worcester / PA

They left the store in the direction of the city centre and he urged anyone who has seen "anything discarded in the area" to come forward.

A 39-year-old man from Wolverhampton has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm and remains in police custody.

Worcester City Council leader Marc Bayliss described the attack as "absolutely pure evil".

He added: "I have never heard of an acid attack in Worcester so this is absolutely not something we have any experience of."

Worcester MP Robin Walker said the attack was "horrific", and added: "The shock will be universal, anyone conducting such an attack on a small child is just appalling."

The incident occurred at around 2.15pm on Saturday in the Home Bargains store on the Shrub Hill Retail Park in Tallow Hill.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said a crew arrived at the scene in eight minutes and "liaised with the trust's hazardous area response team for specialist advice".

A local shop worker, who did not want to be named, said he saw a number of emergency services at the store on Saturday and two police officers were stationed outside on Sunday.

The deputy leader of Worcester City Council, Adrian Gregson, said he was in the shop next door shortly after the attack.

He told the Press Association: "I was in the shop next door when it was going on, it was around mid-afternoon.

"There were a couple of fire engines and a fire incident vehicle and a police car."

A Home Bargains spokeswoman said: "Our thoughts are with this young child and his family at this very difficult time."

A shopper who left the store shortly before the child was injured said police, fire and ambulance crews arrived within minutes.

The man, who asked not to be named, said: "To think of a three-year-old being hit by acid in Worcester is just horrific.

"Shoppers were asked to leave the store and then staff were too, while the emergency services did what they were doing inside. People just can't believe it has happened."
F urious revellers claimed the popular Lambeth Country Show had been destroyed after the council erected a perimeter fence around the event for the first time in 44 years.

The two-metre high metal wall was put up in Brockwell Park, Brixton, following concerns from authorities.

Security bag checks were introduced meaning fair-goers were banned from taking their own alcohol into the free event.

Outraged attendees claimed the new regulations had absolutely destroyed the event.

The council said on Friday that the fence was designed to ensure public safety and would not impact on the enjoyment of the event.

They added that it was necessary for insurance purposes and said alcohol had never been allowed on the site.

Michael Brown wrote on Twitter: @lambeth_council What have you done to this once lovely event? After today we have taken the decision not to attend anymore. Totally ruined through profiteering and over engineering. No ambience, no community and no soul. An absolute travesty.

Kate Bod added: At the Lambeth Country show for the first time in years. Its changed a lot. Big fence, what?

Nick Gordon said: How to mess with a perfectly good event: do a Trump and put a wall around it, tell everyone its for their safety and stop everyone from bringing their own refreshments so they buy expensive alternatives at the event. Yeah, I wont be going to the #LambethCountryShow this year.

Chris Shepherd added: Arrived at #LambethCountryShow but with billions of people, body searches and a big perimeter wall. me and my son have decided not to go in. It looks too mental."

Others complained the shows alcohol policy sparked huge queues at bars and at an ever-popular cider stall.

One person claimed they were forced to wait for 45 minutes in a queue of 200 people for a drink.

Clare Grady added: My daughter and friends ended up on the wrong side so they could drink their own beer. atmosphere inside =corporate bulls***.

Another person wrote: Thanks lambeth council you have ruined what was a great weekend. Do I really want to queue for an hour for overpriced warm beer? NO! wont be going again.

However, many people praised the show saying they'd "barely noticed" the changes.

One person said: "Broken, but happy. Motorcycling children, awesome music, fantastic food, political vegetables and a science show, who could want more? I'm sad that #LambethCountryShow has changed, but the energy of our little area can't be beaten.."

Poppy added: "OK, I admit I was wrong. Thought I'd hate #LambethCountryShow this year thanks to fencing and ridiculous security but I was wrong and barely noticed it. Loved it as much as always and spent more than ever on amazing food, frivolities and fun! Roll on 2019...."

Catherine wrote: "Such a brilliant time today at Lambeth Country Fair. Just a real shame that its ringed by such a huge, unwelcoming, unfriendly, non-communicative wall with absolutely zero signage. Doesnt mirror the essence of the weekend at all, and almost made us not go."

Brockwell wall: this is the first year the popular fair was surrounded by a fence / @KMcCarthyWoolf

The comments came after bereaved families were left devastated to find memorial benches had been blocked off by the perimeter fence.

A council spokesman said: The free to enter annual Lambeth Country Show is again proving to be a brilliant celebration of our communities.

A long-standing alcohol ban remains in place at the Lambeth Country Show this year, but people have been welcome to bring in food and non-alcoholic drinks.

The prices of drinks vary between licenced stalls, with vendors such as the ever popular Chuckle Head Cider charging the same as last year.

The security has been boosted at this years event based on advice from our Safety Advisory Group stakeholders and insurance requirements. Running a safe event is a top priority.
F ormer Tory Prime Minister Sir John Major has said a second Brexit referendum is morally justified  as a new poll revealed support for staying in the EU over crashing out without a deal.

Sir John said PM Theresa May was boxed in by hardline Brexiteers and warned stalemate in the Commons could leave Britain facing a no-deal scenario.

His comments came as polling showed support for staying in the EU over leaving with no deal if a new referendum was held.

Remaining in the EU would beat leaving with no deal by 54 per cent to 46, according to a YouGov poll for The Sunday Times.

Just 11 per cent of voters would back leaving the EU on the terms put forward by Mrs May in her Chequers deal, with 38 per cent backing a no-deal Brexit and 50 per cent saying they would vote to remain in the EU, the poll showed.

Former Conservative PM Sir John admitted a second referendum has democratic downsides, adding: It has difficulties. But is it morally justified? I think it is.

"If you look back at the Leave campaign a great many of the promises they made were fantasy promises. We now know they are not going to be met.

"A referendum isn't an easy option, but it's not one at this stage that I would rule out."

Referring to the "irreconcilable" stance taken by hardline Tory Brexiteers, Sir John said: "That has boxed the Government and particularly the Prime Minister into a corner.

"They are a minority of the House of Commons, a substantial minority of the House of Commons, but they are larger than the Government's majority.

Moral justification: Sir John Major / BBC

"The danger at the moment is that they will frustrate every move the Government seek to make and by accident, because nothing can be agreed, we will crash out without a deal."

His intervention comes as new Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab accused the EU of "irresponsibly" ramping-up pressure in withdrawal negotiations.

Asked about comments from Brussels that a no deal scenario would mean there would be no specific arrangements in place for UK citizens living on the continent, or for EU migrants in Britain, Mr Raab told the BBC: "Well, I think that's a rather irresponsible thing to be coming from the other side.

"We ought to be trying to reassure citizens on the Continent and also here.

"There is obviously an attempt to try and ramp-up the pressure."

Mr Raab said he would be returning to Brussels on Thursday for more Brexit talks.

Dominic Raab, left, and Michel Barnier / AP

He said: "If it's reciprocated, the energy that we are going to bring to these negotiations, the ambition, and the pragmatism, we (will) get a deal done in October."

Mr Raab said it is "useful" the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier is asking questions about the white paper's detail.

He said: "This is an unprecedented situation, we're coming out with innovative proposals, we need to work together.

"But actually the fact Michel Barnier is not blowing it out the water but asking questions is a good positive sign - that's what we negotiate on."

Mr Raab's involvement with the Vote Leave campaign was also highlighted after it was referred to the police by the Electoral Commission for breaking spending limits during the EU referendum.

Asked if he believed the watchdog was politically biased, Mr Raab said: "I'm not getting into all of that - we've got the rule of law and I respect it, and there's been a report out in the papers today about whether actually the Government's campaigning was correct."
T he introduction of more powerful 3D scanners for hand luggage at Heathrow has been hailed as the "beginning of the end" of the liquids ban on flights.

Computed tomography (CT) scanners - already widely used in hospitals for patients' X-rays - can give a detailed 3D image of inside a person's suitcase.

Already used to check hold baggage, the Department for Transport said it will deploy CT scanners at a "small number" of security lanes in Heathrow for six to 12-month trials along with automatic explosive detection technology.

Some passengers using those lanes will therefore not need to remove their laptops or liquids from their luggage, as the scanner allows security personnel to look at the contents from every angle.

"It is the beginning of the end of the liquid ban and it's long overdue," said Philip Baum, editor of Aviation Security Magazine, in an interview with the Sunday Times.

The current rules, introduced in 2006 after a terrorist plot to bomb transatlantic flights using liquid explosives, state that travellers must keep liquids of up to 100ml in transparent plastic bags to be scanned separately from other items.

Officials have not specified which terminals they are testing the scanners in, and the Department for Transport stressed that passengers should still expect to need to remove items from their bags if asked to.

CT scanners have been tested at several international airports including John F Kennedy in New York and Geneva airport, which both trialled the technology earlier this month, according to the Sunday Times.

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: "The UK has some of the strictest security measures in the world, and we are leading the way in using new technology to improve security screening and provide a better experience for passengers.

"We already have state of the art automated screening lanes in place at many of our airports, and new X-ray technology with automatic explosive detection capability is now being trialled in the UK.
T he police watchdog is investigating allegations of "serious corruption and malpractice" within Scotland Yard's own standards unit, a director has said.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is probing claims of "potentially conflicted" senior officers in the Metropolitan Police's anti-corruption unit.

Its investigation will examine whether officers within the Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) unit - subject of the BBC drama Line of Duty - interfered with or curtailed investigations or failed to look at alleged wrongdoing altogether.

Jonathan Green, the IOPC's London director, said the watchdog was also investigating claims of racial discrimination in the DPS, which is tasked with tackling misconduct and corruption in the UK's largest police force.

So far, gross misconduct notices have been served on three officers, one of whom is also under criminal investigation, while "a number of officers" are also being assessed.

Scotland Yard said it was "fully co-operating" with the IOPC's investigation into allegations against "a number of MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) personnel".

Mr Green told The Sunday Times: "I can confirm we have begun an investigation into allegations of serious corruption and malpractice within the Directorate of Professional Standards of the Metropolitan police.

"The investigation includes alleged interference in, and curtailment of, investigations by potentially conflicted senior officers, failure to investigate allegations of wrongdoing, systemic removal of the restrictions of officers under investigation and racial discrimination.

"As part of this investigation three officers have been served with gross misconduct notices and one of those officers is also under criminal investigation. Assessments on the status of a number of other officers remains ongoing."

According to The Sunday Times, three whistleblowers from the force approached the IOPC to allege members of the DPS were shielding officers from a range of allegations.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "The Metropolitan Police Service has referred allegations regarding the conduct of a number of MPS personnel to the IOPC which is conducting an independent investigation.
O ne of Emmanuel Macrons top security aides has been charged over allegations he beat a protester during Frances May Day rallies.

The charges came after French authorities opened a judicial investigation over the alleged assault, which has sparked the first major political crisis for Mr Macron since he took office last year.

A judge handed Alexandre Benalla multiple charges including violence, interfering in the exercise of public office and the unauthorised public display of official insignia on Sunday night.

The video, made public by Le Monde newspaper on Wednesday, showed Mr Benalla apparently wearing a police helmet at the May Day protest. He is not a police officer.

This image appears to show Alexandre Benalla (centre) wearing a police visor, next to Vincent Crase / AFP/Getty Images

Four others were also charged including Vincent Crase, who worked for Mr Macron's party and was with Mr Benalla on the day of the protest, and three police officers who were suspected of illegally passing footage from the event to Mr Benalla.

Mr Crase was handed preliminary charges of violence and prohibited possession of a weapon.

May Day 2018: Clashes in Paris - In pictures 1 /23 May Day 2018: Clashes in Paris - In pictures A McDonald's restaurant is hit with petrol bombs thrown by activists during the traditional May Day rally AP A car burns outside a Renault automobile garage during clashes at the May Day labour union march in Paris, France Reuters A CRS riot policeman throws a teargas shell towards protesters during a demonstration on the sidelines of a march for the annual May Day workers' rally AFP/Getty Images A car burns outside a Renault automobile garage during clashes at the May Day labour union march Reuters A protester holds a strip of fireworks as they explode during a demonstration on the sidelines of a march for the annual May Day workers' rally in Paris AFP/Getty Images Protesters run to shelter behind banners as teargas clouds rise during the demonstration AFP/Getty Images A chained activist, with his body painted in black, lifts a fake stone bearing the name of French President Emmanuel Macron and the word "people" on his torso AP Masked protesters hold safety flares during the traditional May Day labour union march in Paris Reuters Masked youth protesters clash with French police forces during a demonstration of workers from the private and public sectors as well as labor unions EPA Protestors gather behind a burning barrier during a demonstration on the sidelines of a march for the annual May Day workers' rally AFP/Getty Images A masked youth protester throws stones in clashes with French police forces EPA Masked and hooded protesters react as they walk behind a banner during the traditional May Day labour union march in Paris Reuters A masked protester walks near a car that burns outside a Renault automobile garage during clashes Reuters Activists clash with riot police during the traditional May Day rally AP A man runs past a burning car and scooter set on fire by activists AP A masked protester throws a rock during clashes in Paris Reuters A firefighter walks past burning cars set on fire by activists during the traditional May Day rally in the center of Paris AP Activists smash windows of a McDonald's restaurant after it was hit with petrol bombs AP Activists wearing gas masks march behind a banner depicting former German philosopher and revolutionary socialist Karl Marx AP An activist smashes the windows of a McDonald's restaurant AP Riot police detain protesters after clashes broke out with activists on the sidelines of the traditional May Day rally AP French riot police forces face young masked protesters EPA A protester holds a French tricolored flag with an anti-Macron slogan outside a destroyed McDonald's fast food restaurant EPA
A woman was fatally wounded when a gunman being chased by police in Los Angeles fled into a supermarket and took hostages, authorities have said.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said the woman was killed inside the Trader Joe's store in the Silver Lake area.

A man was taken into custody following the incident.

Police said the suspect shot his grandmother and girlfriend on Saturday before leading police on a car chase that ended when he crashed into a pole and ran inside the supermarket as bullets from officers shattered the front doors.

About three hours after he took hostages in the store, the suspect surrendered.

Police at the scene of the incident in Los Angeles / AP

Officers with riot gear, armed with rifles, had stood along the side of the Trader Joe's and used mirrors to try to look inside as hostages periodically came out of the front door with their hands raised.

The suspect walked out with a cluster of four hostages and appeared to be already handcuffed as the group emerged through the front door.

Police immediately surrounded the suspect, searched him and then brought him to a waiting ambulance. The man appeared to have blood on his left arm.

Investigators believe the suspect, whose name has not been released, had shot his grandmother and girlfriend at about 1.30pm in South Los Angeles and then fled in a 2015 Toyota Camry, Sergeant Barry Montgomery, a Los Angeles police spokesman, said.

Emergency services wheel a woman on a stretcher during the ordeal / AFP/Getty Images

Officers spotted the suspect's car near Hollywood and tried to pull him over, but the man refused to stop and led officers on a pursuit, he said. During the chase, the suspect shot "multiple rounds" at officers, though no officers were struck by the gunfire, he added.

The suspect eventually crashed his car outside the supermarket and then ran into the store.

Don Kohles, 91, was walking into the supermarket when he saw a car being chased by police crash into a pole just outside. Police fired at the driver, shattering the store's glass doors, while those inside the store took cover and laid on the floor as the suspect ran inside, he said.

Armed police at the scene, using a mirror to see inside the supermarket / AP

He could hear others around him sobbing as the man ran towards the back of the store and yelled at people, but Mr Kohles said he did not hear any more gunshots. After about 30 minutes, police came inside and rushed some of the customers out, he said.

People frantically tried to flee from the store and some were seen climbing through windows while others darted through the back door.

Christian Dunlop, an estate agent and actor who lives nearby, said he was watching from the corner when he saw four people run out the front of the store. An employee was dragging an injured woman by the hands out of the front door, he said.
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NATO's obsession with pulling in as many small, unstable and potentially extremist countries in Eastern Europe as possible makes a world war inevitable rather than deterring one.

The reason for this could not be more simple or clear: Small countries start world wars and destroy the empires and great nations that go to war to defend them.

Belgium doomed England and Serbia doomed Russia in 1914.

The Russian Empire, the largest nation in the world in terms of area and the third largest after the British Empire and China in terms of population at the time, went to war to defend Serbia from invasion by Austria-Hungary.

This was a spectacularly unnecessary and catastrophic decision: Count Witte, the great elder statesman of the czarist aristocracy was completely against it. So was the notorious, but ultimately well-meaning mystic and self-proclaimed holy man Gregory Rasputin., He frantically cabled Czar Nikolai II to not take the fateful decision.

Russia in truth owed Serbia nothing beyond a general feeling of solidarity for a fellow Slav nation. The Serbian governments attitude towards Russia was far different. They were determined to pull Russia into a full-scale war with Austria-Hungary to destroy that empire. There is no sign that anyone in the Serbian government expressed any concern or regret then or ever afterwards for the 3.4 million Russian deaths in the war, not to mention the many millions who were killed in the Russian civil war, British, Japanese and French military interventions and the terrible typhus epidemic of 1920 that followed.

Indeed, Serbia, in modern terms, was a terrorist state in 1914. Serbian Military intelligence financed, organized and armed the Black Hand terrorist group that gunned down the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Habsburg throne in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Austro-Hungarian intelligence was so incompetent they were never able to prove the connection at the time.

Britains descent into the chaos of World War I was even more unnecessary than Russias. Britain had no treaty commitment to go to the aid of France but it did have a treaty guaranteeing the security of tiny Belgium. However, that 1839 Treaty of London was 75 years old  even older than the NATO alliance is today and the British were free to ignore it.

Instead, the British therefore went to war in 1914, amid an orgy of public sentiment to defend gallant, little Belgium.

But the kingdom of Belgium was not gallant at all. A mere four years before the outbreak of war, international pressure had forced Belgiums King Leopold to end a 30 year genocide in the heart of Africa, the Belgian Congo, later known as Zaire and today as the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It was one of the worst genocides and examples of mass killing in human history. Leopolds agents killed an estimated10 million people in the Congo over a 30 year period in order to plunder it of all forms of natural resources and wealth.

Britain therefore went to war in 1914 to protect the successors to a truly genocidal regime in tiny Belgium. Yet that conflict killed, crippled or led to the premature deaths from injuries and hardships of one in three every male Britons between the ages of 18 and 45 when the war started.

As the great British 20th century novelist C.S. Forester later observed in his book The General, Englishmen through that conflict were dying at in greater numbers and at a faster rate than at any time since the Black Death bubonic plague epidemic of the 1340s, 570 years earlier.

The lesson that obsessive concerns about small and irresponsible countries needlessly pull great nations and empires to their own destruction was retold a quarter century later when Britain and France went to war with Nazi Germany to defend Poland in 1939.

1930s Poland, British historian Paul Johnson pointed out in Modern Times was a racist regime whose systems of legal persecution against Russians, Ukrainians and Jews closely paralleled that of Afrikaaner, white supremacist South Africa in the 20th century.

Yet the Poles, who had previously waged successful aggressions to seize territories from Lithuania, Czechoslovakia and even from the Soviet Union in 1920, flatly refused to cooperate with the Soviet Union, the only nation militarily capable at the time of deterring any Nazi attack. The British and the French agreed with the Poles. Hence they failed to take the only credible action that could have prevented the war.

Today, it is the United States that is treading down the fateful path that Czar Nikolai, the British in 1914 and the Western Allies in 1939 all followed. The United States is committed to defend Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. It has recklessly extended serious commitments to Ukraine and Georgia. In each case, the governments of these countries are often fiercely anti-Russian and prone to extreme and irresponsible nationalist pressures. These are dangerous commitments for a nuclear superpower to make.

Commitments to small nations by big ones are almost always dangerous. The tail wags the dog and the greater nation sacrifices its own interests to maintain an empty prestige among small countries that is not worth having.

Worse yet, large nations like Russia in 1914 or Britain and France in 1939 are drawn into obscure local conflicts where they have no interests of their own and from which they can gain no benefit. Yet they risk being pulled into world-spanning wars that can destroy their own countries.

It is never worth it.
Theres a first time for everything. The Russian Avangard was the first hypersonic boost-glide vehicle to have passed its development stage and gone into production. The news was announced by Deputy Commander of the Strategic Missile Forces Major General Sergey Poroskun on July 19. The 13th missile regiment, deployed near the town of Dombarovka in the Orenburg region (southern Russia), will be the first unit armed with the new weapon. The regiments infrastructure is ready to receive it. According to Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov, the system is to be fully operational by 2020.

The pace of the weapons development takes ones breath away. Few people knew about the Avangards existence just a few months ago, yet after a series of successful tests the vehicle has already reached the production phase!

No other country is yet able to produce hypersonic weapons  only Russia.

Launched from Russian territory, the Avangard can reach Washington in 15 minutes. No one in the world has a weapon with a speed exceeding Mach 20 or about 15,300 miles per hour (four miles per second). The Avangard also stands out for its ability to withstand extreme heat during the final phase of its trajectory. The use of composite materials enables it to resist temperatures up to 2,000 degrees Celsius. The Russian media reported on July 17 that the Avangard will be upgraded with a heat-resistant titanium casing. It also boasts special protection from lasers, in addition to its unique flight trajectory, with rapid course changes in the atmosphere as well as signatures quite different from traditional intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Advanced countermeasure systems increase its ability to sidestep missile defenses.

The Avangard sits atop an ICBM. After launch, the 5.4 meter-long vehicle travels part of its flight path through the denser layers of the atmosphere at an altitude of several dozen kilometers. The yield of its nuclear warhead ranges from 150 kilotons to 1 megaton of TNT, but in truth the glider needs no warhead at all, as its sheer speed is enough to destroy any target in a kinetic kill.

The Avangard is extremely hard to spot and next to impossible to engage. This makes it an ideal weapon against an enemys strategic capabilities and key infrastructure sites. The boost-glide vehicle undeniably extends the Russian armed forces capabilities. We don't have any defense that could deny the employment of such a weapon against us, said General John Hyten, head of US Strategic Command, speaking to the Senate Armed Services Committee in March.

The new Burevestnik 9730 nuclear-powered long-range cruise missile was tested on July 19 as well A coastal missile battery launched it out toward the ocean. This is the start of a long series of tests to reach its initial operational capability. Fired from bombers and submarines, the weapon has an intercontinental range and can be equipped with a nuclear warhead. The INF Treaty does not cover the Burevestnik, as it uses air and sea platforms. The missile boasts almost unlimited range, low visibility and altitude, supersonic speed, and a limited radar cross-section, allowing it to hit targets everywhere in the world on short notice and with little warning.

On July 20, the Defense Ministry released a statement claiming Russia had successfully test-fired the new 40N6 air-defense missile at the Sary Shagan firing range in Kazakhstan. The interceptor will be used by S-400 and S-500 systems to provide them with long-range (400 km) capability. It has an altitude of 185 km  enough to hit a high-orbit satellite. There are plans for the missile to enter service with the S-400s in late summer. The S-500 Prometey is expected to be added to the arsenal in 2020. That missile can travel at a speed of 5 km per second, flying 185 km in 41 seconds. Once the 40N6 is operational, it will provide the S-500 with the capability to defend Moscow without nuclear warheads.

The Ministry also released a video showing a test of the Kinzhal air-to-surface missile launched from a Tu-22M3 strategic bomber (not a MiG-31 fighter as before), raising the combined range of the platform and the missile up to 3,000 km.

An array of new weapons has already been tested in July. The Peresvet high-powered laser weapon system and the Poseidon underwater nuclear drone have also been through trials according to reports. The operational tempo of the development and tests fires the imagination. Many countries are working on their own programs to create new generations of weapons, but Russia is the only one to have such systems already up and running. Although its defense budget is only 1/10th the size of the Pentagons, Russia has taken the lead in weapons development. Moscows defense programs are much more effective, offering more bang for the buck.

Russia is not only an advanced military power to be reckoned with, its the world leader in military technology. During the July 16 summit in Helsinki, the US and Russian presidents agreed to revive the dialog on arms control. There has been a widespread belief in the American Congress that Russia needs those negotiations more than the United States and that Washington could get concessions here and there in exchange for its mere consent to talk about the issue. Events have proved otherwise. American self-confidence has taken a hit. The US needs to make progress in arms control even more than Russia.
TICKERS: AZZ; AZZUF, EFR; UUUU, URG; URE

Source: Streetwise Reports (7/22/18)

A Haywood Securities report provided an update on the uranium sector.



In a July 19, 2018, research note, Haywood Securities analyst Colin Healey reported that on July 18 the U.S. Department of Commerce launched an investigation into how uranium imports may be threatening national security. "U.S.-focused uranium equities rallied yesterday on the news, although we expect some profit taking is likely in the term," added Healey.

The DOC's move came in response to a joint request for such an inquiry, in accordance with Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, filed in mid-January by two of the U.S.' largest uranium producers, Ur-Energy Inc. (URG:NYSE.MKT; URE:TSX) and Energy Fuels Inc. (EFR:TSX; UUUU:NYSE.American).

Healey pointed out that in that correspondence, the two companies purported that the domestic uranium mining industry is vital to U.S. national security but is suffering dramatically from having to compete with heavily subsidized ex-U.S. producers.

Ur-Energy and Energy Fuels offered two solutions, that a cap be placed on uranium imports and that utilities in the United States be required to buy uranium produced in the U.S. For example, "if the government were to mandate that 25% of its nuclear fuel be sourced domestically, this would require an incremental increase of about 10 million pounds of uranium," Healey indicated.

Healey relayed that the most recent data shows 83% of the uranium the U.S. requires is imported. About 25% comes from Canada, about 24% from Kazakhstan, about 20% from Australia and about 14% from Russia. U.S. uranium production has plummeted by about 90% since the peak in 1980.

The DOC's investigation and any subsequent action are expected to take about a year. By law, the commerce department has 270 days to complete and report the findings of such an investigation along with its recommendations to the U.S. president, who then has 90 days to take action.

The imposition of any tariffs, quotas and/or federal utility purchase mandates resulting from the investigation would greatly benefit U.S. uranium producers and developers because it would allow them to capture a larger share of the domestic market. "This could eventually lead to outperformance from the associated equities and turn the group into sector leaders," suggested Healey.

The companies that could benefit, he wrote, are: Ur-Energy, Energy Fuels, Uranium Energy Corp. (UEC:NYSE.MKT), Azarga Uranium Corp. (AZZ:TSX), Laramide Resources Ltd. (LAM:TSX; LAM:ASX), Peninsula Energy Ltd. (PEN:ASX) and Cameco Corp. (CCO:TSX; CCJ:NYSE). Haywood's favorite stocks in the sector are: NexGen Energy Ltd. (NXE:TSX; NXE:NYSE.MKT), Denison Mines Corp. (DML:TSX; DNN:NYSE.MKT) and Uranium Participation Corp. (U:TSX).

In the interim, near-term drivers of share price in the sector will be news flow, particularly related to the Section 232 investigation, and market sentiment. As such, Haywood recommends investors build positions in "quality uranium names, using news-driven price shocks such as this as an opportunity to rebalance security exposures," Healey noted.

The analyst concluded, "We continue to believe we are in the very early stages of a secular bull market in uranium and that sentiment is beginning to perk up. . .we expect a sustained increase in the long-term price to be the sector's most salient catalyst."

[NLINSERT]

Disclosure:

1) Doresa Banning compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise reports as an independent contractor. She or members of her household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: None. She or members of her household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None.

2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: Energy Fuels and Azarga Uranium. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees.

3) Comments and opinions expressed are those of the specific experts and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

4) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.

5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article, until one week after the publication of the interview or article. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of Azarga Uranium, a company mentioned in this article.

Disclosures from Haywood Securities, Uranium Sector Update, July 19, 2018

Haywood Securities, or certain of its affiliated companies, may from time to time receive a portion of commissions or other fees derived from the trading or financings conducted by other affiliated companies in the covered security. Haywood analysts are salaried employees who may receive a performance bonus that may be derived, in part, from corporate finance income.

Haywood Securities, Inc., and Haywood Securities (USA) Inc. do have officers in common however, none of those common officers affect or control the ratings given a specific issuer or which issuer will be the subject of Research coverage. In addition, the firm does maintain and enforce written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent influence on the activities of affiliated analysts.

Analyst Certification: I, Colin Healey, hereby certify that the views expressed in this report (which includes the rating assigned to the issuers shares as well as the analytical substance and tone of the report) accurately reflect my/our personal views about the subject securities and the issuer. No part of my/our compensation was, is, or will be directly or indirectly related to the specific recommendations.

Important Disclosures

The following Important Disclosures apply:

 At the end of the month immediately preceding this publication either Haywood Securities, Inc., one of its subsidiaries, its officers or directors beneficially owned 1% or more of Azarga Uranium and NexGen Energy

 Haywood Securities, Inc. has reviewed lead projects of Azarga Uranium, Denison Mines, Energy Fuels, NexGen Energy and Uranium Energy Corp. and a portion of the expenses for this travel may have been reimbursed by the issuer.

 Haywood Securities Inc. or one of its subsidiaries has managed or co-managed or participated as selling group in a public offering of securities for Uranium Participation Corp. in the past 12 months.

 Haywood Securities, Inc. or one of its subsidiaries has received compensation for investment banking services from this company in the past 12 months: Azarga Uranium Corp.

 Haywood Securities, Inc. or one of its subsidiaries has received compensation for investment banking services from this company in the past 24 months: Azarga Uranium Corp. and NexGen Energy.



Other material conflict of interest of the research analyst of which the research analyst or Haywood Securities Inc. knows or has reason to know at the time of publication or at the time of public appearance: n/a.
It was the Motoring Writers Guild Car of the Year in 1993, and was tuned for New Zealand roads by motor racing legend Chris Amon.

But for Taurangas Gabrielle Miller, 70, her Toyota Corona was just a faithful car that served her well for 25 years.

It was traded in recently for a 2018 Citroen C3 in oh-so-stylish Shark grey and red, and while Gabrielle is enjoying her new ride, she still misses the Corona.

When I traded it in, the feeling I had in my tummy was like that sensation you have when youre taking a pet to the vet for the last time, says Gabrielle.

I just loved my Toyota. It was part of me - an extension of me. I bought it new and its been around the clock three times, but the people who serviced it told me it would go on and on.

But Gabrielle, a part-time nurse, says her husband Ron worried about her taking the older model car on long drives to Auckland.

A 1993 car does not have airbags, of course, she says. I was under a little bit of pressure to buy a new one.

The beloved Toyota  with no pet name  is only Gabrielles fourth car. She was a late convert to driving, and only gained her drivers licence when she was 30.

There were a few of us who were late starters, she says. Two-car families were certainly not the norm in those days.

Gabrielle highly recommends taking your car for a regular service, saying: I kept a record of all of the Toyotas services. I think the chap who traded it in thought I was a bit OCD!
A settled start to this week gradually deteriorated from late Thursday and intends to stay for the rest of the week.

The unsettled weather is forecast to continue for most of the country with a low pressure system poised to move over the lower South Island later today, bringing rain with snow to 500 meters.

This system will move northward on Monday, spreading rain and lowering snow levels about the mountains.

Those intending on driving the higher passes in the South Island are recommended to keep up to date with MetService road snow warnings and NZTAs website.

The second week of school holiday began with plenty of clear skies, especially for those on eastern coasts, this meant cooler overnight temperatures was the worst of the weather for New Zealand, says MetService Meteorologist April Clark.

However, a weak front which crossed the country on Friday was a precursor to another, more active front which continued the July trend of unsettled weekend weather.



The west of the South Island saw the most persistent heavy rain with the weekend front, though most areas saw a brief period of heavy rain, such as Dargaville recording a hefty 13.2mm burst of rain between 3-4am this morning.

Strong winds also buffeted New Zealand during the weekend with the whole of the South Island placed under a Strong Wind Watch or Warning during Saturday.

Canterbury High County, Wellington and the central plateau saw the strongest winds but more sheltered towns like Nelson were also hit by gusts upwards of 80km/h.

Luckily the timing of the fronts passage over the North Island this weekend meant the worst of the weather was during Saturday evening or early Sunday morning when people were tucked up at home.
Click the image above to watch the video

In today's forecast we are expecting a fine morning then afternoon cloudy periods with a chance of showers. Westerlies will be dying out in the evening.

It's a three-clothing layer day today with a high of 14 and an overnight low of 4 degrees. Humidity is 91 per cent.

Low tide is at 9am and high tide is at 3.30pm. There's a sea swell of .4m with a sea temperature of 16 degrees. Sunset tonight is at 5.18pm.

If you're going fishing the next best fish bite time is between 8 and 10pm.

In NZ history on this day in 1851 the Maria was wrecked near Cape Terawhiti. Twenty-six lives were lost when the barque Maria was wrecked near Cape Terawhiti. This provided more ammunition for Wellington settlers who were trying to convince the government of the need for a lighthouse.

In 1952 Yvette Williams leapt for gold at Helsinki. Yvette Williams (later Corlett) won the long jump to become New Zealands first female Olympic medallist.

In world history on this day in 1829 William A. Burt patented his typographer, an early typewriter. In 1865 William Booth founded the Salvation Army. In 1903 the Ford Motor Company sold its first automobile, the Model A. In 1995 two astronomers, Alan Hale in New Mexico and Thomas Bopp in Arizona, almost simultaneously discovered a comet.

Today is the birthday of British aviator Arthur Whitten Brown. Born in 1886 he once wrote "That's the best way to cross the Atlantic. I supposed lots of people will do it now".

To get involved in some of the many activities happening around the Bay, please check out our What's on page.

Todays video was filmed in the Tropical Display House at Robbins Park, Tauranga.

Have a great day!
SALINA, N.Y. -- Anthony Saccone was arrested just after 2 a.m. this morning for loudly and recklessly "spinning" the wheels while driving a late-model station wagon, according to District Attorney William Fitzpatrick.

Saccone was out on bail after allegedly killing three people in another vehicle by drunkenly racing his car through a stoplight near Onondaga Community College in February.

Sheriff's deputies had stepped up patrols near the area of 7th North Street and Electronics Parkway while the Syracuse Nationals car show is in town. There is a Holiday Inn at that intersection.

Around 2:13 a.m., a deputy saw a disturbance in the parking lot and found Saccone behind the wheel of the car, driving recklessly, Fitzpatrick said. For the conditions of his release, Saccone's license was revoked.

Fitzpatrick said investigators are looking into who owned the car that Saccone was allegedly driving.

At an arraignment Sunday, Saccone appeared in handcuffs and a green jumpsuit. Several of his family members sat in the courtroom.

He's being charged with reckless driving, driving without a license, "unsafe start," and not having an inspection certificate -- all traffic violations. And he was apparently ordered to take a breath test, though he is not charged with drunken driving, according to jail records.

Judge Karen Uplinger declined to revoke bail completely for Saccone, saying she didn't believe she was allowed to do so under the law.

However, she set bail at $500,000 cash or bond pending another appearance Thursday in the Town of Salina court. Fitzpatrick, in an interview outside the courtroom, said it's "very unlikely" Saccone or his family will have the money to bail him out.

Fitzpatrick said he was not surprised by the latest alleged crime committed by Saccone while out on bond.

Saccone had already been brought back to court regarding photos of him drinking on the beach. While he was allowed to drink alcohol under the conditions of his release, Fitzpatrick said it was further distressing to the victims of his alleged crime.

Saccone is being charged with second-degree murder for drunkenly flooring his vehicle at speeds above 80 mph early one morning in late February, killing three people: Baylie Rose, 19, Michael Walker, 18, and Samra Osmanovic, 20.

Saccone was released shortly after the crash on a $100,000 bond. After he was charged with murder, he was again jailed at a higher bail.

Saccone's bail was set at $1 million cash or a $2 million after his indictmentDeeming the amount excessive, Judge Brian DeJoseph ordered for the defendant's bail to be reduced to $250,000 cash or a $500,000 bond.

Fitzpatrick said Saccone should never have been released from jail

"Someone else, in their wisdom, allowed him to be out," Fitzpatrick said.

Photos were not allowed in the courtroom.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Anthony Saccone has been arrested and is back in the Onondaga County Justice Center today, according to jail records.

Saccone, 31, of Camillus, is awaiting trial, charged with killing three people in a drunk-driving crash near Onondaga Community College in February. He had been released on bail.

Saccone now faces the additional charges of reckless driving, aggravated unlicensed operation, making an unsafe start, not having an inspection certificate and "violating miscellaneous rules," according to the jail website.

The exact circumstances of his arrest were not available Sunday morning. Onondaga County sheriff's deputies made the arrest.

Saccone was already on thin ice after photos of him drinking while out on bail circulated on social media. Bail did not restrict Saccone from drinking, however, after the photos became public the judge ordered him not to drink and ordered monthly drug/alcohol tests.

The jail records suggest Saccone was given a "breath test," though he is not charged with drunken driving in the most-recent arrest.

The crash Feb. 23 killed Baylie Rose, 19, Michael Walker, 18, and Samra Osmanovic, 20.

Police said Saccone that day was drunk, driving at an excessive speed and drove through a red light when his vehicle collided with the other car, killing the three young adults. He also fled the scene of the accident, police said.

This is a developing story. Syracuse.com will be updated with additional information as it becomes available.
SALINA, N.Y. -- Anthony Saccone was not only driving recklessly early this morning but had also consumed alcohol and refused to take a test to determine his blood-alcohol level, according to the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies said they spotted a vehicle doing a "burnout," shortly after 2 a.m. today near Seventh North Street and Electronics Parkway. A "burnout" is when a vehicle stays stationary but the driver spins the wheel, causing the tires to heat up and smoke.

Saccone, 31, of Camillus, was already on bail awaiting trial on charges he killed three young adults near Onondaga Community College in February when his vehicle crashed into their vehicle.

Early today, deputies stopped the 1983 Chevrolet Malibu and found Saccone behind the wheel, sheriff's office spokesman Sgt. Jon Seeber said.

Saccone had consumed alcohol while driving the vehicle, Seeber said, though it's unclear how much because he refused to take a breath test, Seeber said.

A judge had previously ordered Saccone to stop drinking while on bail under the conditions of his release after photos of him drinking on the beach circulated through social media. The judge also ordered monthly tests for drugs/alcohol.

Saccone is facing new charges including consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle, refusal to take a breath test, driving without a license, making an unsafe start and driving an uninspected motor vehicle, Seeber said.

Seeber did not immediately respond to a question about whose vehicle Saccone was driving. Saccone does not have a car and his license was revoked after the fatal crash, prosecutors have said.

From the fatal crash, Saccone was charged with second-degree murder charges for allegedly drunkenly speeding his vehicle through an intersection near Onondaga Community College, killing three young people.

A murder charge carries a possible punishment of 25 years to life in prison. The secondary charge, aggravated vehicular homicide, carries a possible sentence of 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.

Saccone is accused of gunning his engine as he approached a red light as headed home following a late night of drinking and drug use. Saccone ran the light going more than 80 mph, prosecutors have said.

The crash Feb. 23 killed Baylie Rose, 19, Michael Walker, 18, and Samra Osmanovic, 20.

Saccone was arraigned this morning on the new charges, and deputies released a new mugshot for him. A judge set his bail at $500,000 cash or bond. His next appearance is Thursday.

Before the new charges today, Saccone was free on $500,000 bail bond. That was reduced from $2 million bond on appeal.
LYONS, N.Y. -- A Lyons man has been accused of manslaughter after police say he punched another man and hit the man with a wooden board Saturday, according to New York State Police.

Martin C. Smallwood, 32, of Lyons was arrested and charged with manslaughter and assault, police said. Smallwood was arraigned and will be remanded without bail to the Wayne County Jail, police said.

State police arrived at 43 Water Street in Lyons after a report of an assault at approximately 5:30 p.m., police said. The two men were in the back parking lot of a garage when they began to fight, police said.

Witnesses said Smallwood punched Camilo R. Robledo, 42, of Lyons, and hit him with a wooden two-by-four, police said.

Robledo was taken to Newark-Wayne Hospital where he later died, police said.

Officers are still investigating the incident, police said.
Russia is reportedly sending two humanoid robots to the International Space Station. The robots called FEDOR have remarkable abilities such as being able to fire guns and drive a car.

The reported emerged as the Roscosmos space agency green-lighted plans to send the robots into space aboard an unmanned Soyuz spacecraft next August.

Earlier robots were sent into space as cargo but the RIA Novosti website reported that two FEDORS, which stand for Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research, will fly to the ISS as crew members.

Trained To Fire Pistols

Last year, Dmitry Rogozin, director general of Roscosmos, said that the country's FEDOR robot was learning to shoot guns using both arms, adding that this new ability may help in improving the motion and decision-making skills of the robot.

Rogozin shared photos and a short video on Facebook and Twitter of the robot's new ability to fire a pair of pistols at a target board with remarkable precision. Amid fears of killing machines, Rogozin assured the public that Russia is merely creating artificial intelligence and not a deadly robot.

"Shooting exercises is a method of teaching the robot to set priorities and make instant decisions. We are creating AI, not Terminator," he tweeted in April last year.

Other Skills

Besides the ability to shoot guns, the Fedor robot was also trained to lift weights, operate a drill, do push-ups, screw light bulbs, walk upright, insert keys into a lock, open doors, and drive.

The robot was initially developed for rescue work but engineers have suggested military uses for it.

Robots In Space

Space agencies including NASA have been working on robots designed for a space mission. In 2015, the U.S. space agency sent a humanoid robot called Robonaut 2 aboard the ISS. It was the first dexterous humanoid robot to be sent into space.

In June, SpaceX's 15th cargo mission to the ISS delivered the AI Robot CIMON. Astronauts will use the Crew Interactive Mobile Companion or CIMON to find out how artificial intelligence may augment tasks in a space habitat.

ISS crew members will assess how intelligent robots can lessen the stress and simplify the work of astronauts, which could have important implications for long-term space missions. NASA has long recognized the potential contributions of robots in space missions.

"NASA is counting on robots to setup and care for deep space exploration facilities and equipment pre-deployed ahead of astronauts," said Sasha Congiu Ellis, from NASA's Langley Research Center. "Robots are also excellent precursors for conducting science missions ahead of human exploration."

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The European Space Agency is looking to launch a new Mars rover in 2020, and it has asked the public to help pick a memorable name for it.

Giving the collective masses of the internet the power to name something is never a great idea. Did the ESA forget how the public voted for a $300 million ocean research vessel to be called Boaty McBoatface?

ESA ExoMars Rover: What Will It Be Named?

The ExoMars rover is scheduled to launch in 2020. It will be heading toward the Red Planet, where it will carry out a mission to hunt for life once it lands there in March 2021.

The ExoMars name, however, is apparently not good enough. The ESA wants to giver the Mars rover a new name, and it has asked the public to help them choose one.

"Mars is a fascinating destination, a place where humans will one day work alongside robots to gather new knowledge and search for life in our solar system," said ESA astronaut Tim Peake in a statement. Peake announced the Mars rover naming contest at the Farnborough International Airshow in England.

"The ExoMars rover is a vital part of this journey of exploration and we are asking you to become part of this exciting mission and name the rover that will scout the martian surface," Peake added.

The ESA, however, has apparently learned from the case of Boaty McBoatface. The ExoMars rover will not be named Marsy McMarsface or Rovery McRoverface. According to its official page, the competition will be run by the ESA itself, with a panel to judge and make the decision on the rover's final name.

The winner of the contest will be given a tour of the Airbus facility in Stevenage, London where the Mars rover is being made. The winner will also have extreme bragging rights on naming something that will be remembered for generations to come.

Mars Rovers And Solar Power

The Mars rover of the ESA, whatever it ends up being called, will be equipped with solar panels to generate electricity and store power in batteries. The batteries will then be used during the cold nights on Mars to keep heater units running, prolonging the rover's stay.

Unfortunately, a Mars rover currently on the Red Planet, NASA's Opportunity, is in danger of being lost. This is because Opportunity is stuck in the middle of a massive dust storm, which has blocked out the sun for nearly two months now. It is unclear if Opportunity still has enough power in its batteries to wake up from hibernation once the storm ends.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The personal collection of Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first person to step on the moon, will be sold at auctions.

Armstrong Family Collection

Neil Armstrong died in Ohio in 2012 at the age of 82 and his family has turned to Heritage Auction of Dallas to sell items from the astronaut's estate.

Dubbed the Armstrong Family Collection, the collection contains more than 2,000 items and will be under the hammer in a series of three auctions. The first one will be held in November, and the two others will be held in May and November 2019.

Items to be auctioned include artifacts and keepsakes that range from the cap that Armstrong wore as a Boy Scout to materials from the 1903 Wright Flyer, the world's first powered airplane that the astronaut brought with him to the moon in July 1969.

The collection also includes other items that Armstrong took to the moon such as a flag of the United States, a United Nations flag, various states flags, as well as Robbins Medallions and a rare gold medallion.

"There will be flown items, autographed items and items of historical significance," Armstrong's son Mark described the items in the collection. "There will be items that make you think, items that make you laugh and items that make you scratch your head."

Valuable Items

Items brought from the moon especially those used by Neil Armstrong proved to be valuable and sought after.

A moon dust bag that Armstrong used to collect samples during the Apollo 11 mission sold for $1.8 million in 2017. The canvas pouch was subjected to a legal battle because it had been mistakenly sold by the U.S government at an auction. In 2015, a judge ruled that collector Nancy Carlson is the legal owner of an Apollo 11 moon rock bag. The bag eventually fetched 1,821 times the original $995 price that Carlson paid for.

Another item with links to the Apollo 11 mission and Armstrong is also currently the subject of a lawsuit.

Laura Murray Cicco, from Tennessee, filed a lawsuit against NASA to keep a vial of moon dust, which she claims, was a gift from Armstrong. The U.S space agency did not attempt to acquire the moon dust vial but Cicco preemptively filed the lawsuit since NASA's position is that all materials from the moon are owned by the United States.

The federal lawsuit has sought to establish ownership of the item under the Declaratory Judgment Act of the United States Code.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The caravan denounced that immigration agents destroyed the judicial injunctions that allow them free passage and took many to jail in Tapachula. | Read More
Everywhere else in America, the Nov. 6 midterm elections are a very big deal. When the returns roll in Election Day, national pundits will parse the results and, depending on whether the Republicans hold both the House and Senate, declare President Donald Trump and the GOP big winners or big losers. They also will watch legislative elections in more than 20 states, with an eye toward redistricting battles after the 2020 Census.

All across America, a lot is at stake on Nov. 6.

Here in Louisiana, not so much. We don't have a U.S. Senate race; our gubernatorial and legislative races are not until next year; and all our congressional incumbents are expected to coast to re-election.

Heck, here in the Bayou State, Nov. 6 is just the primary. Everywhere else, it's the general election. The most likely Louisiana contests to require runoffs are the special election for secretary of state and any number of local races, not those for our six congressional seats.Our state's political temperature has been so tepid that, as of the close of business on July 19 (the second day of the three-day qualifying period), three of Louisiana's six Congress members had not even qualified for re-election  and no candidates had filed in the 4th Congressional District (in northwest Louisiana). Talk about ho-hum.

Which is not to say we won't see some fireworks between now and Nov. 6. It's a safe bet that we will, particularly in the lone statewide contest to succeed former Secretary of State Tom Schedler, who resigned in May amid a sexual harassment scandal. Still, that contest is likely to be an intramural Republican brouhaha, not an all-out "red vs. blue" war.

Clancy DuBos: a landmark year for anti-domestic abuse legislation Lawmakers took a lot of heat during budget battles, but they deserve praise for protecting domestic violence survivors

Some local races may also heat up  particularly the contest for clerk of Civil District Court in New Orleans. That race already has seen lots of behind-the-scenes politicking, and things likely will intensify after Labor Day. Otherwise, Louisiana's electoral politics will seem tame compared to the partisan warfare raging across the rest of America.

Some will say that's further proof of the old political observation that when America zigs, Louisiana zags. To some extent, that's true, but it's equally true that Louisiana is merely one of more than a dozen states that are reliably "red" or "blue" in national elections. Our measly six congressional seats render us insignificant nationally, and our districts, like so many across the nation, skew heavily Republican, except for the lone black-majority district represented by Congressman Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans. With just a few hours to go before qualifying closed on Friday (July 20), Richmond drew only a smattering of unknown opponents  all of them either "no party" or "Independent."

Richmond's five GOP colleagues from Louisiana likewise drew unremarkable opposition.

"We are the boring people for once," says UNO political scientist and pollster Ed Chervenak.

Yes, this year's statewide ballot may be a yawner, but rest assured next year's  for governor and legislature  will put us back on the map. Meanwhile, don't forget to vote Nov. 6.
There is a lot of work on the gender pay gap which is important and we have made progress on it but no one had even really conceived of, or spent any time on something we now call the gender investing gap, Krawcheck told the Dell Womens Entrepreneur Network in Toronto last week.

When it happened the second time the former head of Citi and Merrill Lynch's wealth management divisions decided she was done with Wall Street and that she would start a business aimed at addressing the gender investing gap .

Sallie Krawcheck was fired on the front page of the Wall Street Journal twice.

The gender investing gap derives from the fact that women tend to have 71 per cent of their money in cash and men a much lower percent and the difference in those percents and the fact we have more cash cost the women in this room at least $1 million over the course of their lives."

Krawcheck says the gender investment gap also impacts female entrepreneurs as they are often so busy taking care of their business that they don't take care of their own finances.

"This concept of taking care of your business and taking care of yourself is true both personally and financially," she says.

Krawcheck says women need to prepare for retirement by investing now.

"Eighty per cent of us will die single and we will retire with two thirds of the money of men," she says. "We live six to eight years longer, we have less money."
When American writer Zinzi Clemmons accused Pulitzer Prize-winner Junot Diaz of sexual misconduct at the Sydney Writers Festival in May, it was in some ways unsurprising. While we couldnt necessarily predict who would be accused, or of what, or by whom, one thing has always been clear: the literary industry would have its #MeToo moments. No profession is immune to instances of sexism and harassment.

Zinzi Clemmons accused Pulitzer Prize-winner Junot Diaz of sexual misconduct.

What I find troublesome about the Clemmons/Diaz accusation is not the public manner in which it was delivered. No, what I find problematic is the insinuation made afterward  that Diazs New Yorker essay, in which he writes of his own alleged childhood rape, was a kind of pre-emptive strike. Diazs revelations are not an acceptable excuse for his behaviour (which he admitted to in a statement via an agent). But surely they can be viewed in their own right, surely we can feel for the eight-year-old child he once was? Does "himpathy" really render sympathy for any male irrelevant?

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And perhaps more importantly, when the world is given an opportunity to ask, "Why did this person become a perpetrator?" I believe we should not shy away from the question. Its this question that drives my novel The Things We Cant Undo, which follows a teen couple through their first experience of sex and the subsequent public accusations of assault.
This incident would have been unlikely a couple of decades ago, and not just because iPads hadnt been invented yet.

This was the moment I knew the gentrification of my inner-city suburb was complete  even if the graffiti in the railway tunnel still says die Yuppie scum.

Someone had clearly lost the device, while another person had put it aside so the owner could find it but no one would tread on it in the meantime.

I was walking down the street the other day when I found an iPad on the footpath, propped against a neighbours fence.

When I was a teenager in the 1990s, almost everyone I knew had been burgled at least once, thieves broke into my dads car to steal CDs from the glove box almost every time we went to the beach, and on one memorable occasion a school friend had his brand-name sport shoes stolen from his feet at knifepoint in a suburban shopping mall on Sydneys north shore.

I never felt that Australia was especially crime-ridden but a certain amount of property crime used to be a given. And that's no longer the case in both Sydney and Melbourne.

Figures from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research show the raw incidence of most crimes  including robbery, break and enter, and motor vehicle thefts  is down since 1990, even without adjusting for the massive growth in population.

For a fair comparison that takes population into account, the key metric is the rate of criminal incidents for every 100,000 people. In 1990, for every 100,000 people in NSW there were about 96 cases of robbery (both armed and unarmed), while in 2017 the rate was less than 32 in 100,000.

In 1990, the rate of break-and-enter crimes (both dwellings and non-dwellings) was about 1639 in 100,000 while in 2017 it was down to less than 496 in 100,000. In 1990, there were about 935 cases of motor vehicle theft for every 100,000 people, while in 2017 it was down to 170.




In the past year, road safety cameras throughout Melbourne have issued 1,301,098 fines, adding up to more than $333 million paid by drivers who have flouted the speed limit or ignored red lights.

About 70 per cent of fines in the year to March 2018 were issued by fixed cameras, and these are the locations where large numbers of motorists are getting caught out on a daily basis.

10) At the intersection Of Flinders Street And William Street, Melbourne. A total of 25,893 fines adding up to $6,839,099.

This camera is one of three on this list in 40km/h zones. While the cameras at this location still catch out about 71 people a day on average, they do not go off as much as they once did. In 2014/15, more than 66,000 fines were issued here, nabbing 182 people a day on average.
But the spate of short-term rental homes being trashed during parties involving large groups of African-Australian youths does not help the narrative that there is nothing to see here. And given that Sudanese-born people make up just 0.1 per cent of the Victorian population, they are seriously overrepresented in the conversations taking place in Melbourne (and Canberra) at the moment.

The death of 19-year-old Laa Chol in a CBD apartment block on Friday night has yet again placed the spotlight squarely on this community. The statistics tell us crime in Victoria is falling, and that Sudanese-born Victorians are responsible for only 1 per cent of those crimes. That number rises to almost 4 per cent for carjackings and home invasions.

While overstating the scale of the problems created by the criminal activity of some members of the African-Australian community in Melbourne is unhelpful and damaging, so is denying that any issue exists. As with so much in life, the truth tends to lie somewhere in the middle.

The vast majority of African Australians, many of whom come from backgrounds of terrible hardship, enrich our community in numerous ways. And stoking community fear for political gain by overstating crime rates and evoking imagery of rampant gangs terrorising Melbourne streets reduces the chance of sensible conversation and workable solutions.

The end game should be for new Australians to settle into this country and make valuable contributions to society, wherever they are from. But the reality is that the crime issue is real, some people are scared and the negative impact of the behaviour of some African youths is unacceptable. If this situation is to be remedied, fear-mongering is as unhelpful as sugar-coating.

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The suggestion from one community leader last week that the home owners whose properties had been trashed by partying youths should be more discerning in whom they rent to was rightly criticised. African-Australian community leaders need to call out criminal activity and anti-social behaviour in the strongest terms. And they need to avoid fighting among themselves.

Meanwhile, those responsible for the violence need to understand the damage they are doing to their community as a whole. At a time when the government and many Australians are supporting a reduction in immigration numbers, the young African Australians engaging in criminal activity  which now includes the killing of a 19-year-old woman  are not only damaging the standing of Sudanese citizens in Australia, but could possibly cruel the prospects of their compatriots in Sudan ever having the chance of settling in Australia.
WA Police have urged protesters to keep demonstrations peaceful ahead of controversial commentator Lauren Southern's planned speaking engagement in Perth on Sunday evening.

Ms Southern is an alt-right Canadian activist and journalist, and is currently embarking on a speaking tour around Australia with podcaster Stefan Molyneux.

Stefan Molyneux and Lauren Southern.

The event will be held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, and protesters said they were planning to march to the venue in order to protest against Ms Southern and Mr Molyneaux's "racist, islamophobic, mysoginistic and xenophobic views".

United Against Bigotry and Racism activist Nick Brown said the group felt it was important to show resistence to the pair's ideas.
Judith Morrison, Mt Waverley Free speech and the role of journalism Another great editorial (15/7). It is so vital that truth is spoken out especially in today's climate. We must continue to have free speech and journalists, especially editors, play a vital role in seeing this occurs, sometimes having to take serious consequences as a result. Glenise Michaelson, Montmorency This could breach international law

The spotlight being shone by Andrew Wilkie, exposing the calculated attack of Witness K and his lawyer, Bernard Collaery, for revealing an "uncomfortable truth" (ie. the ASIS team bugged Timor-Leste's government), is not only "shameful", but arguably breaches international law. That the Attorney-General has given his approval to prosecute the "truthsayer" and his legal advocate is doubling up on its reprehensible position. It's a double whammy epic disgrace. The point that needs to be made loudly and clearly is that the bigger the lie (or egregious stuff-up), the bigger the coverup, to preserve the lie and to save face. Jelena Rosic, Mornington FORUM

Learning from tragedy It's easy to blame others for what they could have done to have saved this woman and her baby from a preventable death ("New mother isolated before tragedy", The Sunday Age, 15/7). Depression wears many disguises that don't make it easy for nurses to identify every case of depression. I regularly receive perinatal referrals for counselling from maternal nurses and they do screen for depression among many other tasks in short time frames. Why would you tell someone you're having thoughts of wanting to die and take your baby with you? As a health professional I am required to call child protective services after such a disclosure. Stigma and fear get in the way of getting help. This woman lived on the sixth floor. She was surrounded by people and perhaps she missed her country, where community raise a baby. Did any one knock on her door? No. We can all learn from this tragedy by building community. Ginny Hartley, Alphington The other side

In the article "Enter, stage right. A warrior returns", (The Sunday Age, 15/7) adjunct professor John Nethercote says, "There are not too many other people who can weigh in and contribute the way he [John Howard] does." However, the dark side of Howard's past interventions saw Aboriginal issues being defined as "black armband" philosophy. He dismissed the "stolen generation", stating that less than 50 per cent of the children had been taken. He stated that Aboriginal history was too dominant in schoolbooks. He created the "children overboard" scandal. He used the Tampa issue to state that he would decide who came to this country and the manner in which they did so. He immediately supported George Bush's attack on Iraq, a war that can be directly linked to heightened radical Islam. He said that if climate change action led to the loss of one Australian job then he was not interested. These few example show that praise for Howard's contribution to Australian politics is by no means justified. Malcolm Ellenport, East Brighton Human traits Don't despair Glenda Johnston (Letters, 15/7), I only got two thirds of the way to an arts degree and so I am in awe of anyone who understands "postgenderneostructuralism" (Comment, 8/7).

Is "what it is to be human" a positive value? The phrase seems to give people a warm glow as they talk about the benevolent doctrines of most religions and forget the destructive practices of these religions since they began. Fortunately these benevolent doctrines try to avoid the main characteristics of "being human" although the practices don't. There is no animal species that is more destructive to other species and itself than the human species. To be human is to destroy. Wholesale murder is not practised by other animals (except chimpanzees) or plants. Species annihilation is a human characteristic and when humans beings build something scant regard is given to protect animal, plants or insects from destruction. Adrian Tabor, Point Lonsdale The quarry mien It seems the RE Ross trust has lost its way in trying to quarry Arthurs Seat in its latest attempt to make some money out of its long-abandoned quarry in Dromana ("Thin edge on the wedge", The Sunday Age, 15/7). The trust's main aim is to help protect and improve the environment. I don't think restarting quarrying at this site is a way to achieve this. And I must say the state government and a Liberal MP's support of this against local government wishes, smacks of good old mates and school-tie network. It is astounding how the environment is always treated as second best when it comes to the crunch.

Rupert Steiner, Balnarring Beach Malcolm as Macbeth Geoff Payne (Letters, 15/7), in describing the PM in Parliament as striding, shouting and fist-shaking, asks, "What is he doing?" and offers from Jean-Paul Sartre that he is "playing at being" a PM. Perhaps Shakespeare's Macbeth could also offer an explanation. Is a politician "but a walking shadow, a poor player. That struts and frets his hour upon the stage. And then is heard no more"? Deborah Morrison, Malvern East It's only acting

Scarlett Johansson is criticised for accepting a role as a trans man when she is not trans ("Johansson pulls out of transgender drama", The Sunday Age, 15/7). Come on. Actors act. They are not themselves. They are other people when they are acting. Riddle me this: how would they have ever got the "right" actor to play the hunchback of Notre Dame? Benny Browne, Prahran Sunstroke at ACCC What is the ACCC thinking in advising the abolition of the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme? Rooftop solar is the way to go and anything that will discourage its uptake is madness. Solar benefits everyone, not just those who install it: it takes pressure off the grid and helps reduce emissions among other things. In my own case, I was made redundant from my full-time job at age 58, making the ever-increasing expense of energy even less affordable. However, I bit the bullet and used part of my redundancy payment to have solar panels installed. Although things are still pretty tight, in many ways I've never looked back, at least as far as paying the power bills is concerned. Since going solar, we've never had to worry about what we'd sacrifice in order to pay our energy bill.

Graham Murray, Whittlesea It all adds up In their simple way of engaging expat Australians to foster refugees settled in the US from Australia's offshore detention centres ("Volunteers abroad: the expats reaching out to the refugees Australia rejected", The Age, 19/7), Ads-Up is probably doing more to keep Australia safe than our politicians. By showing remorse and compassion to people our government has persecuted for far too many years, Ads-Up is allowing people with every right to feel bitter and angry a chance of acceptance and hope within their new communities. It's a shame a fraction of our offshore immigration bill cannot be directed to such a productive organisation. David Blair, Healesville Political speak

Listening to Donald Trump and politicians in general mangle the English language I'm reminded of Sir Les Patterson, when he said, "Ladies and gentlemen I'm not an orator, I'm a politician!" Donald Hirst, Prahran East Figures don't lie If Malcolm Turnbull and Peter Dutton cared to look at the statistics of the offender population, they would find Australian offenders were 71.7 per cent and Sudanese 1.0 per cent, according to the Crime Statistics Agency. Susan Munday, Bentleigh East

An ex-Labor MP Gary Johns, head of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, appointed by the Turnbull government may be a conservative writer but when he was in the federal Parliament he was the member for Petrie, which was held by the ALP, which makes Johns an ex-Labor MP and not a Liberal MP as asserted ("Shorten blasts 'disturbing' inquiry", The Sunday Age, 15/7). Peter Surkitt, Sandringham Give young training When big business says that visa changes will result in a "starving of skills", what they mean is that they cannot keep exploiting migrants and will have to start paying award rates to locals. This could, horrors, flow on to CEO salaries. If there is a genuine skills shortage coming, why not set up in-house training programs or team up with TAFE colleges? Most young people would love to do the training if they knew that there were long-term employment opportunities.
The Turnbull government has lashed out at a new GetUp campaign to block a national energy scheme when it goes to a crucial vote within weeks, as the activist group calls on Australians to urge state leaders to reject the policy.

Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg accused the group of campaigning for an "extreme" position that ignored the need for stronger reliability along with new investment in wind and solar under the National Energy Guarantee.

Australian Minister for the Environment and Energy Josh Frydenberg. Credit:AAP

The GetUp campaign intensified in recent days when the group emailed members to encourage them to "flood" state governments with calls to vote against the NEG at a make-or-break meeting on August 10.

Mr Frydenberg needs a unanimous vote from state and territory energy ministers to put the NEG into effect, setting reliability and emissions benchmarks under the rules that govern the east-coast electricity grid.
Harare: Zimbabwe's president is trying to rally the country's white minority voters, who traditionally back the opposition, as the race in this month's historic election becomes too close to call.

A child plays next to Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa's election campaign poster during a rally organised for the white community in Harare on Saturday. Credit:AP

President Emmerson Mnangagwa told the gathering of a few hundred people in the capital, Harare, that the era of land seizures from white farmers is over. The deeply unpopular, often violent land grabs under former leader Robert Mugabe contributed to the economic collapse of the once-prosperous southern African nation.

Just 3 percentage points now separate former Mugabe deputy Mnangagwa and leading opposition challenger Nelson Chamisa, according to a new survey by the Afrobarometer research group. It surveyed 2400 voters across the country between June 25 and July 6.

Campaigning ahead of the July 30 vote, the first without Mugabe since independence in 1980 from white minority rule, has been largely peaceful but the opposition has expressed concern about possible fraud and the role of the military, which pressured Mugabe to resign in November.
Washington: It takes astrophysicist John O'Meara little time to respond to a question about NASA's most outstanding achievement.

"You can't ignore that NASA put people on the moon," said O'Meara, a professor at Saint Michael's College in Vermont, who often has worked with the space agency.

Astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin poses for a photograph beside the US flag planted on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969. Credit:NASA/File

The moon landing in July 1969 in the midst of the so-called "space race" between the United States and the Soviet Union was "a triumph for NASA and human spirit", the scientist said.

"The world came together for a brief moment and was happy about something - we need more of that," he said.
Washington: Carter Page, a former campaign aide to President Donald Trump, denied assertions levelled by federal investigators in secret surveillance court documents that he was collaborating with the Russian government to interfere with the 2016 election.

"This is so ridiculous," Page said Sunday on CNN's State of the Union. "I've never been an agent of a foreign power."

Page's denial came a day after the Justice Department released more than 400 pages of documents in response to lawsuits by media organisations, marking the first time the government has released applications seeking wiretaps of an American under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Four federal judges separately approved the surveillance requests, each time saying the government had shown "probable cause" that Page was acting as an agent of the Russian government. Two of the four surveillance requests had been approved by top Trump appointees in the Justice Department, including Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
In Australian defence policy the age of certainty, characterised by a naive attachment to an American security umbrella in perpetuity, is over  or, at least, it should be. This naivety extends to a mistaken interpretation of the ANZUS treaty as a gilt-edged American security guarantee. Article III simply requires the parties to "consult" in the event of a threat to each others security. This contrasts with Article 5 of the NATO treaty that specifies "armed attack on one or more  shall be considered an attack on all". A Chinese H-6K bomber patrols the islands and reefs in the South China Sea. Credit:Liu Rui No amount of silly "100 years of mateship" marketing campaigns to remind America of its obligations to a steadfast ally alters this reality.

In light of what proved to be a disastrous Donald Trump foray into Europe in which he insulted NATO allies, humiliated a British Prime Minister, and made a fool of himself in his interactions with a Russian president, Abbotts intervention is timely. His speech came on the eve of Trumps catastrophic (as far as Americas Western allies are concerned) European tour, and thus did not have the benefit of further evidence - if that was needed - of an unravelling global order. "My instinct is that acquiring a capacity to strike harder and further and the need to give our country and our armed forces greater protection could soon require military spending well beyond 2 per cent of GDP. Our armed forces need to be more capable of operating independently even against a substantial adversary because that is what a truly sovereign nation must be prepared to do," he said. Penny Wong: canvassed a call for Australia to recalibrate its relations with Washington. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Abbott does not specify what he means by a "substantial adversary", but clearly he is referring to China. Put colloquially and making allowances for some typical Abbott sabre-rattling, what he is saying is Australia needs to give itself the capacity to send this simple message.

"Dont f--- with us." Those, again, are my words. Provided defence dollars are spent wisely, and not on vainglorious projects like an open-ended $50 billion submarine project that no one believes will be completed on time and within budget, Abbotts views are worth noting. Loading Well return to the vexed issue of defence expenditures. Interestingly, Abbotts speech preceded a contribution to the debate from Labors foreign policy spokeswoman, the super-cautious Penny Wong, who canvassed a call for Australia to recalibrate its relations with Washington.

"The global community is still coming to terms with this new America. The reconfigured way the US is setting about conducting itself in the management of global affairs is generating something of a global rethink about how best to work with the US," she told the US Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. Illustration: Matt Davidson While Wong strives to limit any possibility of criticism Labor is weakening its commitments to Washington, she nevertheless edged in that speech towards the Gareth Evans view that Australia should rely less on the United States. Or, as the former Labor foreign minister puts it, "Australian foreign and defence policy for the foreseeable future is going to have to be founded on three core principles: more self-reliance. More Asia. Less United States." Thus Abbott on the right and Wong-Evans on the centre-left are reaching similar conclusions from different perspectives, at least when it comes to self-reliance.

Abbotts calls for increased defence spending beyond a statutory 2 per cent of GDP would likely separate him from Wong and Evans. Given Australias security environment is likely to become more  not less  fraught, the case for increased spending will become difficult to resist. In this years defence budget Australia is more or less on track to achieve its target of 2 per cent of GDP by 2020-21. Spending in this financial year will represent 6 per cent growth in real terms and 1.9 per cent of GDP. Globally, Australia ranks 11th in defence spending, ahead of Brazil and behind South Korea, according to Janes. American expenditures dwarf those, in aggregate, of the next seven military powers: China, India, Russia, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and France.

In other words, American firepower far exceeds that of its likely adversaries and friends combined; but as the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) makes clear, the weight is shifting to the Indo-Pacific, and away from the Euro-Atlantic. Chinas share of world military expenditure has risen to 13 per cent in 2017 from just 5.6 percent in 2008. Chinas expenditures at $228 billion are now getting close to half those of the US at $610 billion. Abbott concludes his Heritage Foundation speech thus in reference to Trumps calls for American allies to do more to provide for their own security. "When you think of what Trump is making clear  to us and to others  is what should always have been screamingly obvious: that our nations safety rests in our own hands, far more than in anyone elses." Whatever you might think of Abbotts judgment on a range of issues, on this, as we said, he has a point.
The Automotive News Digest Week Ending July 22, 2018 Edited By Larry Nutson







Week Of July 16-22 2018: FCA Replaces Ailing CEO Marchionne; Auto Tariffs, PSA Looks For North American Home' Dodge Angry Bee Unveiled, Tesla Troubles; AHOF Inductees,Whalberg A Dealer Now, Audi Boss In Jail, California Air Standards Ubiquitous?, Vietnamese Vehicles At Paris Car Show, Pikes Peak-e, Big Ford Recall

AUTO CENTRAL, CHICAGO - July 22, 2018; Each Sunday Larry Nutson, Senior Editor and Chicago Car Guy along with fellow senior editors Steve Purdy and Thom Cannell from The Auto Channel Michigan Bureau, give you The Auto Channel's "take" on this past week's automotive news, in easy to "catch up" with news nuggets. For More search the past 25 year's millions of (Indexed By Google) pages of automotive news, automotive stories, articles, reviews, archived news residing in The Auto Channel Automotive News Library.

TV viewers, you can now enjoy The Auto Channel TV Network On Amazon TV, Google TV, HULU, ROKU and "Free and Clear" on WHDT in Boston and South Florida as well as local cable systems.

The Auto Channel Automotive News Digest Week Ending July 22, 2018

Executive Editor Larry Nutson

* In late breaking news, Mike Manley 54 a Marchionne team guy and head honcho at Jeep and RAM and a native of England has been chosen to replace the ailing Sergio Marchionne as head guy at FCA. Manley has led Jeep since 2009 and RAM since 2015; he joined Chrysler in the U.K. in 2000 when the carmaker was still part of Daimler Chrysler merger of equals.

* Automotive News reports that PSA Group has narrowed to 15 states and four Canadian provinces its top picks as possible points of entry for sales as the French carmaker continues to ramp up plans to return to North America. Larry Dominique, CEO of PSA Group North America, told reporters that he is focusing on 15 states with customers who are willing to buy imports and represent 62 percent of vehicle sales. Dominique's presentation mentioned 14 states: California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Arizona, Washington, Massachusetts, Virgina, North Carolina, Georgia and Maryland. The 15th state was undisclosed. In Canada, PSA also is looking at four provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec) that represent 87 percent of Canadian sales. The maker of brands such as Peugeot, Citroen and Opel hopes to sell cars again in North America by 2026. Peugeot left the U.S. in 1991. Its North American headquarters is in Atlanta.

* The Commerce Department held a full-day hearing on President Donald Trump's proposal to raise taxes on imported autos and auto parts. There was near-unanimous opposition to the tariffs as automakers, dealers, suppliers, repair shop owners and foreign allies each stepped up to warn against it, saying it will hurt production and cost jobs. Only the UAW supported the hearing's investigation but cautioned against ultimately applying broad tariffs or using them against key allies such as Canada, which she said could hurt production in the U.S. and cost jobs.

* A rally of hundreds of autoworkers on Capitol Hill this week was organized by Canadian, European Union and the foreign automakers to protest the Trump administration's threat of imposing tariffs of up to 25% on imported cars and parts, a move they say will hurt the entire auto industry and consumers. The protesters found a sympathetic reception as 150 lawmakers are also opposing the administrations move.

* Dodge has gone from Hellcat to Demon to Hellcat Redeye and now to the Angry Bee. This week Dodge introduced the 2019 Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320, a drag-oriented, street-legal muscle car designed with the grassroots drag racer in mind. Named for the quarter-mile distance (1,320 feet), the Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 is powered by the 392 HEMI V-8 that delivers 485 horsepower. Equipped with exclusive drag strip technology from the iconic SRT Demon, its quarter-mile (1,320 feet) elapsed time (E.T.) of 11.7 seconds at 115 mph makes the showroom-stock R/T Scat Pack 1320 the fastest naturally aspirated, street-legal muscle car available. The Angry Bee logo marks the front fenders.

* Tesla shares dropped again this week after analysts at Needham & Co. asserted that hand-raisers in line for Model 3 mainstream electric sedan are putting their hands down, perhaps up to a quarter of them. Tesla founder and CEO, the ever-quotable Elon Musk, called the report BS. Each reservation is secured with a $1,000 deposit. The roll-out of the Model 3 continues to be problematic on a number of levels.

* Actor/businessman, Mark Wahlberg is buying into a Chevrolet dealership in Columbus, Ohio. Wahlberg is already in the restaurant business and is now partnering with an established auto dealer, Jay Feldman, who owns eight Chevrolet dealerships mostly in southeast Michigan. Wahlberg describes himself as a car lover.

* The Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan hosted its annual induction ceremony this past week with an unusual pair of inductees, Click & Clack, the Tappet Brothers, hosts of a popular, long-running, light-hearted, auto repair program on National Public Radio. Brothers, Ray and Tom Magliozzi, both MIT grads, hosted the show for decades. Other inductees were: Kitchiro Toyota, founder of the Toyota Motor Corporation; Frank Stronach, founder of Magna; and Mike Jackson who transformed AutoNation into the countrys largest automotive retailer.

* Suspended Audi CEO, Rupert Stadler, has been in jail for the past month for tampering with evidence in the never-ending diesel emission cheating scandal. He is now appealing his incarceration in a Bavarian prison after withdrawing his cooperation with prosecutors. A Munich prosecutor said his interrogation is complete and it is up to the court to decide on the appeal.

* In a response to the federal governments move to roll back automotive emissions standards Colorado governor, John Hickenlooper, signed an executive order this week leading the way for his state to adopt Californias rules to become a low-emissions vehicle state. The U.S. Environmental Protections Agency is preparing to reduce significantly the Obama-era demands for future emissions levels.

* Vietnamese automaker Vinfast will use the Paris auto show to raise its global profile by unveiling two production-ready models, designed by Italy's Pininfarina. VinFast will get up a new plant in Vietnam and bring an SUV and a sedan to the Vietnam market in Fall of 2019.

* The Pikes Peak record holding VW ID R claimed the electric car record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this week. Romain Dumas  once again donning his lightweight race suit and climbing into the cockpit of the ID R  managed a blistering time of 43.05 seconds. The previous record for an EV was the 47.34 set in 2013 by Jonny Cocker who drove a Lola-Drayson B12 69/EV.

* Ford is issuing a safety recall in North America for approximately 550,000 2013-16 model year Ford Fusion and 2013-14 Ford Escape vehicles to replace shifter cable bushings. Also, Ford is issuing a safety recall in North America for approximately 162 2018 Ford stripped chassis incomplete vehicles with 22.5-inch wheels and 22,000-, 24,000- or 26,000-pound gross vehicle weight rating for front-wheel studs that were not heat treated properly.
Marchionne Condition Grave and Irreversible - Swiss Hospital

Marchionne hospitalized in intensive care, his condition is defined as irreversible

ROME - July 22, 2018; Italian newspaper La Stampa reported that at the Zurich hospital where Marchionne is in Intensive Care unexpected complications during post-operative convalescence worsened further in the last hours

Marchionne entered the hospital in June for routine surgery on his right shoulder

In fact in the hospital five days after his admission he had confirmed his appointments for the beginning of July.

But since June 27, the CEO of FCA Sergio Marchionne has not left the University Hospital located on a hill not far from the center of Zurich.

Although Marchionne entered the hospital in June for routine surgery on his right shoulder, recent unconfirmed rumors speak of serious incurable cancer.
Marchionne News Release July 22, 2018 3 PM EDT

Universitatsspital of Zurich, where Sergio Marchionne is admitted

The latest information on Sergio Marchionne, head of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), is not very promising. The executive underwent shoulder surgery that was not more difficult a month ago, but the postoperative process has been complicated by causes that have not been officially explained.

According to La Reppublica, Marchionne no longer responds to any treatment

According to this newspaper, Marchionne is in intensive care since Friday, when he went into a coma, and is connected to a life thread with an artificial respirator. One unfortunate ending of Marchionne is feared, his condition is "irreversible", according to La Stampa. Unconfirmed sources cited by this means point to a more serious disease, it could even be a cancer.

Since June 27 Marchionne is at the Universitatsspital in Zurich (Switzerland) recovering from the aforementioned surgery. It was supposed to be a short process, as the executive expected to resume his usual agenda at the beginning of July. Yesterday he was hastily replaced at FCA and Ferrari.

You can not know a last hour, since the silence on the part of the hospital is absolute and has not seen lately the sentimental partner of Marchionne, Manuela Battezzato, or the two children of his previous marriage, Alessio Giacomo and Jonathan Tyler.

The circumstance arises that Exor, a company controlled by Agnelli-Elkann that has holdings in FCA, CNH and Ferrari, is the second shareholder of GEDI Gruppo Editoriale SpA. Behind that company is the newspaper La Stampa, which suggests that it's first-hand information.

The official page of Sergio Marchionne in FCA is now inaccessible (although it can be read in the Google cache) and the company assumes that it will not return. A letter has already circulated announcing his final farewell, pending the clinical outcome.

Mike Manley, new CEO of the FCA group

Quick relief in front of his previous responsibilities

In a matter of hours we have learned that Mike Manley, a 54-year-old Briton, replaces Marchionne as CEO of FCA. He is a very seasoned executive within the company -even at Chrysler- and until now he was the head of the Jeep and RAM brands. No doubt Manley is one of the responsible for Jeep is where it is after the last few years.

As for the signing of the cavallino, which is legally separate from FCA, his successor as CEO is Louis C. Camilleri, a 63-year-old Egyptian. He has been CEO since 2002 of Philip Morris, the biggest sponsor of the scuderia, although it is no longer possible to legally show tobacco advertising. John Elkann will be the president.

The planned departure of Marchionne was scheduled for 2019, after having taken the company to the future. The challenges that FCA has for the coming years are very complex: how to reposition the different brands, the autonomous cars, the progressive electrification and the full entrance into the world of total connectivity.

Brief biography of Sergio Marchionne

He was born in Chieti (Italy) in 1952, nationalized Canadian and Italian. His academic background was in art, philosophy and law in Toronto, as well as studies in administration and commerce at the University of Windsor (Canada). Since 1983 he has worked in several consulting firms, industry, pharmacy, logistics, etc.

In May 2003 he became a member of the board of directors of Fiat SpA, the following year he was already CEO. In June 2009 he was appointed CEO of Chrysler Group LLC, following the acquisition of Fiat. In December 2014 the manufacturer was renamed Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. He also acceded to the Ferrari presidency.

In addition to FCA, he has been on the board of directors of Exor SpA since May 2010, as well as president of CNH Industrial NV (product of the merger of Fiat and CNH Global). He is also on the board of directors of Philip Morris International and the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a board member of JP Morgan International and the Council for the United States and Italy.

The news Sergio Machionne is in a coma was originally published in @motorpuntoes by Javier Costas.
A new thrift store in Grunthal is funding charity and fulfilling a local businessmans dream.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 22/7/2018 (1191 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new thrift store in Grunthal is funding charity and fulfilling a local businessmans dream.

"Maybe you could say that I had a dream that I was going to put up a thrift store after I retired," said Dave Reimer, who opened Gospel Echoes Thrift Store three weeks ago.

The store supports Gospel Echoes Team Inc., a Christian mission to prisoners.

Reimer, who ran a lumber and concrete business in Roseau River, said he got the idea while visiting his daughter in Pennsylvania. He heard about a retired couple who bought a business, invested their money in it, and then gave all profits to mission work.

"I always thought man, thats a great idea," said Reimer. He decided hed like to open a thrift shop.

Gospel Echoes heard that Reimer was looking to open a thrift store and approached him. Reimer had visited prisons over the years, where hed held Christian services and spent time visiting with inmates.

"I always felt that there was a big need because a lot of people there never get visitors," he said. "Theyre human beings just like me."

He made a couple of attempts to set up shop in Steinbach, but things didnt work out. The project was put on the back burner.

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One day Reimer was driving down Main Street in Grunthal and spotted a building for sale. It was a 3,000 sq-ft.former garage and plumbing shop.

"Then time goes by, and its still for sale," Reimer said.

He pitched the idea to his business partners and went to the realtor. The price was right.

The store has been open for three weeks now, and already business is booming.

"Its been really, really good. Far beyond our human expectations," Reimer said.

Their neat, welcoming store has been getting great reviews and many donations, he said. Theyve already had to bring in a semi-trailer for storage.
A Trader Joe's employee embraces a woman in a parking lot near a Trader Joe's store where a hostage situation unfolded in Los Angeles, California, July 21, 2018. REUTERS/Andrew Cullen

Armed Suspect in Custody, One Woman Killed After Standoff at Trader Joes in LA

A police standoff ended after an armed suspect who barricaded himself inside a Trader Joes store in Los Angeles, California, has been taken into custody, police said. One woman was killed inside the store.

The suspect led police on a pursuit before he crashed his car next to the grocery store in the Silver Lake neighborhood and opened fire at officers on July 21. He then barricaded himself inside the store while shoppers ran for cover, Los Angeles police said in a Twitter statement. He was wanted by police in connection with an earlier separate shooting.

UPDATE: Earlier today, officers went in pursuit of a suspect wanted in connection to a shooting. At the termination of the pursuit, an officer involved shooting occurred, and the suspect has barricaded himself inside a #TraderJoes in #Silverlake. https://t.co/fLAowNpgYL  LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) July 22, 2018

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti spoke at a press conference shortly after the hostage situation ended, reported NBC Los Angeles. He announced that a woman was killed inside the grocery store and was dragged out by an employee. No details were released about the victim, as police were locating the victims next of kin.

With @LAPDChiefMoore to share the latest on the resolution of the incident at the #SilverLake #TraderJoes where LAPD has taken the suspect into custody. Watch live https://t.co/0UmiKsKEc9  Mayor Eric Garcetti (@MayorOfLA) July 22, 2018

Earlier today, authorities declared an active tactical alert after the suspect barricaded himself inside the store. Reinforcements from the SWAT team also responded to the situation.

After a standoff that lasted for about three hours, police said they had successfully taken the suspect into custody without incident.

#UPDATE: We have successfully taken the suspect into custody without incident. The situation remains fluid as officers move forward clearing the location.  LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) July 22, 2018

The incident started as a family dispute in South Los Angeles at around 1:30 p.m. where the suspect allegedly shot his grandmother and girlfriend before fleeing in his Toyota Camry, reported the Los Angeles Times. The suspect is believed to be a man in his late teens.

Police were able to locate the suspects car and a chase then ensued at which point the suspect fired multiple rounds at pursuing officers.

The pursuit ended after the suspect crashed into a light post outside the Trader Joes, according to the newspaper. He then opened fire at authorities before running into the grocery store. The female victim was struck by the gunfire and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The suspect then crashed his vehicle at which point an officer involved shooting occurred. At the termination of the pursuit, the suspect fled into the Trader Joes. Inside the Trader Joes, a female victim was struck by gunfire. She was pronounced dead at scene.  LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) July 22, 2018

Police said the suspect held multiple people hostage inside the store. After police negotiations, the suspect surrendered and voluntarily walked out of the store. He then asked that he put handcuffs on himself, and was taken into custody.

He then proceeded to hold multiple victims hostage within the location. Through the hard work of multiple LAPD entities, the suspect walked out of the location, and asked that he put handcuffs on himself, and was taken into custody.  LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) July 22, 2018

An active investigation is currently ongoing.

This remains an active investigation, and the area will remain closed as our investigation continues.  LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) July 22, 2018

President Donald Trump said he was watching the possible hostage situation very closely.

Watching Los Angeles possible hostage situation very closely. Active barricaded suspect. L.A.P.D. working with Federal Law Enforcement.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 22, 2018

A family unification location had been set up for victims affected by the shooting at Los Angeles Police Department Northeast Station, 3353 N. San Fernando Road.

#LAPD Family reunification location for family members affected by the Officer Involved Shooting is at LAPD Northeast Station, 3353 N. San Fernando RD. 323-561-3211  LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) July 22, 2018

From NTD.tv
Australian Navy to Accompany UKs Largest Warship Ever Built in Pacific

The United Kingdom has invited the Australian navy to accompany its flagship aircraft carrier, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, when it is deployed in the Pacific.

The HMS Queen Elizabeth, which went into service in December 2017, is the largest warship ever built for the Royal Navy.

UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, speaking after a joint meeting on July 20 with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Defence Minister Marise Payne, and UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, said Britain would be increasing its presence in the Pacific region.

We are very much hoping and going to work together on deploying Her Majestys Ship Queen Elizabeth to the Pacific and hopefully sailing side-by-side with Australian vessels, Williamson said.

We want to make sure that everyone around the world understands that these two nations are the greatest of allies.

The new carriers deployment to the region, expected in a few years time when it is fully operational, was flagged by then Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson last year.

One of the first things we will do with the two new colossal aircraft carriers that we have just built is send them on a freedom-of-navigation operation to [the South China Sea] to vindicate our belief in the rules-based international system and in the freedom of navigation through those waterways, which are absolutely vital for world trade, he said.

Williamson, however, did not specifically mention whether the carrier would be deployed to the South China Sea.

The enhanced military cooperation between the two countries will be seen as a response to Chinas growing assertiveness in the area, including its militarization of islands in the South China Sea.

Williamson said there was an increasing submarine threat in the north Atlantic and the Pacific. He said this was the first time since 2013 that Britain has deployed ships to the Pacific region.

We have [deployed] three [ships] this year, he said

This isnt something we want to see as a flash in the pan but actually a commitment to the region and involvement in the region that goes forward in the coming years.

Last month, Australia approved a A$35 billion ($25.7 billion) program to build nine new Hunter class anti-submarine frigates. They are to be delivered by British shipbuilder BAE Systems PLC.

Bishop said the norms and conventions in the Pacific region were being challenged and welcomed to the UKs increased participation, which included establishing new British diplomatic offices in Tonga, Samoa, and Vanuatu.

At such a critical juncture in world affairs, we feel it is vital for like-minded nations to join together to promote peace and stability, Bishop said.

We couldnt be more delighted that the UK will be taking an increasing role in the Indo-Pacific.

From NTD.tv

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People Gather to Protest Real Bodies Exhibition in Sydney

There is reason to believe that the corpses on display have come from non-consenting Chinese citizens.
A police officer guards a cordoned off area after it was confirmed that two people had been poisoned with the nerve-agent Novichok, in Salisbury, Britain, on July 5, 2018. (Henry Nicholls/Reuters)

Briton Discharged From Hospital After Novichok Poisoning

LONDONCharlie Rowley, one of two Britons poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok last month, was released from hospital on Friday.

Rowley, 45, and Dawn Sturgess, 44, fell ill after being exposed to the poison in southwest England, close to where Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were attacked with the same substance in March.

I am pleased to confirm that earlier today, Charlie Rowley was discharged from hospital. Charlie has been through an appalling experience most of us could never imagine, Lorna Wilkinson, Director of Nursing at Salisbury District Hospital, said in a statement.

Sturgess died earlier this month and her death is being treated as murder.

Britain blamed Russian elements for the poisoning of the Skripals. The Kremlin denied involvement and the incident sparked mass tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions as relations between the countries soured.

Police say the source of the Novichok which killed Sturgess was a small bottle they found in Rowleys house, and more than 400 items have been recovered as part of the murder investigation.

Paul Cosford of Public Health England said it was safe for Rowley to leave hospital.

Mr Rowleys discharge creates no risk to anyone in the community, he added in a statement.
Chinese workers check solar photovoltaic modules on a hillside in a village in Chuzhou, in eastern China's Anhui Province on April 13, 2017. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Chinas Solar Industry in Trouble Despite Years of Government Support

The U.S. solar industry has been gutted by Chinese manufacturers who dump their products in the U.S. market, undermining the local industry. The decline of the once-booming industry in the United States goes hand-in-hand with the evolution of China into the worlds biggest solar panel maker.

China surpassed Germany in 2015 to become the country with the most installed solar capacity. In 2017, Chinas photovoltaic (PV) market passed the 100 gigawatts (GW) milestoneenough energy to power 70 million homes.

The U.S. government has taken several steps to stymie the damage done to the U.S. solar industry. In January, the Trump administration imposed tariffs on Chinese-imported solar cells and modules30 percent in the first year, followed by an annual incremental drop of 5 percent, reaching 15 percent by 2021.

Then, in June, Chinese-imported solar cells and modules were the target of 25 percent tariffs, part of the $50 billion worth of Chinese products to be hit with tariffs amid the trade war between China and the United States.

The United States is not the only country trying to protect its own domestic solar industry against Chinese solar products. On July 18, India, the largest importer of Chinese solar equipment, announced that it would impose a 25 percent safeguard tariff on solar modules and cells imported from China.

It remains to be seen how much the U.S. solar industry will benefit from the proposed tariffs, as U.S.-based solar cell and module manufacturers actually account for just 15 percent of solar jobs in America, according to the 2017 National Solar Jobs Census conducted by U.S. nonprofit the Solar Foundation.

Meanwhile, solar panel installation companies in both the United States and European Union, who have relied on cheap Chinese imports to expand their business, have complained that the tariffs on Chinese solar panels may cut into their profits as they are forced to raise prices for consumers who may be unwilling to pay.

However, there are already signs that Chinas solar industry is not sustainable, after years of relying on heavy government subsidies.

Government Subsidies

In June, the Chinese regime made a surprise announcement that it would implement measures to cool an oversaturated solar industry that is already supplying more than the demandrevealing just how much Chinese solar companies depend on state financial support.

A joint announcement issued by Chinas National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Ministry of Finance, and the National Energy Administration stated that the central authorities would cut national feed-in tariffs (TiF) for solar-generated energy by 0.05 yuan (about $0.007) per kilowatt-hour, according to a June 4 report by state-run newspaper Peoples Daily. Those are payments made to households and businesses for using electricity generated from renewable sources. Solar energy companies also receive subsidies for producing the energy.

Additionally, local authorities have suspended the construction of subsidized solar projects until further notice.

Meanwhile, Chinas state funds for subsidizing renewable energy companies are running low. According to a July 5 report by Chinese technology news website OFweek, the state fund had a deficit of 112.7 billion yuan (about $16.6 billion) as of the end of 2017, of which 45.5 billion yuan (about $6.7 billion) was spent on solar subsidies alone, citing data from the National Energy Administration.

The OFweek report, citing its own research, stated that if the NDRC had not announced the national cut in June, the state funds solar subsidies deficit would have ballooned to 81 billion yuan (about $11.9 billion) by the end of 2018, 97.2 billion (about $14.3 billion) by 2019, and 111.1 billion (about $16.4 billion) by 2020.

But solar equipment manufacturers around the world would still be at a disadvantage in competing against their Chinese counterparts. Many Chinese provincial and municipal authorities have continued to provide their own regional financial packages to the domestic solar sector.

In Shenzhen, a city in southern China bordering Hong Kong, the local government announced on June 12 that it would subsidize any photovoltaic (PV) project with 0.4 yuan ($0.06) per kilowatt-hour, with maximum annual subsidies capped at 500,000 yuan ($73,850). Additionally, every square meter of solar panel installed would be subsidized with 390 yuan ($57.60).

In Beijing, its existing subsidy program for PV projects runs from Jan. 1, 2015, to Dec. 31, 2019, with subsidies of 0.3 yuan ($0.04) per kilowatt-hour.

Overseas Recruitment Program

Chinas solar sector has grown exponentially, due in part to state-sponsored recruitment programs that lure PV talents from other countries to work in China, with promises of lucrative employment packages.

For example, Zhu Xin earned a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan and was a senior engineer with the San Jose-based PDF Solutions, which develops process-design integration technologies for integrated circuits (ICs). He returned to China under the government recruitment program, the Thousand Talents Plan, in 2012. Currently, Zhu is the founder and president of Suzhou Juzhen Photoelectric in Zhangjiagang City, Jiangsu Province.

The Thousand Talents Plan was launched in 2008 to attract workers in the science and tech fields from around the world to take up work in China. The programs purpose is to push forward Chinas technological advancement, eventually turning the country into a high-tech powerhouse.

More than 7,000 top-level Chinese and foreign professionals have been recruited under the plan. Chinese nationals who return to China after working or studying abroad are offered a one-time package of 1 million yuan ($151,140).

Local governments in China have similar recruitment programs with their own unique incentive packages to attract overseas talents.

Yang Liyou, general manager of Jinergy, a PV company based in Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province, returned to China under the Thousand Talents Plan in 2013.

Yang had an extensive career in the U.S. renewable energy and tech sectors: He was in charge of the research and development department for the Spanish PV company BP Solar. He was also head of new materials research department at Sarnoff, a New Jersey-based semiconductor technology company.
Chinese workers preparing to destroy fake medicines seized in Beijing, on March 14, 2013. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on July 13, 2018 the recall of the heart medicine valsartan, made by Chinese firm Zhejiang Huahai, which was found to be contaminated by a carcinogen. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Expert: Contamination of China-Made Heart Drug Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg

Contamination of a key drug used for treating high blood pressure and heart failure has caused a worldwide recall. An expert who has been sounding an alarm over the growing reliance by the United States on Chinese-made medicines said this is just another case highlighting the extensive problems of pharmaceuticals made in China.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on July 13 the recall of 29 types of single and 51 types of combination valsartan medicines.

The recall followed the same move by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on July 5 when it was informed by Chinas Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceuticala major global manufacturer of generic valsartanthat the drug had been contaminated by a substance called N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), which could cause cancer.

Valsartan contamination could have started as early as 2012 according to European regulators, who speculated that it was caused by Zhejiang Huahai changing its manufacturing processes at that time. This also means that for six years, a large number of patients worldwide likely have been exposed to the cancer-causing element in their valsartan.

Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical did not respond to The Epoch Times repeated requests for comment. The company, which sold $50 million worth of valsartan in 2017 alone, acknowledged in a public statement that some of its valsartan was definitely contaminated, although it did not give out any additional details.

Rosemary Gibson, a senior adviser at The Hastings Center and an author of several books on health care issues, told The Epoch Times that the case is just the latest scandal showing how defective medicines and pharmaceutical ingredients made by Chinese manufacturers are becoming a health care hazard and even a national security threat for the United States.

There is a lack of trust in medicines made in China now, Gibson said. The public wants their medicine to be safe. This carcinogen hidden in valsartan raises the question whether other products that are made in China have been made contrary to the global standard we came to accept.

According to the annual report by U.S.China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), China has been a prolific source of counterfeit and defective medicine. The Chinese regimes regulators have proven to be incapable of cracking down on bad medicines, and many Chinese consumers prefer U.S. pharmaceutical products due to concerns over the quality of domestic ones.

Threat to National Security

Zhejiang Huahai was one of the first Chinese companies to be approved to sell generic drugs in the United States, and it remains one of Chinas largest exporters of pharmaceuticals to the U.S. and European markets.

Gibson said the problem was not limited to Zhejiang Huahai. The valsartan contamination highlights the general issues of quality and consumer protection for Americans who rely on generic drugs manufactured by China, she said.

The American and European public have to realize China doesnt have consumer protection laws like we do, Gibson said. If consumers here want to file a lawsuit against a Chinese company, they are out of luck.

China has been rapidly expanding its pharmaceutical manufacturing industry and is now the maker of thousands of drugs found in U.S. hospitals and pharmacies. It could soon overtake India as the dominant manufacturer of generic drugs in the United States.

According to Gibson, the growing reliance on medicines made in China poses a national security hazard for America. The United States has locked into a strategic competition with the Chinese regime, which is adopting increasingly aggressive foreign policies and military expansions.

We need to view medicine as a strategic asset, just like how we view oil and energy supply, Gibson said. A strategic asset is something that will make our country fall apart if we dont have it.

In an exclusive interview with The Epoch Times in May, Rosemary Gibson discussed her new book China RX: Exposing the Risks of Americas Dependence on China for Medicine, co-authored with Janardan Prasad Singh, which documented what has led to Chinas increasing dominance in the manufacturing of medicine and the consequences for the United States and the world.

Gibson and Singh detail how the Chinese regime has overtakenand in some cases, put out of businessmany key U.S. and global drug companies by undercutting and stealing from competitors, and cutting corners.

Medicine is listed among the top 10 items in the Made in China 2025 plan, an aggressive industrial strategy the Chinese regime rolled out in 2015 that outlined Chinas industrial policy for catching up and surpassing rivals like the United States, Japan, and Germany across a wide array of technological competitions.

The strategy explicitly laid out Beijings playbook is to provide massive state subsidies and support to Chinese manufacturers to help them capture the global market, while using protectionist policies at home to exclude foreign competitors from importing products.
Gene Evin Atkins Identified as Suspect in Deadly Trader Joes Shooting, Hostage Situation

A 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder after shooting and killing a Trader Joes employee in Los Angeles.

Gene Evin Atkins is being held on a $2 million bail, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, the Los Angeles Times reported on Sunday.

Suspect in Trader Joe's shooting, hostage situation identified as Gene Evin Atkins, 28. https://t.co/V23LAERmW2  NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) July 22, 2018

Atkins was taken into custody at around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, some two hours after he reportedly ran inside a Trader Joes in the Silver Lake neighborhood and allegedly held people hostage, according to the report.

Hours before, police said that he shot his grandmother seven times and shot another woman. Then, he led police on a chase until he crashed into a light post near the Trader Joes. Atkins then allegedly exchanged fire with police before going into the store.

In the incident, dozens of employees and shoppers were trapped inside. Atkins allowed some to leave, and other people sneaked out.

Seven of us were hiding in the back behind the bread, Cyrani Ackerman told the LA Times. There was a lot of shots fired.

Silver Lake Trader Joe's Standoff That Left Woman Dead, Others Injured https://t.co/bApKglv3Gx Gene Evin Atkins was armed when he ran into the store 3 p.m. Saturday following a pursuit that began 1 1/2 hr before in South L.A., where he shot his grandmother & another woman  Rebecca Trotter (@RTfromIL) July 22, 2018

Melyda Corado, 27, was identified by a man who said she was his sister. Im sad to say she didnt make it. My baby sister. My world, he wrote on Twitter.

Im sad to say she didnt make it. My baby sister. My world. I appreciate the retweets and the love. Please respect my familys privacy as we are still coming to terms with this. #TraderJoes #SilverLake  Albert Corado (@digitalurn) July 22, 2018

At around 6:30 p.m., Atkins agreed to surrender and handcuffed himself before walking out the door. He was taken into custody.

Sean Gerace, an employee, was hailed as a hero for helping employees escape the standoff. I grabbed an emergency ladder, barricaded the hallway, grabbed a weapon, put the ladder out the window, and just tried to get the attention of a SWAT officer, Gerace recalled, according to Fox News.

Wow! Bravo to this #TraderJoes crew member Sean. He heard the shots, barricaded himself and some co-workers upstairs, grabbed the window ladder and helped many of his co-workers get out. You can see him in the picture below. #SilverLake @NBCLA pic.twitter.com/2co6JqVhCY  Kenny Holmes (@KHOLMESlive) July 22, 2018

Lynne Westafer, a Trader Joes employee, told KCAL that she didnt know the gunman shot his grandmother before the hostage situation unfolded. He said he would start killing us if he didnt get to talk to his granny, Westafer said. And he would start counting down from fiveand that was terrifying.

Atkins is being held on $2 million bail, officials said on Sunday.
Painter and draftsman Carlos Madrid talks about his life and work in his studio in New York on July 3, 2018. (Milene Fernandez/The Epoch Times)

International Painter Carlos Madrid, Seeker of Harmony

NEW YORKCarlos Madrids insatiable curiosity leads him to explore the beauty of nature and life. Hes been on a long journey of expressing the gifts life has offered him, and the mysteries that have unfolded before him. You can see it in his paintings. They are packed with meaning while exuding a deliberate sense of calm containment. Some are allegorical, others are meditative or even sentimental, but every one of them is harmonious.

I have always been asking questions about the universe: what are we doing here, where are we going, what is the real purpose of life? Through my work, I try to piece together little symbols that kind of connect me to that big question, he said in his cool, well-insulated apartment and studio, on a sweltering summer day in Manhattan.

He revealed the meaning of his visual lexicon, some reoccurring symbols in his paintings: Pearls symbolize the ocean and life.  Theres no life without water, he emphasized. Rubies are about the beautiful things in lifethe jewels that we have all over the place, like the plants, the flowers, the birds, the sunsets, the full moons. Rose petals are about the most delicate part of life. They are so fragile; they symbolize love, kindness, softness. The skulls remind us of our mortality; the eggs represent birth or beginnings, he said.

Madrid also portrays the beauty of simple objects that most people dont pay much attention to, like bricks and stones. In his still life paintings, they represent harmonies and balance, he said.

He also draws and paints the human figure and described what he finds fascinating about the body: The forms, the sensuality, the differences between human bodies, in every aspectnoses, ears, eyes, mouths, and fingers, different shapes and sizes, tall, medium, small, and tiny. There is an incredible array in the diversity. I watch people and think it is a miracle that we are born, that we can talk and notice these things and, of course, nature, Madrid said.

His drawing Falling Star is an image of his late wife that came to him when he was living in Norway. It depicts her standing in a cocoon. She is wearing a cap and looking up at the universe and a shooting star.

He doesnt paint landscapes but he needs to be in nature frequently, so he walks or runs in Central Park or by the Hudson River almost every day.

While he searches for the meaning of life, he doesnt search for particular subjects to depict. Images just come to him. I see images in my head, and I do tiny sketches that turn into paintings. I dont even know exactly what they mean, but its always something about silence, harmony, and its simplicity, he said.

A rare exception was a bird that he painted. The bird flew into the window, into the kitchen, and broke its neck. I grabbed it right then and started painting it, he said. He titled that painting Twilight. It was the twilight of a life, he said.

Now his paintings are even more focused on simplicity. About his creative process, he thinks, How can I make it as simple and as direct as possible, so that when the viewer sees it, it is just there, he said.

He works on several paintings at a time, switching between them. Some are sold right off the easel in his apartment in the Hells Kitchen district of Manhattan, where he has been living on and off since 1979.

On his west-facing brick-exposed wall, he has on display his more personal paintings, which are not for sale: a memorial for his mother and a memorial for his wife, as well as a copy he made of a painting by the renown Norwegian figurative painter Odd Nerdrum. On a small desk, an easel holds a drawing he has been working on, a copy of a portrait by Leonardo da Vinci. His east-facing wall is covered with shelves stretching from the floor to the ceiling and across the entire living room. They hold books on art, photographs of his wife and family, and objects he has gathered from his journeys.

On one of his three easels, his painting of a pregnant woman looked finished, but Madrid had yet to paint three identical elements. As he pointed at the belly of the figure, at the fetus, and at the egg, he said red, red, red. A week later, he painted three ruby red drops on those spots to show the connection between them. The painting also has a skull as a memento mori.

Basically, it is about the process we go through in life. We are born, we grow, and we disappear, he said about the painting. I like that the fetus is muted [blurred] because it is still in the other world. It is still inside her, so it couldnt be as sharp as the pregnant woman, he added.

Madrid had started on that painting over a year ago, but the hours he put into it could be compressed into about two months. He paints every day at his own pace, and only paints what he loves to express.

That wasnt always the case for Madrid. He became a professional painter late in his life. The biggest challenge I have had was to believe in myself, he said.

A Worldly Man

Madrids spontaneous sense for adventure has taken him from Peru, where he was born, to living in eight other countriesfor at least six months in Argentina to over 32 years now in the United States, and for various amounts of time in between in Israel, Austria, Germany, Italy, France, and Norway.

The name of the small town of Jauja, where he was born in 1950, derives from a Spanish expression that figuratively means land of milk and honey. From 11,200 feet above sea level, he descended to lower altitudes on this planet Earth, where he literally descended to a near brush with death in his late 20s, to dedicating himself to a spiritual path and a healthy lifestyle, to eventually fully answering his lifes calling in his mid-40s.

He was prompted to move to other countries, in several cases, to study with a master painter. I was searching for people who could teach me what I wanted to learn, which I knew I could not get in colleges, especially at that time, he said.

He has studied with some of the very best, including Michael Aviano at the New York Academy of Art; Ted Seth Jacobs at LEcole Albert Defois in France; the artist and founder of Grand Central Atelier, Jacob Collins in New York; the Norwegian painter Odd Nerdrum; and with the founder of The Florence Academy of Art, Daniel Graves.

Madrids face is also readily recognizable among other realist artists and collectors because he has sat for portraits made by his teachers and other top artists of our time, such as Travis Schlaht, the sculptor Cody Swanson, and most recently, Jordan Sokol, among others.

Deep down, Madrid knew he also wanted to be a fine artist himself, but he was preoccupied with the idea of making a living in what he considered to be more practical careers. In Israel, he studied environmental architectural design and worked making playgrounds. In New York, after finishing his degree at Parsons School of Design, he worked as a freelance graphic designer doing typography, layout, and advertising for magazines like Vogue, People, and Time magazine for three years.

I respect people who enjoy it, but I knew it wasnt for me. I didnt care about the projects or the productslike cigarettes, or packaged food that I knew was terrible, he said. I realized  my soul wanted to be an artist, a free spirit.

One day, he saw a poster in an art supply store advertising a tempera painting workshop, with the heading Egg Tempera Technique by Austrian Painter. He took the workshop given by one of the students of the Austrian artist Ernst Fuchs. When Madrid first saw images of Fuchss allegorical work in 1977, he was struck: That was the first time I thought that maybe I can paint. Thats how my symbolism started.

Soon after, Madrid wrote a letter to Fuchs requesting to be his apprentice. Fuchs accepted.

I went to Austria with long hair. I wore a poncho, and I took this [mahl] stick with me, and when Ernst Fuchs saw me, he said, You remind me of myself! Madrid recalled. He stayed in Fuchss Jugendstil villa (Otto-Wagner-Villa) in Vienna, learning the egg tempera technique and preparing Fuchss canvases.

However, he stayed in Vienna for only nine months because his health was faltering badly. Prior to arriving in Vienna, he was introduced to cocaine during a short vacation in Peru. Within four months of being addicted to a pure form of the drug, he overdosed. I was 28. Perhaps I knew deep inside that you can harm yourself that way, but I was stupid and unhappy with my reality, he said. I almost died. It was scaryvery scary.

He decided to go to his sister in Peru to heal. Later he lived in Munich, Germany, eventually moved back to New York where he worked as a graphic designer again, and became very interested in yoga and meditation. Occasionally, he would take evening or weekend drawing classes at The Art Students League.

Although he had been Fuchss apprentice and had been drawing and painting sporadically for years, it wasnt until he met his wife, Elizabeth Roberts, in 1987 that he would start to really believe in himself. He described the day he met her as one of the biggest joys in his life.

I saw this woman, my wife, and I thought I need to know her. I really loved her smile, her energy  It was almost like an illuminationthis smile that she had, her beautiful eyes, he said.

Throughout the 25 years they were together, Madrid would be steadily encouraged by his wife to pursue his career as a fine artist. Roberts persuaded him to have his first one-man show in 1989, she supported him as he studied abroad with Ted Seth Jacobs in France in 2000, with Odd Nerdrum in Norway for three years (200103), as well as at The Florence Academy of Art for another three years (200508).

We would visit each other. She would come to Norway for a few weeks, and I would go back to New York for a few months. Thats how amazing she was. She gave me the full go-ahead, because she knew I had a very limited amount of time to achieve a certain level of technical ability. In those years, I began selling my work in Norway like crazy, Madrid said.

By the time Madrid returned to New York in 2008 to stay, his work had been exhibited in three solo shows, and over 40 group shows.

Curiously, when Madrid was in his 20s, a psychic woman in Peru predicted that in the span of 10 years, he would accomplish something that would normally take a lifetime for most people to achieve. The woman did not specify what or when that something would come to pass, but it turns out her prediction came true.

Basically within 10 or 11 years, I went from studying painting to becoming a professional painter, selling my work in Norway, Madrid said. Its peculiar, because it is not usual for someone to start so late and to become so successful. More than 50 of his paintings are in Norwegian homes, and he continues to sell paintings regularly through the gallery that represents him, Quidley & Company in Naples, Florida.

The director of Quidley, Joe Panarelli, discovered Madrid through The Florence Academy of Art website. Panarelli happened to leave a voice message on Madrids phone the day Madrid had to take his wife to the hospital. She had been diagnosed with cancer about a month before, in June 2011. When Elizabeth became ill, I told her, Im stopping painting. You are my priority right now, and she said, Carlos, please call him. I remember that day very clearly, Madrid recalled.

Elizabeth Roberts passed away on Nov. 10, 2012.

Madrid keeps a quote from his wife that encourages him to continue painting: I have had a wonderful life, every single day, every moment has been amazing. Even one day of this life, even a single day would have been enough, more than enough.

Every single piece I do now is for her. I sign CM and in the middle L for Liz, but we used to call each other Lovey. (When she would call me Carlos, I knew she was pissed off with me.) So the L is for Liz and for Lovey, he said.

When his work is displayed, seen, and sold, he said that it feels like a triumph for both of them.

The only purpose of any art form is communication: our desire to explain the world, to explain life. My aim is to find peace in my work because I am trying to find peace in my life alsoharmony, Madrid said.

His top advice for artists of all ages, especially to the ones who are good, he said, Dont become arrogant. Its ugly. Be humble. Have humility, basically, yeah.

Milene Fernandez is on Instagram @milenejf
LA Police Respond to Active Barricaded Suspect at Trader Joes

An armed man being pursued by police went into a Trader Joes store in Los Angeles on July 21, where he barricaded himself in with possible hostages, police said.

The suspect, who was wanted in connection with a separate shooting, crashed a car next to the store and opened fire on the officers chasing him. The suspect then barricaded himself inside the grocery store while shoppers ran for cover, according to Los Angeles police.

UPDATE: Earlier today, officers went in pursuit of a suspect wanted in connection to a shooting. At the termination of the pursuit, an officer involved shooting occurred, and the suspect has barricaded himself inside a #TraderJoes in #Silverlake. https://t.co/fLAowNpgYL  LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) July 22, 2018

Police said the SWAT team has also responded to the incident in the Silver Lake neighborhood.

UPDATE: SWAT resources are on scene at the #traderjoes in #Silverlake as we work to bring a swift resolution to this incident. Again, this is an active and evolving situation, and we continue to urge the public and media to stay clear of the area.  LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) July 22, 2018

In an earlier Twitter post, authorities declared an active tactical alert after the suspect barricaded himself inside the store.

UPDATE: We can confirm that there is an active barricaded suspect within a #TraderJoes in #Silverlake. An active tac-alert has been declared to ensure all resources necessary will be available. Please continue to stay clear of the area.  LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) July 22, 2018

Aerial footage from local TV stations NBC Los Angeles and CBS Los Angeles showed people leaving a store window using a rope ladder and police carrying children to safety through a parking lot in the citys Silver Lake neighborhood.

A woman inside the store was shot but able to get out, NBC Los Angeles reported, saying there may be dozens of people still inside the store in safe locations.

The suspect has been shot and is talking with police negotiators, NBC Los Angeles said.

#Breaking: Were hearing 20-30 people may still be inside the Trader Joes in #SilverLake. Gunman believed to be holding hostages near the checkout stands. #cbsla @CBSLA pic.twitter.com/yxwL93B9DU  Peter Daut (@CBSLAPeter) July 21, 2018

Prior to the standoff at the grocery store, the suspect allegedly shot his grandmother and girlfriend before fleeing in his car, CBS Los Angeles reported citing a police source.

President Donald Trump said he was watching the possible hostage situation very closely.

Watching Los Angeles possible hostage situation very closely. Active barricaded suspect. L.A.P.D. working with Federal Law Enforcement.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 22, 2018

Authorities are urging members of the public to stay clear of the area.

This is a developing story.

Reuters contributed to this report

From NTD.tv
Man Who Fatally Shot Another Over Parking Space Wont be Charged: Florida Sheriff

A man who fatally shot another man during a fight over a parking spot in Florida wont be charged, due to a self-defense law, according to the local sheriff.

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said that the incident, which took place on July 19 outside a Circle A Food store in Pinellas County, fell under the states Stand Your Ground self-defense law.

Britany Jacobs, 24, was sitting in her vehicle in a handicapped space outside the store while her boyfriend, Markeis McGlockton, 28, and their 5-year-old son, Markeis, went inside.

McGlockton was approached by Michael Drejka, 47, and the two began an argument over the parking space, police officers said in a statement obtained by ABC Action News. Drejka was upset because he believed Jacobs was parked illegally in the handicapped space.

According to witnesses, McGlockton exited the store and walked over to Drejka who was still arguing with Jacobs in the parking lot, police said in a statement. Witnesses say McGlockton forcibly pushed Drejka, causing Drejka to fall to the ground. Witnesses told detectives that Drejka was on the ground when he took out a handgun and fired one single round at McGlockton, striking him in the chest.

After McGlockton was shot, he ran inside and collapsed in front of his son; Jacobs rushed over and called 911, while Drejka placed his firearm inside his vehicle and waited for the police. Floridas Stand Your Ground law, enacted in 2005, enables residents to use forceincluding deadly forceif they reasonably believe theyre at risk of death or bodily harm.

Sheriff Gualtieri outlined the subjective standard [in a press conference] set by the Florida Legislature that precluded the Sheriffs Office from making an arrest by Florida State Statute under the Stand Your Ground law, the sheriffs office stated in a press release.

The sheriff said that McGlockton didnt just push but shoved Drejka to the ground with great force. I mean this is a violent push, this isnt just a push or a shove, this is violent and he slammed him to the ground, he said.

Drejka was cooperative, and during the interview what he claimed was that he had a verbal altercation, he was approached, he was slammed to the ground, and that he was in fear. And he felt after being slammed to the ground, that the next thing was that he was going to be further attacked by McGlockton.

However, before McGlockton was shot, he visibly retreated once he saw the gun, calling into question whether he actually remained a threat to Drejka. McGlocktons family doesnt think so, and plans to hire a criminal attorney to investigate, they told ABC Action News. Jacobs said Drejka got away with murder.

How is this Stand Your Ground law? Jacobs said. Its not! Markeis pushed him. How does that justify a bullet?

Due to recent changes in Floridas law, the burden is now on the prosecution to prove that the defendant was not acting in self-defense. Before, the defendant had the burden of proof.

Im a big believer in this adage that just because you can, doesnt mean you should. This case may be an example of that, Gualtieri said in a press conference. Nonetheless, we dont build it, we just sail it. What I mean by that is, I dont make the law, I enforce the law.

Holly Kellum contributed to this report.

From NTD.tv
Modern Day Slavery in Developed Countries Higher Than Previously Thought

An estimated 40 million people globally are victims of human trafficking

Its a global, everyday problem hidden in plain sight.

About 1 in 800 people in the United States are living in modern slavery, new data from a landmark report revealed.

The phrase is a broad term used to describe victims of forced labor, sexual exploitation or servitude, and forced marriages, among numerous other abuses. The findings were released on July 19, as part of the Global Slavery Index 2018 (GSI), by the Walk Free Foundation, an Australia-based rights group that conducted face-to-face interviews with more than 70,000 respondents in 48 countries.

This years edition, the fifth, estimated that more than 40 million people globally in 2016 were victims of modern-day slaveryin the United States alone, the index identified about 403,000 victims. The numbers in developed nations like the United States and European countries were far higher than previously thought, which, Walk Free argues, should add pressure on those countries to step up in their combative efforts.

The responsibility that developed countries have for modern slavery, revealed by this new data, is a huge wakeup call, GSI founder Andrew Forrest said. The pressure to respond to this appalling human crime must shift from poorer countries to richer nations that have the resources and institutions to do much better.

Goods were a key driver of modern slavery globally, and the United States is the biggest purchaser of goods at-risk of being produced through forced labor, importing more than $144 billion a year. The top five at-risk products were electronics (including laptops, computers, and mobile phones), garments, fish, cocoa, and timber.

China was by far the largest source of these goods, exporting over $122 billion worth to the United States. Vietnam was the second largest, at $11.2 billion, and India was third, at $3.8 billion.

However, more promisingly, the report found that the United States has the second-highest Government Response Index score (after the Netherlands) in tackling the issue, through its strong criminal justice response, victim support services, and protections for vulnerable populations.

Countries with the lowest action and response included North Korea, Libya, Eritrea, Iran, and the Central African Republic, among others. The U.S. State Departments own annual Trafficking in Persons report, released last month, identified many of the same countries.

President Donald Trump has made tackling human trafficking a major priority during his tenure. In April, he signed into law a bill that stopped the shielding of website operators from state criminal charges or civil liability if they facilitate sex ads or prostitution. In the same month, Backpage.com, the largest human-trafficking portal in the United States, was shut down by the FBI.

Trump started the battle against human trafficking shortly after taking office. He signed an executive order in February last year directing the government to identify, interdict, disrupt, and dismantle the transnational criminal organizations that engage in human trafficking.

In September last year, the State Department announced a $25 million grant to the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery. Based on news articles and official government releases, nearly 3,300 victims of human trafficking have been rescued around the world since Trump took office and more than 5,300 suspects have been arrested.

The countries with the largest estimated numbers of people in modern slavery include Indiawith nearly 8 millionfollowed by China, Pakistan, North Korea, Nigeria, and Iran.

Human trafficking is worse than its ever been in the history of this world. And who would think in this modern-day age? Trump said in April. It really is a big problem.

North Korea

You cannot refuse, said respondent no. 44, an adult male interviewed among 50 others who defected from North Korea to the South. If the work unit leader orders you to go to work, you have to do it. If you dont, then your food rations are cut off.

That quote highlights the dark reality of modern-day slavery in Pyongyang.

The interviews, conducted in 2017 through a partnership with Walk Free and researchers at the Leiden Asia Centre and the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights, provide insight on the reclusive communist state. It is all but impossible to directly survey respondents or collect data there.

All recounted stories met the international legal definition of forced labor.

According to the report, North Korea has the highest prevalence of modern slavery globally, with 1 in 10 people (2.6 million) forced to work. The countrys response to combat slavery is also the weakest.

Park Yeon-mi, a North Korea defector who fled to China, only to become a victim of trafficking there, talked about her experience at a conference at the U.N. headquarters in New York.

It could be anyone. It was me. It was my mother. It was my sister, Park said. Even now, there are 300,000 North Korean defectors in China, and 90 percent of them are being trafficked. They are being sold by Chinese men for a few hundred dollars.

This index makes us visible.

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Space Tech May Bring 2nd Silicon Revolution, With Implications for Security and Business

Q&A discussion with Robert J. Bunker of the U.S. Army War College

We can largely thank the moon race of the 1950s and 60s for the technologies at the foundation of modern cell phones, computers, and GPS. With a new space industry on the horizon, and with talks of military operations in space, its possible the world could see another technological revolution.

A recent note to clients from Morgan Stanley allegedly said space could create a $1 trillion economy. In a move that may help drive some of that technological advance, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to create a Space Force as the sixth branch of the U.S. armed services.

These developments could have broad implications for global security and the global economy. To better understand the situation and how it may develop, I spoke with Robert J. Bunker, adjunct research professor at U.S. Army War Colleges Strategic Studies Institute.

The Epoch Times: Weve seen some interesting developments lately on space warfare programs with issues such as satellite and GPS security, and there is even public discussion on the potential domino effects of an anti-satellite weapon attack. What are your views on the security environment of space? How do you see space being a part of future warfare?

Robert J. Bunker: As space becomes increasingly militarizedsans nuclear weapons/WMD [Weapons of Mass Destruction], which are precluded in Article IV of the Outer Space Treaty, which entered into force on Oct. 10, 1967I view it as turning into an arms competition primarily between China and the United States. Russia is becoming less and less of a factor given its dismal economic conditions.

Space is and will be an integral part of future warfareit is the ultimate physical high ground. Satellites are key for national military ISR [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance], and precision strike [via GPS] capabilities. Ifor more likely, whenthese ISR and precision capabilities are combined with conventional strike weaponry placed in space, principal warships [aircraft carriers] could be engaged with hypersonic weaponryRods from Godwith minimal engage times. This is just one potential example of space power influencing terrestrial combat.

The Epoch Times: Space competition will likely have direct benefits for the economy. We saw this in the silicon revolution, and there are estimates now that the new space programs could create a $1 trillion economy. We can assume there will be competition in this realm, which will likely include dual-use military and economic technologies, and possibly new technologies that could change our way of life. How do you see this situation playing out, particularly when it comes to the issue that many technologies will likely be dual-use for both military and the economy?

Bunker: We are in an upside-down world related to commercial and military technologies with so much more R&D [research and development] investment going into commercial technologies now. More concern, at times, exists about a cutting generation chip manufactured in the United States not leaving the country, rather than a less advanced form of military technology ending up in the wrong hands.

What Google and other high-tech companies are doing with AI and facial recognition for commercial purposes also has direct military and military-space applications. Thus, at the high-tech end, this is becoming a blur of capabilities.

Also, given what we have seen with China, they have been far more willing to export their weaponized drones internationally to obtain hard cash and to cultivate foreign influence. If the United States does not export some of these space technologies to its close allies in the future, they may begin to increasingly look to China for such sales.

The Epoch Times: We can assume that the creation of military space programs will lead to the concurrent creation of new types of weapons designed for space, such as lasers or rail rifles, and increased focus on electronic warfare, developments in drones, new types of thrusters, and others. How do you see these technologies affecting the nature of military conflict and competition?

Bunker: I envision at least four types of offensive approaches for space combat: one, kinetic kill derived from conventional and hypersonic [5x speed of sound] guns and missiles; two, directed energy utilizing beam, e.g. thermal, or pulse, such as electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons; three, cyber attacks to take over opposing space assets such as satellites, and four, the physical capture of a space asset.

In many ways, this will mimic high-tech terrestrial combat, which will increasingly be relying on Third Offset Strategy technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and networks, unmanned systems and robotics, directed energy weaponry and shielding, and advanced stealthing.

The Epoch Times: Are there any other developments youd like to comment on?

Bunker: In the near term, a Space Force (or Corps) would resemble the U.S. Air Force with fighter air-space craft, but in the much longer term, it would begin to look more like the U.S. Navy with submarine-like orbiting craft, which would function as stationary armed space stations and/or mobile weapons platforms. However, the use of unmanned weaponized space systemswith humans in and on the loopwould blur the lines between such distinctions.
A teen visiting Seattle says he was harassed by a man for wearing a 'MAGA' hat. (Ashton Hess/YouTube)

Teen Says He Was Harassed in Seattle for Wearing MAGA Hat

A teen visiting Seattle said that he was harassed for wearing a red Make America Great Again hat.

Ashton Hess, 17, said he was on a summer vacation in Washington state with his family when someone knocked the hat off his head, KIRO reported.

This guy just runs up and hits me in the head, knocking my hat off  he took off down the street with it, spit on it and threw it in the street, and he turned around and started cursing at me for no reason, Hess told the station.

The incident was posted on YouTube. Hess said the attack wasnt provoked.

Yes, I know what it says, Hess is heard telling someone in the video after it was knocked to the ground.

Thats my property, dude, come on, he said.

Another person yelled: Get the [expletive] out of this city, adding: Youre not welcome here.

Thats really necessary. I didnt do anything to you, Hess then says in the clip.

What appears to be spit can be seen on the hat when Hess picks it up from the ground.

I want to expose the left for what they do  We have a First Amendment right to believe in whatever we want, and when that stuff gets out about the left side doing things like that, I do think it hurts them more than it helps them, Hess said of uploading the clip on YouTube.

Ethan Jackson wrote on Twitter that he was the person who ripped a MAGA hat off some white kid in Seattle.

If you DONT remove MAGA hats on sight ur pretty much complicit, said Jackson, who said that he doesnt identify as either male or female.

He was slammed on Twitter by a number of people for his actions. Im not on either side its childish but just take a second and realize your bashing someones freedom because it threatens your freedom, wrote one person to Jackson.

In Texas earlier this month, a 16-year-old said he was harassed by a man in a Whataburger restaurant. A video uploaded online shows a man grabbing the hat and throwing the drink in the teens face. Police then arrested Kino Jimenez, 30, and charged him with theft of a person, a state felony, KSAT reported.

Hesss video can be viewed here (Warning: contains profanity):
Trump Improving Relations With Russia Pressures China

News Analysis

According to a popular Chinese commentator, a possible second summit between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin would be part of a game of wooing and swaying among the United States, China, Russia, and Europe.

On July 17, two important summits were happening at the same time, between Trump and Putin in Helsinki and between China and Europe in Beijing. These summits took place while the trade war between the United States and China was accelerating.

According to Wen Zhao, a commentator for NTD, part of the Epoch Media Group, both the United States and China are trying to influence the others alliances.

In a video posted to YouTube, Wen said the relationship between the United States and Russia can hardly make much progress, at least during Trumps first term, because the sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and Europe have caused Russia to suffer a grave economic recession. Unless the sanctions are lifted or eased, the path to improved relations could be a bumpy one.

Wen said Russia is hardly a significant opponent of the United States, and so pushing Russia toward Beijing was not a wise choice. An improved relationship, on the other hand, would sway Russia away from China.

Isolating China

For Tang Hao, a commentator for the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times, if the United States can win Russias cooperation, and sway North Korea from the communist regime in China, the situation for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will become very tough globally.

Up until now, the CCP and North Korea have been playing a two-man game, and the CCP has been trying to woo Russia to offer secret support to North Korea. If the United States could win over Russia and stop it from supporting North Korea, it would be cutting off an arm of the CCP that has been sustaining North Korea.

This, in turn, could help North Korean leader Kim Jong Un make up his mind to get closer to the United States and further away from the CCP, to create a bright future together with the United States, as depicted in the video Trump showed to Kim during their meeting in Singapore in June.

The United Nations offers another opportunity to move Russia. It has often voted in line with China in the United Nations to block many important resolutions. If China loses Russias vote, the Communist Party has a harder time challenging the West alone.

Tang also pointed out that an improved relationship between the United States and Russia would be beneficial to Europe and could ease the tensions between NATO and Russia. As a result, NATO could then focus its attention more on the threat that the CCPs One Belt, One Road initiative poses for the region.

The United States could also gain in the trade war with China. If the trade war drags on, the CCP will eye Russia as an alternate market for its exported products, as well as a crude oil supplier. If Trump convinces Putin to act along with America, the CCPs trade position will become more difficult.

In conclusion, Tang believes that even if Russia wont work together with the United States at the moment, as long as communications and trust are being built up, a new international order is possible.

Common Ground

Since the trade war with the United States began, the CCP has been trying to woo Europe. For example, Germany gained trade deals worth 20 billion euros ($23.6 billion).

According to Wen, although Trump has criticized Europe harshly and vice versa, China and Europe could hardly form any sort of alliance to fight together against the United States.

For one, they wouldnt find any common goals, nor would they reach any common stance to negotiate with the United States.

Secondly, European leaders fully understand that no matter how much they like or dislike Trump, he will only be here for, at most, another seven years. In terms of values, social systems, security, economy, and many other issues, Europe and the United States have long found common ground.

Europe has nothing to gain in helping the CCP challenge the West with totally different values and social systems. If it does, then it would not only be a nightmare for six or seven years, but would be a disaster for the century.

As if to offer some kind of proof for Wens point, the Peoples Daily published an opinion piece on July 22 entitled The United States Should Turn Back from Its Wrong Path of Trade War.

The article used a tone very typical of CCP propaganda to attack the United States for imposing tariffs on Chinese goods and promised to hit back hard and head on, to make the United States suffer and realize that a trade war was a disaster not only for the other countries and the world, but also for the United States itself.

However, this article didnt give any details about how China will, or can, fight back.

Regardless of who can win over who in this wooing and swaying game, it seems that the talks between the United States and Russia will continue. The U.S. Department of State released a press release saying that on July 21, State Secretary Mike Pompeo spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and discussed a broad range of issues.

Correction: A previous version of this article in a caption stated the incorrect date for the joint press conference between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. The press conference was held on July 16, 2018. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
Washington Police Officer Killed After Being Hit by Car in Pursuit: Officials

Another officer was hurt, say police in Kent

A police officer in Washington State was hit by a car and killed during a police pursuit on Sunday morning, according to officials.

The Kent police officer, who was not identified, was assisting with capturing two suspects in a chase when he was hit.

The Officer is an eight-year veteran with Kent Police; his contributions to our department, and positive impact on his co-workers and the community, have been significant, the Kent Police Department wrote on its Facebook page.

Sadness in our hearts today as we grieve the loss of one of our officers killed in the line of duty early this morning. More updates to come as we have them. Please keep the officers family and friends in your thoughts, Kent Police tweeted.

Sadness in our hearts today as we grieve the loss of one of our officers killed in the line of duty early this morning. More updates to come as we have them. Please keep the officers family and friends in your thoughts. pic.twitter.com/MI53JeyoiH  Kent Police (@kentpd) July 22, 2018

Another officer was injured in the incident. A second officer, injured in the line of duty during this incident, is currently being treated by medical personnel and is in stable condition, officials said.

Make no question about this, were it not for the actions of this suspect or suspects, this officer would be alive today. Its directly because of the suspect or suspects actions that led to the officers death said Washington State Patrol Captain Ron Mead in a live-streamed news conference.

Other details about the incident are not clear.

The officers name was not released by the department.
Washington State Deputy Fired After Photo Allegedly Shows Her Wearing Shirt With Proud Boys Logo

A Washington state sheriffs office said that one of its deputies was released from employment this week because she was allegedly seen wearing a shirt that with a logo connected to the Proud Boys.

The Clark County Sheriffs Office said on Friday in a news release that Deputy Erin Willey was fired on Tuesday following an investigation.

Law enforcement officers are peacekeepers whose core mission is to protect and safeguard the community, Sheriff Chuck Atkins said in the release. My expectation is that my employees do not engage in activities or associations that undermine or diminish our role as peacekeepers, he said.

The Columbian newspaper of Vancouver, Washington, which is located just north of Portland, Oregon, posted a photo that purports to show Willey with the logo on her clothing. Willey appears in a photo that was shared by a Proud Boys-affiliated Twitter page, saying they could contact her for Proud Boys merchandise, the paper said.

The Columbian, in its report, called the Proud Boys a far-right group known for its white nationalist rhetoric and frequent appearances in the middle of political violence locally and nationwide. The Daily Beast last week described the Proud Boys as infamous right-wing brawlers who frequently challenge the anarchist-communist extremist group Antifa during street protests. The Southern Poverty Law Center said that the Proud Boys spout white nationalist memes and maintain affiliations with known extremists.

The Proud Boys group was formed by former Vice Magazine co-founder Gavin McInnes, who has described the group as a pro-Western fraternal organization for men who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world. According to McInnes, the group is not alt-right while refuting the accusations of racism against the group. Please be very diligent about new members. If there is even a possibility they are alt-right, do not allow them at meet-ups, he wrote.

On Twitter on Saturday, McInnes tweeted to Fox News about its report that the deputy was fired, refuting a line in the report. This line is complete [expletive for nonsense], claiming that the Fox report on the Proud Boys alleged connections to white nationalist rhetoric isnt true.
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Second batch of al-Fu'ah and Kafriya locals, including 600 persons coming from Jibrin temporary housing center in Aleppo arrived in Lattakia city on Saturday to a warm popular welcome at the entrance to the Grand Prophets compound, Mehr reported citing SANA news agency.

SANA reporter said that hundreds of Lattakia locals gathered before the Grand Prophets compound, welcoming 120 families from of al-Fu'ah and Kafriya who have endured a three-year siege by terrorists.

Head of the Grand Prophets compound, Sheikh Ayman Zaitoun said that 13 buses carrying about 120 families of the second batch arrived in Lattakia, pointing out that they will be provided with the adequate housing in Squbin, Ras al-Bassit and Slenfeh as all the basic services , including health and education will be meet for them.

Speaking to SANA, a number of al-Fu'ah and Kafriya evacuated persons affirmed that they will return back soon to their hometown to help liberate, alongside of the Syrian army, their town and every inch of the Syrias soil from terrorism.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire says his country won't engage in free trade talks with the US "with a gun to its head," urging the Trump administration to revoke its tariffs on the imports of European steel and aluminum, Sputnik reported.

Le Maire said his country is opposed to opening free trade talks in light of the existing restrictions on bilateral trade. He urged the US to rescind its duties on European steel and aluminum first as the main pre-condition for such talks to commence.

"World trade cannot base itself on the law of the jungle and the unilateral increase of tariffs is the law of the jungle," Le Maire said at the G20 summit in Argentina.

Despite admitting global trade wars are a "reality," the French Finance Minister failed to acknowledge America's rationale behind the Section 232 tariffs. The discrepancies between the elevated EU imports tariffs and the ultra-low tariffs in the US had prompted the Trump administration to conduct its investigation into the overcapacity of steel and aluminum overseas.

But France appears to be willing to play the diplomatic game of attrition against the US after the EU concluded a lucrative free trade deal with Japan, whilst mainland China is aggressively seeking a similar accord with Europe.

"The law of the jungle will only turn out losers, it will weaken growth, threaten the most fragile countries and have disastrous political consequences," Le Maire said.
GrabTaxi hikes booking fee surcharge

PHUKET: GrabTaxi, the islands only form of a public taxi company, has launched a new booking fee for Phuket customers only that ramps up the surcharge to B150  a fee that GrabTaxi itself admits is the highest in the country.

transporttourismeconomics

By The Phuket News

Sunday 22 July 2018, 10:00AM

GrabTaxi has hiked its booking fee surcharge in Phuket to make it the most expensive in the country, where Phuket already by law has the most expensive metered-taxi rates in Thailand. Images: GrabTaxi / Supplied

GrabTaxi remains the only form of a taxi company in Phuket with all other taxis geared  or dedicated  to serving tourists as privately hired taxi vehicles.

A customer service representative at GrabTaxis call centre explained to The Phuket News, We increased the surcharge in November from B50 to B150, but on the meter the surcharge will start from B50.

Everything we show in the app for customers to see, the representative added.

Asked why the increase in the booking fee applied only to Phuket, the representative explained, In Phuket there are many hills, (and because of) the fuel costs, including the long distances between each (pickup and drop-off) point.

Prapai Suankul, Senior Policy Specialist at the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO), confirmed that the surcharge hike was legal, and that there was nothing his office could do about it.

Indeed, he said he was unaware of the booking fee hike until he was informed of it by The Phuket News.

They are not charging any more than the legal amount set by law as the rates. This is a surchage, which is a matter between the customer and the company, Mr Prapai said.

Mr Prapai thanked The Phuket News for bringing this to his attention. I will arrange to discuss this matter with the company, he said.

Mr Prapai admitted that Phuket has  as well known for many years  the most expensive taxi rates in the country.

Taxi (meter) prices in Phuket are the highest in Thailand, and there are about 350 metered taxis in Phuket, he said.

Metered taxis in Phuket charge B50 for the first two kilometres, then B12/km for the next 13km (up to the 15km journey mark), then B10/km thereafter.

The current rates were introduced in 2014. By law, all taxi rates in the country are set by a national committee at the Land Transport Department headquarters in Bangkok.

Also set by law in 2014 was that metered taxis in Phuket were also entitled to charge an additional B100 surcharge in addition to the B50 for those taking a taxi from Phuket Airport.

The current GrabTaxi surchage hike also follows the demise of Uber in Phuket. In 2015, Uber was deemed no longer permitted to operate in Phuket, but continued to do so in other parts of the country, including Bangkok.

However, 2015 was the same year that the Malaysian-based co-operative GrabTaxi launched in Phuket complete with the Governor at the time openly promoting the service at official press conferences.

In March this year, Uber ceased operations in Thailand entirely under a merger of resources with ridesharing service Grab.

In a notice issued to registered members on Mar 26, the company noted, Uber will be combining our operations with Grab to lead you in the next chapter of ridesharing in Thailand and across Southeast Asia.

What this means for you: we will be transitioning our services over to the Grab platform by April 8, 2018, so all requests after that date should be made from the Grab app. However, you can still use the Uber app in more than 80 countries around the world.
Keeping a protest torch lit

CANADA: Femi Kuti has spent his life railing in song against the ills holding back Africa. But these days he is feeling some optimism.

culture

By AFP

Sunday 22 July 2018, 02:30PM

Nigerian musician Femi Kuti performs at the Afrika Shrine in Lagos on July 3. Photo: Ludovic Marin / AFP

The 56-year-old carries forward the legacy of his legendary father, Afrobeat music pioneer Fela Kuti, whose searing attacks on government corruption and incompetence made him a scourge of Nigerias former military leaders.

Felas nightclub, the New Afrika Shrine, became a visible target of authorities eager to suppress dissent but earlier this month it received a very establishment guest, French President Emmanuel Macron, who took off his jacket and tie to party.

Macrons visit is a very big political statement  more a political than cultural or social statement. The Shrine, even during my fathers time, battled the stigma of the government always attacking the place, saying they were criminals, dopeheads and so many negative things, he said.

So him coming to the place neutralises all the naysayers, Kuti, soft-spoken when not singing, said as he sat meditatively in his dressing room before playing at Quebec Citys citywide summer music festival.

Kuti said he was certain Macron knew of The Shrines troubled relationship with power, seeing as the president-to-be spent time in Nigeria in 2002 as an intern at the French Embassy.

The artist said he has heard criticism about embracing Macron in light of Frances history in Africa.

Fela had assailed the lingering effects of European rule on songs such as Colonial Mentality.

Kuti said that Macron, in power for little more than a year, could not be held responsible for colonialism and added: Lets look at it from the point of view of the crimes France has committed in Africa. How do you get them to talk about these issues if you dont bring them to the table?"

Bringing his show to a public square in Quebec City, Kuti  backed up by a brassy nine-piece band  alternated between joyous riffs on his saxophone and politically loaded verse as a trio of female dancers twerked their behinds.

Kuti this year released his first studio album in five years, One People One World, in which he takes aim anew at strongmen and graft on songs such as Dem Militarize Democracy and Corruption Na Stealing.

But he also turns sanguine for the future on songs including the albums title track and Africa Will Be Great Again. (He scoffs at the suggestion that the latter song has anything to do with US President Donald Trumps slogan, saying he wrote it well before the real estate moguls political ascent.)

I think the album is very optimistic from my past albums. It probably has to do with being a father and having to come up with solutions for my children, he said.

When they ask me questions, I think I have to look for positive answers. Or why then would I have children if the future is bleak for them?

He said that Africans were not alone in needing a political awakening. He criticised Westerners attitudes on the migrant crisis, saying they too quickly forgot the impact of wars in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.

It was so easy for people to just sit at home, not give a damn, that bombs are being thrown in these countries, innocent people were killed, as long as you had your breakfast, had sex, you had a good life, he said. And then suddenly you say its none of your business.

Kuti voiced hope that Africans can find greater inspiration at home. He would love to be able to travel between cultural capitals Lagos and Johannesburg by high-speed train.

I try to show the beauty of Africa through my music, he said.

Given the opportunity, the African will excel  beyond reasonable doubt. I strongly believe Africa can and should be the envy of the world.
Phuket Opinion: Its what they call karma

All of the promises made by Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong to envoys from various countries that their tourists are safe while in Phuket are worthless following the July 5 Phoenix tour boat disaster in which 47 (so we are told) tourists lost their lives.

tourismtransportdisastersdeathcultureopinion

By The Phuket News

Sunday 22 July 2018, 09:00AM

What is actually known and what the press are told should not be worlds apart. Photo: PR Dept

In the weeks and months leading up to July 5, Governor Norraphat had not only assured Chinese government officials that their tourists were safe  this being on more than one occasion  but also government officials from the Netherlands and Pakistan.

Sadly, Governor Norraphats comments came back to haunt him  this we believe is what you call karma.

For Governor Norraphat to make such bold statements regarding tourists safety is a dangerous move, especially considering who he made the comments to, and even more so that he is speaking about safety in a country which has the worst road accident death toll in the world.

Perhaps it would have been better for Gov Norraphat just to have simply told these officials  who actually came directly to him to raise their concerns of their tourists safety  that Phuket tries its utmost to keep all tourists safe but that sometimes there are incidents which cause death that are well beyond his and others control.

Surely it is better to play it safe rather than tell bare-faced lies?

So now we turn our attention to the July 5 Phoenix boat disaster and how truthful officials have been in their reporting of it.

For days the initial total number of people reported as being on the Phoenix was consistently reported as being 105. However, on July 9, some four days after the tragic incident, that number was brought down to 89, a difference of some 16 people.

At that time Royal Thai Police Deputy Commander Gen Srivara Ransibrahmanakul gave absolutely no reason for the reduction in numbers, perhaps hoping it would go unnoticed, and in the large part it pretty much did.

Another issue which has been skirted around was the ages of those who lost their lives.

Despite several attempts, The Phuket News has been unsuccessful in obtaining a list of even the ages of those who perished in the Phoenix disaster.

There have been rumours that some 13 children lost their lives, and one local English media company even claimed on its Facebook page that the number was 16.

Whether the truth will ever come out we will have to wait and see.

However, what we do hope is that what was reported by government officials throughout this tragic event was the truth, as if not, and as Governor Norraphat has learned himself, that lies will come back and haunt you on one way or another. That we believe is what they call karma.
Taliban defeated by Buddha

PAKISTAN: The Buddha of Swat, carved on a cliff in the seventh century, was dynamited by the Pakistani Taliban in 2007. Now it has been restored, a powerful symbol of tolerance in the traumatised Pakistani valley.

culturereligion

By AFP

Sunday 22 July 2018, 11:30AM

A visitor walks past a restored seventh-century rock sculpture of a seated Buddha carved into a mountain in Jahanabad town in northwestern Pakistans Swat Valley. Photo: Jiji / AFP

The holy figure, depicted in a lotus position at the base of a granite cliff in northern Pakistan, was severely damaged by Islamist insurgents in an echo of the Afghan Talibans complete destruction of its more imposing counterparts at Bamiyan in 2001.

For some, it was a wanton act of vandalism that struck at the heart of the areas unique history and identity.

It felt like they killed my father, says Parvesh Shaheen, a 79-year-old expert on Buddhism in Swat. They attack... my culture, my history.

The Buddha sits in Jahanabad, the epicentre of Swats Buddhist heritage, a beautiful valley in the foothills of the Himalayas.

There the Italian government has been helping to preserve hundreds of archaeological sites, working with local authorities who hope to turn it into a place of pilgrimage once more and pull in sorely needed tourist dollars.

A decade ago, the militants climbed the six-metre effigy to lay the explosives, but only part of them were triggered, demolishing the top of the Buddhas face. Another, smaller fresco nearby was torn to pieces.

For Shaheen, the statue is a symbol of peace, symbol of love, symbol of brotherhood.

We dont hate anybody, any religion  what is this nonsense to hate somebody? he says.

But other Swatis, less familiar with history and in 2007 not yet traumatised by the full brutality of the Taliban, applauded the attack and took up the argument that the sculpture was anti-Islamic.

Like their counterparts in neighbouring Afghanistan, the Pakistani Taliban are extremist insurgents who terrorised the population in the name of a fundamentalist version of Islam, banning all representation in art and for whom the idea of a non-Islamic past is taboo.

The episode became a marker for the beginning of the Talibans violent occupation of Swat, which would only end in 2009 with heavy intervention by the Pakistan army. By then, several thousand people had been killed and more than 1.5 million displaced.

The population of Swat has not always been as it is today, mostly conservative Muslim, where cultural norms dictate that women wear burqas.

Instead, it was for centuries a pilgrimage site for the Buddhist faithful, especially from the Himalayas. The Vajrayana school even consider it a holy land, from where their faith originated.

They continued to visit right up until the 20th century, when borders hardened with the independence of British India and creation of Pakistan in 1947.

Now the vast majority of Pakistans population are Muslim, and its religious minorities  mainly Christians and Hindus  are often subject to discrimination or violence.

Buddhism for its part disappeared from the region around the 10th century AD, driven out by Islam and Hinduism.

Its golden age in Swat lasted from the second to the fourth centuries, when more than 1,000 monasteries, sanctuaries and stupas spread out in constellations across the valley.

The landscape was worshipped in itself, says Luca Maria Olivieri, an Italian archaeologist who oversaw the restoration of the Buddha.

The pilgrims were welcomed by these protective images, sculptures and inscriptions, arranged along the last kilometres before arriving, Olivieri explains.

Rehabilitation of the site has not been easy, he says. Carried out in phases, it began in 2012 with the application of a coating to protect the damaged part of the sculpture.

The reconstruction of the face itself was first prepared virtually in the laboratory, in 3D, using laser surveys and old photos.

The last phase, the actual restoration, ended in 2016. Olivieri says the reconstruction is not identical, but that is deliberate, as the idea of damage should remain visible.

The Italian archaeological mission in Swat, which he directs, has been there since 1955  though it was briefly forced from the valley during Taliban rule.

It manages other excavation sites and supervised the restoration of the archaeological museum in Mingora, the main city of Swat, damaged in an attack in 2008.

The Italian government has invested 2.5 million euros (B96.39mn) in five years for the preservation of Swats cultural heritage, striving to involve the local population as much as possible.

Now authorities are counting on the Buddhas recovered smile and iconic status to boost religious tourism from places such as China and Thailand.

Years after the Taliban were ousted, the valley is largely rejuvenated, though at times security is still tense, with an attack killing 11 soldiers in February this year.

Some people in Swat also see the Buddha as a tool for promoting religious tolerance.

Fazal Khaliq, a journalist and author living in Mingora, thinks the threat to cultural heritage has been minimised through education and the use of social networks to spread a soft, good image.

However, the majority of people who are not young, educated  they still do not understand its importance, he admits.

Meanwhile the museum in Mingora now welcomes mullahs who like Buddhism, says its curator, Faiz-ur-Rehman.

Before Islam, this was our religion, he says.
EDMONTONA five-year study led by Northern Alberta Institute of Technologys (NAIT) Alternative Energy Technology program found that the impact of snowfall only results in three per cent loss of solar energy.

Tim Matthews, technologist in charge of the NAIT study, said previous predictions expected as much as a 20 per cent loss in energy production due to accumulating snow.

Instead, the study found that the tilt of solar panels has a bigger impact than the amount of snowfall. According to Matthews, accumulating dirt and dust on panels can affect the production loss more than snow.

We had no idea, says Matthews. Obviously, we were overestimating dramatically.

The reference array snow study was launched in 2012 in collaboration with the City of Edmonton and Solar Energy Society of Alberta. Twelve solar modules were installed on the rooftop of Shaw Theatre at NAIT campus, to measure the impact of snow on the system and how the tilt of each panel affects energy production.

Matthews says the real loss in production was much smaller than predicted, and the annual performance loss of three per cent was the worst case recorded at the lowest tilt  14 degrees. In Edmonton, he found solar panels also perform best when they face south.

The shallower the tilt, the more snow its going to hold, says Matthews. As we got higher, there was less and less snow.

Matthews notes that 75 per cent of Edmonton solar energy production comes from the summer months  which already makes sunshine over the winter months less significant.

Were only talking about the 25 per cent slice of pie to begin with, says Matthews.

This makes clearing out the snow from solar panels in winter simply not worth the effort.

Instead, the tilt of the panels determines the production outcome.

Matthews said the angle of solar panels should usually correspond to the citys latitude, therefore Edmontons optimal angle would be around 53 degrees.

We cant buy racking at that angle, says Matthews. For our fixed system in Alberta, the non-variable tilt would be 45 degrees, because we can buy inexpensive racking to go with that.

Even still, theres very few buildings in Edmonton that can accommodate a 45 degree angle, says Matthews.

Since solar panels dont do well on steep rooftops, in shadow, or when facing north here in Edmonton, Matthews says, theyre not always a practical solution, and when it comes to economics, solar energy is still only an emerging industry in an otherwise fossil-fuel dominant environment.

Yet Matthews is hoping the study will contribute to making renewable energy more accessible and doable in the future.

None of us expect the energy prices to stay as low as they are 20 years from now, says Matthews. As energy prices go up, solar panels may become more and more viable.

Surprisingly, Albertans have been very excited about solar energy, adds Matthews.

You tell someone theyve got a large commercial building and they want to defer some of their energy costs, says Matthews. Solar is attractive, but will that work?

So far, the study results sparked a growing interest among major building companies, photovoltaic installers, and even other institutions. Matthew notes that he gets anywhere between two to 20 inquiries per week.

Every little bit of learning and understanding goes a long way to make it more practical and accepting, says Matthews. We feel that weve contributed.

The study results will be available to general public at the NAIT Alternative Energy programs website in September.

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Elena Crenna and her Canadian husband were thrilled when a federal tribunal ruled she was not a sex spy for Russia and should be cleared for permanent residency in Canada.

We were relieved that sanity finally prevailed. We were jubilant, Crenna said of the immigration tribunals decision in May. We even went on a trip to visit my son in the States. We thought we were done and could move on with our lives.

Their joy was short-lived, however, when they learned the Canada Border Services Agency is appealing the decision, saying the 56-year-old Russian-born American citizen shouldnt be allowed to live in Canada because she allegedly engaged in espionage activities while working for a Canadian Crown corporation near Moscow in the 1990s.

Crenna insists the allegations are untrue and that continuing to pursue the case is a waste of our resources and Canadas resources.

She was cleared for permanent residency in May by the immigration tribunal, which refuted the border agencys allegations and concluded there was no evidence she did anything surreptitious, covert or secretive that would amount to espionage.

Crenna, who was then Elena Filatova, had worked as a translator on a joint housing project by the World Bank and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. in Tver, northwest of Moscow, between 1994 and 1996.

During that time period, Crenna said she was approached by an agent of Russias Federal Security Service, or FSB, the successor to the KGB, and asked about the project and David Crenna, 74, her then boss and now husband.

According to the border agencys inadmissibility report, Crenna told Canadian officials she spoke with the Russian intelligence agency at the instruction of the project management, which also informed the Canadian Security Intelligence Service about the contact.

Crenna later moved to California and became a nurse. She reconnected with David Crenna in 2008 and the pair got married four years later. In 2013, she moved to Ottawa, where they filed a spousal sponsorship for her to become a permanent resident in Canada.

Based on a memoir by a former Russian spy, titled Comerade J, the border agency argued the FSB was known for using women who would initiate a romantic relationship with a target in order to obtain intelligence information or blackmail that person into collaborating with the intelligence agency.

However, during the tribunal hearing earlier this year, five Canadian witnesses who worked on the project testified the Tver housing endeavour was not classified and there was nothing confidential about their work there.

In her decision in Crennas favour, tribunal chair Marisa Musto pointed out that espionage is not specifically defined in Canadas immigration law, but said she couldnt accept the border agencys argument that the simple fact of answering the FSBs questions amounted to spying.

The (public safety) minister is overly broad and speculative in their position, wrote Musto. The minister was not able to identify any clear risk to Canadian interests which was brought about by the FSBs interest in the Tver housing project.

Crenna confirmed that while she was working on the Tver project, she had an affair with David Crenna, while he was married to someone else. While the minister suggested Crenna was being used as a sex spy by the FSB, this theory is not substantiated by the facts or any credible evidence, Musto wrote.

The couples lawyer, Seamus Murphy, said he was baffled by the border agencys response to the tribunal decision and the couple will be stuck in limbo for at least a couple more years before the governments appeal will be heard.

Why prolong this ordeal for this couple in what ought to be the happiest years of their lives? asked Murphy. It is just very difficult to understand why the border agency is pursuing Mrs. Crenna so relentlessly. Its not even clear to me that they really think shes a threat to Canadian security.

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OTTAWAIts one of the most sensitive debates in Canadian politics.

Thousands of people are crossing into Canada from the United States to claim refugee status at a time when the U.S. presidents anti-immigrant bombast clashes with the #WelcomeToCanada posture of a Liberal prime minister.

Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen has lashed out at conservative critics, labelling their political message that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau naively invited refugees to clog the immigration system as fear-mongering and not Canadian. New Democrats, meanwhile, charge the federal government is blind to the need to rescind a 13-year-old agreement that declares the U.S. a safe country and forces migrants from south of the border to avoid official ports of entry if they want to claim refugee status in Canada.

And just last week, with Progressive Conservatives at Queens Park joining the attack on Trudeau, the prime minister appointed former Toronto police chief Bill Blair to a brand new cabinet portfolio focused on border security and organized crime reduction.

Lets turn down the noise and see whats going on here.

OK, whats going on?

Over the past two years, media attention has focused on the tens of thousands of people who have entered Canada irregularly  that is, who have walked across the border at some place other than an official crossing station and been apprehended by police.

Critics say the influx is the result of the Safe Third Country Agreement, a 2005 pact with the U.S. that says refugees must claim asylum from the country they arrive in first  but only if they come through official ports of entry. Irregular migrants are allowed to seek refugee status when they enter Canada from the U.S. because theyve crossed the border somewhere else.

The NDP argues that Donald Trumps America is not in fact safe for asylum seekers, and wants Ottawa to suspend the agreement so they arent encouraged to walk across the border at isolated points, where some have endured severe frostbite in winter months.

Read more:

Trudeau has saddled Tory with a mess on asylum seekers, Ford says

Immigration critics urge Liberals to come up with answers on asylum issue

Ottawa says it will support Toronto in housing asylum-seekers after Ford snub

The Conservatives, on the other hand, are pushing Ottawa to change the agreement so it applies to the entire border. That would mean irregular migrants from the U.S. would not be able to apply for asylum in Canada, where the Tories argue resources to support them are strained. Last summer, when a surge of migrants crossed into Quebec from Vermont, Montreal used its Olympic Stadium as a temporary shelter in the face of strained local resources, and the federal government set up tents to house refugee claimants at the border.

Indeed, much of the discussion around the issue pertains to strain on shelter systems in places like Montreal and Toronto, as well as on the immigration system. As the Stars Nicholas Keung reported last week, employees at the Immigration and Refugee Board  the independent tribunal responsible for judging refugee claims  cant keep pace. According to a CBC report, it now takes at least 20 months for a refugee claim to be processed, up from 16 months last October.

Meanwhile, those asylum claimants need shelter and support. The city of Toronto estimated it will spend $64 million on temporary housing for refugees this year alone. Ottawa has pledged $11 million to help the situation.

Quebec, where the vast majority of asylum claimants first arrive, is facing similar pressures and has demanded more help from the federal government, while Ontario Premier Doug Fords new administration has made this a political focus and demanded that Trudeaus Liberals clean up the mess.

Are these migrants breaking the law?

That question has been one of the most contentious in this entire discussion. The Conservatives have dubbed recent refugee claimants illegal border crossers, while the government chooses to call them irregular migrants.

Janet Dench, executive director of the Canadian Council for Refugees, says the confusion arises because it is against the law to cross irregularly into Canada. But she points out that Canadian law also recognizes the right to claim refugee status. According to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, new arrivals cant be prosecuted for illegally entering Canada once they apply for refugee status.

It makes it illegal but also says its not illegal at the same time, she said, because legitimate refugee claimants arent treated as lawbreakers.

Dench says this is consistent with the 1951 United Nations refugees convention, which was drafted in the shadow of the Holocaust, when countries like Canada turned back Jews who had sought safe haven from Nazi Germany.

Dench prefers the term irregular migrants or refugee claimants.

Is this a crisis?

Most refugee advocates say its not. Others  such as the federal Conservatives  say it is.

Dench says its important to look at the numbers. So far in 2018, 10,744 people have been intercepted by the RCMP while crossing the border outside an official port of entry. Thats roughly on pace for the number of irregular migrants Canada saw in 2017, which came in at 20,593.

Those numbers are certainly higher than recent years. But zoom out and youll see Canada has seen much higher spikes of refugee claimants in previous years: 36,856 in 2008, 33,426 in 2002 and 44,640 in 2001.

Moreover, RCMP interceptions dropped from 2,560 in April to 1,263 last month, when some advocacy groups expected an increase similar to last summer. Compared to the hundreds of thousands of refugee claimants in Europe and places like Bangladesh  where some 700,000 Rohingya refugees have fled from neighbouring Myanmar  Canadas number of claimants is still relatively small.

Its certainly not something that we cant handle or incorporate, said Aris Daghighian, a Toronto lawyer who sits on the executive of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers.

Dench agrees, saying that while there has been an increase in the past two years, it truly is an extremely tiny number of people who are arriving in the scheme of things.

Then why all the fuss?

The number of people fleeing war and persecution has risen in recent years to the highest level since the Second World War, according to the UNs refugee agency. Hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees have poured into Europe, prompting political crises in countries like Germany, which welcomed huge numbers. Some 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing Burma have crowded into camps in neighbouring Bangladesh.

In North America, this global phenomenon has been coloured by U.S. President Donald Trump, whose sharp anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies contrast with the Trudeau Liberals, who were elected promising to open Canada to more refugees.

Daghighian says this context is important to understanding why there is so much political and media focus on Canadas increased number of refugee claimants.

Most people can understand why there would be apprehensive individuals in the U.S., he said. Because the increase (here) has coincided with whats happening under the Trump administration, it may seem more dire than it is.

At the same time, looking at that two-year spike in isolation misses the broader picture, says Dench. The number of claimants entering Canada dropped significantly in 2013 and 2014, and has gradually risen since then as the number of refugees worldwide has increased.

Its actually just returning to more normal numbers for Canada, she said.

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During an appearance at OZY Fest, a music, politics, ideas, and food festival, in New York City, Hillary Clinton has rebuked President Donald Trump for his performance at the Helsinki summit with Vladimir Putin earlier this week, warning that the US risked losing friends and allies.

Addressing this weeks burning topic, the 2016 Democratic candidate has once again brought up the issue of Russias alleged meddling in the US presidential election, having dismissed Trumps handling of the matter in talks with Putin as really distressing and alarming.

It was a very broad and a very successful cyberattack on our electoral system. The attack goes to the heart of our democracy. The great mystery is why the president has not spoken up for our country, she said, adding that the purported attacks should concern every single American.

Speaking with Laurene Powell Jobs, founder of Emerson Collective, Clinton further wondered why Trump hadnt confronted Putin over the alleged interference.

It doesnt seem our president even cares. [] Vladimir Putin has a very clear strategy. As a former KGB spy, he is quite adept at reading people and understands how to manipulate them. He [Trump] wants to be friends with Putin for reasons we are all trying to figure out. [] Its alarming, and it is alarming on many, many levels, she alleged, Sputnik reports.
OTTAWACanada has offered to accept dozens of White Helmets and their families from Syria following a dramatic rescue over the weekend that was orchestrated by the Israeli military and personally encouraged by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Named for their easily recognizable head gear, the all-volunteer White Helmets have been lauded and supported by Canada and other Western nations for their role as first responders and humanitarian workers who have saved hundreds of lives during Syrias brutal civil war.

But with the Syrian government having regained control of much of the country, and moving to wrest back the last of several rebel-held areas in recent weeks, there had been concerns that dozens of White Helmets stranded on the border with Jordan would become targets for Syrian troops.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed Sunday that Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump were among those who asked Israel to rescue the White Helmets in recent days, after leaders first talked about helping the White Helmets during the recent NATO summit in Brussels.

Several days ago, U.S. President Trump contacted me, as did Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau and others, and requested that we assist in evacuating hundreds of White Helmets from Syria, Netanyahu said in Hebrew during an online address.

These are people who have saved lives and whose lives were in danger. Therefore I approved their passage through Israel to additional countries as an important humanitarian gesture.

The military operation saw the Israeli military slip hundreds of people from Syria to Jordan, though the exact numbers were still being determined; Jordanian officials initially said 800 Syrians were rescued, though that number was later revised to around 425.

Writing on Twitter in Arabic, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the Syrians were allowed into the country following written commitments that Germany, Britain and Canada would resettle them following the operation.

Canada has offered to host up to 50 White Helmets and their families, a senior official confirmed to The Canadian Press on condition of anonymity. With the addition of family members, that could bring the total to around 250 Syrians, although the official said the actual number could be lower.

Exactly when the White Helmets will arrive is unclear; the rescued Syrians are expected to remain in a UN refugee camp for at least three months to allow for processing.

Canada has been among several countries that have provided moral and financial support to the White Helmets, which are officially known as Syria Civil Defence, including $7.5 million over the past two years to help recruit and train women.

The White Helmets are courageous volunteers and first responders who risk their lives to help their fellow Syrians who have been targeted by senseless violence, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement on Saturday.

When children, women, and men in Syria flee for their lives, the White Helmets run towards danger, towards the rubble, to save the innocent and the wounded. The White Helmets have witnessed vicious atrocities committed by the Assad regime and its backers.

But the Syrian government and its Russian backers have denounced the group as little more than a tool for Western propaganda, and accused its members of being in league with Islamist insurgents.

The group, which counts about 3,000 members, insists it is neutral.

The Syrian civil war has raged since 2011, leaving 350,000 people dead and millions more displaced.

Canada previously resettled 25,000 Syrian refugees between September 2015 and February 2016.

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STANDOFF, ALTA.A dispute between two families over land on Canadas largest reserve is heading to court in part to question whether First Nations members have any right to the ground beneath their feet.

Do Indians have property rights? Thats what we need to know, former Blood Tribe chief Harley Frank says of his decision to take his battle to the Federal Court of Canada.

The former chief of the Blood Tribe says he has already been in a physical fight over the land on southwestern Albertas sprawling Blood Indian Reserve, which is home to 12,500 people.

Frank, 68, still had bruising around his eyes when he was interviewed recently at his home on the reserves edge, 250 kilometres southeast of Calgary. His broken left hand was in a cast.

They said, Were going to kill you. If my son Ken hadnt come, Id be dead, Frank said. They would have stomped me to death. They had chains, sticks, tire irons.

The dispute involves 600 hectares of prime agricultural land allocated to the Frank family in 1960. Although band members cant own property outright, they can have it allocated to them with the approval of the chief and council.

Franks father, Wilton, staked a claim and had two years to make improvements on the undeveloped property near the St. Mary Reservoir.

He started fencing, got a house, planted trees  just like homesteading, said Harley Frank, who was chief in 1992 and who more recently has been a band council member.

The council approved this claim and gave him a fairly good chunk of land and put his name on the land register.

Earlier this year, he said, he was informed that the bands land dispute panel had awarded all but two hectares of the Frank property to a family with adjacent land. Frank said the decision was based on the evidence of a hand-drawn map and was approved by the chief and council.

His request for an appeal was rejected, he said.

The situation came to a head last month. Frank said he saw a farmer cutting hay on the disputed property. When he asked him to stop, the farmer called the new owners who showed up minutes later.

They came after me. I was still in the field then and I saw them coming. I called my two boys for backup, Frank said.

I got beat up. I got a broken hand. We got our licks in, too, and thats where it is right now.

The Blood Tribes police chief, Kyle Melting Tallow, said the fight was under investigation, so he couldnt provide any information.

Alberta Justice has no record of any charges being laid.

Members of the other family did not respond to a request for comment.

Franks younger brother arrived at the home shortly after the fight.

He had blood running out of his eyes, Bob Frank said.

Theyre taking our life away. Thats what theyre doing. All our history and memories.

Harley Frank wants a temporary injunction to prevent anyone from taking grain or hay off the property and is asking the court to quash the land transfer.

I will not give up one single acre.

Malcolm Lavoie, an assistant law professor at the University of Alberta, said a customary interest in reserve land is granted by a band council or recognized by custom.

In principle, a band council can reallocate customary interests. They are not vested property rights enforceable in courts outside of the First Nation, Lavoie said.

When some  criticize the relatively weak protection for individual property rights on reserve, one of the aspects they have in mind is the weak legal protection for customary interests.

The court application names the other family, the Blood Tribe chief and council and the federal government.

Band spokesperson Rick Tailfeathers said its unfortunate the dispute has come to this.

The tribes tried to settle it and (the Franks) havent accepted the settlement agreement, Tailfeathers said.

Theres other disputes that happened and the land dispute committee settled some of them. I think this is one of the few that has gone to court.

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KILLARNEY, ONT.Crews from across the country continued to cut down dozens of raging fires in northeastern Ontario on Sunday, after evacuation orders left some property owners uncertain of whether their homes and businesses would survive the flames.

Provincial police issued a statement Sunday saying the largest fire in the area  known as Parry Sound 33  had grown to more than 5,000 hectares in size and was not yet under control.

The blaze prompted mandatory evacuation orders for 50 homes that are only accessible by boat on Saturday, several days after it was discovered.

Police said those who could access their properties by road were subject to a 12-hour notice of evacuation order as of Sunday evening.

James Palmer, whose family has owned the Hartley Bay Marina for 65 years, said he was among those pushed out of the area Saturday, but he hopes to return soon to check up on the property.

Our business is still standing, but that could change at a moments notice, he said. Its extremely stressful because not only is it my home, its my place of business.

He noted that the marina is one of the only access points to the mainland from campgrounds.

Ontarios Ministry of Natural Resources said the orders and alerts apply to properties between the western and northern borders of French River Provincial Park, east to Hwy. 69, and as far south as the Key Rivers south shore, including people on both shores of the French and Pickerel rivers and Hartley Bay.

Read more:

Wildfire threat prompts evacuations in northeastern Ontario

Thousands of hectares are burning out of control in parts of Ontario

What its like on the front lines of B.C.s wildfire fight

Parry Sound 33 is one of more than 63 fires burning in the region, with 20 of them out of control as of Sunday afternoon  a slight improvement from the previous night.

Firefighters and equipment have poured in from across Canada, the United States and Mexico to help Ontario-based crews. Five waterbombers were aiding hard-pressed ground crews in their struggle to contain the flames.

Palmer said they had to evacuate the entire park yesterday afternoon.

It was a grab your stuff and go moment yesterday, he said. Heavy smoke filled the air and there was concern for the elderly and children, he said.

The fire grew exponentially out of control. Its not contained, its a wildfire, he said. We dumped everybody out of the park as fast as we could, he said, noting that more than 200 vehicles were on site at the time.

Most evacuees are seasonal cottage-goers or campers who have fled to hotels in Sudbury, or have gone home, said Palmer, who is also seeking refuge in the nearby city.

Weve had a lot of smoke, said Renee Germain, who lives in Warren, Ont., located between Sudbury and North Bay. Though shes not in the evacuation zone, shes offering her property as a refuge for those with horses and livestock.

The fires have often been helped along by Mother Nature, with hot, dry conditions combined with lightning strikes and blustery winds fuelling  and often igniting  the flames.

People in the French River and Britt, in the Parry Sound district, are looking to evacuate their animals due to the smoke, she said. Shes reached out to a few people.

You never know, you may not have any smoke right now, but in an hour from now, you could get smoked out, she said.

Were hoping that we can help other farms, or other homes, save a few animals, she said. If we can help other people who are impacted, I really hope that people out here follow suit.

Germain said the warnings about fires are unsettling, and shes concerned about animals getting left behind.

She hopes people get their animals out early before a possible evacuation order.

Everything is very, very dry. We havent had much rain at all, she said. We have new fires that are starting every single day.
Organizers protesting an anti-Islam demonstration in Toronto say five of their delegates were arrested during the rally Saturday on University Ave.

The event, hosted by PEGIDA, an organization for Patriots of Canada Against the Islamization of the West  according to their Facebook page said that the purpose of the rally was to warn against encroaching Islam.

Simon Rivers, a delegate with the General Defence Committee of the Industrial Workers of the World, who was at the event said that five counterprotesters were arrested. He said members of other far-right groups, including the Proud Boys, Northern Guard and Sons of Odin were in attendance.

When things do get physical their response is to shut things down and almost every time arrest people on our side and not of the site of PEGIDA and groups that instigate those things, Rivers said of the police.

He said police later told two people were released without any charges laid.

PEGIDA Canada director Jenny Hill told the Star in an email that none of its members were arrested.

Toronto police confirmed that arrests were made at the event, but would not say how many or from which groups.

Rivers said PEGIDA members were separated from the counter protestors by police in barricaded zones.

The demonstrations escalated when some Proud Boys members tried to leave the barricaded area, Rivers said.

Police cut off most of our people from coming to the area which meant that none of our people could really get involved in the situation, and arrested the people that were essentially closest to where the Proud Boys got into the fence, he said.

The Proud Boys are a far-right mens organization that refers to themselves as Western chauvinists and were founded by right-wing pundit Gavin McInnes, a Canadian who helped establish Vice Media. The received national attention after disrupting a sacred Indigenous ceremony in Halifax on Canada day in 2017.

I do not have any information on Toronto Police advising this or any other group to not express their civil right to conduct a rally, said Const. Allyson Douglas-Cook, a spokesperson with Toronto police.

Rivers said at the peak of the protest at 2 p.m., about 100 counterprotestors were in attendance, with approximately 60 PEGIDA members present in the enclosure. Toronto Police could not confirm the number of people who attended.

With files from The Canadian Press
Jeffrey Johnstons always-on phone was off for a third straight day when Susan Forsyth made the early-morning drive to her sons house in Oshawa, worry mounting with every unanswered call.

When she arrived on the frigid morning of Dec. 15 from her home in Newcastle, Forsyth quickly realized something was wrong: an eviction notice was plastered on the door of the pale yellow home where Johnston rented a room.

She immediately contacted Durham Regional Police to report her 31-year-old son, her only child, missing.

But Forsyth alleges that instead of launching an investigation, police did little to initiate a search, one she assumed would begin inside the home where her son had been living.

For more than 48 hours, she alleges she unsuccessfully pleaded with officers to check inside the home, but was met with claims that they could not go in  even after the next-door neighbour reported to police that hed noticed blood inside Johnstons room one day before he was reported missing.

Terrified and frustrated, Forsyth and Johnstons father ultimately decided to break into the home themselves, through an open window. There, they found dark brown stains on the stairs and pink marks on Johnstons mattress  what they feared, and now know, was blood.

Forsyth is thankful thats all they saw.

On Sunday, Dec. 17  two days after Johnston was reported missing to police  officers went inside the house and found his body. An autopsy determined hed been fatally stabbed, making Johnston Durham Regions ninth homicide of 2017.

According to court documents, Johnston was killed on Dec. 13  meaning he had been dead for four days before he was found.

Paul Jaglal, Johnstons roommate at the house, is charged with first-degree murder in Johnstons death.

I am so angry that I have had to live through this nightmare and that a lot of it could have been prevented, Forsyth writes in a detailed account of her ordeal, which she provided to Durham Regional Police and the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD), the provincial police complaints watchdog, which is now investigating.

Forsyth says the trauma of her sons murder was compounded by what she alleges was inaction by police while the case was a missing person investigation.

Had officers gone into the home sooner, his body would have been found two days earlier and she wouldnt have gone in herself, contaminating a crime scene, turning her into a witness and deepening her grief.

I will be haunted by these thoughts, these visions, she said of being inside the home.

She blames herself for not making police go in earlier  I should have forced them to somehow.

The Star sent a list of questions to Durham Regional Police about the case, but spokesperson Dave Selby said the service could not provide information due to the case being active and before the courts. That includes why officers did not initially go into the home, and whether they believe Johnston was killed inside or if his body was moved there.

Police also would not say where in the house the body was located. Forsyth said investigators told her it was in the basement, where she is glad neither she nor Johnstons father ventured when they entered the home.

As much as we would like to give you more information, this missing person file and the homicide investigation are intertwined, so we are not in a position to discuss details at this time, Selby said in an email.

As you know, this remains an active homicide investigation and we have devoted many resources to move it forward.

Johnstons death occurred just weeks after the homicide of Toronto woman Tess Richey, who was similarly reported missing days before her body was found. Richeys mother, too, initiated her own search, and ultimately found her daughters body in an alleyway about 40 metres from her last known location.

Under fire for their handling of Richeys disappearance, Toronto police announced theyd launched an internal professional standards investigation into officers actions in the case. Days later, the service launched a full review of how their officers conduct missing persons investigations, due in part to Richeys case.

Last month, two Toronto police officers were charged with professional misconduct for allegedly failing to properly investigate Richeys disappearance.

Durham police will not confirm whether an internal investigation even occurred into the initial handling of Johnstons disappearance. Forsyth said investigators told her a professional standards probe was done and one officer was internally disciplined, but she was not told what the discipline entailed. Selby said he could not comment.

When asked on what basis Durham police could not confirm if an investigation even happened, Selby reiterated that was because the missing person case and homicide investigation are intertwined.

Forsyth has since lodged a complaint with the OIPRD, which hears public complaints about police, and says a spokesperson confirmed this week that an investigation has been launched into three officers. (An OIPRD spokesperson told the Star she could not comment on individual cases.)

Stressing that Durhams homicide investigators have been diligent and professional, Forsyth nonetheless wants to know whether any changes will be made as a result of how the initial investigation into her sons disappearance was handled.

I was angry with them  I told them theyd let me down, as a resident of Durham, Forsyth said in an interview, recalling the night she was told her son had been found.

The news came after Forsyths two-day search that involved calling hospitals, obtaining Johnstons cellphone history, and urgent followups with friends and acquaintances  anyone who might have had information about her sons whereabouts.

Trained in human resources, Johnston was working odd jobs at the time of his death, Forsyth said. While they didnt always see eye to eye, Forsyth admits, she and her son were typically in touch at least daily because Johnstons 9-year-old son, Alex, lives with her. It was out of character for Johnston not to be in contact for more than a day, and by the third day Forsyth knew her son was not just ignoring her calls.

According to her written account, Forsyth arrived at her sons home before 9 a.m. on Dec. 15 and called police upon seeing the eviction notice. A police cruiser came by but officers told her the landlord would have walked through the place already, and they wouldnt go in, Forsyth said.

She began contacting Johnstons cellphone provider and his friends, then approached a man who lived in the other half of the semi-detached home, a neighbour who knew Johnston. She alleges that the man told her he had been inside the home the previous day  before the landlord put the eviction sign up  and noticed blood inside Johnstons room and on his shoes.

He didnt alert police at that time because he didnt want to get involved, Forsyth said. But she convinced him to now tell officers what he saw.

But when police arrived a second time and were told about the blood, Forsyth claims one of the responding officers said that still did not warrant going into the house.

Forsyth later called the landlord and learned Johnston had been subletting from Jaglal, the man now alleged to have killed him. When Forsyth passed along this information to police, she claims she was told to contact Jaglal directly, something she is glad she never did.

Its not clear whether police attempted to contact the landlord to gain access to the home on the first or second day Johnston was reported missing. Selby said he could not provide this information.

While stressing that every missing persons case is unique, former Toronto police homicide detective Mark Mendelson said its reasonable to expect police would have quickly begun the process of attempting to enter the home by contacting the owner of the property and seeking permission.

Because he had been evicted, there wouldnt have been any concern about Johnstons privacy expectations, Mendelson said, since the home had been returned to the owner.

If police werent already trying to gain access to the home once Forsyth reported him missing, they should reasonably have begun attempting to go inside after hearing the neighbours account about seeing blood, Mendelson said.

What more do you need to know? The flags should have gone up, their investigative curiosity should have been piqued and they should be asking questions of the owner, Mendelson said.

Desperate for information, Forsyth and Johnstons father ultimately entered the home themselves on Saturday, Dec. 16, and found Johnstons room still filled with some of his belongings. There were brownish-red marks on the floor and the stairs  what they feared was blood, but also thought could be some kind of paint.

I picked up a pair of running shoes that had red marks all over the bottom and on the sides, then we found a third shoe. It was not making sense, she writes in her account.

They began rummaging through his things, and ultimately took a few items, including her sons winter coat, which she was alarmed he didnt have. They left soon after.

I am shaking  I was uneasy. Wanted to get out of that house, she wrote. We were all alone in the search.

Throughout that day and into the next, Forsyth said she kept calling police for updates and asking if they could go into the house. But she received no information until the early evening of Dec. 17, when she got a call to come in to the police station.

On the drive back from a hockey event with Alex, she dropped him off at a relatives house before heading to the station. En route, she passed the street where her son lived and saw there were now police vehicles and a forensic truck outside, with yellow tape around the perimeter.

I went numb, she said.

When she arrived at the station, Forsyth was informed a body had been found in the house, but wasnt immediately told it was Johnston. She later identified him by a distinctive tattoo of a spade on his wrist.

She never saw her sons body, saying the funeral home advised her family not to see him. They believe this was due to his state of decomposition.

She was later contacted by investigators, who wanted the winter jacket she had taken from Johnstons room, but she had given it to the Salvation Army the previous day.

Forsyth is now a witness in her sons murder case, meaning she will take part in the trial and will not be permitted to sit in on testimony, something she felt could help bring closure.

Forsyth is experiencing flashbacks to being inside the home where her son was found, and feels anger and sadness that she felt she had to go in. While struggling with her own emotions, she is trying to help Alex, who has been told about the circumstances of his fathers death. He is doing well considering the situation, though Forsyth fears he may be in denial.

Johnston was cremated. For now, she is keeping his remains in her home alongside flowers and pictures.

I need him with me, she said.

Wendy Gillis is a Toronto-based reporter covering crime and policing. Reach her by email at wgillis@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @wendygillis

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LOS ANGELESA man shot his grandmother and girlfriend Saturday and then led police on a car chase that ended when he crashed into a pole and ran inside a busy supermarket as bullets from officers shattered the front doors. About three hours after he took hostages in the store, the suspect surrendered.

One woman was killed inside the supermarket, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

Officers with riot gear, armed with rifles, stood along the side of the Trader Joe's in the Silver Lake area on Saturday afternoon and used mirrors to try to look inside as hostages periodically came out the front door with the hands raised. At least one person was injured but expected to survive.

The suspect walked out with a cluster of four hostages and appeared to be already handcuffed as the group emerged through the front door. Police immediately surrounded the suspect, searched him and then brought him to a waiting ambulance. The man appeared to have blood on his left arm.

Investigators believe the suspect, whose name hasn't been released, had shot his grandmother and girlfriend around 1:30 p.m. in South Los Angeles and then fled in a 2015 Toyota Camry, Sgt. Barry Montgomery, a Los Angeles police spokesman, said.

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Officers spotted the suspect's car near Hollywood and tried to pull him over, but the man refused to stop and led officers on a pursuit, he said. During the chase, the suspect shot "multiple rounds" at officers, though no officers were struck by the gunfire, he said.

At least one officer is believed to have returned fire, Montgomery said.

The suspect eventually crashed his car outside of the Trader Joe's supermarket and then ran into the store. An Associated Press employee who lives in the area reported seeing a car crashed into a utility pole outside the store.

Don Kohles, 91, was walking into the supermarket when he saw a car being chased police crash into a pole just outside. Police fired at the driver, shattering the store's glass doors and Kohles and others inside took cover and laid on the floor as the suspect ran into the store, he said.

He could hear others around him sobbing as the man ran toward the back of the store and yell at people, but Kohles said he never heard any more gunshots. After about 30 minutes, police came inside and rushed some of the customers out, he said.

People frantically tried to flee from the store and some were seen climbing through windows, jumping down about 8 feet (2.44 metres), and others darted through the back door.

Christian Dunlop, a real estate agent and actor who lives nearby, said he was watching from the corner when he saw four people flee out the front of the store. An employee was dragging an injured woman by the hands out the front door, he said.

One woman who was injured was taken to the hospital in stable condition, according to David Ortiz, a fire department spokesman, though it was unclear how she was injured. Officials said they had 18 ambulances and 100 firefighters staged at the scene.

Montgomery said the situation was still unfolding and hostages were still inside the store.

Officers are "trying to get the suspect to surrender and bring this to a peaceful conclusion," he said.

President Donald Trump tweeted that he is "Watching Los Angeles possible hostage situation very closely" and that Los Angeles police officers were working with federal law enforcement.
Elizabeth Hill will never forget the minor incident that might have cost her her life, if it wasnt for the help of a newcomer student she was housing.

She had just returned home from walking her dog when she suddenly felt very weak and collapsed on the floor.

So I looked up at the ceiling and I remember thinking, Im in my 70s and you dont know what a heart attack looks like or a stroke or something, Hill, now 75, said of the incident about five years ago.

She had been renting out her west-end Toronto home on and off, since her husband died about 20 years ago, to help pay her bills. A young man from Brazil, one of several young people shes housed over the years, was renting a room while he studied English.

Fearing the worst, she mustered enough energy to call for him, and mimicked instructions to go to the phone and dial 911. An ambulance came and it turned out shed had an allergic reaction to a wasp sting.

He had only two weeks of English in Toronto, but that young man saved my life, she said. Since then, she says she tries to continuously share part of her house with young people in need of a place to stay.

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Hill was one of about 30 people who attended an information session this week for HomeShare, a new pilot project that looks to match seniors who live alone and have room to spare in their house or apartment for young students who are cash-strapped and in need of affordable housing.

Starting in September, the project will pair at least 20 students from the University of Toronto, Ryerson University and York University with willing senior homeowners or renters in the city. The program aims to bridge an intergenerational gap, while addressing housing affordability for young people.

Members of the National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly, a Toronto non-profit organization that won a provincial grant to carry out the pilot project, hosted the information session at city hall to offer details on how the pilot will work.

They explained that participating students will get a rental discount from homeowners in exchange for contributing to household chores, such as snow removal, grocery shopping or walking a dog.

We know that theres a housing crisis in Toronto, we know that theres less than a 2 per cent vacancy rate within the city and we also know that the housing costs can be unattainable for students, said Tonya Salomons, a social worker and one of the projects leaders.

She said the project will help ease the burden of physical labour on seniors, while creating social and emotional connections between them and young people  some of whom may be new to the country and could face loneliness and depression.

While theres a monetary benefit, were hoping that its more than just a room, Salomons said, adding both parties can learn from each others cultural background and prevent social isolation.

It could mean that a senior gets someone to share a meal with, go for a walk or just have a conversation.

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The project will facilitate the matching process, which will include home assessment and background safety screening, to be done in conjunction with the Toronto Police Service, Salomons said. While the project can offer some guidance, the rent price will be decided by homeowners, she said.

A similar home-sharing project launched last year in Boston, first matching students and senior homeowners and later expanding to include the general population.

Closer to home, HomeShare projects have already been successful in smaller regions such as Halton and Northumberland County.

Councillor Josh Matlow, who spearheads the citys seniors strategy, said HomeShare is a creative and effective way to address the issue of seniors who need care and young people who need housing.

As governments, theres evidence out there to demonstrate that were letting a lot of people down, he said.

Young people are leaving Toronto because they cant afford the rent, and our elderly people are struggling. Thats why we need to address these issues proactively.

Rosemary Foulds and Alan Ritchie, who also attended the information session, are both retired and live in a three-bedroom apartment near High Park. They use only one of the rooms, and are happy the HomeShare project can help find ideal tenants who can also keep them company.

What you want is a reciprocal relationship, somebody who becomes like your companion, Ritchie said.

You also hope that if theyre playing loud music and you tell them to turn it down, theyll actually pay attention to you.

Elizabeth Hill has compiled seven guest books filled with photos and thank-you notes from the dozens of young international students who have stayed with her over the past two decades.

Ninety-five per cent of her experiences with young renters have been positive, she said.

When Julio Hernandez, 32, arrived on Hills doorstep from Cuba in 2011, they agreed he could stay in her home for a six-month trial period as he set out to earn his masters degree.

The benefits of the arrangement can go far beyond reduced living costs, he said.

At this point, I see her more like a friend than my landlady, Hernandez said. Shes like my Toronto family.
KABULA suicide bomber carried out an attack near the Kabul airport Sunday, killing 14 people and narrowly missing Afghanistans vice-president, who was returning home after living in Turkey for over a year, security officials said.

The blast occurred near Kabul International Airport shortly after the convoy of the controversial vice-president had just left the airport, Interior Ministry spokesperson Najib Danish said.

Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, a former Uzbek warlord, and his entourage were unharmed, said Danish.

Danish said that 14 people, including civilians and military forces, were killed in the attack and 50 others wounded.

Daeshs local affiliate claimed responsibility for the attack on its Amaaq News Agency website, claiming it had killed and wounded over 115 people.

In a statement from the presidential palace, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the attack.

Dostum had been undergoing medical treatment in Turkey, and is now well and ready to resume work, said presidential spokesperson Haroon Chakhansuri.

Dostum left Afghanistan in 2017 after the attorney-generals office launched an investigation into allegations that his followers had tortured and sexually abused a former ally turned political rival. He has since reportedly been barred by the government from returning to Afghanistan.

It was not immediately clear whether Dostum will now face any charges.

The judiciary in Afghanistan is an independent body and will carry out its duties and responsibilities as it deems appropriate, said an official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the issue.

Dostum, accused of war crimes committed after the fall of the Taliban government in 2001, has also been criticized by the United States for human rights abuses.

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LONDONThe British government is facing rising calls to liberalize abortion laws in Northern Ireland, where having an abortion remains a criminal offence even as strict prohibitions are being repealed in the Republic of Ireland.

More than 170 politicians called Sunday for action to be taken. The group included legislators from political parties in Britain, Ireland and Northern Ireland. They sent a letter to the Sunday Times to urge Britain to repeal the 19th-century laws that make it a crime to have an abortion in Northern Ireland.

This is the first and critical step to ending the treatment of British and Irish women living in Northern Ireland as second-class citizens, who do not enjoy the same access to health care as their counterparts do across these islands, the letter said.

The open letter says that nearly 1,000 women and girls from Northern Ireland went to the British mainland for abortions last year and others took abortion-inducing pills that are illegal in that part of the U.K.

Voters in the Republic of Ireland overwhelmingly approved a May referendum to repeal a constitutional amendment that barred most abortions. In its place, new laws spelling out the conditions for legal abortions are expected to be enacted.

Read more:

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Irish Catholics see abortion vote results as indication Church is weakening

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The vote does not affect Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. Abortions are prohibited there even in cases of rape and when the fetus is judged by experts to have a fatal abnormality. Abortions have been allowed in England, Wales and Scotland for more than 50 years.

Northern Irelands power-sharing assembly is not operating at the moment, leaving the British government in control. British Prime Minister Theresa May  busy with Brexit negotiations  has not moved to address abortion access in Northern Ireland.

Her minority government depends on the co-operation of the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland, which is opposed to abortion.

The letter is unlikely to have any immediate impact as Britains Parliament is about to begin its lengthy summer recess.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday tweaked his cabinet line-up as his Liberal government readies itself for the 2019 federal election. And as the new line-up looks for opportunities to step up their game, federal policies regarding news organizations should be high on that list.

The Trudeau government reportedly does not want to bail out media companies that are no longer viable. Federal officials defend their studied indifference with public opinion research that indicates Canadians believe that in this social media age, they are awash in news and therefore have no desire to fund legacy media companies in any way shape or form.

But federal policy-makers would be better advised to heed Joni Mitchells lyrical warning that you dont know what youve got til its gone.

As Thomas C. Leonard observed, media is a primary site for political discourse in any liberal democracy. Indeed, journalism provides much of the vernacular for that discussion. Classic liberalism has long asserted an informed and engaged public is the key to self-government.

To say legacy media did not always live up to the lofty ideals of the Enlightenment is to understate the case.

The mainstream media historically reflected an older, white, male social order. Too many voices were excluded, as journalistic practices favoured individuals in positions of power as newsmakers. The gatekeeper function concentrated power in the hands of relatively few professionals, to set political agendas, to prime voters to assess leaders in the context of that agenda, and finally to create bandwagon effects through public opinion.

Small wonder social media was enthusiastically embraced by those who struggle to find voice in the legacy media  women, visible minorities, the disadvantaged, the disenfranchised.

That said, todays social media platforms  such as Facebook  are prime examples of the law of unintended consequences. Parody accounts, bots, Twitter trolls, are now a factor in daily discourse. Social media didnt invent fake news but social media did expand its reach exponentially.

Clay Shirkys description of todays media as an ecosystem is insightful, but legacy news organizations in general, and newspapers in particular, are disproportionately important in that ecosystem, a fact that seems to have escaped the policy-makers in Ottawa.

Instead of fixating on the newspaper as an outdated distribution system, policy-makers need to shift their attention to what is in the newspaper  the civic journalism that is essential to a healthy democracy.

The late and still legendary White House correspondent Jack Germond once observed that 90 per cent of journalistic content is derivative of what 10 per cent produce.

Opinion sells, and opinion relatively speaking is cheaper than news, talk radio being but one example.

But if the commentators in Toronto have an opinion about how well Bombardier has performed on the TTC contract for new streetcars, that opinion is based in no small measure on the shoe-leather reporting of beat reporter Ben Spurr, who routinely breaks stories about production delays and recalls.

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Alex S. Jones  not to be confused with the Infowars Alex Jones  has written about the iron core of information that feeds democracy. And the only statistic worth dwelling on is that 85 per cent of that civic news comes from newspapers.

Today, the iron core is in trouble. Advertising is considered the midwife to a free press; but the midwife has moved on and isnt coming back. For newspapers, Joseph Schumpeters concept of creative destruction found form in Craigslist and Kijiji. The virtuous circle of profitability and public service has been broken, with direct implications for public discourse.

News organizations are withdrawing from city hall, from provincial legislatures, from police stations, from suburban council chambers. Newspapers once covered school boards extensively, less so today. This lack of coverage impacts a voters information base. When was the last time you went into vote in a municipal election when the names of any of the candidates for school board positions meant anything to you?

In fairness, the federal governments spring budget did include a few specifics intended to assist news organizations as they cross the digital divide.

The Trudeau government did earmark $10 million over five years to support local media, with the funds to be handed out by one or more independent, non-governmental organizations, a provision that fell well short of the industrys $350 million ask for a revamped Canadian Periodical fund. But as policy options go, picking winners is more often than not, a losing proposition.

The government has also indicated its willingness to grant charitable status to news organizations  a model that has enjoyed some success in the United States and that triggered a decision by the Desmarais family to convert La Presse  North Americas largest French-language daily  into a not-for-profit entity.

To riff off Alex Jones, if news organizations are just another business, then their survival is of little importance. But if news is as central to democracy as classic liberal theory asserts, then the situation warrants a fresh think on the part of federal policy-makers, both political and bureaucratic.

My own bias is to use the tax system to create incentives for certain types of behaviour, an approach that is fiscally sound, and universal in its application.

The leadership of Torstar, for example, has suggested Ottawa consider subscriptions to Canadian-owned news organizations an act of civic engagement and therefore tax deductible, the same treatment afforded political donations.

The proposal aligns with the reality that any viable business model for a news organization going forward is going to have to be subscription based. It avoids the need for independent panels to dole out federal subsidies, it avoids subjective criteria as to who qualifies and who does not. Anyone investing in news content would be eligible.

This example is cited as illustrative, and is not advanced as a magic bullet solution. The news media industry has tabled a wide range of proposals that would help, at no meaningful cost to the taxpayer.

Policy-makers in Ottawa seem to come at the question from a managing decline perspective when it comes to print journalism. They need to get past the word print and focus on the journalism  however it is delivered.

Multiple voices, reflecting the full range of political and cultural perspectives, ought to be the public policy objective, which means a media ecosystem that invokes more editorial voices than the public broadcaster.

In an age of fake news when liberal democracies are challenged to defend their world view, when both the purpose and value of multinational organizations are being questioned, when traditional economic and security alliances are discarded in a single presidential tweet, governments that espouse a world view built on shared democratic values will be challenged if there are no forums where nuanced, informed, debate can occur.

The prime minister speaks eloquently and often about Canadian values. Democracy is a core value. Multilateralism is a core Canadian value. Humanitarianism is a core Canadian value. Liberal democracy defends its institutions, and a free press is one of those institutions.

Jones states journalisms first obligation is to truth, its first loyalty is to citizens, its essence is a discipline of verification.

There is a cost to that, a cost that is impacted by public policy, a cost that can and should be supported by incentive, not subsidy.

Otherwise, when it comes to public discourse, Canadas iron core will disappear and as Joni Mitchell warned, we will have paved paradise and put up a parking lot.

Bill Fox is a senior fellow at Massey College at the University of Toronto.

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Israel has evacuated 800 White Helmets rescuers and their families from Syria to Jordan overnight at the request of the United States and European countries, Al Jazeera reported.

On Twitter, the Israeli military said it had "recently completed a humanitarian effort to rescue members of the Syrian civil organisation and their families" after a "request of the United States and additional European countries".

The Israeli military also tweeted that the "civilians were subsequently transferred to a neighbouring country".

It did not give details regarding the number of those evacuated, but Jordan on Sunday said it had taken in 800 White Helmets rescuers from Israel and plans to transfer them to the UK, Canada and Germany.
When the conversation is about the price of orange juice and ketchup going up or the loss of vital jobs in the auto industry because of American actions, its easy for Canadians  and our elected officials  to get outraged about the cost of trade barriers.

But dealing with interprovincial barriers, it seems, is far harder and less fun than going after U.S. President Donald Trump for suggesting that free trade with Canada presents a national security threat.

So much harder, in fact, that Canadas premiers couldnt even manage to give themselves what should have been a no-brainier, made-for-summer win: the freer flow of booze across provincial borders.

The premiers clearly tried. They seemed positively poised at their meeting in New Brunswick to announce a completed deal to effectively double the amount of wine, beer and spirits that consumers could take across provincial and territorial borders. But when it came down to finally putting pen to paper on Friday, the best they could manage was to agree in principle to significantly increase personal-use exemption limits when crossing provincial/territorial boundaries.

That means theyll do something  probably what they were expected to do  eventually, when the last holdouts can be brought around.

And this wasnt even about ending the barriers that businesses face when bringing craft beer or fine wine across provincial borders. That was too big a hill to even contemplate climbing.

The hypocrisy of all this, from a group that intends to lobby Americans more directly on the merits of free trade, is breathtaking.

As Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister put it: We are a trading nation and we have to demonstrate that we understand the benefits to the Canadian family of trading more effectively within our own boundaries if we wish to make the case to others that they should pull the wall down between us and them.

We couldnt agree more with that statement.

We part ways with Pallister, however, on his preamble to it: These premiers took positive steps in the last couple of days and have been working together for months to make sure we take those walls down inside our country. This is a tremendous achievement.

Tearing down the interprovincial trade barriers that make life more costly and difficult for businesses and Canadian consumers would have been an achievement. Talking about doing it is something thats been going on, with far too few results, for decades.

Unfortunately, that pattern seems to be continuing.

And if the premiers cant agree on a matter as trivial as letting Canadian consumers transport a few more cases of wine and beer across provincial borders, what hope is there of agreement on bigger issues, such as a national pharmacare plan or tackling climate change?

The premiers know the financial consequences of provincial restrictions on the free movement of goods, services and people are substantial. Two years ago, a Senate committee estimated the annual cost of lost trade opportunities in the range of $50 billion to $130 billion of GDP.

Now, letting visitors from Quebec (legally) take home more wine from the Niagara region or Ontarians bring home more cases of craft beer from Quebec doesnt add up to a big drag on the economy. But as one premier pointed out, it increases choice for consumers, could help drive innovation and is a symbol for Canadians.

Right now, it remains a symbol of premiers unable to walk their talk. And, worse still, they couldnt finalize any of the other issues on the trade table such as harmonizing occupational health and safety rules, transport regulations and business registration.

A country thats pushing the merits of free trade globally really shouldnt be dumping a grab bag of costly requirements on companies here whenever their business interests cross a provincial border. But even slaughtering meat is an interprovincial battle that the premiers decided needs more conversation.

All that was summed up in the ironically-titled communique: Premiers make advancements on Internal Trade.

With all the global uncertainty, surely its time for the premiers to do more than talk about improving internal trade.

Read more about:
Jumping from Fox News to a pro-Trump PAC isn't exactly a yuge leap - Kimberly Guilfoyle has left her gig as co-host of the network's show "The Five" to make her Trump boosterism official.

Fox confirmed her departure Friday, and multiple news outlets say she's headed for the America First PAC.
Gov. Bruce Rauners latest announcement of his plans to veto a gun-dealer certification bill is causing some to accuse him of siding with the gun industry.

In the wake of several mass shootings, lawmakers sent Rauner the Gun Dealer Licensing Act in March to help crack down on illegal gun sales, but he vetoed the bill over concerns it would burden smaller gun stores. And even before the revised bill reached his desk, Rauner announced Monday hell veto it, too  because he believes it doesnt enhance public safety.

Kathleen Sances, president and CEO of the Gun Violence Prevention PAC of Illinois, disagrees. She says Chicago police recover 7,000 illegal guns a year  and 4,000 from in-state dealers.

He should want to be saving our children, says Sances. And he looks like hes choosing to secure the profits of the gun industry rather than keep our communities safe. 

Just before announcing his veto plans for the licensing bill, Rauner signed two other gun-related measures. One allows confiscation of guns from people if a court deems them dangerous to themselves or others; another imposes a 72-hour waiting period for all gun purchases in Illinois.

Sances says while she is pleased that Rauner approved the other two gun-safety bills, she is perplexed over his decision not to want to track illegal gun sales.

I mean, I think these are easy bills for him to sign, says Sances. I dont understand, though, why he wouldnt sign a bill that would have helped stopped the shootings in our city. I mean, our children are dying. There are shootings every two hours here  and thats because theres too many illegal guns.

Senator Don Harmon, a Democrat from Oak Park, reworked the gun-dealer licensing measure and got a different bill, House Bill 337, through both chambers. He also praised the governor for signing the other bills, but accused him of playing politics with the licensing bill.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday warned the United States against any conflict with Iran, saying war with his country will be the mother of all wars, Xinhua reported citing state TV.

"The Americans should learn very well that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace and war with Iran is the mother of all wars," Rouhani said at a meeting with the Iranian diplomatic missions in world countries.
Actress Janhvi Kapoor who made her Bollywood debut with Dhadak has said she does not feel she has become a star with the success of the film but she is just trying to be an actor.



Janhvi, on Saturday, spoke to the media at Gaiety-Galaxya famous sub-urban single screen theatrealong with her co-actor Ishaan Khatter and director Shashank Khaitan to know the audience's reaction on the film.



There was a lot of buzz about her debut in Dharma Productions Dhadak even before its release and now that the film is getting a positive response from the audience, it is said that Janhvi Kapoor is on her way to become successful.



When asked whether she believes she has become a star with the success of Dhadak, she said: "I don't think I am a star as of now, I am just trying to be an actor".



When asked who gave her the best compliment so far for her performance, she said: "I got the best compliment from my director Shashank Khaitan when he told me that he is proud of me. But more than that, I feel the kind of overwhelming response that we are getting here is the biggest compliment for all of us".



Dhadak opened with mixed reviews among critics unlike the original 2016 Marathi-language film Sairat, but the box-office collection tells a different story.



Opening with Rs 8.71 crore, it is the biggest opening at the box-office featuring debutants.



With an overwhelming response and beating Dharma Productions Student of the Year which collected Rs 8 crore on its first day, Khaitan said: "I was confident about the film".



"Till now, many people have watched the film. These two kids (Ishaan and Janhvi) have done a fantastic job. We saw such kind of iconic love story after so many days.



"We had faith in the kind of honesty and hard work we made this film with. We all would like to thank Karan Johar for believing in all of us," Khaitan expressed.




A woman has been killed in a Los Angeles grocery store siege in which a gunman held multiple people hostage, police said on Saturday.



The suspect has been taken into custody and an investigation is underway, Efe news agency reported.



The incident began when a shooting occurred at 1.30pm in Newton Division after which the suspect fled the scene, the Los Angeles Police Department said on Twitter.



Police located the suspect and a pursuit ensued "at which point the suspect fired multiple rounds at pursuing officers," it added.



"The suspect then crashed his vehicle at which point an officer involved shooting occurred. At the termination of the pursuit, the suspect fled into the Trader Joe's," police said.



"Inside the Trader Joe's, a female victim was struck by gunfire. She was pronounced dead at scene," it added.



The suspect held multiple people hostage in the store before the suspect walked out and "asked that he put handcuffs on himself," police said.



He was then taken into custody.



It was not clear how many people were inside the store in Silver Lake neighbourhood and whether there were any other casualties.



Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti had earlier said on social media that 100 firefighters and 18 ambulances had been deployed as well as the Mayor's Crisis Response Team "to provide emotional support and resources to victims of #Silverlake #TraderJoes incident."



US President Donald Trump said on Twitter he was "watching Los Angeles possible hostage situation very closely. Active barricaded suspect. L.A.P.D. working with Federal Law Enforcement."


Russias military said it had shot down two unidentified drones that attacked its Syrian air base at Hmeimim on Saturday and Sunday, Reuters reported citing Russian agencies.

The attacks caused no casualties or damage and the Hmeimim air base is operating as normal, Interfax said.
Dakar, Senegal

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Africa on Saturday on a four-nation visit seeking deeper military and economic ties while his rival in a bitter trade war, the Trump administration, shows little interest in the world's second most populous continent.

This is Xi's first trip abroad since he was appointed to a second term in March with term limits removed, allowing him to rule for as long as he wants. That rang familiar to some of Africa's long-entrenched leaders.

China is already Africa's largest trading partner, and it opened its first military base on the continent last year in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, which this month launched a China-backed free trade zone it calls the largest in Africa. After surpassing the U.S. in arms sales to Africa in recent years, China this month hosted dozens of African military officials for the first China-Africa defense forum.

Xi is stopping in Senegal and then Rwanda ahead of his participation in a summit of the BRICS emerging economies in South Africa that starts on Wednesday.

The summit comes amid the United States' billion-dollar trade war with China and tough trade negotiations with other key economic partners. Last month the foreign ministers of BRICS members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa criticized what they called a "new wave of protectionism," saying U.S. measures undermine global trade and economic growth.

Xi's Africa visit also highlights China's sweeping "Belt and Road" initiative that envisages linking Beijing to Africa, Europe and other parts of Asia via a network of ports, railways, power plants and economic zones.

While such high-profile projects bring badly needed infrastructure and generate economic growth, U.S. officials and others have warned that African nations are putting themselves into debt to China. Its government, banks and contractors loaned more than $94 billion to African governments and state-owned companies from 2000 to 2015, according to the China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University.

"Public debt in the median sub-Saharan African country rose from 34 percent of GDP in 2013 to an estimated 53 percent in 2017," says a report in January by Wenjie Chen and Roger Nord of the International Monetary Fund.

From oil in countries like Nigeria and Angola to rare minerals in Congo, Africa's natural resources are a major draw for China's economy, the world's second largest behind the U.S. China's voracious appetite for resources such as timber and ivory, however, has taken its toll on Africa's environment, often with the help of corrupt local officials.

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On his first visit to a West African country, Xi met with President Macky Sall of Senegal, which according to the International Monetary Fund had economic growth of 7.2 percent last year and whose largest trading partner is the European Union, notably France.

The stop highlights China's interest both in Francophone Africa and in Atlantic Ocean ports, while Senegal positions itself as a gateway to the region. Already a Chinese-backed industrial park has appeared outside the capital, Dakar, while rail and road links are being improved as part of an ambitious plan to reach the other end of the continent in Djibouti.

Xi then moves on to Rwanda, becoming the first Chinese president to visit the landlocked East African country, whose economy grew by 6.1 percent last year. He will meet with President Paul Kagame and visit a memorial for Rwanda's 1994 genocide, which killed more than 800,000 people.

The Chinese leader then will make his third state visit to South Africa for the BRICS summit. South Africa's economy, one of Africa's largest, grew just 1.3 percent last year amid a drop in investor confidence because of a corruption scandal around former President Jacob Zuma, who resigned in February.

Finally, Xi will stop in the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius, whose economy grew by 3.9 percent last year.

China's economic push continues in September with the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, welcoming heads of state.
Riz Ahmed, who shattered glass ceilings as the first Asian man to win an acting Emmy, is celebrating fellow trailblazer Sandra Oh.

The "Grey's Anatomy" actress became the first nominee of Asian descent in the leading drama actress category when Emmy nominations were announced earlier this month.

"I'm incredibly happy for her. Massively well deserved," Ahmed said Friday at Comic-Con. "I think we're living in a moment where we are all realizing that it's not enough to just carry on with business as usual. If we just sleepwalk forward, we can end up walking off a cliff and I think a lot of people think we've done that politically, both in Europe and in America."

Last year, Ahmed took home an Emmy for "The Night Of." Oh received five bids for "Grey's" and has earned critical praise as a spy hunter in BBC America's "Killing Eve."

Comic-Con attendees got a look at Ahmed's upcoming Spider-Man spinoff "Venom." His co-star is Tom Hardy.

 Associated Press

Thatcher spouse questioned Paul

Most hosts would be quite happy to have Paul McCartney come to a shindig. But that wasn't the case with Denis Thatcher in 1988 when planning a gala reception at 10 Downing St.

Newly released papers show that the late husband of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher put a question mark next to the former Beatle's name on a proposed guest list he was reviewing.

The papers, released Saturday, show Denis Thatcher leaving checkmarks next to the guests he approved and question marks next to those he was less comfortable with.

The papers didn't offer an explanation of why he questioned the inclusion of the ex-Beatle. In a note, he wrote that he didn't mind inviting guests who didn't back the prime minister but questioned inviting those who had criticized his wife in public.

"Whilst I accept of course that not everyone who comes to our receptions are necessarily on 'our' side I find it both unpleasant and embarrassing to entertain those who publicly insult the PM," he said.

 Associated Press

Gadot shares a peek at 'Wonder Woman'

"Wonder Woman 1984" is only three and a half weeks into production, but that didn't stop star Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins from bringing some footage to Comic-Con.

Audiences in the comic book convention's Hall H on Saturday got an early look at a scene where Diana Prince saves a young girl from some bad guys in their Miami Vice-finest in a very '80s-looking mall.

Chris Pine also joined Gadot and Jenkins on stage, but all stayed mum about how and why his character Steve Trevor is back considering his fate in the first movie.

Jenkins says she set the movie in the 1980s because it was a time where mankind was at its best and worst.

"Wonder Woman 1984" comes out in Nov. 2019.

 Associated Press

Migos' Offset faces gun, drug charges

Offset of the hip-hop group Migos is facing two felony gun charges after he and his bodyguard were pulled over outside of Atlanta.

Clayton County Police Sgt. Ashanti Marbury tells WXIA-TV that an officer pulled over a Porsche 911 Friday afternoon for failing to maintain its lane.

Police say Offset, whose real name is Kiari Kendrell Cephus, was behind the wheel. Police say the vehicle smelled of marijuana, prompting authorities to search the car and find three guns and less than an ounce of marijuana.

The 26-year-old is on probation for a 2015 arrest on drugs and weapons charges. He is now charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a weapon during a crime. He also faces misdemeanor charges for marijuana possession and making an improper lane change.

 Associated Press

LIRR tickets visit past and future

It's back to the future on the Long Island Rail Road.

The nation's largest commuter train system said Friday it's printing next month's tickets on paper marked for 2016 and 2019 due to a problem with its usual supply.

Riders who get monthly tickets by mail will see a big "19" instead of "18" on the one for August.

Monthlies sold at ticket machines and offices are being made with green ticket stock from 2016.

The LIRR says riders should ignore a Dec. 31, 2016, expiration date on those tickets.

 Associated Press
ALBANY - Democrat Zephyr Teachout is set to receive the support of Assemblyman Phil Steck on Monday for her bid to be the next state attorney general.

The three-term Colonie Democrat is scheduled to appear in Academy Park outside the Capitol at 11 a.m. to formally endorse Teachout, who is in a four-way primary for the Democratic nomination. New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney and attorney Leecia Eve are also vying for the Democratic nomination and attorney Keith Wofford is the Republican nominee.

"I think that we need an attorney general, at this stage of state history, that's more independent of the big power brokers in New York state politics," Steck said. "We've had a lot of issues of corruption and I think it would be good for the attorney general to be someone who has demonstrated ... independence."

Teachout unsuccessfully challenged Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2014 and lost to Republican John Faso in a Hudson Valley congressional bid in 2016.

This is not the first time Steck has broken from the party establishment. Two years ago he backed the presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders, while most Democratic elected officials rallied behind Hillary Clinton. James is the party's designated candidate as the result of a vote at the state Convention in the spring.

"I ran in a four-way primary for the Assembly [in 2012]. I wasn't the choice of the powers to be at that particular time," Steck said. "It brings a lot to the table to have a grassroots candidate. Zephyr is in the same position as I was when I ran for the Assembly."

He also liked the idea that Teachout, who lives in the Hudson Valley, would bring regional balance to the other statewide offices, as Cuomo lives in Westchester County, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul lives in Erie County and state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli is from Long Island.

Steck said the other Democratic candidates for attorney general are qualified, but felt that Teachout would be the best for his district. "I know the real deal when I see it," he said.

He said he doesn't plan on endorsing anyone for governor.

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The race for state attorney general became wide open when incumbent Democrat Eric Schneiderman resigned the post amid reports that he physically abused multiple women.

Barbara Underwood, the state's solicitor general, was elevated to the top job and was appointed by the state Legislature to fill out the remainder of the term. She is not seeking election to the post.

David.Lombardo@timesunion.com - 518.454.5427 - @poozer87
Portland, Maine

A week ago, Maine Democrat Zak Ringelstein wasn't quite ready to consider himself a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, even if he appreciated the organization's values and endorsement in his bid to become a U.S. senator.

Three days later, he told The Associated Press it was time to join up. He's now the only major-party Senate candidate in the nation to be a dues-paying democratic socialist.

Ringelstein's leap is the latest evidence of a nationwide surge in the strength and popularity of an organization that, until recently, operated on the fringes of the liberal movement's farthest left flank. As Donald Trump's presidency stretches into its second year, democratic socialism has become a significant force in Democratic politics. Its rise comes as Democrats debate whether moving too far left will turn off voters.

"I stand with the democratic socialists, and I have decided to become a dues-paying member," Ringelstein told the AP. "It's time to do what's right, even if it's not easy."

There are 42 people running for offices at the federal, state and local levels this year with the formal endorsement of the Democratic Socialists of America, the organization says. They span 20 states, including Florida, Hawaii, Kansas and Michigan.

The most ambitious Democrats in Washington have been reluctant to embrace the label, even as they embrace the policies defining modern-day democratic socialism: Medicare for all, a $15 minimum wage, free college tuition and the abolition of the federal department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Congress' only self-identified democratic socialist, campaigned Friday with the movement's newest star, New York City congressional candidate Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old former bartender who defeated one of the most powerful House Democrats last month. Her victory fed a flame that was already beginning to burn brighter. The DSA's paid membership has hovered around 6,000 in the years before Trump's election, said Allie Cohn, a member of the group's national political team. Last week, its paid membership hit 45,000 nationwide.

There is little distinction made between the terms "democratic socialism" and "socialism" in the group's literature. While Ringelstein and other DSA-backed candidates promote a "big-tent" philosophy, the group's constitution describes its members as socialists who "reject an economic order based on private profit" and "share a vision of a humane social order based on popular control of resources and production, economic planning, equitable distribution, feminism, racial equality and non-oppressive relationships."

Members during public meetings often refer to each other as "comrades," wear clothing featuring socialist symbols like the rose and promote authors like Karl Marx.

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The common association with the failed Soviet Union has made it difficult for sympathetic liberals to explain their connection.

"I don't like the term socialist, because people do associate that with bad things in history," said Kansas congressional candidate James Thompson, who is endorsed by the DSA and campaigned alongside Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez, but is not a dues-paying democratic socialist. "There's definitely a lot of their policies that closely align with mine."

Thompson, an Army vet turned civil rights attorney, is running again after narrowly losing a special election last year to fill the seat vacated by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Even in deep-red Kansas, he embraces policies like "Medicare for all" and is openly critical of capitalism.

In Hawaii, 29-year-old state Rep. Kaniela Ing isn't shy about promoting his status as a democratic socialist in his bid for Congress. He said he was encouraged to run for higher office by the same activist who recruited Ocasio-Cortez.

"We figured just lean in hard," Ing told the AP of the democratic socialist label. He acknowledged some baby boomers may be scared away, but said the policies democratic socialists promote  like free health care and economic equality  aren't extreme.

Republicans, meanwhile, are encouraged by the rise of democratic socialism  for a far different reason. They have seized on what they view as a leftward lurch by Democrats they predict will alienate voters this fall and in the 2020 presidential race.

The Republican National Committee eagerly notes that Sanders' plan to provide free government-sponsored health care for all Americans had no co-sponsors in 2013. Today, more than one-third of Senate Democrats and two-thirds of House Democrats have signed onto the proposal.
Norfolk, Va.

Lincoln Brower, who was considered one of the foremost experts on the iconic monarch butterfly and a scientist who advocated for the declining species' protection, has died. He was 86.

Linda Fink, his wife, confirmed Friday that Brower passed away Tuesday at home in Nelson County, Va., after a long illness.

Brower studied the orange-and-black-winged insect for more than six decades. It is famous for its epic migration each year.

"What attracted Lincoln is they're so incredibly interesting," said Karen Oberhauser, a monarch expert and director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum.

Light as a paper clip, the butterflies migrate like birds or whales. Most travel 2,000-plus miles from various states in the U.S. and Canada to the mountains of Mexico. A much smaller number goes to the California coast.

In those places, the winter climate typically doesn't freeze them. But it's cool enough that the insects maintain their fat preserves to begin their return.

It's a multi-generational journey north as the butterflies and their offspring feed off milkweed. Eventually, the cycle starts anew.

Brower spent a lot of time in Mexico, where massive clusters of monarchs hang like Spanish moss in fir forests.

"Just imagine a place where there are a hundred million of whatever you were studying hanging from the trees," said Brower's son, Andrew Brower, who studies butterflies and is a biology professor at Middle Tennessee State University.

Brower also charted the butterflies' stark decline. Its overall population has fallen by about 80 percent over the last two decades, according to the Center for Biological Diversity, a conservation group.

Herbicide use, logging and severe weather events have all threatened the butterfly. In 2002, freezing temperatures and rain lead to a massive die off in Mexico.

"Sticking my hand to gently pull out the beautiful delicate creatures I've worked with for 25 years, there was an almost overwhelming feeling of sadness," Brower told The Associated Press.

In 2014, Brower placed his name alongside conservation groups to petition the federal government to protect the monarch under the Endangered Species Act.

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to make a decision next year.

"He was the only scientist who joined the petition  it's a gigantic deal," said Tierra Curry, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity. "A lot of scientists shy away from advocacy."

Brower grew up in northern New Jersey, his son said. He earned a biology degree from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in zoology from Yale University.

He taught at Amherst College before moving to the University of Florida. At the time of his death, he was a professor at Sweet Briar College in Virginia and an emeritus professor at the University of Florida.

"If the monarch butterfly migration is to survive, it will be in large part thanks to Dr. Lincoln Brower's dedication and work during the past half century," Homero Aridjis, a former Mexican diplomat and environmentalist, said in a statement.

Besides his wife and son, Brower is survived by a daughter, Tamsin Barrett, his son said.
Washington

The Trump administration on Saturday released a set of documents once deemed top secret relating to the wiretapping of a onetime adviser to Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

The New York Times reported that the documents involving former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page were released to the Times and several other media organizations that had filed Freedom of Information Act lawsuits to obtain them. The FBI later posted the documents to its FOIA website online.

The materials include an October 2016 application to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to wiretap Page as well as several renewal applications, the Times reported. It is highly unusual for documents related to FISA wiretap applications to be released.

While the documents were heavily redacted in places, the Times reported that visible portions of the documents show the FBI telling the intelligence court that Page "has been collaborating and conspiring with the Russian government." The agency also told the court that "the FBI believes Page has been the subject of targeted recruitment by the Russian government."

Page has denied being a Russian agent.

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After a redaction, the Times reported that the application to wiretap Page included a partial sentence: "... undermine and influence the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election in violation of U.S. criminal law."

The surveillance of Page became a contentious matter between Republican and Democratic lawmakers earlier this year.

Republicans alleged the FBI had abused its surveillance powers and improperly obtained the warrant, a charge that Democrats rebutted as both sides characterized the documents in different ways. The documents, meanwhile, remained out of public view.
Deputy Secretary of defense John Rood supported the decision of President Donald Trump to invite Russian leader Vladimir Putin in the United States, The Siver Telegram reported.

Exchange of experience and Frank discussion between the two leaders is something that needs to be done. I think this is quite normal and practical, he said in an interview with CNN.

At this Deputy head of the Pentagon has underlined that Russia is an important player on the world stage.

Earlier, the White house announced that Trump has invited Putin to visit Washington in the fall.
Saratoga Springs

Don Lucarelli isn't going anywhere. At least not yet.

The Duanesburg resident, who has been half of the face of the successful Starlight Racing organization, was part of the strong contingent of Starlighters who assembled in the winner's circle at Saratoga Race Course following the 104th running of the Grade II, $150,000 Sanford for 2-year-old colts.

Lucarelli, 66, has relinquished all aspects of being a managing partner in the organization but is still an owner. So, there he was in the winner's circle after the Sanford, holding his 3-year-old grandaughter Gabriella after Starlight's 2-year-old Sombeyay won the six-furlong race by a neck over Strike Silver.

"I will miss it, there is no doubt about that," Lucarelli, 66, said. "But it isn't over yet."

Lucarelli will still be involved with Starlight as an owner; he just won't be calling the shots with Starlight founder Jack Wolf. They have been partners since 2004. Lucarelli will be around as long as the horses he owns are still running. And he just got involved with some Starlight 2-year-olds, like Sombeyay.

Wolf said he was not surprised with his partner and friend's decision.

"I could tell he was uncomfortable with the time he had to devote to this," Wolf said.

Sombeyay gave Starlight its second win in the Sanford; the first came with Uncle Vinny in 2015.

Trainer Todd Pletcher won the Sanford for the seventh time Saturday. Sombeyay, who is likely heading to the Grade I Hopeful on Labor Day, the final day of the Spa meet, went off at 5-2 and was ridden by Javier Castellano. The winning time was 1:10.35.

"He ran really well," Pletcher said. "He showed a little more speed than I thought he would."

Sombeyay, who has won two of his three career starts, paid $7.70, $4.00 and $2.70.

The Diana: One of these days, the New York Racing Association is going to have to rename the Grade I Diana the Chad Brown Stakes. Brown won the $500,000 turf race for the fourth time -- and third in a row -- as Sistercharlie survived a thrilling stretch duel and won by a desperate nose over a game Ultra Brat in the 11/8-mile race on the Mellon Turf Course.

The Mechanicville trainer also finished third with A Raving Beauty and sixth with New Money Honey. Ridden by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, Sistercharlie, a 4-year-old filly, found her best stride in the stretch and surged to the outside of the stubborn Ultra Beat and her rider, Joel Rosario. They were trying to win this at 15-1 odds.

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Velazquez urged his filly just enough and got her nose on the line first.

"She switched leads late, but when she finally did, she got down there in time," Velazquez said after Sistercharlie, the even-money favorite completed the distance in 1:46.26.

Brown has now won four races over the first two days to take a two-race lead over two trainers, one of who m is Pletcher, who won the training title by one over Brown last summer.

"It was a matter of (Sistercharlie) being on the right side of that photo (finish)," Brown said. "Luckily, she got there."

Sistercharlie paid $4.30, $2.90 and $2.30.

twilkin@timesunion.com  518-454-5415  @tjwilkin


For those who only get to the Saratoga area in the summer with the horses and race fans, newly opened businesses might be contributing to a slightly different landscape than the one they encountered last year.

Here are some of the spots that have opened since the last track season, or are slated to open soon in Saratoga Springs:

The Dark Horse Mercantile

445 Broadway, Saratoga Springs

facebook.com/darkhorsesaratoga

Recently opened.

The owners of Impressions of Saratoga have been dreaming up the Dark Horse brand for years, and it has come to life on Broadway. The shop featuring gifts, memorabilia and sportswear uses the famed racehorse, Upset, in its logo.

Racing City Brewing Co. and Oliva Winery

250 Excelsior Ave., Saratoga Springs

racingcitybrewing.com

olivavineyards.com

Debreen and Tony Oliva transformed this former FedEx distribution center into a tasting room and production facility. Both brands speak to the track-centric area, with a jockey on a horse. Some of the beers on hand, including the Colt Classic and the Lemon Hop Kid, also harken back to the Saratoga tradition.

KaffeeHouse

120 West Ave., Saratoga Springs

kaffeehousesaratoga.com

A cafe opened by a German family, KaffeeHouse brings in a diverse coffee list and European cuisine (you can try their Munich hot dog or Bavarian Pita, and start the day with Eggs Parisian Style). And for those on the go, they've got a drive-thru for convenience.

Taverna Novo

62 Beekman St., Saratoga Springs

tavernanovo.com

If you've heard of Crush & Cask, you know the owners of the spring 2018-opened Taverna Novo. Opened in the spot which formerly housed 62 Beekman and Beekman Street Bistro, Taverna Novo focuses on pizza, with a "Rolls Royce of pizza ovens" to boot, according to Times Union restaurant reviewer Susie Davidson Powell.

The Filling Station at PJ's Bar-B-QSA

1 Kaydeross Ave. West, Saratoga Springs

pjsbarbqsa.com

For those traveling to Saratoga Springs on Route 9, it's hard to miss Route 66-esuqe sign for PJ's Bar-B-QSA restaurant. A marquee nearby now showcases an expansion including a dining area and bar, titled the Filling Station. The grand opening of the Station took place in April 2018.

Larch Landscape Architecture and Engineering

40 Long Alley, Saratoga Springs

larchny.com

Larch, which held its ribbon-cutting in May, deals with various aspects of construction and design. The managing member, Jessica Marquard, comes with an environmental studies and landscape architecture background, the passion for which is veiled in the name. (Larch is a confer native to the Adirondacks, as well as an acryonym for Landscape ARCHitecture, according to the business' website.)

Spa City Brew Bus

spacitybrewbus.com

We understand drinking and driving is a no-no, which is why Spa City Brew Bus comes in handy. Mike Hojnicki first launched the bus in the fall of 2017, with private tours including pick up and drop off services at a central location for attendees (and encourages using ride-share services or finding a designated driver), a souvenir tasting glass, tastings at each location, and amenities within the bus.

Cantina

408 Broadway, Saratoga Springs

cantinasaratoga.com

Cantina, the Mexican and Southwest cuisine spot, isn't a new name to the Saratoga scene, but it is in a new location as of early June. The building used to be the home of Lillian's Restaurant. The new location has large doors that can open up to the foot traffic of Broadway, giving a different spin on outdoor dining in the Spa City.
[July 22, 2018] AURAK Enters into a Memorandum of Understanding with Al-Farabi Kazakh National University

The American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) President, Professor Hassan Hamdan Al Alkim, and the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) Rector, Professor Galimkair Mutanov, of the Republic of Kazakhstan, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), agreeing to exchange students, faculty, and research. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180722005025/en/ The Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) Rector, Professor Galimkair Mutanov, of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the American University of Ras Al Khaimah AURAK) President, Professor Hassan Hamdan Al Alkim, exchange a gift to commemorate their universities uniting in an MoU agreement. (Photo: AETOSWire)



In the spirit of fostering a close international relationship between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates, developing bilateral relations in educational and scientific fields, and wishing to make their own contributions to the development of cooperation between the two institutions, AURAK and the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University signed an MoU.

The memorandum of understanding aims to promote educational and scientific cooperation, which would be facilitated through the exchange of students and faculty, as well as collaboration in research. The newly-signed agreement also provides a basis for cultural exchange between the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as the possibility for even closer academic ties between the two institutions, through dual degree programs. Dr. Lee Waller, AURAK Dean of Student Success and Enrollment Management, was overjoyed with the opportunity to solidify cultural connections this partnership enables, "The celebrated signing between Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and American University of Ras Al Khaimah will increase collaboration between these two highly respected international universities and open the door of opportunity for the peoples of both nations." Assuredly, both AURAK and Al-Farabi Kazakh National University will experience student success fostered from the collaborations of this partnership. Prof. Hassan asserted, "In Al-Farabi Kazakh National University we have an esteemed collegiate cohort which will bolster the educational experience for our students with ample opportunities to advance them both in their studies and in making international connections." At present AURAK has a range of international partners across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America, opening a wide spectrum of possibilities to students including exchange and study abroad programs for up to one year, as well as shorter summer sessions. * Source (News - Alert) : AETOSWire View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180722005025/en/

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For too long, budget smartphones were miserable devices that promised only the bare minimum and rarely delivered a smooth user experience.

Thankfully, that's changed, and in recent years we've seen a ton of progress made in the $250 space. It's a price point cheap enough for the smartphone to be affordable, but not so cheap that the device lacks quality or innovation, if done properly. And its leaders right now are two unlikely phone makers with a century of history between them: Motorola and Nokia.

The $249 Moto G6 is Motorola's bread and butter  a device that speaks to the company's strength in producing well-rounded, thoughtfully designed handsets that grant you everything you need and don't waste your time with things you don't. It would have been our de facto recommendation for budget buyers, if Nokia hadn't arrived on the scene immediately afterward with the $269 Android One-powered Nokia 6.1.

Both devices are excellent options for those looking to save hundreds of dollars while making relatively few compromises. But which comes out on top? We compared Motorola's and Nokia's best efforts to find the answer.

Specs



Moto G6 Nokia 6.1 Price $249/$299 $269 OS Android 8.0 Oreo Android 8.1 Oreo Screen Size, Resolution 5.7-inch LCD (2160 x 1080) 5.5-inch LCD (1920 x 1080) CPU Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 RAM 3GB/4GB 3GB Storage 32GB/64GB 32GB microSD Slot Yes, up to 256GB Yes, up to 256GB Rear Camera Dual: 12 MP (f/1.8) and 5 MP (f/2.2) 16 MP (f/2.0) Front Camera 8 MP (f/2.2) 8 MP (f/2.0) Battery Size 3,000 mAh 3,000 mAh Battery Life (Hrs:Min) 9:25 10:24 Water Resistance No No Dimensions 6.06 x 2.85 x 0.33 inches 5.86 x 2.98 x 0.32 inches Weight 6.07 ounces 5.89 ounces





Design

The Moto G6 and Nokia 6.1 take opposing perspectives in terms of design.

Moto G6

In the case of the G6, Motorola carried over the hallmarks of today's flagships by including an 18:9 screen, smaller bezels and a curved glass back. The result is a phone that's very easy to use one handed and in some ways looks more modern than Nokia's contender.

Nokia 6.1

The Nokia 6.1 does appear to be more dated at first glance, based on its 16:9 aspect ratio and all-metal build. It has sharper edges, which make it a bit more cumbersome to hold, and it weighs more. But the heft adds a level of polish and quality that feels distant in the Moto G6. And that's enhanced on the Nokia with shiny copper trim around the frame and camera stack that actually looks fantastic in person.

Overall, the Moto G6 gets the slight edge here for its narrower footprint, which makes it more comfortable, pocketable and generally easier to live with. However, Nokia still deserves credit for crafting a very handsome handset with a more businessy, grown-up vibe.

Winner: Moto G6





Display

You can't go wrong with either of these screens. Both the 5.7-inch Moto G6 and 5.5-inch Nokia 6.1 have full-HD LCD displays (full HD plus in the G6's case, because of its 18:9 aspect ratio and additional vertical pixels). That means they're similarly sharp.

Moto G6

When it comes to brightness and color representation, they're pretty close, too. The Moto G6's panel tops out at 413 nits and covers 113 percent of the sRGB color space. The Nokia 6.1 is a bit more vibrant, notching a peak brightness of 450 nits and a slightly wider color gamut, at 142 percent.

Finally, the Nokia 6.1's display proved a bit more accurate in our testing, with a Delta-E score of 0.26 compared to the Moto G6's 0.39. (Numbers closer to zero are better.) While we like the extra real estate Motorola's screen provides, Nokia's is just a hair nicer, so it takes this round.

Winner: Nokia 6.1

Camera

Expectations are never high for budget phone cameras, and admittedly, neither Motorola nor Nokia has done much to buck that trend with these devices.

Nokia 6.1

Motorola combines a 12-megapixel, f/1.8 primary sensor with a 5-MP secondary one for depth effects on the G6, while Nokia opted for a single, 16-MP f/2.0 lens on the back of the 6.1.

Moto G6

In terms of features, Motorola has the upper hand  at least on paper. That second lens allows for shallow depth-of-field portraits and selective color photos. But, like on so many other cheap dual-camera devices, the level of quality you get from these modes isn't anywhere near the bar set by top-dollar phones with a plurality of lenses, like the iPhone X and Galaxy S9+.

On the whole, the Moto G6 produced cooler shots than the Nokia 6.1, as evidenced in the above photo at a park along the Delaware River on a sunny day. Nokia's shooter pulled out a much more realistic scene, with more neutral white balance and less of the Moto G6s green-blue tint permeating the entirety of the frame. However, the Motorolas device exhibited better detail in the shadows and more sharpness overall.

Even with the artistry of the Moto G6's bokeh effect, the Nokia 6.1 delivered a crisper and more balanced portrait. My colleague Jorge definitely stands out from the background better with the help of Motorola's dual-lens tricks, but the blur is applied imprecisely along the limits of the foreground. The Nokia 6.1 also painted the frame with less saturated hues, particularly in Jorge's face.

The Moto G6 did win some points back in low-light photography. This image of a trio of figurines is much better exposed through the G6's wider-aperture lens, with significantly less noise and color bleeding compared to the struggling Nokia 6.1. That makes the Moto G6 a better choice in less-than-ideal lighting situations, though in most other cases, you'll probably want the Nokia.

Winner: Nokia 6.1

Performance

Although the Moto G6 and Nokia 6.1 feature different chipsets, they're actually more alike than their spec sheets suggest.

Motorola chose the brand-new Snapdragon 450 processor for the G6, and paired that with 3GB of RAM. The combination is actually much snappier than you'd expect, given that Qualcomm's 400-series silicon tends to appear in even lower-end models than either of the phones featured here.

The Nokia 6.1 has the same Snapdragon 630 system on chip you may recall from the HTC U11 Life or Moto X4 Android One. However, whereas those phones cost between $350 and $400 when they launched last fall, the Nokia 6.1 is just $269.

MORE: Best Cheap Unlocked Smartphones

The kicker is that the CPU in both chipsets is almost identical. Actually, the Moto G6's Snapdragon 450 actually outperformed the 630 inside the Nokia 6.1 in Geekbench 4 by a score of 3,934 to 3,784. However, across the bulk of day-to-day usage, when opening apps and multitasking, streaming YouTube videos, browsing Google Maps and so on, you're unlikely to notice any difference in speed.

Graphics performance is another story, though. The Snapdragon 630 employs a more powerful GPU, and so it smoked the Moto G6 in 3DMark's Ice Storm Unlimited test, 16,847 to 12,616. If you have any aspirations of hard-core gaming on either of these phones, Nokia's offering will definitely be more up to the task of running games like PUBG Mobile and Injustice 2. That said, don't expect blazing frame rates at this price  you'll have to spend $500 or more if you really want to play triple-A titles the way they were meant to run.

Winner: Nokia 6.1

Battery and Charging

Couple those efficient chipsets with the 3,000-mAh batteries inside both of these phones, and you'd expect great results. However, only the Nokia 6.1 delivered an above-average runtime in our testing, lasting 10 hours and 24 minutes while streaming websites on T-Mobile's LTE network. The Moto G6 paled in comparison, turning in a time of 9 hours and 24 minutes  nearly a half hour less than the 9:48 smartphone average.

MORE: Smartphones with the Longest Battery Life

Both phones support Qualcomm's Quick Charge protocol over USB Type-C, meaning they'll reach about half capacity in 30 minutes connected to the stock adapter. However, neither handset supports wireless charging.

Winner: Nokia 6.1

Software

Motorola and Nokia have similar philosophies with regard to software. The Moto G6 and Nokia 6.1 each run clean installations of Android Oreo devoid of bloatware and UI customizations, and they're better devices for it.

These are premium software experiences on budget hardware. However, the Nokia 6.1's outlook for updates and continued support is more promising because it is an Android One-branded device. That means users can expect two years of software updates and three years of security patches, which is a year longer in both instances than Moto G6 owners are guaranteed to see.

Nokia 6.1

Add to that Motorola's spotty track record with regard to pushing out its Android updates on time, and the Nokia 6.1 really starts to pull ahead. The software on Android One devices originates from Google and is pushed out very quickly, just like on the company's high-end Pixel phones.

Because of the extra year of support, the Nokia 6.1's lifespan should be a bit longer than the Moto G6's, which will probably only get an upgrade to Android P late this year or early next, and that will probably be it.

However, that's not to say Motorola hasn't given G6 owners perks of their own. The Moto app includes exclusive shortcuts and gestures that make the device even smoother to use. Those include One-Button Nav, which uses gestures on the front-facing fingerprint sensor to replace the traditional three-key bar, as well as longtime favorites like chopping to activate the flashlight and twisting to fire up the camera.

Ultimately, Motorola and Nokia are nearly equal on the software front. But the prospect of continued support for the Nokia 6.1 gives it the edge.

Winner: Nokia 6.1

Value and Availability

The $249 Moto G6 comes in at a price that's $20 less expensive than the Nokia 6.1, and it works on more carriers, too. While the Nokia 6.1 only works on GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile, the Moto G6 also picks up CDMA bands, so it'll run just fine on Verizon, Sprint and likely any other network you can name.

The Moto G6 also belongs to Amazon's line of Prime Exclusive phones. Subscribers to the service can get the device for $234. There is also a variant with twice the storage and 4GB of RAM for $299. The Nokia 6.1 only comes in a 32GB configuration, but both phones feature microSD slots for expandable storage.

Winner: Moto G6

Overall Winner: Nokia 6.1

It might come as a surprise, but Nokia has truly arrived with its latest budget phone. The Nokia 6.1 takes the same attention to detail that most manufacturers reserve for their priciest products and passes that along to consumers who don't need class-leading performance, but still want a polished device that will last them for years to come.



Moto G6 Nokia 6.1 Design (10) 8 7 Display (15) 9 10 Cameras (20) 8 10 Performance (10) 5 6 Battery and Charging (20) 12 15 Software (10) 7 9 Value and Availability (15) 14 10 Overall (100) 63 67

The fact that the Nokia 6.1 edged the still-excellent Moto G6 in this comparison is a testament to the lengths Nokia has gone to reintroduce itself to the market. From its all-aluminum design to its class-leading performance, long-lasting battery and unparalleled software experience, the Nokia 6.1 is really a budget Pixel by another name.

Unfortunately though, it simply won't be an option for half the wireless customers in the U.S. Fortunately, the Moto G6 is a fine alternative, with a few advantages of its own, like a more compact and modern design, occasionally fun camera features and clever gestures. But if you've only got $300 or less to spend, are on the proper carrier and want the best, Nokia has your answer.

Credit: Tom's Guide


ACCORDING TO TOP ECHELON KANSAS CITY HOMELESS ADVOCATES, HOBOS PUSHED BACK AGAINST A POLICE RAID AND SET TIRES ABLAZE TO PROTECT THEIR SHANTY TOWNS!!!

"There were at least a half dozen police cars and a lot of fire trucks down there last weekend. The smoke was pretty substantial and a few people lost their makeshift homes. Clients were frustrated that there was no warning or notice to vacate, just a sweep. They have been occupying the area for years so a lot of them felt a sense of permanence that was quickly stripped away. I think that's something that we need to talk about when authorities clear these areas. There are a lot of inhabitants who have mental health issues and respond negatively when uprooted at a moment's notice. There doesn't seem to be much consideration of that from the public or authorities."

The reality here is that constant City Hall subsidy of luxury living space has inordinately spiked real estate near downtown and given the disenfranchised nowhere to go.

- Services for the homeless are being driven out of the downtown area due to high rents.





- Surrounding cities are much tougher on hobos than KCMO and there is little access for their needs in nearby communities.





- Shanty towns and illicit living space is growing in popularity among local hobos who have come to KCMO in rising numbers.

THE KANSAS CITY HOMELESS CRISIS 2018 IS FOR REALZ AND INCREASINGLY AGGRESSIVE SUMMER PANHANDLING IS JUST A SYMPTOM OF THE GROWING PROBLEM!!!

A Kansas City hobo rebellion took place about a week ago and was unreported by any other local media outlet.The evidence is covered up in police reports but there isDo your own homework, TKC is just here to tell the story that has been silenced by MSM.And now . . .A brief word:The hills of the West Bottoms have been occupied by homeless camps for years now and a few months ago one of the denizens was murdered by way ofThe situation is desperate in these secret KCMO villages and so the violence amid a police crack down was inevitable.Brief aside, before you d-bags even get started nitpicking - This hobo/uprising/aftermath street closure is at theend of the street wherefor highway construction. Don't get it twisted, we're sure MSM is going to make up something entertaining but the fact is the hobo fight with police over a sweep is the talk of the town among advocates for this growing population. Go ask them!!!But I digress . . .This section of road has been overrun by local hobos and the food trucks that stop by every afternoon to feed them.These photos were taken a few moments ago and notice that with nearly perfect weather there is not a single bit of construction underway . . . This should negate any "repaving" cover story and spark more questions.After the minor arson and resistance to police, the road has been shut down and more passive homeless are being offered help at different locations.For lack of a better term, this swath of land near downtown is serving as a demilitarized zone after the ruckus over hobo camp clearing.Quickly . . .A quick rundown . . .To wit . . .It's not just poetic justice but a testament to the outright greed of local developers and the politicos who enable them that people are fighting to live in shacks just a few blocks from luxury living space supported by taxpayer dollars in a town struggling to come to terms with a rising murder count, busted infrastructure and a myriad of other "big city" problems.Developing . . .
Kansas City Royals And Salvy Glory Days Well Remembered

WATCH: Salvy hits his 14th homer of 2018 (VIDEO) Salvador Perez hit a two-run homer in the first inning of the Royals' victory over the Twins on Saturday, gave Kansas City a lead that it would never relinquish.

Reminder to Parents: Youngsters Also Need Checkup From the Neck Up

Children's Mercy Hospital now adding suicide prevention questions to check-ups Children's Mercy Hospital says it's one of the first hospitals in the country to add suicide prevention questions to regular check-ups. In doing so, the hospital is hoping it can help save lives. In the past few weeks have you felt that you or your family would be better off if you were dead?

TKC Reader Suggestion: Democratic Party Double Talk Called Out

The Democratic Party Apologizes to Black Voters That he would choose this event, and this city, to try to make amends with black voters was significant. Thursday's gala was the party's first major 2018 fund-raiser to be held outside Washington, D.C., and the I Will Vote initiative it supported aims to bolster DNC efforts to register new voters; fight voter-suppression efforts in the United States; and, ultimately, turn out Democrats across the country in November.

Talking Kansas City Image

Seg. 1: India's View Of KC. Seg. 2: Holographs Train Med Students. Seg. 3: Bernie Sanders On Kansas. Indian nationals coming to America often have to worry about immigration hurdles and racism. Two violent incidents since 2017 in the Kansas City metro have added violence to their list of concerns. Most recently, Sharath Koppu, a UMKC student from India was shot and killed during a robbery at the restaurant where he worked.

Local Dumper Shame Game

City identifies illegal dumper caught on camera, continues push to end similar crimes KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Citizens are helping investigators identify a suspected illegal dumper who was caught on camera. FOX4 is launching a new Problem Solvers campaign targeting one of the biggest complaints in Kansas City: trash dumped on the streets.

Kansas City Weekend Save

Suicide jumper shuts down I-70 downtown KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Police shut down the southeast corner of the downtown loop Saturday night after someone committed suicide by jumping from the Grand Boulevard bridge onto Interstate 670, according to the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department. KCPD confirmed that an individual died after jumping from the overpass shortly after 8:30 p.m.

KCMO Great Flood Recall

25 years later, metro residents look back at destructive, deadly Great Flood of 1993 KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Twenty-five years ago this month, much of the metro was under water. Mike Quirarte at Margaritas on Southwest Boulevard in Kansas City says he still gets a little nervous every time it rains. "I'm 5-foot-9, and this is the '93 watermark," Quirarte said as he pointed to a painted hashmark near the ceiling of the restaurant.

Bad Boozy Pipes

Boulevard Brewing Company's Tour & Rec Center closed for repairs One of the most popular tourist destinations in Kansas City is getting some TLC and will be closed for a little while. Boulevard Brewing Company posted on its Facebook page that its tour and recreation center are currently closed for repairs. "A few of you have asked, 'What the heck is going on at the Tour & Rec Center?

TKC Reader Suggestion: Creeper Camera Suspected In STL

St. Louis Uber driver has put video of hundreds of passengers online. Most have no idea. EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was originally published Friday night. It was updated 9:30 p.m. Saturday with a statement from Uber saying the driver has been suspended from the ride-hailing app. His livestream channel has disappeared from Twitch. ST. LOUIS * On a recent Saturday night, two women in their early 20s called an Uber from Ballpark Village in downtown St.

Bad Golden Ghetto Grub Warning

One person in Johnson County infected with Salmonella from recalled Hy-Vee pasta salad JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. - The Salmonella outbreak linked to Hy-Vee spring pasta salad has sickened one person in Johnson County. The Johnson County Department of Health and Environment said anyone who might have purchased the pasta salad should take it to the store for a refund or throw it away.

Show-Me Weed Research?!?!

Wash U study finds no increase in youth marijuana use in states with reduced penalties Decriminalizing marijuana doesn't necessarily lead to an increase in adolescent use, according to research from Washington University. Marijuana possession is still illegal under decriminalization, but it is treated as a civil offense. Rather than arresting a person for possessing small amounts of marijuana, an officer issues a citation similar to a traffic ticket.

This morning we offer a quick collection of news links that we've been saving along with some. Take a glimpse at this deeper dive into the local news scene along with news from around the region and the nation which offer a better look at local life from a variety of different perspectives.Take a look after the jump: Aretha Franklin - I Say A Little Prayer is the song of the day for Sunday and this is thefor right now . . .
MISSOURI DEMOCRATIC PARTY HOPEFUL HILLARY SHIELDS EARNS A CRITICAL JULY CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISING VICTORY AS SHE DITCHES HER PIXIE HAIRCUT!!!

BLUE WAVE

Democratic Candidate Hillary Shields Continues to Outraise Cierpiot in SD8

As we move closer to the midterms it's important to note important milestones in local political cash contests that support talk of ashift in Heartland politics.To wit . . .Forgive us if noting her hairstyle is frivolous but it's still more interesting than anything related to her off-putting opponent who has the charisma of a potato.Like it or not, this money game victory is asign of growing momentum for the so-calledwhich threatens to turn the tide in American politics according to diehard Democratic Party denizens.Here's the word:LEES SUMMIT  Last year, Democrat Hillary Shields came within 1,980 votes of upsetting Republican lawmaker Mike Cierpiot in a special election for Missouris 8th Senate District. In a rematch this year, Shields has outraised Cierpiot for the second quarter in a row, signaling there may be a blue wave coming to Eastern Jackson County.Just last month, Democrats won a special election for a state senate seat in Clay County with a stunning margin of victory.Shields, a longtime volunteer with the AFS foreign exchange program and community leader from Lees Summit, raised $57,077 for her campaign this past fundraising quarter, while Cierpiot raised $49,279. In the first quarter of the year, Shields beat Cierpiot in fundraising by a 5-to-1 margin, raising over $43,000 compared to Cierpiots $8,447.Bringing in 703 separate contributions from 533 unique contributors, almost 90% of Shields donations came from individuals, with an average donation of $80.19.It is exciting to see so much support from our community, and I am so thankful to everyone who has believed in us, said Shields. Every day I am inspired by all of the people who are getting involved for the first time. The people of the 8th District see whats happening in Jefferson City, and they recognize that we desperately need a change in leadership. Shields main areas of concern include supporting local schools, protecting seniors and disabled veterans, and growing the economy by improving our infrastructure.Hillary Shields works as a paralegal and dedicates her spare time to volunteering for several non-profits throughout the area, including AFS-USA. Hillary and her husband enjoy spending time in downtown Lees Summit with their rescue dog, Bowser.##############
US President Donald Trumps intention to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to Washington signals a potential improvement of bilateral relations, Sputnik reported citing former adviser to President Ronald Reagan on the Soviet Union Suzanne Massie.

"I am completely supportive. It is important now, and it is a very good sign I cannot predict the situation in Washington, but I think it is a very good step that President Trump has taken," Massie said.

Massie, who consulted Reagan during negotiations with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, said it was "time for the American people to see Putin."

Commenting on the recent summit in Helsinki, Massie said that she was disappointed with the negative reaction in the United States.

"I think, the summit was a good step. I have always said that it is important for Russia and the United States to find a way to work together," she stressed.

Trump said on July 19 that he looked forward to his next meeting with Putin so that the two heads of state could begin to implement the ideas they had discussed during the Helsinki summit.

On the same day, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said that Trump had asked his National Security Adviser John Bolton to invite Putin to the United States this fall, adding the consultations on the issue had already started.

Trump and Putin met for their first official summit in Helsinki, Finland on July 16.

The two presidents had a one-on-one private conversation followed by an expanded meeting. The two leaders discussed the Syrian refugee crisis, the situation in Ukraine, nuclear proliferation and Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.
Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here.
ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Rajinder S Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, July 22

While the Morni gang rape victim and her husband are yet to overcome the trauma of the horrific incident, the owner of the house they live in has asked them to vacate the house and search for a new rented accommodation.

Sharing his pain with Chandigarh Tribune on the telephone, the victims husband said as a number of policemen and journalists were visiting their house daily, the house owner, who lives in the opposite lane in Mani Majra, had asked them to vacate the house. The house owner had given them some time to search for a new rented accommodation, he said.

The victim and her husband are living in a one-room set in Mani Majra. They had shifted here around four months ago and were paying Rs 3,000 as monthly rent.

The victims husband even requested policemen, who visited his house in uniform, and journalists, especially the electronic media, not to visit their house.

With policemen and journalists coming to our house, everybody in the locality will come to know about the gang rape of my wife. We are already suffering and it will be difficult for us to search for a new house, he said.

7 more accused in police net

Seven more persons were arrested in the gang rape case on Sunday. The SIT arrested Raipur Rani resident Sahib Singh. He was the driver of the main accused, Sunny. The police said his duty was to bring women to Lovely Guest House in Morni. They are investigating whether besides the victim, there were more women in the guest house. The accused was produced in the Panchkula court, which remanded him in two-day police custody. Later, six more accused, Sukhwinder Singh, Karan Sharma, Manjit Singh, Vikash, alias Vicky, Shadi Ram and Ajay Kumar, all residents of Ambala district, were arrested in the case. They will be produced in the Panchkula court on Monday. So far, nine accused have been arrested in the case, two by the UT police and seven by the Panchkula police.

Still in pain, says victim

The victim said she was still in pain and was not able to walk properly. My husband had to take me to the toilet. There is swelling in different parts of my body and it pains a lot.

Victim not well, husband cant go for work

As the victim is not medically fit, her husband has not been able to go for work. I have a temporary job of a tailor. Since July 18, I have not been able to go for my work as my wife is not well. I have to take her to the hospital for a medical examination daily. There is no financial support from anyone, he said.

No security cover for couple

No security cover has been provided to the victim and her husband. The victims husband takes her to the hospital on his second-hand motorcycle daily. Sources close to family suspect a threat to the life of the couple as they have named cops as accused in the case.
editorial@tribune.com

Ishrat S Banwait

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 21

As many as 22,000 people from across the country have joined the social media campaign, Justice for Anissia.

A petition on www.change.org demanding justice for Anissia has been addressed to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and the Delhi Police. Almost 22,000 people have signed it. The target is 25,000. Besides, a Facebook page, named Justice for Anissia has more than 4,400 likes, while 600 are following a Twitter handle with the same name.

The 39-year-old air hostess, Anissia Batra, died last week after falling from the fourth floor of her house in South Delhi. A case of dowry death has been filed and her husband Mayank Singhvi arrested.

Father had sought police help

On Twitter, a police complaint by victims father Major General RS Batra, which he wrote on June 27, has surfaced. According to it, he feared that Anissias in-laws might harm her physically and she could even lose her life. He had, thus, sought police help.

Tweeter user Ira Merani, who posted the complaint, has tweeted: I do sincerely hope our judiciary and investigating agencies pay heed to this crucial evidence and Anissia gets justice.

Another tweet says: A lot has been said about Anissia and her family. High time we focus on Singhvis. Who are they? How well are they connected? High time media houses focus on their mucky history.

Yet another tweet pointed out that Anissias in-laws were absent from her last rites.

Rannvijay Singha, a video jockey and actor, shared the petition on twitter and asked for support.

Rachna Jhina, a friend of the deceased, wrote on Facebook: Anissia was 39 and had been working since she was 21. Living life on own terms.

Wont rest till she gets justice: Gul

Actor-turned-politician Gul Panag, a friend of Anissia, wrote on a news website: She did not deserve this end. And I can say this for our entire Lawrence Lovedale batch of 1996  and all those who loved her  that we will not rest till she gets justice. Panag had met Anissia while studying at The Lawrence School, Lovedale, and the two had been friends since then.

Did someone push her?

New Delhi: The probe into the suicide of Anissia Batra has taken a new turn with eyewitnesses claiming that Anissia tried to save herself and kept holding on to a grill for some time before she fell from the building. Two labourers, who were working near Anissias house, have given a statement to the police. A senior officer probing the case confirmed the development. Source said Anissia had texted her friends, telling them that Mayank was responsible for her death. One of them claimed that Anissia wanted to divorce Mayank and was also looking for an accommodation. tns
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, July 21

The Panchkula administration does not have any record of guest houses in Morni. A majority of these guest houses are illegal. Even Lovely Guest House, where a 21-year-old woman was allegedly gangraped, is also illegal.

Panchkula DCP Rajender Kumar Meena has instructed the policemen to compile a list of all guest houses in Morni.

Confirming the development, a police official said after compiling the report, they would check the record with the district administration and take action against illegal guest houses. Meanwhile, the police recovered empty beer and whisky bottles from Lovely Guest House.

Residents blame officials

Residents of the Morni area blamed the district administration, police and the Forest Department for not initiating action against illegal guest houses. Joginder Singh, a resident of Morni, said in the past they had lodged complaints against illegal guest houses in the area, but to no avail. Meanwhile, Panchkula DC Mukul Kumar said he would check it with the department concerned and act accordingly.

Biz of guest houses hit

Though the authorities have sealed Lovely Guest House, the business of other guest houses was also hit. A manager of a guest house in Morni said Lovely Guest House was given to an outsider, Sunny, on rent. His activities were dubious. We had informed the owner of the guest house about it, but to no avail. Now, after the gang rape, our business has been hit, he said.

Police seek custody of accused

The Panchkula police on Saturday moved an application for obtaining production warrant of the two persons arrested in the Morni gang rape case.The Panchkula police also rounded up three more suspects.

DCP Rajender Kumar Meena said they were hopeful of getting their custody on Monday.

Sources revealed that the SIT constituted for the case will also check the CCTV footage of the hospital and the Sector 5 women police station, which were approached by the victim and her husband.

Rahul raises issue

The rape of a young woman in Haryana, by 40 men, has shocked & disgusted me. Ironically, today in Parliament, I had drawn attention to the issue of growing violence against women. As a nation, we must hang our heads in shame, for our inability to protect this daughter of India.
ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, July 22

Unhappy with the Haryana Police probe, the 21-year-old Morni gang rape victim and her husband have now demanded that the case be transferred back to the Chandigarh Police.

Talking to Chandigarh Tribune on Sunday at her residence in Mani Majra, the victim said, I have no trust in the Haryana Police. The very first day when my husband and I approached them to lodge an FIR against Sunny, the main accused and owner of Lovely Guest House in Morni, and the other 40-50 accused, they did not entertain our complaint. The Haryana Police rather sent us to the Mani Majra police station.

The victim added, I have full trust in the Chandigarh Police and the Mani Majra police station, who immediately lodged an FIR. I will now approach the High Court and will also meet the UT DGP requesting them to take over the investigation from the Haryana Police.

The victims husband said, On the fateful day when the Panchkula Police refused to entertain us, it was the UT police who provided help to me and my wife. We have full trust in the UT police.

We are fighting for justice and will knock every possible door, whether it is the judiciary or the police, to get justice. My wife and I will write to senior officials of the UT police and will request them to investigate the matter, the victims husband added.

Its a fair probe, say Panchkula Police

Panchkula Police Commissioner Charu Bali said, The Panchkula police are investigating the case and will continue to do so. The police are conducting a fair investigation.

Victim approached women police station

Initially, the victim and her husband had approached the Panchkula women police station, but they were asked to contact the Mani Majra police station. The Mani Majra police had lodged an FIR and had arrested two accused. Later, when the issue was highlighted in the media, the case was transferred to the Panchkula police.
editorial@tribune.com

Rajinder S Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, July 21

While the Haryana Police are facing criticism for not entertaining a gang rape victims complaint, the suspended woman cop has blamed the SHO of the Women police station, Sector 5, Panchkula, for directing her to send the victim and her husband to the Mani Majra police station, instead of lodging an FIR.

The suspended cop, ASI Saraswati, whom the victim had approached, had sent a photo of the victims complaint to Rajesh Kumari, SHO, Women police station, on WhatsApp for further directions, but the latter forwarded her the Mani Majra SHOs number. The ASI had messaged the SHO that no PCR vehicle was available and that control room too had denied providing one.

While ASI Saraswati is not talking to media on the issue, sources said she had brought the issue into the knowledge of senior police officials of Panchkula district.

Despite repeated attempts, SHO Rajesh Kumari could not be contacted.

Panchkula DCP Rajender Kumar Meena said the issue was brought into his notice and they were investigating the matter. We will take suitable action against police official found negligent in performing his or her duties, he said.

Pkula police advice in hospital records

As per records of General Hospital, Sector 6, Panchkula, the police had told the victim and her husband to approach the Mani Majra police station. The hospital register mentions the name of ASI Saraswati. The records reveal that the victim had dialled 1091 for help, but the person who received the call told her to approach the Panchkula police. But the Panchkula police sent complainant to Mani Majra.

SHO on probe panel

Raj Kumari, SHO, Women police station, is a part of the special investigation team (SIT) formed by the Haryana Police to crack the Morni gang rape case. On Raj Kumaris inclusion in the SIT, Panchkula DCP Rajender Kumar Meena said an IPS officer was heading the SIT and the investigation would be fair.

Another suspension

A day after suspending three cops, DCP Rajender Kumar Meena suspended Ramgarh police post incharge Jagdish. The accused, Sunny, had picked the victim from the Ramgarh area.
editorial@tribune.com

Rajinder S Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, July 21

In a startling revelation, 21-year-old gang rape victims husband on Saturday claimed that two cops from Dera Bassi were involved in the crime. One of them even gave a Rs 50 note to his wife after writing his mobile number using a lipstick on it, he claimed.

While talking to Chandigarh Tribune, the victims husband said the accused, Sunny, had introduced three people, who claimed to be police officials from Dera Bassi, to his wife at Lovely Guest House in Morni. Out of these three, two had also raped her. They had even threatened the victim of dire consequences if she revealed anything about the gang rape to anyone, the victims husband claimed.

When they sent my wife from Morni on a bus, one of the cops gave her a Rs 50 note. The cop had written his mobile number on it with a lipstick. The cop had told my wife to contact him, if she faces any problem on the way to the Panchkula bus stand, the victims husband claimed. I got this note while cleaning my wifes clothes which I will give to the Panchkula police on Sunday, he said. When Chandigarh Tribune contacted on the number provided by the victims husband, it was switched off.

Reacting to the Panchkula cops no response to his wifes complaint, he said they had approached the Women police station where ASI Sarswati was present. She clicked a photo of their complaint and sent it to her seniors. We were then advised to go to the Mani Majra police station, he said.

He praised the Mani Majra police for immediately entertaining their complaint and lodging an FIR.

9, 10, 11, 12they were many: Victim

The gang rape victim said there were 9, 10, 11 and 12 accused, who used to come and rape her. Some day, nine people came and the other day 12...they were many. They spiked my food and raped me through four days, she said. Every day, Sunny was bringing these people and they all were raping me. I had gone there to work. I had never imagined such a horrific thing will happen to me, she said.

Medical report confirms insertion

Chandigarh: A medical examination of the victim confirmed insertion even as no injury mark was found. Her medical was conducted at the Government Multi Specialty Hospital, Sector 16. The report came on Saturday. tns
Air Marshal Narayan Menon (retd)

Air Marshal Narayan Menon (retd)

THERE have been media reports about the Indian military reorganising itself into integrated theatre commands as opposed to the current system of individual service regional commands. The trigger for this proposed change could be the Chinese military creating five theatre commands, replacing the earlier seven military regions in 2016 as part of the military reform that began in 2015.

The USA was the first nation to adopt the theatre command concept as part of a policy that encompassed the entire globe. These unified combat commands are organised either on geographical basis with a defined mission in a specific area of responsibility somewhere on the globe or on a functional basis. The USA has six geographical combat commands and four functional commands comprising cyber command, special operations command, strategic command and transportation command. Each combat command is fully equipped with necessary resources of land forces, air assets, naval vessels and Marine Corps elements. They have integral C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) capabilities and can seek assistance from any of the functional commands when required. They can conduct military operations independently. Each combat command has one commander - he or she could be from any service - who reports directly to the President of the USA through the Defence Secretary.

China has successfully pursued a long-term comprehensive transformation of its military forces to improve its capabilities in power projection, anti-access and area denial. China has laid down a time-bound three-step developmental strategy in modernising its national defence:

1. Lay a solid foundation by 2010.

2. Make major progress by 2020.

3. Achieve strategic goal of building informatised (net-centric warfare enabled) armed forces capable of winning wars by 2050.

The change to theatre commands is part of this long-term policy. But why did China wait till 2016 to enact this change? Analysis would reveal that China waited till its military arsenal and defence production capability reached self-sufficiency. China is not dependent on any other country for its military requirement. In fact, it is exporting high-end military products to many Asian and African nations. The General Secretary of the Communist Party of China exercises complete control over the Chinese military through the Central Military Commission of the CPC.

Some similarities need to be noted between the USA and China. The USA spends $620 billion (3.5 per cent of its GDP) on the military while Chinas military expenditure is $220 billion (2.3 per cent of its GDP). The actual figures for China are thought to be higher, with military expenditure being hidden under different civilian heads.

India is in a completely different and subordinate class. India spends only about $ 60 billion on defence, which is less than 2 per cent of its GDP. Our military has shortages in personnel, equipment and firepower. The Army needs artillery guns and reliable rifles for its infantry. The Navy requires more submarines as replacements for its ageing fleet. The IAF is woefully short of fighter aircraft. We should have at least 45 frontline squadrons, but the current strength is around 30 squadrons. War waging reserves (WWR) are running low and we need more aircrew.

Despite its best efforts, the DRDO has been unable to meet weapon requirements of the Indian military. We import 75 per cent of our war weaponry and energy needs. And in the current environment of threatened sanctions, inflow of weaponry and energy seems uncertain. Our military chain of command is fuzzy. The President who is the Supreme Commander has only ceremonial functions. Civilians without domain knowledge rule the roost and the military has to accept decisions in a process in which they are denied a voice.

It is into this somewhat confusing scenario that we want to experiment by introducing a new concept of theatre command. By itself, the concept of India as a single theatre with one theatre commander is good. That theatre command is the way forward is a given, but we have to be careful. Till our military industrial complex is more self-sufficient and our dependence on foreign weapon imports is drastically reduced, we have to tread cautiously.

But a beginning can be made. Space, cyber and C4ISR could be the functional commands where the three services are integrated. The Integrated Defence Staff should be the focal point for threat assessment, budget allocation and procurement. With the experience gained and when the situation is more favourable, India could move to form theatre commands.

A major advantage of air power is its flexibility to relocate to meet emergent threats. If theatre commands are created within the existing scenario, this advantage would be sharply reduced. A force, already short of platforms, would have to be parceled out among the theatres and bureaucratic wrangles are likely to delay inter-theatre moves with detrimental effects on employment of air power.

The priority for the Indian military today is to make up its deficiencies and eliminate its weaknesses within the existing structure. Military-civil decision-making needs to be refined. Without such corrections, structural changes, like creating theatre commands, would be counter-productive negatively affecting our national interests.
Devinder Sharma

Devinder Sharma

CREDIT policy has two faces. One for the rich, and another for the poor. Take the case of Punjab Agricultural Development Bank which has served legal notice to 12,625 farmers threatening to sell their farmland to recover an outstanding due of Rs 229.80 crore, at a time when the Kolkata Bench of the National Company Law Tribunal has allowed just one defaulting company  Adhunik Metaliks Ltd (AML)  to walk away with 92 per cent haircut.

Take another example. Last week, Monnet Ispat & Energy got a haircut of 78 per cent; the company had an outstanding debt of Rs 11,014 crore. Under the insolvency proceedings, the lenders will get only Rs 2,457 crore. The remaining amount of Rs 8,557 crore of bad debt will be written off. No wonder, we dont see any change in the lifestyle of the owners of these defaulting companies. It is only left to the farmers to opt for suicide as the last recourse.

This is how the banking system works. When it comes to industries, it looks at every opportunity to strike off as much of the defaulting amount as possible. AML defaulted to the tune of Rs 5,370 crore, and under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) it has been allowed to walk away after a settlement was reached with the UK-based Liberty House Group for Rs 410 crore. In other words, the company gets a write-off, or haircut, for Rs 4,960 crore. It is not even fair to call it a haircut as it is nothing short of a complete head shave!

Compare this with the Rs 229.80 crore outstanding loan against 12,625 Punjab farmers that Punjab Agricultural Development Bank is trying to recover. It is not even a sizeable fraction of the huge amount written off for just one industrial house. Call it a settlement to affect a resolution plan for the companies declared bankrupt; the economic jargon actually is an attempt to hide what in reality is more than a write-off. By selling off a loss- making unit, the promoter walks out free from what would otherwise be a life-long indebtedness. Almost the entire debt is eventually borne by the taxpayers. This is what Noam Chomsky calls tough love  tough for the poor and love for the rich.

Former Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian had, in fact, said that writing off of corporate loans leads to economic growth. If this is true, why waiving farm loan does not lead to economic growth? After all, both the farmer as well as industry takes loans from the same banks. How then can the write-off of corporate bad loans lead to economic growth whereas farm loan waivers lead to moral hazard? Why should farmers be, therefore, despised for seeking loan waiver? Arundhati Bhattacharya, former chairperson of the State Bank of India, had blamed farm loan waivers for leading to credit indiscipline. Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel had found farm loan waivers a moral hazard upsetting the national balance sheet.

Although Punjab Agricultural Development Bank has denied any real intention of putting the land of 12,625 farmers for public auction, saying that the legal notice is just a threat, the fact remains that as many as 71,432 farmers are under the scanner for having defaulted the bank to the tune of Rs 1,363.87 crore. Sooner or later, all these farmers will receive legal notices if they fail to pay up. Some of them will also land in jail. In Haryana, a farmer who had failed to pay back a loan of Rs 6 lakh taken for laying a pipeline for irrigation was ordered by the district court to pay a fine of Rs 9.83 lakh and undergo a two-year jail term.

On the other hand, the haircut allowed to AML means the banks will not be able to recover this huge amount. According to media reports, some of the other not-so-high profile companies allowed haircut include: Jyoti Structures (85 per cent); Alok Industries (83 per cent); Amtek Auto (72 per cent); Electrosteel Steels (60 per cent) and Bhushan Steels (37 per cent). Among other outstanding cases listed by the Insolvency and Banking Board of India, Synergies Dooray Automotive Ltd got a haircut of 94. 27 per cent, as a result of which financial companies are able to recover only Rs 54 crore from an outstanding amount of Rs 972.15 crore.

Corporate bad loans are restructured and an appropriate haircut is allowed to settle the amount. As per a news report, the Stressed Asset Stabilisation Fund, created in 2004, to recover the IDBI banks bad loans, for instance, has settled certain cases with haircuts of more than 90 per cent. Haircut basically means the stressed amount that the bank or financial institution will not be able to recover. And moreover, unlike farmers, corporate bigwig, including wilful defaulters, are not sent to prison for defaulting on bank loans. IBC provides a neat protective cover.

Why cant a similar haircut be allowed for farmers, big or small? A farmer, too, should be allowed to get out of the debt trap without losing his land. In Punjab, farmers have been denied a loan waiver of Rs 2 lakh if their outstanding loan amount exceeds this limit by even Rs 100. This is not fair. Putting a cap on the maximum amount that can be waived shows how economic justice is being restricted. It is time to learn from Kerala, which brought in 2007 the Kerala State Farmers Debt Relief Commission. As per reports, it has written off on an average 50 to 75 per cent of the outstanding debt of the farmers, enabling them to offload the baggage of the past and start afresh. Just because they are poor does not mean they should be denied economic freedom. They too need to be freed from the perpetual yoke of indebtedness. Credit policy cannot be based on the principle of different strokes for different people.

Food & Agriculture Policy Analyst
amansharma@tribunemail.com

Sumedha Sharma

Tribune News Service

Gurugram, July 22

Leaving the administration of Mewat as well as Alwar high and dry, hundreds of Meos blocked Delhi-Alwar highway for almost four hours on Saturday night bringing to halt one of the busiest transit routes.

Carrying the body of 28-year-old Akbar Khan who was lynched by alleged 'Gau Rakshaks' in Alwar, the enraged mob led former minister Aftab Ahmed sat on highway to demand justice.

The protest that threw traffic out of gear and brought in compensation of Rs 5 lakh each from Rajasthan and Haryana governments was planned at the burial ground just minutes before Akbar was to be laid to rest.

"The entire nation and world was debating mobocracy and our state government was silent. They did not even had fake tears to shed or spare a thought for Khan. The family waited till last moment for state governments to extend help or assurance but nobody cared and thus this protest was planned. It took four hours of wailing on highway, hours of jam with hundreds of vehicles stuck to get governments announce compensation which though meagre but was the right of the aggrieved family," Aftab Ahmed said.

According to sources, the family was all set to bury Ahmed around 9 pm yesterday when Aftab Ahmed and other senior Congress leaders came forward to support the deceased's father who after his initial declaration of not conducting the last rites went ahead losing any hope of justice. As the traffic situation worsened the SDM rushed to spot and announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh. Soon, a similar declaration came from the Rajasthan government.

Deceased's father Suleiman Khan said, "I realised that my son was just another poor Muslim whose life was of no value and we have no resources to keep his body at home any further. However, all people along with these leaders offered to wait with me for compensation. This money cannot compensate the lifetime of pain inflicted on family but would ensure meals for few months."

Vasundhra condemns incident, Khattar silent

While Rajasthan CM Vasundhra Raje took to twitter condemning the incident her Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar continues to be silent on the issue.

"He never went to condole Pehlu's death and neither did he care to spare half-an-hour to visit the aggrieved family. He posts his picture online every hour but could not stand up for an innocent Haryanavi life lost," said Captain Ajay Singh Yadav, senior Congress leader.

State Health Minister Anil Vij, however, said the Congress is mother of mob lynching culture and had no face to say a word on it. "You started era of mob lynching in anti-Sikh riots and try to condemn it today. What happened is unfortunate but don't politicise what you patronise," said Vij.
editorial@tribune.com

Vishal Joshi

Tribune News Service

Shahabad Markanda (Kurukshetra), July 22

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said the present agriculture reforms were conducive for crop diversification.

At Surajmukhi Dhan Kisan Dhanyawad Rally organised to laud the Central Governments farm reforms, Khattar said the government had floated a policy to ensure no-loss in the agriculture sector. He laid stress on optimum use of natural resources in the farm sector.

Now, we have a programme where a farmer will get assured 50 per cent extra on the cost of production on all crops, including pulses. Farmers sow water-guzzling paddy due to assured profit due to the minimum support price (MSP). Whereas, the south Haryana is facing a chronic problem of water shortage. Farmers in the paddy belt should now switch over to horticulture or other crops as the government scheme rules out of losses under any condition, said the CM.

Khattar said the state government had decided to procure entire crop of sunflower seeds as a permanent policy.

He said the government procured oilseed on behalf of the Central Government but the growers would get better prices even the Centre had a limited requirement.

Processing units will be established in Haryana to use every grain of sunflower purchased in the state on the MSP. Assured sunflower purchase will continue in the state, said the CM.

Quoting the World Bank-backed Ease of Doing Business ratings, Khattar said Haryana had emerged as the most preferred choice for the investors in north India.

He said the good governance and transparency in the government functioning was major success of the BJP regime in the state.

More than 26,000 persons have been given jobs during our regime in the complete transparent manner. Let anyone produce any evidence of bribery in securing government jobs, I assure action against the erring person, said Khattar.

He claimed as the BJP had ended casteism in the electoral politics in Haryana, the opposition parties were indulged in levelling baseless allegations against the state government, including neglecting farmers issues and promoting caste politics.

Police detain BKU activists

Kurukshetra: The district police on Sunday rounded up more than 60 activists of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Haryana). The organisation had threatened to hold a protest during the CMs public rally at Shahabad town. Sources said the BKU activists were taken into preventive custody at the Babain police station. The BKU has been protesting against the delay in due clearances of sugarcane growers. The organisation had announced to boycott Khattars rally by showing him black flags in protest.  TNS
editorial@tribune.com

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, July 22

Despite the state government appointing two gynaecologists at the regional hospital, Kullu MLA Sunder Singh Thakur, who has been sitting on a dharna for the past three days here, refused to end the stir. He said he would continue the agitation till the doctors join the hospital.

Residents had been demanding that the posts be filled at the earliest.

They said for the past 10 months, the hospital had been without gynaecologists. Pregnant women had to go to far-off places and pay hefty fee at private hospitals.

On Saturday, the government had issued orders to appoint two gynaecologists at the regional hospital in Kullu and they are expected to join within a week.

The MLA said: Earlier too, the state government had issued orders to appoint gynaecologists in the Kullu hospital, but nothing of the sort ever happened.

The people are suffering as the hospital caters to four districts  Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti, a few parts of Chamba and Mandi.

He said the government should clarify its stand on its previous orders and explain why the doctors did not join the hospital. Did it take any steps to end the inconvenience faced by the people, the MLA asked.

Meanwhile, locals are happy with the governments decision to appoint the doctors as pregnant women had to face a great difficulty while shuttling hospitals.
editorial@tribune.com

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 22

The state government is contemplating disbanding the Health Commission set up by previous Congress regime as it is felt that the recommendations of the commission were impractical and not very suited for a hilly state like Himachal.

The Health Commission had been set up in August 2014 while the Congress was in power. It was on October 29, 2015 that the commission had submitted its interim report to the government making certain recommendations for bringing about qualitative improvement in the healthcare system. However, not much headway could be made in implementing its recommendations, primarily for want of funds.

We are contemplating reviewing the setting up of the Health Commission since many of its recommendations do not seem very practical, said Vipin Parmar, Health and Family Welfare Minister. As such it is being expected that after a formal review the issue for dissolution of the commission could be placed before the Cabinet for approval.

The commission is headed by MK Bhan, former Union Secretary in the Department of Biotechnology. The other members of the commission include Dr Vinod Pathak, Head of Department of Paediatrics at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Dr SK Sharma, former Director of Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Chandigarh, Dr Rajesh Kumar, Dr Raj Bahadur and Dr Randeep Guleria.

The main aim of setting up the Commission was to revamp the public health system by strengthening the primary care system with focus on community and home care of children, women and the elderly and those suffering disability. The commission had recommended starting of air ambulance services to overcome geographical constraints, which was termed as too far-fetched.

The recommendations of the Commission included enhancing health budget from two per cent of the GSDP to at least three per cent or more, setting up of a School of Allied Health Sciences near Shimla and a Health Systems Technical Excellence Centre, use of 7,700 Asha workers as strong primary care and acceleration of induction of Rotavirus vaccine along with other vaccines. It had also strongly advocated a mandatory screening of all adults for these lifestyle ailments like hypertension, diabetes and cancer among women.
vermaajay1968@gmail.com

The Indian government and the World Bank undertook the Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) in 2014 that was led by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The BRAP went beyond Delhi and Mumbai and measured investor-friendliness efforts of all states and union territories.

The exercise and its outcome are commendable. The 2017 report that has been released recently covers 372 recommendations, besides an innovative addition of taking feedback from industry and other stakeholders while measuring the performance. In the combined score, it is found that 15 states achieved over 90 per cent score. On the other hand, 18 states and UTs fell in the 'aspirer' category of less than 80 per cent score.

The northern region - Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Delhi and Union Territory of Chandigarh - have shown mixed results. Haryana emerged as the top achiever, moving from the 14th rank to the third spot in just two years. J&K did well to obtain a score of over 33 per cent from 0.30 per cent in 2016. Punjab's ranking, however, dropped, while Delhi and Chandigarh also performed below their scores in previous years.

In general, these states have done well in terms of access to information and construction permit enablers. For industry, this has translated into visible improvements in business processes at the grassroots. This is reflected in the industry feedback where states received good scores from businesses. Haryana and Punjab registered over 60 per cent, affirming the positive experience of industry in these states.

The key issue is instituting single-window systems that would enable online applications, payment, tracking and monitoring without physical contact. Haryana and Himachal Pradesh are the top performers in implementing this while other states can move faster on the issue. Another challenge in these states is availability of land and land allotment.

In addition, an effective dispute resolution mechanism for resolving commercial disputes can be instituted. To strengthen judicial processes, these states must simplify the payment procedure for courts and process fees as well as strengthen the online court system with e-summons, e-payments etc.

A transparent and accountable system for labour laws is required. Some priority areas include provision for self/third-party certification under the Boilers Act, 1923, and integration with the Central Shram Suvidha Portal. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has been supporting the DIPP and states by identifying processes, providing industry perspectives and holding workshops to assist in the BRAP. It is commendable that the DIPP and the states/UTs are wholeheartedly targeting a better business environment, which will contribute greatly in generating employment.

The northern states enjoy a good base for agriculture, manufacturing and services. With better performance on the indicators of a single-window system, land availability, enforcing contracts and labour regulations, these states could reach even higher rates of growth.

 The writer is Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry

Please email your feedback at infocus@tribunemail.com

HARYANA

Overall score: 98.07%

Reform evidence score: 99.73%

Feedback score: 82.90%

Reforms implemented: 368/372

RANK 3

HIMACHAL PRADESH Overall score: 87.90% Reform evidence score: 94.13% Feedback score: 35.11% Reforms implemented: 337/372 RANK 16

PUNJAB Overall score: 53.92% Reform evidence score: 54.77% Feedback score: 70.10% Reforms implemented: 201/372 RANK 20

JAMMU AND KASHMIR

Overall score: 33.05% Reform evidence score: 36.47% Feedback score: 6.41% Reforms implemented: 128/372 RANK 22

CHANDIGARH
vermaajay1968@gmail.com

This is an example of the so-called single window in Punjab, which ultimately turned out to be a false one. Couple of years ago, a leading IT firm had proposed to invest in Punjab. It had duly submitted its plan to the Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion (PBIP) for setting up a facility in Mohali. The bureau, apparently a single-point contact for the investors, sat on the file for months before asking the company to submit its building plan to the local authority - Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA).

As a result of perception like this, the state slipped eight notches to the 20th rank on the latest ease of doing business. Although the latest survey also clubs Delhi, Goa, Kerala and Jammu and Kashmir as reform laggards, Punjab scored 53.92 per cent compared to Haryana's over 98 per cent and Himachal Pradesh's 88 per cent.

The state government needs to pull up its socks to arrest the freefall. It will be not able to win the investor's confidence by merely blaming the previous regime. According to the latest report, while Punjab has already implemented 201 reforms, actions on 166 agenda were urgently required.

The state has fared poorly in areas such as single-window clearance, availability of land, environmental registration, information access and transparency.

Industry is, however, positive about the growth prospect of the state because it has enormous potential. "The state has a great work culture and a highly productive workforce. However, the non-implementation of single window is the single-most prominent reason behind its poor ranking. Other impediments are unavailability of land and lack of air connectivity," says Confederation of Indian Industry President Rakesh Bharti Mittal. Punjab has already missed the IT bus. It can, however, focus on healthcare, education and food processing, he adds.

Although the state has prepared a roadmap to improve its ranking, it is far behind Haryana. It is, therefore, important that Punjab learns from its neighbour instead of reinventing the wheel.

Haryana has rightfully secured its position among the top three investor-friendly states of India in about three years despite hooliganism the state had witnessed during the Jat agitations. The state's journey from the 14th position in 2015 to the third rank in the latest ease of doing business is based on significant reforms. The state has scored an overall 98.07 per cent, much ahead of its neighbours. "Our continuous efforts in achieving a top position are testimony of our commitment to provide a conducive business environment to growth," says Haryana Industry Minister Vipul Goel.

The minister gives credit to the single-window system and time-bound clearances for this feat, which is done through the Haryana Enterprise Promotion Centre (HEPC). The single-roof facility is part of the state's ongoing efforts to adopt a revolutionary mechanism to help simplify procedures and facilitate ease in doing business. Under this initiative, more than 70 clearances of 14 different departments are being granted though a single window in a time-bound manner, he says.

Till now, the HEPC has received 16,317 applications on common application forms with investment worth Rs 3,00,000 crore and a potential employment for around 12,00,000 people. "The government has put in place a strong monitoring mechanism to track progress of MoU implementation.Of the 359 MoUs signed during the 'Happening Haryana' event held in March 2016, 173 have already been implemented in which Rs 14,314 crore of investments have been grounded with employment having been given to 25,923 persons and remaining are under various stages of implementation," he says.

Haryana improved its own performance by learning from the mistakes of its neighbours. "As a first step, we planned to learn from our peers, and analyse the best practices adopted by other states. Our plan this year is to increase the outreach of the reforms undertaken by the state and to ensure that every investor is aware of the continuous regulations relaxations. We have a major focus on strengthening the HEPC by adding more state industrial services under its ambit and increasing its reach at the block level," a government official says.

The state's next strategy is to increase the investor outreach and implementation of industrialistsfeedback in policy decisions.

Although Himachal Pradesh has moved up one notch in the ease of doing business ranking and improved its score; it continues to lag far behind neighbouring Haryana. Key problem areas include lack of regulatory of reforms towards the single-window clearance system, scarce land resources, environmental clearances, access to information and transparency. Tedious and tardy clearances have brought down the score considerably.

Principal Secretary-Industries RD Dhiman, however, says that the state's performance is not bad compared to its previous year's score. About 18 points pertaining to revenue, urban development and home departments fetched it the 16th position, even as it had scored well on other parameters. Commenting on the low score for the single-window clearance he says, there were some hiccups in the online portal which have been rectified. He expects a higher score in the next year.

Jammu and Kashmir's improved status in the ranking of ease of doing business is worthy of praise. It has positioned itself on the 22nd rank. Its previous ranking was 32. The state is yet to feature among the top 20 states along with other hill states such as Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Its immediate neighbour, Himachal Pradesh stands at number 16. A hill state with almost similar geographical features as Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand has showed an impressive ranking of 11.

On the combined scorecard of reform evidence and feedback, J&K has achieved 33 per cent. On the top five reform evidence score (area wise), the state fared poorly on areas such as single window, availability of land and environmental registration enablers. Out of the total reforms, the state has implemented only 128. The state is yet to implement 223 reforms.

The ease of doing business survey ranks states and union territories on the basis of their performance on 372 parameters. The ranking is a testimony of investor-friendliness of a state. States are judged on the basis of actual implementation of reforms in various areas, including registration of property, availability of land, allotment of land, regulatory approvals through the single window and access to information. The surveyors give due weightage to industry feedback while preparing the scorecard. The purpose of the ranking is to highlight impediments to the authorities and prompt them to improve them.

 With inputs from Sushil Manav (Chandigarh) and Ambika Sharma (Solan)
editorial@tribune.com

Our Correspondent

Anantnag, July 22

Security forces on Sunday killed three militants involved in Saturdays killing of trainee constable Muhammad Saleem Shah after he was abducted from his home in Kulgam district.

The militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Khodweni area of Kulgam district, 70 km south of Srinagar city.

One of the slain militants was a Pakistan national, Abu Maviya, while two others were locals  Mudassir Ahmad Dar of Shalipora and Suhail Ahmad Dar of Redwni in Kulgam district.

They were directly involved in the abduction and killing of a trainee constable on Saturday, a senior police official said, adding that the three militants were killed a few kilometres from where they had shot dead the constable. The encounter started around 5.30 am when militants opened fire on a joint team of security forces from a house.

A manhunt had been launched following the killing of the constable. As security forces were advancing towards the house, holed-up militants opened indiscriminate fire in a bid to escape, the police official said. The fire was retaliated, triggering an encounter that lasted three hours.We are looking for other accomplices involved in Shahs murder, he said.

Arms were recovered and bodies were handed over to the families after medico-legal formalities. As per police records, the terrorists were affiliated with proscribed terror outfits LeT and HM, a police spokesman said. Meanwhile, clashes erupted near the encounter site, prompting security forces to use tear smoke shells. No one was injured.
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Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 22

Jhajjar Kotli, a famous tourist destination with a freshwater stream, continues to remain in a shambles due to the tourism departments causal approach as projects sanctioned under the Prime Ministers Development Programme in 2015 either face red tape or have failed to take off.

Over the years, Jhajjar Kotli, about 35 km from Jammu, has turned out to be the favourite destination for locals and tourists who prefer it for an outing or picnic on weekends. However, the bad condition and poor maintenance of the spot forces visitors to think twice before planning a trip to the area. Moreover, the road connecting Domail to Jhajjar Kotli has been lying in a dilapidated condition.

Sources said the miserable condition of the tourist destination could be gauged from the poor condition of the road, littered parks, broken stairs and grills and absence of clean washrooms.

The area has been completely ignored by the tourism department. Officials are yet to execute the developmental projects sanctioned for this place about three years ago. The shabby condition of the area has affected the business of local dhabas and other shopkeepers, said a dhaba owner at Jhajjar Kotli.

He said the place had a lot of tourist potential but it needed a major facelift. Visitors always complain about the pathetic condition of the area. The states approach to develop it as a tourist destination has remained casual so far, the dhaba owner added.

Following a complaint to Governor NN Vohra, the tourism department in a reply to the state grievance cell recently admitted that the projects sanctioned under the programme were either in the tendering stage or could not take off. The Governor had sought a report from the department.

Various works to facilitate tourists have been undertaken with a sanctioned cost of Rs 7.10 crore under the PMs Development Programme, the department said.

It said at least 70 tourist benches were being installed. Ninty percent work on a parking lot, to come up at an estimated cost of Rs 87.8 lakh, having a retaining wall has also been completed. Various other components to facilitate the tourists viz. water sports, canoeing and kayaking have been identified and are in the tendering stage, the department said.

Regarding the bad condition of the road from Domail to Jhajjar Kotli, the department said it was maintained by the Beacon or the public works department authorities in the past before it came under the National Highways Authority of India. The issue pertains to the said authorities, it added.
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 22

Governor NN Vohra, chairman of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, on Sunday visited the Baltal base camp, Domel Access Control Gate and Neelgrath helipad to gain first-hand assessment of the ongoing pilgrimage and the difficulties, if any, being faced by the pilgrims.

He was accompanied by additional chief executive officer (CEO) of the shrine board Bhupinder Singh, Ganderbal Deputy Commissioner Piyush Singla and SSP Fayaz Ahmad Lone.

At the Baltal camp, the Governor visited the base hospital where he met doctors from Delhi and Rajasthan who are serving this 40-bed medical unit since June 28. He also visited a few langar halls and shrine board huts and reviewed the functioning of the sewage treatment plant at the base camp. Vohra devoted considerable time to review the sanitation and cleanliness arrangements within and outside the camp and gave directions to the additional CEO, general manager (works), general manager (sanitation) and camp director regarding further actions to be taken by them to enhance cleanliness.

Later, at a meeting with camp directors and all officers involved in the conduct of the yatra, the Governor particularly reviewed the sanitation arrangements, functioning of sewage treatment plant, water and power supplies, functioning of medical units and langars and availability of essential commodities, etc.

Vohra reiterated his earlier directions to the camp directors on the need to ensure effective maintenance of sanitation in all the camps in the yatra area besides, complete cleanliness along both the routes. He directed the camp directors and the officers concerned of the district administration to ensure that there was no impediment in the pilgrimage till its conclusion on August 26.

He also inspected the heli-operations at the Neelgrath helipad and enquired about the services from the pilgrims.

Considering the progressive decline in the strength of the pilgrimage, the Governor shall be taking a meeting next week, involving security forces, regarding the management of the pilgrimage during the remaining period.

Takes stock of sanitation arrangements

At the Baltal camp, Governor NN Vohra visited the base hospital where he met doctors from Delhi and Rajasthan who are serving this 40-bed medical unit since June 28.

At a meeting with camp directors and all officers involved in the conduct of the yatra, the Governor particularly reviewed the sanitation arrangements, functioning of sewage treatment plant, water and power supplies, functioning of medical units and langars and availability of essential commodities, etc.

6,150 pilgrims visit Amarnath shrine

Srinagar: On the 25th day of the ongoing Amarnath yatra, 6,150 pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine on Sunday. With this, a total of 2,36,157 pilgrims have had the darshan of the Shivlingam at the cave shrine so far this year. TNS
pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Kathua, July 22

A Pakistani national, who was attempting to sneak into this side from across the International Border (IB), was shot dead by BSF personnel guarding the Hiranagar sector here on Sunday, the police said.

Border Security Force (BSF) personnel noticed some movement in Bobiya and challenged the intruder when he tried to sneak into this side around 0645 hours, a police official said.

He said the man paid no heed to the warning and was subsequently shot dead.

The body of the deceased is lying near the zero line towards Pakistani territory, the official said. PTI
editorial@tribune.com

Veteran actor Robin Williams personal belongings, movie memorabilia and art work are set to be auctioned in New York.

The Sothebys auction confirmed that hundreds of items, including paintings by Banksy and up to 40 watches from the Oscar-winning actors personal collection will come under the hammer.

According to a website, much of the proceeds from the auction will be going to charities the couple supported. Another collection item eligible for bidding includes a first edition of Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot in original printed wrappers with fine copies of the first English and first American editions.

The editions are estimated to be auctioned for USD 1,500- USD 2,500. The copies reflect a moment in which Williams starred in the Mike Nichols production of Waiting for Godot at Lincoln Center with Steve Martin in 1988.

Other items set to be auctioned also include the Hollywood Walk of Fame star presented to Williams in 1990, a white gold Tonneau-Form Minute Repeating Tourbillon wristwatch and a Gryffindor robe worn by Daniel Radcliffe in the 2001 film Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone.

The auction, scheduled to happen on October 4, will be preceded by an exhibition located at Sothebys auction house in New York and will open to the public on September 29. PTI
editorial@tribune.com

Naina Mishra

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 22

Denmark-based Christine Meier, popularly known as the Bhangra Queen, whose passion towards Punjabi folk dance made her travel to India for the first time in 2013, is a constant traveller to Punjab.

A sensation on YouTube, Meier was in city for a bhangra workshop organised by Ecstasy The Dance Studio on Sunday. Meier has been doing bhangra for five years now. Her movements, synchronisation and vibe is no different than any Punjabi. She sings Hoye Hoye while dancing with utter zeal just like any other Punjabi.

Meier shares: I coincidentally watched bhangra dance videos on YouTube and was awestruck. The rhythm of bhangra is enticing and I just couldnt stop myself from exploring it further. I also learnt ballroom dancing and belly dancing, but the zeal was always missing. I am very much fond of Punjabi folk. Everything about the culture makes me happy, be it Punjabi people or the dance. You tend to enjoy yourself when you are in a happy place.

I stayed in Chandigarh for some time and I am grateful to the love people showered upon me. I can count on my friends I made here. I know they will be a phone call away and it is a small thing, but thats what matters right? she adds.

Meier is also teaching bhangra to people in Denmark. She says: Danish people love bhangra, though they cannot understand the language. What is this music I am always asked, as it makes them dance, too! I have always wished for a closely knit multicultural society that we are not.

She started her own company Bhangra by Christine in 2016 and since then, there has been no looking back.
Raaja Bhasin

Raaja Bhasin

NONE of us was very bright at economics, but that did not stop the class from doing a mass bunk. From an open window we watched in amusement as Prof Baldev Kumar took the roll call of an empty room. After calling out each number, he shut the attendance register and walked towards the blackboard. As he turned, merriment changed to horror: the chalk stick began unrolling one of the most difficult chapters of Keynesian theory. The more conscientious and fearful amongst us quietly slunk back into the classroom. Those with greater bravado brazened it out in the canteen and shut away visions of mark-sheets that spelt failure or, at best, that narrow alley of dubious escape, a compartment.

Classroom disruptions have probably been around for as long as there have been teachers and students. Before Partition, my father had studied at Government College, Lahore. His tutor was the redoubtable, but charming Prof Abdul Majid Khan. Committed to the cause of Indias freedom and a true Gandhian, very little could faze the professor. But whenever the students did not want to study and sought some excitement, someone would say something against Gandhiji. That would be the end of the lesson, for despite all his humour, the professor could not tolerate anything being said against the Mahatma.

After Independence, Prof Abdul Majid Khan, not unexpectedly, chose to come to India. He was appointed as ambassador to a European country and on his retirement, settled in Shimla. I wasnt even in my teens when I was first introduced to him by my father. All I can remember of that meeting is the admonishment on my clumsy namaste.

As the years went, one would see the slowly ageing, but still elegant man walk down from the still-a-suburb of Shimla, Sanjauli. Past the Lakkar Bazaar, he would reach the Ridge and there with folded hands, he would bow before the statue of Mahatma Gandhi. He would remain in that position for a few moments and then look up at the statue. We wondered what words they exchanged and what he told the Mahatma of what we were doing to the country whose independence they had wrested with such sacrifice.

From there he would carry on to the Coffee House and order a masala dosa. From his bag, he would pull out a small slab of butter and smear it over the dosa. I have never seen an expression of such pure bliss as came on the Professors face as he savoured each bite.

As was bound to happen, one day he passed away. As far as the town was concerned, no one knew of his family and everyone thought that he was a bachelor. Years later, it emerged that at the time of Partition, he had chosen to come to India while his family opted to continue living in Lahore. A partition for life had taken place within the household. Very few, if any, remember this remarkable man and his Gandhi topi, but I think that it is thanks to him that the Coffee House has a masala dosa with butter on the menu.
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Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 22

At least three militants behind the abduction and killing of a trainee constable were killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmirs Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, the police said.

The gunfight erupted at Wani Mohallah, Khudwani, some 65 km from Srinagar, when joint teams of the police, Army and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation in the area after an input about militant presence.

The CASO (cordon and search operation) turned into an encounter when hiding militants opened fire at around 5.30 am, injuring one Army jawan. In the gunfight that followed, all three militants were killed, a police officer said. We have recovered two AK rifles and a carbine.

The three slain militants have been identified as Muawiya, a Pakistan-origin foreigner, Suhail Ahmad Dar of Redwani Balaa and Mudassar, alias Rehaan, of Katarsoo.

Police said the trio was involved in the abduction and killing of the cop in the district on Saturday.

Terrorists involved in the abduction and killing of Constable Saleem yesterday have been killed in an encounter at #Khudwani Kulgam. Search continues, J&K Police tweeted after the gunfight.

A policeman, Mohammad Saleem Shah of Mutalhama Kulgam, was killed by militants after he was abducted from his house. His body was recovered from a nursery village, Redwani Payeen, yesterday afternoon. Police had said the body bore severe torture marks.

Late on Saturday, militant group Hizbul Mujahideen had released a confessional statement of the cop. (With inputs from Suhail A Shah in Anantnag)


ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 21

Almost a decade after a general court martial (GCM) awarded the first-ever conviction to a woman Army officer for alleged professional misconduct, the Armed Forces Tribunal has upheld the verdict but reduced the quantum of sentence from dismissal from service to a severe reprimand.

In July 2009, Capt Poonam Kaur of the Army Service Corps was tried on 10 charges under the Army Act for disobedience of lawful command, acts unbecoming an officer, levelling false accusations with an intent to defraud.

The GCM had held her guilty on seven charges, but acquitted her on three charges pertaining to disobedience and intent to defraud.

Almost a decade after a general court martial (GCM) awarded the first ever conviction to a woman army officer for alleged professional misconduct, the verdict has been upheld by the Armed Forces Tribunal, but has reduced the quantum of the sentence from dismissal from service to a severe reprimand.

The AFTs Chandigarh Bench held that the punishment awarded to her was not commensurate with the charges. The Bench has ordered that she be notionally reinstated in service and deemed to have been discharged from service on the completion of her term of engagement. As a short-service commission officer, she had completed three years and nine months of service and had one year and three months service left for her term to end.

Poonam had been posted to an ASC battalion in Kalka, near Chandigarh. In 2008, she had levelled allegations of physical and mental harassment against her superior officers, but the subsequent court of inquiry held her blameworthy of professional and personal misconduct.

Partial relief
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Yash Goyal

Our Correspondent

Jaipur, July 21

Akbar Khan alias Rakbar, 28, a native of Haryanas Ferozepur Jhirka tehsil in Nuh district, Mewat, was allegedly beaten to death in Lalaawandi village in Ramgarh, Alwar district, in the wee hours of Saturday on the suspicion of being a bovine smuggler.

Akbar and his associate Aslam were on their way home with two cows when they were attacked by a mob carrying lathis and sharp-edged weapons. Aslam managed to flee.

The incident comes a little more than a year after dairy farmer Pehlu Khan was lynched by cow vigilantes in Alwar district on April 1 while he was transporting cattle to his village in Haryana.

Alwar Additional DG Hement Priyadarshi said two suspects, Dharmendra Yadav and Paramjeet Singh, had been arrested. Akbars body, covered in mud, was found in a field. A case under Sections 143, 341, 323, 302 and 34 of the IPC has been filed and the cows sent to a gaushala, Ramgarh SHO Shubhash Chandra told The Tribune. CM Vasundhara Raje condemned the incident. The alleged lynching of a person transporting bovines in Alwar district is condemnable. Strictest possible action shall be taken against the perpetrators, she tweeted. State Home Minister GC Kataria said the police were verifying if the cows were being smuggled. It not, the guilty will not be spared, he warned.

Menace spreads

Rajasthan

Dairy farmer Pehlu Khan, 55, lynched on April 1 last year in Alwar while transporting cattle to his village in Haryana

Umar Khan, 35, found dead near rail tracks in November last year; his family blamed cow vigilantes

Maharashtra

Five persons lynched by a mob in Dhule district on the suspicion of being child-lifters on July 1, 2018

Jharkhand

Two Muslim cattle traders killed by cow vigilantes in Latehar on March 18, 2016

Seven persons, including two brothers, returning from work beaten to death by mobs in tribal-dominated areas near Jamshedpur following rumours of gangs kidnapping children

Assam & Tripura
pardeepdhull@gmail.com

New Delhi, July 22

Union Minister and senior BJP leader Arjun Ram Meghwal has sparked a controversy, saying the Alwar lynching incident was related to Prime Minister Narendra Modis rising popularity and the more popular he becomes the more such incidents would happen in the country.

He said while the death by beating on Friday night of a 28-year-old man on suspicion of cow smuggling was condemnable but the 1984 Sikh riots remain the biggest example of mob lynching in Indias history.

We condemn mob lynching but this is not a single incident. You have to trace this back in history. Why does this happen? Who should stop this? What happened with Sikhs in 1984 was the biggest mob lynching of this nations history, Meghwal said on Saturday.

He said such mob lynching incidents were happening to defame the BJP government amid rising popularity of Modi.

The more popular Modiji becomes, the more such incidents will happen. In Bihar elections, it was award wapsi. In Uttar Pradesh elections, it was again mob lynching. In 2019 elections, it will be something else. Modiji has given (developmental) schemes and their effect is now being felt on the ground. Such incidents are reaction to (his popularity).

The killing comes four days after the central and state governments came under a sharp criticism from the Supreme Court over frequent lynching incidents. The Supreme Court also asked Parliament to come up with a law to tackle cow vigilantism and lynch, calling such incidents horrendous acts of mobocracy that should be nipped in the bud.

It is the third such incident in Alwar since April last year when dairy farmer Pehlu Khan was beaten to death by a mob. Another man, Umar Mohammed, 35, also a dairy farmer was found dead near the railway tracks in Alwar in November 2017. He was also allegedly killed by vigilantes when he was transporting cows to his home in Pahari tehsil of the district.

The latest incident came hours after Modi in his speech to the Lok Sabha on Friday said the incidents of violence are against the basic principles of humanity, urging state governments to take strict action in such cases.

The killing triggered angry reaction from the Congress. Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot tweeted his condemnation, slamming the Rajasthan government over its failure to put an end to such heinous crimes.

Most shocking, horrific and unfortunate incident. A man was lynched by mob in Alwar despite Supreme Courts warnings and instructions. I condemn the killing of Akbar Khan in strongest words.

(The) Rajasthan government has failed to check such heinous crimes despite the recent Supreme Court judgement. For the BJP, human life has no value. Criminals guised as vigilantes are roaming freely without fear of law (and) order.

Congress leader Sachin Pilot urged the state government to take appropriate action. Saddened by news of a man beaten to death in Alwar. Killing of people on suspicion is sadly becoming a norm in BJP ruled states. The Home Ministers words in Parliament about state governments responsibility in stopping mob lynching seem even more hollow now.

All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen MP Asaduddin Owaisi attacked Prime Minister Narendra over the incident, calling his four years regime as lynch raj. Cow in India has a fundamental right to life under Art 21 and a Muslim can be killed for they have no fundamental right to life. Four years of Modi rulelynch raj.

At a rally in Kolkata, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the BJP and RSS are creating Talibanis among people.  IANS
editorial@tribune.com

New Delhi/Jaipur, July 22

The Centre is considering amending the Indian Penal Code to define mob lynching as a penal offence, a senior functionary has said. Another option could be to draft a model law that states could adopt to prevent the crime, he said.

Everything is in the preliminary stage as the entire Supreme Court order asking the Centre to come up with a new law has to be examined, he added.

If the IPC is amended, the government will not have to bring a standalone law. If the burden of proving innocence is placed on the accused, certain sections of the CrPC and the Indian Evidence Act would also require amendments, the functionary said.

The government may also strengthen the framework related to the social media to check rumours that often trigger such incidents.

The Supreme Court had on Tuesday asked the government to enact a law to deal with the horrendous acts of mobocracy.

Meanwhile, the Rajasthan Police on Sunday handed over the Alwar lynching case to Additional SP, Crime and Vigilance, even as it arrested one more suspect. The autopsy report has revealed that victims ribs were fractured. This led to water filling the lungs.  PTI/TNS
pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 22



The extended Congress Working Committee authorised party president Rahul Gandhi to forge anti-BJP alliance with "like minded parties" for 2019 Lok Sabha elections, as the first meeting of the revamped CWC came to an end on Sunday evening.

The five-hour meeting saw Rahul Gandhi admit that expanding the Congress partys base would be its toughest challenge.

Addressing the first Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting since it was revamped, he said: We must find people who didnt vote for us in each constituency and find a way to win back their hearts.

Gandhi called the new committee "a bridge between the past, present and future" and asked party men to rise and fight for India's oppressed.

The new CWC is an institution comprising experience and energy and will act as a bridge between the past, present and the future, Gandhi said.

"Rahul ji has been authorised to form election campaign committee and take decisions on pre-poll and post-poll alliance," AICC general secretary Ashok Gehlot said in a press briefing at the party headquarters after the meeting ended.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who also spoke at the meeting, assured Gandhi that he and all other Congressmen will help him in the onerous task of restoring India's social harmony and economic development.

I assure Rahul Gandhiji that we will fully support him in his onerous task of restoring India's social harmony and economic development, he said, rejecting the culture of constant "self praise and jumlas" (gimmicks), as against solid policy framework for driving the engine of growth.

Singh said the claim of doubling farm income by 2022 will require an agricultural growth rate of 14 per cent, which is nowhere in sight.

The Congress president also said the role of the Congress as the voice of India as also its responsibility of present and future, charging that the BJP attacks institutions, Dalits, tribals, backwards, minorities and the poor.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi cautioned her party against the reign of despair and fear heaped upon Indias deprived and poor. She said that the current prime minister Modis rhetoric showed his "desperation", and said that the countdown for the BJP-led government had begun.

She said that the Congress stood with the Congress president to help make the partys alliances work.

We have to rescue our people from a dangerous regime that is compromising the democracy of India, Sonia Gandhi, the partys former president, said at the meeting.

Gandhi constituted his first CWC last week appointing 23 regular members, 18 permanent and ten special invitees.

Sundays meeting is that of the extended CWC in which sitting CMs of the Congress, state chiefs and legislature party leaders are also invited.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is attending the meeting as part of the extended CWC after he was dropped from the CWC permanent invitee list.

The CWC is also expected to discuss the strategy for the ongoing Monsoon Session and the impact of the no-confidence motion fallout on future politics.

The committee may also null strategies for upcoming state polls in Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh, besides the 2019 General Election.

Gandhi has already said he will counter BJPs anger with love and gave ample evidence of his intentions by imposing a hug upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was stunned by the Congress chiefs unusual act which drew a reprimand from LS Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and mixed reactions outside. With PTI
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Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 21

A day after winning the no-trust vote in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit back at the Opposition with renewed aggression, while Congress president Rahul Gandhi repeated the message of love he delivered with his now-famous hug to the PM.

Moments after Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday that love was the only way to build India, PM Modi at a public meeting in central UPs Shahjahanpur questioned the Congress leaders hug diplomacy.

Modi dismissed the Congress-led Opposition as a swamp (daldal) driven by lust for power. Yesterday, I asked them please give me the reason for bringing this no-confidence motion. They could not give me any explanation, but flung a hug at me (woh gale pad gaye) The entire Opposition is blinded by lust for power. There is not just one dal (outfit) but dal over dal, resulting in daldal (marsh) which will only help the lotus bloom, the PM said, jeering Rahul Gandhi whose hug drew a mixed response.

While the PMs unsparing tone gave away the BJPs message as the parties positioned themselves for the 2019 General Election, Rahul Gandhis unprecedented hug told the story of Congress Gandhian plan to counter the saffron familys polarising narrative.

Rahul Gandhi tweeted, The point of yesterdays debate in Parliament  PM uses hate, fear and anger in the hearts of some of our people to build his narrative. We are going to prove that love and compassion in the hearts of all Indians is the only way to build a nation.

The Congress return to compassion as the centre point of politics is conscious, not sudden. AICCs political resolution at the 84th Plenary Session pointed to this.

The resolution quoted Mahatma Gandhi, who had said in 1947: Congress is of Indians, of all those who inhabit this land, whether they are Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs or Parsis.

The resolution also attacked the RSS and BJP for misrepresenting religion to capture power and concluded, The essence of Hinduism is all encompassing It is distinct from Hindutva which is essentially a political ideology.

It was this Hinduism that Rahul Gandhi referred to in the Lok Sabha on Friday after he hugged the PM. This is the meaning of being a Hindu. I love you even if you hate me, Rahul Gandhi said after his act which flummoxed the BJP.

Not one dal, just daldal

I asked them (Oppn), give me the reason for bringing no-confidence motion. They could not, woh gale pad gaye There is not just one dal but dal over dal, resulting in daldal.  Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

love, compassion only way

Point of debate  PM uses hate, fear and anger in hearts of some people to build narrative. We are going to prove only love and compassion in hearts of all Indians will build a nation. Rahul Gandhi, Congress President

CWC meet today

Rahul Gandhi has called the first meeting of the newly constituted Congress Working Committee on Sunday. The meeting is expected to discuss the consequences of the no-trust motion debate loss and the way forward for the party.
editorial@tribune.com

Rachna Khaira

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 22

The countrys top public sector undertakings (PSUs) in the oil sector have put their dealers on slippery ground.

In a recent communication, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd have sought information on the caste and religion, among other personal details, of over 10 lakh workers at various retail filling stations and LPG agencies in India.

From lorry drivers to mechanics, they have been asked to fill forms that also ask for the parliamentary constituency each employee belongs to.

The form, prepared by the Hydrocarbon Sector Skill Council set up by the Ministry of Petroleum, seeks to know the Aadhaar number, name of the bank seeded with it, Aadhaar enrolment number and Aadhaar verification status. On completion of the exercise, each worker will get skill certification and Rs 500 will be deposited in his or her bank account.

That the information was mandatory dawned on petroleum retailers when the supply of products to their outlets was allegedly stopped.

In a letter to each of the three companies, Paramjit Singh Doaba, president, Petrol Pump Dealers Association, Punjab, has written: This is a serious breach of our rights as well as the rights of our employees. The information sought is a direct affront to the privacy and dignity of our employees where their religion, caste and annual household income are sought. Only the GoI and its agencies through government notification are authorised to collect this information, and we are neither authorised nor in a position to ask for such information from our employees as this would directly affect their right to privacy under the Fundamental Right of Freedom.

Gurmeet Monty Sehgal, spokesperson for the Petrol Pump Dealers Association (PPDA), Punjab, added that workers were employees of dealers. Hence, oil PSUs had no right to seek their personal details. He asked: Are they mapping our employees for a poll database? We as employers are only responsible to the state Labour Department, the ESI and EPF Department. He alleged the matter was raised two days ago when the supply to a filling station in Chowki Mann in Ludhiana was held up and was resumed on the intervention of the association.

Indian Oil Company Limited Chief General Manager, Punjab, Sandeep Jain, said he was not aware of any such move. But RN Dubey, Chief Manager, Corporate Communications (Planning and Coordination), also the nodal agency for all oil PSUs in Punjab, said the data was being collected on behalf of the Hydrocarbon Sector Skill Council, which in collaboration with the National Skill Development Corporation and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, intended to provide training and certification to the workforce at retail outlets.

Most of the employees have been working for years. Even as they are highly skilled as they deal with inflammable material, they do not have any certification. We will be providing certification under the Prior Learning Programme of the HSSC, Dubey explained. This certification under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana will improve employee motivation and upgrade skills, he added. Asked about the need for information on caste, constituency and IFSC code, he had no answer.

Skill programme
ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Fatehabad, July 21

Give me Rs 500 and we will fetch you heroin within minutes, claimed one of the 18 patients in the government-run de-addiction centre at the Fatehabad Civil Hospital.

As I looked askance, one of them, a 26-year-old from Ratta Khera village, rattled off: Drug peddlers are ready to deliver chitta (heroin) right at the patients bedside. Most inmates collect a used syringe lying in abundance near the main entry, visit Peer Ki Mazaar located at the rear of the building and inject the drug.

Other inmates  Rajesh Kumar (25), Suresh (21) and Satish (25) from Jodhkan village of Sirsa (all names have been changed)  nodded in acquiescence. To verify the claim, I walked back to the entrance door. Sure enough, there were a number of used syringes, intravenous fluid bottles and other biomedical waste lying in open boxes.

I decided to ask inmate Satish to fetch me heroin at the centre itself. I gave him a Rs 500 note which he furtively hid in his shirts pocket. Wait for 10 minutes. The peddlers will deliver the stuff from across the hospital boundary wall, he said in a hushed tone. After a call on his cellphone, he asked me to accompany him.

Just then, Suresh gestured me towards his bed. He looked suspicious. Accusing me of having filmed him and other addicts, he charged towards me menacingly. I resisted, but egged on by three more inmates, he rained blows on me.

An elderly Sikh gentleman accompanying an addict came to my aid. The nearby police post too was informed and an ASI arrived there just in time. As we were about to leave, Satish returned with a consignment in a black polythene bag.

Whats this? asked the cop. This is heroin saab and is available on the doorstep, replied Satish, without a hint of fear even as he claimed Sirsa district had the largest number of heroin suppliers. Fatehabad comes next where every village has at least five suppliers. Fatehabad town has more than 100 peddlers ready to deliver the stuff wherever you want, he said.

The enormity of the menace set me thinking. As I made my way out, I was distracted by an elderly woman who sat sobbing near a bed, a sprightly five-year-old girl in her lap. She was visiting her son, a truck driver. I earned Rs 14,000-Rs 17,000 a month. One day, my friends coaxed me into consuming drugs. And that was the beginning of my miseries. Addicted, I spent all my savings, a couple of lakhs, on drugs, he said, sounding penitent.

I decided to meet Dr Girish, who heads the de-addiction centre. He outrightly rejected the charge that drugs were making their way into the centre. On the used syringes, he said the needle destroyer was out of order and he had placed an order for a new one. Later, he sent me a picture of the new needle destroyer.
ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Sanjeev Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 21

In the run-up to the General Election next year, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council comprising the Centre and states on Saturday brought relief to the middle class consumers by reducing the rates on more than 50 goods and 100 items, if concessions on certain services are also included.

Among the 50 items where relief has been given are sanitary pads, washing machines, refrigerators, cosmetics, broom, mixers, paints, footwear, rakhis and handicrafts.

In addition, the 28th GST Council meeting, chaired by Finance Minister Piyush Goyal, eased the compliance burden on small traders and businesses by enhancing the threshold limit for quarterly returns to Rs 5 crore.

This would mean that 93 per cent of the taxpayers will now be filing returns on a quarterly basis but taxes on a monthly basis. Two new simpler return formats have also been approved.

In what appeared to be a mini-Budget announcement to create a feel good factor, the council announced significant reductions in many goods and services.

Goyal said simplification, rationalisation and relief for common man were the guiding principles. On the revenue loss from these cuts, he said with simplification of processes, compliance would improve which would in turn boost revenue.

The next meeting of the council on August 4 would be only for MSME issues and to decide on an incentive package for digital payments.

WHAT gets CHEAPER

5%

Ethanol

e-books

Handmade carpet

Footwear (under Rs 1,000)

12%

Handicraft handbags, purses

Jewellery box

Wooden frames

Worked-on Kota stone

18%

Paint

TV (up to 26 inch)

Mixer grinder

Refrigerator

Washing machine

Vacuum cleaner

Water heater

Cosmetics

Shaver

Hair dryer

Lithium ion battery

Hotel industry

GST on accommodation service now on transaction value, not declared value

(Changes applicable from July 27)

Exempted

Sanitary napkins rakhis

phool jhadu
amansharma@tribunemail.com

Kochi, July 22

Love is blind and an innate humane instinct. It is all about individuals and their freedom, the Kerala High Court has said, quashing a Kochi college order expelling a woman and her senior for being struck by Cupid and eloping.

In a recent judgment, Justice A Muhamed Mustaque observed that the love affair and eloping termed as immoral amounting to a breach of discipline by the college was based on moral values of the persons in the management.

It is a sin for some and not a sin for others. In law, it is the choice of freedom which is the essence of liberty, the judge said.

The authorities of the college in Kollam district failed to understand that intimate personal relationship was the matter of privacy of individuals upon which they had no authority to interfere, Justice Mustaque said.

Love is blind and an innate humane instinct. It is all about individuals and their freedom. Is love a freedom or fetter is the question that is raised in this writ petition in the context of imposition of academic discipline, he said.

The judge allowed petitions by the 21-year-old man and the 20-year-old woman, both BBA students, and directed the college to allow her to continue the course and return the academic records of the other petitioner as sought by him.

The woman, who had joined the course for 2016-17 academic year, fell in love with her senior.

The college authorities and their parents had objected to their love, following which they had eloped.

However, the parents of the woman later retracted their opposition and stood by her to court a marriage.

The judge said the role of the court was not to endorse moral choices of college authorities or students, but to recognise the freedom to have a choice.

What concerns the court is whether the action has any nexus with the object for which such power is conferred. The right to privacy is an element of human dignity which includes the right to make an essential choice which would affect their course of life as declared by Supreme Court in K S Puttaswamy Vs Union of India (case), Justice Mustaque said.

Except bald allegations that the petitioners were found engrossed in an intimate relationship in the campus, there were absolutely no materials or evidence relied on to arrive at such a finding, he said.

In the absence of evidence, that it had affected the classes conducted by the college or the congenial environment for learning, no action can be taken on the ground of indiscipline, he said.

Noting that whether to have an affair or not to have an affair with another was a personal choice, the judge said such choice was fundamental to the liberty guaranteed under the Constitution.

Choosing a life partner or choosing a way of life is the discretion based on individual autonomy. Except with legislative essentials (legal paternalism), no regulation can be made to regulate the behaviour of men on moral values, the court said.  PTI
pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Mumbai, July 22

The government employees in Maharashtra are set for a pay hike from Diwali this year. The state government will implement recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission for its employees from Diwali (which falls in November this year), finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar told PTI today.

The Seventh Pay Commission will be our Diwali gift to employees, he said.

The decision will benefit 19 lakh government employees across the state.

It will put a financial burden of Rs 21,530 crore on the state exchequer, Mungantiwar said.

The finance department made provisions of Rs 10,000 crore in its annual budget presented in March this year, he said.

The remaining provisions will be made through supplementary demands or in the next years budget, he said.

The government is also considering the demand for granting child care leave (CCL) for two years (730 days) to women government employees and 15 days paternal leave for male staffers, Mungantiwar said.

The state government is also studying a proposal to start a five-day week working system for its employees, he said.

The proposal for increasing the working hours of government employees by 15 minutes against a weekly off on every Saturday is being studied, he added. PTI
pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Shiv Kumar



Tribune News Service



Mumbai, July 22

Protests by the Maratha community which is demanding reservation in educational institutions and government jobs in Maharashtra turned violent with several vehicles being attacked and a state transport bus being set on fire in Solapur district on Saturday.



According to state police, protesters set a Maharashtra state trassnport bus on fire at Uttar Solapur tehsil in the district as part of a rasta roko. Several buses were also stoned and traffic stopped in Aurangabad district as well, police added.



Leaders of the Maratha Kranti Morcha, which has called the protests, say they newer leaders who have taken control of the organisation are more aggressive than their predecessors who organised 58 silent marches across Maharashtra in 2016. The protests this time are being led by a newer set of youths who feel cheated by the government because of unfulfilled promises made last time, Virendra Pawar, a community leader who was part of the protests last time said.



Protesting youths of the Maratha community said they would not allow Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his wife Amruta to enter Solapur district on Monday. As per tradition, the Chief Minister kicks off the puja at the temple of Lord Vithal at the temple town of Pandharpur on the occasion of Ashadi Ekadashi which falls on Monday this year.



Members of the MKM said they are looking for a concrete assurance from Fadnavis on reservation for the community before the Fadnavis couple are allowed entry into Pandharpur.



Police said security has been tightened in the temple town as the first puja on Ashadi Ekadeshi featuring the Chief Minister is an important event for members of the powerful Warkari sect. Officials feel that the situation could result in violence between the two groups though a large number of Marathas follow the Warkari tradition.



Meanwhile, reports of rasta roko being organised on Sunday at Marathwada, Parbhani and Hingoli districts are also coming in. Police, however, said that the situation was under control though a few vehicles have been stoned over the weekend.
editorial@tribune.com

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, July 22

Protests by the Maratha community, which is demanding reservation in educational institutions and government jobs in Maharashtra, turned violent with several vehicles being attacked and a state transport bus set on fire in Solapur district on Saturday.

According to the police, protesters set a Maharashtra state transport bus on fire at Uttar Solapur tehsil in the district as part of rasta rook. Several buses were also stoned and traffic stopped in Aurangabad district as well, the police added.

Leaders of the Maratha Kranti Morcha (MKM), which has called the protests, say the new leaders who have taken control of the organisation are more aggresive than their predecessors who organised 58 silent marches in 2016. The protests this time are being led by a newer set of youths who feel cheated by the government because of unfulfilled promises made last time, Virendra Pawar, a community leader who was part of the protests last time, said.

Protesting youths of the Maratha community said they would not allow Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his wife Amruta to enter Solapur district on Monday. As per tradition, the Chief Minister kicks off the puja at the temple of Lord Vithal at the temple town of Pandharpur on the occasion of Ashadi Ekadashi which falls on Monday (July 23) this year. Members of the MKM said they are looking for a concrete assurance from Fadnavis on reservation for the community before the Fadnavis couple is allowed entry into Pandharpur.

The police said security has been tightened in the temple town as the first puja on Ashadi Ekadashi featuring the CM is an important event for members of the powerful Warkari sect. Officials feel the situation could result in violence between the two groups though a large number of Marathas follow the Warkari tradition.

Meanwhile, there were reports of rasta roko being organised at Marathwada, Parbhani and Hingoli districts on Sunday. The police, however, said the situation was under control.

Fadnavis cancels visit to Pandharpur temple
editorial@tribune.com

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 22

Sounding the bugle for the 2019 General Election, the extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Sundday authorised party president Rahul Gandhi to forge state-specific alliances with like-minded parties to defeat the BJP and backed him as the face of the joint Congress-led Opposition alliance.

The highest decision-making body of the Congress, after a five-hour meeting, passed a resolution authorising Gandhi to form any committee for election preparations, including one to consider pre and post poll alliances in states.

As the CWC stamped state-specific alliances, sources said former minister P Chidambaram spoke of how with smart pacts the Congress-led Opposition could reach 300 seats with the Congress alone winning 150 from 12 states where it is dominant. From these 12 states, the Congress today has 48 Lok Sabha MPs.

Rahul Gandhi, who chaired his first CWC meeting after assuming party presidency on December 16 last, reiterated the narrative he built by giving his rival, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a headline grabbing hug in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

Congress media head Randeep Surjewala said, Mr Gandhi urged the CWC to pledge they will not leave any stone unturned to defeat the BJP in 2019. He said the BJP was assaulting individuals and institutions alike. The Congress president while saying that we alone can fight BJPs injustice defined party ideology as one that spreads love, shuns hatred and thrives in inclusion. He said the first duty of the Congress is to fight for farmers, and then the marginalised, women, minorities, SCs and STs.

On alliances, Surjewala stressed the state-specific bit, adding that Congress interests wont be sacrificed. With TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and BSP president Mayawati positioning themselves as Opposition veterans, the Congress declared that alliances cannot be formed on absolute stands.

Real-time negotiations will be held. Alliances cant be formed on rigidities and absolute stands. Mamata Banerjee comes from a Congress pedigree. One statement by her cannot be taken as a final posturing, Surjewala said after the meeting of the extended CWC, which, apart from the just appointed full 51 members, comprises sitting CMs, state chiefs and legislature party leaders.

UPA chief Sonia Gandhi had set the tone for discussions in the morning when, speaking after her son Rahul Gandhi and former PM Manmohan Singh, she said the countdown for the BJP government has begun.

A reign of despair and fear has been heaped upon Indias deprived and poor. PM Modis rhetoric shows his desperation, reflecting that the reverse countdown of the Modi Government has begun, Sonia Gandhi noted, while Manmohan Singh rejected the culture of constant self-praise and jumlas of the PM as against a solid policy framework for driving the engine of growth.

The former Prime Minister claimed that to match UPAs GDP growth, the NDA would have to post a growth rate of over 10 per cent this year. He also challenged the PMs we will double farmers income by 2022 claim, saying for that to be done, agricultural growth rate must be 14 per cent. Thats nowhere, Singh added.

To counter the BJP, the CWC identified the following issues to build mass movements across India  agricultural distress, lack of jobs for youth, slackening economy, poor internal and external security, atrocities on SCs, STs, OBCs and women and dilution of institutional integrity.

Rahul Gandhi, for his part, addressed the assembly saying Congress needs both the youth and experience and urged everyone to work together with 2019 in mind.

No absolute stand

"Real-time negotiations will be held. Alliances cant be formed on rigidities and absolute stands. Mamata Banerjee comes from a Congress pedigree. One statement by her cannot be taken as a final posture" Randeep Surjewala, Cong media head
amansharma@tribunemail.com

Bhopal, July 22

His house does not have electricity or a toilet and his father collects garbage to make ends meet. The odds were always against 18-year-old Asharam Choudhary, but he battled all challenges and cleared the prestigious AIIMS entrance exam in the first attempt.

Choudhary, who hails from Dewas in Madhya Pradesh, left for Jodhpur today to pursue MBBS at AIIMS.

The teenager secured the 141st rank in the OBC category and 707 rank overall in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences entrance test held on May 27.

He cleared the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), conducted on May 6, bagging the 803rd rank in the OBC category and 2,763 overall.

Just before boarding a bus for Jodhpur, he told PTI over the phone that the bus ticket was bought by Dewas District Collector Shrikant Pandey and the administration had also sent a state government official to accompany him to Rajasthan.

I am so happy that I cannot express myself. My next goal is to become a neurosurgeon. After MBBS, I want to do a Master of Surgery (MS) in Neurology, Choudhary said.

The teenager said that he does not want to go abroad for studies or settle there. I want to return to my Vijayganj Mandi village and set up a hospital there so that no one is deprived of medical facilities, he said.

Recalling the hardships faced by him, Choudhary said, I received my primary education at a government school. I completed my schooling in Dewas district. My house does not have an electricity connection or a toilet.

My father is a ragpicker. He also did odd jobs to make ends meet. Now, he wants to open a small vegetable shop, he said.

His younger brother, Sitaram, is in Class XII and his sister, Narmada, in Class IX.

Choudharys story of travails and triumphs has a hero -- Durga Shanker Kumawat, a doctor in his village, who inspired him to dream big.

He said Kumawat patted him on the back when he got 93 per cent marks in the Class X final exams and asked him to work hard to become a doctor.

His pep talk and guidance helped me a lot, Choudhary said.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan lauded Choudhary for the feat.

I congratulate you on clearing All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) entrance test in your first attempt and getting selected at Jodhpur. You remind me of Mahatma Gandhi who used to say, strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from the indomitable will, Gandhi wrote in a letter to Choudhary.

On behalf of Chouhan, Collector Pandey invited Choudhary to his office yesterday and handed him a cheque of Rs 25,000 as initial help.

Pandey assured the teenager that the state government would bear the expenses of his medical education.

Meanwhile, Congress president Rahul Gandhi has congratulated Asharam and hoped that he would contribute to nation-building and inspire many in the future the same way he was motivated by his village doctor.

In a letter to the teenager, Gandhi said the fact that despite challenges Choudhary was able to secure good rank is a testament to the dedication of his parents and the hard work put in by him.

"I congratulate you on clearing the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) entrance test in your first attempt and getting selected at Jodhpur AIIMS to pursue Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)... I extend my best wishes to you and hope you will contribute to nation-building," Gandhi said in the letter.

"I am aware that despite all challenges you were able to secure good rank. It is a testament to their dedication and your hard work that you have performed so well," he said, adding it gave him immense pleasure to note how Asharam's village doctor and parents inspired him in his journey and Dakshana Foundation supported him financially.

In his letter, the Congress president said, "I hope one day, you will also be in a position to inspire other children to take up medical profession and serve the people of India. You remind me of Mahatma Gandhi who used to say: 'Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from the indomitable will'."  PTI
gspannu7@gmail.com

New Delhi, July 22

The BJP on Sunday took a dig at Rahul Gandhi, saying the Congress president might forcibly hug Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but the people of the country would not embrace him in next years Lok Sabha election.

Attacking the Gandhi scion over his speech at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting today, BJPs national media in-charge Anil Baluni said the people will reject him in the next general election.

In a series of tweets, he also claimed that the Congress had decided to contest only 150 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, while Gandhi was dreaming to become the prime minister.

Heard that desperate and disappointed Congress at its meeting today has set a target of contesting 150 Lok Sabha seats, while its president Rahul Gandhi is dreaming to become prime minister, Baluni tweeted in Hindi.

Referring to the Congress chiefs hug to Modi during the debate on the no-confidence motion against the government in the Lok Sabha on Friday, the BJP leader said it was done forcibly.

Rahulji, you forcibly hugged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament but people will not hug you in the 2019 General Election. You should prepare yourself for bringing a no-confidence motion in 2024, he tweeted.

Reacting to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs attack on Modi at the CWC meet, Baluni said while the aim of the government led by the former was to increase corruption, the current NDA dispensation was aiming to double the farmers income.  PTI
amansharma@tribunemail.com

Ludhiana, July 21

Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Manish Tewari on Saturday claimed that thousands of Indian youths, a substantial number of them from Punjab, were detained at the detention camps along the US-Mexico border.

He said he had personally visited the border area during his recent US visit and was alarmed by the situation there.

Addressing a party workers' meeting organised by Punjab Congress secretary Satwinder Jawaddi here, Tewari said that he was told during his visit that 60,000 Indians, who had tried to sneak illegally into the US through Mexico, had been detained by the US authorities.

"Of these, over 90 per cent are Punjabis," he added.

Expressing concern over the plight of these stranded youth, Tewari said their release has to be dealt at the level of the Ministry External Affairs and he had already raised the matter.

He added that Punjab also needed to create job avenues for the youth.

Speaking about the Congress' prospects for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the former Ludhiana MP said that the "countdown" of the NDA government had started.

"Their despair and frustration were revealed during the Prime Minister's speech in the Parliament during the no-confidence motion," he said. - PTI
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 21

A jibe by Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, asking Congress president Rahul Gandhi what (drug) he had taken before coming to Parliament on Friday, led to a Twitter duel between her and Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa. It began with Bajwa's tweet: "So, a Cabinet minister whose own brother is under the scanner for involvement in the Rs 6,000-crore drug scam is levelling allegations at our party president. Irony just died a thousand times. Ask anyone in Punjab who is behind the drug trade, You will get the answer, Mrs Badal."

She was quick to respond, "Sycophancy multiplied thousand times! You forgot CM Amarinder Singh's letter to Sonia ji saying he had definite knowledge about you & your family's involvement in the drug trade. You also forgot (that) your writ petition in the HC against my brother was dismissed in 2014. Why did you run away?"
editorial@tribune.com

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 22

Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal has opposed the Centres hasty framing of laws related to the Goods and Services Tax (GST), touted by the saffron party as its biggest economic reform. According to him, the move is bound to invite immense litigation.

Manpreet was the only one to have raised an objection in the GST council meeting held in Delhi on Saturday. Although he wanted to get finance ministers of other non-BJP ruled states on board, ministers of West Bengal and Kerala and even Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who holds the finance portfolio, were not present.

Manpreet also raised concerns over neglecting of the recommendations of the Law Review Committee.

The recommendations were not shared with the states. We should be allowed to study these first, before the matter is taken in the council meeting, Manpreet told The Tribune, adding that he was not there for the entire session of the meeting and had to leave to reconcile with my disappointment at rushing through of the GST law.

On Sunday, he shot off a letter to Union Minister Piyush Goyal (who is heading the Finance Ministry), saying that the GST law in its present form has too many aberrations that need immediate correction, some from retrospective effect.

It further says that the process of correction should be done by involving all stakeholders, including taxpayers. The process should be adequate, fair and transparent so that the need to go back to legislatures at frequent intervals is avoided, it reads.

Manpreet has also objected to the fact that the work done by the Law Review Committee is being ignored to get some select amendments passed during the monsoon session of Parliament. Of the 69 amendments recommended by the committee, only eight have been accepted without changes and 15 with changes, while the remaining 46 have been ignored, reads the letter.

Manpreet said the extremely brief consultation does not repose confidence for such kind of legislation. The process adopted for the finalisation of the GST law also impinges upon the states right of proper representation before we take up this legislation in our legislatures for approval, he added.

Notably, before the GST Council meet, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 1, raising concerns about the recommendations of Law Review Committee not being shared with states and being ignored in the council.
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 22

Three days after the murder of 22-year-old BJP worker Rinkal Khera in Amarpura, prime accused Jatinderpal Singh Sunny, son of local Congress councillor Gurdeep Singh Neetu, surrendered before the police on Sunday.

When the victims family members were told that Sunny had been taken into custody, they initially gave their nod to a post-mortem examination. Later, they backtracked and demanded that the councillor should also be arrested.

Ashwani Kapur, DCP, said Sunny would be produced in a court for securing his police remand to get information about the assailants whereabouts.

Sources said Sunny had surrendered due to political intervention.

Meanwhile, local MP Ravneet Bittu, MLAs Surinder Dawar and Sanjay Talwar met the family of the deceased and assured that no culprit would be spared.

I conveyed to Police Commissioner Sukhchain Singh Gill to pursue the case on merit and bring the culprits to book, even if they belong to the Congress. I assured the family that justice will be delivered, Bittu said.

Dawar said the Opposition was playing politics over the issue, even as the Congress stand was clear that the guilty would not be spared, irrespective of party affiliations.
editorial@tribune.com

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Pathankot, July 21

The Pathankot and Kangra police have declared the twin villages of Bhadroya and Chhanni Beli  notorious for harbouring drug smugglers  as ghost villages because 90 per cent of the residents have fled after locking their houses.

The exodus suggests that most people in these villages of Kangra district are involved in the drug trade. We are gathering information about their whereabouts, said Pathankot SSP Vivek Sheel Soni. He is conducting the operation along with Kangra SP Santosh Patiyal.

Most of the inhabitants belong to the Sansi tribe which, over the years, has gained infamy for manufacturing hooch.

The community members have become active in Dinanagar, Gurdaspur and Batala. After their hooch trade was wiped out, they started selling high-grade heroin, said Soni.

Business was good before the police cracked the whip last month. Now, there are more cops in my village than residents. I am not sure when my neighbours will come back, said Swarna Ram, one of the few residents who have stayed put in Chhanni Beli village.

For the past week, the police have been conducting raids. On Friday night, they arrested a woman, Rozy, and recovered 3-gm smack from here. Based on clues given by Rozy, we have raided hideouts in Kangra district. We expect to make more arrests soon, a senior officer said.

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had recently sought the help of the adjoining states of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir and Haryana to clamp down on drug smugglers.
editorial@tribune.com

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 21

The city police have identified the assailants who murdered BJP worker Rinkal Khera here on Thursday, it is learnt, even as the ongoing investigation has hinted at a contract killing. Congress councillor Gurdeep Singh Neetus son Jatinderpal Singh Sunny and others have already been booked on the charge of murder. Raids are being conducted to nab the accused.

Sources in the police said the assailants were already facing several criminal cases. Sunnys phone call details are being scanned to check whether he was in touch with them.

Six assailants, including two turbaned ones, had stayed in a hotel on the Brown road in the old city area. They reportedly arrived at the hotel a day before the murder. They did a recce of Rinkals residence in Amarpura at night. The next day, they barged into his house and hit him on the head, face and legs with sharp-edged weapons, the sources said.

The police have recovered the hotel CCTV footage in which six youths are seen. They are said to be from Doaba.

When asked whether the crime was a contract killing, Police Commissioner Sukhchain Singh Gill said, Let the police first arrest the accused. Their disclosures will make things clear.
editorial@tribune.com

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 21

Almost 11 months after the state government announced its new industrial policy, investors are awaiting detailed schemes and operational guidelines for availing fiscal incentives promised therein. Till the time, investors are keeping their projects on hold.

Though the government came up with the first set of detailed schemes and guidelines in January, it got a lukewarm response from the industry. It led to another round of government-industry talks and the new schemes and guidelines prepared are now expected to be brought before the Cabinet in its meeting next week.

Once notified, the state government sees a ray of hope with several projects where MoUs (memoranda of understanding) have been signed finally taking off. Officers in the industry department say they have received investment proposals worth Rs 3,482.11 crore (Rs 2,427.67 crore in the first quarter of 2018-19; and Rs 1,054.44 crore in 2017-18) from some top multinational companies in the past year-and-a-half, but till the detailed guidelines are not issued, the investors are not starting the project.

RS Sachdeva, Chairman, PHD Chamber, told The Tribune that not just the investors are waiting to see the fine print of the policy to calibrate their investments, but even the PHD Chamber, as an industry body, is unable to project Punjab as an attractive investment destination.

Any investment has huge financial implications. Our new policy offers almost 33 incentives, both fiscal and non-fiscal. Once the detailed guidelines are notified, which will hopefully be done by July 25, Punjab will see at least 15 mega projects, with investment worth almost Rs 3,500 crore, taking off, said Rakesh Kumar Verma, Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce.

He said the detailed guidelines had been prepared by taking industry in all major hubs  Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Mandi Gobindgarh - on board. The state government is not just offering incentives, but also looking at supporting the industry till the time the project gets commissioned. A step-by-step roadmap will be prepared for each project to ensure its sucessful completion and implementation, he added.

Waiting in the wings

A total of 15 new projects entailing an investment of Rs 3,482.11 crore are awaiting details about the incentives the government will offer in its new policy. Some of these big-ticket investors are:

Varun Beverages (Pepsi) Rs 799.7 cr

HPCL Rs 684 cr

Betelgeuse Infra Rs 642 cr

IOL Chemical & Pharmaceuticals Rs 231.2 cr

Ludhiana Beverages (Coca Cola) Rs 220 cr

Infra push

Also on cards are industrial clusters along three industrial corridors  Amritsar-Kolkata, Chandigarh-Amritsar and Chandigarh-Hoshiarpur-Gurdaspur  besides 10 new industrial estates

Incentives on cards
uttara@tribuneindia.com

New York, July 22

With over 70 per cent of Americans ignorant about Sikhism, schools in the US state of New York will now include lessons on the minority community in their curriculum to educate students about Sikh religion and its tradition, according to a media report.

A non-profit Sikh organisation, the United Sikhs, in collaboration with New York City's Department of Education, have taken this initiative to educate American students about Sikhism, FOX5NY reported.

They came together in Jamaica, Queens, to celebrate a new curriculum for fifth and sixth graders in all five boroughs, the report said.

Pritpal Singh, the United Sikhs' senior policy advisor, said that 70 per cent of Americans his group surveyed do not recognise Sikhs. American students are not aware about their Sikh classmates, who are subject to bullying and ignorance which breeds animosity, the report said.

"They have no idea who we are, what our origins are, where we come from or what country we come from," Singh was quoted as saying by the report. "The fact that we come from India is not understood," he added.

The curriculum was formally announced on Friday, but it actually first started in some city classrooms in September 2016.

At the end of this past school year, Sikhism was being taught in 70 per cent of fifth- and sixth-grade classrooms. The department of education will continue to roll out the curriculum to the remaining schools over the next several years, the report said.

Last year in April, National Sikh Campaign, a non-profit organisation, launched a million-dollar awareness campaign to inform Americans about their religion amid a spike in hate crimes against the minority community.

The month-long "We are Sikhs" ad campaign was launched by the organisation on April 14 on the occasion of Vaisakhi, a holy day for the community.

Four American States namely New Jersey, Indiana, Delaware and Oregon have declared the month of April for Sikhism. According to a survey conducted by the Sikh Coalition, a community-based organisation that defends Sikh civil rights, it was found that up to 67 per cent of Sikh children have said they experienced bullying at school because of their religion. Some reported instances of physical violence, including removal of their turbans by force.

An estimated five lakh Sikhs live in the United States. PTI




ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Aradhika Sharma

Inspirational stories, especially when these involve glamourous, talented, articulate stars, who are also connected with social causes and are savvy at handling the media and the social media are inherently popular with readers. Many stars pen their own stories and many have commissioned biographies, where they lend their voices to their biographers.

Before Priyanka Chopra comes out with her own book of personal essays next year, titled Unfinished, Chhabra has outed a biography of the star. And he is not the only one to cash in on her ever-rising polularity. Last year in June there was another biography of the actor by Bharathi S Pradhan, named Priyanka Chopra: The Dark Horse. Pradhans book follows the story of the actor from the days she won Miss India (World) in 2000 and subsequently the Miss World contest to her fantastically successful stint in the Hindi film industry and thereafter, her journey into Hollywood. Aseem Chhabras book essentially follows the same path. Nothing much could change in an year, after all.

Next up is Chopras autobiography, in which, thankfully, we will hear her own voice, because both Pradhan and Chhabra havent even interviewed Priyanka even once for their books, but have depended on her interviews and inputs from people connected with her. In this endeavour, Pradhan has been the more successful one.

The reasons that both the authors state for not getting first-person contributions are varied. While Pradhan states that she did not have consultations with the actor or her family because she didnt want to lose my independence in the bargain, Chhabra says that since Priyanka herself is writing an autobiography, therefore, she refused interviews on the instructions of her publishers.

Chhabras book is, in fact, quite a eulogy to Priyanka. Hes obviously full of admiration for the actor. For his source material, he seems to read everything in print about his protagonist and watched every interview that Priyanka would possibly have appeared in as well as studied multiple reviews of each film that she ever acted in. Chhabra quotes prolifically from this material and, at times, even draws some conclusions from them.

The author goes into painstaking details, which at times can get rather tedious. Talking about the film Bluffmaster for example, he says: For the most part, Priyanka looks stunning in Bluffmaster, especially when she is dancing to the Say Na Say song at her engagement party, wearing a white sari with silver work on the colourful border, and looking positively hot. The sari is tied low to show her waistline, etc. etc.

Certainly, the story of Chopras life is inspirational and stuff that dreams are made of. No wonder, Karan Johar says about her, She is our hugest crossover success story... Today, the sky could be her limit. One cannot but admire her determination, focus, hard work, the talent that shes honed and developed over the years and her ability to spot and seize opportunities. Shes a chameleon who will as easily learn to box and build muscles (Mary Kom) as dance with rustic sensuality to the item number Ram Chahe Leela (Goliyon ki Raas Leela) or play the committed policewoman (Jai Gangaajal) or the glamour-addicted model (Fashion). Garnering herself a vast repertory of roles, her success lies in her changeling-like ability to constantly reinvent herself.

Priyanka transformed herself from a beauty queen to a filmstar, tried her hand at being a pop star, sashayed into Hollywood and is now starring in the third season of an American serial, Quantico. The serial led to Priyankas global popularity and she is now feted and celebrated by the western world. She has made it to the coveted Time magazine list of 100 most influential people in 2016.

The book comes to an end with Quantico being cancelled after Season 3. However, the author says that Priyankas is an ongoing story that she is certainly enjoying. That is good news for her fans, who are enjoying her journey with her, rooting for her all the way!
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ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Faiqa Mansab

Pakistans first-ever school for the transgender opened with great media fanfare in April this year. The NGO that opened it, Exploring Future Foundation (EFF), named the school The Gender Guardian. Everything seemed so right, so progressive. Only last year, the transgender community of Pakistan was counted for the first time in the census as a third gender. In August 2017, passports were issued to transgenders acknowledging the third gender. It all started in 2012 when transgenders were given national identity cards. The community was no longer invisible.

However, there is skepticism along with hope.

Transgender activist Neeli Rana, who has been at the forefront of the transgender struggle for equal rights, is not at all happy with EFF. Why didnt they involve the community when they were thinking of making this school? The community is divided because the owner Mr (Asif) Shahzad has not involved transgender activists in this project.

Many people, like Rana, feel that there is no need for more exclusion. Why have a separate school at all? Why not integrate this traditionally ostracised community? Shouldnt there have been more focus on inclusion in schools that already exist? Financial and social marginalisation isnt overthrown in a day, of course, nor even a year or ten. It takes time to change the perceptions of a society and to uplift the conditions of a community.But how far are these isolated ceremonious steps going to help in alleviating the real issues facing the transgender community?

Rana asks, Who are these people who speak for transgenders? Have they been raped, tortured, killed, and maimed because of who they are? Have they suffered the humiliation of having their hair chopped off, of having their faces blackened because of who they are?

Its a pertinent question to ask this in an atmosphere where Pakistan is seeing its first ever transgender model being celebrated and accepted with enthusiasm. In a country with so much religious and ethnic intolerance, such a step is more than welcome. Pakistan has also recently celebrated the appointment of its first transgender news anchor, Marvia Malik. It isnt a surprising or unwelcome change for most. After all this is a country that fell in love with a transvestite talk show host nearly a decade ago. Begum Nawazish Ali (Ali Nawaz) ran The Late Show with Begum Nawazish Ali for two years on and off on various channels and was extremely popular, not least for doing impressions of Benazir Bhutto. However, Neeli Rana feels a few sparkling articles in the news and appearances on television dont help the marginalized community.

The Gender Guardian opens twice a week for classes. The courses on offer include sewing, computer studies, beautician courses, driving and cooking classes. There seems to be no curriculum and no trained staff. There is no foreign funding and the NGO EFF relies on local donors. Convenient, isnt it, says Neeli. There is no auditing for local donations. Who is going to audit where the funds go?

However, the team running The Gender Guardian has made a great deal of progress. The school is being noticed by international donors and organisations. The civil society is also deeply invested in its success and so many intellectual and cultural gatherings have been hosted by the school.

Asif Shahzad, who spearheaded this initiative, and is a LUMS graduate, has a mature and balanced response to all these allegations, Whenever the status quo is challenged, people have a problem with it. This is a new generation of transgenders who want a different life from what theyve been taught to expect. They have broken away from the norm of the guru-chela relationship. Their money is their own. They are financially independent.

This then is the crux of the matter. Financial independence is the key and Shahzad and his team are working hard to make sure that young transgenders have at least that opportunity. We dont belong to any group. The transgender community is unfortunately divided, but we dont take sides. We are here to provide opportunities for those who want them. Our students are so happy because they have each other. They encourage and help each other.

Its a generational gap and the change is threatening to the old guard, who have seen the worst of this society and perhaps feel that now that change is here they have been left behind. We dont exclude anyone, insists Shahzad. We just want to give back to Pakistan. We want to offer whatever we can. We dont get funds from people we dont know. We get funds from our families and friends. And all accounts are audited by the FBR (Federal Board of Revenue).

The Gender Guardian is something new, something different for the transgender community. There are many who are skeptical, but most are hopeful and wish to see changes for a better tomorrow. This school is a step towards that. We have already done several job placements. We are working to empower young people who want to be free of old ties and oppressive traditions that box them in. Some people dont like that because they lose control over the young transgenders and lose their income. We are just equipping them with tools to fight back for a life of their own, says Shahzad.
ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Amit Sengupta

In the metro film screenings or film festivals, there are certain kinds of boundaries, says documentary filmmaker Saba Dewan. We never challenge our boundaries. We more or less know the nature of questions metro audiences would ask in post-screening discussions. Not so in small towns!

She says she has gone to many film festivals organised by Cinema of Resistance in big and small towns, especially in the Hindi heartland. But the questions asked, the content of the discussion, the boundaries of intellectual thresholds that are pushed and the reinterpretation of the cinematic narrative have been refreshingly different and original. All these are outside much of the cliches, which dominate the discourse on alternative cinema. Her film, The Other Song, (made in 2009, after a decade of research) traces and recaptures the lost traditions of the courtesans of North India through a journey across Varanasi, Muzaffarpur and Lucknow. She says her film was screened in Nagpur and there were no Hindi subtitltes. So she said, Kuch aur dikha do. But the festival organisers wanted to experiment.

The audience loved the film. And the discussion which followed was heady. The audiences in these towns challenge you and the filmmaker, she says. They are taking my film to all kinds of places. I can't go with my films always or screen them for audiences in small towns. They are doing it and they have built a fantastic reach. It is path-breaking work.

The they Saba refers to is members of Cinema of Resistance  Pratirodh ka Cinema. This has radically transformed the aesthetic discourse of the cinematic narrative in a network of towns across India. It is a culmination of a parallel film-society movement unprecedented in the Indian landscape and reminiscent of the early film society movements in Bengal and Kerala.

Expanding domain

Says Pranay Srivastava, former JNUSU president, professor of Hindi literature at Allahabad University, and one of the founders of the movement along with other intellectuals, journalists, writers and filmmakers in Gorakhpur in 2006, We saw the vacuum in the Hindi heartland, since the progressive content of the Indian Progressive Theatre Association (IPTA), during and after the freedom movement, was all but over. They wanted to fill this vacuum with a holistic cultural kaleidoscope, with Indian and world cinema as its scaffolding. And also with a bouquet of theatre, poetry, literature, arts and culture, especially in places like Gorakhpur and other small towns, where the audience has not been exposed to high-quality documentary and feature films. It was initially a political project of the Jan Sanskriti Manch (JASAM), the cultural wing of the CPI(ML)-Liberation. We soon realised that the film-society movement should become autonomous and independent. That is how the Cinema of Resistance was born.

Says Sanjay Joshi, the main catalyst of the movement: We decided we will not take any corporate or government sponsorship. It will be based on crowd-funding. It will reflect both great art and cinema, as much as the politics of grassroots radicalism. It was agreed upon that the movement will not be propagandistic, but will include a spectrum of progressive ideologies. We will engage with war and peace, with communalism, the political economy of development, issues in the Northeast and Kashmir, with students movements, and Dalit, adivasi and minority narratives, adds Joshi.

The film festivals have spread out to towns like Allahabad, Varanasi, Lucknow, Azamgarh, Salemgarh, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Nagpur, Ramnagar, Nainital, Indore and Rohtak.

The first steps

Conceived in Allahabad by a group of local and regional intellectuals, the movement held its first Gorakhpur Film Festival in Gorakhpur in 2006. The first scaffoldings were young filmmakers Meghnath and Biju Toppo, an adivasi filmmaker. The key catalysts, apart from Sanjay and Pranay, were (late) Ramrishna Mani Tripathi, Manoj Singh and Ashok Chaudhary, prof CB Thakur, Niten Aggarwal, among others. The term, Pratirodh ka Cinema was coined by Ashutosh Kumar, an academic in Delhi University.

The festivals were conceptualised as extremely low-budget shows, equipped with only local resources and community shelter and food, and individual donations. Later, other friends and organisations like the Zindabad Trust run by writer Arundhati Roy and friends, Insaf run by Anil Chaudhury, among other groups pitched in. Among chief guests and participants were a host of filmmakers and writers, including Arundhati Roy, MS Sathyu, Girish Kasaravalli, Syed Mirza, Shahji N Karun, Ajay Bharadwaj, Iffat, Sanjay Kak, Rahul Roy, Saba Dewan, Yosouf Saeed.

We screened Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin, Anand Patwardhan's War and Peace, Voices from Baliapal by Vasudha Joshi, Motorcycle Diaries by Brazilian director Walter Salles, among host of feature and documentary films from India and the world, says Joshi.

Breaking the barriers

During the four-day first film festival in Gorakhpur, there was no auditorium available. Hence, in a make-shift, full-of-light hall with 200 chairs, a show was started in Gorakhpur University. The main problem was how to have a pitch-dark hall where sound is clear. Hence, volunteers brought in black curtains and black paper to obstruct light from the windows, ventilators and doors, recalls Joshi.

It was dark, hot and damp. But the audience refused to move from the packed hall. And the discussion was also quite something. When an elderly gentlemen opposed the depiction of the nude mothers protesting in Imphal against AFSPA in a film made by Calcutta-based journalists Jiten Nandi and Shamik, a girl stood up to voice her opinion. Other girls followed, raising their voices. The discussion quickly shifted to womens freedom, patriarchy and sexism.

Also, cultural groups from UP staged plays, sang songs, recited poetry, there were story-telling and solo plays. One group took old cycle tyres and decorated them with colourful symbols and motifs, and flung the tyres on trees, where they made a remarkable artistic installation. Explains filmmaker Sanjay Kak: The main contribution that the Cinema of Resistance has made is in reviving a conversation about the place of cinema in society. Is it a relationship that must only be mediated by money, a commercial transaction? Or, are there other ways of looking at the relations? The absolute insistence on 'no commercial sponsorship' has enforced a discipline that has allowed us to rediscover alternate ways in which films are viewed. And not simply consumed, adds Kak.

In one of the earlier festival screenings, Yosouf Saeed's famous film on Pakistani classical music, Khayal Darpan was screened. It was a stupendous success. First, it was a film shot entirely in Pakistan. Then, it was about classical music. However, the film was watched in rapt silence, the audience enjoyed it, and the discussion that followed marked a departure from routine post-film discussions, Yosouf says.

The most important dimension of this film festival network is that it is making meaningful cinema available to a fairly large audience. Added with the contours of a certain progressive politics, the films raise awareness about communalism, gender justice, puts up a critique of the development paradigm, raises crucial and difficult questions on social justice, says documentary filmmaker Rahul Roy.

It is the contribution of these two factors that makes the movement very relevant.
FS Aijazuddin

FS Aijazuddin

US President Donald Trump and Shashi Tharoor share a unique opportunity. Each can be assured asylum by his enemy  in Trumps case by Russia and in Tharoors by Pakistan.

No specialist of Cold War politics would have expected to see the Leader of the Free World, the Gulliver of democracy kowtow before a former KGB operative. It was not that Trump chose to have a tete-a-tete with his Russian counterpart. Numerous US presidents have done that. Remember Ronald Reagans confrontational summit with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik in October 1986? The difference between such previous US-Soviet/Russia face-offs and Helsinki 2018 is that no US president had ever been suspected by his own people of being a Russian mole.

Similarly, if anyone familiar with the venal history of Indo-Pak relations was asked to pull out of a hat the name of a suspected traitor, the most implausible would have been that of the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor. He is a known Pak-basher as virulent as US Senator Joe McCarthy was a Communist chaser in the 1950s.

Ironically, both Trump and Tharoor today stand hostage to the salacious rumours of consorting with planted Delilahs.

Tharoors mellifluous Goebbels-like oratory and his stream of consciousness volumes on Indias social identity reflect his mercurial intellect. He has stamped his footprint on the quicksand of his countrys politics. Like his Congress colleague Mani Shankar Aiyar, who suffered for a mistranslated remark about PM Modi, Tharoor took one misstep, but it was lethal enough to damage his reputation.

He warned (perhaps too accurately) that if the BJP wins in 2019, they will tear up the Constitution of India and write a new one. He continued: That will enshrine the principle of Hindu Rashtra, will remove equality for minorities, that will create a Hindu Pakistan and that isnt what Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad, and great heroes of freedom struggle fought for. Interestingly, he omitted the name of Dr Ambedkar. Even if he had, it would not have tempered BJPs vitriolic response. BJP extremists want Tharoor deported to Pakistan. None has proposed so far that he be exchanged for Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav.

Across the border, in Pakistan, certain forces have disseminated insidious accusations against the ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He is suspected of being too pro-Indian. Good-neighbourly visits to Sharif when in power by AB Vajpayee in 1999 and Narendra Modi in 2015 have been given a sinister, conspiratorial twist. That explains partly why Nawaz Sharif is behind bars.

In a weeks time, there will a new government in Pakistan. If it is Imran Khans PTI (stand-alone or in coalition), what will be its policy towards India? The PTI manifesto 2018 omits any mention of foreign policy, burying it instead in a final paragraph headed National Security. Composed in khaki ink, it reads: This will include work on a blueprint towards resolving the Kashmir issue within the parameters of UNSC resolutions. For lasting peace within our own region, especially with our neighbour India, conflict resolution and the security route to cooperation is the most viable.

And the PML-Nawaz or PML-Shahbaz manifesto? It promises to hold a dialogue with India to reduce tension on an equal and strictly reciprocal basis for regional peace. The PPP (founded by ZA Bhutto who signed the 1972 Simla Agreement) mumbles a sentence about normalising trade ties with India.

After 2019, India too will have a freshly elected government  a BJP one, if Tharoors fears materialise. Should Pakistan be ready to unseal its borders to admit Congress asylum seekers?

 The writer is a Pakistan-based historian
Belu Maheshwari

Belu Maheshwari

In a quest for equitable gender relations, a determining criteria is very economic in nature  fair wealth distribution. Among the many ways of wealth distribution, one is inheritance, of both moveable and immovable property. For centuries, the only inheritance for Hindu women was stridhan, the gifts she received at the time of marriage. For a Muslim woman, it was half of what her brother inherited but was rarely followed. Even in the 21st century, despite some progressive laws favouring gender equity on the ground, the reality is far from truth.

A dormant stakeholder

A woman as a wife is supposed to be ardhangini  part of the man but the better half has no right over her husbands property. Men in their will give their life partners, life interest to the residential house. These two words in a mans will define the whole life of a woman. For all her marital commitments, love and sacrifice, she, in return, only finds secondary mention in the testament he makes for his inheritance. The woman, who bears the children, is relegated to the background and the progeny gets all the rights to the properties. A perusal of many wills shows that the wife, after her spouses demise, is given only living rights in her marital home or, to put it more bluntly, squatting rights till her death.

It is not a myth that a small percentage of women own property, in spite of the changes in the laws giving women equal rights. The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act 2005 removes discrimination against gender that was in the provisions of the previous Act passed in 1956. Women are coparcener, and have the same liabilities and rights as the sons in the ancestral property of the Hindu Undivided Family. In case of partition of a joint family property, the wife and daughter have a right to equal share. But all these rights are for a joint family property, where anyway it is difficult to get any partition done. Whoever has the possession becomes the virtual owner, because, in India, civil cases never get decided.

In case a man makes a will of his self-acquired assets, he would very generously divide the property between sons, giving his wife and daughters nothing. The wife may get the living rights only. A husband might add for good measure that the wife should live with same dignity, and leave some moveable assets to make the life of his wife and daughters easier.

At the cost of dignity

This clause of living rights comes with many connotations. Actually, it is widely used to protect the interest of the female member to ensure she is not rendered homeless. She gets a roof over her head, but it takes away her dignity. On paper, she becomes homeless. There are many types of life interests, mostly it means no absolute control over the house. The woman has no other right, except residing. She cannot deal with it independently. Moreover, it does not prevent the owner from shifting her to a corner in the house. In a country where more than 68 million households have elderly living with younger members, this leads to churning in family dynamics.

This narrative is not about notional ownership to feel powerful, it is about total paradigm shift in the status of the woman, who has been the pivot of a house. According to a study conducted on living arrangements of elderly women, 81 per cent live with their children in urban areas of Punjab, 55 per cent in Himachal, 50 per cent in Haryana, while the all-India figure is 72 per cent. The need to provide dignified existence to elderly women is a pressing problem. Studies show that even among the educated, well-off people, the elderly are neglected, or at best tolerated.

Unlike the developed countries, where the wife has equal ownership of the house, we do not have any law like that. Even in the case of ancestral property, where women have been given equal rights, we have scores of women executing relinquishment deeds in courts. In Haryana, a scrutiny of all deeds shows that the release deeds, transfer deeds and wills (the three most common means to deprive women of ancestral property) make up for roughly one-fourth of the 23 different documents. Thirty to 40 per cent of civil litigations in district courts pertain to where women are fighting for their rights. With patriarchy so deeply embedded that sons take precedence over the life partner, some changes need to be made to allow elderly women to live with more dignity.

A rough deal for daughters

We find the same anomalies in case of daughters as well. The girls are not given a share by their fathers or brothers. Usually, daughters themselves relinquish their rights to their brothers to maintain the relationship. As recently as February 2018, the Supreme Court has reiterated that every daughter is entitled to her share in her fathers property. Prakash vs Phulwati (2016) held the 2005 amendment retrospective, but this latest judgment has made it a general rule that a daughter, living or dead on the date of amendment, will be entitled to a share in her fathers property.

If we mull over statistics, we find that only 13 per cent women own land in some form. This is including Kerala, where matriarchal norms give rights to women. Overall, the many wrongs of women property rights paint a dismal picture.

Succession, only for men?

Khaps in Haryana have been against the 2005 amendment to Hindu Succession Act. They claim that this has increased litigation by 500 per cent and led to friction in the brother-sister bond. A lease deed is executed by the women of the family in the name of the male members. This doesnt attract any stamp duty, and gives away the daughters rights to their paternal inheritance called Hak Tyag.

The official machinery inclined towards patriarchal mindset also favours men. Daksh, a non-profit organisation, after collection of data from 300 courts found 66 per cent of litigation was related to land disputes and out of these 53.8 per cent were family disputes.

Awareness among girls about their rights is increasing. Ratna Vir, who wrote Daughter by Court Order, fought against her family to claim her right to ancestral property. Another popular case is that of the Scindia family of Gwalior. The sisters have filed cases for a share in the ancestral properties against their nephew Jyotiraditya Scindia and allege that he tried to sell family properties without partition.

There are cases where girls have been threatened or killed. One such case quoted in the Washington Post in September 2016, is of Leena Sharma, who owned 37 acres in Sohagpur, MP. She was working in the American Embassy School before she decided to start farming on her land. Her dream was never fulfilled as she was murdered. In 1986, Mary Roy, mother of Arundhati Roy, won the case that ensured equal inheritance rights for Syrian Christian women. The SC ordered that women of the community would have equal rights on father's property.
Vibha Sharma

Vibha Sharma in New Delhi

Environmentalist Swami Gyan Swaroop Sanand aka GD Agrawal is on a fast again. This time to remind Gangaputra of his commitment to Maa Ganga four-and-a-half years back. After his victory from the Varanasi constituency in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had declared that he was a putra (son) of this holy river. The state of Indias holy river is back in focus, especially in view of the approaching General Elections. The 85-year-old first made headlines when he sat on fast-unto-death demanding uninterrupted flow between Gangotri and Uttarkashi.

According to Rajendra Singh, recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the Ganga is currently in its worst state, worse than it was in 2014.

The Ganga is in the ICU. How can a son (read Modi) see his mother die such a painful death? No Prime Minister ever made such an emotional appeal in the name of the Ganga, and like everyone, I believed him, says Rajendra, also known as the waterman of India.

Himanshu Thakkar, coordinator, Sandrp (South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers & People), said, Gangas downward journey over the past three decades continues. It has not reversed or changed in these four years.

There is hope, still Climate change will exacerbate problems caused by water extraction. The Himalayan glaciers are estimated to supply 30 to 40 per cent of the water in the Ganga, which was at its worse this winter. The situation, environmentalists warn, is only expected to get worse. But there is hope. According to Himanshu Thakkar, India needed to make groundwater sustainability the focus of water policy, not dams which reduced groundwater recharge. Even though Bhakra Dam is credited for the Green Revolution, 73 per cent of the irrigation in Punjab is from groundwater, he added. The economic loss for the lack of safe drinking water was huge but a simple practice of community-linked rainwater harvesting, awareness backed by legal aids and government help could go a long way. Accounting for more than 40 per cent of water supply, groundwater was depleting faster than one thought. The crisis would worsen as demand would increase. And no, interlinking would not solve Indias water woes, it would only intensify them, warn experts. It will be more like linking of sewage than rivers. Rivers are living, breathing, life-giving entities with diverse bio-diversity and gene pools. They are like vessels carrying blood and you cannot mix different blood groups even as the last resort, Rajendra Singh says. But if India managed to harvest just 2 to 3 per cent of its annual rainfall, experts say, it could provide water throughout the year. Harvesting just 2 to 3 per cent of annual rainfall can be a gamechanger. Rainwater should be captured in natural vertical and horizontal fractures in river basins and other parts to recharge groundwater. Vertical fractures send the water directly to an aquifer. But when artificial dams are build, these rejuvenating vertical fractures are blocked and artificial facilities constructed from where water evaporates faster. Instead of interlinking, government should spend money on reviving our dying baolis (stepwells), johads, ponds, aquifers. Link crop patterns with rain patterns and treat rivers as living beings by linking your hearts and souls with them, Singh added.

Many more Gangas

While the holy river gasps for life, environmentalists say the majority of Indias rivers  big as well as small  are critical. Small rivers and tributaries feeding Ganga and Yamuna  on which depends the livelihood of around 132 crore Indians  are either dying or dead.

Not even one of the 13 key tributaries of Yamuna is healthy, says Manoj Mishra of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan adding Yamunas condition is truly scary. When tributaries are in such a bad shape, how can the river be healthy?

The worst among Yamunas tributaries are Hindon and Betwa. Chambal is dead in Kota while Ken, where all this planning of interlinking is being done, is itself struggling for the want of water. In Uttarakhand, all tributaries of Yamuna, including Tons and Giri, remain critical, says Mishra. Governments plans are largely focused on the abatement of pollution and setting up of sewage treatment plants. The first priority should have been to ensure aviralta (unhindered natural flow) of a river. First aim on natural dams, aquifers and catchment restoration, they will serve a river for the lifetime, feel experts. Unless aviralta is achieved, there can be no cleaning up but if government agencies do not have the requisite scientific assessment account on these natural resources, how can there even be a beginning, say environmentalists.

There is no report on the state of Indian rivers, no detailed classification or assessment of their health on important parameters. When a doctor begins treatment, he first calls for information on health parameters of the patient  blood pressure, heartbeat, blood and urine analysis  doesnt he? says Thakkar.

To begin with, there should have been an assessment of all river basins with resource mapping and classification as per water usage  drinking, agriculture and industries. Instead it is free for all, including the way the government looks at the most precious commodity  water.

Meanwhile, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) focuses on pollution and biochemical oxygen demand levels, while the Central Water Commission is more about water levels in reservoirs.

According to the CPCB, the number of polluted rivers increased from 121 in 2009 to 275 in 2015. Of the 445 rivers monitored by the CPCB in 29 states and six union territories, 275 have been polluted, it said.

Meanwhile, a 2016 assessment by independent organisations like WWF India, Intach and Sandrp found that 205 of the 290 assessed rivers in the really sick category and majority of others threatened. According to Rajendra Singh, it is not just small rivers but stretches of major rivers are also dead and drying up.

The alarm bells are ringing

Rivers, monsoon, groundwater, aquifers, forests, climate change and global warming are interlinked. Thakkar says those advocating barrages and dams are not even aware of the dynamics of Indias water usage.

Nearly 80 per cent of Indias water requirement is for irrigation, 90 per cent of which comes from groundwater? So why are they advocating dams, which destroy ecosystems, groundwater recharge systems, spell disaster for forests and biodiversity, besides displacing thousands, without even assessing the cost benefit, he says.

NITI Aayogs Composite Water Management Index recently made some alarming observations. It said India was suffering from the worst water crisis in its history. It further said 600 million Indians faced high to extreme water stress and about two lakh people died every year due to inadequate access to safe water. The crisis was expected to get worse by 2030, it said.

The fate of its rivers was sealed when India began its haphazard, rather unplanned, journey of mindless development and chemical and pesticide-ridden agricultural practices. And it is not just North and Central India. The situation is no better in the South, where many rivers like Godavari, Cauvery and Krishna are buckling under the pressure of pollution and population. Rivers are being treated as lifeless entities like sewage drains. Indian tradition once saw them as living entities, giving them the status of a deity, which is how it should have been, says Singh.

The availability of water is also important for maintaining peace. Keeping aside the contentious conflicts on water-sharing with neighbouring countries, India has water issues among states. With monsoon becoming erratic by the year  prolonged drier spells, excess rains in some parts and deficiency in others  inability to harness rainwater is fast converting fertile land into arid and semi-arid desert. Climate change and ecological disaster is no longer the future. It is here, it is now. Chandra Bhushan, Deputy Director-General of the Centre for Science and Environment, sees several similarities between recent weather conditions witnessed by North India and the ones that led to the creation of a Dust Bowl in America in the 1930s. Rising temperatures, change in wind and weather patterns are all adding to man-made reasons  unsustainable water-guzzling agriculture, depleting groundwater/aquifers and deforestation and erosion of the top soil.

It is time the government builds a narrative around land management and soil conservation, or else we may be headed for more intense dust storms in future. Recent signs in North India forewarn a disaster similar to the Dust Bowl, he warns.
vinaymishra188@gmail.com

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 22

As part of the Rispana River Rejuvenation campaign, thousands of people, led by Chief Minister Trivendra Rawat, on Sunday planted 2.5 lakh saplings along the river banks.

After planting a sapling at Keranwan village, the Chief Minister said the huge participation of people had strengthened his resolve to save the river.

He said the Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Buddhists were actively participating in the campaign. Citing the example of Thames in Britain, Rawat said if through collective efforts, the people of Britain could clean the river, why couldnt the people of Uttarakhand revive the Rispana.

Saying he was hopeful of the rivers revival, the Chief Minister said: It is our responsibility to ensure that the plants remain safe.

In the next phase of the campaign, a cleaniless drive would be launched on the banks of Rispana.

Earlier, Dehradun District Magistrate SA Murugesan said as part of the preparations for the Mission Rispana Rejuvenation, saplings of amaltas, shisham, katchnar, belpatra, amla, harad, baheda and tejpatta were being planted. He said saplings had already been distributed among schoolchildren through NGOs.

Murugesan said the Municipal Corporation, Forest Department, eco-task force, Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Public Works Department, Irrigation Department, Jal Sansthan, Food and Civil Supplies Department, Panchayati Raj, Rural Development and others were participating in the campaign.
singhking99@yahoo.com

KABUL, July 22

Afghan vice-president Abdul Rashid Dostum narrowly escaped a suicide bomb attack at Kabul airport as he returned home on Sunday from more than a year in exile in Turkey over allegations of torturing and abusing a political rival.

Dostum, who left Afghanistan last year after heavy pressure from Western donors including the US, drove away from the airport in a motorcade only minutes before the explosion, which police said killed at least 14 persons and wounded over 50.

He was unharmed in the blast, which was claimed by Islamic State, and made only brief mention of it when he met cheering supporters who had been waiting for hours to give him a red carpet reception at a rally at his office compound.

However, the incident underlined the increasingly volatile political climate in Kabul ahead of parliamentary poll in October that are seen as a dry run for more important presidential poll early next year.

Dostum backed calls for peace talks with the Taliban and thanked Afghanistan's international partners for their help while calling on Afghans to register for the elections.

Dostums return was in stark contrast to the outrage he faced after reports in 2016 that his guards had seized political rival Ahmad Eshchi and subjected him to beatings, torture and violent sexual abuse.

He denied Eshchi's accusations but, amid international demands that he face justice to show that powerful political leaders were not above the law, he left the country in May last year, saying he needed to seek medical treatment in Turkey.

Even in exile, he remained a powerful figure with wide support among his fellow ethnic Uzbeks in northern Afghanistan.  Reuters
editorial@tribune.com

Islamabad, July 22

Pakistans top court on Sunday said it had begun reviewing statements made by a judge alleging the countrys spy agencies were influencing judicial proceedings, as the powerful military called for an investigation.

Pakistans July 25 General Election has been hit by accusations of pre-poll rigging with ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) accusing the military of influencing the judiciary to deny it a second term.

Islamabad High Court judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui accused the countrys premier spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), of interfering in legal cases.

The ISI is fully involved in trying to manipulate the judicial proceedings, Siddiqui said in a speech to lawyers, adding the agency had told the court not to release Sharif and his daughter Maryam until after the elections.

In order to safeguard the sanctity and credibility of the state institutions, the Supreme Court has been requested to initiate appropriate process to ascertain the veracity of the allegations and take actions accordingly, the army said. Disqualification of candidates is one of the challenges the former ruling PML-N has faced ahead of the elections.  Reuters

Candidate Radesh Singh Tony, the brave

Radesh Singh Tony (centre) is the first independent candidate from Pakistans Sikh minority to run in conservative, northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The odds are already heavily stacked against Tony in a constituency populated with around 130,000 mostly Muslim registered voters, compared to just 160 Sikhs.

His two opponents come from parties backed by hardline religious organisations with links to militant groups. The contest comes just months after local community leader Charanjeet Singh was shot dead. If elected, Tony has vowed to serve all communities, but is still wary of simmering threats. We are vulnerable targets, Tony says. We are campaigning in an atmosphere of fear. AFP
gspannu7@gmail.com

Karachi, July 22

The suicide bomber who recently killed nearly 150 people at an election meeting in Pakistans troubled Balochistan province had studied at a religious seminary in Karachi before travelling to Afghanistan for militant training, police confirmed on Sunday.

Hafeez Abbasi struck at an election meeting of the Baluchistan Awami party in Mastung on July 13, killing nearly 150 people and injuring some 200 others in one of the deadliest attacks in Pakistans history.

Nawab Siraj Raisani, a candidate from PB-35 (Mastung), was among those killed in the attack, claimed by the Islamic State terror group.

We uncovered the identity of the bomber and his details by matching finger prints of an unclaimed body in the Mastung bomb blast, an official in the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Sindh Police said.

We matched it with the record available with the National Database and Registration Authority. It was confirmed that the alleged suicide bomber was a resident of Gharibabad Mohalla in Dhabeji, Thatta, he said.

A special CTD team went to Thatta and was told by the bombers father that Hafeez had been shifted to the Spin Boldak area of Afghanistan, he added.

Another official said the bombers father Muhammad Nawaz had revealed that not only his son, but his wife and two other sons and three daughters had also gone to Afghanistan.

According to the father, his son studied at a seminary in Shah Faisal Colony in Karachi where he was put on the path to militancy, the official said.

The official said it was confirmed that the three sisters of the suicide bomber were religious scholars in Afghanistan and had married ISIS militants there.  PTI
pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Islamabad, July 22

A leading PML-N candidate for the July 25 General Election was arrested and sent to Adiala jail after he was convicted by a court and handed down life imprisonment in a six-year-old case, in another setback to jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Hanif Abbasi, a senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, was convicted by the Control of Narcotics Substances Court of Rawalpindi and sentenced to life in the case related to misuse of controlled chemical ephedrine.

Abbasi, a close aide of Sharif, was arrested from the court yesterday and taken to Adiala Jail where the PML-N supremo is already jailed.

He was contesting the elections against Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid from Rawalpindi. His conviction will give Rashid a walkover since there is no covering candidate of the PML-N in the constituency. Rashid had regularly predicted in his speeches that Abbasi would be disqualified.

Abbasi was involved in the drug trade and he should face the results, Rashid said, commenting on the verdict.

The court acquitted seven other accused in the case while giving them the benefit of doubt.

The ephedrine case surfaced in March 2011 when the then federal minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin told the National Assembly that the government would investigate the allocation of 9,000 kg of ephedrine to pharmaceutical companies.

The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) registered a case against nine suspects, including Abbasi, in June 2012.

Abbasi was charged of misusing 500 kg of the controlled chemical ephedrine which he obtained for his company, Gray Pharmaceutical, in 2010.

He allegedly sold it to smugglers instead of using it as medicine.

Those absolved of charges included the son of former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Ali Musa Gilani, and former health minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin.

The conviction might further vitiate the atmosphere of elections which is already highly charged due to imprisonment of Sharif and his daughter in a corruption case.

Sharifs son-in-law retired Capt Muhammad Safdar was also disqualified from contesting polls after being convicted in Avenflied properties case. PTI
Ecuador is close to withdrawing asylum for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and evicting him from the Ecuadorian embassy in London where he has been living for six years, journalist Glenn Greenwald reported Saturday.

Source: Report: Ecuador close to evicting Julian Assange from London embassy | National | heraldmailmedia.com

I know right and wrong when I see it and Assange is being hung out to dry. But he has to have known that this is what ultimately would happen. He is not guilty of what he has been suppressed with, but after he is forced out, you will see what the truth is

Assange, why did you not come to Russia? (What the crap? UK??? and when did anyone benefit from running from America in the UK? You had a choice and I remember it well.you knew they were after you, way before they were officially after you)

In Russia: None of this would be happening right now and you would have been free to walk around

WtR
pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Islamabad, July 22

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Shehbaz Sharif has said that people can change his name if he does not take Pakistan ahead of India after coming into power, according to a media report on Sunday.

Sharif, the PML-N prime ministerial candidate, made the remarks while addressing a rally in Sargodha district in Punjab province yesterday.

He said that people can change his name if he does not take Pakistan ahead of India after coming into power, The Express Tribune reported.

They (Indians) will come to Wahga Border and call Pakistanis their master, 65-year-old Sharif was quoted as saying by the paper.

The former Punjab chief minister said that he would bring Pakistan at par with Malaysia and Turkey. He added that he would visit Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to learn from them and make Pakistan a great nation again.

He said that Pakistan cannot become a great nation by voting leaders like Imran Khan who have made false promises to our nation.

The U-turn signs should be removed from roads and should be replaced by the picture of Imran Khan, he said, adding that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chiefs politics is based on baseless allegations and false promises.

Khan alleged corruption against the Punjab government but not a single penny has been proved against me, the PML-N president said.

He was the chief minister of Punjab province from June 2013 to June 2018. He was elected as PML-N president in March after his elder brother Nawaz Sharif was disqualified as the party president following a Supreme Court verdict in the Elections Act 2017 case.

The PML-N chief said Nawaz Sharif came back to Pakistan leaving his ailing wife in London but Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz were arrested at the airport.

Nawaz Sharif was not even allowed to meet his mother, he added.

Both Sharif and Maryam have been sentenced by a court to 10 and seven years in prison, respectively, for corruption charges. Maryams husband Muhammad Safdar was jailed for one year. PTI
pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Dubai, July 22

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday cautioned U.S. President Donald Trump about pursuing hostile policies against Tehran, saying America should know ... war with Iran is the mother of all wars, the state new agency IRNA reported.

Iran faces increased US pressure and looming sanctions after Trumps decision to withdraw the United States from a 2015 international deal over Irans nuclear programme.

Addressing a gathering of Iranian diplomats, Rouhani said: Mr Trump, dont play with the lions tail, this would only lead to regret, IRNA reported.

America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars, Rouhani said.

You are not in a position to incite the Iranian nation against Irans security and interests, Rouhani said, in an apparent reference to reported efforts by Washington to destabilise Irans Islamic government.

In Washington, US officials familiar with the matter told Reuters that the Trump administration has launched an offensive of speeches and online communications meant to foment unrest and help pressure Iran to end its nuclear programme and its support of militant groups.

Current and former US officials said the campaign paints Iranian leaders in a harsh light, at times using information that is exaggerated or contradicts other official pronouncements, including comments by previous administrations. Reuters
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You aren't breaking OFF the journey, which would mean ending it before the destination on the ticket (which is perfectly fine), you just want to BREAK (interrupt) it, i.e. stop off at Colmar on the way between Basel and Strasbourg.

From the general terms and conditions (https://www.oui.sncf/ext/editorial/pdf/cgv/dispositions-generales-sncf.pdf 3.3), a TER ticket is valid, on the route for which it was issued, for 24 hrs from validation (= "compostage", for tickets purchased at the station; time and date of train departure selected, for e-tickets); a printed TER ticket is valid on TER trains only, on the date selected. If the journey covered by the ticket is interrupted for more than 24 hrs, or the number of interruptions results in exceeding the time limit, the holder would be charged the difference between the cost of the through-ticket purchased and the cost of individual tickets for the legs travelled.

So when NOT interrupting the trip for more than 24 hrs, or otherwise exceeding the time limit, you can certainly stop off along the direct route covered by your ticket, and continue under the same ticket to reach your destination on the same date.

Note, however, that under 3.4, you have to validate (composter) the ticket in the machine when you depart from Colmar after stopping there. This applies to "le billet Papier IATA, le billet Papier ISO, le billet electronique ou le Billet a Valeur correspondant a celui-ci". And I presume that what you will have is the electronic ticket or "ticket of corresponding value"! Anyway, better to validate when not necessary than not validate when it was....

AND, I presume you have in any case purchased a separate TER ticket from the TGV ticket for Strasbourg to Marne-la-Vallee - because your TGV ticket will be for a fixed departure: you can reach Strasbourg on a later TER train than the one you would have arrived on if you had stayed on the one on which you originally departed from Basel, but you can't catch a later TGV than the one shown on your ticket, you would need a new ticket. So you do need 2 tickets, TER + TGV (but you don't need 2 TER tickets).
when did you contact the High Commission - today is Sunday - have your 3 working days elapsed or just three days?

It really doesn't matter what others wrote - its what YOU write and you must tell the truth - if not you may find yourself refused boarding or worse, stopped at the border on arrival. I understand you have an emergency but be patient
Hi All,

I post here last year and got some very good guidance for a trip itinerary for a trip I am now planning for December 2019 (to allow more time to save towards our budget!).

After doing some more research/planning my updated itinerary is below, I was hoping for some further input/feedback on it. The aim is to have a good itinerary to allow booking ASAP when the flights are released etc.

We are a couple in our mid-20's looking for a trip to Australia (most likely once in a lifetime trip due to the cost etc), and would be looking to take advantage of time off at Christmas with some more annual holiday for a trip around ~25 days. We are an easy going couple who like relaxing on beaches, being active (walks/watersports etc) & short city breaks.

We both picked our top three places to visit as the GBR, Daintree and Sydney (especially if NYE could be captured), hence the plan is:

Travel from UK to Ciarns

4x days in Cairns (inc. day trips for the GBR & Daintree)

1x day travel to Airlie Beach/Whitsunday islands (flying?)

2x days at Airlie Beach/Whitsunday islands (inc. possibly an overnight tour)

1x day travel to Noosa (or other spot to allow FI trip)

2x days on Fraser Island (overnight tour)

4x days in Noosa (inc trips to the Everglades, Australia Zoo, and Christmas day)

4x days in Surfers Paradise (inc trips to Byron Bay, a theme park and possibly Brisbane)

4x days in Sydney (inc NYE & a day trip to the Blue Mountains)

Return trip

Overall, is this a balanced itinerary to offer a lot of sightseeing, while still allowing some time to relax!? Obviously we are missing some major hotspots (Uluru/Melbourne) but does this plan capture the majority of the sights on the East Coast? Originally I planned a few days in Brisbane, but I think more time on the coast would be better at this time of year?

I would need to research the travel options between these locations (any help would be appreciated), but I would hope to fly the larger distances, and use public transport/day trips from the "bases" we are staying at - although a car may be useful in the Gold/Sunshine Coast period? I understand a camper van in the December heat/humidity could be unpleasant

As I say any guidance on this would be appreciated!

Thank you
I think your confusion is Indian passport holders cannot stay up to 8 hrs without a visa if you are just transiting on a connecting flight (not leaving airport). So you have to apply for the normal 72hrs ones but once you are granted that then you can go anywhere within that period.

It appears a lot of Indian travellers to NZ are not made aware of that visa requirement by their TA or airline when they bought the ticket.

Edited: 3 years ago
Hello,

Could someone please help me to clarify this.

I'm planning to visit NYC in next month for just 3 days and I was searching for the best transport option for subway. I'm planning to stay near Times Square, keeping my subway travel to minimum. I actually prefer to walk as much as possible but not very long distances. I will need 1 ride from JFK to Manhattan, 1 return ride to JFK and apprx 5-6 local rides within Manhattan. Below are my concerns,

1) If I purchase 10 ride AirTrain Metro Card, can I use 2 rides to travel from/to JFK and the rest 8 rides to travel locally in Manhattan subway ?

2) If NO, whats the best option for me ?

Thanks in advance :)
To begin, my overall experience with Kriebel Dental was fantastic, and I highly recommend them to everyone! Now for more details:

PRIOR TO TREATMENT - I knew I needed some dental work, but I had put it off for years due to both timing and funds; there was no pain, so I was in no rush. I remember reading an article in the Boston Globe about medical tourism in Costa Rica, and that's what triggered me into action. After doing a LOT of internet research, including reading ALL 1500+ posts on the TripAdvisor thread, I narrowed my choices to Kriebel and Nova Dental. I contacted both, and I heard back from Vivianne at Kriebel within 24 hours. Nova Dental responded 3 days later, at which point I was already feeling comfortable with Kriebel. (I get the feeling that if I had ended up with Nova, I would have been just as happy.)

I knew I needed a few crowns and a bridge. Kriebel asked me to get x-rays locally, plus take photos of my mouth, and send them via email. I used a $59 introductory offer from Gentle Dental to get the x-rays. Gentle Dental also gave me an estimate of the work I needed, which was just over $15k. A few days after sending the info to Kriebel, I got a treatment plan from Dr. Mariano Kriebel, which included the recommended work and their exact costs. It also said I needed to be there for 10 days for treatment - after fitting for the crowns, they need a week to be manufactured, and then inserted. Based on that data, I planned a two-week trip, arriving on Sunday (March 11th) and going home two weeks later (March 26).

ON-SITE - I rented an AirBnB just on the other side of La Sabana Park, a lovely 15-minute walk through the park to the Kriebel office. Vivianne arranged for a driver to pick me up at the airport ($20). I had dental appointments scheduled for Mon, Tues & Wed, each for a half-day. It appears that they only book two patients per day, one for the morning and one for the afternoon. There were never any wait times, other than 5-10 minutes if I got there a little early. I ended up being treated by Dr. Mariano Kriebel. These first days included a full exam and x-rays, and solidifying a plan of action - six crowns, one bridge, one implant, and a root canal. On Tuesday I had the root canal done by Dr. Ana Lucia Perez. On Wednesday, the six crowns were fitted, and temps installed.

I then had a week for vacation, with my follow-up appointments being the following Thursday & Friday. That's for another topic, but I had a wonderful time driving around and exploring Arenal, Guanacaste and the San Jose areas.

On Thursday, all the crowns and the bridge were installed. One of the crowns didn't fit to Dr. Mariano's satisfaction, so he took it off (not an easy task, as it had already cemented on), took another cast of the tooth, and rush-ordered a new crown to be made overnight. Everything else went very smoothly. Friday afternoon, I had my implant done and the last crown put on. I went back Saturday just for a quick follow-up, everything was perfect. After a quick overnight trip to Manuel Antonio, I flew home Monday.

POST-TREATMENT - Honestly, there's very little to report here. I found the bridge to be sensitive to cold, which suprised me a bit. However, a Google search showed that this was fairly normal, and should dissipate within a month or two. And that's exactly what happened. Otherwise, there were no post-treatmemt issues at all.

OVERALL - I can't stress enough how happy I was with Kriebel Dental, and the staff in particular. Dr. Mariano was very attentive, always explaining ahead of time what he was doing, and always checking to see if I was in any pain. Other than very minor discomfort, the entire process was about as pain-free as you could ever expect. The worst of it was usually the novocaine shot. Once or twice when drilling he might get close to a nerve, which it was obvious by my reaction, and he would immediately stop and either add more numbing or stop working in that area. Dr. Perez was similarly attuned - the root canal ended up being quite involved, but she did a great job, making sure she was able to get every little crevice, including one that could only be seen when wearing a magnifier. The staff assistants didn't seem to be speak English (and I spoke no Spanish), but each were super nice and efficient. And of course the best part - I believe I saved about $10k!

After 4-6 months, I need to return to have my implant completed, and a possible tooth extraction. Believe it or not, I'm actually looking forward to it!
I'd suggest forget counting nights and think about how many full days to spend for sightseeing and activities in each place.

I'd have to disagree with post#1 suggestions...5 places in 10 days?! Far too much. Most experienced TA travellers would agree. It's making the all-too-common mistake of trying to cram in as much as possible.

To enjoy what wonderful Vietnam has to offer, go for 'experiencing' rather than just 'seeing'.

I'll be on my 4th visit there this year, and always find plenty to enjoy.
It really depends on whether you stop along the way. If you want to walk straight through...it's totally fine.

But if it were me, and I started at the north end of the High Line, I would walk it straight down, stopping along the way to smell the roses...ok, no roses, but different flowers, and various art installations....figure about 45 minutes. Then come down into the Meatpacking district...maybe get some food...you're a tourist, you may choose to go to Chelsea Market or Gansevoort Market. Then maybe a little shopping in the area...continue through to the Village (please look at plaques along the way, they take maybe 90 seconds to read, but there's all of these little stories of famous generals or whatever that lived there or some other nonsense. They amuse me endlessly). Pass the Stonewall Inn where the first gay riots took place. Or look for places that Peter Paul and Mary played. Or, if you must, find Carrie's brownstone or the Friends corner cafe (at least the outside of the building. Walk on Bleecker street, and play Simon and Garfunkel's Wednesday Morning 3AM on your whatever you listen to music with. Go to Washington Square Park and see where Harry dropped off Sally.

I assume from the daisies avatar that you're a woman. Go to the best little lingerie store ever...get fitted by Rebecca herself at La Petite Coquette at University and 10th...ok, I've digressed.

Continue to SoHo. Don't walk on Broadway where there are too many chain stores, walk on Mercer, Wooster, or Greene Street. If you must, West Broadway. Walk the side streets.

Stop at Balthazar, just because..get a drink, or french fries, or take some croissants back to your hotel. Check out the street artists on Prince and Spring. There's one or two that are REALLY good. While you're in the neighborhood, check out the Housing Works consignment store. It's probably the best of all of them. Then continue to the East Village.

Yes, you can do it all in one day. But do NOT rush. There's a lot to see and experience. I've not mentioned all of the great ice cream, gelato, pastry shops...other great food and snacks. Old buildings, new buildings. The Whitney. Art galleries (you can see some from the High Line).

If I were a tourist, I would want to spend 3 days just doing these areas. Most race through them in a morning. But honestly, there's so much to absorb.
Re: Drive from Canada to N.Y. City. Which route is more scenic?

4. Re: Drive from Canada to N.Y. City. Which route is more scenic?

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Every president in the world owns a private jet and for some countries, the jet is passed over to presidents as they begin their terms while in other countries with different political systems, the president uses a different private jet from the one who was previously in office.

These presidential planes are used to take the president, his family and his crew across countries and states when needed.

Photos of Russia's President, Vladimir Putin's, presidential plane surfaced on social media and the interior of the 4,000 square feet plane would make your jaw drop.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens.

According to MailOnline, the plane comes with a gold-plated toilet, a king-sized bed and a gym for the president to stay fit.

READ ALSO: Doreen Moraa, msichana mwenye umri wa miaka 25, hafichi hali yake ya HIV na ni mrembo ajabu

Inside President Putins private jet which looks like a fancy hotel Photo source: Reuters

READ ALSO: 10 Cabinet Secretaries among 30 people implicated in KSh 1.5 billion Ruaraka land scam

The Russian president is also rumoured to have four presidential planes at his disposal.

It was gathered the aircraft is a wide-bodied, long-haul airliner that is easily distinguishable from the passenger model by its extended fuselage.

It also comes with special coating system that makes it less visible to radar and was constructed to act as a management centre capable of carrying out the prompt commandment of troops in case of unexpected conflict.

MailOnline revealed the plane was constructed by Voronezh's airline company.

READ ALSO: Court of Appeal nullifies election of Cyprian Awiti as Homa Bay county governor

Comes with gold-plated toilets Photo source: EuroPics

It was reported that all of the president's private planes have similar interiors and same functions.

Three of the planes are reported to be used as decoys and they are all ready for take off whenever the president is ready for an event.

The photographs of the interiors were reportedly leaked years ago causing outrage among Russians.

READ ALSO: Administration Police to be phased out in new restructuring proposals

It reportedly cost 45 to 60 million dollars Photo source: Anitti Aimo Koivisto REX

Here are more photos showing the inside of Putin's jet that will leave your jaw dropped.

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Comes with well-furnished sitting rooms Photo source: EuroPics

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- The students received treatment at Kenyatta Hospital for minor injuries

- Kenya Red Cross said all the affected students were in stable condition

- The incident comes in the wake of rampant cases of arson attacks in schools across the country

At least 12 students have been rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) after fire broke out at Highway Secondary School in South B, Nairobi, on Sunday morning.

The students received treatment for minor burns, soft tissue injuries and smoke inhalation.

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READ ALSO: High school girls set school on fire after being separated from boys

Fire broke out at Highway Secondary School in South B Nairobi on Sunday morning. Photo: CapitalFM.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: School fires return to haunt Kenya

Confirming the incident, Kenya Red Cross said the inferno had been contained although cause of fire was still unknown.

"The fire has been contained. Twelve casualties were rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital," Kenya Red Cross tweeted.

READ ALSO: Kerongorori school srudents chased away by angry residents

Other unconfirmed reports seen by TUKO.co.ke on Sunday afternoon indicated the number of students injured in the morning inferno could be as high as 31.

Kenya Red Cross clarified the affected students were all in stable condition.

The incident comes against a backdrop of arson attacks in schools across the country with students being accused of causing the fires in most cases.

READ ALSO: School fires are planned by cartels, senator says

The government had warned parents of students who would be found responsible for causing the fires would be forced to pay.

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- The Nandi Hills MP said he was among those who were praying hard so that Ruto does not become president

- He accused the DP of stealing from Kenyans and enriching himself using proceeds of corruption

- Keter also claimed he recently received a phone call from Ruto warning him to stop fighting his 2022 ambition

- The vocal MP vowed to traverse the country to warn Kenyans against electing Ruto as president in 2022

Nandi Hills Member of Parliament Alfred Keter has poured cold water on Deputy President William Ruto's 2022 presidential ambition claiming the DP is a notorious thief and therefore cannot be trusted with leadership.

Keter vowed to criss-cross the country to warn Kenyans against electing Ruto in 2022 because in his view the DP was irredeemably corrupt.

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READ ALSO: William Ruto is intelligent but surrounded by fools and greedy people - Alfred Keter

Nandi Hills Member of Parliament (L) accused the Deputy President William Ruto (R) of being irredeemably corrupt.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Ruto akaidi amri ya Uhuru kuhusu miradi ya serikali?

Addressing the public on Saturday, July 21, Keter claimed the DP and other Rift Valley politicians whom he did not mention were stealing from Kenyans and making the Kalenjin community look bad.

"They have taken us for a ride. They are now stealing from us. Recently I asked him (DP Ruto) because he called me saying I have started intimidating his 2022 presidential ambition...the looters of this country loot on behalf of themselves, not even their families sometimes," Keter said.

READ ALSO: Two Jubilee MPs risk losing seats for campaigning for William Ruto's 2022 presidential bid

The vocal lawmaker whose August 8 election victory was on July 10 upheld by the Court of Appeal in Eldoret disclosed he was one of those who were praying hard so that Ruto does not become the next president of Kenya in 2022.

"My prayer is for you (Ruto) not to be the president because if you become one, other Kenyan tribes will hate us the Kalenjin saying we are thieves," he said.

READ ALSO: Troubled Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter loses seat

TUKO.co.ke understands Keter's bitter fallout with the Jubilee party and more especially Ruto started with his ejection from position of chairperson of Parliamentary Labour Committee after he defied orders to step aside for someone else.

The MP was also on February 16, 2018, arrested alongside two other Kenyans for allegedly forging treasury bills in attempts to steal KSh 633 million from Central Bank of Kenya (CBK).

He pleaded not guilty and was released on bail.

READ ALSO: Quit if you are not happy - Jubilee tells rebel MPs

Keter has persistently accused Ruto and other Rift Valley leaders allied to the Jubilee party of fighting him because of his stand on corruption.

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- The three-day ritual exercise kicked off by roasting of a sheep at Karama market

- The sects chairman Mucheke Thinkii said that the gods were the last resort in ending the spate of fires

- At least 10 schools in Meru have been affected by fires and over 50 learners have been arrested over the fire cases

Njuri Ncheke elders in Meru County have resorted to invoking traditional spirits in a move to provide a solution for the rising cases of school unrest and arson.

The sects chairman Mucheke Thinkii stated that the gods were the last resort in ending the spate of fires that has wrecked secondary schools in the Country. Daily Nation reported on Sunday, July 22.

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READ ALSO: God told me the cause of school fires, says Princess Farida

Residents stare at a burning dormitory at St Mary's Girls' in Mumias. Njuri Ncheke elders in Meru have resorted to invoking the gods to end the menace.

Source: Twitter

READ ALSO: Kanjuri High school students admitted, teachers injured as residents clash with rioting students

The three-day ritual exercise punctuated by roasting of a sheep at Karama market. It came to a close on Saturday, July 21.

We are here to curse anyone behind the burning of our schools. We feel that students may not be the only ones behind the school fires. Anyone inciting students will face the wrath of the curse. This ritual will serve as a warning to anyone planning to cause unrest in our schools, Thinkii said.

READ ALSO: Exorcise demons from students who burn schools - KUPPET official proposes

The elders chanted as they danced around the blaze that was consuming the slain sheep.

Luuma, Karama and Mukuiru secondary schools are among the learning institutions that have been affected by the reel of fires in the devolved unit.

READ ALSO: If Ruto becomes president, Kenyans will think all Kalenjins are thieves - Alfred Keter

The leaders also appealed to the government to reintroduce thorough caning in schools attributing surging indiscipline to the withdrawal of the cane.

The government should allow caning in school even if it has to be done by the parents. Disciplining the youth through talk is not helping, he said.

At-least 10 schools in Meru have been affected by the fires and over 50 learners have been arrested over the fire cases. Photo: TUKO.co.ke

Source: Original

READ ALSO: Uhuru's projects freeze order sparks fresh tension in Jubilee party

At-least 10 schools in Meru have been affected by fires and over 50 learners have been arrested over the fire cases.

Meru County Commissioner Wilfred Nyagwanga, however, affirmed that the cases have since been put under control.

Teachers, he said have stepped-up surveillance in schools and security agencies have joined in restoring sanity.

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- No Jubilee candidate will be fielded to contest for the Migori county Senate seat by election

- The decision was made public by Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju

- According to a statement, the move to pull out of the contest would help in the building bridges initiative

The ODM party already seems to have scored big in the upcoming Migori County Senate seat by-election after the Jubilee party backed out of the contest.

In a statement seen by TUKO.co.ke, the ruling party announced there would be no candidate from their camp who would be fielded for the by-election.

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READ ALSO: Wahindi 21 wakamatwa wakifanya ukahaba katika danguro la mtaa wa kifahari Nairobi

Tuju, through a statement, announced there would be no Jubilee candidate in the Migori by-election. Photo: Jubilee/Facebook

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Late Migori senator Ben Oluoch had more than 25 children

The decision was arrived at by the National management committee and it was intended to facilitate the Building Bridges initiative taken by President Uhuru Kenyatta and his ODM counterpart Raila Odinga.

"The National Management Committee unanimously decided that the party will not field a candidate during the forthcoming Senatorial by elections in Migori, the statement read in part.

READ ALSO: Migori County mourns senator and ex-radio presenter Ben Oluoch Okello

A similar resolve was reached by Jubilee party in March when Kitui West constituency went back to the ballot following the passing of MP Francis Nyenze,

The Kitui West contest also did not feature any Jubilee party candidate as Wiper party candidate Edith Nyenze scooped her late husbands former post.

READ ALSO: Mau eviction row escalates as Murkomen vows to fight on for the poor

ODM party, which is the dominant force in the county is now likey to carry the day after the by-election.

As reported earlier, the Migori Senator Ben Oluoch passed away on June 19 at the MP Shah hospital after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Despite Jubilee party virtually handing the Migori Senatorial seat to ODM, Raila 's party will on Monday, July 23 begin the process of shortlisting and vetting of a potential candidate

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Russia held illegitimate referenda in Crimea in March 2014 and in Donbas in May 2014.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst says the Kremlin has no right to offer to hold a new referendum in Donbas amid Russian aggression there.

"There is no point now in speaking whether a referendum in Donbas [that might] be organized by the United States and Russia is possible and whether Ukraine would agree to such a plebiscite in its territory. Most of all, the point is a real end of the war, a real ceasefire. There is shelling every day, there are casualties every day, and basically it's a problem of Russian, Kremlin aggression ... The ceasefire is most important ... Only then it will be possible to talk about a referendum," the ambassador said in an interview in Russian to RTVi, a New York-based international Russian-language privately owned television network.

The diplomat says the idea of a referendum in Donbas is bad, because, first of all, Russia, as an aggressor, has seized Ukraine's Crimea and unleashed war in Ukraine's Donbas.

Read alsoKlimkin: Russia not interested in Donbas peace, seeking to ruin Ukraine

"First of all, Russia should withdraw its troops and take weapons away from there [Donbas], and then it will be possible to make public its position regarding the situation in the east of Ukraine, that is, about a referendum," the ambassador said.

Speaking about the previous Russian-controlled "referenda" in Crimea in March 2014 and in Donbas in May 2014, Herbst called them a show-off: illegitimate, without unbiased observers, and being conducted at the barrel of guns.

According to him, Putin is aware of the situation in Washington, D.C., very well, namely, that U.S. President Donald Trump treats him with affection. At the same time, as the diplomat emphasizes, the Russian president understands that Congress and advisers to the American president are acting to counteract his policy.

"That is why Putin agreed with Trump to hold a meeting without advisers, and Putin thought he could convince Trump during the summit to take the decisions he needed," Herbst said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was held in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16. Following the meeting, Putin said he had discussed with Trump the possibility of holding a new referendum in Russian-occupied Donbas as a way of resolving the ongoing crisis.

Later last week, the United States rejected a proposal from Russia for a referendum to be held to decide the fate of eastern Ukraine, saying it would not be legitimate since the area is not under control of the Ukrainian government.
The final version of the document is to be presented soon.

Ukraine plans to slap sanctions on all legal entities and individuals involved in the organization of broadcasting in Russian-occupied Crimea.

"We've collected all the information where Russian radio stations and channels work in Crimea. We've collected information about their heads, owners, all officials who distributed frequencies among those radio stations. This is a 500-page document. Its final version is to be presented soon. And all these people will get what they deserve," member of Ukraine's National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting Serhiy Kostinsky told the news outlet Krym.Realii.

Read alsoEU envoys slap sanctions against six people involved in illegal construction Crimean bridge  Poroshenko

The draft document is being developed by the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting in cooperation with the Security Service, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Information Policy.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukrainian media outlets that broadcast to the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and Russian-annexed Crimea will increase the share of programs in the Ukrainian language to 75% from October this year.
Currently, there are about 150 Ukrainians in Greek prisons who are convicted on similar charges.

A court in Greece has sentenced Serhiy Shvayuk, a musician of the Ivano-Frankivsk band Perkalaba, and his friend Petro Lytvynchuk to 180 years in prison for smuggling of migrants.

The trial took place on July 20, both were found guilty, the Ukrainian news outlet Slidstvo.Info said.

Interpreter of the prosecutor's office in the city of Piraeus Lidia Kostiv said that the Ukrainians were charged on several counts: illegal crossing of the borders of a European Union country, making people exposed to danger on an overcrowded boat and the lack of life-saving equipment. Also, Shvayuk and Lytvynchuk had no documents allowing them to use the boat.

Greek lawyer of the Ukrainians Zacharias Kesses explained that such long terms are due to the peculiarities of the Greek legislation. In his words, there were 63 illegal migrants on the boat with the two Ukrainians.

"They can add 10-15 years for every illegal migrant when the verdict is considered. Initially, they were facing 630 years behind bars," the lawyer said.

Read alsoUkrainian smugglers use luxury yachts to bring illegal migrants into EU  media

Relatives of the sailors say that the men had been forced into this situation, without having any intention of committing a crime.

Petro Lytvynchuk's mother says the two men went to work in Turkey, where they were offered a job of the captain's assistants on a pleasure yacht. But already in Turkey, the employers made the Ukrainians transport migrants on a yacht. Unknown armed people threatened Lytvynchuk and Shvayuk with physical violence.

According to Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, currently there are about 150 Ukrainians in Greek prisons who are convicted on similar charges. Some of their terms exceed 600 years. According to relatives and lawyers, the majority of the convicts committed the crime unconsciously or under duress.
No casualties have been reported.

Russian-led forces mounted 15 attacks on Ukrainian troops in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, in the past day, July 21, resorting to proscribed weapons twice.

"The Russian occupation forces were shelling the defenders of the villages of Krymske, Prychepylivka, Mayorsk, Pisky, Lebedynske, Pavlopil, Talakivka, and Shyrokyne. They also opened fire on the towns of Avdiyivka and Krasnohorivka," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in a morning update on Facebook on July 22. "What is more, the enemy resorted to 82mm mortars near Lebedynske and Talakivka twice."

Read alsoDonbas update: 3 Ukrainian troops wounded in enemy shelling

"By their provocative action, the invaders tried to force the JFO military to fire back in order to further blame Ukraine for the failure to observe the ceasefire, "the JFO HQ said.

From 00:00 to 07:00 on Sunday, July 22, the enemy has already mounted five attacks on Ukrainian troops.

Hot spots on Sunday were Talakivka, Shyrokyne, as well as the villages of Krysmke, Vodiane, and Hnutivka.

No casualties among Ukrainian servicemen were reported over the period under review.
According to unofficial information, two Moldovan citizens were convicted in Ukraine.

Moldova's Security and Intelligence Service (SIS) reports that 56 citizens of Moldova are fighting against Ukraine's army on the side of the Russian-led forces in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, while unofficially this number is estimated at 100 people.

Mercenaries from Moldova became active since the beginning of Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2014, the Ukrainian news outlet ZN.ua reported with reference to Moldova's regional publication Ziarul de Garda.

"Some 18 people of those identified by the SIS so far in cooperation with other agencies and partners from abroad have been detained, and about 15 people have already been convicted. According to unofficial information, two Moldovan citizens were convicted in Ukraine," SIS Public Relations Officer Daniella Mynzat has said.

While mercenaries in Moldova are tried on charges of mercenarism, Ukraine applies the "terrorism" article of the Criminal Code, but both countries handle such cases as criminal ones, the journalists explain.

Read alsoTwo members of Russia-led forces eliminated by Ukraine's army in Donbas (Photo)

A mercenary in Moldova is facing imprisonment for a term of three to seven years, while the punishment for the recruitment of mercenaries is imprisonment from five to ten years.

About 70% of mercenaries fighting in the ranks of the Russian occupation forces in Donbas come from socially disadvantaged families or are unemployed. More than half of them are from Transnistria. Most often, money is the motive for their participation in the war in the east of Ukraine.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies identified 54 foreign mercenaries fighting on behalf of military units of the self-proclaimed republics in Donbas.
President Poroshenko says he hopes the Ukrainian flag will be raised in all villages, towns and cities in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

This weekend three towns in Ukraine's Luhansk region mark the fourth anniversary of liberation from Russia's occupation.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko greeted the residents of Rubizhne, Severodonetsk and Lysychansk on the fourth anniversary of liberation.

"These days four years ago our courageous defenders brought peace back to Severodonetsk, Lysychansk and Rubizhne, having liberated them from Russian mercenaries," the president wrote on Facebook on July 22.

"I am confident that the Ukrainian blue and yellow flag will be raised in all cities, towns and villages of Donetsk and Luhansk regions," the president added.

An operation to liberate the towns took several days. On July 21, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard and volunteer battalions liberated the town of Rubizhne from terrorist groups. Severodonetsk became free on July 22, and the Ukrainian flag was raised over Lysychansk on July 24.
Their injuries are minor.

Two male civilians, 43 and 45, are reported to have been injured in an explosion of an unknown device in the town of Maryinka, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine.

One of the men is said to have stepped on an explosive device, which detonated in his own yard, the press service of the Ukrainian police in Donetsk region has said.

Read alsoUkraine's army reports 15 enemy attacks in Donbas in past day

The man came to his house with a friend to check the situation, as the owner together with the family had temporarily moved from the area because of war.

Two injured were taken to hospital in the neighboring town of Kurakhove. Their injuries are minor and there is no threat to their life.

Police opened a criminal case on charges of a terrorist act.
Butina worked for Torshin, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and served as his interpreter at various Washington events.

Accused Russian agent Maria Butina had wider high-level contacts in Washington than previously known, taking part in 2015 meetings between a visiting Russian official and two senior officials at the U.S. Federal Reserve and Treasury Department.

The meetings, revealed by several people familiar with the sessions and a report from a Washington think tank that arranged them, involved Stanley Fischer, Fed vice chairman at the time, and Nathan Sheets, then Treasury undersecretary for international affairs, Reuters said in an exclusive report.

Butina traveled to the United States in April 2015 with Alexander Torshin, then the Russian Central Bank deputy governor, and they took part in separate meetings with Fischer and Sheets to discuss U.S.-Russian economic relations during Democratic former President Barack Obama's administration.

The two meetings, which have not been previously reported, reveal a wider circle of high-powered connections that Butina sought to cultivate with American political leaders and special interest groups.

Read alsoRussian woman with close NRA ties arrested in U.S. on spy charges

The meetings with Fischer and Sheets were arranged by the Center for the National Interest, a Washington foreign policy think tank that often advocates pro-Russia views.

The meetings were documented in a Center for the National Interest report seen by Reuters that outlined its Russia-related activities from 2013 to 2015. The report described the meetings as helping bring together "leading figures from the financial institutions of the United States and Russia."

A judge on Wednesday ordered Butina, 29, jailed until her trial after U.S. prosecutors argued she has ties to Russian intelligence and could flee the United States. Butina has pleaded not guilty to charges she acted as a foreign agent for Russia.

Butina worked for Torshin, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and served as his interpreter at various Washington events.

Fischer, an in email to Reuters, confirmed he met with Torshin and his interpreter. While he could not recall details, Fischer said the conversation involved "the state of the Russian economy" and Torshin's new role as deputy central bank governor.

Another person familiar with the meeting, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it occurred on April 7, 2015, and confirmed Butina attended.

Read alsoTrump asks security adviser to invite Putin to U.S.

Federal prosecutors have accused Butina of conspiring with two American citizens and a top Russian official to influence U.S. policy toward Russia and infiltrate a gun rights group believed to be the National Rifle Association. The NRA is an influential pro-gun lobby with close ties to Republican politicians including President Donald Trump.

Questions relating to Russia have cast a cloud over Trump's presidency.

The Treasury Department in April imposed sanctions on Torshin and a number of other Russian businessmen and government officials in Putin's inner circle.

The think tank hosted Trump at an event at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington in April 2016 also attended by Sergei Kislyak, Russia's ambassador to Washington at the time. Two months earlier, the group's Russian-born CEO, Dimitri Simes, traveled to Moscow, where he met with Putin and other Russian officials, the organization's records showed.

The April visit came about a year after Obama's administration imposed sanctions on Russia for its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region.
KARACHI, Jul 19 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jul, 2018 ) :Pakistan Mercantile Exchange Limited's commodity index on Wednesday closed at 3,559 points; with traded value of metals, energy and COTS/FX recorded at Rs 5.484 billion.

The number of lots traded was 9,173, said press release on Thursday. (The data is compiled and released after 24 hours).

Major business was contributed by WTI crude oil amounting to Rs 2.154 billion, followed by gold Rs 1.128 billion, currencies through COTS Rs 1.077 billion, platinum Rs 260.255 million, DJ Rs 206.579 million, NSDQ100 Rs 186.583 million, silver Rs 186.514 million, copper Rs 163.993 million, SP500 Rs 66.526 million, natural gas Rs 37.608 million and Brent crude oil Rs 16.128 million.
(@FahadShabbir)

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 22nd Jul, 2018) H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, today received Mark Lowcock, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.

During their meeting, which was held at the ministrys premises in Abu Dhabi, both sides discussed their joint humanitarian work, as well as mechanisms for strengthening their humanitarian cooperation, and their response to emergencies in various countries, including Yemen.

Sheikh Abdullah welcomed the visit of Lowcock, while affirming that the UAE is firmly committed to its humanitarian work and supporting the UNs efforts to respond to emergencies and provide relief assistance in Yemen and other countries.

Lowcock praised the UAEs humanitarian work, while noting that the country is aware and understands the nature of crises, and is responding to them in modern and innovative ways. He added that the UAE is a pioneer of international humanitarian work, demonstrating its strong commitment to humanitarian principles, while supporting the UNs relief efforts.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Sultan bin Ahmad Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State, and Sultan Mohammad Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for International Development Affairs.
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DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 22nd Jul, 2018) Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Infrastructure Development, and Stanimir Vukicevic, Ambassador of Serbia to the UAE, discussed the means of strengthening the joint cooperation, and further developing bilateral relations, between the UAE and Serbia.

During their meeting, which took place at the ministrys headquarters in Dubai, with the attendance of Dajana Tanasijevi?, Third Secretary for Economic Affairs at the Serbian Embassy, Al Nuaimi praised overall bilateral relations between the two countries while affirming the importance of exchanging expertise related to infrastructure and housing, to strengthen their institutional work.

He also explained the coordination between local and Federal authorities, with regards to infrastructure, while highlighting the importance of strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries to serve their common interests, especially those of their infrastructure sectors.

Al Nuaimi stressed that the meeting reflects the mutual desire of their leaderships to continue meeting and advancing their bilateral relations, which will serve their common interests.

Vukicevic expressed his countrys desire to strengthen its bilateral relations with the UAE, which it considers a leading international country in terms of infrastructure, while noting the role of such visits in exchanging expertise and assessing best practices.
The Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, has delivered humanitarian aid to Al Dhahi District located on the lines of contact with the Houthi militia, loyal to Iran, stationed about five kilometres off the villages of Al Hamam Mountain.

LAHEJ, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 21st Jul, 2018) The Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, has delivered humanitarian aid to Al Dhahi District located on the lines of contact with the Houthi militia, loyal to Iran, stationed about five kilometres off the villages of Al Hamam Mountain.

The ERC team distributed 1,200 food baskets in a number of villages in Hawamrah District of Mawya Directorate, Taiz Governorate.

The population of Lahej Governorate thanked the ERC for this great humanitarian gesture, which came in the wake of the liberation of Al Dhahi villages from the Houthi rebels.

They also called on the philanthropic organisation to provide relief for the conflict-affected villages as a result of the war launched by the Houthi militia three years ago.

The population hailed the effective role played by the UAE, as part of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition, and its distinguished humanitarian and relief activities covering all the liberated Yemeni villages.
(@FahadShabbir)

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 22nd Jul, 2018) The Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation has opened the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan paediatric hospital in Mary province, Turkmenistan, at a cost of AED110 million (US$30 million).

Construction of the hospital is in line with the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to provide humanitarian and development support to Turkmenistan and develop its health sector.

The launch of the hospital, which was monitored by H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the Foundation, is an innovative model of overall partnership in humanitarian and paediatric medical care, and is part of 'Year of Zayed' 2018.

The launch ceremony was attended by Mohammed Haji Al Khouri, Director-General of the Foundation, Minister of Health Protection and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan, Annaberdiyev Dovranberdi Orazberdiyevich, Governor of Mary province, Abdulaziz Al Hashemi, Charge d'Affaires of the UAE Embassy in Turkmenistan, and several officials and employees of the countrys health sector.

Al Khouri said that the 120- bed hospital will help develop Turkmenistans health sector, while adding that it reflects the UAEs humanitarian and development approach towards underprivileged people, and its efforts to provide health and consultation services to various communities, as per the highest international standards.

The ceremony included a tour of the hospitals treatment units, and the ward where children and their families are staying in joint multi-bed rooms, as well as its operations rooms and intensive care units.

In his statement, Hassan Abdullah Al Adab, UAE Ambassador to Turkmenistan, said that the launch of the hospital is part of cooperation between the UAE and Turkmenistan, while praising the efforts of authorities from the Turkmenistan government to ensure the projects progress.

He also thanked President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov of Turkmenistan, for his cooperation, as well as the Governor of Mary and Minister of Health for their efforts.

The Minister of Health said that the hospital is a unique paediatric hospital, and that it will serve many local residents, offering high-quality medical services.

He also praised the support of the UAE and the foundation in implementing health and development projects in Turkmenistan, which reinforces bilateral ties between the two countries. He also highlighted his countrys efforts to become a developed country, as well as its keenness to provide its people with a decent life, while emphasising that Turkmenistan is witnessing overall development.
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HODEIDAH, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 22nd Jul, 2018) The Director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, in Aden, has praised the UAE's humaniteriain and relief efforts through the Emirates Red Cresenct, ERC, in Hodeidah Governorate and the Red Sea Coast of Yemen.

This came during a meeting with Saeed Al Kaabi, UAE Humanitarian Operations Director for Yemen, where the UN official praised the ERCs projects for easing the suffering of Yemeni people and achieving family stability, as well as the UAEs humanitarian and relief efforts through the ERC, to help and support Yemenis, especially in the newly liberated areas of Hodeidah.

During the meeting, they discussed a humanitarian and relief plan to assist the people of Hodeidah, as well as future development and service projects that will be implemented in the liberated areas. They also discussed the issue of unexploded mines and how to raise the publics awareness about their dangers.

The two side reviewed the humanitarian and relief assistance plan for Hodeidah citizens as well as the future development and service projects to be established in the liberated areas, in addition to discussing the mechanism to the cleaerance of mines and improvised explosive devices mine clearance and improvised explosive devices.

They also discussed the urgent efforts to support children, women and elderly people by providing them with their basic needs.

Al Kaabi presented the ERCs plan and projects in Yemens Red Sea Coast on how to deliver food, shelter and medicine to the people in the most effected areas after their liberation, as part of a relief land, maritime and air bridge that aims to assist local residents.

The UN official said that the ERCs development projects in Yemens liberated areas will make a significant difference to the lives of Yemenis, through providing urgent services to unprivileged and affected people and improving their current conditions.

He added that the UAEs timely response in Yemen affirms its commitment to international humanitarian law and its support for the relief effort of the United Nations, as well as its responsibility to help those affected. He also lauded the Emirati operation to drop humanitarian aid by parachute, while noting that it proves the UAEs determination to help Yemeni citizens.

In turn, Al Kaabi stressed that Emirati development projects in Yemen have improved the level of basic services, such as health, education, safe drinking water, electricity and infrastructure improvements, which have improved the overall quality of life.

At the end of the meeting, both sides highlighted the importance of coordinating joint projects between the UNs humanitarian organisations and the ERC, to improve the current humanitarian conditions in the Red Sea Coast and intensify the humanitarian and relief efforts in Yemen.
ISLAMABAD, Jul 19 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jul, 2018 ) :Over 7,000 Pakistani Hajj pilgrims have so far reached Madina Munawwara for the annual pilgrimage through 40 hajj flights.

According to an official of Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, as many as 393 intending pilgrims have reached Makkah Mukarma. They would leave for Madina Munawwara after performing umrah and staying for 8 days. Pakistani pilgrims have been provided resident facilities at Markazia areas of Madina.

The Hujjaj were being transported to Suadi Arabia from ten gateways including Islamabad, Peshawar, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, Multan, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Rahimyar Khan and Sukkur.

As many as 179,210 would perform the sacred religious ceremony this year.

All pilgrims male and female have been asked to affix a Pakistan flag at their `Ahrams' for identification.

Female pilgrims should carry at least two `Abayas' preferably black colour.

Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony has established facilitation counters in the Hajj directorates to provide round the clock services intending Hujjaj.

The Hujjaj were being provided three times meal a day at their respective building in Makkah, Madinah and Mina.

They were being provided round the clock transport facilities for Haram Sharif to their respective building and vice versa.
Brussels, July 19 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jul, 2018 ) :The European Union on Thursday intensified legal action against Hungary in a bid to make it comply with EU asylum rules, denouncing a law to punish activists who support asylum seekers.

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, has clashed repeatedly with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government, especially since the migration crisis erupted in 2015.

The clashes come amid broader fears that Hungary, Poland and other eastern countries from the former Soviet-bloc were turning away from the democratic values on which the EU is built.

The commission denounced as illegal the so-called "Stop Soros" laws passed last month, which include a punishment of up to a year in prison for anyone assisting any other person who entered Hungary illegally.

It sent a "letter of formal notice" to Budapest, the first step of a procedure that could go before the European Court of Justice, the bloc's top tribunal.

"The Hungarian authorities have two months to respond to the Commission's concerns," the commission said.

The legislation was dubbed the "Stop Soros" laws after liberal US billionaire George Soros, accused by Orban's government of orchestrating migration to Europe.

In other action, the commission said it was taking Hungary to the top court for failing to resolve complaints made in December 2015 that it held asylum seekers for too long in transit centres and did not treat them properly.

"The border procedure implemented by Hungary is not in compliance with EU law as it does not respect the maximum duration of four weeks in which someone can be held in a transit centre," the commission said.
Ljubljana, July 19 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jul, 2018 ) :The leader of Slovenia's anti-migrant SDS party, which won June's election, said Thursday he had so far failed to win the backing needed for a coalition government.

"I inform you that for the moment in parliament there is no possibility of forming a stable government", SDS leader Janez Jansa wrote in a letter to President Borut Pahor.

Pahor had given Jansa until Thursday to say whether he had been able to win a majority in parliament.

Pahor subsequently announced he would not be putting forward any candidate for prime minister.

That means that soon a second round of talks will have to begin in which parties in parliament will have an additional two weeks in which to put forward a candidate themselves.

If that in turn fails, Slovenian law provides for a last-ditch period of 48 hours for further talks before fresh elections have to be called.

Jansa's centre-right Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) won 25 of the 90 seats in parliament in June's election.

Even taken together with its most likely coalition partner, the centre-right Nova Slovenija (NSi), which has seven seats, the SDS is well short of a majority.

Jansa has also made overtures to five centre-left parties, led by the anti-establishment LMS of comedian-turned-politician Marjan Sarec, which together hold 43 seats.

However, they have so far ruled out any co-operation with Jansa.

The Sarec-led bloc had been trying to broker its own deal to form a majority government with NSi but that failed when NSi pulled out, claiming a six-party coalition would be too unstable.

In his statement to Pahor, Jansa said "a serious attempt to form a stable government will obviously happen only after all theoretical chances of forming a weak, unstable government fail".

Nevertheless Jansa said he still hopeful of winning enough support in the next few weeks to become prime minister.
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ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Jul, 2018 ) :Speaker Iranian parliament on Sunday termed Iran-Austria relations as productive and longstanding, and said these have been positive over past years.

Ali Larijani made these remarks in a meeting with Andreas Schieder, head of foreign policy committee in Austria's parliament.

Emphasizing the importance of the parliamentary ties between Tehran and Vienna, Larijani said, 'Currently, Iran attaches much importance to boosting ties with Austria, as the European country was among those that made efforts to enhance engagement with Iran following the nuclear deal.

' The Austrian lawmaker, for his part, described the bilateral ties as growing, enhanced by the visits of Iranian officials to Vienna.

Austria, as a member of the European Union, believes that saving the nuclear deal is not dependent on the US approval; therefore it will make effort to implement it thoroughly, he said.

There have been good arrangements on enhancing the relations and implementation of economic and cultural ties, he said.
Prague, July 19 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jul, 2018 ) :US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty plans to relaunch its Bulgarian and Romanian news services by the end of the year as to "strengthen the media landscape" and "debunk false news" in the EU and NATO countries.

Having helped topple communism by breaking the information monopoly of totalitarian regimes in Eastern Europe, RFE/RL closed its services in Bulgaria in 2004 and Romania in 2008, after the two countries joined the EU and NATO.

RFE/RL decided to relaunch broadcasts after "government officials, civil society representatives and journalists in both countries... expressed concern that disinformation, corruption, and social division are undermining their political systems," according to a statement posted on its website.

According to the latest World Press Freedom Index compiled by journalism watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Bulgaria has by far the worst record on the issue in the EU, coming 111th out of 180 countries worldwide.

A recent report by RSF into challenges facing investigative journalists in Bulgaria said they were "exposed to many forms of pressure and intimidation", adding that they had to contend with "oligarchs exercising a media monopoly and authorities suspected of corruption or organized crime links".

In the case of Romania, ranking 44th on its press freedom index, RSF has warned of "excessive politicisation of the media" and "corrupt financing mechanisms".

It says a bill proposed by ruling party strongman Liviu Dragnea, which would penalize denigration of Romania abroad and reintroduce defamation into the criminal code, has fuelled concern about political censorship of the media.

"We hope in particular that our coverage, carried out by local journalists, will help the growth of a free press, promote democratic values and institutions, and inform discussion in both countries of their place in NATO, the EU and other Western organizations," RFE/RL President Thomas Kent said in the statement.

RFE/RL plans to provide its multi-media reporting and analysis in Bulgarian and Romanian from December 2018, "to amplify existing projects that promote public accountability and debunk false news."RFE/RL has bureaus in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia as well as a Romanian-language service for Moldova.

RFE/RL reaches 23 countries in 26 languages and cooperates with official US international broadcaster Voice of America (VOA) which targets more than 236 million people a week in over 45 languages.
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Tehran, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Jul, 2018 ) :Iran's President Hassan Rouhani warned the United States not to "play with the lion's tail" on Sunday, saying that conflict with Iran would be the "mother of all wars".

Addressing his US counterpart Donald Trump, Rouhani said: "You declare war and then you speak of wanting to support the Iranian people.

"You cannot provoke the Iranian people against their own security and interests," he said in a televised speech at a gathering of Iranian diplomats in Tehran.

Rouhani repeated his warning that Iran could shut down the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for international oil supplies.

"We have always guaranteed the security of this strait. Do not play with the lion's tail, you will regret it forever," he said.

"Peace with Iran would be the mother of all peace and war with Iran would be the mother of all wars.

" Rouhani spoke ahead of a much-trailed speech by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo later Sunday, seen as part of Washington's efforts to foment unrest against the Islamic government in Iran.

The US is seeking to tighten the economic screws on Iran, abandoning a landmark 2015 nuclear deal and reimposing stringent sanctions.

Washington has also launched concerted propaganda efforts in Iran, including social media campaigns, designed to exacerbate popular discontent.

"Whenever Europe has sought an agreement with us, the White House has sown discord," Rouhani said.

But he added: "We must not think that the White House will remain forever at this level of opposition to international law, against the Muslim world."
Volunteers of White Helmets evacuated to Jordan via Israel (ANSA)

Israel has evacuated White Helmets volunteer rescuers and their family members threatened by Syrian government forces.

By Nathan Morley

An evacuation of members of Syria's White Helmets civil defence group from a conflict zone in southern Syria has been conducted by the Israeli Defence Forces.

Late on Saturday, over 400 volunteers along with dependants were taken to Jordan via the Golan Heights. According to media reports, the Israelis were asked to help by the United States and European Union.



Israel has completed a humanitarian effort to rescue members of a Syrian civil organization (the White Helmets) and [their] families, Emmanuel Nahshon, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, confirmed on Twitter.



Drone shot down in Syria

In a separate development, a drone launched from a rebel held area of Syria was detected and destroyed near the Hmeymim airbase, a main garrison for the Russian forces.



Russian military officials said the drone was destroyed sufficiently and there were no casualties or material damage.

Iran

In other regional news, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has warned US President Donald Trump about pursuing hostile policies against Tehran.



"America should know  war with Iran is the mother of all wars," he said.

Iran faces increased pressure from the United States after President Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from an international deal over Iran's nuclear program.
Streamline Moderne, sometimes termed Art Moderne, is a late type of the Art Deco architecture and graphic design/style that emerged in the 1930s. Its architectural style emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements.These cool pics from ElectroSpark that show interior of a Streamline Moderne house at 941 Bay Esplanade, Clearwater Beach, Florida. The house is currently for sale for $2.7 million.
The Trump administration on Saturday released a set of documents once deemed top secret relating to the wiretapping of a onetime adviser to Donald Trumps presidential campaign.

The New York Times reported that the documents involving former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page were released to the Times and several other media organizations that had filed Freedom of Information Act lawsuits to obtain them. The FBI later posted the documents to its FOIA website online.

The materials include an October 2016 application to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to wiretap Page as well as several renewal applications, the Times reported. It is highly unusual for documents related to FISA wiretap applications to be released.

While the documents were heavily redacted in places, the Times reported that visible portions of the documents show the FBI telling the intelligence court that Page has been collaborating and conspiring with the Russian government. The agency also told the court the FBI believes Page has been the subject of targeted recruitment by the Russian government.

Page has denied being a Russian agent.

After a redaction, the Times reported that the application to wiretap Page included a partial sentence: ... undermine and influence the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election in violation of U.S. criminal law.

The surveillance of Page became a contentious matter between Republican and Democratic lawmakers earlier this year.

Republicans alleged the FBI had abused its surveillance powers and improperly obtained the warrant, a charge that Democrats rebutted as both sides characterized the documents in different ways. The documents, meanwhile, remained out of public view.

House Democrats were quick to say that the documents bolstered their arguments.

For more than a year, House Republicans have bullied the Department of Justice and FBI to release highly sensitive documents to derail the Special Counsels and other legitimate national security investigations and cover for the President, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. For the sake of our national security and our democracy, these vital investigations must be allowed to continue unhindered by Republican interference. The GOP must cease their attacks on our law enforcement and intelligence communities, and finally decide where their loyalty lies.

Rep. Adam Schiff, the California Democrat who is the ranking member of the House intelligence committee, said the documents underscore the legitimate concern the FBI had about Pages activities.

Yet Schiff said the materials shouldnt have been released during an ongoing investigation because of national security. He blamed Trump for making public House Republicans initial memo about the FISA applications, a move by Trump that the congressman called nakedly political and self-interested, and designed to to (sic) interfere with the Special Counsels investigation.


The Afghan government is mulling over whether to announce another cease-fire with the Taliban during next months Eid holiday, a spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Saturday.

Given the desire of the Afghan people, the countrys religious clerics and the fact that last Eids cease-fire was a successful experience, there is willingness on both sides to announce another cease-fire during Eid, spokesman Haroon Chakansuri told reporters in Kabul.

Last months unprecedented cease-fire with insurgents was Ghanis initiative and demonstrated the governments commitment to peace in the country, Chakansuri said.

The Taliban reciprocated the cease-fire during the three days of Eid but rejected Ghanis offer of extending the cease-fire for another three months.

During those three days, Taliban fighters were, for the first time, seen on the streets of Kabul and other major cities around the country, taking selfies with residents, soldiers and police.

Many, including senior American officials, saw the Talibans gesture during the Eid cease-fire as a sign that the insurgent group was ready to begin peace talks.

The trip came in the wake of the cease-fire, which I think was revelatory for everyone in the region and certainly for us. There is palpable desire for peace that we saw not just among Afghan civilians, but among Taliban commanders and foot soldiers as well, Alice Wells, the U.S. State Departments deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, told a group of reporters earlier this month after her trip to the region.

Direct talks?

The issue of another cease-fire comes on the heels of a recent report in a major U.S. newspaper that the U.S. is considering direct talks with the Taliban.

Last week, The New York Times reported that U.S. President Donald Trump has instructed top diplomats to pursue direct talks with the Taliban in an effort to jump-start negotiations with the Taliban in the hope of ending the 17-year war in Afghanistan.

The Times report raised concerns among many in Afghanistan that direct U.S. engagement with the Taliban may undermine the Afghan government and reinforce a long-standing Taliban stance that they would only talk to Washington.

Since Afghanistan is an ally and partner of the U.S., the U.S. should not undermine the independent and internationally recognized government of Afghanistan by engaging in direct talks with Taliban, Abdul Wodood Paiman, a member of the Afghan parliament, told VOA.

Following the Times report, U.S. General John Nicholson, commander of international forces in Afghanistan, released a statement:

The United States is not a substitute for the Afghan people or the Afghan government. My reaffirmation of Secretary [Mike] Pompeos statement in which he said peace talks would include a discussion of international forces and that the United States is ready to work with the Taliban, the Afghan government and the Afghan people toward lasting peace was mischaracterized.

Last week, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department also told VOA that any talks with the Taliban would include the Afghan government.

The United States is exploring all avenues to advance a peace process in close consultation with the Afghan government. Any negotiations over the political future of Afghanistan will be between the Taliban and Afghan government, the spokesperson said.

On Saturday, Ghani spokesperson Chakansuri reiterated that peace talks with the Taliban would be Afghan-led and that there was regional and international consensus on the issue.

The Taliban has yet to react to the Times report, but Waheed Muzhda, a Kabul-based expert and former member of the insurgent group, told VOA that the group would announce its position only after the U.S. had made an official statement.

In regards to U.S. officials' talks with the Taliban, the group has not seen an official statement from the U.S. and thats why Taliban have not reacted to the news yet, Muzhda said.

VOAs Mohammad Habibzada and Nike Ching contributed to this report.
Afghan authorities say a powerful bomb went off near Kabuls international airport Sunday, killing at least 16 people and wounding 60 others, just minutes after first vice president, Abdul Rashid Dostum, returned home from exile.

A city police spokesman, Hashamtullah Satnikzai, confirmed to VOA a suicide bomber carried out the attack.

Dostum was not hurt.

Islamic State through its Amaq News Agency claimed responsibility for the bombing. It said the attack targeted the crowd welcoming Dostum, killing and injuring at least 115 security forces and supporters of the Afghan vice president.

Dostum, a former Uzbek warlord, returned to Afghanistan after more than a year of living in Turkey. He left the country in 2017 under controversial circumstances.

The Afghan government insisted Dostum needed better medical treatment abroad and he would rejoin duties after recovery. But the Uzbek leader was under investigation for torturing and sexually abusing a veteran political rival when he flew out of Kabul in the middle of night.

Dostum has long been surrounded by controversy and both local as well as international rights defenders accuse him of war crimes against members of the Taliban after a U.S.-led military invasion of Afghanistan ousted the Islamist group from power in Kabul.

It is not clear whether or not Dostum will still face the investigation.
Fiat Chrysler named on Saturday its Jeep division boss, Mike Manley, to take over immediately for Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne, who is seriously ill after suffering major complications following surgery.

The carmaker said British-born Manley, who also takes responsibility for the North America region, will push ahead with the midterm strategy outlined last month by Marchionne, who had been due to step down next April.

Marchionne, 66, was credited with rescuing Fiat and Chrysler from bankruptcy after taking the Italian carmaker's wheel in 2004. On Saturday, he was also replaced as chairman and CEO of Ferrari and chairman of tractor maker CNH Industrial  both spun off from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in recent years.

"FCA communicates with profound sorrow that during the course of this week unexpected complications arose while Mr. Marchionne was recovering from surgery and that these have worsened significantly in recent hours," the statement said.

FCA disclosed earlier this month that Marchionne, a renowned dealmaker and workaholic, was recovering from a shoulder operation. But his condition deteriorated sharply in recent days when he suffered massive complications that were not divulged.

Ferrari named FCA Chairman and Agnelli family scion John Elkann as new chairman, while board member Louis Camilleri becomes chief executive. CNH appointed Suzanna Heywood to replace Marchionne as chairman. All three companies remain controlled by the Agnellis.

Marchionne had previously said he planned to stay on as Ferrari chairman and CEO until 2021.

Deal focus

One of the auto industry's longest-serving CEOs, Marchionne has advocated tie-ups to share the growing cost burden of developing cleaner, electrified and autonomous vehicles.

He resisted the comparatively easy option of selling off coveted brands such as Jeep, saying that would leave too big a problem with Fiat as "the stump that is left behind."

But after being rejected by his preferred partner General Motors, he turned back to the task of cutting FCA's debt  a goal he achieved last month  while maintaining that a merger for FCA was "ultimately inevitable."

Investor hopes for a transformative deal had largely dwindled and are unlikely to hit the shares on Marchionne's departure, according to Evercore analyst George Galliers.

"The valuation doesn't suggest expectations of a buyout are high," Galliers said.

Even without Marchionne, FCA will remain "culturally more open to dealmaking and savvy to potential capital market opportunities than much of the competition," he added.

"A lot of that's now ingrained, so I don't think you lose everything he's brought to the company overnight."

Yet, Manley will have a tough act to follow.

Marchionne resurrected one of Italy's biggest corporate names and revitalized Chrysler, succeeding where the U.S. company's two previous owners  Mercedes parent Daimler and private equity group Carberus  both failed.

He has multiplied Fiat's value 11 times since taking charge, helped by moves such as the spinoffs of CNH Industrial and Ferrari. The planned separation of parts maker Magneti Marelli, due this year, should further increase that value-generation.

He also flattened an inflexible hierarchy, replacing layers of middle management with a meritocratic leadership style. He slashed costs by reducing the number of vehicle architectures and creating joint ventures to pool development and plant costs.
Zimbabwe's former leader Robert Mugabe has been forced out but he's hardly faded away. Ahead of this month's historic election, dozens of people in T-shirts with his image danced to anti-government songs while vowing revenge.



The 94-year-old Mugabe, who led this southern African nation through 37 turbulent years before his dramatic, military-backed resignation in November, has emerged as a player ahead of the July 30 vote - on the side of the opposition.



A visit by The Associated Press to the largely rural province of Masvingo found that anger over Mugabe's removal has been channeled into supporting candidates who challenge the ruling ZANU-PF party that he long controlled.



"They removed Comrade Mugabe using military force. We should show them that the ballot box is supreme to the gun," thundered Phionah Riekert, a 31-year-old loyalist of Mugabe and his wife, Grace. Youths and elderly women punctuated her campaign speech with song, dance and the beating of drums.



Riekert seeks a parliamentary seat as a candidate with the National Patriotic Front, which was formed with Mugabe's backing in March by members of a youthful faction loyal to him called the G-40. They had been purged from the government and ruling party by new President Emmerson Mnangagwa's military-backed administration.



The G-40 has been suspected in the grenade attack last month at a campaign rally that killed two aides while the 75-year-old Mnangagwa, a former Mugabe deputy, was just "inches" away.



The National Patriotic Front has joined an opposition coalition backing the top challenger to Mnangagwa, 40-year-old Nelson Chamisa of the main opposition MDC party, while fielding close to 100 candidates in 210 constituencies countrywide.

The margin between Mnangagwa and Chamisa has narrowed to just 3 percentage points, the Afrobarometer research group said Friday after sampling 2,400 voters across the country between June 25 and July 6.



While Mugabe has not addressed any political rallies he remains a weighty presence in places like Masvingo, where support has swung between the ruling party and the opposition in past elections.



"G-40 was influential in this province during Mugabe's time. They have been regrouping, they have the capacity to cause quite an impact," said Godfrey Mtimba, a journalist who has covered Masvingo for a decade.



Some residents, however, said they remain fond of Mugabe but will vote for Mnangagwa.



Kudzai Mugarati said he still wears Mugabe T-shirts but hides them underneath his clothes. Part of that loyalty is tied to his land, part of a farm seized from white owners and divided among black supporters years ago during Mugabe's often violent campaign of evictions.



"We cannot abandon Mugabe. He is our hero, he gave us this land. But we cannot leave ZANU-PF, so the best thing we can do is not to talk about him," the 58-year-old Mugarati said.



At a shopping center near Masvingo's main army barracks, people openly discussed politics in a sharp contrast to previous elections, when the opposition alleged harassment and attacks by security forces.



"You have come to intimidate us with your uniform," one opposition supporter shouted, pointing at an approaching soldier. Both laughed and embraced, with the soldier going on his way.



Nearby, a group danced to pro-Chamisa songs blaring from the speakers of lawyer Derrick Charamba's car.



"I am just dancing because the beat is good. The lyrics are rubbish," said Edmund Wasosa, a ruling party supporter. "Chamisa is still too young. We need experienced hands."



Despite the apparent peace, the election's credibility has been threatened by disputes over the transparency of the voters' roll and the printing of ballots. Charamba, an opposition official, has taken the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to court in one of many cases brought in recent weeks by NGOs and others.

Mnangagwa has pledged that the election will be free and fair. While Mugabe scorned Western election observers, the new president has invited them for the first time in nearly two decades. A credible vote could lead to the lifting of international sanctions and a boost for Zimbabwe's collapsed economy.



While some still miss Mugabe, no one is eager to remain trapped in the high unemployment and severe cash shortage he left behind in the once-prosperous country.



Curious voters have packed rallies and waited for hours to see both Mnangagwa and Chamisa as a new Zimbabwe tries to leave Mugabe's shadow.

"We welcome every vote. Mugabe, we welcome your vote," Chamisa told one Masvingo crowd in a cold rain this month. He has denied allegations of financial support from Mugabe in exchange for making the former first lady a vice president if he wins.



"We want a new dispensation, a fresh start," Chamisa said, to cheers.
Indonesian police said Sunday a 15-year-old girl who was raped by her older brother has been sentenced to six months in jail for having an abortion.

The brother received a two-year sentence for having sex with a minor.

The siblings were convicted Thursday at Muara Bulian District Court on the island of Sumatra.

Abortion is illegal in Indonesia, but is allowed in cases of rape. However, the abortion must be done by a healthcare professional within the first six weeks of the pregnancy.

The girl had the abortion six months into her pregnancy, officials say.

Authorities say it was revealed in court that her brother had raped her eight times since September.

Their mother is also facing charges because she helped to abort the fetus.

The siblings were arrested after a fetus was discovered at a palm oil plantation.

Prosecutors had asked for a one-year sentence for the girl and seven years for her brother. If was not immediately clear if prosecutors will mount an appeal.
Twenty-five young musicians from around the world have gathered in California to train and perform this month. As VOA's Mike O'Sullivan reports from Los Angeles, the international program called iPalpiti, from the Italian word for heartbeats, is a labor of love for a Russian-born conductor who says music can break down barriers.
Israel evacuated 422 volunteer White Helmet rescuers and their families from the Syrian war zone Saturday night and took them to Jordan in a convoy of buses accompanied by Israeli police and United Nations vehicles.

The Israeli Defense Force, identifying the rescue workers as civilians, said on Twitter they were evacuated from the war zone in southern Syria due to an immediate threat to their lives. The transfer of the displaced Syrians through Israel is an exceptional humanitarian gesture.

The Syria Civil Defense, or White Helmets as they are known, was founded in 2013 as a network of first responders to rescue wounded people in the aftermath of airstrikes and other attacks during Syria's seven-year conflict between forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and insurgents trying to overthrow his government.

WATCH: White helmet volunteers evacuated

The IDF said the evacuation, the first of its kind, was done at the request of the United States, Canada and European countries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau both asked him in recent days to facilitate the evacuation. "The lives of these people, who have saved lives, were now in danger," Netanyahu said. "I therefore authorized their transfer via Israel to other countries as an important humanitarian gesture."

The U.S. State Department, in a statement, welcomed the rescue of "these brave volunteers, who have saved thousands of lives."

The State Department statement also called on the Assad regime and its ally Russia "to abide by their commitments, end the violence, and protect all Syrian civilians, including humanitarians such as the White Helmets."

Jordan said it authorized the rescue mission, with the civilians to be resettled in Britain, Germany and Canada within three months, due to "a risk to their lives." Initially, Amman said 800 were rescued, but later corrected the figure to 422.

Raed Saleh, head of the White Helmets, said the evacuees had arrived in Jordan after they were "surrounded in a dangerous region." He said they had been encircled in the Syrian provinces of Daraa and Quneitra, which border Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Britain's Foreign Office said the "White Helmets have been the target of attacks and, due to their high profile, we judged that, in these particular circumstances, the volunteers required immediate protection."

But Syria, which considers the White Helmets to be terrorists and has accused them of collaborating with anti-Assad insurgents, called the rescue operation a "scandal" and said Israel's involvement in the evacuation was evidence the White Helmets were cooperating with agents of a Syrian enemy.
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh suggested several years ago that the unanimous high court ruling in 1974 that forced President Richard Nixon to turn over the Watergate tapes, leading to the end of his presidency, may have been wrongly decided.

Kavanaugh was taking part in a roundtable discussion with other lawyers when he said at three different points that the decision in U.S. v. Nixon, which marked limits on a presidents ability to withhold information needed for a criminal prosecution, may have come out the wrong way.

A 1999 magazine article about the roundtable was part of thousands of pages of documents that Kavanaugh has provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of the confirmation process. The committee released the documents Saturday.

Robust executive authority

Kavanaughs belief in robust executive authority is front and center in his nomination by President Donald Trump to replace the retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. The issue could assume even greater importance if special counsel Robert Mueller seeks to force Trump to testify in the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

But maybe Nixon was wrongly decided  heresy though it is to say so. Nixon took away the power of the president to control information in the executive branch by holding that the courts had power and jurisdiction to order the president to disclose information in response to a subpoena sought by a subordinate executive branch official. That was a huge step with implications to this day that most people do not appreciate sufficiently. ... Maybe the tension of the time led to an erroneous decision, Kavanaugh said in a transcript of the discussion that was published in the January-February 1999 issue of the Washington Lawyer.

At another point in the discussion, Kavanaugh said the court might have been wise to stay out of the tapes dispute.

Should U.S. v. Nixon be overruled on the ground that the case was a nonjusticiable intrabranch dispute? Maybe so, he said.

Kavanaugh was among six lawyers who took part in the discussion in the aftermath of independent counsel Kenneth Starrs investigation that led to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. Kavanaugh had been a member of Starrs team.

The discussion was focused on the privacy of discussions between government lawyers and their clients.

More recent assessment

Philip Lacovara, who argued the Watergate tapes case against Nixon and moderated the discussion, said Kavanaugh has long believed in a strong presidency.

That was Brett staking out what has been his basic jurisprudential approach since law school, Lacovara said in a telephone interview Saturday.

Still, Lacovara said, it was surprising even as of 1999 that the unanimous decision in the Nixon tapes case might have been wrongly decided.

Kavanaugh allies pointed to a recent, more favorable assessment of the Nixon case.

Whether it was Marbury, or Youngstown, or Brown, or Nixon, some of the greatest moments in American judicial history have been when judges stood up to the other branches, were not cowed, and enforced the law. That takes backbone, or what some call judicial engagement, Kavanaugh wrote in a 2016 law review article in which he referred to several landmark Supreme Court cases.

Stack of paperwork

The 1999 article was among a pile of material released in response to the committees questionnaire. Kavanaugh was asked to provide information about his career as an attorney and jurist, his service in the executive branch, education, society memberships and more.

Its an opening look at a long paper trail that lawmakers will consider as they decide whether to confirm him. The high court appointment could shift the court rightward for years to come.

A longtime figure in the Washington establishment, Kavanaugh acknowledged in the questionnaire that he had joined clubs that he said once had discriminatory membership policies.

Years before I became a member of the Congressional Country Club and the Chevy Chase Club, it is my understanding that those clubs, like most similar clubs around the country, may have excluded members on discriminatory bases that should not have been acceptable to people then and would not be acceptable now, he wrote.

Asked to list the 10 most significant cases for which he sat as a judge, Kavanaugh cited nine in which the position expressed in my opinion (either for the court or in a separate writing) was later adopted by the Supreme Court.

The 10th regarded a man fired by mortgage giant Fannie Mae after he filed a discrimination complaint that alleged a company executive had created a hostile work environment by calling the worker the n-word. Kavanaugh said he included it because of what it says about anti-discrimination law and American history.

Kavanaugh said an appeals court panel on which he sat reversed a lower courts ruling in favor of Fannie Mae. He said he joined the majority opinion in 2013 and wrote a separate concurrence to explain that calling someone the n-word, even once, creates a hostile work environment.

In the questionnaire, Kavanaugh cited his opinion in that case: No other word in the English language so powerfully or instantly calls to mind our countrys long and brutal struggle to overcome racism and discrimination against African-Americans. But it was one of the relatively few discrimination cases in which Kavanaugh sided with a complaining employee.

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the committee chairman, said the questionnaire was the broadest and most comprehensive ever sent by the committee and he welcomed Judge Kavanaughs diligent and timely response.
Mexico's President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, seeking to initiate "a new stage in the relationship" of the two countries and to make progress in the areas of "trade, migration, development and security."

Lopez Obrador handed the seven-page letter to a U.S. delegation that visited the country on July 13.

Marcelo Ebrard, foreign minister-designate, read the letter to reporters on Sunday, and said Trump had received the letter.

In the letter, Lopez Obrador said Mexico is home to the largest number of Americans living outside the U.S. and "the United States is the largest home for Mexicans outside of our borders."

"I believe that the understanding that I propose in this letter should lead us to a worthy and respectful treatment of these communities," he said.

Lopez Obrador suggested creating a development plan that included other Central American countries, where migrants also live in poverty and lack job opportunities.

He suggested that if the U.S., Mexico and other Central American countries, "each one contributing according to the size of its economy. ... We could gather a considerable amount of resources for the development of the region."

The plan, according to the president-elect, would spend 75 percent of its funds on "projects to create jobs and fight poverty" and 25 percent on border control and security.

"In this way, I reiterate, we would be addressing the causes that originate the migration phenomenon," he said in the letter.

Lopez Obrador said his government hopes to improve the economy and security of the country "to ensure that Mexicans do not have to migrate because of poverty or violence."

He also urged that the U.S., Mexico and Canada resume North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations.

Prolonging the uncertainty could slow down investments in the medium and long-term, he said.

Lopez Obrador, who won the nation's presidential election on July 1, will take office in December.

He also used his letter to explain some of his government's plans, such as public investment and development in the agricultural, energy, education, cultural and health sectors.
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On the heels of President Donald Trumps widely-criticized Helsinki summit performance, Washington is abuzz yet again after the White House announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit the United States later this year. VOAs Michael Bowman has this report.
The Trump administration has launched an offensive of speeches and online communications meant to foment unrest and help pressure Iran to end its nuclear program and its support of militant groups, U.S. officials familiar with the matter said.

More than half a dozen current and former officials said the campaign, supported by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton, is meant to work in concert with U.S. President Donald Trumps push to economically throttle Iran by re-imposing tough sanctions. The drive has intensified since Trump withdrew on May 8 from a 2015 seven-nation deal to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

The current and former officials said the campaign paints Iranian leaders in a harsh light, at times using information that is exaggerated or contradicts other official pronouncements, including comments by previous administrations.

The White House declined comment on the campaign. The State Department did not respond to detailed requests for comment, including on Pompeos role.

Iran: Dont play with the lions tail

A senior Iranian official dismissed the campaign, saying the United States had sought in vain to undermine the government since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. He spoke on condition of anonymity.

Their efforts will fail again, the official said.

But on Sunday, Irans President Hassan Rouhani cautioned Trump about pursuing hostile policies against Tehran, saying America should know ... war with Iran is the mother of all wars, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported.

Mr. Trump, dont play with the lions tail, this would only lead to regret, ISNA reported. Other Iranian agencies carried similar reports.

More posts critical of Iran

A review of the State Departments Farsi-language Twitter account and its ShareAmerica website, which describes itself as a platform to spark debate on democracy and other issues, shows a number of posts critical of Tehran over the last month.

Iran is the subject of four of the top five items on the websites Countering Violent Extremism section. They include headlines such as This Iranian airline helps spread violence and terror.

In social media posts and speeches, Pompeo himself also appeals directly to Iranians, the Iranian diaspora and a global audience.

On June 21, Pompeo tweeted out graphics headlined: Protests in Iran are growing, Iranian people deserve respect for their human rights, and Irans revolutionary guard gets rich while Iranian families struggle. The tweets were translated into Farsi and posted on the ShareAmerica website.

On Sunday, Pompeo will give a speech titled Supporting Iranian Voices in California and meet Iranian Americans, many of whom fled the Islamic Revolution that toppled Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

In a briefing to reporters this week ahead of the speech, a senior State Department official said Pompeo plans to address in his speech the last 40 years of stealing from the Iranian people, the terrorism they have committed around the region, the brutal repression at home.

Aggressive campaign

Some of the information the administration has disseminated is incomplete or distorted, the current and former officials said.

In a May 21 speech in Washington, Pompeo said Iranian leaders refused to spend on their people funds freed by the nuclear weapons deal, using it instead for proxy wars and corruption.

By contrast, in March testimony before a U.S. Senate committee, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency director, Robert Ashley, said social and economic expenditures remained Tehrans near-term priority despite some spending on security forces.

Pompeo also accused Iran-sponsored Shia militia groups and terrorists of infiltrating Iraqi security forces and jeopardizing Iraqs sovereignty throughout the period of the nuclear agreement.

While opponents accuse the Iran-backed Iraqi militias of human rights abuses against civilians, which the groups deny, the militias fought Islamic State extremists and helped keep them from overrunning Iraq in 2014 after Iraqs army collapsed.

They then aided the U.S.-backed offensives that liberated ISIS-held territory and some units are being incorporated into Iraqi security forces.

Experts said the administration also is exaggerating the closeness of the relationship between Iran and Afghanistans Taliban militants and al-Qaida by calling them co-conspirators.

The State Department did not respond to requests for comment about the accuracy of the information it was disseminating.

It is too early to determine the impact of the administrations communications campaign, U.S. officials said.

Possible outcomes

Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank, said the strategy to economically strangle Iran and stoke public discontent with the leadership aimed to produce one of two outcomes.

Outcome one is capitulation, forcing Iran to further curtail not only its nuclear program but also its regional ambitions, Sadjadpour said. Outcome two is the implosion of the Islamic Republic.

But some U.S. officials and other experts cautioned that by fueling turmoil in Iran, the U.S. administration could foster greater authoritarian rule and a more aggressive foreign policy, raising the threat of a U.S.-Iran confrontation.

Washington has long called Iran the worlds leading state sponsor of terrorism because Tehran arms and funds proxy militant groups like Lebanese Hezbollah. Iranian leaders urge the destruction of the United States and Israel, and Iranian proxies have killed hundreds of U.S. soldiers and diplomats since the Islamic Revolution.

Earlier campaigns

That record provided previous administrations with ample material for waging their own public relations campaigns against Tehran, including trying to communicate directly with the Iranian people.

President George W. Bushs administration established Radio Farda, a U.S.-funded broadcaster that beams into Iran what it says is objective and accurate news and information to counter state censorship and ideology-based media coverage. The Obama administration launched a Farsi Twitter account, @USAdarFarsi, in 2011.
Afghanistan hosted a new round of ongoing wide-ranging discussions with Pakistan Sunday in an effort to build mutual confidence and work together to bring an end to the Afghan conflict.



The Kabul meeting took place under a framework agreement of bilateral engagement called the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action-Plan-for-Peace-and-Solidarity (APAPPS). The process seeks enhanced military cooperation intelligence sharing to jointly fight regional terrorism and promote Afghan peace and reconciliation efforts.



Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai, who headed the Afghan delegation, informed Sunday's meeting that the sides have made progress in the months-old dialogue process.



"The aim is to build trust to improve relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, in particular, and Pakistan's cooperation in dealing with the ongoing war in Afghanistan," Karzai explained.



Head of the Pakistani delegation, Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, while addressing Sunday's meeting in the Afghan capital, also praised the progress the two sides have achieved toward moving the bilateral relationship forward .



"It is a clear demonstration of how much we can do when we work together. We also bring the message of a commitment to peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan," she noted.



"We are now looking at what are the similarities and complementarities that we have between our two countries. We see that Pakistan and Afghanistan will grow together, inshallah [God willing], economically and in the context of peace and stability within the region," Janjua vowed.



The U.S-backed Afghan government has long alleged leaders of the Taliban insurgency are directing the war from their sanctuaries on Pakistani soil. Both Afghan and U.S. officials have been calling for Islamabad to expel, arrest or force Taliban leaders to the table for peace talks with Kabul.



Pakistan denies insurgents are using its territory for attacks inside Afghanistan, saying Pakistani forces through sustained operations have dismantled "all terrorism-related infrastructure" in near the Afghan border and have put in place enhanced border security measures to prevent infiltration in either direction.



"Pakistan looks forward to peace in Afghanistan. Pakistan has been doing its bit in this regard with other stakeholders," army spokesman Major-General Asif Ghafoor told VOA on Friday.



Foreign Secretary Januja reiterated at Sunday's talks in Kabul her country's strong support for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's initiatives to encourage peace and reconciliation talks with the Taliban.



The Pakistani diplomat said Ghani's overture followed by his unilateral temporary Eid cease-fire with the Taliban "gives great hope for everyone" seeking an end to the Afghan conflict.

Ghani's cease-fire prompted the Taliban to declare its own cessation of hostilities during the three-day Eid festival. But the insurgents ignored calls for extending their cease-fire and have since returned to the battlefield with more intensity.



Pakistani officials say their influence with the Taliban has receded in recent years but they have pledged to use "whatever leverage" Islamabad has to assist in kick-starting Afghan peace talks.



Afghan ambassador to Pakistan, Omar Zakhilwal, acknowledged earlier this month that Islamabad played a role in the temporary Taliban cease-fire but he would not share further details.



Speaking in Washington on Thursday, the commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), General Joseph Votel also noted recent bilateral engagements have improved military cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan.



"And that has increased the level of interaction between the military. And what we've seen is, we've seen a corresponding decrease in confrontations and conflict and tensions and exchanges along the border. These are very positive things," Votel told reporters in Washington.

Kabul and Islamabad under the comprehensive APAPPS dialogue are also discussing ways to encourage an "honorable and voluntary" repatriation of nearly three million Afghans still residing in Pakistan.



Pakistani authorities have been pushing for an early repatriation of all Afghans, saying it will depress remnants of Taliban insurgents from using the refugee population as a hideout.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the government in Iran has become a nightmare for the Iranian people.

He added that United Sates is not afraid to attack the Iranian regime at its highest level as he urged all U.S. allies to join in financially suppressing the government.

Pompeo spoke to an audience at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Sunday, filled with Iranian-Americans.

He said the Trump administration will not stay silent against what he calls the numerous crimes and abuses of the Iranian government.

This includes kleptocracy, with Pompeo saying those at the top have squandered the people's wealth on terrorism and theft and a zeal to spread the Islamic revolution to other nations.

He said the Iranian economy is "going great," but only for the elite, accusing the ayatollahs and senior leaders of lining their pockets to the tune of billions of dollars while a third of Iranians live in poverty.

While Pompeo was speaking about the lack of free speech in Iran, he was interrupted by a heckler. The secretary stood by calmly before remarking that Iranians should have the same kind of freedom of expression.

The secretary also announced that the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees the Voice of America, is taking new steps to help Iranians get around internet censorship. The BBG is also launching a new 24/7 Farsi-language channel across television, radio, digital, and social media formats.

He said the goal of the United States is to see Iranians inside their own country live the same kind of life Iranians in the United States enjoy.
Doctors in central Somalia say a 10-year-old girl has died after undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM).

Director of Hanano hospital in Dhusamareb, Dr. Abdirahman Omar Hassan, who was on the response team who tried to save the girl, told VOA Somali that the victim bled to death after undergoing FGM.

Hassan said the girl was brought to the hospital on July 17. Her parents told doctors the procedure was performed two days earlier in the village of Olol, 40 kilometer north of Dhusamareb town.

She was brought in during the early evening, we all rushed to the emergency [room] when we learned her situation, Hassan told VOA Somali. She died because she was losing lots of blood.

Hassan said examinations show the girl contracted tetanus because the items used by the person who performed the procedure were not sterilized.

FGM involves removing part or all of the clitoris and labia for non-medical reasons, usually as a rite of passage. The World Health Organization (WHO) says cutting  often performed on girls 15 and younger  can result in bleeding, infection, problems with urination and complications with childbearing.

They cut the clitoris, one side of the vulva was cut, the other side was wounded in three areas, Hassan said. I never saw anyone who was mutilated like that in my life.

The girls father Dahir Nur said he was distraught but accepts that his daughter died due to the procedure and believes she was taken by Allah.

Despite losing his daughter he defended the practice.

The people in the area are content with it [FGM], her mother consented to it, he said, adding, We have seen the effects but its a culture in the country we live in.

Nur says he holds no one responsible for the death of his daughter.



News of the fatal procedure emerged as Somali activists and international partners are meeting in Mogadishu to discuss increasing campaigns against FGM.

Somali anti-FGM activist Ifrah Ahmed appealed to religious leaders to do more to convince the community to end the practice.

The religious leaders can inform the community about what the religion says about FGM  that this is not religious, its a culture, she said.

Somalia is in the top three countries in the world for FGM violations, according to the WHO .
Russian and Syrian jets stepped up their bombing of an Islamic State bastion along the Jordan-Israel border in southwestern Syria, as the militants pushed into areas abandoned by other rebel groups, diplomatic and opposition sources said.

Islamic State-affiliated forces entrenched in the Yarmouk Basin, which borders the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Jordan, also repelled a ground attack by the Syrian army and its allies, the sources added.

The agricultural area has become the main battleground in the sensitive border region after a major Russian-backed Syrian army offensive routed other rebel groups who were once backed by Washington, Jordan and Gulf states.

An intelligence source told Reuters 1,000-1,500 Islamic State fighters had been holding their ground despite the 10-day-old bombing campaign that he said had hit villages and caused "untold number" of civilian casualties

A former resident in touch with relatives said thousands of civilians whose villages have been bombed have fled to the safety of areas either held by the army or rebels.

Another source familiar with the situation said Islamic State had actually been able to expand its territory over the last 20 hours by seizing at least 18 villages abandoned by other rebels under the banner of the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

Islamic State was taking advantage of the collapse of its ideological FSA rivals which it views as apostates, the source said.

The United States once armed the southern FSA rebels, but told them at the start of the Russian-Syrian offensive not to expect its intervention. While cutting other aid to the rebels, Washington had continued to provide those fighting Islamic State with weapons, the source added.

The Syrian army said its aerial strikes and shelling of militants in the Yarmouk Basin - the only territorial pocket held by the hardline Sunni fundamentalists in the country's southwest - had killed "tens of terrorists" in a campaign whose goal it said was to crush militants.

The army and its allies have been pushing to expand their foothold near the Golan frontier by negotiating surrender deals with rebel groups and allowing them to move to opposition-held areas in northern Syria.
Spanish rescuers have picked up nearly 800 migrants trying the cross the Mediterranean Sea into the European Union over the past two days.

Coast Guard boats pulled people off of dangerously overcrowded vessels from the Straits of Gibraltar and the Alboran Sea - two of the closest points between Spain the coast of North Africa.

The U.N.'s International Organization for Migration said more than 18,000 people have reached Spain from North Africa so far this year.

Spain has replaced Italy as the preferred destination for migrants from Africa, Syria, Afghanistan and elsewhere trying to escape war and poverty for a better life in the European Union.

Italy had been overwhelmed with migrants and under a deal worked out with Libya, has started returning them home instead of processing asylum requests.
Former U.N. secretary general Kofi Annan is calling for a peaceful election in Zimbabwe, which holds general polls in less than two weeks.

Annan met with Zimbabwes president and leader of the opposition Friday.

Kofi Annan came to Zimbabwe leading The Elders, an independent group of mostly retired global leaders working together for peace and human rights. With him on the trip are Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland, and Lakhdar Brahimi, an Algerian career diplomat.



They spent about an hour Friday meeting with President Emmerson Mnangagwa at the State House.



Annan also met with Nelson Chamisa, leader of the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance.



The opposition has accused the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission of refusing to release the voters roll to be used in the polls or to reveal the quantity, location and printer of ballot papers.



Chamisa said he had a fruitful meeting with The Elders group.





We raised it with the elders," Chamisa said. "They have made a commitment that they are going to consider our position. Most of the changes that we want to see are not very difficult to implement."



The opposition also wants the vote of some police officers to be nullified, because the officers had to cast ballots in front of their superiors.



After meeting Annan, President Mnangagwa came to the defense of the electoral body, which the opposition says is trying to rig the July 30 elections for the ruling ZANU-PF party.



Government has no role or controlling of influencing ZEC at all," Mnangagwa said. "They are guided by the Electoral Act as well as the constitution. Those who feel that ZEC has not complied with the law or the constitution our courts are open to deal with such issues.



Former president Robert Mugabe was accused of rigging several elections during his 37-year rule. President Mnangagwa has pledged this years vote will be credible.
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Koffi Annan, a member of The Elders, speaks about their activities in Zimbabwe as his colleague Mary Robinson, expressed deep concern over Zimbabwe's insults on social media directed at the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. Some parties claim that ZEC is an appendage of Zanu PF. #voazimvotes
Eminent person Mary Robinson, one of members of The Elders who are assessing the electoral process in Zimbabwe, says they are worried about the few number of women participating in this year's crucial general elections. #voazimvotes
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Am MDC Alliance member spins his vehicle outside Bulawayo's White City Stadium on Saturday before attending a rally addressed by Nelson Chamisa and other top members of the political group. What do you think about this? #voazimvotes
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mnangagwa, who came to power when Robert Mugabe was removed in a de facto coup in November, is on the campaign trail ahead of what is expected to be a tight contest with his main rival, Nelson Chamisa. He is seeking votes from the white community. #voazimvotes
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One of the most impressive lava dome eruptions in recent years. A new dome formed in the crater lake of Kelut volcano (East Java) in late 2007. Enjoy some unique pictures.

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Experience one of the geologically most active areas on the planet: the Danakil desert in northern Ethiopia: climb Erta Ale and enjoy the powers of Northen and South craters, the surreal colorful world of salt, geysers and springs at Dallol, the UNESCO world heritage site of the rock hewn churches of Lalibela and the beautiful Semien Mountains!

Look up earthquakes in your country, region or state!

We're proud to present our 2020 volcano calendar: 13 different and attractive images of volcanoes, volcanic landscapes and phenomena taken during volcano tours over the past two years.

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A selection of photos taken during our Java photo tour by Uwe Ehlers.

Tours dedicated to usually a single volcano currently in eruption. These trip, sometimes offered only last-minute through our newsletter, are among the most adventurous and most popular in our program.

We organize tours to particularly active volcanoes and during ongoing eruptions for extended observation time from various viewpoints. These trips, exclusively for very small groups, are often announced only at short notice and require fast travel and flexibility. Each trip is accompanied by a volcanologist from our team. Examples include: Kilauea (Hawai'i), Colima (Mexico), Krakatau and many others.

The most primitive rock type forms when magma (molten rock) solidifies - either inside the earth (plutonic rocks) or during volcanic eruptions (volcanic rocks). A short overview.

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Maintaining our website and our free apps does require, however, considerable time and resources.

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Dukono on Halmahera in Indonesia has been in permanent activity for years, often producing ash plumes that drift around the northern part of the island and have become normality.

VolcanoDiscovery's signature tours for small groups: Discover volcanoes and volcanic areas from close with an expert in their field! These tours have a broad mix of activities and interests from photography, walking, study travel, nature & culture.

Tours dedicated to usually a single volcano currently in eruption. These trip, sometimes offered only last-minute through our newsletter, are among the most adventurous and most popular in our program.

How to watch volcanoes? Which volcano to choose? Some guidelines.

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Maintaining our website and our free apps does require, however, considerable time and resources.

We're aiming to achieve uninterrupted service wherever an earthquake or volcano eruption unfolds, and your donations can make it happen! Every donation will be highly appreciated.

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A low point from the perspective of U.S. officials came during Pompeos third visit to Pyongyang on July 6 when he pressed North Korean officials for details on their plans to return the remains of U.S. soldiers killed during the Korean War, as they had agreed to do in Singapore. The issue had been discussed in several meetings and was viewed by the United States as an easy way for North Korea to demonstrate its sincerity.
Federal employment in the D.C. area has shrunk by about 7,000 jobs over the past year  the largest decline of any job category  as the Trump administration has drawn down certain civilian agencies. The District was hit hardest by that decline, with about 4,200 federal jobs lost in the past year. Suburban Maryland experienced stagnant growth as well after construction wound down on MGM National Harbor, with no project of that size to take its place.
The lunch place, which he is planning to review soon, is classic Jonathan Gold, meaning it is a mom-and-pop dive in the working-class neighborhood of Highland Park, a cafe called El Huarache Azteca, which boasts of its el Chicano dog, and its sopas, tortas, tacos, pambasos, sincronizadas and platanos fritos. It is next door to an auto body shop. It is classic Gold in that the 46-year-old critic has made it his mission to discover and revel in the kaleidoscopic ethnic culinary delights of Los Angeles, to search out food that is a window into the citys crazy-quilt immigrant soul, and Gold keeps eating and eating and eating, on an anthropological quest to answer the questions: Who are we? And what is for dessert?
He could talk about the finer points of opera or opine on the hippest womens clothing stores in L.A. or explain how recent Indonesian economic history influenced the availability of quality rendang in the States, Meehan continues. His limitless knowledge was tempered by a genuine kindness and generosity that is rare in humans, particularly those who could get by without it. He was one of the best people to dine with, which is probably one of the reasons he was so much better at writing about eating than the rest of us.
Check out all the places KidsPost traveled to this summer

Siblings Andrew, 9, Colleen, 11, and Fiona Leavitt, 6, of Washington traveled south to Tybee Island just a couple miles away from Savannah, Georgia. They spent their time with their large family in one big house. Family photo
The unique shape and arrangement of its head and snout armor may be its most interesting trait, the researchers said, giving clues about the Asian ancestry of some of the ankylosaurs that roamed western North America near the end of the dinosaur era.
Iraq's 2018 Elections Aftermath: a Critical Situation for Assyrians

The May 2018 election results shocked Iraq. Officially, it was the lowest voter turnout recorded since the first freely held elections after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2005. According to the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) Iraq recorded a 79.63% voter turnout in 2005. The recorded voter turnout in 2018 was 44.85%. The reasons for less than half the eligible voting population participating and the impact of these elections on Christian minority communities in Iraq, is what this article will discuss. National election results did not match expectations for several reasons. Social dynamics have changed in Iraq partly because of social media network campaigns conducted before the elections calling for a boycott. Social media focused attention on the current government's inability to combat corruption and the inequity of the present system in terms of ensuring minority rights and protection. Followers of social media in Iraq were saturated with the message: "What's the point? Nothing will change. Don't bother to vote." Election committees instituted complex, lengthy and time-consuming registration procedures, limited the hours polls were open for voters and did not make adequate provision for security during voting. Consequently, the total number of possible voters was restricted and further marginalized minority communities. These strategies were largely successful in terms of deterring voter participation in Iraq's national and regional elections. In addition, installing new voting machines complicated rather than improved accountability. People questioned the credibility of final vote counts and the legality of the election results. For minorities and their candidates, the election results have been catastrophic. Christian minorities, including Chaldo-Assyrian people, who are the indigenous people of Iraq, face serious types of persecution from those in charge of the current government. Both the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) and the central Iraqi government elected officials have not kept their campaign promises regarding protecting minority rights. Of the 329 seats in Iraq's government there are only a few allotted minority seats (the "quota") for Chaldo-Assyrian, Yazidi and Shabak peoples. The total number of minority seats is nine. Most seats (320) are for Kurds and Arabs. Unfortunately, even the candidates elected for these limited number of seats gained these seats only after having been carefully selected by the Iraqi and Kurdish majority. A well-known Assyrian politician, Mr. Yonadam Kanna, who was elected for three terms in the Iraqi National Assembly stated that the low turnout was caused by several factors. The first factor was disappointment by the electorate because of rampant corruption, high rates of unemployment, the absence of the rule of law and the practice of nepotism. The second factor was not educating the population on the importance of participation in elections in order to create a healthy democracy and a peaceful transfer of power. Finally, he said, members of the election committees were connected to the hegemonic political parties and had no interest or investment in the small number of minority party candidates. Mr. Kanna added, "These elections were the worst elections because they lacked transparency. The electronic voting machines were not efficient for counting votes and they were criticized by many." These all adversely affected the election process. He concluded that, "The elections have had a negative impact on minorities owing to the intervention by the KDP (Kurdish Democratic Party) and the Shi'ite political powers, specifically the 'Al Fattah list'. Hence, there was only one out of the five possible seats gained from Christian votes. We cannot consider it a successful election." Moreover, disagreements among the few Christian political parties and politicians is weakening them and opening them up to infiltration by other groups who aim to gain influence and control. To illustrate this, the Christian candidates who won the highest number of votes were supported either by the Kurds or the Shi'ite Arabs (as well as from within their own communities). One KDP member tweeted, "KDP as the only multi religious party in Kurdistan, mobilized the Christian members and succeeded in winning 2 out of 5 seats of Christian quota" (see original Tweet below). This Tweet illustrates the powerful sway the KDP exerts over some of the Christian parties. Shi'ite and Iranian influence in Iraq's politics is in evidence through the Shi'ite votes cast for the Babylon list and from affiliated politicians in Iraq's government. The "Babylon list" is a list of Christian political candidates (within the quota) headed by Mr. Rayan Al-Kaldani. Mr. Al-Kaldani is the leader of one of the Christian militias, called the "Babylon Brigade," which claims affiliation to the Badr organization. The Badr Organization of Reconstruction and Development (Badr Organization), also referred to as the "Badr Brigade," was formed by Hadi al-Amiri in 1983 as the armed wing of the largest Shiite political party in Iraq, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). The Badr Organization is considered "Iran's oldest proxy in Iraq" because of its close and lasting ties to Tehran. In January 2017, Badr commander Qasim al-Araji was confirmed as Iraq's Minister of Interior, replacing Mohammed Ghabban. Araji is a former member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and was twice arrested by U.S. forces for working with the insurgency during the U.S. war in Iraq. In a July 2017 report by the SWP German Institute for International and Security Affairs they reported that, "Since Badr established control over the province of Diyala and the Interior Ministry of Baghdad, the organization has grown appreciably and is now playing a role similar to that of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Badr is also part of a growing "Shiite International" which supports the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria." Most of the Babylon Brigade's members are Shiite Muslims and only a few are Sunni Muslims and Christians. It follows that the KDP and Shiite influencers (such as the Badr organization) will be able to apply pressure on the Christian members of parliament and request/require their reciprocal support on legislation, policies and funding approval. Another minority candidate for a parliamentary seat in the Iraq national elections was Dr. Muna Yaqo. She was also a member of the Constitutional Committee of the KRG. Dr. Yaqo explained the low Christian turnout was mostly due to the Christian community's disappointment in their own leaders (because of corruption), and their disloyalty to their own people in terms of preserving their rights as an indigenous people. "The disunity among the Christian political parties contributes to dispersing the people's vote and is leading them to avoid participation in the elections. Furthermore, this disunity is raising tensions within the Christian community." She remarked. Dr. Yaqo called the election process "unfair with negative impacts on the minorities;" mentioning that there should be an amendment to the quota law making it limited to Christians as a way to ensure their consistent and active participation in government. Mr. Emmanuel Khoshaba, who will have a seat within the quota system, pointed out that "minority rights are not enshrined in the Iraqi constitution yet, and I will try to enshrine them." He cited Article 125 of the Iraqi constitution as an example, which states:

"This Constitution shall guarantee the administrative, political, cultural, and educational rights of the various nationalities, such as Turkomen, Chaldeans, Assyrians, and all other constituents, and this shall be regulated by law."

This article and other articles are not yet regulated by law. Mr. Khoshaba hopes to push for laws required to save the rights of Christians and other minorities in Iraq. Mr. Khoshaba believes the low turnout may also be attributed to the rigid procedures the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) imposed on citizens to register and to the cumbersome voting process. He reprimanded the corrupted electoral process in his campaign speeches and declared the need for Iraqis to have more experience in practicing democracy. Mr. Aziz Emmanuel, a candidate who ran for one of the minority seats in the last election, reinforced the fact that Christian minorities are neglected. "These five seats designated for Christians are not enough to represent our minority." He said. "Many of the minorities who are in the diaspora fled due to security concerns and instability; therefore, if we had more seats we might have a better chance of saving our rights and maybe stopping the emigration." He also predicted that even the minority candidates elected to parliament will face difficulties in achieving their goals owing to their small number. Mr. Emmanuel criticized the election process and noted that significant citizen participation in elections is crucial if Iraq aims to have a real democracy. The current situation for Christian minorities is extremely precarious. Christian minorities are now potential pawns of powerful rival political parties and are seemingly not supported by any internal or international power players. The next step to retain what little influence they have is to propose an amendment to the constitutional articles which are directly related to protecting minority rights from the exploitation of other powerful political parties in the region. Even after passing an amendment the challenges involved enforcing the law will be tremendous. Iraq's minorities need to have their confidence restored in the political and electoral process so they will be encouraged to participate and most importantly to remain in Iraq to work for a more equitable and secure future for their constituents. Christian communities need to encourage their members to run for political office, to be involved in campaigns, to use social media to their advantage and to vote. If their expectations are not met in the next elections, and the rights of Christians and other minorities are not guaranteed through new laws and articles in their constitution, and support from the international Christian community is not forthcoming; the future for Christians and other minorities in Iraq will indeed be bleak.
Maybe there needs to be a job called, like, Platform Editor, where someone works to not only stop manipulation but also works across the security team and the content team and in between the different business verticals to ensure the quality and integrity of the platform, suggested Jonathan Albright, a leading thinker on tech issues, in a Nieman Lab interview early this year.
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Diversity is one of the greatest assets that we have here, but it is also one of our challenges because you have so many unique perspectives and so many students who have unique life experiences and cultural experiences, Hutchings said in an interview earlier this year.
David Greene is one of the parents accused of residency fraud. OSSE concluded that we are still residents of Maryland based on the fact that we owned a property there from 2008-2014, he said in a letter to three D.C. Council members. The investigators told him that his documentation of D.C. residence appeared to be false because the address on the documentation is a home owned by a senior receiving the homestead deduction. Greene said he is the renter, not the owner, of the property.
But Canady and the teachers union argued that his third-graders performed well and that he had previously posted strong scores on his evaluations. They said they suspected his low score was linked to his public criticism of the school system and not to his performance in the classroom. They also argued that the city did not follow proper protocol when evaluating him.
Maggiolo said the blaze was confined to a single apartment on the sixth floor. Firefighters rescued the occupant, who was taken to a hospital. The buildings other residents were able to return to their units after the smoke cleared, Maggiolo said.
During more than 50 trips to Mexico to study monarchs, Dr. Brower began to see that their numbers were shrinking. Their mountain habitat is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, and ecotourists have rallied to save the region from development. Nevertheless, trees continue to be cut down by loggers or burned by farmers.
Human beings are unable to be honest with themselves about themselves. They cannot talk about themselves without embellishing. This script portrays such human beings  the kind who cannot survive without lies to make them feel they are better people than they really are . . . You say that you cant understand this script at all, but that is because the human heart itself is impossible to understand. If you focus on the impossibility of truly understanding human psychology and read the script one more time, I think you will grasp the point of it.
For more than a decade, the Alaska Board of Game has escalated its efforts to reduce bear and wolf populations across much of the state, supposedly to increase moose and caribou populations. This has been scientifically disproved, time and again. We know how the story ends when we let so-called hunters take out their frustrations on bears and wolves in the name of protecting game populations. It doesnt end well. Especially for us hunters. We lose habitat, access and public support.
In 2016 and for much of 2017, those warning that Trump was exactly the dangerous scoundrel he appeared to be were accused of missing his fundamental genius and his deep connection with discounted Americans. Trumps detractors were said to be out of touch and elitist, as if only those with exquisitely elevated tastes in societys upper reaches could possibly worry about his indifference to truth, his contempt for women and immigrants, his disdain for a free press and his flouting of the expectations we have of those on whom we confer power.
The findings indicate that while Trump was judged critically for his summit performance, the event has not at this time proved to be a significant turning point in his presidency, despite the sharp criticism he received in the hours and days after the meeting and the multiple efforts by White House officials and the president to clarify his remarks in Helsinki. The poll results suggest that overall attitudes toward the president have hardened on both sides and that major events produce only modest changes in his overall standing, if any.
To believe that the court got it wrong is to believe either that executive privilege is absolute or that a quasi-independent prosecutor lacks the authority to enforce a subpoena against a president, said Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas. Either of those conclusions would be a radical departure from where the law currently is and, arguably, where it should be.
Prosecutors cited Butinas interactions with the Russian billionaire to argue she should not be allowed out of jail while awaiting trial. They argued that she has ties to the Russian oligarchy and knows wealthy men who could be in a position to offer her safe harbor if she decided to flee the United States.
Trump is determined to make trade part of the midterm discussion  even though many in the White House are skeptical that it is a good issue, particularly in battleground Midwestern states. Its not like you are going to change his mind, said one White House official, who, like others interviewed for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly. So we just have to message it the right way.
Sisodias initiative comes after nearly three decades of rapid industrialization in India. To meet the demand for skilled labor in the countrys profitable new industries, successive governments churned out high school and university graduates  but allowed standards to fall. Some states made exams easier and marked them leniently so students could boast of high grades to universities. In 2009, a previous national government introduced a no-fail policy through the Right to Education Act, which led to classrooms full of teenagers advancing through school without being able to read or write.
On the one hand, he wants to demonstrate to the international community that he takes the rule of law and corruption issues seriously and that he is going to ensure that a proper investigation is done and efforts will be made to bring Dostum to justice if necessary, Kugelman said. On the other hand, he is very leery, I think, of the possibility that bringing Dostum back could cause more volatility in a country that is already experiencing plenty of it.
It was an operation to rescue the rescuers, said one person with knowledge of the mission who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss its details. They were in a terrible state. Theyd been on the move for days, having to rely on really scant information. Even hours before, they didnt know what was going to happen.
The release of the application, along with three subsequent applications to renew the surveillance, was extraordinary and historic. In the four decades that FISA has been in effect, its not clear that any application for surveillance has ever been released. Materials related to FISA operations and legal processes are among the most highly classified and closely guarded in the government. The New York Times, USA Today and the James Madison Project all sued for release of the materials.
Israel  and in particular, the city of Tel Aviv, where the annual pride parade there last month drew about 250,000 revelers  is often seen as a bastion of LGBT rights in the Middle East. But not every sector in society embraces or even accepts the community. In 2015, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man stabbed six people during the Gay Pride Parade in Jerusalem, killing a teenage girl who was there as a spectator.
AMP Bank warns it would be a "very poor" outcome for home loan customers if changes to mortgage brokers' pay model stopped brokers from pushing rival banks to compete fiercely for customers.

Smaller lenders, many of which are more reliant on mortgage brokers to win business, are watching nervously as the industry faces pressure to reform a commission-based pay model, which critics say encourages excessive borrowing.

AMP Bank has only 1 per cent of the mortgage market but is keen to expand, including through brokers. Credit:Fairfax Media

AMP Bank, which does not have a branch network and gets 75 per cent of its new loans from brokers, would be particularly exposed to any such change.

Group executive for AMP Bank, Sally Bruce, stressed the importance of mortgage brokers to smaller banks such as AMP, which has about 1 per cent of the $1.6 trillion home loan market.
One of the most anticipated reveals at Comic-Con - a trailer for Aquaman - was delivered to fans as promised. Warner Bros also delivered for fans panels for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, another superhero title Shazam and the highly-anticipated follow up to Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman 1984. Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins was joined by stars Gal Gadot and Chris Pine at their panel; Pine's inclusion has many eyebrows raised as - warning: spoiler follows - his character appeared in the first Wonder Woman film to have been killed off. Wonder Woman 1984 stars Gal Gadot (right) and Chris Pine at Comic-Con.

Jenkins would not reveal how he appears in the new film, which is set roughly six decades after the first, but said he was "a very important part of our movie." Jenkins also said she shifted the time period of the second Wonder Woman film to the 1980s because it "showed mankind at its best and worst. It was grand and wonderful; there was great music and there were elegant and beautiful things but other things about the decade revealed the worst of us." Curiously, the shift mirrors to some extent the 1970s-era Wonder Woman series which also shifted to the 1980s in its second season; in that instance the actor playing Pine's role of Steve Trevor was recast as Trevor's son. Aquaman is released in cinemas on December 21; Wonder Woman is released in November, 2019. Jason Momoa, Amber Heard and Nicole Kidman at the Aquaman panel at Comic-Con.

Other major reveals at Comic-Con include the Supergirl television series confirming it had cast transgender activist and actress Nicole Maines as television's first transgender superhero, Dreamer. Dreamer, who goes by the day to day name of Nia Nal, will be introduced in Supergirl's fourth season. (In Australia, Supergirl screens on Foxtel.) "It seems only fitting that we have a trans superhero for trans kids to look up to," Maines told the crowd at Comic-Con. "I want fans to take away an understanding of trans people," Maines said. "We can be anybody, we can be who we want, we can be superheroes, because in many ways we are."

Another highlight was a surprise appearance during the presentation for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald of actor Johnny Depp, who will play villain Gellert Grindelwald in the film. Actor Jude Law, who will play the younger iteration of Hogwart's famous headmaster Albus Dumbledore in the film, said it was "very much a 'whose side are you on?' story. "The Muggle world and the wizarding world are somewhat pitching against each other but also the wizards within the wizarding world are asked what side do they choose to join," Law told the panel. "Everything's at stake, really; I'd say the depths and the darkness of this story are possibly the darkest this world has plumbed." Founded in 1970 as an actual comic book convention, the San Diego Comic-Con is now the world's largest fan convention with more than 150,000 people pushed through its turnstiles across four days each year. Zachary Levi, from left, Asher Angel and Jack Dylan Grazer speak at the Shazam panel at Comic-Con.

It is also a major date in the Hollywood marketing calendar, though in 2018 a number of key titles including Disney-owned Marvel and Star Wars and HBO's Game of Thrones and Westworld were absent. But this year's other highlights included the convention debut of actress Jodie Whittaker who is playing the 13th Doctor in the new season of Doctor Who, a reunion for the cast of Breaking Bad, confirmation that the next season of The Walking Dead would be the last for its star Andrew Lincoln and a sneak peek of the new season of Star Trek: Discovery. Discovery's producers also revealed the new season would see the original USS Enterprise captain Christopher Pike - introduced in the final moments of the first season of the show - taking command of the Discovery. Loading
He said he had about 1500 breeding cows and 375 breeding ewes on his property at the moment, but those numbers were down about 25 per cent on a good season. "It's really tricky for farmers out there at the moment, but in the ACT, we're in a really fortunate position," Mr Geikie said. "We're within striking distance of Canberra, but the farmers that are out west are in real trouble because they don't have the same ability to derive an off-farm income." Rural Leaseholders Association president Tom Allen on his farm at Symonston. Credit:Karleen Minney Rural Leaseholders Association president Tom Allen said he had also destocked, having sold all his surplus livestock in January and decided not to keep 200 breeding ewes as he usually did.

Mr Allen, who bought his Symonston farm in 1981, said while many farmers in the ACT had an off-farm income, an extended period of dry weather still caused great stress, particularly with a shortage of feed locally. He currently had 380 sheep to lamb and described his 330-hectare farm as small, but said even he would be in big trouble if there wasn't a decent amount of rain in spring. "I would have to spend the best part of $2000 a fortnight just to keep [the animals] alive and put some grain down their necks," Mr Allen said. "One of the biggest problems is sourcing the grain. We've got to buy it from South Australia and you can buy it over there for $300 a tonne, but it'll cost you $200 a tonne to get it here ... It causes an awful lot of stress on people even when [farming] is half your income." Mr Allen said after good seasons between 2011 and 2016, he wasn't surprised to see a rough year come around.

"They say, with farmers, theres no need to go to the racetrack because were gambling every day, and thats basically what it is," he said. Bureau of Meteorology senior climatologist Ian Barnes-Keoghan said over the last four months, the ACT had experienced a "severe rainfall deficiency", which meant rainfall levels were in the driest 5 per cent of historical totals. The only more severe level on the bureau's classification scale is "record low". Mr Barnes-Keoghan said there appeared to be no end to the big dry in sight. "Unfortunately, things are not looking good," he said.

"The bureau does a seasonal outlook which covers the next three months [August to October] and looks at the probability of it being a wet or dry season. "The probably is very much in favour of it being a dry season... we're talking about a 70 per cent chance of it being a dry season, compared to the long-term average for Canberra." As of Friday afternoon, just 2.6 millimetres of rain had been recorded this month at Canberra Airport. Mr Barnes-Keoghan said the July average was about 40 millimetres.

He said it was hard to pinpoint a single reason behind the current lack of rainfall, but the simple reason was that the weather systems that brought rain weren't passing over the ACT as often. "We're seeing more high-pressure ridging, and when those high-pressure ridges just sit there not moving, the lows and the troughs that typically bring rain aren't coming in," Mr Barnes-Keoghan said. Mr Barnes-Keoghan said while it would be hard to draw a direct link with climate change, an increase in the number of high-pressure systems was a characteristic of a warming climate. Loading Declarations of drought are the responsibility of state and territory governments, with large parts of NSW now in drought.
Tailored Brands, Inc. (NYSE:TLRD) released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March, 18th. The company reported ($0.46) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.54) by $0.08. The business earned $690.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $708.46 million. Tailored Brands had a negative trailing twelve-month return on equity of 138.49% and a negative net margin of 14.39%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.28) EPS.

View Tailored Brands' earnings history.
First Data Corporation provides commerce enabled technology and solutions for merchants, financial institutions, and card issuers in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through three segments: Global Business Solutions, Global Financial Solutions, and Network & Security Solutions. The Global Business Solutions segment provides solutions to merchants, such as retail point of sale merchant acquiring, e-commerce, and mobile payment services, as well as cloud based point of sale operating system that include a marketplace for proprietary and third party applications. The Global Finance Solutions segment provides technology solutions for bank and non-bank issuers, such as credit, retail private label, commercial card, and loan processing, as well as licensed financial software systems; suite of account services that include card personalization and embossing, customer communications, and professional services; and call center solutions and back office processing. The Network & Security Solutions segment offers EFT network, stored value network, and security and fraud solutions, as well as other value added solutions to its clients in GBS and GFS segments, smaller financial institutions, and other enterprise clients. First Data Corporation was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

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The Bank of New York Mellon pays an annual dividend of $1.36 per share and currently has a dividend yield of 2.28%. The Bank of New York Mellon does not yet have a strong track record of dividend growth. The dividend payout ratio of The Bank of New York Mellon is 33.92%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%. Based on earnings estimates, The Bank of New York Mellon will have a dividend payout ratio of 29.44% next year. This indicates that The Bank of New York Mellon will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

View The Bank of New York Mellon's dividend history.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 22)  The latest weather bureau forecast reported that Tropical Depression Josie may exit the Philippines early Monday.

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), in a 5:00 p.m. severe weather bulletin, has lifted all tropical cyclone warnings to reflect this new data.

However, the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) will continue to bring scattered to widespread rain over the regions of Metro Manila, Ilocos, Cordillera, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA and Western Visayas.

Residents of these areas, especially those living near river channels, in low-lying areas and in mountainous areas are still advised to take appropriate actions against possible flooding and landslides, coordinate with local disaster risk reduction and management offices and continue monitoring for updates, PAGASA said.

PAGASA also warned against sea travel in the Northern Luzon region.

As of 4:00 p.m., the center of Tropical Depression Josie was estimated to be 330 km North Northeast of Basco, Batanes, and is heading towards Japan.

The red heavy rainfall warning over Zambales and Bataan, orange heavy rainfall warning in Cavite and yellow rainfall warnings in Metro Manila, Laguna, Batangas and Rizal have yet to be lifted.

PAGASA is also monitoring a low pressure area that may enter the country and intensify into a tropical depression.
Royal Dutch Shell plc operates as an energy and petrochemical company worldwide. The company operates through Integrated Gas, Upstream, Oil Products, Chemicals segments. It explores for and extracts crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids; markets and transports oil and gas; produces gas-to-liquids fuels and other products; and operates upstream and midstream infrastructure necessary to deliver gas to market. The company also markets and trades natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), crude oil, electricity, carbon-emission rights; and markets and sells LNG as a fuel for heavy-duty vehicles and marine vessels. In addition, it trades in and refines crude oil and other feed stocks, such as gasoline, diesel, heating oil, aviation fuel, marine fuel, biofuel, lubricants, bitumen, and sulphur; produces and sells petrochemicals for industrial use; and manages oil sands activities. Further, the company produces base chemicals comprising ethylene, propylene, and aromatics, as well as intermediate chemicals, such as styrene monomer, propylene oxide, solvents, detergent alcohols, ethylene oxide, and ethylene glycol. Royal Dutch Shell plc was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands.

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The following companies are subsidiares of ENI: Adriaplin Podjetje za distribucijo, Agenzia Giornalistica Italia SpA, Agip Caspian Sea BV, Agip Energy and Natural, Agip Karachaganak BV, Agip Petroli, Aldro Energy, Banque Eni SA, Burren Energy (Bermuda) Ltd(1), Burren Energy (Egypt) Ltd, Burren Energy Congo Ltd, Burren Energy India Ltd, Burren Energy Plc, Burren Shakti Ltd, D-Service Media Srl, D-Share SpA, D-Share USA Corp., Dhamma Energy Group, Dunastyr Polisztirolgyarto Zartkoruen, Ecofuel SpA, Eni AEP Ltd, Eni Abu Dhabi BV, Eni Abu Dhabi Refining & Trading BV, Eni Abu Dhabi Refining & Trading Services BV, Eni Albania BV, Eni Algeria Exploration BV, Eni Algeria Ltd Sarl, Eni Algeria Production BV, Eni Ambalat Ltd, Eni America Ltd, Eni Angola Exploration BV, Eni Angola Production BV, Eni Angola SpA, Eni Argentina Exploracion, Eni Arguni I Ltd, Eni Australia BV, Eni Australia Ltd, Eni Austria GmbH, Eni BB Petroleum Inc, Eni BTC Ltd, Eni Bahrain BV, Eni Benelux BV, Eni Bukat Ltd, Eni CBM Ltd, Eni Canada Holding Ltd, Eni China BV, Eni Congo SA, Eni Corporate University SpA, Eni Cyprus Ltd, Eni Cote dIvoire Ltd, Eni Denmark BV, Eni Deutschland GmbH, Eni East Ganal Ltd, Eni East Sepinggan Ltd, Eni Ecuador SA, Eni Elgin/Franklin Ltd, Eni Energy Russia BV, Eni Exploration & Production Holding BV, Eni Finance International SA, Eni Finance USA Inc, Eni France Sarl, Eni Fuel SpA, Eni G&P Trading BV, Eni Gabon SA, Eni Ganal Ltd, Eni Gas & Power France SA, Eni Gas & Power LNG Australia BV, Eni Gas Transport Services Srl, Eni Ghana Exploration and Production Ltd, Eni Hewett Ltd, Eni Hydrocarbons Venezuela Ltd, Eni Iberia SLU, Eni India Ltd, Eni Indonesia Ltd, Eni Indonesia Ots 1 Ltd, Eni Insurance DAC, Eni International BV, Eni International NA NV Sarl, Eni International Resources Ltd, Eni Investments Plc, Eni Iran BV, Eni Iraq BV, Eni Ireland BV, Eni Isatay BV, Eni JPDA 03-13 Ltd, Eni JPDA 06-105 Pty Ltd, Eni JPDA 11-106 BV, Eni Kenya BV, Eni Krueng Mane Ltd, Eni LNS Ltd, Eni Lasmo Plc, Eni Lebanon BV, Eni Liberia BV, Eni Liverpool Bay Operating Co Ltd, Eni Lubricants Trading (Shangai) Co Ltd, Eni Marketing Austria GmbH, Eni Marketing Inc, Eni Maroc BV, Eni Mediterranea Idrocarburi SpA, Eni Middle East Ltd, Eni Mineralolhandel GmbH, Eni Montenegro BV, Eni Mozambico SpA, Eni Mozambique Engineering Ltd, Eni Mozambique LNG Holding BV, Eni Muara Bakau BV, Eni Myanmar BV, Eni Mexico S. de RL de CV, Eni Next Llc, Eni North Africa BV, Eni North Ganal Ltd, Eni Oil & Gas Inc, Eni Oil Algeria Ltd, Eni Oil Holdings BV, Eni Oman BV, Eni Pakistan (M) Ltd Sarl, Eni Pakistan Ltd, Eni Petroleum Co Inc, Eni Petroleum US Llc, Eni Portugal BV, Eni RAK BV, Eni RD Congo SA, Eni Rapak Ltd, Eni Rovuma Basin BV, Eni Schmiertechnik GmbH, Eni Sharjah BV, Eni South Africa BV, Eni South China Sea Ltd Sarl, Eni Suisse SA, Eni TNS Ltd, Eni Timor Leste SpA, Eni Trading & Shipping Inc, Eni Trading & Shipping SpA, Eni Transporte y Suministro Mexico , Eni Tunisia BV, Eni Turkmenistan Ltd, Eni UHL Ltd, Eni UK Holding Plc, Eni UK Ltd, Eni UKCS Ltd, Eni ULT Ltd, Eni ULX Ltd, Eni US Operating Co Inc, Eni USA Gas Marketing Llc, Eni USA Inc, Eni USA R&M Co Inc, Eni Ukraine Holdings BV, Eni Ukraine Llc, Eni Ukraine Shallow Waters BV, Eni Venezuela BV, Eni Venezuela E&P Holding SA, Eni Vietnam BV, Eni West Africa SpA, Eni West Ganal Ltd, Eni West Timor Ltd, Eni Yemen Ltd, Eni do Brasil Investimentos em Exploracao e Producao de Petroleo Ltda, Eni gas e luce SpA, EniPower Mantova SpA, EniProgetti Egypt Ltd, EniProgetti SpA, EniServizi SpA, Esacontrol SA, Esain SA, Eurl Eni Algerie, FRI-EL Group, First Calgary Petroleums LP, First Calgary Petroleums Partner Co ULC, First Calgary Petroliums, Floaters SpA, Gas Supply Company Thessaloniki - Thessalia SA, Gazoduc Transtunisien SA - Scogat SA, Ieoc Exploration BV, Ieoc Production BV, Ieoc SpA, LNG Shipping SpA, Lasmo Sanga Sanga Ltd, Liverpool Bay Ltd, Mizamtec Operating Company, Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag, Nigerian Agip CPFA Ltd, Nigerian Agip Exploration Ltd, Nigerian Agip Oil Co Ltd, OOO Eni Energhia, OOO Eni-Nefto, Oleoduc du Rhone SA, Petroven Srl, Raffineria di Gela SpA, Resources (Nigeria) Ltd, S. de RL de CV, SEA SpA, SeaPad SpA, Serfactoring SpA, Servizi Aerei SpA, Servizi Fondo Bombole Metano SpA, Societa Petrolifera Italiana SpA, Societe de Service du Gazoduc, Societe pour la Construction du, Tecnoesa SA, Trans Tunisian Pipeline Co SpA, Transtunisien SA - Sergaz SA, Versalis Americas Inc, Versalis Congo Sarlu, Versalis Deutschland GmbH, Versalis France SAS, Versalis International SA, Versalis Kimya Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Versalis Mexico S. de R.L. de CV, Versalis Pacific (India) Private Ltd, Versalis Pacific Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd, Versalis Singapore Pte Ltd, Versalis SpA, Versalis UK Ltd, Zetah Congo Ltd, Zetah Kouilou Ltd, and zemeljskega plina doo Ljubljana.
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. provides technical, professional, and construction services. The company's Aerospace, Technology, Environmental and Nuclear segment offers scientific, engineering, construction, nuclear, environmental, and technical support services to the aerospace, defense, technical, and automotive industries. Its Buildings, Infrastructure and Advanced Facilities segment develops/rehabilitates plans for highways, bridges, transit, tunnels, airports, railroads, intermodal facilities, and maritime or port projects; develops or rehabilitates critical water resource systems, water/wastewater conveyance systems, and flood defense projects; and provides engineering design, construction management, design build, and operations and maintenance. This segment also designs and constructs buildings; offers consulting, engineering, procurement, construction management, and delivery services for life sciences clients; and provides services relating to modular construction and other consulting and strategic planning services, as well as offers services in containment, barrier technology, locally controlled environments, building systems automation, off-the-site design, and fabrication of facility modules. The company's Energy, Chemicals and Resources segment offers services relating to onshore and offshore oil and gas production facilities, processing facilities, gathering systems, and transmission pipelines and terminals; feasibility/economic studies, technology evaluation, conceptual engineering, front end loading, detailed engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance, and commissioning services; and engineering, procurement, and construction solutions. This segment also provides services, such as manufacturing complex, expansions, modifications, and management of plant relocations; construction management and field construction services; and services to operate and maintain facilities. The company was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

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Christopher & Banks Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty retailer of private-brand women's apparel and accessories in the United States. The company designs and sells women's apparel and accessories to customers ranging in age from 40 and older. Its stores offer women's apparel consisting of casual clothing, everyday basics, wear-to-work, leisure/active wear, and sleepwear in missy, petite, and women sizes, as well as jewelry and accessories. As of December 4, 2018, the company operated 461 stores, including 314 MPW stores, 80 Outlet stores, 35 Christopher & Banks stores, and 32 stores in its women's plus size clothing division CJ Banks in 45 states. It also operates christopherandbanks.com, an e-commerce Website for its Christopher & Banks and CJ Banks brands. The company was formerly known as Braun's Fashions Corporation and changed its name to Christopher & Banks Corporation in July 2000. Christopher & Banks Corporation was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota.

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The following companies are subsidiares of InterContinental Hotels Group: 2250 Blake Street Hotel LLC, 24th Street Operator Sub LLC, 36th Street IHG Sub LLC, 426 Main Ave LLC, 46 Nevins Street Associates LLC, Allegro Management LLC, Alpha Kimball Hotel LLC, American Commonwealth Assurance Co. Ltd., Asia Pacific Holdings Limited, BHMC Canada Inc., BHR Holdings B.V., BHR Luxembourg SARL, BHR Pacific Holdings Inc., BHTC Canada Inc., BOC Barclay Sub LLC, Barclay Operating Corp., Bristol Oakbrook Tenant Company, Cafe Biarritz, Cambridge Lodging LLC, Capital Lodging LLC, Compania Inter-Continental De Hoteles El Salvador SA, Crowne Plaza Amsterdam (Management) B.V., Crowne Plaza LLC, Cumberland Akers Hotel LLC, Dunwoody Operations Inc., EVEN Real Estate Holding LLC, Edinburgh IC Limited, General Innkeeping Acceptance Corporation, Guangzhou SC Hotels Services Ltd., H.I. (Ireland) Limited, H.I. Soaltee Management Company Ltd, HC International Holdings Inc., HH France Holdings SAS, HH Hotels (EMEA) B.V., HH Hotels (Romania) SRL, HI Sugarloaf LLC, HIM (Aruba) NV, Hale International Ltd., Hoft Properties LLC, Holiday Hospitality Franchising LLC, Holiday Inn Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Holiday Inns (China) Ltd, Holiday Inns (Chongqing) Inc., Holiday Inns (Courtalin) Holdings SAS, Holiday Inns (Courtalin) SAS, Holiday Inns (England) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Germany) LLC, Holiday Inns (Guangzhou) Inc., Holiday Inns (Jamaica) Inc., Holiday Inns (Malaysia) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Middle East) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Philippines) Inc., Holiday Inns (Saudi Arabia) Inc., Holiday Inns (South East Asia) Inc., Holiday Inns (Thailand) Ltd., Holiday Inns (UK) Inc., Holiday Inns Crowne Plaza (Hong Kong) Inc., Holiday Inns Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, Holiday Inns Inc., Holiday Inns Investment (Nepal) Ltd., Holiday Inns of America (UK) Ltd., Holiday Inns of Belgium N.V., Holiday Pacific Equity Corporation, Holiday Pacific LLC, Holiday Pacific Partners LP, Hotel Inter-Continental London Limited, Hotel InterContinental London (Holdings) Limited, Hoteles Y Turismo HIH SRL, IC Hotelbetriebsfuhrungs GmbH, IC Hotels Management (Portugal) Unipessoal Lda, IC International Hotels Limited Liability Company, IHC (Thailand) Limited, IHC Buckhead LLC, IHC Edinburgh (Holdings), IHC Hopkins (Holdings) Corp., IHC Hotel Limited, IHC Inter-Continental (Holdings) Corp., IHC London (Holdings), IHC M-H (Holdings) Corp., IHC May Fair (Holdings) Limited, IHC May Fair Hotel Limited, IHC Overseas (U.K.) Limited, IHC UK (Holdings) Limited, IHC United States (Holdings) Corp., IHC Willard (Holdings) Corp., IHG (Australasia) Limited, IHG (Marseille) SAS, IHG (Thailand) Limited, IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan LLC, IHG ANA Hotels Holdings Co. Ltd., IHG Bangkok Ltd, IHG Brasil Administracao de Hoteis e Servicos Ltda, IHG Commission Services SRL, IHG Community Development LLC, IHG Cyprus Limited, IHG ECS (Barbados) SRL, IHG Franchising Brasil Ltda, IHG Franchising DR Corporation, IHG Franchising LLC, IHG Hotels (New Zealand) Limited, IHG Hotels Limited, IHG Hotels Management (Australia) Pty Limited, IHG Hotels Nigeria Limited, IHG Hotels South Africa (Pty) Ltd, IHG International Partnership, IHG Istanbul Otel Yonetim Limited Sirketi, IHG Japan (Management) LLC, IHG Japan (Osaka) LLC, IHG Management (Maryland) LLC, IHG Management (Netherlands) B.V., IHG Management MD Barclay Sub LLC, IHG Management SL d.o.o, IHG Management d.o.o. Beograd, IHG Orchard Street Member LLC, IHG PS Nominees Limited, IHG Systems Pty Ltd, IHG Szalloda Budapest Szolgaltato Kft., IHG de Argentina SA, IND East Village SD Holdings LLC, Inter-Continental D.C. Operating Corp., Inter-Continental Florida Investment Corp., Inter-Continental Florida Partner Corp., Inter-Continental Hospitality Corporation, Inter-Continental Hoteleira Limitada, Inter-Continental Hotels (Montreal) Operating Corp., Inter-Continental Hotels (Montreal) Owning Corp., Inter-Continental Hotels (Singapore) Pte. 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.
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Medtronic Plc is a medical technology company, which engages in the development, manufacture, distribution, and sale of device-based medical therapies and services. It operates through the following segments: Cardiac and Vascular Group; Minimally Invasive Technologies Group; Restorative Therapies Group; and Diabetes Group. The Cardiac and Vascular Group segment consists of products for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of cardiac rhythm disorders and cardiovascular disease. The Minimally Invasive Technologies Group segment focuses on respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, renal system, lungs, pelvic region, kidneys, and obesity diseases. The Restorative Therapies Group segment comprises of neurostimulation therapies and drug delivery systems for the treatment of chronic pain, as well as areas of the spine and brain, along with pelvic health and conditions of the ear, nose, and throat. The Diabetes Group segment offers insulin pumps, coninuous glucose monitoring systems, and insulin pump consumables. The company was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

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To promote tourism, now 28 per cent tax will be applicable only when the hotel bill is Rs 7,500 or above.

Sanitary napkins were taxed 12 per cent under the one-year old GST regime, which attracted a lot of criticism from various quarters.

New Delhi: In one of the biggest moves to woo women voters and the middle class before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the GST Council on Saturday exempted several items of daily use from tax, and slashed rates on a series of consumer products and household appliances. It also cut tax rates to give relief to traders and boost tourism.

The council decided to completely remove from GST sanitary pads, rakhis (without gold or precious stones), fortified milk, raw material for brooms and idols of deities made of stone, marble and wood. Sanitary napkins were taxed 12 per cent under the one-year old GST regime, which attracted a lot of criticism from various quarters.

The council also announced its decision to slash, from the current highest tax slab of 28 per cent to 18 per cent, on refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, TV (upto 68 cm), vacuum cleaners, food grinders and mixers, food or vegetable juices, shavers, hair clippers, storage water heaters, lithium-ion batteries (used in mobile phones and e-vehicles), and paints and varnishes.

GST was also reduce to 18 per cent from 28 per cent on scent sprays and similar toilet sprays, powder-puffs and pads for the application of cosmetics or toilet preparations.

The revised tax rates will come into effect from July 27. GST on footwear between Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 was reduced from 18 per cent to 5 per cent. Currently footwear costing up to Rs 500 is taxed at 5 per cent.

The council decided to bring down GST from 18 per cent to 12 per cent on handicraft items like handbags (including pouches and purses), jewellery boxes, wooden frames for painting, photographs, mirrors, hand-crafted lamps, art ware of glass, iron, brass, copper and aluminium, among many others.

For some handicraft items, the tax rate was reduced from 12 per cent to 5 per cent. These include handmade carpets and other handmade textile floor coverings (including namda/gabba), handmade lace, hand-woven tapestries, hand-made braids and ornamental trimmings.

To promote tourism, now 28 per cent tax will be applicable only when the hotel bill is Rs 7,500 or above. If the bill is less than Rs 7,500, then the tax rate will be 18 per cent. Currently 28 per cent tax rate is applicable if the declared tariff of a hotel room is Rs 7,500.

Finance minister Piyush Goyal said that the decisions taken by the council on Saturday will touch 25 crore people and will help in job creation.

Every state wanted that the rates on these items be lowered so that the middle income households are benefited... It has also been decided that the GST Council will rise above revenue consideration and focus more on job creation and economic growth, he said.

To promote digital education, tax on supply of e-books has been reduced to 5 per cent from 18 per cent.

The GST Councils move to reduce items used by middle class comes at a time when there were complaints that the tax burden on salaried people has risen during the BJP-led NDA rule. Government hopes that with this reduction it will be able to win the support of this crucial segment before general elections next year. The tax rate reduction is likely to cost around Rs 8,000-10,000 crore annually to the exchequer, sources said.

The premium for the Modi governments healthcare scheme Ayushman Bharat has also been exempted from GST. Artificial insemination of livestock (other than horses) has also been exempted from GST.

It was decided to exempt from GST supply of services by an old age home run by state/Central government or by a body registered under 12AA of Income Tax Act to its residents (aged 60 years or more) against consideration up to Rs 25,000 per month per member provided consideration is inclusive of charges for boarding, lodging and maintenance.

In a move to help traders, it was decided that reverse charge mechanism will be postponed for one year. The council approved the proposal that small traders with a turnover of upto Rs 5 crore will now need to file returns quarterly. However, they will have to pay tax on a monthly basis. Mr Goyal said that this will benefit 93 per cent of the tax payers.

The GST Council allowed multiple GST registration in a state as demanded by some companies due to operational reasons. With truckers complaining that heavy fine was levied on them for small errors in e-way bill, it was decided that a standard operation procedure will be created. Under this there will be a small fine for small mistakes to avoid harassment of the transporters.

A chance will be given till August 31 for businesses to migrate to the GST regime and late fee would be waived.

The council also cleared over 40 amendments to the GST law, including increasing threshold for composition scheme to Rs 1.5 crore and allowing multiple registration for businesses.

The next meeting of the council is slated on August 4, which will discuss issues relating to the MSME sector as well as ways to incentivise digital transaction via Rupay cards and BHIM app.
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation engages in the exploration, development, production, and marketing of oil and gas properties. It operates through three segments: Exploration and Production, WES Midstream, and Other Midstream. The company explores for and produces oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs). It is also involved in gathering, processing, treating, and transporting oil, natural-gas, and NGLs production, as well as the gathering and disposal of produced water. The company's oil and natural gas properties are located in the United States onshore and deepwater Gulf of Mexico; and Algeria, Ghana, Mozambique, Colombia, Peru, and other countries. As of December 31, 2018, it had approximately 1.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent of proved reserves. The company was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas.

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Novan, Inc., a clinical development-stage biotechnology company, provides nitric oxide-based therapies to treat dermatological and oncovirus-mediated diseases. Its clinical stage dermatology drug candidates include SB204, a topical monotherapy for the treatment of acne vulgaris; SB206, a topical anti-viral gel for the treatment of viral skin infections; SB208, a topical broad-spectrum anti-fungal gel for the treatment of fungal infections of the skin and nails, including athlete's foot and fungal nail infections; and SB414, a topical cream-based gel product candidate for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases. The company also develops SB207, an anti-viral product candidate for the treatment of external genital warts; WH602, a nitric oxide-containing intravaginal gel to treat high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV); WH504, a non-gel formulation product candidate to treat high-risk HPV; and SB019 for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. Novan, Inc. has a license agreement with Sato Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; and a strategic alliance with Orion Corporation. The company was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Morrisville, North Carolina.

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Rockwell Collins, Inc. designs, produces, and supports communications and aviation systems worldwide. The company's Interior Systems segment offers commercial aircraft seats; galley structures, food and beverage preparation equipment, and water and waste systems; oxygen and passenger service equipment; cabin lighting systems; and business jet and general aviation interior products. Its Commercial Systems segment provides cabin management systems; data link, frequency, very high frequency, and satellite communications systems; landing, radio navigation, and geophysical sensors, and flight management systems; situational awareness and surveillance systems and products; integrated flight controls; simulation and training systems; maintenance, repair, parts, and after-sales support services, and aftermarket used equipment. The company's Government Systems segment provides communications systems and products; radio navigation products, global positioning system equipment, and multi-mode receivers; avionics systems; precision targeting, electronic warfare, and training systems; simulation and training systems; space wheels; visual system products; maintenance, repair, parts, and after-sales support services, and aftermarket used equipment. Its Information Management Services segment offers voice and data communication services; flight support services; airport communications and information systems; train dispatching and information systems; mission critical security systems; and cabin connectivity solutions. The company serves original equipment manufacturers of commercial air transport, business and regional aircraft, commercial airlines, U.S. Department of Defense, other ministries of defense, other government agencies, defense contractors, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, and passenger and freight railroads, as well as airport, critical infrastructure, and business aircraft operators. The company was founded in 1933 and is headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

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Oasis Petroleum Inc., an independent exploration and production company, focuses on the acquisition and development of onshore unconventional oil and natural gas resources in the United States. It operates through Exploration and Production(E&P), and Midstream segments. The E&P segment engages in the acquisition and development of oil and gas properties. The Midstream segment offers midstream services, such as natural gas gathering, compression, processing and, gas lift supply; crude oil gathering, terminaling, and transportation; produced and flowback water gathering, and disposal; and water distribution. As of December 31, 2020, the company had 401,766 net leasehold acres in the Williston Basin; and 24,396 net leasehold acres in the Permian Basin, as well as approximately 152.2 million barrels of oil equivalent of estimated net proved reserves. The company sells its crude oil and natural gas to refiners, marketers, and other purchasers that have access to pipeline and rail facilities. Oasis Petroleum Inc. was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

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For those who think Dutts legal advisers will stop Ramu in his endeavour, the director is already ensconced in a safe zone.

Horrified and amused by the semi-truths of Sanjay Dutts image in Rajkumar Hiranis Sanju, Ram Gopal Varma who has spent considerable time with the actor when he was interrogated for his alleged hand in the 1993 Mumbai blasts, has decided to tell the real story.

While RGV chooses to remain silent for legal reasons, a source close to the filmmaker describes Hiranis biopic as a Walt Disney version of Dutts life.

Its all pink and rosy. Whatever Sanjay wanted to tell has gone into Hirans film. Ramu knows the truth. He was shooting Daud with Dutt when the cops were rigorously interrogating the actor for his alleged hand in the blasts. Dutt would land-up on location quite shaken. He once confided in Ramu how he tried to call Madhuri Dixit from the police station and her father answered saying she doesnt want to talk. Ramu wants to know how Hirani could overlook people like Madhuri, Tina Munim, Richa Sharma and Rhea Pillai who played such an important part in Dutts life. They will form an important part of Ramus narrative, says the source.

Hirani would like to blame Dutts friends for his troubles. But Ramu has spoken to senior police officers that were in charge of the case who say the friends were not responsible for his troubles. He was responsible for all the troubles in the lives of people who stood by him, adds the source.

Coming to the contentious issue of Sanjus best friend, the source close to the director says, The loyal friend played by Vicky Kaushal is supposed to be based on Dutts Gujarati NRI friend Paresh Ghelani. However, Ramu can vouch for the fact that he was nowhere in the scene when Dutts trouble began. Ghelani came much later. So the film is actually distorting the truth.

For those who think Dutts legal advisers will stop Ramu in his endeavour, the director is already ensconced in a safe zone.

All the information is in the public domain. Anyone can use that information and theres nothing Dutt can do about it, concludes the source.

Ramu is planning to start shooting towards the end of the year with an actor, and not a star. According to sources, he intends to cast Rana Daggubatti as Sanjay Dutt. As for the title, he may call the biopic Sanju or Baba. But not Sanju Baba.
Rayonier Advanced Materials, Inc. engages in the production and sale of cellulose products, which is a natural polymer commonly used in the production of cell phone and computer screens, filters, and pharmaceuticals. It operates through the following segments: High Purity Cellulose, Forest Products, Paperboard, Pulp and Newsprint, and Corporate. The High Purity Cellulose segment manufacture and market high purity cellulose, which is sold as either cellulose specialties or commodity products in U.S., Canda, and France. The Forest Products segment manufacture and market construction-grade lumber in North America through seven sawmills located in Canada. The Paperboard segment comprises paperboard products. The Pulp and Newsprint segment involves in the production of pulp and newsprint in Canada. The Corporate segment consists senior management, accounting, information systems, human resources, treasury, tax, and legal administrative functions that provide support services to the operating business units. The company was founded in 1926 and is headquartered in Jacksonville, FL.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Crown: Adularia Inversiones 2010 S.L., Angleboard Sweden AB, Bates Cargo-Pak ApS, Butimove, CMB Machinery and Technology (Shanghai) Co Ltd, CROWN AP (Thailand) Company Limited, CROWN Aerosols & Promotional Nederland, CROWN Aerosols Italia Srl, CROWN Aerosols Nederland BV, CROWN Aerosols UK Limited, CROWN Americas LLC, CROWN Arabia Can Company Ltd, CROWN Asia Pacific Holdings Pte. Ltd., CROWN Asia Pacific Investments (T) Limited, CROWN Bevcan Espana S.L., CROWN Bevcan France SAS, CROWN Bevcan Slovakia s.r.o., CROWN Bevcan Turkiye Ambalaj Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, CROWN Bevcan and Closures (Thailand) Company Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans (Cambodia) Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans (Dong Nai) Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Beijing Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Changchun Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Danang Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Hangzhou Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Hanoi Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Heshan Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Hong Kong Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Huizhou Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Malaysia Sdn Bhd, CROWN Beverage Cans Nanning Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Putian Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Saigon Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Shanghai Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Sihanoukville Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Singapore Pte. Ltd., CROWN Beverage Cans Ziyang Limited, CROWN Beverage Packaging LLC, CROWN Beverage Packaging Puerto Rico Inc., CROWN Cans Ghana Limited, CROWN China Holdings (Hong Kong) Limited, CROWN Commercial Belgium BVBA, CROWN Commercial France SAS, CROWN Commercial Germany GmbH & Co. KG, CROWN Commercial Hungary Kft, CROWN Commercial Netherlands B.V., CROWN Commercial Vermogensverwaltung GmbH, CROWN Cork & Seal USA Inc., CROWN Embalagens Metalicas da Amazonia S.A., CROWN Emballage France SAS, CROWN Emirates Company Limited, CROWN Envases Mexico S.A. de C.V., CROWN Famosa S.A. de C.V., CROWN Food Packaging (Thailand) Public Company Limited, CROWN Foodcan (Hat Yai) Company Limited, CROWN Foodcan (Nakhon Pathom) Company Limited, CROWN Foodcan Germany GmbH, CROWN Foodcan GmbH, CROWN Imballaggi Italia Srl, CROWN Imgallaggi Italia Srl, CROWN Italy Finance srl, CROWN Khmer Beverage Cans Limited, CROWN Maghreb Can, CROWN Magyarorszag Csomagoloipari KFT, CROWN Metal Packaging Canada Inc., CROWN Metal Packaging Canada LP, CROWN Middle East Can Co. Ltd., CROWN Packaging (Barbados) Limited, CROWN Packaging Holdings LLC, CROWN Packaging Investment (H.K.) Limited, CROWN Packaging Ireland Ltd, CROWN Packaging Jamaica Limited, CROWN Packaging Polska Sp.z.o.o., CROWN Packaging Technology Inc., CROWN Packaging Trinidad Limited, CROWN Packaging UK Limited, CROWN Promotional Packaging UK Ltd, CROWN SIEM, CROWN Senegal, CROWN Societe Malgache d'Emballages Metalliques, CROWN Speciality Packaging BV, CROWN Speciality Packaging Investment Pte. Ltd., CROWN Specialty Packaging UK Ltd, CROWN TCP Beverage Cans Company Limited, CROWN Verpakking Belgie NV, CROWN Verpakking Nederland B.V., Caretex Asia Ltd., CarnaudMetalbox Engineering Ltd, CarnaudMetalbox Food South Africa (Pty) Limited, CarnaudMetalbox Group UK Limited, CarnaudMetalbox Overeseas Limited, CarnaudMetalbox Overseas Limited, Cierres Hermeticos S.A. DE C.V., Constar International, Crown Americas Capital Corp., Crown Americas Capital Corp. II, Crown Americas Capital Corp. III, Crown Americas Capital Corp. IV, Crown Americas Capital Corp. V, Crown Americas Capital Corp. VI, Crown Brasil Holdings Ltda., Crown Canadian Holdings ULC, Crown Closures Spain S.L., Crown Colombiana S.A., Crown Comercial de Envases S.L., Crown Commercial Italy Srl, Crown Commercial Polska Sp. z.o.o., Crown Consultants Inc., Crown Cork & Seal Company (DE) LLC, Crown Cork & Seal Company Inc., Crown Cork & Seal Deutschland Holdings GmbH, Crown Cork & Seal Receivables (DE) Corporation, Crown Cork & Seal de Portugal Embalagens S.A., Crown Cork Kuban, Crown Cork and Seal Receivables II LLC, Crown Developpement SAS, Crown European Holdings, Crown Food Espana S.A.U., Crown Foodcan Turkey Ambalaj Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Crown Hellas Can Packaging SA, Crown Heshan Trading Company Limited, Crown Holdings Italia Srl, Crown Holdings Spain S.L., Crown International Holdings B.V., Crown International Holdings Inc., Crown Luxembourg Holdings, Crown Mexican Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., Crown Overseas Investments B.V., Crown Packaging Commercial UK Limited, Crown Packaging Distribution UK Limited, Crown Packaging European Division GmbH, Crown Packaging European Division Services SAS, Crown Packaging European Holdings GmbH, Crown Packaging Lux I S.a.r.l., Crown Packaging Lux II S.a.r.l., Crown Packaging Lux III S.a.r.l., Crown Packaging Manufacturing UK Limited, Crown Packaging Maroc, Crown Receivables III, Crown Services Iberia, Crown UK Holdings Limited, Crownway Insurance Company, Dacro B.V., EMPAQUE, Fabricas Monterrey S.A. de C.V., Form Koruyucu Ambalaj Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Foshan Continental Can Co. Limited, Foshan Crown Easy-Opening End Co. Limited, Glass & Silice S.A. DE C.V., Globoplastt s.r.o., Gunther S.A.S., Haloila Bulgaria EOOD, Interstrap B.V., Josef Kihlberg AB, Kiwiplan GmbH, Kiwiplan Inc, Lachenmeier ApS, Liljendals Bruk AB, Litec France S.A.S., Mezger Heftsysteme GmbH, Mima Films S.a.r.l., Mima Films Sprl, Mima Packaging Systems S.A.S., Mivisa, Nordic S.A.S., Norsk Signode AS, Oy M. Haloila AB, PT CROWN Beverage Cans Indonesia, Package Design and Manufacturing, Prolatamex S.A. DE C.V., Quandel Verpackungs- und Foerdertechnik GmbH, SMB Schwede Maschinenbau GmbH, SMP Schwede Maschinenbau Weischlitz GmbH, SPG Denmark, SPG France Holdings SAS, SPG Germany Service Management GmbH, SPG Industrial Packaging S.a.r.l, SPG Netherlands B.V., SPG Packaging Ireland Limited, SPG Packaging Systems GmbH, SPG Packaging UK Ltd, Scybele S.A.S., Shippers Europe S.p.r.l., Signode BVBA, Signode Brasileira Ltda, Signode Hong Kong Limited, Signode Industrial Group, Signode Industrial Group AB, Signode Industrial Group Colombia S.A.S., Signode Industrial Group GmbH, Signode Industrial Group Holdings Lux S.a.r.l., Signode Industrial Group Holdings US Inc, Signode Industrial Group Lux S.A., Signode Industrial Group Mexico, Signode Industrial Group Sweden AB, Signode International Holdings LLC, Signode International IP Holdings LLC, Signode International Investment LLC, Signode Kabushiki Kaisha, Signode Korea Inc, Signode NZ Limited, Signode Netherlands B.V., Signode Packaging (Qingdao) Co., Signode Packaging (Shanghai) Co., Signode Packaging Espana S.L., Signode Packaging Group (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Signode Packaging Group Australia Pty Ltd, Signode Packaging Group Canada ULC, Signode Packaging Group NZ, Signode Packaging Systems Limited, Signode Pickling Holding LLC, Signode Polska sp. Z.o.o., Signode Singapore Pte. Ltd., Signode Sweden Holdings AB, Signode System GmbH, Signode System Packaging GmbH & Co. KG, Signode Systems (Thailand) Ltd., Signode US IP Holdings LLC, Silice De Veracruz S.A. DE C. V., Silice Del Istmo S.A. DE C.V., Silices De Veracruz, Societe Civile Immobiliere Rousseau-Ivry, Societe Civile Immobiliere des Baquets, Societe de Participations CarnaudMetalbox, Stopak India Pvt. Ltd, Strapex Austria GmbH, Strapex Embalagem L.d.a., Strapex Holdings Limited, Strapex S.A.S., Strapex Srl, Superior Investments Holdings Pte. Ltd., Superior Multi-Packaging Limited, TopFrame LLC, V.A.C. B.V., Vichisa S.A. de C.V., and Warehouse Automation Iberia S.L..
Sanchez Energy Corporation, an independent exploration and production company, focuses on the acquisition and development of U.S. onshore unconventional oil and natural gas resources. It engages in the horizontal development of resources from the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas. It also holds an undeveloped acreage position in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) in Mississippi and Louisiana. As of December 31, 2017, the company had assembled approximately 285,000 net acres in the Eagle Ford Shale; and owned approximately 37,000 net acres in the TMS. Sanchez Energy Corporation was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

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The producers are a bit stressed but have somehow managed to convince Dutt to spare some time for a few interviews.

Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3 is Sanjay Dutts first release, not only after the revival of his career following his biopic Sanju, that brought him and his career back into the limelight. This film, in fact, is his first movie after his release from the jail.

But strangely, the actor has gotten busy with the shooting of his next film Prasthanam, which is being shot in Lucknow, and hence the actor has been missing out on the promotions of Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3. Feeling the weight of his absence are co-stars, Mahi Gill and Chitrangada Singh.

The producers are a bit stressed but have somehow managed to convince Dutt to spare some time for a few interviews.

Actors have contracts that say they have to allot dates for promotions, but who can force Sanju to commit time? It does seem that the producers have asked him to spare some time during his shoot, as he himself is the producer of Prasthanam and can plan his schedule. But he will not be going all out for the promotion of the film, says a source.

Produced by Rahul Mittra and directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3 is all set to release on July 27. But we wonder if Dutt has already seen the film and is hesitant?

 Sanskriti Media
The following companies are subsidiares of Sealed Air: AFP (Shanghai) Limited, AFP Inc. (Branch), AFPTOH LTD, Aconcagua Distribuciones SRL, Air Ride Pallets Hong Kong Limited, Austin Foam Plastics Inc., Auto-C LLC, Automated Packaging Systems, B+ Equipment, B+ Equipment SAS, Beacon Holdings LLC, Biosphere Industries, BluPack (New Zealand), Blue Dot Packaging Pty Ltd., CPI Packaging Inc., CPI Packaging Systems Inc., Cactus (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Cactus Shanghai Trading Co. Ltd., Ciras C.V., Ciras C.V. - Luxembourg Branch, Ciras C.V.  Luxembourg Branch, Cleanwise Inc., Cryovac (Malaysia) SDN. BHD, Cryovac (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Cryovac Brasil Ltda., Cryovac Chile Holdings LLC, Cryovac Holdings II LLC, Cryovac Inc., Cryovac International Holdings Inc., Cryovac LLC, Cryovac Leasing Corporation, Cryovac Londrina Ltda., Cryovac Packaging Portugal - Embalagens Ltda., Cryovac Packaging Portugal Embalagens Ltda, Cryovac Sweden AB, Cryovac-Sealed Air de Costa Rica S.R.L., DELTAPLAM Embalagens Industria e Comercio, Deltaplam Embalagens Industria e Comercio Ltda, Diversey, Diversey Australia Pty. Ltd., Diversey Austria Trading GmbH, Diversey B.V., Diversey Belgium BVBA, Diversey Brasil Industria Quimica Ltda., Diversey Canada Inc., Diversey Centroamerica S.A., Diversey Danmark ApS, Diversey Hungary Acting Off-shore Capital Management Limited Liability Company, Diversey J Trustee Limited, Diversey Trustee Limited, Diversey Ceska republika s.r.o. clen koncernu Diversey, Entapack Pty. Ltd., Fagerdala (Chengdu) Packaging Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Chengdu) Packing Co. Ltd. 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(Hefei Branch), Fagerdala Thailand Ltd., GEIE VES, Getpacking.com GmbH, Indonesian Rep Office of Sealed Air Hong Kong Limited, Invertol S. de R.L. de C.V., JCS Sealed Air Kaustik, JSC Sealed Air Kaustik, Kevothermal LLC, Kevothermal LLC, Kevothermal Limited, Nelipak Holdings, Pack-Tiger GmbH, Packaging C.V., ProAseptic Technologies S.L., Producembal - Producao de Embalagens Ltda., Proxy Biomedical Ltd., Reflectix Inc., SLD Air Packaging Paketleme Malzemeleri Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Saddle Brook Insurance Company, Sealed Air (Asia) Holdings B.V., Sealed Air (Barbados) S.R.L., Sealed Air (Canada) Co./CIE, Sealed Air (Canada) Holdings B.V., Sealed Air (China) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air (China) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air (China) Limited, Sealed Air (China) Ltd., Sealed Air (India) Limited, Sealed Air (Israel) Ltd., Sealed Air (Korea) Limited, Sealed Air (Latin America) Holdings II LLC, Sealed Air (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Sealed Air (New Zealand), Sealed Air (Philippines) Inc., Sealed Air (Singapore) Pte. Limited, Sealed Air (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Sealed Air (Thailand) Limited, Sealed Air (Ukraine) Limited, Sealed Air Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Sealed Air Africa (Pty.) Limited, Sealed Air Americas Manufacturing S. de R. L. de C. V., Sealed Air Argentina S.A., Sealed Air Australia (Holdings) Pty. Limited, Sealed Air Australia Pty Ltd., Sealed Air Australia Pty. Limited, Sealed Air B.V., Sealed Air Belgium N.V., Sealed Air Central America S.A., Sealed Air Chile S.P.A., Sealed Air Colombia Ltda., Sealed Air Corporation (US), Sealed Air Denmark A/S, Sealed Air Embalagens Ltda., Sealed Air Europe Holdings C.V., Sealed Air Europe Holdings LP, Sealed Air Finance B.V., Sealed Air Finance II LLC, Sealed Air Finance II LLC (Sucursal Mexico), Sealed Air Finance Ireland Unlimited Company, Sealed Air Finance Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Finance Luxembourg S.a.r.l. Luxembourg (L) Root Finance Branch, Sealed Air Finance Luxembourg S.a.r.l. US Finance Branch, Sealed Air Funding Corporation, Sealed Air Funding LLC, Sealed Air General Trading LLC, Sealed Air Global Holdings C.V., Sealed Air Global Holdings I C.V., Sealed Air Global Holdings I LLC, Sealed Air GmbH, Sealed Air Hellas S.A., Sealed Air Holding France S.A.S., Sealed Air Holding France SAS, Sealed Air HoldingS I LLC, Sealed Air Holdings (New Zealand) Pty. Ltd., Sealed Air Holdings I C.V., Sealed Air Holdings LLC, Sealed Air Holdings South Africa Proprietary Limited, Sealed Air Hong Kong (Jakarta Indonesia Branch), Sealed Air Hong Kong Limited, Sealed Air Hungary Ltd., Sealed Air International Holdings LLC, Sealed Air International Holdings LLC , Sealed Air Investment and Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air Investment and Management Co. Ltd., Sealed Air Japan G.K., Sealed Air Korea Limited, Sealed Air LLC, Sealed Air Limited, Sealed Air Luxembourg (I) S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Luxembourg (II) S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Management Holding Verwaltungs GmbH, Sealed Air Multiflex GmbH, Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) I B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) II B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) II B.V. - Deutsche Zweigniederlassung, Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) II B.V. - Deutsche Zweigniederlassung, Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) III B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) III B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands Holdings V B.V., Sealed Air Nevada Holdings Limited, Sealed Air Norge AS, Sealed Air OY, Sealed Air Packaging (India) Private Limited, Sealed Air Packaging (Shanghai) Co. Limited, Sealed Air Packaging (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air Packaging LLC, Sealed Air Packaging Materials (India) LLP, Sealed Air Packaging Materials (India) LLP, Sealed Air Packaging S.L.U., Sealed Air Paketleme Malzemeleri Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Sealed Air Peru S.A.C., Sealed Air Polska Sp. Zoo, Sealed Air Pty Limited, Sealed Air S.A S., Sealed Air S.A.S., Sealed Air S.r.l., Sealed Air South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Sealed Air Svenska AB, Sealed Air Taiwan Limited, Sealed Air US Holdings (Thailand) LLC, Sealed Air Uruguay S.A., Sealed Air Venezuela Corporation, Sealed Air Verpackungen GmbH, Sealed Air de Mexico Operations S. de R.L. de C.V., Sealed Air de Venezuela S.A., Sealed Air s.r.o., Shanklin Corp, Shanklin Corporation, Soinpar Industrial Ltda., TART s.r.o., TART s.r.o. Joint Venture, TTS-Ciptec, TXAFP Asia Pacific Ltd., TXAFP GP LLC, TempTrip LLC, Trigon Industries, and Vietnamese Rep Office of Sealed Air Hong Kong Limited.
Stantec Inc. provides professional consulting services in the area of infrastructure and facilities in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company provides consulting services in engineering, architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, surveying, environmental sciences, project management, and project economics. It also offers water, transportation, and public works; transportation planning and traffic engineering; and resource assessment, mine development, reclamation, hydrology, and geotechnical and infrastructure engineering services, as well as urban planning, traffic assessments and optimization, environmental impact assessments, and public consultation services. In addition, the company provides structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and hydraulics engineering services. It serves urban regeneration, infrastructure, education, public and private sector, tourism and leisure, and waste and water sectors, as well as office and commercial, residential, and retail and town centers. The company was formerly known as Stanley Technology Group Inc. and changed its name to Stantec Inc. in October 1998. Stantec Inc. was founded in 1954 and is headquartered in Edmonton, Canada.

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Total Energy Services Inc. provides various products and services to the oil and natural gas industry primarily in Canada, the United States, and Australia. It operates through four segments: Contract Drilling Services, Rentals and Transportation Services, Compression and Process Services and Well Servicing. The Contract Drilling Services segment offers contract drilling services to oil and gas exploration and development companies. As of December 31, 2020, it operated a total fleet of 98 drilling rigs. The Rentals and Transportation Services segment provides drilling, completion and production rental equipment, and oilfield transportation services in western Canada and in the United States. This segment owned and operated a fleet of 87 heavy trucks. The Compression and Process Services segment offers gas compression services; and designs and packages skid style compressors and proprietary trailer-mounted compressors under the NOMAD brand in Canada and the United States, the European Union, Australia, and Mexico. It had 54,800 horsepower of compression in its rental fleet. The Well Servicing segment offers well services. This segment operated a total fleet of 83 well servicing rigs across Western Canada, mid-western United States, and Australia. It has a strategic alliance with Pason Systems Inc. to develop and deploy drilling automation and optimization technologies. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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Six ethnic communities warn BJP about consequences during Lok Sabha polls.

Guwahati: After failing to get any positive response in talks with home ministry, the six communities, whom the BJP had promised tribal status in 2014 Lok Sabha elections has threatened to intensify their agitation in Assam.

Though, earlier Congress had also promised, the BJP in the run up to 2014 Lok Sabha elections had promised to grant Scheduled Tribes status to the six communities Moran, Muttock, Tai Ahom, Koch-Rajbongshi, Chutia and Tea Tribes in Assam. The leaders of these ethnic communities who were not satisfied with the lukewarm response of the home ministry has threatened to hold a massive rally on July 30, demanding the intervention of the Prime Minister to fulfill their commitment.

The leaders of the six communities have also warned that the BJP should be ready to face the consequences during the 2019 elections if their demands were not fulfilled. A 40-members delegation comprising eight different ethnic communities was in New Delhi to take part in the tripartite talk which was to be chaired by union home minister Rajanth Singh non Friday. However, due to debate on no-confidence motion in the parliament, union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju was assigned the responsibility of holding talks with the delegation. They invited us for the meeting. Mr Rijiju just entered the hall and attended the meeting for few minutes and left the venue. We were told that our issue would be resolved soon, said the adviser of All Assam Tai Ahom Students Union (AATASU) Mr Aswini Chetia while regretting the attitude of the minister towards them.

The Koch Rajbonshi Sanmilani (KRS), representing the community, alleged that Centre seems to have no interest in granting ST status to six communities of Assam.

We are surprised over the apathetic attitude from MHA toward our demands. The meeting was just a formality. Nothing concrete will happen to our cause with this attitude of the Centre. We have no option left except to intensify our movement, said the representative of KRS.

It is significant that entire rank and file of the BJP starting from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal has been reiterating their commitment to grant ST status to six ethnic communities of the state since 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Guardians of the Galaxy actor Dave Bautista came out strongly in defense of James Gunn Friday after Disney fired him from his role as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

I will have more to say but for right now I will say this, Bautista, who plays Drax in both Guardians movies and in Avengers: Infinity War, wrote on Twitter. James Gunn is one of the most loving, caring, good natured people I have ever met. Hes gentle and kind and cares deeply for people and animals. Hes made mistakes. We all have. Im NOT ok with whats happening to him.

I will have more to say but for right now all I will say is this..@JamesGunn is one of the most loving,caring,good natured people I have ever met. Hes gentle and kind and cares deeply for people and animals. Hes made mistakes. We all have. Im NOT ok with whats happening to him  Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) July 21, 2018

Also Read: James Gunn: 'I Understand and Accept' Disney's Move to Drop Me From 'Guardians of the Galaxy'

Disney dismissed Gunn Friday for jokes he had made years ago on Twitter about subjects such as rape and pedophilia. Gunn apologized for the tweets of nearly a decade ago, but that didnt stop Twitter users from dredging up the questionable and controversial jokes the director had made and bringing them to Disneys attention.

The anti-Gunn push was started by right-wing Twitter figure Mike Cernovich, who came to prominence helping drive Twitter campaigns such as #PizzaGate, the conspiracy theory that posited Democrats were running a child sex slavery ring out of a pizza parlor, and GamerGate, which mostly harassed women in the video games and media industries.

Comedian Patton Oswalt has been vocal about Cernovich in the past on Twitter, and shared some of the reprehensible tweets and blog posts in Cernovichs past.

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Also Read: Ben Shapiro Calls Disney's Decision to Fire James Gunn Over Old Tweets a 'Bad Precedent'

This is one of the LESS disgusting tweets from Mike Cernovich, the dude who, after running a Gamergate-style smear campaign, just got James Gunn fired from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. Okay have a good weekend. https://t.co/7DYlin1zgO  Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) July 20, 2018

Many others came to Gunns defense.

On Instagram, Ant-Man and the Wasp actor David Dastmalchian also shared his support for Gunn, with a post of the two together. Ive been saying this FOR YEARS! James Gunn is one of the most amazing people Ive ever known  both professionally & personally, Dastmalchian wrote.

Also Read: James Gunn Says He's Finished Writing 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'

Justin Roiland, the creator of Rick and Morty, wrote This is insane to me, and jokes that he was cancelling a fictional R-rated Jar-Jar Binks movie hes been developing.

Just so I dont have to keep typing this over and over: Im not defending his old jokes. Only read one anyway. Its that he was fired over OLD tweets intended as (bad) jokes its a crazy concept and Im just saying: no more R rated jar jar binks movie. Im walking. Peace.  Justin Roiland (@JustinRoiland) July 20, 2018

Arrow Director Lexi Alexander took an opinion that many had shared on Twitter  she didnt support Gunn or say that he shouldnt have been fired for his past statements, but did say that the arbitrary nature of some people being fired over their past conduct while others face little or no consequences doesnt help anyone.

An arbitrary process with random consequences for people who are racist, misogynistic, or anyway inappropriate doesnt help us. It gives the false impression that people dont get away with this stuff in Hollywood, when many still do. It cannot be about popularity.  Lexi Alexander  (@Lexialex) July 20, 2018

Also Read: People Are Mad 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Director Said He Could Kill Batman (in a Movie)

Gunns brother, actor Sean Gunn, hasnt tweeted about the situation except to share a profile written by Buzzfeed journalist Adam B. Vary, in which Gunn talked about and took responsibility for his past actions long before his firing.

The thing about this controversy that I can't quite get over: If Disney & Marvel didn't already know about Gunn's dark output in the years before Guardians, they REALLY weren't paying attention. Gunn himself would talk about it openly. From my 2017 profile:https://t.co/A82N1IgKYX pic.twitter.com/jAQkrtgNTE  Adam B. Vary (@adambvary) July 20, 2018

For his part, Gunn said in a statement Friday that he accepted Disneys decision and took responsibility for his past remarks.

My words of nearly a decade ago were, at the time, totally failed and unfortunate efforts to be provocative, Gunn said in a statement. I have regretted them for many years since  not just because they were stupid, not at all funny, wildly insensitive, and certainly not provocative like I had hoped, but also because they dont reflect the person I am today or have been for some time.

Related stories from TheWrap:

'Avengers: Infinity War'  James Gunn Reveals What Groot Told Rocket at the End (Spoiler!)

James Gunn Just Broke Everyone's Heart: 'Groot Is Dead'

Director James Gunn Apologizes for 'Offensive' Old Tweets Joking About Rape, Pedophilia

James Gunn Says He's Finished Writing 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'

James Gunn: 'I Understand and Accept' Disney's Move to Drop Me From 'Guardians of the Galaxy'
Shah said the Minimum Support Price for kharif crops announced by Centre will benefit the farmers

New Delhi: Hailing Modi governments initiatives in the field of agriculture sector, BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday claimed that the governments aim to double farmers income by 2022 would be achieved before the targeted year.

Speaking at a conference on Role of Insurance in Reforming Agrarian Economy, Mr Shah said that the kind of changes the Modi government has brought in agriculture sector, he was convinced there will be infrastructure to not only achieve the target of doubling farmers income but go beyond that before 2022.

After independence, agriculture has mostly been a subject of Bhashanbaji but in the past 10-15 years, innovative contributions from different quarters have started coming to the fore, Mr Shah said. The goal set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not a political statement. I firmly believe as India completes 75 years of its independence in 2022, we will achieve a big success by doubling farmers income and raising agricultures contribution in the economy to 30 per cent, the BJP president claimed. He credited the Modi government with an all encompassing vision to benefit farmers and said that the government not only managed to arrange a wider crop insurance to farmers but also effectively checked black marketing of urea in the country. He said the Minimum Support Price for kharif crops announced by Centre will benefit the farmers and in some cases they are getting more than 1.5 times the cost of crop.
From left: Andy Grove,Bob Noyce, and Gordon Moore.

CBS Sunday Morning aired my report on Intels 50th anniversary on Sunday, July 22 (you can watch it here). We had more material from my interviews than we had time to broadcast. So, heres a look at some of the behind-the-scenes tales we couldnt fit on TV.

In 1968if you do the math, thats 50 years agocomputers were as big as rooms. They were comparatively slow and consumed massive amounts of power.

At the company hed co-founded, Fairchild Semiconductor, engineer Bob Noyce had co-invented a different approach: integrated electronics, where the circuitry was printed, or etched, onto tiny slices of the element silicon.

At that time, integrated electronics cost many times more than the existing technology (small, can-shaped transistors plugged into a circuit board). But they were much smaller and easier to manufacture. Noyce and his buddy Gordon Moore figured that the price would come downand that silicon chips were the future.

And so, 50 years ago today, they quit Fairchild and started a new company. It became one of the giants of the modern world, defining the PC era, helping give Silicon Valley its name, and becoming a technological and marketing colossus.

You may know the name of the company they founded that day: NM Electronics.

The first chip

By the end of the month, of course, they adopted a better name, short for integrated electronics: Intel.

Noyce and Moores original plan was to produce memory chips. Intels first product debuted nine months later: The 3101 memory chip, the worlds first solid-state RAM chip.

But by 1971, Intel had introduced its first microprocessora chip to process data, not just store itwhich eventually became Intels bread and butter, and the enabler for the entire world of electronics we know today.

Intels first product: The 3101 memory (SRAM) chip.

In 1969, a Japanese calculator company called Nippon [Calculating Machine Corporation] contacted Intel, says Elizabeth Jones, Intels archivist and museum curator. They wanted Intel to create for them a series of chips that could run their adding machines. Intel took the job. We ended up producing four chips for them, one of them being the 4004.

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In hindsight, they realized that the 4004, programmed differently, could run different things than just an adding machine, Jones says.

Intel went back to Nippon and requested the design rights to the chip. And Nippon said, We dont really need the design rights. Well sell you back the design rights for the investment we made in the design$60,000. Intel repurchased the design rights and were able to then start marketing this as a true general purpose microprocessor. And that was in 1971.

The culture

John Doerr is the chairman of Kleiner Perkins, one of the worlds most successful venture capital firms. He began his career working at Inteland hes been a keen observer ever since.

In the summer of 74, I came to Silicon Valley with no job, no place to live, $50 in my pocket, he says. My girlfriend had dumped me, so I was looking for her. I was pretty persistentshe rightly wanted to avoid me.

I cold-called my way into the highest-ranking Intel executive I could get on the phone, Dr. Bill Davidow. And they interviewed me, and I got a job writing benchmarks to show that Intels microprocessors were superior to the ones from Motorola. To my delight, right down the hall from where my summer job was, was my girlfriend! When I showed up there, she was not amused at all. But over the course of the summer, we put the relationship back together again, and weve now been married for 40 years.

According to everyone I spoke to, Intels success owes a lot to its corporate culture, as set by Noyce, Moore, and their third employee, Andy Grove (whom they also hired away from Fairchild).

One of the important lessons I took away from Intel was the importance of culture and values, Doerr says. Andy Grove and the other Intel leaders concluded that Intels culture was one of aggressive introverts, engineers who wanted to systemically solve problems by having an environment that wasnt hierarchical, but where the best ideas could all get put on the table and the best idea would win.

So a very apolitical environment, one that is rigorous, ruthlessly intellectually honest, and of course very competitive. And I think thats true of Intel then, its true of Intel today. Its certainly been regarded by manyme includedone of the, if not the, best managed technology company in the world.

Intel has a very egalitarian culture, adds historian Jones. No one has an office with a door, everyone is in cubicleseven the CEO. No reserved parking spots.

You know, Andy Grove grabbed me once, Doerr says. And he said something Ill remember forever. He said, John, it almost doesnt matter what you know. What matters is results. Ideas are easy, its execution thats everything. Thats become a mantra of mine: ideas are easy, executions everything.

The IBM moment

Shifting the company from a memory maker to a processor maker was a wrenching transition, Doerr says.

In 1980, an unidentified customer for Intels processors, based in Boca Raton, Fla., agreed to use a version of Intels 16-bit microprocessor called the 8088. That customer turned out to be IBM. The 8088 was to be the brains of its new machine for consumers, the PC.

The original IBM PC.

And then Bill Gates wrote an operating system for it, and thus began whats called the Wintel Monopoly, if you will, as most of the PCs and most of the PC software was written to take advantage of that very high-volume platform, Doerr says.

And if IBM chosen some other companys chip that day?

Intel probably wouldnt be here today.

The CEOs

In Intels 50 years, it has had six CEOs. Three of them were the companys founders, Noyce, Moore (of the famous Moores Law), and Andy Grove.

Somehow, Intels CEOs have alternated hot and cool personalities, Doerr says. So Bob Noyce was very emotive and outgoing and smooth, and Gordon was very quiet, almost introverted, introspective. Andy Grove was a fiery, hot personality. Craig Barrett, more cerebral; he ran manufacturing.

Paul Otellini was a broad-based leader, but effusive and a guy who could put together a deal with Steve Jobs that Andy Grove could never could. And then Brian Krzanich, who rose through the ranks as a manufacturing leader is a veryagain, kind of on cool personality. And interestingly, all of these grown from within. They never recruited from outside the company.

Slipups

Intels record of execution has been impressivehow many tech companies are still thriving after 50 years?but not flawless. It has had to weather the occasional technical embarrassment, like the Pentium bug in 1994 or the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities earlier this year.

More seriously, Intel mostly missed the smartphone wave. Its fairly well-documented that along the way, we missed the CPU or the modem thats inside the phone, interim CEO Bob Swan told me. That being said, we adjusted, adapted, and got into powering PCs, tablets, phones, data centers, cars, et cetera. So we are a player of supplying modems and technologies into phones today.

As the world moved away from PCs, the companys bread and butter, into mobile devices, the company lost its position as the worlds biggest chip maker (its now in second place, after Samsung), and had to lay off thousands of workers in 2009, 2014, and 2016.

On the other hand, Intel has made up much of the difference by supplying the processors for the worlds data centersbetter known as the Cloud.

The Next 50

Today, Intel is investing heavily into self-driving cars and AI technologies. The goal is to carry on Noyce and Moores vision for another 50 years, and beyond.

The makeup of the company started with the founders, says CEO Swan. And [Bob Noyce] said these simple words back 50 years ago: Dont be encumbered by the past. Go and do something wonderful. And those simple words from our foundersI kinda see every day in this company.



David Pogue, tech columnist for Yahoo Finance, welcomes comments below. On the Web, hes davidpogue.com. On Twitter, hes @pogue. On email, hes poguester@yahoo.com. You can sign up to get his stuff by email, here.

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JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel will reopen Gaza's main commercial crossing and expand its fishing zone on Tuesday if a lull in cross-border tensions holds after a truce with the enclave's dominant Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, the Israeli defense minister said. Israel shut the Kerem Shalom border terminal and reduced the fishing zone to 11 km (6 miles) from 17 km (9 miles) on July 9 in response to fire-starting kites and helium balloons flown over by Palestinians as part of weeks of border protests. Hostilities escalated last week, with Palestinian gunfire killing an Israeli soldier and Israel's military killing three Hamas fighters and a fourth Palestinian. The violence subsided on Saturday after Egypt and the United Nations mediated a truce. "We saw, yesterday, what might have been the calmest day since March 30," Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman told reporters on Sunday. In weekly Gaza protests since then, at least 140 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army in what it called border protection. "If today and tomorrow see a continuation of the situation as it was yesterday, then on Tuesday we will resume routine activity here at Kerem Shalom (border terminal) and return the fishing zone to the ranges previously in place." Kerem Shalom is the main export-import conduit for the 2 million Palestinians of Gaza, which also borders Egypt. During the terminal's closure, humanitarian aid was still allowed through Lieberman said traffic slowed to about 140 trucks a day from some 1,000 to 1,100 trucks per day. (Writing by Dan Williams; editing by Jason Neely)
Peshawar (Pakistan) (AFP) - An election candidate and his driver were killed by a suicide bomber in northwest Pakistan Sunday, police said, three days before the country's general election.

Ikramullah Gandapur, a member of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, was contesting polls for the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly.

He "succumbed to his injuries in Combined Military Hospital after a suicide bomber blew himself up near his Land Cruiser (SUV) this morning," district police chief Zaheer Afridi told AFP.

Faraz Mughul, Gandapur's assistant, confirmed the casualties.

"Our hearts weep for him and his family and we pray for both," the PTI said in a statement.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a message sent to the media.

The bombing is the latest in a number of attacks targeting politicians campaigning ahead of the national polls on July 25.

A suicide blast in the southwestern province of Balochistan on July 13 killed 149 people -- one of Pakistan's worst-ever terror attacks -- underscoring continuing security challenges in the country following years of dramatic improvements.

Violence in Pakistan has dropped significantly in recent years as a result of intensified military operations against militants in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

But analysts have long warned that Pakistan is not tackling the root causes of extremism, and that militants retain the ability to carry out spectacular attacks.

The military has warned of threats ahead of the polls, and said it will deploy more than 370,000 soldiers for security on election day.
Israel's Foreign Ministry slammed CNN and BBC on Saturday for what it said was unbalanced coverage of recent events in Gaza, accusing the news outlets of "manipulating" events.

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The CNN tweet contains a chronological inaccuracy by implying that the death of four Palestinians, three of whom were Hamas terrorists, took place before a sniper in Gaza killed an Israeli soldier.

"Israeli tank responds to reported fence breach  after an outbreak of violence that left four Palestinians, including three Hamas militants, and an Israeli soldier dead," the tweet reads.

The area where the IDF soldier, Aviv Levi, was killed (:  )

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The Foreign Ministry was furious at the report's wording which implied that the killing of the Palestinians preceded the killing of the IDF soldier, who was identified as 20-year-old Staff Sgt. Aviv Levi, thus attributing blame for the deadly skirmish to Israel.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon responded to CNN's report with a critical tweet of his own.

"No @cnni !!! You got it wrong and not for the first time - an Israeli soldier was killed by #Hamas and #IDF retaliated, protecting its country and citizens against murderous terrorists. By misrepresenting the facts you manipulate against #Israel! @cnni- STOP YOUR MANIPULATION !" the tweet read.

No @cnni !!! You got it wrong and not for the first time - an Israeli soldier was killed by #Hamas and #IDF retaliated, protecting its country and citizens against murderous terrorists. By misrepresenting the facts you manipulate against #Israel! @cnni- STOP YOUR MANIPULATION !  Emmanuel Nahshon (@EmmanuelNahshon) July 21, 2018

CNN did not respond to Nahshon.

At the same time, Nahshon retweeted a tweet written by Omri Ceren, advisor to Senator Ted Cruz, who criticized the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), for misrepresenting recent events in Gaza.

"Israeli soldier 'dies from gunshot' is how the BBC reports on a Hamas terrorist shooting and killing an Israeli soldier. This is the new version of headlines about terrorist car rammings that say Israelis 'hit by car,'" Ceren tweeted.

Israeli soldier "dies from gunshot" is how the BBC reports on a Hamas terrorist shooting and killing an Israeli soldier. This is the new version of headlines about terrorist car rammings that say Israelis "hit by car." pic.twitter.com/VqJM8EmIvK  Omri Ceren (@omriceren) July 21, 2018

Nahshon told Ynet that his ministry would not allow the tweets to go unanswered.

"We in the Foreign Ministry are on guard 24 hours a day. We would not let international media deliberatly distort the events taking place in Israel and in our region. We will respond to every distorted headline and demand its immediate correction," said the spokesman.
The top US intelligence official said Saturday he meant no disrespect to President Donald Trump in a televised interview discussing the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said his Thursday comments at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado were not intended to be critical of the president's decision to invite Putin to a meeting in Washington later this year.

"Some press coverage has mischaracterized my intentions in responding to breaking news presented to me during a live interview," Coats said. "My admittedly awkward response was in no way meant to be disrespectful or criticize the actions of the president."

Coats has been under scrutiny since he said he wished Trump had not met one-on-one with the Russian leader and expressed dismay that the president had publicly undermined US intelligence agencies.
The Trump administration has launched an offensive of speeches and online communications meant to foment unrest and help pressure Iran to end its nuclear program and its support of militant groups, US officials familiar with the matter said.

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More than half a dozen current and former officials said the campaign, supported by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton, is meant to work in concert with US President Donald Trump's push to economically throttle Iran by re-imposing tough sanctions. The drive has intensified since Trump withdrew on May 8 from a 2015 seven-nation deal to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (Photo: EPA)

The current and former officials said the campaign paints Iranian leaders in a harsh light, at times using information that is exaggerated or contradicts other official pronouncements, including comments by previous administrations.

The White House declined comment on the campaign. The State Department also declined to comment on the campaign specifically, including on Pompeo's role.

A senior Iranian official dismissed the campaign, saying the United States had sought in vain to undermine the government since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. He spoke on condition of anonymity.

"Their efforts will fail again," the official said.

More critical posts

A review of the State Department's Farsi-language Twitter account -- and its ShareAmerica website -- which describes itself as a platform to spark debate on democracy and other issues shows a number of posts critical of Tehran over the last month.

Iran is the subject of four of the top five items on the website's "Countering Violent Extremism" section. They include headlines such as "This Iranian airline helps spread violence and terror."

In social media posts and speeches, Pompeo himself also appeals directly to Iranians, the Iranian diaspora and a global audience.

On June 21, Pompeo tweeted out graphics headlined: "Protests in Iran are growing," "Iranian people deserve respect for their human rights," and "Iran's revolutionary guard gets rich while Iranian families struggle." The tweets were translated into Farsi and posted on the ShareAmerica website.

On Sunday, Pompeo will give a speech titled "Supporting Iranian Voices" in California and meet Iranian Americans, many of whom fled the Islamic Revolution that toppled Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

"Let me be clear, we are not seeking regime change. We are seeking changes in the Iranian government's behavior," a State Department official said in response to questions from Reuters.

"We know we are driving Iran to make some hard choices. Either they can change their ways or find it increasingly difficult to engage in their malign activities," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "And we believe we are offering a very positive vision for what we could achieve and what the Iranian people could have."

Aggressive campaign

Some of the information the administration has disseminated is incomplete or distorted, the current and former officials said.

In a May 21 speech in Washington, Pompeo said Iranian leaders refused to spend on their people funds freed by the nuclear weapons deal, using it instead for proxy wars and corruption.

By contrast, in March testimony before a US Senate committee, the US Defense Intelligence Agency director, Robert Ashley, said social and economic expenditures remained Tehran's near-term priority despite some spending on security forces.

Pompeo also accused "Iran-sponsored Shi'ite militia groups and terrorists" of infiltrating Iraqi security forces and jeopardizing Iraq's sovereignty throughout the period of the nuclear agreement.

While opponents accuse the Iran-backed Iraqi militias of human rights abuses against civilians, which the groups deny, the militias fought Islamic State extremists and helped keep them from overrunning Iraq in 2014 after Iraq's army collapsed. They then aided the US-backed offensives that liberated ISIS-held territory and some units are being incorporated into Iraqi security forces.

The State Department official acknowledged that the militias, known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, are by law part of Iraq's security forces and played a role in countering Islamic State in 2014.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (Photo: AP)

"We understand, however, that some of the undisciplined PMF are especially close to Iran, responsive to Iran's directives, and have a history of criminal activity and terrorism," the official said. "Those groups are as problematic for the Iraqi state as they are for us."

Experts said the administration also is exaggerating the closeness of the relationship between Iran and Afghanistan's Taliban militants and Al-Qaeda by calling them co-conspirators.

The State Department did not respond to requests for comment about the accuracy of the information it was disseminating.

It is too early to determine the impact of the administration's communications campaign, US officials said.

Two possible outcomes

Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank, said the strategy to economically strangle Iran and stoke public discontent with the leadership aimed to produce one of two outcomes.

"Outcome one is capitulation, forcing Iran to further curtail not only its nuclear program but also its regional ambitions," Sadjadpour said. "Outcome two is the implosion of the Islamic Republic."

But some US officials and other experts cautioned that by fueling turmoil in Iran, the US administration could foster greater authoritarian rule and a more aggressive foreign policy, raising the threat of a US-Iran confrontation.

Protests in Iran (Photo: AP)

Washington has long called Iran the world's leading "state sponsor of terrorism" because Tehran arms and funds proxy militant groups like Lebanese Hezbollah. Iranian leaders urge the destruction of the United States and Israel, and Iranian proxies have killed hundreds of US soldiers and diplomats since the Islamic Revolution.

That record provided previous administrations with ample material for waging their own public relations campaigns against Tehran, including trying to communicate directly with the Iranian people.

President George W. Bush's administration established Radio Farda, a US-funded broadcaster that beams into Iran what it says is "objective and accurate news and information to counter state censorship and ideology-based media coverage." The Obama administration launched a Farsi Twitter account - @USAdarFarsi - in 2011.
Jaitley also accused Gandhi of lowering his own credibility by concocting a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron.

After finishing his speech on the no-confidence motion, Congress president Rahul Gandhi went over to where PM Narendra Modi was seated. After shaking his hand, Mr Gandhi hugged the Prime Minister in a spontaneous gesture, leaving the whole House stunned and smiling. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: With reports pouring in that Congress president Rahul Gandhi had virtually stolen the show during the no-confidence motion on Friday with his hug and wink, the upper echelons of the BJP have swung into action to discredit the Congress scion and neutralise the impact.

While the Prime Minister took a dig at Mr Gandhis unwanted hug at a rally in UP on Saturday, Union minister Arun Jaitley wrote in a Facebook post that Mr Gandhi had missed a great opportunity as the no-confidence motion is a serious business and not an occasion for frivolity.

Mr Jaitley also accused Mr Gandhi of lowering his own credibility by concocting a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron.

While attacking the Modi government on Friday for paying Rs 1,600 crore per fighter against the much lower price negotiated by the UPA (Rs 520 crore per jet), Mr Gandhi had said that PM Modi and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman had lied in claiming that a secrecy clause did not allow disclosure of the commercial aspects of the Rafale deal.

In a statement later, the French government had denied Mr Gandhis claim that Mr Macron had told him that there was no secrecy clause binding on the Rafale deal. Other BJP leaders also hit out at Mr Gandhi saying he lacks capability and seriousness to lead the Congress Party.

The Congress president, unfazed by the saffron rage coming his way a day after he created a flutter in Lok Sabha and beyond, said on Saturday that the only way to build a nation is by harnessing peoples love and compassion. He said Fridays debate in Parliament was about the Prime Minister sowing hate, fear and anger in the hearts of some people to build his narrative, and the Congress would continue to counter that with love and compassion.

Saffron cyber gurus have expressed some concern that Mr Gandhis spontaneous and disarming gesture of hugging Mr Modi, soon after he had finished delivering his speech, became an instant hit on social media, an arena they have hitherto had under their control.

In his Facebook post, Mr Jaitley wrote, None should ever trivialise the debate. Those who desire to be Prime Minister never blend ignorance, falsehood and acrobatics... If this was his (Gandhi) best argument for 2019, God help his party. His lack of understanding is not only confined to basic issues but also to the niceties of protocol.

Mr Jaitley also wrote that one should never misquote a conversation with a head of government or a head of state because then serious people will be reluctant to speak to you or speak in your presence.

Rahul Gandhi, by concocting a conversation with President Macron, has lowered his own credibility and seriously hurt the image of an Indian politician before the world at large. Not to be aware of the fact that UPA government minister had signed the secrecy pact is not understandable, he wrore

BJP national spokesperson G.V.L. Narasimha Rao questioned his partys former ally TDPs motive behind the no-trust motion and added that none of the parties who had supported it highlighted the interests of Andhra Pradesh.

TDP failed to really tell as to why it moved the motion...not only this, TDP also failed to unite the neighbouring state (Telangana) and the telugu brotherhood, said Mr Rao.

On Mr Gandhis hug, he said, Friability and flippancy are not a virtue in politics and he seems to have only friability and flippancy and none of the qualities required to lead even a political party like the Indian National Congress.

The BJP claimed that the number one causality of the motion was the Oppositions unity. The no-trust motion, BJP leaders said, had shown how fractured the grand Opposition is.
The IDF completed overnight Saturday an operation to rescue nearly 800 syrian civil defense activists, along with their families, from a war zone area in southern Syria, the German newspaper Bild reported on Sunday.

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It was the first such Israeli intervention in Syria's lengthy civil war, now in its eight year.

IDF rescue mission (: BILD)

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According to the report, the rescued activists belong to the White Helmets, officially known as Syria Civil Defence, which is a volunteer organization that operates in parts of rebel-controlled segments of the country and which works to rescue and assist civilians caught in war zones.

The White Helmets logo

The mission was conducted in secrecy in order to avoid potentially harming the lives of the activists in light of the Syrian Golan Heights being partially recaptured by President Bashar Assads forces.

The organization's members will stay in Jordan for approximately three months but according to the report, Jordan has not committed itself to their safety.

Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mohammed al-Kayed, confirmed that Jordan had agreed to accept the activists strictly on humanitarian grounds.

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the total number of evacuees was in fact 422, even though the initial request was to evacuate 800. It was unclear what happened to the remainder if his figures are correct.

From Jordan the rescued activists are expected to be relocated within three months to one of the three countries that have committed to accepting them: Britain, Canada and Germany.

The White Helmets organization has saved more than 100,000 lives outbreak of the Syrian civil war, according to the US State Department.

White Helmets member rescues a child

The report also claims that the organization is being financed by the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Japan and the United States.

For a long time the organization has been accused by Assad and his supporters of being used by Israel and other western countries in order to intervene in Syrias internal affairs, as well as being involved in the deaths of civilians in the country.

Many of the organizations activists have been killed in the fighting raging in Syria. One of the most widely known incidents involving the White Helmets occured in 2016, when five of its members were killed as a result of a Russian attack on one of their centers in Aleppo.

In the meantime, the Syrian army continues to push further into the southwest province of Quneitra, approaching the Israeli Golan Heights.

On Saturday the Syrian army and its allies captured additional villages in the province, with a Syrian military source telling a state news agency that there is a "rapid collapse of terror centers in the area.

Assad forces near Quneitra (Photo: AFP)

Israel is believed to be extremely concerned about the presence of not only the Syrian army in the region but also of Hezbollah and Iran and has sought to heavily lobby Russia, which props up the Assad regime, to ensure that they are removed from the border or, preferably from the entire country.

A commander in the Syrian army said that Assad's military achievements in the region compels Israel to accept the return of the force to the Golan Heights.

"The Israelis have been forced to give in," the commander told Reuters, assessing that the occupation of Quneitra will be completed in the upcoming days.

The Syrian government and Russia view the White Helmets as "agents" of foreign powers and have regularly accused them of staging rescue missions or chemical attacks. Syrian state TV Al-Ikhbariya reported the Israeli evacuation of the White Helmets, calling it a "scandal" and saying "terrorist groups" now have "zero options."
Southbound Ayalon highway was blocked off to traffic on Sunday by a group of people protesting against the discrimination of the LGBT community.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday cautioned US President Donald Trump about pursuing hostile policies against Tehran, saying "America should know ... war with Iran is the mother of all wars," the state new agency IRNA reported.

Iran faces increased US pressure and looming sanctions after Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from a 2015 international deal over Iran's nuclear programme.

Addressing a gathering of Iranian diplomats, Rouhani said: "Mr Trump, don't play with the lion's tail, this would only lead to regret," IRNA reported.

"America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars," Rouhani said.
Around 250 protesters demonstrating against the discrimination of the LGBT community on Sunday have blocked off traffic on Balfour Street in Jerusalem near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence.
The police arrested on Sunday two protesters in Jerusalem during a demonstration against the discrimination of the LGBT community near the residency of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A nationwide demonstration staged by the LGBT community began on Sunday morning over their exclusion from the Surrogacy Law that was passed last week which allows single mothers and heterosexual couples who cannot have children to use the services of a surrogate mother to become parents.

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Backing the protests, some of Israels leading companies, organizations and institutions announced that they would enable LGBT members of their staff to take the day off work to participate in the protests.

LGBT protest in Tel Aviv (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

The demonstrations got underway at 10am across major cities in the country, including Jerusalem, Haifa, Beer Sheva and Tel Aviv, with some 150 marchers assembling in Paris Square in the capital just meters away from the the Prime Ministers Residence waving gay pride and Israeli flags while chanting slogans against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Protest throughout the country

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Thousands of protesters blocked the northbound route on Ayalon Highway at the HaShalom Intersection and the Azrieli Junction. "No equality, we'll block the Ayalon," the protesters shouted in a rhyming Hebrew slogan.

(Photo: Gil Nechushtan)

During the protest outside the residence, police arrested two protesters.

In Haifa, the protest got underway with some 100 demonstrators gathering outside the citys municipality, with the number gradually swelling to 200. Tel Aviv also saw 300 marchers gather outside the municipality.

Arrest in Jerusalem

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Assaf and Amir attended the rally in Tel Aviv with their son and daughter who were born in surrogacy in India five years ago.

Assaf and Amir with their son and daughter (Photo: Roi Rubinstein)

Our struggle is not only for surrogacy but also for equality in general," Amir explained. It has been an extremely difficult week for the states with three discriminatory laws that have been passed, he said in reference to the Nationality Law and another law that was passed, know as the  Breaking the Silence Law  which will see groups that systematically criticize IDF soldiers and the actions of the army banned from entering Israeli schools and speaking with pupils.

(Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Its sad for us that we cant live in this country as equal citizens, he added.

Former prime minister and former IDF chief of staff Ehud Barak also participated in the protests at Tel Avivs trendy bar-filled Rothschild Boulevard.

I decided to strike today and I am not working. I stopped working and came here in order to show solidarity with the LGBT community. I think this is an extremely important struggle and it is good that people come to it, he said.

(Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

The struggle is first and foremost about the LGBT community, about practical matters, about rights for men to surrogacy, said the former leader, one of Netanyahus staunchest critics.

But this is a government in a predicament that, in the same week, enacted a special law that would throw the Arabs out of the Supreme Court to the District Court, and at the same time prohibited Israelis, some of whom are officers who served in the IDF, from entering schools to talk with the children, Barak said.

Ehud Barak at the protest in Tel Aviv (Photo: Shaul Golan)

This stream of narrow-mindedness, of nationalism, of hating foreigners, streams and other different people is a trend we need to stop, he added.

PM has shown his lack of commitment to equality

Ilan Sheinfeld from Mitzpa in the lower Galilee organized the protest in Carmiel. I am already a gay father of two wonderful boy, and it would appear that this criminal law should not have such a difficult effect on me, he said.

'Haifa is fighting for equality' (Photo: Gil Nechushtan)

But I am a member of the LGBT community and I want more children. When they legislate laws that clearly discriminate against my friends and against me, in blatant contradiction to the Basic Law on Human Dignity and Liberty, and to morality and common sense, I cant accept it or come to terms with it, Sheinfeld continued.

(Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

The law, he added, deeply and seriously undermines our status as parents and is going to harm our children as well. Its not enough that they impose difficulties in us to register as Israelis and that they refuse to recognize our Jewishness, now they are asking us to take a massive financial risk on ourselves and a health risk to our children with a pregnancy and birth in a foreign country. It directly damages our future and the future of our children in this country."

Protest in Be'er Sheva (Photo: Barel Efraim)

The prime minister, Sheinfeld said, had again demonstrated his lack of credibility and his lack of commitment to the values of equality, to the Basic Laws of Israel and to Supreme Court rulings.

He argued that Netanyahu had backed the law due to political pressures exerted by the Haredi parties which prop up his coalition, the same people, he noted he do not bear any civil burden.

Arrest in Jerusalem (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israeli Diplomat Elad Strohmyer, who is openly gay and married to a man, is set to take up his new post as an Israeli Embassy spokesman in Washington on the day of the marches.

If I can serve my country abroad, why can I not get married here, but only abroad? he asked. If I can be robbed at gunpoint during my diplomatic service in Africa and risk my life, can I not bring children to the State of Israel? If as an Israeli diplomat I am a target for terrorists across the world, am I not entitled to the same inheritance rights, adoption and more, like any citizen? It pains me. It pains me a lot. he admitted.

Elad Strohmyer's Faceook page

It hurts me because I love my country. I love it and do not stop doing so for a moment. I just want my country to love me and represent me too, without conditions.

Some of the companies who expressed their solidarity with the LGBT community's protest include pharmaceutical company Teva; communication companies Bezeq, Cellcom and Motorola; TV providers Yes and HOT; Facebook Israel; credit card companies such as Leumi Card and Isracard; pharmacy company Super-Pharm; Clal Insurance; airlines El Al and Israir; construction engineering company Electra; supermarket chain Sufersal and many others. In addition, the The Nature and Parks Authority will allow LGBT members of its staff to attend the march.

(Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Ichilov Hospital at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center also joined the list of LGBT community supporters, allowing all employees who wish to participate in the upcoming protests to be absent from work.

Protesters block main highway in Tel Aviv (:  )

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"In light of the requests from gay member of our staff and in solidarity with the community's struggle for equal rights, the hospital will allow its employees, who wish to participate in Sundays demonstrations, to be absent from work, said the official statement.

'Equality for the gay community' (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

"The management of the medical center will ensure that the patient are not affected on that day," concluded the statement.

Dr. Roy Zucker, a doctor at the hospital's Infectious Diseases Unit, thanked the management for their support.

Clash in Jerusalem (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

"I thank the management for cooperating and on Sunday I will not go to work. Doctors provide services to the citizens on a daily basis  and all we ask for is to have basic rightsthe ability to raise children, get married and other issues that havent been on the agenda until now."

El Al also joined the list of companies who decided to express their support for the community.

(Photo: Motti Kimchi)

El Al airlines also published a statement explaining their reasons for supporting the rallies.

"The company supports and embraces the LGBT community in their fight for equality  We will do our utmost to allow our people to participate in Sundays demonstrations, while taking into consideration the busy flight schedule at the height of the summer season, the official statement said.
Hundreds of people attended the funeral of IDF soldier Staff Sgt. Aviv Levi Sunday, who was killed by a Hamas sniper on Friday afternoon on the Gaza border.

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Friends, family and fellow soldiers made their way to the Segula Cemetery in Petah Tikva where the 20-year-old Givati soldier was buried.

(Photo: Yair Sagi)

It is not easy to eulogize my son. Its not natural," said his father, Yaakov. You were a ray of shining and smiling sun for us. We loved seeing every moment of you becoming the man that we knew. You were the salt of the earth and paid the ultimate price for your outstanding service.

You never avoided any mission, however large or small. You guarded and protected your friends. We are not parting here. You will be with us forever, the father said in the presence of hundreds of soldiers donning the purple Givati beret.

Levis sister, Noy, also spoke at the funeral. My big brother. I dont understand how, out of all the people, God chose to take you. It wasnt your time to go from us. You were a wonderful brother, an admirable character, a considerate young man and a beautiful, handsome and special man. You are a hero to all of us for life, said 15-year-old Noy who, along with one of her other brothers, 4-year-old Dan, received the terrible news of Avivs death while on vacation in Italy.

Givati soldiers at the funeral (Photo: Yair Sagi)

Avivs other sibling Oriyan, 19, who also serves in the IDF, bid his final farewell to his older brother. You were the man of the house. I miss your smile, your laugh and the vein that popped out in any situation that annoyed you, said Oriyan, mustering a humorous memory in the midst of grief.

I promise that I will protect the family for you as you would have wanted, he added.

Prior to the funeral, Levi's uncle, Noam eulogized his nephew, who was three months away from being discharged from the army.

Staff Sgt. Aviv Levi

He was someone who all our cousins and brothers admired  He was always a very serious and very modest guy, and he did everything in a quiet and thorough way, Boam later said in an interview with Ynet.

A team of military experts has been appointed to examine the circumstances surrounding the death of Staff Sgt. Levi.

An initial investigation revealed that the terrorist who carried out the long range shot was able to do so amid violent riots that had developed along the Israeli border in the Khan Yunis area.

Minister Yoav Galant at the funeral (Photo: Yair Sagi)

Levi was a commander of an IDF force that was in charge of preventing dozens of Gazan protesters from crossing the border fence.

According to the initial investigation, Levi wore the required armora helmet and a flak jacket with ceramic plates. It appears that the bullet did not penetrate the flak jacket but rather struck the soldier in the upper chest area.

The bullet may have penetrated the exposed area on the body between Levis neck and the ceramic plate. Among other things, the bullets trajectory will be examined before the penetration and the distance between the shooting point and the soldierthe two elements that led to the fatal result.

"Aviv was always very responsible. He always made sure he was protected  This flak jacket simply wasnt enough. According to the battalion commander, the jacket will be send for examination  Not that it will help us, but they claim that the bullet was too big for the jacket to stop it, explained his uncle.

(Photo: Yair Sagi)

When he was young he wanted to learn Capoeira so he gave it his all. Then he wanted to be a surfer and he became one of the best. When he decided to serve in combat, he only wanted to be in the Givati brigade and according to what weve heard, he had excelled at that as well, Noam continued.

We met the battalion commander last night and he said that he was supposed to stay at the base but he demanded to go out there and help  He left the base around 5pm and then the bloody sniper came and his bullet is what killed him, the uncle continued.

Oriyan, who serves in the Golani Brigade, received a phone call from his commander on Friday and asked him to come home, Noam explained.

"Once he was home, the IDF representatives were waiting for him there. The parents in Italy had a military attache wait for them at the hotel before informing them of the incident, he added.

In the meantime, many of Levis former classmates from his school in Petah Tikva attended a service along with teachers and a mayor.

"Everyone was pretty quiet  and lit candles, the intensity of the shock and the grief was felt in the silence," said one of the attendees.
After a situation assessment in the Kerem Shalom border crossing, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman addressed the Palestinians on Sunday, and said the key to opening the border to transfers of goods is the continued quiet in the region.

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Lieberman said that Saturday was the area's most quiet day since March 30th.

Lieberman stressed Hamas's responsibility for recent events, and conditioned the opening of the crossing on "zero incendiary balloons, zero friction on the fence, zero rockets."

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman at the Kerem Shalom border crossing (Photo: Ariel Hermoni, Ministry of Defense)

The minister explained: "We have completed a situation assessment regarding the passage of goods in Kerem Shalom, and the residents of Gaza must understand that as long as incendiary balloons keep landing on our side and causing fires, on both sides of the fence, life will not go back to normal," Lieberman said.

"My message to the residents of Gaza is  take responsibility, the key, among others, is pressure. You, Gaza residents, will put pressure on teh Hamas leadership. If Saturday's quiet continues, then life will return to normal the day after tomorrow. But the key is quiet, calm, zero incendiary balloons, zero friction of the fence, zero rockets, or god forbid, shootings. Let's hope the next couple of days will be calm," Lieberman asserted.

Lieberman added that "despite the complicated situation, and the fires we have seen on our side, the transfer of food and medicines to Gaza continues. We cannot do more, and as I said, the exports of goods, agriculture, textiles, and all these things will resume once the quiet in our side of the fence continues. No balloons, no kites and no provocations," the minister said.

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman (Photo: Ariel Hermoni, Ministry of Defense)

"At the moment, there is no intention of bringing Palestinian workers to Israel. We are far from it, and as I said, it all depends on the other side," Lieberman concluded.

Lieberman, who was accompanied by Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj. Gen. Kamil Abu Rokon, also noted that 140 trucks go through the crossing per day. "The maximum was about 1,000 trucks a day, so that's all the difference and everyone on the other side will do his calculations," Lieberman stated.

After a ceasefire was reached with Hamas following serious escalations on the Gaza border, a senior political source said on Saturday that "Hamas has suffered a hard blow, and asked for a ceasefire through Egypt, while committing to stop the fire terrorism and terrorism on the fence. We have the Egyptians' guarantee."

Lieberman at the Kerem Shalom border crossing (:  ,  )

"In any case," the source added, "the actions on the ground will determine the next move, and if Hamas violates this, he will pay an even heavier price."

The Home Front Command announced on Saturday that life is returning to normal in all the communities surrounding the Gaza Strip. The southern Zikim Beach reopened to the public. The IDF announcement made it clear that "there are no special restrictions on the home front."

However, shortly after that, the IDF attacked a Hamas position in the northern Gaza Strip. The IDF Spokesperson's said that the attack

was a response to the infiltration of several Palestinians suspects who crossed the border fence. It was reported that the suspects had returned to the Gaza Strip.
Jordanian government spokeswoman Jumana Ghanimat said Jordan sent an official letter of protest to Israel for "the ongoing attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque." In a statement published by the official Jordanian news agency Petra, the settlers entered the site with police escort in order to "provoke" Muslim worshipers.
Hundreds of members of Syria's "White Helmet" civil defence group have fled advancing government forces and been spirited over the border into Jordan with the help of Israeli soldiers and Western powers, officials said on Sunday.

Israel's army said on Twitter that Washington and European governments had asked it to move the White Helmets and their families out of southwest Syria overnight as there was "an immediate threat to their lives".
In a letter to CEC, Gandhi said he hoped poll body was taking more steps to make voting more accessible to physically challenged people.

The issuance of the Braille EPIC cards to the visually impaired voters is a step in the right direction, Rahul Gandhi said. (Photo: File/PTI)

New Delhi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday commended the Election Commission for its initiative in providing Braille EPIC cards to the visually impaired in Karnataka and said such a measure would enable voting accessibility to all.

In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat, Gandhi said he hoped the poll body was taking more such steps to make voting more accessible to the physically challenged people and extended the Congress party's support to this initiative.

I write this letter to commend you on the excellent initiative of the Election Commission in Karnataka. The issuance of the Braille EPIC cards to the visually impaired voters is a step in the right direction, which will make elections and voting accessible to all voters.

I believe that the Election Commission is undertaking more steps to make voting more accessible for physically challenged people. The Congress party extends its wholehearted support to this initiative, he said in his letter.

Gandhi also said the framers of "our" Constitution were far ahead of their times when they decided that universal adult franchise should be incorporated in the Constitution of India.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the evacuation of the 'White Helmets' activists from Syria: "American President Trump, the Prime Minister of Canada and others asked me to help the organization's members, who saved lives and were now in mortal danger."

"Therefore, I authorized their transfer to other countries via Israel, as an important humanitarian step. At the same time, we continue to act in Syria against Iran's military buildup," Netanyahu asserted.
The European Union's foreign minister, Federica Maria Mogherini, referred to the rescue operation of the "White Helmets" members: "The rescue of 800 members of the organization and their families from Syria is an important humanitarian gesture ... The EU recognizes Israel's efforts, Jordan, and all those who contributed to the success of the operation."
Britain and the European Union praised Israel for the overnight evacuation of hundreds of Syrian rescue workers, known as the "White Helmets" , from their location near the volatile frontier with Syria, in a complex and first-of-a-kind operation.

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Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said 422 White Helmets volunteers were evacuated, instead of the initial 800 cleared for the operation. Israel's military said the overnight operation was "an exceptional humanitarian gesture" at the request of the United States and European allies due to an "immediate threat to (Syrians) lives."

IDF rescue mission (: BILD)

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Britain hailed the evacuation, saying it and other allies had requested it.

"Fantastic news that we UK and friendshave secured evacuation of White Helmets and their families. thank you Israel and Jordan for acting so quickly on our request," tweeted British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

European Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement that The EU recognizes the essential efforts of Israel and Jordan, and of all othersincluding several EU Member Stateswho contributed to bringing the White Helmets and their families to safety.

A Canadian Foreign Ministry statement on Saturday said the White Helmets "have witnessed vicious atrocities committed by the Assad regime and its backers." It added, "We feel a deep moral responsibility to these brave and selfless people."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a video statement saying US President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and others had asked him to help evacuate the group's members.

"These are people who saved lives and whose lives are now in danger. I authorized bringing them through Israel to other countries as an important humanitarian gesture," Netanyahu said.

White Helmets organization logo

Israel agreed to evacuate the White Helmets "given the evident fact that Assad's rule is taking hold in all of Syria again," Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi said in a radio interview.

Hanegbi added that world leaders felt that the Civil Defense workers should not "pay the price of the Syrian regime's enormous hatred towards them."

The rescued activists belong to the White Helmets organization, officially known as Syria Civil Defense, which is a volunteer organization that operates in rebel-controlled areas of Syria, in an attempt to rescue and assist civilians caught in war zones.

Despite Jordan and Israel's continued statements that they are not responsible nor do they have any commitment to White Helmet members, Assad and his supporters accused the organization of being used by Israel and other western countries in order to intervene in Syrias internal affairs, as well as being involved in civilian casualties.

After word about the rescue operation got out, Canada's Foreign Affairs Ministry also issued a statement supporting the organization.

The White Helmets are courageous volunteers and first responders who risk their lives to help their fellow Syrians who have been targeted by senseless violence. When children, women, and men in Syria flee for their lives, the White Helmets run towards danger, towards the rubble, to save the innocent and the wounded. The White Helmets have witnessed vicious atrocities committed by the Assad regime and its backers," Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs said in his statement.

White Helmets activists (Photo: AFP)

Canada, working in close partnership with the United Kingdom and Germany, has been leading an international effort to ensure the safety of White Helmets and their families," Freeland added.

Canada has been unequivocal about its support for the White Helmets. At a meeting of Foreign Ministers on the occasion of the NATO leaders summit in Brussels a week ago, I called for global leadership to support and help these heroes," Minister of Foreign Affairs stated.

Canada has been a key partner of the White Helmets and is proud to have provided funding to support their emergency training and to increase the number of women White Helmets. We feel a deep moral responsibility towards these brave and selfless people.

Canada will continue to provide significant humanitarian assistance to the people affected by this conflict in Syria, she concluded.

The secret mission was executed to the request of the US and some European countries in light of the activists' lives being in danger, the IDF's Spokesperson's Unit said.

The White Helmet's commander Raed Salah told AFP "they were surrounded in a dangerous zone."

White Helmets activist rescuing a Syrian refugee in Aleppo (Photo: AFP)

According to Salah, the organization's members that were evacuated arrived from the Darra and Quneitra provinces, with many of them being besieged between the Syria's southern border and Assad's army which was approaching the area.

The White Helmets organization has about 3,000 members, and has saved more than 100,000 lives since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, according to the US State Department.

White Helmet activist rescue a baby from the ruins and bursts into tears

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The organization's members will stay in Jordan for approximately three months but, according to the report, Jordan has not committed itself to their safety.

Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mohammed al-Kayed, confirmed that Jordan had agreed to accept the activists strictly on humanitarian grounds.

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the total number of evacuees was in fact 422, even though the initial request was to evacuate 800. It was unclear what happened to the remainder if his figures are correct.

From Jordan the rescued activists are expected to be relocated within three months to one of the three countries that have committed to accepting them: Britain, Canada and Germany.

Among the organization's members are engineers, farmers, and other professionals who completed training to be qualified as members of the rescue mission of Syrian refugees. The members of the organization assisted the wounded and took part in rescue efforts in the battlefield, occasionally under fire, while suffering many losses.

Many of the organizations activists have been killed in the fighting raging in Syria. One of the most widely known incidents involving the White Helmets occurred in 2016, when five of its members were killed as a result of a Russian attack on one of their centers in Aleppo.

The activists were those who released the well-known photo of the wounded child sitting in an ambulance in Aleppo, which shocked the world.

Wounded child in Aleppo (Photo: AP)

President Assad accused the organization of faking the photo.

"We are neutral and politically impartial," the volunteers said. "We arrive at Disaster-stricken areas to save lives, no matter whose and how."

The fact they were mostly present in rebel-held areas might indicate they were mainly on their side. However, unlike the rebel groups they did not carry weapons and focused on the continued rescue efforts.

In addition, the activists assisted in putting out fires, clearing the streets of rubble, and neutralizing rockets.

The Syrian regime was not the only one criticizing the White Helmets. In an article published in Iran after the bombardment of the humanitarian aid convoy near Aleppo in September 2016, the organization's activists were defined as associates to the former branch of the terror organization Al-Qaeda in Syria.

White Helmets activist rescuing a child in Idlib

The Russians argued the convoy was not bombed and said an inquiry of what really happened should take place.

Moreover, last April Russia accused the organization of fabricating the alleged chemical attack in Douma in which more than 70 civilians had been killed. Russia claimed that the organization conjured up the incident whereas the White Helmets said Russia's allegations are "baseless propaganda."

During an AP interview, when asked if he supports the White Helmet's nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, Assad replied: "What have they achieved in Russia?"

Later, Assad explained he would support awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to those promoting peace in Syria by stopping "terrorists" operating in the country.

The report also claims that the organization is being financed by the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Japan and the United States.
The Central District Attorney's Office filed an indictment against David Sharaf, 41, of Eilat, for setting fire to Arab Israeli citizens' property. According to the indictment, Sharaf decided to set these fires to avenge recent events in the Gaza Strip. Nevertheless, the indictment does not mention a nationalist motive.

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According to the indictment, filed by attorney Netanel Bujo, Sharaf planned to ignite the property of the Arab population. The accused also planned to set fire to open areas in order to prevent firefighters from responding to fires aimed at the Arab population.

The first fire was set on July 8th in a souvenir shop located in the Old City of Jerusalem. The following day the accused called his relative and told him that he intends to "burn Arabs" because, he claimed, "they are burning our property." The relative told authorities about the conversation, and Sharaf was questioned by police and removed from the city of Eilat for a period of 15 days.

The next day, the accused, according to the indictment, set fire in three additional locations  a field near the IDF base in the central Nahal Sorek, an olive grove next to a residential building in an East Jerusalem's neighborhood, and vegetation near several buildings and homes in Jerusalem.

According to the arrest petition, "The location of the fires increases the potential damage of his actions. The accused set fire near a military base, a field of thorns that ignites easily, and in the heart of a city, near many bystanders."

"The accused poses a larger threat because of his motives. He chose to attack areas adjacent to the Temple Mount and the Old City with the declared intention of stirring up the public and "setting the region aflame," the arrest petition maintained.

The State Prosecutor's Office asked the court to extend Sharaf's detention until the end of the proceedings. The State Attorney's Office noted that the nationalist clause is not mentioned in the indictment because such a motive carries a double sentence for offenses that carry less than a ten year sentence. If the offense carries a longer sentence, it does not matter if a nationalist motive exists or not.

In addition, there are certain offenses, such as the incitement offense, that can carry a double sentence if a nationalist motive exists. In a crime of murder, having a background in terrorism activity can add years to the sentence. But for crimes with a longer sentence, like arson, this doesn't mean anything.

An olive grove (Photo: Nasser Nuaja, Btselem)

Attorney Shiran Bergman, who represents Sharaf on behalf of the Public Defender's Office, said: "We have yet to receive the investigation materials. After we receive and study them we will respond in court. The court accepted our request and sent the accused to psychiatric observation."

The State Prosecutor's Office stated that "According to the Penal Law, a nationalist motive is mentioned in the section of the offense for the purpose of doubling the sentence, when the offenses carry up to 10 years in prison, while the arson charge attributed to the accused is 15 years. The accused intention to cause harm to Israeli citizens belonging to the Arab sector is explicitly mentioned in the indictment."
About 80,000 Israeli LGBT advocates and their supporters took part in a demonstration supporting the LGBT community in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square, protesting the exclusion of gay men from a recently passed surrogacy law.

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On the eve of a day filled with demonstration, thousands of LGBT members gathered in Tel Aviv in protest of the surrogacy law that discriminates against them. Protesters marched in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities waving rainbow flags. The LGBT community is furious with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who pledged to pass legislation supporting surrogacy for gay fathers, but then voted against it.

The trans community rally in Tel Aviv (Photo: Yair Sagi)

The LGBT community is taking to the streets using shouting "We will not be silent anymore!"

At 6pm a march in support of the trans-community began, with about 1,000 demonstrators. The demonstrators are marching in protest of the stabbing of a trans-community member last week in Tel Aviv.

At 7pm another demonstration started. According to one of the rally's organizers, "Many of us in the community are still living in the threatening shadow of violence, it is a vicious cycle of prostitution, humiliation, and the ignorance of the medical and therapeutic establishment, poverty, lack of employment, lack of security, and discrimination in housing."

Mia Hadad, the transgender who was stabbed last week, said: "We are not animals and we need our rights ... I went through a very difficult experience last week and I turn to everyone and say, 'enough is enough, It's hard on everyone.' It is hard to describe it, and to go through this thing."

"I was ventilated, anesthetized and saved in the last minute. I thank you all for coming and for supporting me. We are a proud community because we are proud of ourselves. We do not hide in closets, we are equal like everyone else, we do not see the difference, and we must not give in to those who exclude us. Do not give up," Hadad concluded.

LGBT Association Chairperson Chen Arieli denied reports that members of the community had been invited to a meeting with the prime minister: "no one is talking to us in press releases, but in actions. When we see steps takenthen we will consider attending such a meeting. No official appeal was made to the community organizations. We will continue to fight until we see actions, rights and legislation. We are through with empty meetings."

The demonstrators are shouting "Eight billion people - why only two genders?"; "The government establishment constantly discriminates against me"; and "neither left nor right will determine my sex."

Rabin Square (Photo: Yariv Katz)

The demonstrators also cry "Transsexuals will not keep quiet, they are revolutionists"; "Do not preach  I am proud of every gender"; and "No one but me will decide if I am a man or a woman."

"We are fighting for our freedom," Elisha Alexander, director of Ma'avarim  Israeli Trans Community organization, told Ynet. "We have not even begun our fight. Marriage and parenting are important issues, but we must put an end to the discrimination against the gay community. As long as we ignore it, 'gay' will continue to be the worst curse word used in schools," Alexander said.

"As long as they do not understand that the Trans' struggle is the spearhead of the LGBT struggle, we will continue to succeed in the media and lose in the fight against daily violence experienced by youth, elderly people, and transgender people. As long as they do not reinforce the trans-community, the proud struggle will remain at a standstill," the activist continued.

The transgender community rally (Photo: Yair Sagi)

"We challenge the silly division between boys and girls, blue and pink, and society that decides for us how to dress, behave, and who we love, a society that drives us to prostitution and poverty. Everyone says we are a weak community. We are not weak, we pay a heavy price, because our very existence makes a difference in the world, our very existence makes this world better and more free, for everyone who knows us," Alexander declared.

Since Sunday morning, thousands have demonstrated throughout Tel Aviv and other cities. Among the speakers at the rally in Rabin Square are Chairman of the LGBT Association Chen Arieli, representatives of Ma'avarim organization, Maya Arbel and Lioz Levy, petitioners to the Supreme Court, Orly and Ravit Wiselberg Tzur, Thaline Abu Hanna, former MK Uzi Even, Efrat Tilma, Itay Pinkas Arad, Nadav Tzubari from Kibbutz Nahal Oz and Shirli, mother of a transgender boy. Visiting artists: Rita, Orna Banai, Corinne Allal, and Ran Danker. Hosts: Nadav Bornstein and Lucy Aharish.

Chairman of the LGBT Association Chen Arieli (Photo: Guy Cohen)

About 150 protestors demonstrated in Jerusalem. Police arrested two of them because the demonstration was allegedly illegal, but later released the two. People demonstrated In Haifa, Beer Sheva and other cities. Roy Neumann from Pink Panthers organization in the US arrived this morning to Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv and joined the LGBT community's protest.

Time for equal rights

The actor Dov Navon, married with children, explained why he joined the protest: "I really felt that enough is enough, these are people who give and receive nothing in return. It's time for them to receive equal rights. It is inconceivable that someone who lives in this place does not have equal rights, at the bare minimum. I felt that I had enough. There are first class citizens and second class citizens," Navon said.

"This is the natural continuation of the social protest that began a few years ago. The surrogacy law , the nationality law, the arrest of a Conservative rabbi People serve the state, give their all, and at the end of the day, the state kicks them, and decides, in the most immoral way possible, to enact laws because a certain group said so. It's immoral, it's impossible and the silence is over. Now is the time for a protest of liberalism, of our existence as an Israeli society," the actor concluded.

Protesters in Jerusalem (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

The surrogacy law passed on Wednesday. According to the new law, single mothers and heterosexual couples who cannot have children can use the services of a surrogate mother to become parents.However, the law excludes homosexual couples, preventing them from becoming parents through the surrogacy process.
The Syrian news agency SANA reported Sunday evening that an Israeli air strike had hit a military post in the city of Misyaf in Syria's Hama province but caused only material damage.

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According to Lebanese media, the strike was executed from Lebanon's territory.

Photo: Attack in Hama

The Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen network reported that the alleged targets were scientific research centers for chemical arms production.

The newsflash did not elaborate on what exactly had been targeted. An intelligence source said a major military research center for chemical arms production was located near the city.

A Syrian military source said that "one of the military sites near Misyaf was attacked by the Israeli Air Force (IAF)," according to the SANA news agency.

Visitors' center near Misyaf (Photo: Intelli Times)

The source added that only damage to property was caused, and no casualties were immediately reported.

However, Syrian opposition members reported that Iran's Revolutionary Guards as well as Hezbollah's members were killed in the alleged the strike.

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that "loud explosions" were heard in the Misyaf area.

According to Syrian reports four Israeli fighter jets took part in the attack, with three missiles being intercepted by Syria's airspace defense system.

September's attack attributed to Israel

Last September, both Syrian and Lebanese media reported that a strike had taken place near the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (CERS), with some of its S-60 missiles being transferred to Hezbollah.

CERS weapons program includes the development of the S-60 in preparation for transfer to the Shi'ite terror organization. The center relies on scientific knowledge provided by North Korea and Iran.

Last week, Syrian state media said Israeli rockets had struck a Syrian military position near Nairab airport on the outskirts of the city of Aleppo.

Israel, concerned that Iran's growing presence in Syria poses a threat to its security, has escalated in recent months its strikes on suspected Iranian and Iran-backed positions in Syria.

Iran is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad and supports a number of militias, including Lebanon's Hezbollah, who have thousands of fighters joining battles in support of his rule.

The reports come merely hours after the IDF completed overnight Saturday an operation to rescue 422 Syrian civil defense activists, along with their families, from a war zone area in southern Syria, the German newspaper Bild reported on Sunday.

It was the first such Israeli intervention in Syria's lengthy civil war, now in its eight year.

According to the report, the rescued activists belong to the White Helmets, officially known as Syria Civil Defence, which is a volunteer organization that operates in parts of rebel-controlled segments of the country and which works to rescue and assist civilians caught in war zones.
The Syrian news agency SANA reported Sunday evening that Israeli aircrafts attacked targets in near the cities of Hama and Masyaf in the northwest of the country.
Al Mayadeen news channel reported Sunday that Hezbollah and Iran's Revolutionary Guards' members were killed in an Israeli air strike against Syrian targets.

According to the report, four Israeli aircrafts took part in the strike, with Syria's airspace defense system intercepting three missiles.
This is a warning call. We, the Jewish society in Israel, are in a high risk environment. To the incendiary kites burning the Negev fields, another incendiary threat was added: A fire that threatens to annihilate the memory threads that bind Israeli society to its identity.

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A publicized campaign is trying to portray the Tisha B'Av mourning as part of an Israeli religious coercion process.

Tisha B'Av (Photo: Reuters)

It is almost superfluous to mention that those who form our national memory did not come from religious circles. Most of them did not observe Kashruth or Shabbat at home, but were deeply concerned about the Jewish identity of the state.

According to Berl Katznelson "If not for Israel knowing, for generations, how to grieve for its destruction on Memorial Day... Herzl and Nordau would not exist, and Bialik could not write the Scroll of Fire."

The commemoration of Rabbi Benjamin Lau, the day of the diminishing of the self, and the memory of destruction and Jewish exile, has nothing to do with religion or religious coercion. It is linked to the shaping of the Jewish identity among Israelis, who continue the traditions of their parents and generations before them.

Soldier pray at the Western Wall (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

To define Tisha B'Av differently is a tragedy of a society that cuts itself off from the strings that bind it to itself. It is clear that the active process of rupturing these ties came from a deep sense of anxiety of a liberal society that feels threatened by religion.

They fear that religion will dictate all strands of life. But this anxiety cannot give rise to an alternative Jewish identity, and against its will it unties the deep strands of roots from which it came into being.

Over the past few years, we have experienced up close the anxieties of the Israeli society from both the Right and Left wings.

Journalist Gal Gaba and I have joined forces and started a movement for reading the Bible.We strive to pave a wide path, wide enough, for all the opinions Israeli society has to offer.Liberal voices alongside conservatives ones, Reform alongside Orthodox, Right and Leftthere is room for everybody.

Tisha B'Av at the Western Wall (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

During this fascinating journey we have found ourselves dealing with anxieties and sensations that bring the Bible into the argument of life religious coercion.

How did the Biblethe main book that shapes and molds the Jewish-Israeli identitybecome threatening?

There are those who argue that after the Six Day War the Religious Zionism adopted the Bible as not only identity forming, but reality forming as well. As the bible rose in the circles of the Religious Zionism, it became less important in the Israeli culture and society.

Last Sunday, President Reuven Rivlin celebrated the opening of the second round of Bible readings with us. In his speech he recounted an experience he had heard from Haim Gouri, who passed away this year.

Gouri spoke of a visit he made to a prestigious high school in the center, in which he read the charming poem of Rachel the poetess, "From afar," a poem that ends with the following lines:

Spread your wings. See from afar

Thereno one is coming,

To each his own Nevo

In a land of plenty.

He felt that the students were not with him. The words "from afar" and "Nevo" sounded, in their ears, like a foreign language. Gouri called it the "associative disconnection." And when he realized that they did not understand him, he put the book in his bag and told the students that here, at school, on this day, Hebrew poetry died.

President Reuven Rivlin (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch)

President Reuven Rivlin addressed his crowd excitedly: "My dearest, without the Bible one cannot read poetry and Hebrew literature

Without the Bible one cannot speak proper Hebrew. Without the Bible the next generation will miss its historic memory."

And I turn to you, the readers of this articleDo not allow political battles to cut the root teaching us our parents' story.

Do not cut angrily the memory thread. Let our hard struggles between us take place on the weekdays. But wrap the few days of memory and holiday in a protective envelope for the next generations.
Expert Interviews with Kevin Turner. 23/07/2018

We discover the 20 largest significant urban areas around Australia with LocationScore. This App has the ability to look back and track where property markets have been to work out where they are going. Jeremy Sheppard from LocationScore explains how it works.



Listen to the interview now:

Transcript:

Kevin: Towards the bottom of the homepage on Real Estate Talk, youre going to notice a badge there for a product called LocationScore. I want to dig a little bit deeper into this because there was a really interesting release that they put out this week that had a look at the 20 largest significant urban areas around Australia. Some great lessons coming from this and now that LocationScore has the ability to look back a little bit and track where the property markets are going, were getting some really good data.

Joining me to talk about this is Jeremy Sheppard, from LocationScore, LocationScore.com.au and as I said, use the button on the homepage at RET to tell you a little bit more about it.

Jeremy, tell me about LocationScore. How do you write these areas? What sort of data do you use?

Jeremy: The whole idea about it is supply and demand. Were trying to score supply and demand, so were looking at things like auction clearance rates, vacancy rates, percentage of stock on market. Thats obviously a very good indicator of supply.

We munge all of these statistics together into a single score out of 100, because thats just easier to digest. The higher the score is, the more demand exceeds supply, so its that simple really.

Kevin: Lets have a look at one of the hot markets recognized around Australia, and that is the Sydney market. What have you noticed there, and what has Location Score picked up?

Jeremy: As the report shows, over the last few years, the LocationScore has been steadily declining in Sydney. It was at a peak somewhere in middle of 2015,and since then, its just been gradually coming back. And youd expect that; sky-high prices subdue demand like nothing else.

Its come back down from about 73 to 60, which is quite significant, but that was over about a three-year period. But that obviously reflects where the market is right now. Were seeing very low growth, if any at all, and thats because the demand has been balanced with supply.

Kevin: Speaking of balance, what would you score a balanced market at?

Jeremy: The theoretical balance point is a Location Score of 50 because its scored out of 100. But what weve found historically is its probably around about 55. About 55 seems to be where the figures lie for a market thats in balance.

An example of that might be Brisbane at the moment. It has a Location Score of 56, so thats about balanced. And of course, Sydney is still just a little bit higher than that, so youd still expect it to have some sort of growth. But of course, its come down a long way.

Kevin: What are some of the high achievers that you can nominate for us?

Jeremy: Actually, one interesting one is Melbourne. Despite the fact that were hearing that theres been little growth, Im just wondering whether thats seasonal  perhaps, Christmas, New Years, and Easter, and so on  because were seeing that the LocationScore is still reasonably high. It has come back a bit from last year where it was quite high, around about 68. But its still tracking about 65, and to me, that means theres still some growth left in the Melbourne market. I dont think that this year, its going to be such a flat year for Melbourne.

But the standout markets, I think, are Geelong. Geelong had a very high LocationScore. Let me just flick through the report and find out where that was. I think it had the second highest Location Score. This is data finishing March 2018. It had a location score of 66, which is quite healthy  very healthy  and thats a natural response of the Melbourne growth, that its starting to ripple out towards the nearest regional markets. Of course, Geelong being within a stones throw of Melbourne.

Kevin: Weve heard some horror stories about Perth. What are you noticing there? Whats it telling you?

Jeremy: Its still no good news for Perth, but it appears that it has bottomed. The LocationScore for Perth has been pretty much constant over the last two years. Its been tracking around 50, 52, 51. Theres a little bit of volatility there, but the good news is that it isnt going any further south.

Its decline probably finished towards the middle of 2016, so since then, its just been smooth sailing. But that doesnt mean its about to enter its growth phase. It could just sit on the bottom there for who knows how long?

Kevin: I was going to ask you at what point do you say maybe the Perth market has turned around. Is that over 55?

Jeremy: I personally would like to see it go above 60 before Id show any interest in it, in fact, 62. To me, 55 is still just balanced; its business as usual. Most markets are in a state of balance. Theres this tug of war between supply and demand. Every market wants to be in balance, and so the vast majority of them are around that 50 to 55, mid-50s. So, it doesnt get our interest unless its getting up above 62. Thats when it triggers some attention from us.

Kevin: I guess we have to be pretty careful here too, dont we? Were talking in general terms here about capital cities, but even within capital cities there are markets within markets.

Jeremy: Yes. Actually, an interesting point there. Ive noticed there are a couple of markets in Perth that have caught my eye. And this is usually the case. When you see a boom starting off, its usually affluent areas where the property prices are quite expensive. People are looking at them and thinking Thats really good value for money. I know were in the middle of a flat period. And thats what triggers the start of the boom, and then it ripples outwards. Then you have this flight to affordable locations towards the end of the boom.

Weve noticed just a couple of those exclusive sort of areas in Perth, their individual Location Scores have just started to climb up into the interesting range. Its no signal yet, but like you said, there are markets within markets, and so people in Perth probably have a few opportunities coming their way soon.

Kevin: Go to LocationScore.com.au. It will tell you a lot more detail. You can dig into that. You can subscribe to it, and then you can go and have a look at any suburb you like and get all kinds of information weve been talking to Jeremy about today.

You can get a bit more information, too, by going to RET, Real Estate Talk, and putting in Aussie swingers reveal future rises, and thatll take you straight to the article that actually gives you a lot more detail, a lot more suburbs, and actually looks at the markets of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Canberra, Sunshine Coast, Central Coast, Geelong, Wollongong, and Hobart, to give you a really good insight.

Jeremy Sheppard has been my guest, and were talking about a website called LocationScore.com.au. Jeremy, thanks for your time.

Jeremy: Thanks very much, Kevin.

Real Estate Talk  the only place where you hear all Australasias leading property experts.

Originally published as: https://realestatetalk.com.au/large-urban-areas-ripe-for-picking-jeremy-sheppard/

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 22)  The rising water level in the Marikina River has urged at least 1,000 families to leave their homes, and proceed to evacuation centers.

As of 12 noon, 1,180 families proceeded to designated evacuation centers, the biggest of which is the Malanday Elementary School.

The continuous rainfall brought by the southwest monsoon or Habagat, as enhanced by Tropical Depression Josie, caused the water level to reach 17.4 meters at 10:30 a.m. Sunday.

An hour later, the water level decreased to the 16.9 meter mark, remaining at second alarm.

Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro said the families came from Bayabas Balimbing in Barangay Nangka, Talisay and Narra Street in Malanday, and Kislap/Ilaw Dona Petra in Barangay Tumana.

He said they are expecting to evacuate around 3,000 families once the water level reaches third alarm at 18 meters.

"Based on our previous experience, maaaring umabot ng mga 3,000 ang lilikas kapag umabot ng 18 meters water level," he told CNN Philippines.

[Translation:Based on our previous experience, the number of families to be evacuated may reach 3,000 once the river reaches a water level of 18 meters.]

Teodoro advised residents to exercise caution and to follow government instructions, as they continue to monitor the Marikina River, and other affected areas.

"Maging maingat tayo makinig at sumunod sa mga tagubilin ng atong pamahalaan. Ang binbantayan natin ang Marikina River and pag ulan sa mga kabundukan sa paligid ng Marikina," he said.

[Translation: Let us be cautious and follow the instuctions of our local government. We are monitoring the Marikina River and rains over the mountainous areas in Marikina.]

Weather officials said Josie will continue to enhance the southwest monsoon bringing rains over Metro Manila, as it exits Philippine territory Monday afternoon.
Mr Singh also demanded a public apology from the chief minister if the latter failed to prove the charges leveled against him.

Bhopal: Veteran Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Saturday slammed chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for calling him anti-national and dared him to prove the charge.

In a letter to Mr Chouhan, the AICC general secretary described the charges as grave and said, As chief minister of the state, it is your duty to bring me to book if you have evidence to establish the charges levelled against me by you.

You are bound by Constitution to bring such people to book. If you are not taking me to task even though you have evidence of my indulging in anti-national activities, then you will dishonour the very Constitution under which you have taken oath of office, the letter said.

Mr Singh even threatened to produce him in a police station in Bhopal and court arrest on July 26 for being charged as anti-national by no less than the chief minister of the state.

By the time, I hope you will gather evidence to establish the charges leveled against me to ensure that I am put behind the bar, he said.

Mr Singh also demanded a public apology from the chief minister if the latter failed to prove the charges leveled against him.

The chief minister reportedly termed Mr Singh as anti-national while he was addressing the public during the road show in Satna in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday during his ongoing Jan Ashirvad Yatra.

The chief minister reportedly said Digvijay Singh visited terror sympathisers and addressed terrorists with honorific (ji). He allegedly added that such people were acting like anti-nationals.

The chief minister should not teach us nationalism. Mr Singh has spotless political career spanning over 47 years, MP Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) vice-president Raja Pateria said.
News

Washington, DC - President Trump is fighting for Americas forgotten men and women, taking action to help retrain our workforce and equip students and workers with the skills they need to succeed.

SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT IVANKA TRUMP IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Training For the Jobs of Tomorrow

The assembly line, energy plant and retail store have changed dramatically in the past 25 yearsand the jobs have, too. Nearly 1 in 5 working Americans has a job that didnt exist in 1980, many in technology, the fastest-growing segment across all industries. Such rapid change is one reason 6.6 million U.S. jobs are currently unfilled. Many of these jobs require skills training, but not a college degree. Yet for too long, both the public and the private sectors have failed to develop innovative and effective training programs. With a new initiative we are launching Thursday, that will change.

LOCKHEED MARTIN CEO MARILLYN HEWSON AT FOX NEWS: We Must Close the Skills Gap to Secure Our Future

By recognizing the full breadth of the skills gap challenge and the cost to U.S. workers, the president has helped the nation take strong and positive steps  Another important step in addressing the skills gap is the recent formation of the National Council on the American Worker. By leveraging insights from government, industry, and academia, we will find new ways to modernize our nations education and job-training system. At Lockheed Martin, we are proud to answer the presidents call for comprehensive workforce development.

THE PLAIN DEALER [CLEVELAND, OHIO]: White House to Make New Vocational Education Push to Help Forgotten Men and Women

President Donald Trump wants the world to know he has not forgotten the forgotten men and women of America whose interests he promised to protect during his presidential campaign. On Thursday, hell sign an executive order to establish a workforce policy advisory board aimed at improving vocational education and job training for high school students and mid-career workers alike, according to his daughter, White House advisor Ivanka Trump.

CNBC: Ivanka Trump: We Are Pushing for More Education for Mid- and Late-Career Workers

Ivanka Trump is helping the White House launch a new program Thursday intended to beef up training and education for American workers as the U.S. contends with an economy increasingly shifting from manufacturing to the service and technology industries  The council will focus on a holistic approach to the development skills, whether its during a persons elementary and high school years or their working years, Ivanka Trump said, and bring all of government together to devise a national workforce strategy.

AXIOS: New Trump Pledge Aims to Help Workers Worried About Jobs

Unveiling a Pledge to Americas Workers, President Trump today will launch a White House effort to promote high-tech retraining for workers  preparation for a workplace thatll increasingly be dominated by data and automation  The pledge will commit employers to expanding apprenticeships and increasing on-the-job training to help Americans, from high schoolers to retirees, secure stable jobs and careers in the modern economy.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: Trump to Promote Job Training at White House Event

The White House said it expected the Pledge to Americas Workers to lead to at least 500,000 new career opportunities for students and workers. Executives with IBM, FedEx and Lockheed Martin plan to attend the White House event with the president Thursday, along with students and workers.

WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Trump to Form New Council for American Workers with Executive Order This Week

The latest move is part of the administrations efforts to ensure all Americans have access to well-paying jobs and the relevant training they need to secure them  the advisory board will be comprised of administration officials, state and local officials, and CEOs from a variety of industries to advise the president on how to address the current workforce crisis, provide affordable training, and expand apprenticeships across the United States.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Trump to Sign Executive Order on Job Training

More than 15 companies and associations will sign a pledge to educate and train American students and workers as part of a White House ceremony debuting the initiative . The initiative will address the changes that have occurred over the past few decades to the job market. Nearly one in five working American is employed in a job that didnt exist in 1980, many of which are in technology, the fastest-growing segment across all industries.
News

Washington, DC - Support for President Donald J. Trumps Executive Order on Workforce Development:

Members of Congress

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI): In preparing Americans for jobs in our modern economy, weve been stuck using 20th-century tools to address 21st-century problems. Todays @WhiteHouse executive order will encourage public-private partnerships to better equip our workers with the skills they need to get ahead.

Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA): I appreciate POTUSs commitment to reducing skills gaps between 21st century jobs & the students & employees seeking them. Im proud to have worked on #WIOA to provide streamlined funding to states for workforce development & to be continuing our work to reauthorize #PerkinsCTE.

Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA): People are our greatest resource, & I welcome @POTUSs executive order establishing the Natl Council for the American Worker. By investing in Americas workforce, Republicans are empowering men and women to fill the dynamic jobs being created by this expanding economy.

Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI): Important action to boost workforce development opportunities. Skills-based education opens doors to good-paying jobs, and its critical we invest in helping students and workers succeed.

Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY): American workers are the engine of our economy and key to our nations prosperity. @POTUS has made increasing opportunity a focus of his administration, and today he delivered a plan to empower more people and support a 21st century workforce.

Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY): Todays executive order will enhance vocational training, creating a national council for U.S. workers and a workforce policy advisory board. No longer will the American worker be forgotten.

Rep. Jim Renacci (R-OH): The @realDonaldTrump Executive Order established the Presidents National Council for the American Worker and the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board to solve the new challenges faced by American workers.

Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC): The American worker can compete with anyone on a level playing field. This important workforce development initiative will help bridge the skills gap to get people off of the sidelines of the economy and into one of the six million open jobs in our country.

Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI): Honored to be here with @potus as he signs an executive order to establish the Presidents National Council for the American Worker & American Workforce Policy Advisory Board #AmericaFirst.

Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI): Big news for #WI06! @POTUS signs an executive order that will help fill the skilled labor gap.

Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA): Important EO today! There are lots of steps we can take to connect students to good-paying jobs and prepare them to succeed in a 21st century workforce.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA): I applaud @POTUS for making it a priority to equip more people with the skills they need to move off the sidelines, join the workforce, and achieve their version of the American dream.

Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI): I was excited to join President Trump at todays Pledge to Americas Workers event. Providing American workers with the right tools for successful job training is vital to the success of our economy. Thanks @realDonaldTrump for leadership on this issue!

Cabinet Members

Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta: President Trumps Executive Order represents a national commitment to helping Americans upskill and reskill to embrace rapidly changing job demands. A blend of traditional and workplace lifelong learning is required for a nimble workforce ready to succeed in overcoming any challenge. As a result of the Presidents action, companies are signing pledges to invest in millions of working Americans. Investing in the greatest workforce in the world  the American workforce  will yield great returns.

Administrator of the Small Business Administration Linda McMahon: Great to join @POTUS and @IvankaTrump at todays event in support of American workers. #WorkforceDevelopment is critical to ensure a prosperous future for the American worker and this new Council is focused on making sure that happens.

Business Leaders

FedEx Corporation Chairman and CEO Frederick Smith: Investing in our team members and their careers has long been part of the FedEx culture. We are encouraged by the Administrations commitment to ensuring American workers develop the appropriate skills and have access to the training needed for todays in-demand jobs and the jobs of the future.

Lockheed Martin Chairman, President, and CEO Marillyn Hewson: The president has raised this issue to a level of national urgency and we are ready to do our part. Lockheed Martins pledge demonstrates our commitment to enacting workforce solutions that keep pace with technological innovation, preparing workers for the challenges of the 21st Century and helping to secure American prosperity and national security.

UPS Chairman and CEO David Abney: We are proud to stand today with the President and other companies in pledging to make available enhanced training and education programs to our employees. Our aim is to help them prepare for rewarding positions that meet both their short-term goals and opportunities for life-long careers.

Apple: Apple commits to training an additional 10,000 people as part of our ongoing initiatives with community colleges in the U.S. This is in addition to the hundreds of thousands of people who have downloaded free coding tools to help them learn Swift and be a part of the App economy.

Boeing: Today, in support of President Donald J. Trumps Pledge to Americas Workers, Boeing committed to providing enhanced career opportunities for more than 100,000 current and future U.S. employees over the next five years.

Walmart Executive Vice President Julie Murphy: We have been on a journey for several years to transform our business, which includes the creation of new training opportunities for our associates from entry-level to store manager and beyond. We are working with organizations across the spectrum to help ensure the training our associates receive will empower them to serve the changing needs of customers and be successful in the future.

The Home Depot Chairman, President, and CEO Craig Menear: The Home Depot is proud to sign this pledge, and will provide training to enhance workforce opportunities for 50,000 associates who will assume supervisory and managerial responsibility. This includes training associates through our new Orange Method Program which teaches non IT associates to be computer programmers.

IBM Vice President for Corporate Citizenship and President of the IBM Foundation Jennifer Crozier: Over more than a century of doing business, IBM has seen time and again how new technologies have transformed the American economy. Our company has proudly been at the forefront of helping US students and workers adapt to those changes, from launching the first computer science training programs a generation ago to building skills today in fast-growing fields like cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. By signing todays pledge, we are reaffirming IBMs long-standing commitment to investing in the future of the American workforce.

Northrop Grumman: Apprenticeships and other skills development programs, prepare future workers for the jobs that our companies struggle to fill  creating a win-win for all.

Raytheon Chairman and CEO Tom Kennedy: Todays pledge is a strong step in developing a dynamic, diverse and engaged 21st century workforce to fill the jobs of the future that will fuel the American economy. Raytheon is committed to creating programs to give our employees the skills they need to continue to deliver the innovative technologies that America and its allies need.

Associations and Labor Unions

American Association of Community Colleges President and CEO Walter Bumphus: We applaud the White Houses executive order to establish an American Workforce Policy Advisory Board. Providing high-quality education and job training that is accessible and affordable is a vital part of the community college mission.

American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear: ATA is proud to be part of this effort to provide enhanced career opportunities to hard-working Americans  We hope that through this workforce development effort, we will be able to connect more Americans to family-supporting incomes and address the persistent shortage we face in attracting enough well-trained workers to our industry.

Associated Builders and Contractors: We stand behind President Trumps commitment to filling the nearly 6 million open jobs in the United States today, of which approximately 500,000 are in the construction industry. ABC is proud to pledge to develop and educate at least 500,000 workers over the next five years to ensure we give all Americans the opportunity to build America.

Business Roundtable President and CEO Joshua Bolten: Business Roundtable welcomes the Administrations efforts to provide all Americans with greater opportunities to learn new talents and build fulfilling careers. Workforce development is a top priority for Business Roundtable CEOs, who are engaged and invested in solving this pressing challenge for our economy through efforts such as the Roundtables Workforce Partnership Initiative. We look forward to partnering with the Administration to increase the competitiveness of the U.S. workforce for a stronger economic future.

Information Technology Industry Council President and CEO Dean Garfield: We applaud the White House for its continued efforts to prioritize retraining and reskilling initiatives and the creation of a national workforce strategy, which will emphasize strong partnerships between the private and public sectors. The tech industry looks forward to working with the White House to help millions of Americans fill good-paying jobs and create new opportunities now and in the future.

Information Technology and Innovation Foundation President Robert Atkinson: The executive order that the White House announced today gives needed attention to improving the way we train people for the jobs of tomorrow and rightly emphasizes the role that data and information sharing can play.

National Association of Home Builders Chairman Randy Noel: To honor the Administrations important commitment to Americas workers, we will expand our training, certification and job placement programs for underserved and at-risk youth, transitioning military, veterans, ex-offenders and displaced workers. We pledge to help ensure the launch of meaningful, long-term careers to 50,000 new workers over the next five years. Success breeds success, and this investment must be reflected in additional workforce development initiatives, both public and private. We are heartened to see President Trump focus on this critical issue.

National Association of Manufacturers President and CEO Jay Timmons: The Trump Administration is taking a bold step to help manufacturers and lift up more people across this country  Todays action by the administration shows we have a full partner to achieve this mission.

National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation Executive Vice President Rob Gifford: Over the next five years, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation will impact more than 369,975 people through education and training programs dedicated to advancing todays and tomorrows restaurant and foodservice workforce  As the second-largest private sector employer in the United States, the restaurant industry plays a key role in preparing the nations workforce for meaningful jobs and careers. We applaud the Administration for their continued commitment to critical workforce development issues.

Signatory Wall and Ceiling Contractors Alliance: President Trumps efforts to help industries beyond construction realize the benefits of high-quality apprenticeship programs are critical to ensuring America has the workforce it needs and that our young people and veterans have the opportunities they deserve.

Aerospace Industries Association President and CEO Eric Fanning: The single most important thing the aerospace and defense industry can do to remain a global leader is double down on our efforts to build a diverse 21st century workforce that taps the best talent in communities across the country. Creating more work-based learning opportunities and pursuing industry-recognized apprenticeships are just two of the things were doing, with much more to come.

American Hotel and Lodging Association President and CEO Katherine Lugar: AHLA and our Foundation (AHLEF) have developed leading career development programs to help provide funding, training and new opportunities for our industrys employees to advance and move up the ladder of opportunity.

Associated General Contractors of America CEO Stephen Sandherr: The success of the construction industry lies in large part in the quality of its workforce. That is why our association, our chapters and our members are investing considerable time, energy and resources to prepare the next generation of well-paid construction workers and help them expand their skill-set so they continue to advance and thrive in this industry.

Internet Association: Through their many programs, Internet Association members invest in initiatives that increase computer science education and help people develop the skills they need to partake in the fastest growing sector of our economy. This commitment is seen in internet companies of all sizes, as learning, education and career advancement are at the cultural heart of internet companies large and small.

National Retail Federation President and CEO Matthew Shay: [T]oo many employers face talent shortages. Thats why were committed to upskilling 250,000 workers over the next five years through our Foundation by expanding our programs for college students and building on our training and credentialing program for people with barriers to employment. We look forward to working with the administration to empower more Americans to achieve their full potential.

North Americas Building Trades Unions: Over the next five years, NABTU and its contractor partners commit to training 250,000 new apprentices in our state-of-the-art Registered Apprenticeship programs for skills that will not only meet the demands of industry but will also fully equip individuals with portable skills that will lead to rewarding careers in the construction industry.

Society for Human Resource Management: Business succeeds when its people succeed. That means people joining the workforce must be prepared for work and have opportunities to advance their skills as work evolves and their careers progress. With HR playing the critical role of leading industrys recruiting and retention efforts, SHRM enthusiastically pledges its support for an investment in lifelong education and workplace training.

State and Local Officials

Gov. Mike Parson (R-MO): We applaud @POTUS for taking action to address our nations workforce needs, we will be working closely with Missouri companies to support the Presidents commitment to workforce advancement, and to create opportunities to succeed in the modern workplace.

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI): Visiting the @WhiteHouse with Milwaukee resident Ella Johnson and @WIWorkforce Secretary Ray Allen today to share with @POTUS how Wisconsins workforce development and career training programs are helping people succeed.

Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor (R-OH): Workforce development is the top concern of business owners I talk to while traveling Ohio. Weve done a lot as a state to get workers the skills they need to be successful and Im happy to see this commitment from POTUS. Thank you President @realDonaldTrump and @IvankaTrump.

Missouri Economic Development Director Rob Dixon: It was a true honor to represent @GovParsonMO & Missouri with @zzmulligan at the @WhiteHouse to discuss workforce development as the key driver of economic development.

Missouri Higher Education Commissioner Zora Mulligan: Commissioner @zzmulligan & @MoEcoDevo Director @DixonRob at the Executive Order signing establishing the Presidents National Council for the American Worker and the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board.

Iowa Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend: President Trump signing Presidents National Council of the American Worker Exec Order to establish national strategy to get Americans up skilled. Should align very well with Iowas @futurereadyiowa strategy to address skill shortage.

Rochester Hills, Michigan Mayor Bryan Barnett (R): At the @WhiteHouse to participate in @realDonaldTrump executive order creating new program to invest in apprenticeships and advanced job training. This is a huge issue for @RochesterHills businesses as finding talent is their #1 challenge.
News

Tucson, Arizona - First Lady of Guatemala Patricia Marroquin Argueta de Morales spent Monday and Tuesday with Tucson Sector Border Patrol where she was briefed on border security operations in Southern Arizona.

The first ladys visit was part of a five-day trip to learn about illegal immigration. She saw first-hand, the process apprehended juveniles go through after illegally entering the United States.

The first lady toured the U.S. border region of Nogales, Arizona. She saw portions of Tucson Sectors infrastructure and the harsh terrain immigrants are being smuggled through.

She received a Border Patrol overview briefing, highlighting the Border Patrols mission, operations, and rescue efforts. She saw the Tucson Coordination Center, where she met with several Guatemalan youth in custody.

The first lady said she was grateful to the Border Patrol for their efforts to save immigrants lives, who are endangered by coyotes who mislead them and promise them things they cannot achieve.

She also said Guatemala will work side-by-side with the U.S. Border Patrol to inform people in the most vulnerable areas of Guatemala about the risks of crossing into the U.S. illegally; noting that children in particular are extremely vulnerable to exploitation by criminal organizations and environmental threats.
News

Washington, DC - The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Thursday awarded $1 million to the Texas Office of the Governor, Criminal Justice Division, to pay overtime expenses for law enforcement officers who responded to the scene of the deadly shootings on May 18 at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas.

The State of Texas, the City of Santa Fe, and Galveston County incurred several million dollars in costs in responding to the incident. State and local officials continue to incur expenses and the grant will defray some of the costs.

"When there is a tragedy, the Department of Justice is there for police and first responders, said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Today, we continue to help state and local police in Texas to rebuild after the tragic murder of ten people at Santa Fe High School. We have provided a total of $1 million to defray their expenses since that terrible day. We honor and respect the law officers who serve at the state, local, and tribal levels, and we continue to support them and their life-saving work every single day."

According to reports, on the morning of May 18, the assailant opened fire in a classroom and the school resource officer and state and local law enforcement personnel confronted the shooter. The assailant reportedly threatened to shoot the officers, firing several rounds while arguing with the police. Officers engaged the shooter and allowed for the safe evacuation of other students and faculty.

Ten people were tragically killed and more than a dozen others were injured.

BJA invited the Texas Governors Criminal Justice Division, which administers the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants Program for the state, to apply for the funds. BJA is part of the Justice Departments Office of Justice Programs.

Funds are made available from the Departments Fiscal Year 2018 Emergency Federal Law Enforcement Assistance (EFLEA) grant program. The purpose of the EFLEA grant program is to help states respond to unanticipated emergencies that require law enforcement intervention, that are or threaten to become serious and that cannot be addressed with state and local resources alone.
Arizona News

Wellton, Arizona - U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Wellton Station Interstate 8 Immigration Checkpoint arrested two United States citizens as they attempted to smuggle $144,012 worth of methamphetamine.

At approximately 5 p.m., agents sent a 2012 white Chrysler 200 to the secondary inspection area of the checkpoint for additional questioning. While in secondary, a Border Patrol canine alerted to an odor it was trained to detect. Agents discovered 25 packages of methamphetamine hidden in the left- and right-side rocker panels of the vehicle. The combined weight of the narcotics was more than 48 pounds. The male driver and male passenger, a 38-year-old and 23-year-old residing in Chandler and Mesa, were arrested.

The narcotics and vehicle were seized.

Federal law allows agents to charge individuals by complaint, a method that allows the filing of criminal activity charges without inferring guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless or until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents effectively combat smuggling organizations attempting to illegally transport people and contraband through southwestern Arizona and California. Citizens can help the Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection by calling 1-866-999-8727 toll-free to report suspicious activity. Callers can remain anonymous.
Arizona News

Sonoita, Arizona - Two men with violent criminal histories have been arrested after illegally entering into the United States.

U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Sonoita Station apprehended 57-year-old Reinaldo Ciro Duran from El Salvador after he illegally crossed the border west of Sonoita Friday night. A records check on Duran revealed several convictions in California to include animal cruelty, assault and molestation of a minor in 2016. Duran has previously served more than 500 days in prison for his crimes.

On Tuesday evening, agents from the Brian A. Terry Station encountered 33-year-old Arnoldo Rene Agustin from Guatemala after he illegally entered the United States. A records check revealed a 2012 Berkeley County, South Carolina conviction for sexual exploitation of a minor and attempted lewd act on a child, for which he served six years in prison.

Both men are in federal custody and are being presented for criminal felony immigration charges.

All persons apprehended by the Border Patrol undergo record checks using biometrics to ensure illegal immigrants with criminal histories are positively identified.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials welcome assistance from the community. Citizens can report suspicious activity to the Border Patrol and remain anonymous by calling 1-877-872-7435 toll free.
Border News

Whetstone, Arizona - Willcox Border Patrol agents arrested five persons in a disrupted smuggling attempt at the State Route 90 Immigration Checkpoint Sunday afternoon near Whetstone.

Agents working the primary inspection lane conducted an immigration inspection on three visible occupants in a Chevrolet Avalanche; all 18 years of age. During the inspection, a Border Patrol canine alerted to an odor trained to detect coming from the vehicle.

Agents then referred the vehicle for a secondary inspection and discovered two Mexican men, ages 21 and 27, concealed under a hard bedcover in the rear of the vehicle. Agents arrested both men for immigration violations and seized the vehicle.

The three 18-year-olds, all residents of Sierra Vista, were also arrested and will remain in custody pending a disposition on federal smuggling charges.

Federal law allows agents to charge individuals by complaint, a method that allows the filing of charges for criminal activity without inferring guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

As temperatures continue to rise, Border Patrol officials warn that Arizonas high temperatures can kill humans riding in the trunk of a car. Other dangers include carbon monoxide poisoning and the risk of serious injury or death from a vehicle collision.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials welcome assistance from the community. Citizens can report suspicious activity to the Border Patrol and remain anonymous by calling 1-877-872-7435 toll free. Reporting illicit activity could result in saving someones life.
Border News

San Luis, Arizona - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested three U.S. citizens and a Mexican national in connection to a pair of failed smuggling attempts over the weekend at Arizonas Port of San Luis.

Officers seized two handguns before

they could be taken into Mexico

CBP officers working outbound inspection operations with members of the Yuma County Sheriff and San Luis Police referred a 25-year-old Mexican man and two U.S. citizen male passengers in his Honda sedan for additional questioning as they attempted to exit the United States Saturday afternoon. After a San Luis Police Department canine alerted an odor it was trained to detect, officers discovered a stolen Glock pistol with an empty magazine beneath the passenger seat, which was found to be reported stolen out of Maricopa County. When the three men were searched, officers discovered a second Glock pistol also with an empty magazine on the 20-year-old male.

Early Sunday morning, officers referred a 19-year-old San Luis man for further inspection of his Hyundai sedan as he attempted to re-enter the U.S. from Mexico. After a positive alert by a CBP canine, officers discovered multiple packages of meth weighing more than 14 pounds, with an estimated worth of almost $43,000 within the backseat.

CBP officers seized the drugs, weapons, and vehicles. All four subjects were arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations.
Border News

Nogales, Arizona - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizonas Port of Nogales arrested a Mexican national for attempting to smuggle methylphenidate, a drug also known as Ritalin, into the United States Wednesday.

CBP officers at the Dennis DeConcini Crossing referred a 19-year-old man for further inspection of his bicycle. After a CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to a scent it is trained to detect, officers found more than 100 pills identified as Ritalin, concealed in the mans pants.

Officers seized the drugs and bicycle. The subject was arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations.
Border News

Sells, Arizona - A 17-year-old Guatemalan male was rescued by a joint Arizona National Guard and U.S. Border Patrol flight crew Monday when he was found alone and in distress in the desert near Sells.

The UH-60 Blackhawk flight crew responded to a 911 emergency call for help while conducting a partnered border security mission.

The youth entered the U.S. illegally before succumbing to the effects of Arizona's harsh desert environment. A Border Patrol medical technician administered intravenous fluids to the unaccompanied minor who suffered from severe heat exhaustion and dehydration.

The young man was treated and his health ensured before being transported to Border Patrols Tucson Station for processing for illegal entry into the United States. The swift actions and dedicated service of both National Guard personnel and U.S. Border Patrol agents are credited with saving his life.

This incident highlights the dangers faced by migrants. Children in particular are extremely vulnerable, not only to exploitation, but also to environmental conditions such as extreme heat and cold.

The partnered operations conducted by the Arizona National Guard and U.S. Border Patrol are a long standing, successful set of missions, separate from Operation Guardian Support. Utilizing National Guard aircraft and personnel to conduct border security flights along the United States international southwest border strengthens national security.

U.S. Border Patrol agents combat smuggling organizations attempting to illegally transport people and contraband through the nations borders. Citizens can help U.S. Customs and Border Protection by calling 1-866-999-8727 toll-free to report suspicious activity. Callers can remain anonymous.
Hareesh had told the this newspaper a few days ago that most of the people who abused him on the Facebook had fake IDs.

Thiruvananthapuram: Another novel has fallen victim to fundamentalist wrath. Writer S. Hareesh has withdrawn his novel Meesha, being serialised in Mathrubhumi weekly, following threats by radical elements allegedly for hurting the sentiments of believers of Hindu religion.

Hareesh, winner of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award for short story for his anthology Adam last year, said he could no longer hold on against the threats raised on the social media and over phone against him and his family members.

It may be recalled that renowned Tamil writer Perumal Murugan had stopped writing in 2015 after alleged Hindu-groups protested against his novel Madhorubhagan.

Mathrubhumi weekly editor Kamal Ram Sajeev confirmed that the weekly had received a letter from Hareesh asking it not to publish the remaining parts of the novel. Hareesh withdraws his novel Meesa, literature is being mob- lynched, darkest day in Keralas cultural history, lightless days to follow, Sajeev tweeted.

Sajeev told this newspaper that the development showed where society has been heading to. In the past, M.T. Vasudevan Nairs film Nirmalyam or O.V. Vijayans book Khashakinte Ithihasam had portions which can be termed as hurting the religious sentiments by todays standards. However, none had turned hostile to the writers, he said.

Hareesh had told the this newspaper a few days ago that most of the people who abused him on the Facebook had fake IDs. They even abused my wife and mother, said Hareesh.

Hareesh has switched off his phone after withdrawing the novel.

I am too weak to take on the people who rule the country. I worked on the novel for five long years. I will publish the novel as a book when I feel that the people are mature enough for it, Hareesh told a television channel.

Writer S. Saradakutty said on the Facebook, a language which forces a writer to flee is poor. Its culture is obscene. I am ashamed.

What offended the fundamentalists about the book is a conversation by a character, a pervert, with his friend, in which he ridicules young women who dress up in their best attire while visiting temples.

They are unconsciously declaring that they are willing for an intimate relationship, he says. Priests are masters in this matter, he adds.

However, it was pointed out that the statement was not an opinion of Hareesh but of a character who is a pervert.

Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor, who himself is in the middle of a controversy over his comments on Hindu Pakistan,  has tweeted in support of Hareesh. Those who do not believe my warnings about the emergence of a Hindutva Taliban might learn from what has just happened to Malayalam writer Hareesh and even more chilling, the threat to chop off his hands, Taliban-style, he said.
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San Luis, Arizona - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested two U.S. citizens in a failed smuggling attempt Wednesday resulting in the seizure of nearly 27 pounds of methamphetamine at Arizonas Port of San Luis.

Officers referred two women, 26 and 54 years of age, for additional questioning as they attempted to enter the U.S. from Mexico yesterday in a Ford sedan. After an alert by a CBP canine, officers discovered approximately 27 pounds of meth, worth nearly $80, 000 inside the vehicles rocker panels of the vehicle.

CBP officers seized the drugs and vehicle. Both subjects were arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations.

Federal law allows officers to charge individuals by complaint, a method that allows the filing of charges for criminal activity without inferring guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

CBP's Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within Homeland Security tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nations ports. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.
- A police officer is reported to have shot and killed the driver of a bullion van at Odumase Krobo

- The officer who was serving as the police escort for the van shot the driver in an attempt to disperse a crowd

- The incident comes after the viral video of a police officer beating up a woman in a banking hall

A police officer has allegedly killed the driver of a bullion van he was escorting.

According to reports, the police officer shot the driver at Odumase Krobo in the Eastern Region.

A Facebook user, Francis Ocloo, who narrated the incident stated that the bullion van ran into a funeral procession in the town.

In an attempt to disperse the rowdy crowd and restore order for the van to move, the police officer decided to fire some warning shots.

READ ALSO: Police brutality: Lady slams staff who recorded and leaked video

But he mistakenly shot the driver of the bullion van dead.

This incident comes after the trending video of a policeman beating up a lady in a banking hall which has dominated news headlines within the last 24 hours.

READ ALSO: What is unacceptable is your English - Fans roast Shatta Wale after he reacted to policeman's attack on woman with a baby

In the video, as reported by YEN.com.gh, the woman, a hawker around Okponglo in Accra, was in the banking hall of Midland Savings and Loans to withdraw her susu savings.

The woman identified as Patience Sarfo, according to the report, had heard that the bank was facing possible liquidation and so she wanted to take all the money she had saved with them.

However, the financial institution failed to allow her to withdraw her money and called on the police officer who was on security duty in the banking hall to drive her away.

The lady, however, persisted and this led to the policeman beating her up mercilessly.

READ ALSO: Nana Aba Anamoah and her friends were the 'flower girls' at Sarkodie's wedding (Video)

The video has generated a lot of interest from Ghanaians with many condemning the police officer, Fredrick Amanor, for his conduct.

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- Funeral poster of Amissah-Arthur has been released

- The poster reveals the former vice president will be buried on Friday, July 27

The funeral poster of the late vice president, Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, has been released.

The poster reveals full details for the funeral of the late vice president.

As earlier reported by YEN.com.gh, the poster confirms that Mr Amissah-Arthur will be buried on Friday, July 27, after a burial service at the Forecourt of the State House and the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC).

This will be after he has been laid in state at the Foyer of the AICC on Thursday, July 26.

The late Vice President Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur (Photo source: Getty Images)

A memorial thanksgiving service will be held at the Calvary Methodist Church at Adabraka in Accra.

READ ALSO: What is unacceptable is your English - Fans roast Shatta Wale after he reacted to policeman's attack on woman with a baby

According to the poster, another thanksgiving service will be held at the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Cape Coast.

Funeral poster of Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur (Photo credit: Facebook/Koku Peter)

Mr Amissah-Arthur, as reported by YEN.com.gh, died at the 37 Military in the early hours of Friday, June 29.

READ ALSO: Nana Aba Anamoah drops the first video from Sarkodie and Tracy's wedding

He had been rushed to the hospital after collapsing at the Airforce gym while training.

The sixth vice president of Ghana's Fourth Republic, Amissah-Arthur served under John Mahama's administration.

He was 67 years old.

Before becoming vice president in August 2012, Mr. Amissah-Arthur was Governor of the Bank of Ghana from 2009 to 2012.

READ ALSO: 5 facts you didnt know about the police officer who assaulted a nursing mother

From 1983 to 1986, he served as a special assistant to the Secretary of Finance and Economic Planning, Kwesi Botchwey under the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC) government.

He also served as the Deputy Secretary for Finance in the PNDC government from February 1986 to March 1993.

From April 1993, he continued as the Deputy Minister for Finance in the under the Fourth Republics first government until March 1997.

Mr. Amissah-Arthur was appointed as Governor of the Bank of Ghana in October 2009 by then-President John Atta Mills.

READ ALSO: Police officer kills driver of bullion he was escorting

He later became Vice-President of Ghana following the death of Atta Mills.

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Family, friends and well-wishers of CEO of Combert Impression, Rev. Albert Ocran were on hand to pray and celebrate with him as he marked his 50th birthday.

Rev. and Mrs Ocran cutting their anniversary cake (Photo credit: Myjoyonline.com)

READ ALSO: DJ Switch on her way of becoming a Gynecologist

Rev Ocran and his schoolmate who later became his wife, Comfort Ocran, also celebrated their 25th Anniversary as a couple on the same day.

The General Overseer of ICGC, Pastor Mensah Otabil praying for Rev. and Mrs Ocran

General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Pastor Mensah Otabil officiated the joyous occasion prayed for his junior pastor to move from grace to grace.

Rev Albert Ocran and wife being joined by Pastor Mensah Otabil in worship

READ ALSO: Another assault video involving private security officer pops up

Rev. Ocrans anniversary celebration was graced by a number of important dignitaries, including Dr Joyce Aryee, Executive Director of the Salt and Light Ministry.

Rev. and Mrs Comfort Ocran before the altar

READ ALSO: 5 facts you didnt know about the police officer who assaulted a nursing mother

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- A photo of John Dumelo and Fredrick Amanor has gone viral

- John Dumelo has explained that the photo was taken long ago

- Dumelo also condemned the conduct Amanor in the viral video in which he beat up a woman in a banking hall

YEN.com.gh has sighted a photo of the popular actor, John Dumelo, with the policeman who beat up a woman in a bank hanging out.

In the photo which has been trending since news broke of the policeman's behaviour, Dumelo and the embattled policeman, who was in uniform, were seen posing for a picture.

Lance Corporal as reported by YEN.com.gh was spotted in a viral video beating Patience Sarfo, a hawker around Okponglo in Accra, who was in the banking hall of Midland Savings and Loans to withdraw her susu savings.

READ ALSO: Nana Aba Anamoah and her friends were the 'flower girls' at Sarkodie's wedding (Video)

According to reports, the woman had heard that the bank was facing possible liquidation and so she wanted to take all the money she had saved with them.

However, the financial institution failed to allow her to withdraw her money and called on the police officer who was on security duty in the banking hall to drive her away.

The lady, however, persisted and this led to the policeman beating her up mercilessly.

The video has generated a lot of interest from Ghanaians with many condemning the police officer, Fredrick Amanor, for his conduct.

READ ALSO: Shatta Wale lands in trouble after talking about policeman who beat up a woman in a bank

It is not known what led to the policeman, who has been identified as Fredrick Amanor, and Dumelo taking a photo.

But YEN.com.gh gathers that the photo was circulated on social media in an attempt to help people identify the policeman as the video popped up.

Judging from the picture, it looks like it must have been taken a while back and Dumelo has swiftly pointed it out stating that the picture must have been taken ages ago.

READ ALSO: Tears flow as Amissah-Arthur's funeral poster hits social media

In an obvious attempt to disassociate himself from Amanor, Dumelo condemned his conduct.

Meanwhile, a police officer has allegedly killed the driver of a bullion van he was escorting.

READ ALSO: 5 facts you didnt know about the police officer who assaulted a nursing mother

According to reports, the police officer shot the driver at Odumase Krobo in the Eastern Region after the bullion van run into a funeral procession in the town.

In an attempt to disperse the rowdy crowd and restore order for the van to move, the police officer decided to fire some warning shots.

But he mistakenly shot the driver of the bullion van dead.

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- President Akufo-Addo says he is sad at the news of a police officer assaulting a woman at a branch of the Midland Savings and Loans company in Accra

- According to the president, policemen are meant to protect citizens, not to assault citizens

President Akufo-Addo has stated that he supports measures taken by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), to sanction the Police officer who assaulted a woman at a Midlands Savings and Loans bank.

Speaking at Nalerigu on Saturday as part of his tour of that the Northern part of the country, the President said Policemen are meant to protect citizens and not to assault them or abuse their rights.

He, therefore, condemned the actions of the Policeman, whiles emphasizing that he sully supports the sanctions against erring officer.

READ ALSO: Sarkodie weds Tracy in a private ceremony in Accra

This, he said, would ensure that such unfortunate situations do not occur in the future.

Yesterday we had some very bad news in Accra  police beating up a woman who had gone to get money at the Midland Loans and Savings Company. I want to say here: policemen are meant to protect citizens and not to assault citizens, President Akufo-Addo said.

The measures that the IGP has taken to sanction the erring policeman and to make sure these dont happen again, have my complete support. I support 100 percent the measures he has taken so that we can stop these incidents from proliferating, he added.

On Friday, a video of an officer assaulting a hapless woman popped up on social media, causing outrage among the general public.

In the said video, the Police officer is captured beating up a woman who was carrying a baby in her hands.

Police officer who beat nursing mother. Source: Facebook/Frederick Amanor.

Reports circulating in the local media suggest the woman had entered the Midland Savings and Loan banking hall after transaction hours to withdraw some money.

READ ALSO: Policeman allegedly shoots bullion driver at Krobo Odumase

However, she was refused the transaction on the explanation that banking hours were over and that she could therefore not withdraw her money.

Upon insisting, the Police office, who has since been identified as Frederick Amanor, was called to drive the woman out of the banking hall.

The one minute-twenty-seven minute (1:27) video which was apparently recorded by an onlooker captured the policeman beating the woman until some persons intervened to stop him.

But the officer continued to abuse the lady, first hitting her with an umbrella and then later countlessly slapping her on the face, before dragging her out.

However, the Police Administration has revealed that the matter is currently under investigation, with processes already underway to punish the officer involved.

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READ ALSO: I dont date married men  Becca

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- Police officials have been tasked to uphold the tenets of loyalty to citizens

- Nana Addo's voice adds on to the various outcry across the country over the assault

- The woman who was attacked has won the hearts of Ghanaians who are currently donating to her

President of the republic, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, has added his voice to several calls for police officers across the country to act as friends and not foes to citizens.

Nana Addo, reacting to the assault on a 36-year-old woman at the Midland Savings and Loans in Accra, said he was very saddened by the act of the police officer.

The president cautioned police authorities to ensure that all police officers are made to understand what it means to be a police official.

READ ALSO: Amissah-Arthur's funeral poster hits social media

The measures the IGP has taken to sanction the erring policeman and to try and make sure that these things dont happen has my complete support. I support 100 percent the measures that are being taken so that we can stop these incidents from proliferating, he stated during a tour of the Northern region.

So far, the policeman, Fredrick Amanor, has been arrested to aid with investigations. The assaulted nursing mother has been approached by several lawyers to file a suit against the police as well as the management of Midland Savings and Loans.

Several civil society organizations have condemned the police officer for the action taken as they press for justice.

READ ALSO: What is unacceptable is your English - Fans roast Shatta Wale after he reacted to policeman's attack on woman with a baby

Meanwhile, the family of the policeman has asked Ghanaians for forgiveness. YEN.com.gh has also learned that several contributions have been made to support the woman and her children. Funds from UTV alone amounts to about 40,000 cedis as CEO of Despite Group of Companies has pledged a decent apartment and shopping space for the petty trader.

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- The police have arrested a woman for selling a 14-year-old boy

- The woman was caught at Adabraka in Accra after the boy was refusing to be taken away

- Child trafficking remains one the troubling developments in Ghana with high statistics recorded every year

An Accra circuit court has sentenced to jail a fishmonger who sold a 14-year-old boy for a fee of GH100.00 in a human trafficking ring.

The woman, called Afua, was sentenced to five years imprisonment by a judge, Abena Oppong Adjin Doku, after she meddled in the illegal act with her accomplices, Ama Adomah, a 30-year-old, nursing mother, and Kweku Acquah.

Narrating the situation which led to the arrest, the judge revealed that Afua and Acquah approached Adomah to give them the victim to assist them to go fishing at Yeji. To this end, Adomah agreed to offer her son to the two for a fee of GH100.00.

READ ALSO: Photo of John Dumelo and policeman who beat up woman in bank pops up

Both planned to travel to Accra with the victim and later to Yeji. Three days later at the Adabraka Market, Adomah handed the victim to Afua and Acquah.

The young boy started weeping as he resisted being taken to Yeji. The opposition by this young boy attracted the attention of a concerned citizen who later reported the matter to the Adabraka Police who subsequently arrested Afua together with the victim.

Ghana is one of the fastest developing countries in West Africa today. Not only does the country boast of a vast wealth of resources in terms of natural resources but also good infrastructure both physical and technology wise.

Despite these developments, Ghana still lags behind when it comes to human trafficking. Currently, the menace is more predominant than it was in the past with the biggest victims being young children.

According to statistics on child trafficking in Ghana, out of 187 countries, Ghana was ranked at tier 2 in to watch list countries.

A 2017 report named; "Enhancing Criminal Accountability and Addressing Challenges in Prosecution Efforts, is a report that sought to come up with solutions that will be effective in ending human slavery in the world.

READ ALSO: Sarkodie weds Tracy in a private ceremony in Accra

These child trafficking in Ghana statistics in Ghana is not something new. In June of 2009, the USA department of trafficking in Persons Report released a full report documenting at least 30,000 children working as porters, fishermen and others primarily being used for sexual tourism.

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- Sarkodie and longtime girlfriend, Tracy have made their relationship formal and official legally

- The beautiful ceremony was climaxed by the newly wed's first dance

Sensational Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie has finally tied the knot with his long-time girlfriend Tracy Sarkcess.

The legendary rapper and his girlfriend sealed their marriage festivities with a white wedding on Saturday, July 22, 2018.

The colourful ceremony came off on Saturday at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra.

READ ALSO: Assaulted nursing mother gets support from Ghanaians

A host of celebrities from Ghanas movie and music industries graced the wedding ceremony to lend their support to the couple.

Sarkodie and Tracy had early held their traditional wedding on Tuesday, choosing to keep it private by inviting just a couple of friends.

However, photos and pictures of their white wedding have gone viral of social media, and fans are simply loving it.

Sarkodie and Tracy tied the knot on Saturday. Source: Ameyawdebrah.com

READ ALSO: Shatta Wale's reaction to policeman's attack on lady at banking hall causes stir

The sparkiest moment of the wedding was when Sarkodie and Tracy took center stage to display their dancing moves, as the guests cheered them on.

Sarkodie has had other several awards including the world music awards, independent music awards and other awards in Ghana.

In 2014, he attained the best rap act and was actually named as the 8th most profitable artist in the whole of Africa in 2013.

This means that his fame is unimaginable with great deals from producers. Biography of Sarkodie is of interest to many. Sarkodie songs have had a great impact in the Ghana music industry.

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READ ALSO: Albert Ocrans 50th birthday celebration, 25th wedding anniversary in pictures

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- Sarkodie and longtime girlfriend, Tracy have sealed their marriage festivities with a white wedding in Accra

- The event was graced by lots of people, celebrities from all walks of life

Ghanaian rapper Micheal Owusu Addo, known in showbiz as Sarkodie, and long-time girlfriend Tracy had their white wedding this weekend.

The colourful ceremony came off on Saturday at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra.

A host of celebrities from Ghanas movie and music industries graced the wedding ceremony to lend their support to the couple.

READ ALSO: Assaulted nursing mother gets support from Ghanaians

Sarkodie and Tracy had early held their traditional wedding on Tuesday, choosing to keep it private by inviting just a couple of friends.

Musician Nana Boro (middle) and friends at Sarkodie's white wedding. Source; AmeyawDebrah/Instagram

Below are some photos from the private white wedding of the couple:

READ ALSO: Sarkodie weds Tracy in a private ceremony in Accra

Sarkodie is a Ghanaian hip hop recording artist and entrepreneur from Tema. He won the Best International Act: Africa category at the 2012 BET Awards, and was nominated in the same category at the 2014 BET Awards.

In 2015, Sarkodie was ranked the 19th most Influential Ghanaian by e.tv Ghana. He is considered one of the major proponents of the Azonto genre and dance. Sarkodie is often named as one of Africa's greatest hip hop artists.

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READ ALSO: Nana Addo supports sanctioning of woman beater policeman

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Modi said that some people have been eying the Prime Ministers chair but have no concern for the poor, youth and farmers.

Lucknow: A day after winning the no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition in Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday took the debate to the people. Addressing a Kisan rally in Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, Mr Modi said that the daldal (muck) created by the coming together of disparate Opposition parties against the BJP would help the lotus bloom better.

The daldal created by the coming together of several parties will only help the lotus bloom better because the lotus blooms in daldal, he said. The Prime Minister also took a dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhis unexpected hug that he received in Parliament on Friday and said, Some parties say they have no confidence in Modi, they have no confidence in the government to whom you gave a historic mandate. Yesterday in Parliament, I repeatedly asked them to give the reason for the no-confidence (motion). When they could not give a satisfactory reply, woh gale padh gaye (they gave me an unwanted hug).

In an obvious reference to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Mr Modi said that some people have been eying the Prime Ministers chair but have no concern for the poor, youth and farmers.

We are running to your homes with electricity, they are running towards us in Parliament with no-confidence papers... Yesterday in Lok Sabha, I did what I had to do... Are you satisfied? asked the Prime Minister and the crowd cheered lustily.

Mr Modi said that he has nothing to fear as he draws his strength from the faith 1.25 crore citizens of India had put in him and Babasaheb Ambedkars Constitution, and going against peoples wishes would prove costly for the Opposition.

After listing the achievements of his government, Mr Modi asked, Have I done anything wrong? I am only working for the country and the poor. I am fighting crime and corruption.

Without naming him, the Prime Minister also attacked Rajiv Gandhi saying that there was a PM who said that only 15 paisa of a rupee released for development from New Delhi reached the people.

Which was the hand that deprived the people of that 85 paisa on every rupee when only the Congress was ruling at the Centre as well as the states? he asked.

Addressing farmers, the Prime Minister said, The government has decided to give you a profit of about 80 per cent over your sugarcane input costs. We have also increased prices from Rs 200 to Rs 1,800 for 14 other crops. Those who are shedding crocodile tears for farmers had the opportunity to do something for you but they never did.

Shahjahanpur is located at the intersection of the sugarcane and paddy belts, and houses one of the largest food grain mandis in UP. Sugarcane dues were a major factor responsible for the BJPs defeat in Kairana Lok Sabha and Noorpur Assembly seat in May this year.

The Modi government, later, announced a Rs 8,000 crore package for sugarcane farmers and recently increased the Minimum Support Price on sugarcane for the coming season.

This was the Prime Ministers third visit to Uttar Pradesh in a month. Last week he had visited Azamgarh, Varanasi and Mirzapur. Next week he will be in Lucknow for a function.
- Kennedy Agyapong has stated he was the first to view the murder scene of the late JB Danquah Addo

- The Assin-Central MP has also debunked claims of JB's widow being at the crime scene of her late husband's murder

- Ivy Heward-Mills had earlier written an open letter condemning the entire killing of her late husband

Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, has revealed that he was the first to access the crime scene of JB Danquah Adu's murder.

According to MyNews.com.gh, Kennedy Agyapong had stated that he was called by a police officer who informed him of the murder of the deceased member of parliament.

Contrary to claims that J.B's wife was present during the murder, Kennedy Agyapong argued that it was only the sister who was around at the time the crime scene was cordoned off.

READ ALSO: Assaulted nursing mother gets support from Ghanaians

I have called the police officer. I met him. Because if today Kweku Baako is saying I was the first at the murder scene, he (the police officer) is the one who invited me. Ken Agyapong said in an interview monitored on Adom TV.

From missing autopsy reports to witnesses recanting their testimonies after being intimidated from some quarters, a new twist has now emerged in the ongoing trial over the gruesome assassination of the late NPP MP J.B Danquah Adu.

Widow of the late JB Danquah Adu has attributed her husband's death to the machinations of some powerful forces of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). According to Ivy Heward-Mills, her husband could have chalked his 53rd birthday "if those filthy disgusting ogres had not made a decision to have his life terminated".

YEN.com.gh reported on that revealing open letter she penned down on to commemorate her late husband's 53rd birthday.

The death of Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu (JB Danquah) may have been a pain of the past but not for his closest family as they are calling for fresh investigations into his shocking assassination.

READ ALSO: Sarkodie weds Tracy in a private ceremony in Accra

The family of the late Member of Parliament, at a press conference, called on the government to bring all conspirators of the murder to book.

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- Samira Bawumia makes powerful fashion statement as she gets another top post

- Wife of the Vice President of Ghana has been named Ambassador in the United Nations

- Samira Bawumia took to her social media page to announce the honor to the rest of the world

The Second Lady of Ghana has been handed an ambassadorial position by the World Habitat Ambassadors Foundation (WHAF) and she dazzled in a very beautiful dress as the honor was conferred on her to mark the occasion.

In a post on Instagram to announce the honor, the Second Lady posted pictures of herself and captioned them, I am honored to be named the World Habitat Humanitarian Ambassador and to be awarded for Global Excellence in Leadership, Humanitarian and Philanthropic activities in Africa and Investiture by World Habitat Ambassadors Foundation (WHAF), she revealed.

The World Habitat Ambassadors Foundation (WHAF) is an NGO committed to working towards sustainable development goals and core values in dedication to achieving urban development. Thank you to the WHAF for the award and the Ghana High Commission in Abuja for hosting the presentation of the award, she continued.

READ ALSO: Assaulted nursing mother gets support from Ghanaians

Samira Bawumia who has been admired for her way of dressing once again did not disappoint when she had to be conferred with her new ambassadorial role.

Samira Bawumia has over the period showed her high fashion sense and has slayed in her outfit any time she had to make a public appearance.

Speaking in an interview on Accra-based Starr FM to commemorate the celebration of International Womens Day, Samira Bawumia revealed that, her exquisite African print-inspired clothing was a celebration of the many talents that we had in the country.

READ ALSO: Video: Sarkodie wedding first dance pops up on the internet

According to the Second Lady, the businesses of her dressmakers had seen a remarkable boom and invariably, it has made their lives comfortable by creating more jobs for them.

She said the dressmaking industry was booming because of the many talents who made dresses for her that got others talking whenever she stepped out.

READ ALSO: Photos: Celebs who were at Sarkodie and Tracy's wedding

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- The electoral commission has been directed by the president to prepare for a referendum

- This 'yes or no' election will determine whether Ghana must have six new regions

- President Akufo Addo believes these new regions will help ensure development

President of the republic, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo has directed the Electoral Commission (EC) to get prepared for a referendum to determine the creation of six new regions in Ghana this year.

The president, during his tour of the Northern Region, said the creation of new regions is very crucial to Ghana's development.

He believes there was a growing demand for the creation of new regions when he assumed an office which he referred such demands to the Council of State to look into.

READ ALSO: Nursing mother assaulted by police deserves more beatings - Akua Donkor

These regions, the president suggests, will be the Western North which will be curved out of the Western region, Bono East and Ahafo to be created out of the Brong Ahafo region, North East and Savannah as well as the Oti region be separated from the Northern and the Volta regions.

"Last Thursday before I left Accra to begin the Northern tour, I wrote a letter to the Electoral Commission (EC) asking them to organise Referendum this year according to the recommendation of the Brobbey Commission in the affected areas to determine whether the people really support the creation of the proposed regions", he said.

Akufo-Addo had earlier denied claims that the creation of new regions is to secure votes during the 2020 elections.

I am not doing it for votes; there are plenty of regions in this country where they dont vote for me. Why would it be any different if these regions are created?, he wondered.

READ ALSO: D ALSO: I was the first to see crime scene of JB Danquah - Kennedy Agyapong

Recounting the historical background surrounding the creation of regions in Ghana, President Akufo-Addo noted that, in 1952, the Western and Eastern Regions were created, bringing the total number of regions in Ghana to four (4). The Plebiscite of 1956 ensured that Trans-Volta became the countrys 5th Region.

Watch: Yenkasa: How Bad is the Healthcare in Ghana? | Yen.com.gh:

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Source: Yen
The no-confidence motion pushed by the TDP had been defeated with the NDA government getting 325 votes as against the Oppositions 126.

New Delhi: A day after the no-confidence motion brought in by his party was defeated, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said it was a battle of morality versus majority.

The no-confidence motion pushed by the TDP had been defeated with the NDA government getting 325 votes as against the Oppositions 126. On a hurricane visit to the capital on Saturday, Mr Naidu said: Yesterdays no-confidence motion was a battle between our morality and the majority of the BJP.

The TDP chief said that Prime Minister Narendra Modis remark in the Lok Sabha that special status cannot be extended to the state as the Fourteenth Finance Commission (FCC) does not allow it was wrong.

He claimed that: The FFC says it does not have any role in it... Dont drag us into it. It is the government which has to take a call. He also alleged that it was Union minister Arun Jaitley who had denyed special status to Andhra Pradesh and then extending the same to northeastern states.

Mr Naidu said it was unwise on Modis part to compare his able leadership with tainted politicians during a discussion on the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

Commenting on the prime ministers remarks that Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao more mature than Mr Naidu, the Andhra Pradesh chief minister said: I am senior to the prime minister himself. How can he say that? On another remark by Mr Modis that the Congress killed the mother and saved the child. Had I have been there, I would have saved the mother too.

We have waited for years for him to do so, he added.
Meghwal said, 'The more popular Modi Ji becomes, the more such incidents will happen.'

Meghwal asked people to think about the root cause of such kind of violence. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Saturday made a bizarre link between PM Modi's popularity, elections, and cases of mob killings suggesting that lynching incidents are a conspiracy to defame BJP and the central government ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Meghwal said, The more popular Modi Ji becomes, the more such incidents will happen. During Bihar elections, it was award wapsi; in Uttar Pradesh, it was mob lynching. For 2019 elections, it will be something else. PM Modi gave several schemes, their effects can be seen, this (lynching) incident is just one reaction to it.

This reaction of the minister came to the killing of a Muslim man, Rakbar Khan, who was lynched by a mob in Alwar over cow smuggling rumours late on Friday.

Terming anti-Sikh riots of 1984 as the biggest mob lynching case in India, Meghwal said, We condemn mob lynching but this isnt a single incident. You have to trace this back in history. Why does this happen? Who should stop this? What happened with Sikhs in 1984 was the biggest mob lynching of this nations history.

Meghwal asked people to think about the root cause of such kind of violence.

Supreme Court has criticised state and the central government over the increasing mob lynching incidents in India. It also asked the Parliament to come up with a law to tackle horrendous acts of mobocracy.

The latest incident was reported hours after PM Modi in his speech in Lok Sabha said that these incidents of violence are against the basic principle of humanity and urged the state governments to take strict actions.

However, Opposition slammed BJP for the rising number of mob violence, lynching incidents.

Sachin Pilot tweeted:

Saddened by news of a man beaten to death in Alwar. Killing of people on "suspicion" is sadly becoming a norm in BJP ruled states.

The Home Minister's words in Parliament about state governments responsibility in stopping mob lynching seem even more hollow now. https://t.co/MLcS5lAo3n  Sachin Pilot (@SachinPilot) July 21, 2018

Ashok Gehlot, Congress general secretary termed these incidents as horrific.

Most shocking, horrific and unfortunate incident A man was lynched by mob in #Alwar #Rajasthan despite hon'ble Supreme Courts warnings and instructions. I condemn the killing of #AkbarKhan in strongest words.#AlwarLynching  Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) July 21, 2018

#Rajasthan government has failed to check such heinous crimes despite the recent Supreme Court judgement. For BJP, human life has no value. Criminals guised as vigilantes are roaming freely with out fear of law n order. #Alwar #AlwarLynching  Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) July 21, 2018

The PM remains silent on such cases of #lynchings n the State CM orders customary inquiries, wherein actual accused are hardly arrested or punished.#Alwar #AlwarLynching  Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) July 21, 2018

Underlining the inaction by the government that has forced people to take law and order in their hands, Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "Is this how you will protect people those who continue with such hate crimes in the belief that the government will continue to support them."
Government officials had reportedly emphasised that there were no safety concerns for the countrys civil aviation space.

New Delhi: The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which conducted an audit of Indias aviation regulator DGCA, has made certain observations related to regulatory and guidance material, on which time-bound action would be taken, the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation said on Sunday, claiming that the audit was very satisfactory. The FAA  under its International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) programme  conducted the audit between July 16 and July 20 in areas covering aircraft operations, airworthiness and personnel licensing, the aviation regulator said, adding that a written report will be provided within the next 30 days (by the FAA) and that thereafter a FAA team will come for a final consultation within 65 days, wherein the DGCA shall present the action taken on the observations. However, the exact nature of the observations was not revealed officially from the DGCA.

In a statement, the DGCA said: At the end of the five-day audit, the FAA team gave a verbal out-brief listing the observations which relate to regulatory and guidance material issues within DGCA. Overall the audit has been very satisfactory. As per FAAs established process, a written report will be provided within the next 30 days and thereafter a FAA team will come for a final consultation within 65 days, wherein the DGCA shall present the action taken on the observations. Meanwhile, the DGCA is commencing action on the observations made during the verbal out-brief given by FAA team and is very confident of addressing all those within the timelines.

The aviation regulator added: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of USA, under its International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) programme, conducted an audit of DGCA in areas covering aircraft operations, airworthiness and personnel licensing from 16th to 20th July 2018. During the course of the IASA audit, the FAA team was shown regulations including extensive technical guidance in the areas of operations, airworthiness, surveillance and enforcement for the use of safety inspectors of DGCA for carrying out licensing, certification, and approval obligations along with certification records. The training programme provided to the technical officers and inspectors and records therein was also shown to the FAA audit team.

PTI reported that this was the third audit by the US regulator since 2013, when the FAA had downgraded the safety ranking of the Indian aviation sector and restored it only in 2015.

PTI said the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) had carried out the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme for India in November 2017 and the audit result showed that the countrys score had declined to 57.44 per cent from 65.82 per cent earlier. The decline was reportedly mainly due to ratings of air traffic controllers being given by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which is also the provider of air traffic control services. With the falling score, the government had reportedly said it would soon empower the DGCA to regulate air traffic controllers. Government officials had reportedly emphasised that there were no safety concerns for the countrys civil aviation space.

The ICAO is learnt to have told the ministry that there was a need for an independent regulatory oversight by the DGCA on AAI with respect to air traffic controllers, with a senior official reportedly saying that if the ICAO had not taken this aspect into consideration, then Indias score after the audit would have been 71.13 per cent.
Bhutan is a strategically important country for India due to its location, and both sides have been ramping up overall cooperation.

The nearly 30-km long DamchuChukha road, which crisscrosses rugged and difficult terrain, has been constructed at a cost of Rs 287 crore under India-assisted development projects in the Himalayan nation, military officials said. (Representational image)

New Delhi: Indias Border Roads Organisation has completed construction of a strategically key road in Bhutan, linking the neighbouring countrys border town of Phuentshogling with its capital city of Thimphu.

The nearly 30-km long DamchuChukha road, which crisscrosses rugged and difficult terrain, has been constructed at a cost of Rs 287 crore under India-assisted development projects in the Himalayan nation, military officials said.

Several India-funded infrastructure projects, including in the power sector, are being implemented in Bhutan, in sync with close bilateral relationship between the two countries.

Let this road be a reminder to celebrate our friendship. Lets showcase the world how beautiful the relationship between Bhutan and India is, Bhutans Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay said after inaugurating the road last week, according to a senior military official.

Bhutan is a strategically important country for India due to its location, and both sides have been ramping up overall cooperation.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hit out at the culture of constant self-praise and jumlas of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

New Delhi: UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi lashed out at the Narendra Modi government at Sundays extended CWC meeting, cautioning people about the reign of despair and fear heaped upon Indias deprived and poor. She said Prime Minister Narendra Modis rhetoric showed his desperation and signalled that the reverse countdown of the Modi government had begun. On the forging of alliances, Mrs Gandhi said: We are committed to make alliances work and we are all with Congress president Rahul Gandhi in this endeavour.

Attacking the government, Mrs Gandhi said that it was incumbent on the Congress to save the people from a dangerous regime. She said: We have to rescue our people from a dangerous regime that is compromising with the democracy of India.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hit out at the culture of constant self-praise and jumlas of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Dr Singh said Mr Modis claim that he would double farmers incomes by 2022 would require the agriculture sector to grow at a rate of 14 per cent, which he said was nowhere in sight. He added that to match the growth rate of the 10 years of UPA rule, the present government in its fifth year would have to achieve a growth rate of over 10 per cent even by the new calculating method. He added: We will support Rahul Gandhi in his onerous task of restoring Indias social harmony and economic development. Taking on Mr Modi, the former PM said the constant self-praise was no alternative to a solid policy framework for driving the engine of growth.

This was the first meeting of the CWC after Mr Rahul Gandhis elevation as party president in December 2017. Earlier this week, the Congress president reconstituted the CWC with 51 members, accommodating a judicious mix of the young and the old.
After killing the woman, the accused fled and ever since, were roaming around the city.

On the instance of accused persons, knife used to stab the deceased and blood stained clothes of accused have been recovered.

New Delhi: Five days after a 16-year-old widow was stabbed to death, the police arrested two brothers-in-law who had fled from the spot after stabbing her multiple times. Another brother-in-law, a juvenile, was apprehended on the day of the crime.

The accused were identified as Amit (19) and Anil (21). DCP (southeast) Chinmoy Biswal said, the deceased had married one year ago to one Ayush, the brother of the accused persons.

Ayush had allegedly committed suicide a few months back and the accused blamed her for his death. They told cops that their brother committed suicide because she left him when he was facing trouble on the work front.

On Monday evening, police received information about a woman being stabbed by three boys at her house in Tajpur Pahari in Badarpur area.

After killing the woman, the accused fled and ever since, were roaming around the city.

Amit and Anil were arrested from near Tughlakabad Metro Station on Friday and on their instance the juvenile was apprehended from South Extension on Saturday.

On the instance of accused persons, knife used to stab the deceased and blood stained clothes of accused have been recovered.

During sustained interrogation both accused disclosed that they were very upset with their brothers suicide and even after Ayushs death his wife didnt return at her in-laws house. Alleged were very annoyed with this and they planned to kill their brothers wife.

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The boy underwent a successful surgery at Aakash Super Speciality Hospital recently.

As per doctors, rarely these heart abnormalities are present in the same person. (Photo: Pixabay)

New Delhi: In one of the rare cases, an eight-year-old boy from Nigeria was recently admitted to a Delhi hospital with a double chamber RV (DCRV) with ventricular septal defect (VSD) disease, which is found in one out of every one crore of the general population.

The boy underwent a successful surgery at Aakash Super Speciality Hospital recently.

VSD or hole in the heart, a common genetic abnormality among children, combined with DCRV  a form of right ventricular (RV) outflow tract obstruction caused by anomalous muscular or fibromuscular bundles  was a threat to his life. As per doctors, rarely these heart abnormalities are present in the same person.

An advanced ventriculotomy  a surgical procedure in which a portion of a patients heart is resected in order to correct an abnormal enlargement  was performed on the boy, who had been admitted in the hospital with severe chest pain, breathlessness, and palpitation.

Unlike a normal healthy heart, the boy was born with five chambers instead of four which further added to the complications incurred during the surgery.

According to family members, initially he was admitted in a different healthcare facility where he was diagnosed with the disease. Owing to the complications of the case, the doctors suggested that the patient should be taken to some other facility with advance capabilities.

Double chamber right ventricular is a condition having abnormal strong muscular band present in right ventricle leading to abnormal two chambers in RV that divide right ventricle in to proximal high pressure and distal low pressure chambers. High pressure can lead to heart failure, said Dr Vishal Agarwal, Aakash hospital.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 22)  Marikina City is now under a state of calamity after a week of heavy rains raised the water level in Marikina River and flooded several areas.

Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro told CNN Philippines that the resolution for the declaration of state of calamity was approved by members of the city council in a special session Sunday afternoon.

As of posting time, 1,274 families have been evacuated and were now staying in public schools and gyms designated as evacuation centers.

Residents began leaving their homes at 4 a.m., after the water level in Marikina River rose to 16 meters  the signal for preemptive evacuation.

Teodoro ordered food and other relief items to be sent to the evacuation centers. He has also ordered the deployment of portalets, particularly in gyms where there were no restrooms.

In addition, doctors and medical personnel have been put on standby in each evacuation center to check on the evacuees and attend to any medical emergency.

Teodoro said most residents went to evacuation centers on their own after hearing the second alarm, a lesson carried over from Typhoon Ondoy in 2009.

As of 5 p.m., the water level in Marikina River stood at 15.9 meters, causing the alert level to be been lowered to the first alarm.

But with rains expected to continue until Monday, Teodoro has cancelled classes at all levels in Marikina City.
The ministry of home affairs-sponsored programme focuses on students of classes 8 and 9.

Gurgaon: Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday launched the nationwide Student Police Cadet (SPC) programme, which aims to build a bridge between the police and school students by inculcating values and ethics in them through classes.

The ministry of home affairs-sponsored programme focuses on students of classes 8 and 9. In the initial phase, it will be implemented in all government schools in urban and rural areas across the country, an official statement had said.

Speaking at the launch here, Singh expressed hope that the SPC would lead to a silent revolution over the years by focusing on character building and imparting moral values to budding minds.

A sum of Rs 50,000 would be provided to each school for educational assistance, training and contingencies under the programme.

A sum of Rs 67 crore has already been disbursed to the states for its implementation, Singh said at the event, which was also attended by Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and human resource development minister Prakash Javad-ekar Singh expressed concern that schools were creating tremendous pressure on students these days by focusing on building car-eers and rising incomes to cope with rapid modernisation and cut-throat competition.

While the dawn of new technologies, Internet and social media have helped children keep pace with the changing times, it has also adversely impacted our society as we witness the breakdown of the traditional family system, and worrying rise in the incidents of crimes and rapes, he added.

The SPC programme will provide a healthy interface between schools and police and help inculcate in students the aspects of public safety, discipline, patience, tolerance, empathy, respect of senior citizens, social harmony, traffic sense and a corruption-free environment, the Union minister said.

Khattar announced that participating cadets would be given preference in recruitment to the Haryana Police. The state government would soon recruit 6,000 police personnel, he added.

Javadekar said coordination would be established between the academic curriculum and the SPC programme. About four crore students of classes VIII and IX across the country would be associated with the programme, Javadekar said. PTI CORR HMB

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Mamata Banerjee dubs BJP leadership as Hitler, Mussolini and Taliban.

Kolkata: Vowing to win all of the 42 seats in West Bengal in Lok Sabha elections next year Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Saturday announced of inviting UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and leaders of other Opposition parties to a grand rally at Brigade Parade ground on January 19 in her desperate bid to strengthen her call for Federal Front to oust the BJP from power at the Centre.

According to her, the BJP has started losing its allies in the NDA fold. Predicting the BJPs ouster the West Bengal chief minister doubted if it would get the single largest majority in next LS polls.

Addressing Shahid Dibas (Martyrs Day) rally she said, Our pledge of July 21 this year, which is its 25th anniversary, is we will win 42 seats out of 42 with the peoples vote. In the coming days Bengal will show India the way. In future we will show the path in Parliament taking people from all walks of life.

She elaborated, We will kickstart preparations for Brigade rally from November. More crowd than that of July 21 rally has to be pulled there. Ahead the LS Elections the call for winning 2019 and the central government will be made on January 19 from the Brigade. We will undertake it with all the political parties organising Federal Front. I will bring all the leaders from across the country to project: Bengal will show the way, you join us. Bengal is with you.

Ms Banerjee underlined, All will be invited. But we are not after chair. We care for the people. After the rally, she told the media that Ms Sonia Gandhi and CPI(M) leaders would be invited at the Brigade.

Downplaying Modi government win against the no-confidence motion in the Parliament Ms Banerjee argued, They are now claiming they would prove their mettle in 2024, not in 2019. Let them pass the test in 2019. After that 2024 will come.

Comparing the present BJP leadership with two world leaders  Hitler and Mussolini and Talibans  Ms Banerjee told the rally, Coming to power in India they are dictating more audaciously than Hitler and Mussolini.

She reasoned, What was the margin they won by on Friday? They got 325 votes against 126 of the opposition.

The BJP does not have the single largest majority. Their allies like Shiv Sena did not vote for them. They got the votes from the AIADMK of which Jayalalithaa was the leader. Had she been alive, the BJP would not have got these votes and they would have lost. They have 325 seats now. I doubt if it would cross 100 next year. They will get 150 maximum. But they will not get the majority.

She pointed out, In the coming days the AIADMK would not get even a single seat in Tamil Nadu. Only Stalin will get it. So the entire tally will be minus BJP. In Uttar Pradesh the BJP got 80 seats. If Mulayam and Mayawati join hands with each other, they will get 30 seats at least. In Madhya Pradesh they will now get one fourth of all the seats they got. I doubt if they would at all get five seats this time in Rajasthan where they got 25. In Gujarat they will get a zero. And in Bihar Laluji will take control.

Discounting Prime Minister Narendra Modis hope about the BJP coming to power in West Bengal like it did in Tripura Ms Banerjee added, Tripura formula will not work here. The CPI(M) had rotten there. We built up everything. But the Congress workers switched to the BJP which spent crores to grab the state.

She also bantered the BJP for the canopy collapse during Mr Modis rally in Midnapore.

How will those who can not even build a pandal, build the nation? On July 28 we also will hold a rally at the same venue.

Comparing the present BJP leadership with two world leaders: Hitler and Mussolini and Talibans, chief minister Banerjee told the rally, Coming to power in India they are dictating more audaciously than Hitler and Mussolini. Those who have blood in their hands are running the country. They are now giving sermons. Do not tolerate them. I have no oppositon with the old timers of the BJP who are not like the Talibans who rule the country now.

She also tore into the BJP over the incidents of farmer suicides, lynching and encounters.
The attack left two constables and three MSSF staffs injured.

MUMBAI: Hours after a 17-year-old boy, Sachin Jaiswar, succumbed to suspected Leptospirosis at the civic-run Sion Hospital, a mob of around 100 persons, including his relatives and Dharavi-based neighbours, allegedly attacked policemen and the staff of MSSF (Maharashtra State Security Force) at Sion police station. The mob pelted stones and ransacked three police vans there, alleging that Jaiswar died due to alleged police torture. The Dharavi police had earlier on July 13 picked up Jaiswar for questioning in a mobile theft case but was allowed to go after 22 hours.

Two days after returning from police station, Jaiswar started vomiting following which his health deteriorated. On Saturday, when he was declared dead, his family and acquaintances tried to click the bodys picture in the hospital premises but were prevented from doing so by the staff. It led to a commotion and was followed by a violent protest.

The attack at the police station left two constables and three MSSF staff injured who are now undergoing treatment in Sion hospital. Following the mob attack, the Sion police registered a case against 100 unknown persons for allegedly causing commotion under relevant sections of the IPC that pertains to unlawful assembly and assault on a public servant.

N. Ambika, deputy commissioner of police (zone 4) said, We have registered a case, and are scanning through the CCTV footages in the hospital and area, to identify the accused persons, and make the arrests accordingly.

Sachin Jaiswar, a 17-year-old boy, who was appearing for his class 9 exams through a private institute, was picked up from his home by five policemen dressed in civil clothes from Dharavi police station at 1 am on July 13, and was taken to the police station for questioning in a case of mobile theft. Jaiswars elder brother Sunil said, When we followed him to the police station, the cops were bashing him and told us that after the interrogation is over, he will be dropped back home. However, Sachin returned home 22 hours later, in a weakened state, with several marks on his body.

Further sharing the ordeal, Sunil added, A day after coming from the police station, on July 15, Sachin started vomiting blood and had a high-fever, following which we admitted him in Sion Hospital. However, on Saturday evening, he died due to his ailments.

Talking to The Asian Age, senior official of Sion hospital said, The patient was rushed to our hospital on Friday with symptoms of high fever, headache and body ache, all symptoms was pointing out towards Leptospirosis. When asked whether he died due to Leptospirosis, the medico replied, He was having high fever and the committee will confirm the cause of death only after checking. However, the initial medical evaluation reveals that he died due to Leptospirosis. The doctor further added, There was no marks on his body of assault.
The five nations constitute 26 per cent of the worlds land mass and 43 per cent of its population.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins his African safari on Monday, July 23, with stops in Rwanda and Uganda before arriving in South Africa for the 10th Brics summit on July 26-27. The Bric group of countries started meeting in 2006 after the 2001 prognostication by Jim ONeill, chief economist of Goldman Sachs, that Brazil, China, India and Russia shall drive global growth in the following decade. South Africa too joined it in 2010 after summit level meetings started in 2009. The theme this time, determined by the host, is Brics in Africa. The five nations constitute 26 per cent of the worlds land mass and 43 per cent of its population.

Prime Minister Modi will visit two African nations en route to the Brics summit. Rwanda is current chair of the African Union and is led by a charismatic but now controversial President Paul Kagame, who has amended the constitution to remain in power almost indefinitely. He has, however, brought stability to a nation that witnessed genocide when the Hutus and Tutsis, the two dominant tribal groups, clashed in 2004. Mr Modi shall lay a wreath at the Kigali Genocide Memorial. The two sides will also sign a defence cooperation agreement and two lines of credit of `10 crores for a special economic zone and $100 million for agriculture and irrigation projects. India is also gifting 200 cows under a Girinka scheme, whereby female calves are gifted by recipients to neighbours.

Mr Modi then flies to Uganda, best remembered in India for the expulsion of Indians by then dictator Idi Amin in the 1970s. President Yoweri Museveni has ruled since the 1979-80 as a relatively benign dictator, a nation gifted by nature with fertile land and water resources. The two biggest landholding families were the Madhvanis, to a descendant of which actress Mumtaz married, and the Mehtas, in whose staff quarters was born Idi Amin. After Mr Museveni took charge, the Indian community has gradually grown, with some restitution of land and property seized by Idi Amin, numbering now over 25,000. Their Gujarati predominance would provide Mr Modi a ready diaspora audience to regale. President Museveni has visited India multiple times, including on private visits, but a visit by an Indian Prime Minister is a first since 1997. Again, two lines of credit will be offered consisting of $141 million for electricity lines and $64 million for agriculture and dairy. Interestingly, Chinese President Xi Jinping is also combining Brics summit with an Africa outreach by visiting Senegal, Rwanda (before Mr Modi gets there) and Mauritius.

President Xi prefaces a bilateral visit to South Africa with the Brics summit. A trip to South Africa is particularly significant this year as it celebrates the 100th birth anniversary of iconic first post-apartheid President Nelson Mandela. For India, additionally it marks the 125th anniversary of the infamous incident at Pietermaritzburg station when Mahatma Gandhi was ejected from a railway carriage being a non-white, setting-off his anti-apartheid crusade. Undoubtedly Mr Modi will capture that during his visit, although back in India dalit grooms are occasionally still similarly barred from riding horses.

The South African economy has languished in the past decade due to the global fall in demand for minerals and metals and poor governance by former President Jacob Zuma, now replaced by Cyril Ramaphosa. There is also a simmering controversy over the Guptas, a family of non-resident Indians, who have fled after unsavoury deals with Mr Zuma and his confidants. But South Africa still provides an excellent base for economic penetration of southern Africa, having the best infrastructure and industrial development. An Indian business delegation will be there coinciding with Mr Modis visit. Also, Mr Modi and Mr Ramaphosa must establish a working relationship as the South African economy revives.

China is way ahead of India in development assistance to Africa, having announced in 2015 a $60 billion investment package for African projects. China-Africa trade has vacillated depending on Chinese demand for global commodities. Chinese imports peaked at $200 billion in 2013 but then fell to $125 billion approximately in 2016. Similarly, Chinese exports rose from $60 billion approximately in 2013 to top $150 billion in 2015 and again slipping under $100 billion in 2016. India-Africa trade, on the other hand, in 2015 was $90 billion, about one-fourth that of China. The Modi governments more ambitious outreach to African leaders by hosting them in India as a group has helped India reconnect with its natural constituency in post-colonial Africa.

The Brics summits regain importance as US President Donald Trump has kindled a trade war with China, while unleashing sanctions against Russia and Iran, the latter being an important trading partner of China, India and Russia. Despite continuing political instability in Brazil, where President Michel Temer copes with the trial and incarceration of founder member of Brics and former President Luiz I. Lula de Silva, the Brics nations need to underpin the international rules of commerce and investment. This is necessary to counter the anti-globalisation sentiment strongly advanced by the United States under President Trump and breeding in some European Union nations.

To achieve this, they must enhance intra-Brics trade and investment and energise Brics New Development Bank, which has already approved four infrastructure projects worth $5 billion. However, Brazil and India face elections in 2019, and as the next chair Brazil will host the 11th summit. To counter the Trump-led institution-bashing and regimes-undermining strategy, all groups, new and old, albeit some like EU distracted by anti-immigration and nativist sentiments, must resist. But India must also ensure that Brics does not become patently anti-American. At the summit the five important nations from major continents need to create convergent and constructive points of view on global economic and political issues. It may also have a salutary effect on Sino-Indian relations, when President Xi and Prime Minister Modi shake hands again.
Video posted shows German astronaut Alexander Gerst dropping in for a live performance from the ISS.

Kraftwerk fans are used to hearing otherworldly tunes, but the German electronic music pioneers took it to another level at a gig in Stuttgart.

Video posted Saturday by the European Space Agency shows German astronaut Alexander Gerst dropping in for a live performance from the International Space Station.

Using a tablet computer with a virtual synthesizer, Gerst played a duet of Kraftwerks 1978 song Spacelab with the band Friday night to cheers from the audience.

Hes not the first space musician. Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield recorded a cover of David Bowies Space Oddity and played a duet with the Barenaked Ladies while 400 kilometres (250 miles) above the Earth in 2013.

American astronaut Ron McNair planned to play the saxophone from orbit with Jean Michel Jarre in 1986 but died in the Challenger tragedy.

(Source)
Xiaomi's Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite are all set for an official unveiling at the global launch event in Spain on July 24.

Xiaomi's Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite are all set for an official unveiling at the global launch event in Spain on July 24. Ahead of the launch, the much-awaited smartphones were spotted on Romanian websites along with the pricing details. According to GSMArena, this is not the first time, the devices had earlier made an appearance on a Polish, a Romanian and a Spanish website.

The report highlights that for the 32GB variant, Xiaomi has set the price of the Mi A2 at 275 (approx Rs 22,131) whereas, for the 64GB variant, the device is priced at 300 (approx Rs 24,143) on the On QuickMobile.ro website. Both the variants come with 4GB RAM and will be available in seven days. Coming to the Mi A2 Lite, for the 3GB/32GB configuration, the price has been set at 200 (approx Rs 16,095) whereas the 4GB/64GB variant retails for 245 (approx Rs 19,717) on the same website.

If reports are to be believed, the Mi A2 would sport a 6-inch FHD+ display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. It is expected to be powered by a Snapdragon 660 chipset, paired with 4GB/6GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB/128GB of internal storage. There will most likely be a dual rear camera setup, comprising of a 12MP primary sensor, along with a 20MP secondary sensor. For selfies, there would a 20MP camera sensor. The Mi A2 Lite, on the other hand, is expected to run on a Snapdragon 625 SoC aided by up to 4GB RAM and up to 64GB of onboard storage, expandable up to 256GB. The handset could pack a 5.84-inch full HD+ display with a 19:9 aspect ratio. Xiaomi could stuff in a 3000mAh battery in Mi A2 and 4000mAh battery in Mi A2 Lite.
About three hours after he took hostages in the store, the suspect surrendered.

In this image from video provided by KNBC-TV, police officers escort a suspect away from a Trader Joe's supermarket in the Silver Lake district of Los Angeles on Saturday after a more than three hour standoff.(Photo: AP)

Los Angeles: A man shot his grandmother and girlfriend Saturday and then led police on a car chase that ended when he crashed into a pole and ran inside a busy supermarket as bullets from officers shattered the front doors. About three hours after he took hostages in the store, the suspect surrendered.

One woman was killed inside the supermarket, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

Officers with riot gear, armed with rifles, stood along the side of the Trader Joes in the Silver Lake area on Saturday afternoon and used mirrors to try to look inside as hostages periodically came out the front door with the hands raised. At least one person was injured but expected to survive.

The suspect walked out with a cluster of four hostages and appeared to be already handcuffed as the group emerged through the front door. Police immediately surrounded the suspect, searched him and then brought him to a waiting ambulance. The man appeared to have blood on his left arm.

Investigators believe the suspect, whose name hasnt been released, had shot his grandmother and girlfriend around 1:30 pm in South Los Angeles and then fled in a 2015 Toyota Camry, Sgt. Barry Montgomery, a Los Angeles police spokesman, said.

Officers spotted the suspects car near Hollywood and tried to pull him over, but the man refused to stop and led officers on a pursuit, he said. During the chase, the suspect shot multiple rounds at officers, though no officers were struck by the gunfire, he said.

In this image from video provided by KNBC-TV, police and civilians take cover near the Trader Joe's supermarket. (Photo: AP)

At least one officer is believed to have returned fire, Montgomery said.

The suspect eventually crashed his car outside of the Trader Joes supermarket and then ran into the store. An Associated Press employee who lives in the area reported seeing a car crashed into a utility pole outside the store.

Don Kohles, 91, was walking into the supermarket when he saw a car being chased police crash into a pole just outside. Police fired at the driver, shattering the stores glass doors and Kohles and others inside took cover and laid on the floor as the suspect ran into the store, he said.

He could hear others around him sobbing as the man ran toward the back of the store and yell at people, but Kohles said he never heard any more gunshots. After about 30 minutes, police came inside and rushed some of the customers out, he said.

People frantically tried to flee from the store and some were seen climbing through windows, jumping down about 8 feet, and others darted through the back door.

A Los Angeles Police Department officer escorts Trader Joe's employees away from the store. (Photo: AP)

Christian Dunlop, a real estate agent and actor who lives nearby, said he was watching from the corner when he saw four people flee out the front of the store. An employee was dragging an injured woman by the hands out the front door, he said.

One woman who was injured was taken to the hospital in stable condition, according to David Ortiz, a fire department spokesman, though it was unclear how she was injured. Officials said they had 18 ambulances and 100 firefighters staged at the scene.

President Donald Trump tweeted that he is Watching Los Angeles possible hostage situation very closely and that Los Angeles police officers were working with federal law enforcement.
At the Angelus, Pope Francis expresses "pain" and "prayer" for the tragedies of shipwrecks in front of the Libyan coasts and north of Cyprus. He calls for the "decision and promptness" of the international community "in order to prevent such tragedies from reoccurring and guaranteeing security, respect for the rights and dignity of all". The three verbs of the Pastor: to see, to have compassion, to teach.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - A call for the "international community to act decisively and promptly" to avoid the "shipwrecks of boats loaded with migrants in the waters of the Mediterranean", in "respect for the rights and dignity of all". This is the appeal launched by Pope Francis today just after the Angelus prayer with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square.

The pontiff expressed first of all his "pain faced with such tragedies" assuring "for the disappeared and their families my remembrance and my prayer".

On 17 July a boat with 153 people was wrecked off the Libyan coast. According to the NGO Open Arms, the Libyan coast guard has rescued most of the people, but left three of them at sea: a woman was rescued by a vessel of the former; another woman and a child had perished and their bodies floated on the water. The migrants were of African origin.

On July 19, in more breaking news 19 people died and 25 result missing following the sinking of a boat north of Cyprus. At least 103 people were taken to safety. The migrants were Syrians.

Open Arms has accused the Libyan coast guard (and Italy) of failure to rescue. The Pope's appeal ignores polemics, but exerts a strong pressure "to ensure that the international community acts decisively and promptly in order to prevent such tragedies from reoccurring while guaranteeing security, respect for the rights and dignity of all".

Previously, Pope Francis had paused to comment on today's Gospel (16th Sunday for year, B, Mark 6, 30-34), when Jesus tries in vain to bring his apostles to rest "a little", but they are reached from the crowd and Jesus puts to "teach them many things".

"The same - said Francis - can also happen today. Sometimes we fail to realize our projects, because something urgent and unexpected happens that disrupts our programs and requires flexibility and availability to the needs of others ".

The pontiff then focused on three verbs present in the proclamation of the gospel: to see, to have compassion, to teach, which he defined as "the verbs of the Shepherd".

"Jesus' gaze - he continued - is not a neutral or, worse, cold and detached gaze, because Jesus always looks with the eyes of the heart. And his heart is so tender and full of compassion, that he knows how to grasp the even more hidden needs of people. Moreover, his compassion does not simply indicate an emotional reaction to a situation of unease of the people, but it is much more: it is the attitude and predisposition of God towards man and his history. Jesus appears as the realization of God's concern and care for his people".

"Since Jesus was moved to see all those people in need of guidance and help, one would expect that He would carry out a miracle. Instead, he began to teach them many things. This is the first bread that the Messiah offers to the hungry and lost crowd: the bread of the Word. We all need the word of truth, to guide us and enlighten our path. Without the truth, which is Christ himself, it is not possible to find the right orientation of life. When one moves away from Jesus and his love, we loose ourselves and our existence turns into disappointment and dissatisfaction. With Jesus on out side we can proceed with security, we can overcome the trials, we progress in love for God and for our neighbor. Jesus has made himself a gift for others, thus becoming a model of love and service for each one of us ".
Latest data shows why shoppers going off online





AUSTRALIAN shoppers are flocking back to traditional bricks-and-mortar stores compared to online, but retailers are failing to capitalise on this resurgence, the latest research shows.

The Monash University data shows 65 per cent of shoppers prefer using bricks-and-mortar stores most of the time, compared to 18 per cent of Australians preferring to shop online.

Despite this renewed attraction to traditional shopping methods, the managing director of the Monash Business Schools Australian Consumer, Retail and Services (ACRS) says Australian retailers are not maximising their in-store experience.

We see trends overseas with empathic, human-centred design and advanced technologies that make shopping easier and/or more pleasurable, however in datis piled high to the ceiling, merchandise is displayed poorly, and finding personalised customer service can be difficult, Dr Rebecca Dare said.

Trends from the research units quarterly survey show Australians are shopping more frequently in 2018 than they were in 2016, but bucking the general theories, ACRS research shows that Australian shoppers are increasingly drawn to physical stores, not online channels, to make non-grocery purchases.

We are also seeing similar trends overseas. Nearly 80 per cent of shoppers in the USA purchased more than half of their items in-store in 2017, Dr Dare said.

Australian retailers need to understand that customers want the experience that the physical store can bring. Retailers just need to provide it.

Dr Dare said there are numerous best-practice examples of overseas brands and physical stores winning on customer experience.

IKEA in the UK are discounting umbrellas on rainy days which communicates a human understanding, while providing a solution to an everyday problem. Also, Nike in the USA is using technology-enabled personalisation through the Nike Makers Experience, which allows shoppers to design their own custom shoes in-store.

Dr Dare said that such notable examples are sparse in the Australian retail landscape and Australian retailers need to become better equipped to take advantage of the shift back to bricks-and-mortar.

There is a return to the importance of customer experience at physical stores. Human touches and the sensory experiences of a store visit is increasingly important, particularly with millennials  who prefer to spend more money on experiences than on material things, Dr Dare said.

Shoppers miss the customer experience of physical stores; real life connection with other people, touching things and trying them on is not an experience you get online.

Also in this edition of Australian Food News
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 22)  The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said a controversial Kuwaiti social media personality should be included in an employer blacklist.

In an interview on radio station DWIZ Saturday, POEA Administrator Bernard Olalia said the agreement between the Philippines and Kuwait clearly stated that passports of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) should remain with them and they should also be given a day off.

"Yung mga hindi susunod na mga Kuwaiti employers ay dapat nang iblacklist natin agad yan. Dahil magiging ugat ng problema yan kapag hinyaan natin silang mag-recruit at kumuha ng ating mga domestic workers," said Olalia.

[Translation: Kuwaiti employers who will not follow this should be blacklisted immediately. Because they will become the root of the problem if they are allowed to recruit our domestic workers.]

Olalia added, "Hindi po natin papayagan yung mga ganyang mga Kuwaiti employers na hindi susunod sa ating mga napagkasunduan pag tayo'y nagdeploy."

[Translation: We will not allow those kinds of Kuwaiti employers to not follow the agreement when we deploy.]

A CNN report quoted Sondos al-Qattan, a social media star from Kuwait, saying new laws concerning the rights of Filipino domestic workers were "like a pathetic film."

She added she was against Filipino domestic workers keeping their passports and having one day off a week.

The video has since been deleted. Al-Qattan has also set her Twitter to private, and netizens have reported that comments criticizing her were being deleted.

In a statement Sunday, Susan Ople, head of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center said, al-Qattan, "publicly uttered and shared through social media, her undesirability as a foreign employer, cannot be denied. She is not worthy to be even in the same room as our valiant and hardworking OFWs."

The same statement quoted al-Qattan from a video she posted on one of her social media accounts saying news laws passed protecting OFWs in Kuwait were "like a pathetic film."

The Philippines and Kuwait signed a labor agreement, saying Filipino workers in the Gulf state are allowed to keep their passports, have a day off a week, and cook their own food.

Meanwhile, the Blas F. Ople Policy Center urged other countries that send domestic workers to Kuwait to also include al-Qattanin their list of undesirable employers.

They stressed that the incident should be considered as an eye-opener among anti-slavery advocates worldwide.

"We have to work even harder to promote awareness about the rights of migrant workers and for domestic work to be treated as a form of employment rather than personal servitude," Ople said.
See whats next to go in the war on plastic





WHATS next in the dynamic war on plastic after McDonalds decision to phase out plastic straws?

McDonalds announced last week it would start an attempt to phase out plastic straws from all its 970 Australian stores by 2020.

An initial trial of paper straws would start at two stores in August.

The move comes as Woolworths and Coles phase out single-use plastic checkout bags, and after Starbucks decision to eliminate plastic straws from all its store within two years, citing the environmental threat to oceans.

Well, now expert market forecasters have had their say and Australian Food News can now tell its readers whats next in the war on plastic waste.

Bookmakers, thats right, bookies are now offering odds to punters on the race to rid ourselves of plastic.

So according to the experts at Sportsbet, KFC are favourites to be the next chain to phase out plastic straws, followed by Hungry Jacks, Pizza Hut, Subway, Nandos, Oporto and Donut King.

Next chain to ban the straw?

$1.82 KFC Australia

$4.00 Hungry Jacks

$5.50 Pizza Hut Australia

$8.00 Subway Australia

$14 Nandos Australia

$16 Oporto

$21 Donut King Australia

Also in this edition of Australian Food News

Environmental groups say Australians use about 10 million straws every day, or 3.5 billion a year, and unless you have a disability you dont really need to use them.

McDonalds Australia supply chain director Robert Sexton said in a statement: We know plastic straws is a topic our customers are passionate about and we will find a viable solution.

The stocks meanwhile of paper straw makers must on the rise.

Greenpeace Australia applauded Maccas decision.

Its wonderful McDonalds is making a commitment to reducing consumption of single-use plastic and we look forward to seeing more detail around this proposal to see the overall impact, Greenpeace spokesman Simon Black told AAP.

But the bookmakers are not confining themselves to straws when it comes to betting on the war on waste. Theres a market for the next item to go from Maccas.

The favourite in this category is the plastic drink lid, followed takeaway coffee cups, condiment packages, and salad container, among the more fancied outcomes.

Next item to go from Maccas?

$1.70 Plastic Drink Lids

$3.30 Takeaway Coffee Cup

$6.00 Condiments Packages

$10 Salad Container

$21 Burger Wrapper

$31 Plastic Dine in Trays

$101 Happy Meal Toy

$1001 In-Store Playgrounds
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 23)  A move to oust House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez from his post when session resumes today is brewing in the chamber, according to three congressmen and a mayor from Mindanao who declined to be named.

They all confirmed that former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo would replace Alvarez.

Also read: Duterte to deliver third SONA

The three congressmen told CNN Philippines that first daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio asked for their support in ousting Alvarez and electing Arroyo as the new House Speaker.

Also read: Duterte visits hospital for check-up on eve of SONA

One lawmaker said a congressman would move to declare the position of House Speaker vacant as soon as session opens at 10 in the morning.

Once approved, a motion to elect Arroyo as House Speaker would then be made.

Another lawmaker revealed that Duterte-Carpio has been in talks with Arroyo about possibly taking over Alvarez's post since April.

Also read: Robredo ready to be insulted when she attends SONA

The First Daughter had repeatedly expressed her dislike for Alvarez early this year after the House Speaker allegedly declared her as part of the political opposition when she formed a regional political party, Hugpong ng Pagbabago.

Alvarez is the Secretary-General of the ruling party, PDP-Laban.

In several social media posts in February, Duterte-Carpio cursed at Alvarez, saying that he messed with the wrong girl.

"Ano sabi mo in a crowd, 'President iba siya, Speaker ako, I can always impeach him!' And you call me opposition? Somebody should really tell the President about the truth. Antay ka bukas, I have another story," the Davao Mayor said in a post.

Alvarez, however, denied calling Duterte-Carpio part of the opposition.

In April, President Rodrigo Duterte assured Alvarez that Arroyo had no plans to replace him amid rumors of plans to oust him.

Duterte was then attending a dinner in a hotel in Pasay City, which was attended by a number of high-ranking government officials including Alvarez and Arroyo.

Also read: Acting Chief Justice Carpio changes mind, will attend Duterte's SONA

A lawmaker also told CNN Philippines that some allies of Arroyo and Duterte-Carpio would meet this morning before session begins.

As to the fate of House Majority Leader Rudy Farinas, two congressmen said that they hoped he would not be removed because he has been doing well in his job.
In the Catholic Church, the rosary is one of the most cherished prayers. For Catholics, it is a powerful prayer of intercession to the Blessed Mother. Praying the rosary is promoted as a means of strengthening ones faith, resisting evil, growing spiritually, and generally benefiting society.

The word rosary comes from Latin and means a garland of roses, the rose being one of the flowers used to symbolize the Virgin Mary. If you were to ask what object is most emblematic of Catholics, people would probably say, The rosary. Catholics ask the Blessed Mother to bring their prayers to Her Divine Son and plead for His aid. Catholics bring Rosary intentions to Mary with the hope that their request will be answered.

The rosary is a devotion in honor of the Virgin Mary. It consists of a set number of specific prayers. First are the introductory prayers: one Apostles Creed (Credo), one Our Father (the Pater Noster or the Lords Prayer), three Hail Marys (Aves) and one Glory Be (Glori Patri).

The first prayer in the Rosary is the Apostles Creed. It is called the Apostles Creed not because it was composed by the apostles themselves, but because it expresses their teachings. The original form of the creed came into use around A.D. 125, and the present form dates from the 400s. It reads:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Protestants, when they say the prayer, refer to the (lower-cased) holy catholic church, using catholic to refer to the universal church, not implying any connection with the (upper-case) Catholic Church, which is based in Rome. This is despite the fact that the term catholic was already used to refer to a particular, visible Church by the second century and has already lost its broader meaning of universal. Despite these differences, Protestants embrace the Apostles Creed without reluctance, seeing it as embodying basic Christian truths as they understand them.

The next prayer in the rosary is Our Father or the Pater Noster (from its opening words in Latin). This is also known as the Lords Prayer. This prayer is even more acceptable to Protestants because Jesus Himself taught it to His disciples. It is given in the Bible in two slightly difference versions, the first referenced in Matthew 6:9-13 and the second referenced in Luke 11:2-4. The one given in Matthew is the one commonly said.

The following prayer in the Rosary is the Hail Mary which is really at the center of the devotion. It is a prayer to Mary. While many Protestants assume its unbiblical, it does have roots in Scripture. The prayer begins, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. This is the same greeting the angel Gabriel gave Mary in Luke 1:28. The next part reads:

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of the womb, Jesus. This was what Marys cousin Elizabeth said to her in Luke 1:42. The only thing that has been added to these two verses is the names Jesus and Mary. The second part of the Hail Mary is not taken straight from Scripture, but it is biblical in the thoughts it expresses. It reads: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of death. Amen.

The forth prayer in the rosary is the Glory Be, sometimes called the Gloria or Gloria Patri. This reads:

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As is it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. The Gloria is a brief of praise in which all Christians can join.

Finally, the rosary ends with the closing prayer. This is called the Hail Queen (Salve Regina), sometimes called the Hail Holy Queen. It is the most commonly recited prayer in the praise of Mary, after the Hail Mary itself. It generally reads:

Hall holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn, then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us, and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

One of the keys to praying the rosary is to understand that it is a form of mediation. When Catholics recite the twelve prayers that form a decade of the rosary, they are meditating on the mystery associated with that decade. If they merely recite the prayers, whether vocally or silently, theyre missing the essence of the rosary.

The Rosary is still the easiest ways to acquire the ancient skills of meditative prayer, and it is believed by Catholics to be the most effective way to grain the graces that this way of prayer can obtain. While almost every Catholic owns a rosary, not all Catholics know how to pray this prayer of intercession. If you are Catholic and confused about how to best use the rosary, there are many online resources, including apps you can download for little to no cost. Try a few different versions that work best for you.
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(CNN)  A Kuwaiti Instagram star has slammed new regulations requiring a weekly day off for Filipino domestic workers in the country, with her comments drawing the ire of social media users.

"The new laws that have been passed are like a pathetic film," said makeup artist Sondos Alqattan in a viral video last week.

"For her to take a day off every week, that's four days a month. Those are the days that she'll be out. And we don't know what she'll be doing on those days, with her passport on her," said Alqattan, who has 2.3 million followers on Instagram.

Along with a mandatory weekly day off, recent reforms in Kuwaiti regulations for Filipino domestic workers also require that workers keep their own passports with them. Before the changes, employers could confiscate the passports of domestic help.

"How can you have a 'servant' at home who keeps their own passport with them?" asked Alqattan.

The reforms to Kuwaiti regulations for Filipino domestic workers were sparked by a diplomatic spat between the Philippines and the Gulf country. The murder of a Filipina maid earlier this year prompted Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to ban Filipino workers from traveling to Kuwait.

In January, the body of Filipina Joanna Demafelis, 29, was discovered stuffed in the fridge of her Lebanese employer and his wife. Kuwaiti authorities have since sentenced the couple to death.

"I will sell my soul to the devil to look for money so that you can come home and live comfortably here," Duterte said after news broke of Demafelis's death. The Philippines President said he was ready to take "drastic steps" to protect Filipinos working abroad.

#Moderndayslavery

Alqattan's comments have sparked outrage from Kuwaiti and Filipino social-media users who called on brands associated with Alqattan to sever ties with her.

"Her expensive stuff and pretty face cannot mask her rotten attitude. Shame on that lady. #sondosalqattan #moderndayslavery," wrote social-media user Jaja Caringal. Caringal later tweeted that after she send Alqattan a private message, the Instagram star blocked her on the social media platform.

Alqattan did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment.

Sondos tweet

"What's 'pathetic' is that you look at domestic workers with such a superior attitude," wrote Kuwaiti Twitter user Mutamarrida.

Of more than 250,000 Filipinos in the Gulf country, at least 60% are domestic workers who live and work in the homes of their employers for more money than they can earn at home.

Kuwait has become a popular overseas destination for Filipino workers in recent years.

More than 55% of Philippines domestic workers live in the Middle East where an infamous sponsorship system, known as Kefala, dictates their working conditions. Under Kefala, domestic workers cannot leave the country or change jobs without their employers' consent.

Groups such as Human Rights Watch have argued that the system creates a breeding ground for harsh working conditions, and have documented numerous cases of abuse.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Kuwaiti Instagram star slams days off for Filipino domestic workers."
Sunday, July 22, 2018 at 8:29AM

A concept image of the Rolls-Royce EVTOL craft mid-flight. Image: Rolls-RoyceThe race for the skies surges forward and one of those at the forefront might not be a company you expect. Rolls-Royce, the British automaker more known for its luxury cars, has been involved in the aviation space for as long as its been a car manufacturer. It has produced engines of some of the most famous aircraft ever built, including the Supermarine Spitfire fighter of World War II. Now, the company is bringing this expertise into the development of its own prototype electric vertical take-off and landing (EVTOL) vehicle.

Often called the flying taxi concept, Rolls-Royce unveiled this vehicle at the Farnborough International Airshow. The EVTOL is being marked for use in everything from private ownership, public transport, logistics, to military use. It makes use of gas turbines to generate electricity for the six propulsors, which is designed specifically with a low-noise profile. By using turbines, it wouldnt need to be recharged and it can fit into the existing infrastructure such as heliports and airports. This EVTOL can hold five people and travel at speeds of up to 400kph with a range of over 500km. When it reaches cruising height, its wings fold away to reduce drag and cabin noise. Two propellers will help it fly through the air. Rolls-Royce sees this model as being commercially viable by the middle of the next decade.

Source: Silicon Republic
To the editor:

Congress person Francis Rooney, conceding that he has done nothing so far for Southwest Florida in a recent NPR interview described himself as  just a foot soldier for President Trump. Indeed, this is a far more honest assessment from a man with much to be humble about, than your recent letter to the editor by Missi Lastra. Lastra (whom you neglected to identify as the President of the Republican Women of Cape Coral) misrepresents his record claiming he had accomplished something. His lack of accomplishment on anything she obscures by claiming he has been a champion for Florida. He has not.

The Rooney Trump agenda of declaring there will be no drilling and then a few weeks later announcing that they were just kidding, and Florida waters arent really off limits to big oil is typical of the bait-and-switch tactics of giving the home constituency nothing but false braggadocio. Deep in the pocket of Big Sugar, Rooney has done nothing to protect the water to south Florida, allowing it to be polluted by agribusiness run off from Lake O.

Protecting life is how the writer describes Rooneys willingness to put a womens life at risk by forcing her into precarious medical model, hoping to foist unwanted children onto welfare state expense. One out of seven people are nutritionally at risk in South Florida. But Rooney and Trumps refusing medical insurance to indigent families and attempts cut to food stamps simply undermines any child born to a single mother of having a fair shot at meaningful citizenship.

For professional panderers to misogyny like Congressperson Rooney there is never any suggestion that the baby daddy kick in a penny to carry the cost of raising the child. Of course not. Dump the welfare baby on the taxpayers door step and piously claim Gods will. He is an unmitigated failure, and should be voted out.

Ellen Starbird

Cape Coral
An officer with the Fort Myers Police Department was shot and wounded at approximately 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 21, on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard near Flint Drive.

According to a FMPD issued at 12:30 a.m., the officer was transported to Lee Memorial Hospital and underwent surgery. Information about the officers condition is unavailable.

After the shooting, FMPD and Lee County Sheriffs Deputies closed all traffic on Martin Luther King from Veronica Shoemaker Boulevard east to Michigan Avenue. Earlier this morning, the road was reopened to traffic.

Lee County Sheriffs Office personnel are assisting the Fort Myers Police Department in the investigation.

A suspect is in custody at this time.
Anyone looking for something this summer to do that does not involve getting sand in your food, should check out the Okanagan Science Centre.

The Polson Park facility is running a variety of special programs all summer.

Jim Swingle, OSC executive director, said the programs are not only fun, but educational for all ages.

We're really excited, we have a number of programs for visitors, said Swingle, adding the special programs are included in the regular price of admission or free for members.

The schedule is on our website, but there are planetarium shows, gryro-chair rides, chances to meet the different reptiles that live here, magic mud programs on butterflies  pretty much anything that interests you, at some point this summer we'll have a program on it, said Swingle.

Swingle said the summer programs are to make things more fun for guests and to give people a hands-on experience.

It's a great place if you want a break from the heat or if it a rainy day and want some indoor activities it's a great place to come, said Swingle.
Living close to Tugboat Beach I observe daily dog owners ignoring the no dog on beach bylaw. Some dog owners react hostile when confronted.

I have 3 suggestions for our city bylaw department:



1. Add another sign to the existing no dogs sign informing dog owners about the nearest dog beach alternatives

2. Post a phone number of nearby security people

3. Impose a $200 fine

Dirk Kukler
Photo: Contributed

Join our wine writer, Allison Markin, every week for a wine review complete with food and music pairings. Featuring Okanagan and Canadian wines, with an occasional international bottle, Castanet celebrates the bottles of our Valley and the diversity of the Canadian wine industry and influences from around the world. For current availability and pricing, consult the winery. Unless indicated, international selections are generally available at government liquor stores or private wine shops.

Wine: Bacchus, 2017

Winery: Arrowleaf, Lake Country

Why drink it? If its been a while since you took an afternoon to explore Lake Country, put Arrowleaf into the GPS and go check out the view. Pick up some treats from the bakery, or plan on enjoying the picnic patio for an hour or so. This white wine is not a blend, but Bacchus is a cross between Riesling, Sylvaner, and Muller-Thurgau, producing an aromatic wine with multiple layers of fresh floral notes and herbs on the nose. Peaches mixed with citrus flavours, the palate is light, with a refreshing finish of grapefruit and a hint of elderflower, and a very slight off-dry sweetness.

Price: $16

Pair with: Truly a sipping wine because of the slight sweetness and refreshing finish, you dont need to think too hard about what to enjoy with this. Its fruit season. Pick up some apricots, peaches, whatever is fresh your local fruit stand. If youre ambitious, lightly grill and drizzle with honey.

Music pairing: Slings and Arrows by Moody Blues

Have a wine to suggest? Email Allison at [email protected]
Photo: BC Hydro More than 2,000 BC Hydro customers in Lake Country are currently in the dark.

UPDATE: 8:20 p.m.

Power has now been restored for more than 1,900 customers in the Lumby area, after a single-car crash caused an outage for more than two hours.

The car crashed into a power pole on Whitevale Road, Lumby Fire Chief Tony Clayton says. Fire crews closed the road temporarily to deal with downed power wires.

Clayton says no one was around when fire crews arrived, so it's not known what caused the collision.

Close to 4,000 BC Hydro customers were without power for a short time Saturday evening. An outage first reported in Lake Country at 5:15 p.m. lasted until about 7:30 p.m.

UPDATE: 7:45 p.m.

The lights are back on for more than 2,000 Lake Country residents after a power outage that lasted about two hours.

BC Hydro crews determined the cause of the outage was trees falling down on power lines.

In the Lumby area, 1,905 customers remain without power due to an outage that occurred at 6 p.m, and crews are now working on repairs. The outage is a result of a motor vehicle accident.

UPDATE: 6:30 p.m.

A total of 1,905 BC Hydro customers in the North Okanagan are now in the dark, from Lumby to Mabel Lake.

BC Hydro's outage map shows the outage occurred at 5:59 p.m., with the cause listed as a motor vehicle accident.

The outage comes about 40 minutes after power was knocked out in Lake Country to 2,008 BC Hydro customers, the cause of which is not yet known.

It's unclear when crews will be on scene to deal with the outage in the Lumby area.

ORIGINAL: 6:05 p.m.

Just over 2,000 BC Hydro customers in Lake Country are currently without power.

According to BC Hydro's outage map, the lights went out for 2,008 customers at 5:17 p.m. It's unclear when power could be restored.

The outage is believed to have occurred on Okanagan Centre Road East, just north of Winfield. The cause is not yet known, but crews are expected to arrive on scene at 6:30 p.m.

Castanet will have more details as they become available.
Photo: Facebook

Peachland's former mayor, George Waldo, passed away Friday.

Waldo was sometimes controversial during his time as mayor in the 1980's and 90's.

Waldo lived in Peachland for 34 years and served three years as a councillor before being elected mayor. He sat in the chair for a total of 19 years.

It is with heavy hearts that we share news of the passing of George Waldo, said a news release issued by the District of Peachland Friday.

Waldo was so well regarded that the road, Waldo Way was named after him.
Photo: Colton Davies A notice in Meadow Valley, north of Summerland, regarding a power outage that began on Friday.

Extreme natural weather events in the Okanagan have been especially unkind to rural Summerland residents in recent times.

As a result of the 1,374-hectare Mount Eneas wildfire, 30 Garnet Valley properties (north of Summerland) are evacuated, and more than 80 others are on evacuation alert. About 50 properties in Meadow Valley (northwest of Summerland) are on alert as well.

This wildfire risk follows the threat of the 2,200-hectare Finlay Creek wildfire 10 months ago, which led to 55 evacuations in Meadow Valley and 29 alerts in Garnet Valley, as well as nearly 100 alerts in Faulder (west of Summerland).

Not to be forgotten is the overland flooding during the spring, when all of those areas were under a state of local emergency.

"We could use a break," Meadow Valley resident Glenn Prochnau said with a laugh, who still had sandbags in place along the road from spring flooding when Castanet was in the area on Saturday.

Prochnau lives on Fish Lake Road, about three kilometres south of the current evacuation alert boundary. The nearby alert, though, was news to him; his home is out of cell service and he's been without power for more than two full days, along with nearly 250 other property owners.

"We've got to drive three miles to check the internet on our phones."

Despite another threat of fire, Prochnau said he and his neighbours aren't on edge like they were during the Finlay Creek wildfire, which came much closer to their homes.

"Last year it seemed more imminent... After that scare this year doesn't seem like any big deal."

The same lack of worry likely isn't being felt for Garnet Valley residents, however. Flames from the Mount Eneas wildfire came dangerously close to homes earlier this week, but no structures were said to have been impacted.

Rural Summerland residents did, however, receive somewhat of a break on Saturday, as the Mount Eneas wildfire didn't grow for the first time since Wednesday.

And Prochnau believes fire crews are set up for success to protect homes again in the area this year.

"It's almost the same fire [area] burning again. They've already made a 50-foot-wide swath where they've knocked all the trees, and everything that can burn, down. They've already done the fire protection.

"They did a great job last year and I'm sure they'll do it again."
Photo: The Canadian Press

As more tourists flock to Haida Gwaii off the northern coast of British Columbia, the remote archipelago's largest village is facing an unusual problem.

Despite a declining population, Queen Charlotte village is experiencing a housing crisis, Mayor Greg Martin said.

"Housing is tight, we're pretty close to zero vacancy," he said. "Ironically, over the last 20 years we've had a reduction in population."

Visitors are drawn to the moss-covered rainforests and historic totem pole and longhouse remains that mark some of the oldest examples of coastal First Nations villages.

In recent years, the tourism season has grown from three to six months, and in conjunction some long-term housing options are being converted into short-term vacation properties on websites like Airbnb, Martin said.

A recent housing report funded by B.C. Housing and the Gwaii Trust Society identified increased demand from tourists and the growth of short-term rentals as one of many factors at play in the shortage that also included an increase in non-resident ownership, little land availability and limited funding for non-profit housing.

As of March, there were 39 rentals listed on Airbnb, up from 29 listings in early December, it said.

The 2016 census counted 500 private dwellings in the village.

The shift to short-term rentals has left the community with the predicament of wanting to welcome visitors while finding ways to protect and increase housing stock.

"It's a delicate balance, a very delicate balance," Martin said.

Population declined in the village to about 850 by 2016 from 1,200 in 1996, in line with the shrinking of logging and commercial fishing, Martin said.

Many of the houses remain, but they are occupied by fewer people.

Some younger people have left the village in search of employment, while Martin said empty-nesters like himself live in larger homes with few options to downsize.

The housing report found 30 per cent of respondents said they struggled to pay rent every month and considered it either expensive or very expensive.

Lorelei Krueger, owner of the Ocean View Restaurant in the village, said she had to reduce hours of operation when she couldn't find enough staff to move to the island.

"It's really hard to recruit people to work here when there's nowhere to live. We were lucky enough to recruit a chef (from Vancouver) three weeks ago who was very lucky to find a place," she said.

While Krueger doesn't want Airbnb hosts to lose money, she said she'd like to see some kind of balance between short-term and longer-term housing availability.
Alanna Kelly

UPDATE: 9:30 p.m.

A successful planned ignition has combined two wildfires and will now be referred to as the Mount Eneas wildfire.

The estimated size of the out of control wildfire is 1,516 hectares in size.

Munroe Lake and Mount Eneas were combined to one fire and was done to remove the fuel on the steeper slopes, said BC Wildfire Service.

Now crews can now action the fire on flatter, safer ground.

Ground crews, heavy equipment and air support worked on the fire with 112 firefighters.

North Beach Road and Callan Road remain on an evacuation alert at this time.

UPDATE: 5:30 p.m.

A technically challenging task was successfully completed by the BC Wildfire Service on Sunday.

Helicopters used a plastic spherical dispenser to drop ping-pong sized balls that burst into flames on impact to connect the Mount Eneas and Munro Lake wildfires together.

Incident commander for the Okanagan Complex Glen Burgess said the task went as well as they planned.

Burgess said the Mount. Eneas fire is burning out of control, but they don't expect any growth.

UPDATE: 1:35 p.m.

A dramatic and enormous plume of smoke has filled the sky in Peachland after BC Wildfire Service has attempted to join two fires into one.

Numerous helictopers could be seen circling the area during a planned ignite over the Mount Eneas and Munro Lake wildfire.

The large smoke between the two demonstrates the goal of joining the 150 hectares between the two wildfires.

BC Wildfire Service dropped ping-pong size balls filled with chemicals that ignite on contact out of helicopters to bridge the two fires.

UPDATE: 12:30 p.m.

BC Wildfire Service said they plan to fight fire with fire today in Peachland.

Fire Information Officer Noelle Kekula said "ping-pong" size balls filled with chemicals will be dropped from a helicopter and ignite on impact.

This will likely occur around noon today, but will depend on numerous factors.

UPDATED: 11:25 a.m.

Mount Eneas and Munro Lake wildfires near Peachland will soon become one large fire.

"If residents see a helicopter dropping fire dont be alarmed, its on purpose," says Noelle Kekula, BC Wildfire Service information officer.

The area between the two fires is about 150 hectares and merging the two would make battling the fires more efficient and safer for firefighters, she said.

The Mount Eneas wildfire is currently burning at about 1,500 hectares while the Munro Lake fire is burning at 60 hectares.

Merging the two wildfires will bring the blaze up to more than 1,500 hectares.

"A test burn will determine if the operation will go ahead. Increased smoke may be visible," she said.

It is expected to be a low to moderate intensity burn.

A helicopter will be seen this morning dropping fire between the two blazes. Retardant was also seen being dropped on the northwest side.

The District of Peachland remains under a state of local emergency while the Mount Eneas and Munro Lake wildfires continue to burn.

UPDATED: 10:40 a.m.

Peachland Mayor Cindy Fortin speaks about the Mount Eneas fire that burns between Peachland and Summerland.

ORIGINAL: 10:26 a.m.

Castanet reporter Alanna Kelly is on scene in Peachland near the Mount Eneas wildfire that continues to burn at an estimated 1,374 hectares.

Kelly has an interview lined up with Peachland Mayor Cindy Fortin who will provide more information on the current state of the District.

The fire is believed to have grown slightly overnight but has apparently stayed within its boundaries, according to the BC Wildfire Service.

Castanet will provide more information shortly.
Hassan Martin signs with Medi Bayreuthhttps://t.co/CW34oMwCkz  Sportando (@Sportando) July 20, 2018

BOOOOOM! Hier kommt der nachste Neuzugang! Willkommen im Team der #HeroesOfTomorrow, Hassan Martin!  #gomedi https://t.co/9vcgcIMlri  medi bayreuth (@medibayreuth) July 20, 2018

has reportedly signed a contract with, as reported by the team.Martin had a fine showing for the Celtics entry in the recent Summer League, and many of us felt he would sign at least a two-way contract with Boston. Hassan averagedof action for Boston's entry in Summer League.At 6'7" and 235 pounds, Martin showed promise as an, and possibly, at the NBA level. A solid defender and rebounder, he has a knack for scoring in close to the basket. We wish him well in Germany.Follow Tom at @TomLaneHCPhoto via Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images
Within 10 minutes of talking, a group of teenagers in concert tees makes a beeline to the table and starts asking about Students Demand Action. Jack Kohutek, who is at Pitchfork working with his wife, Lisa, and Simutis, says the warm welcome is typical at Pitchfork. "People see our sign from across the park, and make a beeline over just to talk," he says.
Not only is that a compelling vista into this play, but Dodges conceptual work also doesnt undermine the plays sexual charge, and actually only enhances its stakes. The show comes with a fabulous young Maggie in Genevieve Angelson; shes both of her time and, aptly enough, timeless in her approach to her woman, unloved. Theres a fine freshness to Angelsons work  freshness often is the first thing to go with this particular role  and the sense that notice is being served on Brick and his ilk, notice that women soon will no longer prostrate themselves for masculine attention, even if, in 1955, Maggie did not yet have the words. Its a dynamic and counterintuitive performance that, for Williams fans, is well worth some effort to see.
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Search crews on Sunday spent a second day on Lake Michigan looking for Jon Santarelli, 53, of Lincoln Park. On Saturday, he was moving toward the back of the boat to make a routine adjustment to the sail when a large wave hit the boat, catching him off balance and causing him to fall in the water, club Rear Commodore Nick Berberian said.
Every day, their staff is working to turn around the state of Illinois, and I am grateful for the opportunity to spend the remainder of my career doing something I believe in, he said. I look forward to helping make a difference for workers in the state and across the U.S.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that the operation had been carried out due to an "immediate threat" to the rescue workers' lives, and that it had been coordinated with the United States and several European nations. Jordan said later 422 Syrian citizens had crossed its border, and that they would now be resettled as refugees in several Western countries.
As he heard gunfire, Sean Gerace, who was working in the back of the supermarket, grabbed several co-workers and the group made their way into an upstairs storage area. He placed a folding storage ladder outside of a window, helping colleagues escape to safety, he told KNBC-TV.
The former president went on to say that you can't change peoples minds if you just out of hand disregard what your opponent has to say from the start. And you can't do it if you insist that those who aren't like you  because they are white or they are male  that somehow theres no way they can understand what I'm feeling, that somehow they lack standing to speak on certain matters.
We chatted a bit after we were through, laughing a bit and patting ourselves on the back for a job well done. He wanted to know why I was leaving such a nice home and neighborhood. I explained that we were moving into a smaller home; our two children had grown and moved out on their own. He told me his children were growing up and would be leaving home soon too. I am not sure what my new friends immigration status is, nor do I care. This man was scouring the neighborhood streets in search of something of value to help his family, and he ended up helping me. Not a murderer, drug dealer, or rapist. A hardworking family man willing to help a stranger in need.
Armendariz last saw his mother, Corina Marin, on Jan. 11 when she drove from her home in Rockford to see him, Marin said in an email. He planned to take a few days off from work visit her the week of Jan. 31, Marin added.
Markham police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the incident, and the state police said it was unable to provide any details about the shooting due to its ongoing investigation.
The fire happened around 9 p.m. in a building at 375 W. River Road and was upgraded to include hazardous materials technicians from Elgin and South Elgin fire departments, according to an Elgin fire department news release. Firefighters entered the building and discovered the fire was extinguished by an automatic sprinkler system, the release stated. There was minimal chemical involvement, it stated.
Semel said after roping the area where the two adults chose to nest at Waukegan, the public seemed very aware of what was going on and we didnt have any problems. But with a host of potential predators, including gulls nearby and the beach being so busy in the summer, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided to remove the eggs and take them to an artificial brooding facility in Michigan.
McLemore, who ran unsuccessfully for the board in 2017, said he doesnt think the school board has done enough to address the issues related to the alleged thefts. He also has called on another board member, who McLemore said has ties to the case, and board President Ruth Davis to resign.
"We just kind of looked and wondered what was up, and then the frantic phone calls (from another Mad Bomber employee) started coming in," McDermott said. "The Hammond Fire Department was across the street, so they, along with officers, myself, Dr. Mike Foreit and members of the Hammond Port Authority, who we had to call back because they were done for the night, got in a boat to get out there."
Chinese banking regulators continued to take a tough line on market violations in the first half of the year to maintain stable market order and prevent financial risks.

The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission said it fined 798 banking institutions a total of 1.43 billion yuan (around 210 million U.S. dollars) in the January-June period. A hundred and seventy-five people were punished, with some receiving life bans from the sector.

Violations in the banking sector have been curbed as risky businesses continued to shrink and the market order improved, the commission said in a statement.

As a signal of retreating shadow banking, interbank assets and non-bond investment dropped 2.6 percent and 7 percent year on year, respectively, in the first six months.

The commission stressed that banks played a bigger role in supporting the real economy, with more money pumped into the manufacturing sector. Outstanding loans for small businesses, agriculture, and affordable housing went up 14.2 percent, 7.6 percent, and 45.6 percent, respectively.

Despite risks largely under control, the commission said the situation is still "grim and complicated" due to lingering risky areas and rising external uncertainties, vowing continued effort to crack down on market disorder and forestall systemic risks.
You are here: Business

Shanghai-headquartered SAIC Motor said it sold 3.5 million vehicles in the first six months of the year, up 10.9 percent year on year.



In June alone, 554,100 units were sold, a growth of 7.2 percent than the same period last year, according to the company.

During the January-June period, SAIC's new energy vehicle (NEV) sales grew by 275.2 percent year-on-year to 57,400 units.

The company expects an annual sales of NEVs to top 600,000 by 2020.

According to this year's Fortune 500 list released Thursday, SAIC Motor ranks 36th and is the top-ranking Chinese automaker with an sales of 129 billion U.S. dollars last year.
Ampil, the 10th typhoon this year, has made landfall on the island of Chongming in Shanghai at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, packing winds of up to 28 meters per second near its eye, the municipal meteorological observatory said.







The island, 45 km east of downtown Shanghai, is at the mouth of the Yangtze River.





The Shanghai municipal flood control headquarters said it had relocated a total of 190,000 people from coastal areas by early Sunday morning.





Shanghai Disney Resort said it operates normally, but will suspend some outdoor attractions and performances during periods of heavy rain or high winds. Shanghai Tower, the tallest building in China, has suspended rooftop sightseeing.





In neighboring provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu, more than 42,500 people were also relocated. More than 28,000 ships including 22,900 fishing boats have returned to port in Zhejiang.












U.S. President Donald Trump has created another controversy. This time, his meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Helsinki and a rather imbecilic joint press conference are the cause of the firestorm. He is under attack from both the right and left for letting down the country's intelligence community by doubting their findings on Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Trump's victory in the election has been under the spotlight from day one due to alleged Russian cyber interference to tip the scales in his favor by harming the prospects of rival Hillary Clinton. Though a thorough probe by special counsel Robert Mueller is still underway, several senior U.S. officials have said that there is sufficient proof of hidden Russian hands deftly working for the president.

At the joint press briefing after the Helsinki summit, Trump ostensibly accepted the assurances given by Putin that the allegations were not true. This landed him in trouble; by siding with the opinions of an archrival on a very sensitive matter, Trump unwittingly let down his own intelligence agencies.

The summit itself was not very successful either. Putin was right to say that it was just the first step, and that several top-level meetings would be needed to build trust and address some of thorniest issues between the two powers.

Trump had decided to go ahead with the meeting after sidestepping suggestions that the current moment was not the best time for parleys with Putin. But this put him in an awkward position when he failed to get any kind of assurance from Russia on Syria, Crimea or Ukraine.

And he poured oil on the fire by submitting to Putin's account of the meddling issue while completely ignoring his own officials' claims. This has broadly united Americans' opinion against their president. There is a general view that Trump should have waited till the conclusion of the Mueller probe before giving any such pass to Putin and his oligarchs.

His opponents also insist that Trump, being the leader of the most powerful nation on earth, should have looked straight into the eyes of his Russian counterpart and told him point-blank that any kind of meddling in U.S. domestic politics is not acceptable. Yet he chose not do so, for reasons perhaps known only to him.

To be fair to Trump, he has been trying to rebuild relations with Russia after decades of mistrust and animosity. And he has faced only opposition from the traditional anti-Russian establishment and bureaucracy. Old feelings about an evil Russian empire trying to overpower Western liberal political and economic values are still common. U.S. policymakers are not wholly out of their Cold War hangover. A resurgent Russia, having annexed Crimea and turned the tide of events in Syria, is considered a threat, just like it was in the heydays of communism. Past and present Russian governments  from the czars to the U.S.S.R. to Putin's Russian Federation  have done little to allay these kinds of fears. The threat of Russia's expansionist designs impacted generations of scholars, politicians and even ordinary people in North America and the rest of Europe. An American president is supposed to stand tall before Russia as a leader of the liberal world, while the nation feels a sense of superiority in their diplomacy, politics, economics and defense.

Trump has been trying in vain to bypass this unwritten protocol, and has been insisting that good ties with Russia are in the interest of his country. He is more focused on building the economic might of America. There is nothing wrong with such ideas, but he cannot go it alone, as is his wont. He should have to take along the establishment  including the intelligence community, the Department of Defense, and the major political parties, including its right-wing elements that he is supposed to represent.

Instead of following the safer path, Trump has tried for a shortcut, and met with Putin in order to build a cooperative relationship at the cost of ignoring tenuous issues. It has backfired and created only more bumps in the road for him.

Trump should follow his vision as president, but he needs to change his attitude. He could have easily avoided the latest controversy by not being so direct during his interactions with media after the summit. Even a simple change in his choice of words, no matter how small, could have gone a long way.

Sajjad Malik is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SajjadMalik.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping and Senegalese President Macky Sall held talks in Dakar on Saturday, vowing to create a better future for China-Senegal ties.

The two leaders spoke highly of the development of bilateral ties in recent years, and agreed to continue to make joint efforts and promote more fruitful results from cooperation in various fields.

Xi arrived here earlier on Saturday for the first state visit to Senegal by a Chinese head of state in nine years.

During the meeting with his host, the Chinese president thanked the government and people of Senegal for their warm hospitality and welcome, saying it fully demonstrated that China-Senegal friendship has gained broad support.

Recalling their joint decision to forge a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries in 2016, Xi said that thanks to joint efforts from both sides, China-Senegal relations have entered a fast track with growing political mutual trust and concrete economic and trade cooperation.

China is willing to join hands with Senegal to lift bilateral ties and cooperation to a higher level, so as to bring more benefits to both peoples, Xi said.

The Chinese president expressed appreciation to Sall for viewing their ties from a strategic perspective, positively responding to the Belt and Road Initiative and strongly supporting China-Africa cooperation.

The two sides should carry out closer high-level exchanges and support each other on issues concerning their core interests and major concern, said Xi.

Noting that the two countries should strengthen the alignment of development strategies and policy communication, Xi welcomed Senegal to be the first West African country to sign a Belt and Road cooperation document with China.

We hope to take this opportunity to comprehensively upgrade China-Senegal cooperation, he said.

China will continue to uphold the spirit of "teaching a man to fish," expand and deepen cooperation with Senegal, and enhance its ability in independent development, Xi said.

He called on the two countries to boost people-to-people exchanges and promote mutual understanding between the two peoples.

The two sides should enhance law enforcement and security cooperation, Xi said, adding that China supports Senegal in building capability in counter-terrorism, peacekeeping and safeguarding stability.

China supports Senegal in playing a greater role in global and regional affairs, and is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with Senegal in major international and regional issues such as peace and security in Africa, the United Nations and climate change, so as to protect the common interests of Africa and developing countries, said the Chinese president.

Noting that he attaches great importance to China-Africa ties, Xi said he feels strongly about the long-term friendship between China and Africa, and their common future in sharing weal and woe.

The two sides are sincere partners on their path of development and natural allies in international affairs, Xi said, adding that China's development will bring more opportunities to Africa, while Africa's development will add momentum to China's development.

China will continue to uphold its African policy and concept of sincerity, concrete results, affinity and good faith, uphold justice and pursue shared interests, promote the construction of a closer China-Africa community with a shared future, so as to realize win-win cooperation and common development, Xi said.

In September, we will hold a summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, said Xi, adding that he is looking forward to meeting African leaders including President Sall in Beijing and discussing the important agenda on China-Africa cooperation.

For his part, Sall thanked President Xi for visiting Senegal in his first overseas trip since being re-elected as Chinese president, saying that it is Senegalese people's honor.

Hailing that China made significant contributions to humanity's progress in history, Sall said today's China is playing an even more important role in international affairs.

Senegal, Sall said, admires China's development achievements, appreciates China's precious support for Senegalese economic and social development and its implementation of revitalization plan.

The bilateral ties, based on solidarity, mutual trust, mutual respect, win-win and mutual benefit, are strong and satisfactory, said the Senegalese president.

Senegal firmly adheres to the one-China policy, is committed to deepening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with China, stands ready to enhance cooperation in areas such as infrastructure construction, water conservation, industrialization, agricultural product processing, tourism, culture and sports, said Sall.

Senegal supports China's Belt and Road Initiative and stands ready to vigorously participate in connectivity construction, Sall said, adding that his country appreciates China's contribution in Africa's peace and development cause.

The FOCAC is a cooperative framework featuring inclusiveness, effectiveness and solidarity, established on the basis of practical cooperation, Sall said, vowing Senegal's full support in strengthening the FOCAC, deepening cooperation between China and Africa, and establishing the China-Africa community with a shared future.

Senegal is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China in multilateral affairs, and work with China to build a more balanced, just and inclusive global governance system, safeguard multilateralism and oppose protectionism, Sall said.

After their talks, Xi received Senegal's top medal of honor from Sall, and the two leaders witnessed the signing of multiple cooperation documents, including the one on jointly building the Belt and Road.

Before the talks, the Senegalese president and people held a grand welcoming ceremony for Xi, with thousands of locals dressed in festive attire, cheering, singing and dancing.

Senegal's official guards of the presidency also put on a magnificent parade on the streets of Dakar escorting the Chinese president.

Senegal is the second stop in Xi's first overseas trip after being re-elected Chinese president in March. He has already visited the United Arab Emirates and will pay state visits to Rwanda and South Africa, attend the 10th BRICS summit in Johannesburg, and visit Mauritius during a stopover.
 Flash

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday said that any negotiation with the United States to solve the existing mutual problems is an "obvious mistake," official IRNA news agency reported.

Khamenei also said that negotiations with the Europeans should continue to secure Iran's interests from the 2015 international nuclear deal.

"The United States seeks to restore its status in Iran as they enjoyed before the Islamic Revolution (in 1979), and they will not accept less than that," Khamenei said in a meeting with the Iranian Foreign Ministry staff in the capital Tehran.

"The United States has basic and fundamental problem with the (Islamic) establishment," Khamenei was quoted as saying.

The U.S. disagreement with Iran's nuclear and enrichment capability, as well as Iran's regional role, is an indication of Washington's enmity with the Islamic republic, he said.

Iran's presence in the region is elemental for Iran's power and security and it is a strategic policy, he stressed.

"I have reiterated that we cannot rely on the U.S. words and even their signature, therefore, negotiations with them are fruitless," he was quoted as saying.

To press Iran to go back to the negotiation table over the internationally-recognized nuclear deal in 2015, U.S. President Donald Trump has said that sanctions on Iran will snap back in August and November.

"The first part of our sanctions will snap back on Aug. 6. These sanctions will include targeting Iran's automotive sector, trade in gold and other key metals," Brian Hook, director of policy planning for the State Department of the United States, said on July 2.

"The remaining sanctions will snap back on Nov. 4. These sanctions will target Iran's energy sector and petroleum related transactions, and transactions with the Central Bank of Iran," he added.

Following Trump's decision to quit the historic Iran nuclear pact on May 8, the United States vowed to reimpose sanctions lifted under the accord against Iran and inflict punishments like secondary sanctions on nations that have business links with Iran.

"Negotiations with the Europeans should not be cut off, but we should not wait too long for a European package and instead, we should do a lot of work inside the country," Khamenei said on Saturday.

Before Khamenei's remarks, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Saturday that his ministry had made a comprehensive plan to help expand the country's economic bonds with neighbors as well as others.

Zarif said Iran's Foreign Ministry had also been able to foil an Israeli project to portray Iran as a threat.

He described efforts by Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to scare the world away from Iran as "cheap theatricals" that had resulted in nothing but their own isolation.

Zarif said that "war rooms" had been created in certain countries to pressure Iran, but those efforts were futile.

"We have gone through hard times," he said. "We will be able to overcome problems through cooperation and unity without suffering any harm under the guidance of the leadership and the help of the people."

Earlier, Khamenei dismissed the U.S. political and economic pressures against the Islamic republic as desperate attempts.

Khamenei said that the United States is not able to pressure Iran alone, so it has made coalitions with "disgraceful and reactionary states" in the region.

"We will increase our bond with the people day by day," he said, noting that "the hatred of the Iranian nation for the United States has been increasing day by day."

Washington's withdrawal from the landmark Iran nuclear deal was criticized across the world. Some of its major European allies have been working to prevent the 2015 deal from falling apart.
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A Japanese man was sentenced to 23 years in prison after he murdered a pair of Chinese sisters and left their bodies in bags near Tokyo last year, reported Kyodo News on Friday.

The Yokohama District Court made the verdict on Friday and dismissed all the argument from the defense lawyers.

The 39-yaer-old Tatusya Iwasaki was an acquaintance of the Chinese sisters, Chen Baolan, 25 and Chen Baozhen, 22. He was said to have been interested in the elder sister and was seen on a surveillance camera entering the sisters apartment on July 6 and leaving with suitcases and bags the following day. The police also found Iwasaki's driving records which showed his car traveled from the area of the victim's apartment to Hadano.

Iwasaki was detained on July 16 by police. The murder later triggered off a warning from the Chinese Embassy in Japan, urging Chinese nationals in Japan to remain on high alert.

In the court, Iwasaki's lawyers said that he had just cooperated in an elaborate plan to make the two girls look like they had disappeared. Iwasaki also argued that one of the girls was going to use him to contract a fake marriage.

However, the court ruled that the crime was conducted with a strong intention of killing, because only Iwasaki was able to enter the apartment and there was no sign of a third person.

Chen Baolan first landed in Japan as a foreign exchange student in 2009 and then graduated from a clothing design school. Bozhen also came to Japan to study at a game software school in 2012. According to the Tokyo Reporters, a local English language news portal, the two were believed to be involved in sex trade later and worked at a red light district in Isezakicho, Yokohama where they met Iwasaki and got to know him.
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The Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) claimed responsibility for a clash on Saturday, killing 11 forces of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), PJAK spokesperson Amed Shaho told Rudaw Media Network.

Eight other IRGC forces were injured in the clash with Kurdish militant groups in west of Iran, official IRNA news agency reported.

The "terrorist" attack targeted a military base in Dari village near Marivan city in Kurdistan province, the report said.

The PJAK said it launched the attack in retaliation to the killing of its forces and the assassination of one of its members in the Sulaymaniyah province of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.

The PJAK, an anti-Iranian Kurdish rebel group, is linked to Turkey's outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK).

Iran's western Kurdistan province has been the scene of bloody clashes between the Iranian security forces and the Kurdish rebels during the past years.
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A Moroccan anti-terror court has sentenced 18 people to one to 20 years in prison for terror-related crimes, the official MAP news agency reported on Saturday.

Two main defendants were given 20 years in prison, the report said, adding that one was sentenced to 19 years in prison, three to 16 years, and five to 15 years.

The other seven received one to 10 years in jail.

The convicts were sued for "forming a gang to commit terrorist attacks, glorifying a terror group, inciting others to commit terror crimes and failure to report a terror crime."

They were arrested in October 2017 in police raids in several Moroccan cities for suspected links to the Islamic State group.
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Legend leaves with a smile...

An elegant eulogy by Lord Carringtons son Rupert prompted good-natured laughter at the former Foreign Secretarys funeral. He told how his father was informed on his death bed of breaking news that Boris Johnson had quit the job anti-Brexiteer Lord C performed with such elan. A beatific smile appeared on his face and he died peacefully an hour later, said Rupert.

Lord Carringtonas informed on his death bed of breaking news that Boris Johnson had quit the job anti-Brexiteer Lord C performed with such elan. A beatific smile appeared on his face and he died peacefully an hour later

Former Tory leader and ex-Scots Guards officer Iain Duncan Smith grew impatient at a dinner with fellow Brexiteers last week when the sommelier failed to top up his glass. IDS grabbed a knife, used it to plunge the cork into the bottle and poured generous measures all round. You can take the man out of the mess room

Theresa May was on puckish form at No 10s summer drinks, telling guests how Donald Trumps wife excited passions during the couples recent UK visit. It all got too much for one Chelsea Pensioner, who became overly tactile with Melania, the Prime Minister said. The Secret Service just swooped in and deposited him elsewhere.

Liz finds quickest route to snub

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss tried to use No10 as a short cut to drinks with boss Philip Hammond  only to be blocked by a doorman asking: Do you have an invitation please, Madam? As Truss, left, prepared to explode, a No10 staffer defused the situation with a well-timed: Dont you know who she is?

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss tried to use No10 as a short cut to drinks with boss Philip Hammond  only to be blocked by a doorman asking: Do you have an invitation please, Madam?

Minutes after Labour lost its attempt to defeat the PM in a Brexit vote  when four of its MPs voted with the Tories  Labour Chief Whip Nick Brown headed for a drink on the Commons Terrace. Its all kicking off in there with the most terrible scenes of conflict and hostility, said the veteran bruiser, sipping his ale. Luckily, I have an excellent deputy.

Andys walk of shame

Scandal-hit Tory MP Andrew Griffiths  sacked as a Minister for sending S&M texts to two barmaids  was thrown a lifeline by Labour when they offered to pair him for the crunch Brexit vote to spare him the humiliation of seeing colleagues. No, came back the message from Tory whips. He wants to do the walk of shame. Masochistic.

Short shrift for the PMs Chief of Staff Gavin Barwell at a No10 meeting as he tried to placate Tory chiefs who think the Chequers Brexit deal was a sell out. When wet-behind-the-ears Barwell said I can assure you all that business is right behind the PM, one chief thundered: Dont tell me what businessmen want young lad, Ive been one for 50 years!

Pals of Lord Prior, whose home was daubed with pigs blood by lover Lizzie Purbrick after he had a fling with a fellow peers wife, joked that Priors late father, Jim, a Tory wet in the Thatcher government, would have shrugged off the assault. Maggies tongue-lashings were far more bloody, said one.
Justine Greening's idea for a second Brexit referendum is a terrible plan. The cost. The chaos. The inevitable cries of 'betrayal'. But this morning, it is the only plan. The sole, practical way of pulling us back from the brink of political, economic and constitutional catastrophe.

The politicians have blown it. Charged by the British people with implanting their wishes as expressed in the first Brexit referendum, they have failed.

Theresa May has, in her characteristically dogged and rational way, attempted to craft a deal that could unite the warring 52 per cent and 48 per cent tribes. And the standard-bearers of both have stabbed her in the back. Or in the case of the Kamikaze Remainers, stabbed her in the front.

Theresa May will mobilise a team to step up negotiations with the Europen Union over suggestions a 'no deal' situation could become reality

Finally, they have dropped the pretence. For months they proclaimed that their ambition was not to derail Brexit, but enhance it. But last week Ms Greening came clean. She wanted a second referendum, she wanted Remain to be on the ballot, and she would back a complete reversal of the decision made by the voters in 2016, she admitted.

This declaration immediately saw her lauded by the Remain lobby. But the adulation was misplaced. Ms Greening was elected on a manifesto pledge to honour the Brexit result. As a Minister, she worked towards Britain's withdrawal. Last month, she voted to have that withdrawal enshrined in law. And in the wake of Chequers, she expressed support for the Prime Minister's compromise. Her sudden volte-face may be pragmatic, but it is not honourable.

Her actions are, however, worthy of canonisation when set against those of some of her colleagues. Jacob Rees-Mogg has long been held up as paragon of flinty, fin-de-siecle Tory virtue. But as the Brexit debate has unfolded, he has come to feel the hand of history on his ego.

Tory rebels have missed the boat Conservative malcontents plan to spend the summer plotting an autumn challenge to Theresa May. But senior Tory officials believe they have already missed their window of opportunity. There is agreement on all sides that a new Prime Minister would have to be in place for the make- or-break European Council summit in October. But I'm told the party's leadership rules make it impossible for a contest to be completed in the required timeframe. 'It could take up to three months once we've got through the 1922 Committee, chosen candidates and run hustings,' a Conservative campaign HQ director explains. 'To have a new leader by conference, we'd have had to have started the process in July. 'With the House in recess, there's no way of completing an election in time for the October summit.' Breathe a little easier, Prime Minister. Advertisement

Mr Rees-Mogg has somehow convinced himself the 28,992 people of North East Somerset who voted for him at the last Election handed him a mandate to speak for Britain. Tuesday's attempt to sabotage May's deal in Parliament. The ongoing Nelsonian turning of a blind eye to his European Research Group colleagues' plot to unseat her. Letting it be known via 'friends' that he now views himself as the Tory Party  and nation's  kingmaker.

But unseemly though the actions of the Kamikaze Remainers and Brexiteers may have become, there is now no way of avoiding political reality. Collectively they have contrived to place a roadblock in the way of a Brexit deal.

Unwilling to compromise, they have led us to the point of gridlock. There is no way of securing a parliamentary majority for any Brexit settlement, hard or soft.

Which leaves us with three choices. The first is a General Election, and a new government. And that is not really a choice at all. Setting aside the general catastrophe of a Corbyn administration, it would probably not alter the parliamentary Brexit arithmetic.

To win a working majority, Labour would need to pick up seats in predominately Leave areas. It would need to stand on a manifesto that broadly mirrored its current 'reluctant Leave' stance. But Labour would still be a Remain party at heart. Its membership, heavily London-based, would never countenance a Labour-led withdrawal. Within days of a Corbyn victory, the fractures opening within the Tory Party would appear in Labour's ranks.

This leaves the second option. A 'no deal' Brexit. Over the past few weeks, it has become clear that this is the preferred option for many Brexiteers  for a simple reason. Having spent the past 40 years demanding Brexit, they haven't got the slightest idea how to deliver it.

On Wednesday, I sat in the parliamentary press gallery watching Boris Johnson's heavily hyped resignation speech. It was a flop. He had nothing. Some bluster. The Brexiteers' go-to soundbite about 'vassalage'. But this was not the barnstorming Boris of the Mayoral golden years. It was the return of the chastened man-child. That scared figure who had stood alongside Michael Gove the day after the referendum, looking like Dustin Hoffman in the final scene of The Graduate  the full enormity of his recklessness and selfishness finally dawning on him.

Boris has no plan. In the same way none of the Brexiteers has a plan. So they are now hoping to hoodwink people into thinking 'no deal' was their grand design after all.

The Chancellor (pictured) claims that the resignations of Brexiteer Ministers Mr Johnson and David Davis could ease negotiations

It wasn't. And we know that because they told us it wasn't. No deal was supposedly all a creation of Project Fear. 'I must say that I think that it was extraordinary to hear that we would have tariffs imposed on us,' Boris Johnson told a cheering audience of 6,000 in the final Wembley Brexit debate. 'Do you seriously suppose that they are going to be so insane as to allow tariffs to be imposed between Britain and Germany?'

A big problem with the Brexit posturing is the fatuous attempt by both sides to interpret the will of the 30 million voters, and divine precisely which model of Brexit they endorsed or rejected.

But one thing we can say for certain  no one offered them a 'no deal' Brexit. Remain warned against it, and Leave scoffed at the very idea it would ever happen.

Which leaves us with only one alternative. I was a staunch Remainer. But I was never a Remoaner. I agreed with those who said the sanctity of the first vote must be respected, and that Leave's victory  although narrow  was clear and decisive.

But with victory comes responsibility. A responsibility upon the architects of Brexit to find a practical way of delivering on the voters' instructions. And they have manifestly failed to discharge their duty.

They have no answer to the most fundamental Brexit question: 'What plan do you have that can secure the support of Parliament?'

David Davis has stated publicly he will never challenge the PM in a leadership contest. But I understand he hasn't given up hope of one day leading his party. 'David is our de Gaulle,' an ally explains. 'He would never knife Theresa. But if the deed was done and then the call came, he would serve.' If it emerges he is holidaying in Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises  the place de Gaulle called home  we'll know the game is afoot. Advertisement

So now we have to face facts. Accountability for delivering Brexit has to be removed from the politicians and placed back in the hands of the British people. They must now do what the politicians could not  and break the log-jam.

Instead of trying to mind-read what model of Brexit people voted for, the time has come to ask them. They might back May's compromise. They might yearn for a hard, 'no deal' Brexit, as the Kamikaze Brexiteers now contend. They could say: 'Screw this, you've had you chance, we're done with Brexit.'

I would vote for the May deal. But if the referendum result were to be overturned, the Brexiteers would have no one to blame but themselves. Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg had victory in their grasp. And arrogance and ambition are seeing them frittering it away.

The Brexiteers cannot be trusted to deliver Brexit. So it is time for them to step aside, and leave it the those who can. The men and women of Britain.
They say confidence is the key to financial success, and Olivia Carr showed she had it in spades when she made the bold move of hand-delivering her silk pillowcases to Kris Jenner.

Less than three years later, the Melbourne businesswoman turns over millions of dollars with her Shhh Silk brand, which has been featured on the social media pages of Kim Kardashian West, Kourtney Kardashian, Chrissy Teigen and Kylie Jenner.

Speaking to FEMAIL, Ms Carr shared her advice on turning a light bulb moment into a multi-million dollar business as well as how to benefit from the lucrative sphere of celebrity endorsements.

Million dollar baby: Olivia Carr (pictured wearing her latest collaboration with the world famous Beverley Hills Hotel) is the founder and CEO of luxury bedding and nightwear Shhh Silk

Shhh Silk pillowcases and nightwear collection is the brainchild of the Melbourne entrepreneur who previously worked in sales and marketing

Starting her career in sales and marketing, it wasnt until four years ago when she became an online retail general manager that Ms Carr, 36, discovered her love for the e-commerce branding space.

I left my job and went travelling across the US for five weeks to determine what brand I wanted to build, she said.

During her time in New York City, the serendipitous loss of her silk travel pillowcase triggered a light bulb moment for the budding entrepreneur.

I had to make do without for the remainder of the trip but when I returned to Australia, I realised I still couldnt find anything I loved in silk bedding online.

Im a long time user of silk products and I fully believe in the associated benefits, so I decided to take the opportunity I had identified and three days later I was on the plane to China to start the process of meeting with manufacturers and suppliers.

Kim Kardashian West is a vocal advocate of silk bedding, particularly Shhh Silk designs; the business mogul was the first person to commission personalised pillowcases from Ms Carr

The entrepreneur said the idea to target global celebrities like the Kardashians, Ms Carr was part of a broader strategy across the business.

'When you leave a corporate role and take the plunge out on your own like I did, of course there are massive risks.

'I was okay with the risk, but I knew I needed a steady plan of attack  my strategy was to go global from the outset.

'It's notoriously difficult to break into new markets individually, so I looked at the business through an international lens from day one and the easiest way to achieve success in this way was to target huge celebrities who had already endorsed silk products independently.'

Model and mother-of-two Chrissy Teigen is also a devotee of Shhh Silk bedding and eye masks, which reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles, prolong the life span of false lashes and leave hair smoother with less split ends after one use

Using her experience in direct marketing, Ms Carr set about doing just that and three months after launching had worked her way through exclusive gated communities in Los Angeles to personally deliver pillowcases to Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner.

'I knew the family were fans of silk pillowcases, and since then there has been so many catch points relating to the girls and their associates.'

When Kendall and Kylie Jenner visited Australia on a promotional tour, the savvy CEO created a PR package from the new Shhh Silk range and delivered it to the sisters' hotel.

King Kylie: On track to become the youngest 'self-made' billionaire in history, Kylie Jenner is pictured wearing personalised night eye masks with her executive assistant Victoria Villarroel (bottom right) and go-to make up artist Ariel Tejada aka Make Up By Ariel (centre background)

What are the benefits of sleeping on silk? * Silk reduces the deepening of fine lines and wrinkles * Silk hydrates your skin * Silk doesn't absorb facial oils or moisturisers in the way standard pillowcases do, allowing cosmetic products to work harder for your skin * Silk minimises friction, trauma and rubbing during the night * Silk pillowcases give you instantly smoother hair and reduces the appearance of split ends, as their cotton counterparts agitate and roughen the hair cuticle * Silk pillowcases extend the life of false eyelashes and prevent them falling out * Silk is hypoallergenic Advertisement

Kim Kardashian West was the first to request a personalised selection of pillowcases from the brand, an order which went on to open up the increasingly well-paying customisation market for Ms Carr.

Khloe [Kardashian] has also ordered some personalised stock. At Christmas, Kourtney requested 26 white cases for family and friends and Kendall [Jenner] went in to our store in Beverley Hills herself and bought her entire family pyjamas.'

Kourtneys six-year-old daughter Penelope Disick was also photographed wearing Shhh Silk on a recent trip to Italy.

Its amazing to see them wearing our designs and using them in their homes, and the impact on sales is incredible, Ms Carr said.

Shhh Silk has gone on to see sales of over a million dollars, with plans for major market expansion in the coming twelve months targeting lucrative regions like Europe and China.

A two pack of Queen sized white marble silk pillowcases (pictured) is available online from Shhh Silk for $159

Good American creator Khloe Kardashian sent a handwritten note to Ms Carr thanking her for a customised order of Shhh Silk pillowcases

'We are projecting a turnover of $3.3 million for the next financial year.'

In October 2017 the brand collaborated with the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel, a luxurious destination for Hollywood's elite over the past century.

Ms Carr is currently in California working on her second collaboration with the famous accommodation.

Asked about the unique selling point of Shhh Silk, Ms Carr said it's a question of design.

'The product was developed with a lot of personal thought in mind.

We were the first to market with the hidden zip-closure. Functionality is important for me, but in terms of what were known for, its our iconic patterns.

What people may not know is we hand draw our digital prints. The Beverley Hills Hotel collaboration range was painted with water colours.

'If I could do it all again, I would tell my younger self to get on top of numbers from the get go, draw up a budget and stick to it,' Ms Carr said of giving advice to her younger self

Sharing her advice with young people considering launching their own brand, Ms Carr emphasised the need for realism.

Ive always been a big advocate of backing and believing in yourself, but as my business has evolved, Ive definitely become more of a realist.

If youve got an amazing idea, first you need to think about how to scale that dream. Be realistic about how much money is required and how quickly you will need to grow the company  looking back, I grossly underestimated the sheer amount of cash I would need for a product based business.

If I could do it all again, I would tell my younger self to get on top of numbers from the get go, draw up a budget and stick to it.

'Good products will always grow, so treat it as a proper business and never work backwards.

Ms Carr is scheduled to speak at the upcoming Online Retailer Expo and Conference in Sydney on July 25th and 26th.
Forget snail creams, 24-karat gold face masks and vampire facials - there's a new beauty product made from fish skin that promises younger-looking complexion.

New Zealand company Revolution Fibres has launched a skincare range called actiVLayr - the anti-wrinkle collagen sheet masks - extracted from hoki fish.

Shaped to go under your eyes, the patches have been 'clinically proven' to instantly reduce wrinkles and under-eye darkness in just a matter of days.

The seven-day treatment, retailed at $69.99, is made from a proprietary blend of the country's natural ingredients, including kiwifruit, grape seed and marine collagen.

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Forget snail creams, 24-karat gold face masks and vampire facials - there's a new beauty product made from hoki fish skin that promises younger-looking complexion (stock images)

The ingredients? Marine Collagen: The hoki fish provides instant skin tightening due to the naturally skin compatibility. Vinanza Kiwifruit Extract: Kiwifruit has been clinically shown to decrease trans epidermal water loss and brighten skin. Vinanza Grape Seed Extract: The grapes have been shown to increase skin elasticity and decrease redness. Advertisement

Speaking to Sunrise, Revolution Fibres chief executive Iain Hosie said the product has been made purely from marine collagen - so there's no smell.

'All the sub-components of the [fish] skin is completely gone. We really just got the collagen and nothing but. There's no odour,' he explained.

Mr Hosie said the product works wonders because as soon as the masks hit the wet surface of your face, the fibre of the collagen instantly dissolves, penetrating the skin rapidly.

'We've made the fibres incredibly small, these fibres break down rapidly and it absorbs virtually instantly, and we get deep penetration of the skin,' he said.

The product works wonders because as soon as the masks hit the wet surface, the fibre of the marine collagen instantly dissolves, penetrating the skin rapidly

Revolution Fibres chief executive Iain Hosie (pictured) said the product has been made purely from marine collagen - so there's no smell

The seven-day treatment is retailed at $69.99

The idea to create the beauty face masks started after the company teamed up with Plant and Food research group.

'We discovered we could turn the collagen into fibres, and we instantly realised that this fibre was very soluble on the skin so we put the pieces together,' he explained.

'We discovered this could be a very good cosmetic product.'

The products are currently sold in Hong Kong and China - but Mr Hosie said they are hoping to sell the range around the world, including Australia within months.

'Just recently, we've got a lot of interest in many, many countries around the world. We're talking to a number of key distributors in Australia,' he said.

'I expect they'll be in Australia in the next couple of months. We've got a few regulatory hurdles to get through, but it should be on the shelves pretty soon.'
Germany's one-time wild child princess, who was fined 1,000 for stripping at St Andrews University in 2014, showed she's finally settled down this weekend, after wedding her company director fiance in style.

Her Serene Highness Princess Theodora Sayn-Wittgenstein, 31, married Earl Nikolaus Bethlen de Bethlen in an intimate church wedding in Bad Laasphe, Germany on Saturday.

The Princess looked the picture of happiness surrounded by family members and a slew of minor European royals as she married Earl Nikolaus Bethlen de Bethlen.

It's a far cry from the embarrassing 2014 incident, in which Princess Theodora climbed a fence, stripped off and made racist remarks about 'killing Muslims' after she attended the exclusive Oktoberfest party held at Kinkell Byre in the Scottish University town.

Her Serene Highness Princess Theodora Sayn-Wittgenstein married Earl Nikolaus Bethlen de Bethlen in Bad Laasphe, Germany

In 2014 she was fined 1,000 when she bragged of 'killing Muslims' before stripping and assaulting staff at an exclusive University of St Andrews Oktoberfest party

The Princess donned an ivory floor-length gown with a white collar and hip panels for the ceremony

The night out, in March 2014, saw her arrested and taken to court over the incident, walking away with a 1,000 fine.

Now 31, the princess looked delighted to be wedding her Earl, donning an ivory floor-length gown with a white collar and hip panels for the ceremony.

The Bavarian princess sported a delicate silver tiara and long veil that trailed behind her as she left the church.

She was escorted into the church by her proud father Prince Ludwig Ferdinand zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg.

Emerging from the service hand-in-hand with her beaming groom, the princess looked elated as guests threw confetti over the happy couple.

Bethlen de Bethlen cut a dapper figure in a black morning suit with a white waistcoat and matching bow tie.

The family seat is a castle, Schloss Berleburg - which is a stately home open to the public. It is thought the newlyweds live in a property on the estate.

Princess Theodora has had a low profile in Germany. She was educated at schools in Switzerland and the UK before going to St. Andrews where she studied International Relations before working in Jordan.

She was escorted into the church by her proud father Prince Ludwig Ferdinand zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg

Prince Maximilian zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and his pregnant wife Princess Franziska were also in attendance

The groom posed with his sister Princess Katalin von Wrede outside the church while she donned a vibrant green ballgown

The newlyweds shared a kiss for the waiting cameras before jumping into a Mercedes convertible and driving away together today.

Guests at the wedding included Prince Maximilian zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and his wife Princess Franziska, Princess Katalin von Wrede and Princess Anna of Bavaria.

The princess's mother is Countess Yvonne Wachtmeister af Johannishus, who married Ludwig Ferdinand Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg in Barbo, Sweden, in 1975.

He was one of the five children of decorated soldier Ludwig Ferdinand Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg.

The newlyweds looked happy to pose for a few photos outside the church before they headed off

The couple looked elated as they stepped out of the church in a sea of colourful confetti

The tiny church looked big enough to a hold only a few close family and friends for the ceremony

Born in 1910, after graduating he joined the Cavalry Regiment 18 - 'Cannstadter riding' aged 20.

As Commander of the reconnaissance detachment of the 35th Infantry Division, he won the coveted German Cross in Gold for bravery in the invasion of Poland in September 1939.

He fought in some of the largest Nazi battles of the Second World War, including the invasion of Poland, the Battle of Moscow and the Battle of Kursk - one of the most notorious tank battles of the conflict.

During the invasion of France, he personally destroyed a heavy French tank in close quarter combat.

Her brother Carl- Albrecht married Countess Camilla von Stauffenberg at Amerdingen castle, near Nuremberg, Germany, a ceremony attended by Princess Beatrice

The Princess's young bridesmaids wore white dresses with blue hemlines and ribbons, while the page boys wore sailor suits

The bride's sister Anna von Bayern, wearing a floor-length blue gown, helps fix her dress

The princess's mother is Countess Yvonne Wachtmeister af Johannishus, who married Ludwig Ferdinand Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg in Barbo, Sweden, in 1975

The couple share one final kiss for the crowds before driving off in a convertible Mercedes

He was blown to pieces by an artillery shell serving in the Ukraine in 1943 where he remains buried.

For his service, he was awarded a prestigious Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and posthumously promoted to Oberst.

Princess Theodora has three brothers and sisters: Carl-Albrecht, Anna-Natascha and August-Frederik.

The youngest child's brother Carl- Albrecht married Countess Camilla von Stauffenberg at Amerdingen castle, near Nuremberg, Germany.

The countess is a relation of Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg - who famously attempted to assassinate Adolf Hilter in 1944.

The German officer and aristocrat was one of the main members of the failed 20 July plot to remove the Nazi leader from power in a bid to crush the party.

The couple married in the Church of Amerdingen - and were joined by none other than Princess Beatrice and her then partner Virgin Galactic businessman Dave Clark.
She may be a full-time royal but Princess Madeleine of Sweden is also a doting mother of three.

And the Scandinavian royal, 36, managed to enjoy some quality time with her eldest daughter, Princess Leonore, four, on a fishing trip this weekend.

Madeleine, who is married to financier Christopher Paul O'Neill, took to Instagram to post a snap of the little girl waiting for her catch to come in.

She wrote that her daughter was 'patiently waiting' as she sat with her fishing rod in tow.

Simple pleasures: Princess Madeleine of Sweden, 36, shared this beautiful snap of her daughter, Princess Leonore, four, on a fishing trip

The royal said her little girl was 'patiently waiting' for her catch to come in as she stared into the water

Leonore, who is big sister to Prince Nicolas, three, and Princess Adrienne, four months, had her back to the camera in the photograph.

Wearing a pretty blue summer dress, Leonore dipped her toes in the water as she clung on to her fishing rod.

Her pretty blonde curls were worn down around her shoulders and she didn't have any shoes on her feet.

It's unknown where the photograph was taken, but the family appeared to have taken a trip to the Swedish coast - which boasts beautiful beaches and islands galore - together.

Married to financier Christopher Paul O'Neill, Madeleine also has son Prince Nicolas, three, and Princess Adrienne, four months

Madeleine is the second daughter and youngest child of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia

Madeleine's post has already received over 23,619 likes on Instagram, with many of her followers thanking her for sharing a picture of the young princess.

The royal, who is the second daughter and youngest child of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia, regularly posts photos of her children on social media.

Earlier this month, she shared a photograph of Princess Adrienne, to mark the baby turning four months old.

The royal said in her Instagram snap, in which she is seen looking relaxed in shorts and a shirt with her baby girl on her lap, that the family is 'so thankful' for their 'little angel' Adrienne.

Princess Madeleine recently posted a picture to mark Princess Adrienne turning four months old

She had used editing tools to add a blue heart to the photograph.

Princess Madeleine joined Instagram not long before Adrienne was born, and previously posted a selection of sweet snaps of the little Princess as a newborn.

A sweet image showed the little one snoozing sweetly, while another captured her tiny feet poking out from beneath a pink blanket.

Princess Madeleine met her husband after fleeing to the US in 2010 with a broken heart.

The royal joined Instagram not long before Adrienne was born and regular posts pictures of her children

She crossed the Atlantic following the breakdown of her first engagement to Swedish attorney Jonas Bergstrom amid speculation that he had cheated on her.

Madeleine became known as Sweden's party princess during her early 20s, when she was frequently spotted at Stockholm's high-end nightclubs.

Countless column inches were also devoted to Madeleine's stylish wardrobe and glamorous lifestyle, but she now focuses on royal duties and raising her children.
As Kate Moss celebrates three decades in fashion, its only fitting that slip dressing (i.e. wearing the kind of slinky minimalist silk or satin pieces that could easily pass for underwear) is back in vogue.

Its a style that the supermodel has made her own. See those iconic black and white Calvin Klein Obsession ads if you need a primer, plus Nineties party shots of her on Johnny Depps arm in a bias-cut, spaghetti-strapped slip of nothing much at all.

Why, yes, I hear you say, that is all very well and good for Kate Moss, but are frocks that could pass for a nightie an option for us mere mortals (please see: bra strap issues, bulges and basic lack of any support)? The answer is, of course: no, not really.

In the Nineties, wearing a retro slogan T-shirt under a slip dress was all the rage. This was basically my uniform when I was a rookie at Just Seventeen magazine. And while this might work today if you are in your 20s and off to a festival, it wont cut it at the office.

Slip dressing is back in vogue and Kate Moss, pictured, is famous for her ability to pull the look off

Praise be, then, for the slip skirt  fashions breakout hit of the summer.

If you havent yet acquainted yourself with cult Australian brand Realisation Pars three-quarter-length Nineties-inspired Naomi skirt, you may like to do so now.

Although its probably not worth getting too attached to the leopard print version  it has sold out multiple times over  the daisy Flower Power print is also very pretty (101.75, realisationpar.com).

On the runways, designers have been flirting with underwear-as-outerwear for a couple of seasons. Christopher Bailey designed layered lace slips in this summers Burberry collection, while Belgian designer Olivier Theyskens also favours slinky, lingerie-style pieces.

For a sweeter take, have a look at New York-based newcomer Sies Marjans spring/summer 2018 collection  a kaleidoscope of satin separates in punchy ice cream shades.

Im in love with the labels handkerchief-hemmed slip skirt in bubblegum pink, but it may take me a while to save up for the 540 price tag (net-a-porter.com).

SLIP SKIRTS: THE RULES Simplicity is key. Pair with a tank-style vest, a tee or a little sweater. It just looks wrong with a fitted jacket or shirt. Try silk crepe de chine or a heavier silk satin. This cut is unforgiving with cheaper synthetics that wrinkle and crease. Keep legs bare. Tights can cause serious static. Wear it with sneakers and low-heeled sandals, or metallic Birkenstocks, rather than anything too ladylike or fussy. Advertisement

So why has the slip skirt hit such a sweet spot? British heatwave aside, Id say its all about versatility and ease. The Realisation Par skirt is cut on the bias. It can be worn high-waisted or on the hip, depending on your body shape and personal style, which is really rather liberating.

On the High Street, The Kooples has a cute red satin slip skirt (112.50, thekooples.com) with a filigree lace trim  which, yes, could go very wrong, but bear with me.

Pairing your slip skirt with minimalist separates  a T-shirt for day, a silk vest top for evening  is the key, or you may look like you are in your underwear or have wandered in from a Bridget Jones-esque Tarts and Vicars shindig.

But get it right and a slip skirt is a game-changer. Look for a fabric with a bit of weight that falls well. Three-quarter-length styles that hit the mid-calf, or a little further down, are the most flattering.

La Redoute has a dream piece (29.50, laredoute.co.uk) with an asymmetric hem in that foundation pink shade which suggests Hollywood starlets vintage lingerie. Wear with a white top, hoop earrings and jewelled satin sliders.

I also like & Other Stories slit midi skirt in dusky pink (49, stories.com). It would look perfect with muted silver Birkenstocks and a slick white tank top. Plus, it will also carry you into the new season  just add a cropped mohair sweater and a matte black backpack.

Like Kate Moss herself, the love affair with the Nineties is going nowhere fast.

SARAH BAILEY is executive brand editor at Porter magazine
It's the classic avocado-based dip with tortilla chips that's always a crowd favourite.

And Leah Itsines, 23, from Adelaide, has shared her seemingly easy-to-follow recipe so you can whip up the perfect guacamole in your kitchen.

In the cooking segment with Jules Sebastian on YouTube, the sister of fitness star Kayla proved how simple it is to throw together a healthy and delicious dip.

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Leah Itsines, 23, from Adelaide, (pictured) shared her favourite recipe for guacamole with Jules Sebastian

All you need is an avocado, tomato, onion, coriander, garlic, lemon and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Jules noticed that the self-taught cook doesn't focus too much on the quantities of the ingredients, instead being guided by taste.

'I'm all about the easy, throwing stuff in,' Leah said.

On her blog the easy recipe queen said that thanks to all of the colourful ingredients, the guacamole is perfect to photograph for Instagram.

'It's full of delicious stuff that takes it to a new level,' she added.

In the cooking segment on YouTube she proved how simple it is to throw together a healthy and delicious dip

Jules noticed that Leah doesn't focus too much on the quantities of the ingredients, instead being guided by taste

Leah's guacamole recipe Leah's guacamole is simple to make and doesn't require too many ingredients Ingredients: 2 Avocados, mashed  red onion, diced 1 teaspoon lemon juice  a medium sized tomato, diced 2 tbsp. fresh coriander, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, grated Pinch of Salt Pinch of pepper Directions: 1. Mash avocado in a bowl. 2. Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly. Source: Leah Itsines Advertisement

The recipe is simple and easy to follow, which is perfect for people like Jules who say they're terrible at cooking.

Leah also revealed to Jules in the video that she's always enjoyed cooking, so making it her career seemed like a 'no-brainer'.

'My grandparents and my parents basically taught me everything, we live around food,' she said.

'Everything is always at our house with 100 people and so much food, we live and breathe it.'

The recipe is simple and easy to follow, which is perfect for people like Jules who say they're terrible at cooking

Leah (right) is the younger sister of the fitness mogul Kayla Itsines (left) who has made a living out of her exercise empire

Example of Leah's day on a plate Breakfast: Oat milk latte and eggs on toast with spinach and mushroom Snack: Protein balls or a zucchini slice Lunch: Vegetable noodle salad Dinner: Pasta or something her grandma will make her Advertisement

She explained that the key to turning a passion into a business is consistency.

'For Mitch and I this is the first year we've done it as a business and we've tried really hard to pump out the content and [we're] making sure we're listening to people... if people ask us for something the next day we're doing it,' Leah said.

She also said another important part is waiting it out, as some people throw in the towel too early.

Leah has been running her business for four years and it's only now that it's starting to pick up.

'I'm loving it even more now but often people stop because they're like ''people don't care",' she said.

'People do care, you just need to find the right people, answer their questions and do things for people and give back - I think giving back is really important.'
Q My health visitor advises breastfeeding my baby, my first, for a full six months. He was fine for four months, but for the past five weeks he has been demanding milk about every 90 minutes, including at night. Hes interested in our meals and even grabs things off my plate. Is it safe to introduce solids even though the health visitor recommends against it?

A Experts are unanimous that breast is best for babies, but the stage at which solid foods can be introduced alongside breastfeeding (known as complementary feeding) is vigorously debated.

In the last century, the official line was three to four months. Then, in 2001, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said all babies should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months. In 2003, the Department of Health and bodies including the Institute of Health Visiting (ihv.org.uk) followed suit and have stuck to that line despite ongoing research suggesting it may not be best for all babies.

Experts are unanimous that breast is best for babies, but the stage at which solid foods can be introduced alongside breastfeeding (known as complementary feeding) is vigorously debated

The WHO recommendation was based on a review that concluded exclusively breastfed babies have fewer infections and experience no growth problems. But a 2011 review by researchers at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (ICH) challenged this, largely because no distinction was made between Western countries and developing countries with limited access to clean water and safe weaning foods.

In 2017, a position paper on complementary feeding (CF) by the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition focused on healthy-term infants in Europe. The committee recommended that exclusive breastfeeding should be promoted for at least 17 weeks, with six months considered a desirable goal if it suits mother and baby. Complementary foods (solids and liquids other than breast milk or infant formula) should not be introduced before four months or delayed beyond six. Mothers should also continue breastfeeding alongside CF.

Professor Mary Fewtrell from the ICH, one of the authors, says: Mums should be supported to breastfeed exclusively for at least four months and we still have a long way to go in the UK. But each baby must be treated as an individual. It is very unlikely that all babies will need solid foods at exactly the same age, just as they dont all crawl, walk or talk at the same time.

BABY FOOD DOS AND DONTS Dont add salt or sugar to foods; avoid processed products with added sugar, also fruit juices, sweetened drinks and syrups.

Before 12 months, avoid honey and do not use whole cows milk as the main drink.

Gluten in small quantities may be introduced between four and 11 months.

Iron-rich foods are important in small quantities, eg, meat products and/or iron-fortified foods. Advertisement

Independent breastfeeding consultant Clare Byam-Cook (clarebyam-cook.com) agrees. This baby is waking at night when he didnt before, is less content and is noticing food. These are all signs he wants to start on solids so his mum could try adding in suitable baby food, such as pureed rice and vegetables. For more details, see Clares book What to Expect When Youre Breastfeedingand What If You Cant? (Vermilion, 12.99*).

A week before I wrote this, I passed on Clares advice to Emma, the young mother who wrote to me. She says, Arthur has embraced food with excitement and is more content between breastfeeds. He is feeding less frequently for longer periods, which is much easier for me. His sleep is improving too  two nights with only two wakes for a quick feed, which is amazing. Introducing CF has made breastfeeding easier, so Im hoping to carry on for a few more months, she says. And thats the result experts want.

To order a copy for 9.74 (a 25 per cent discount) until 5 august, visit mailshop.co.uk/books or call 0844 571 0640; p&p is free on orders over 15.

Tincture London All Purpose Cleaning Tincture, around 7.50, tincturelondon.com

Shine up your clean routine

Tincture Londons range of 100 per cent natural home-cleaning products tick all my boxes.

Launched by investment banker Angelika Davenport and her sister Anastasia Brozler, a herbalist and fragrance expert, these botanical blends, boosted by antibacterial silver technology, are truly effective, smell lovely and the recyclable white octagonal bottles are so elegant youll want to leave them out.

They wont exacerbate allergies, such as asthma or eczema, either. My favourite is the All Purpose Cleaning Tincture. Not cheap at around 7.50, but they last for months.

tincturelondon.com

Always consult your doctor if you have a medical problem

Email your questions to sarah@sarahstacey.com
I am hijacked by spirits on a regular basis and, frankly, its terrifying. Been at the vodka? you might ask. Wrong kind of spirit, Im afraid. Take last September, for example, when I went to the opening of London Design Week with my then client Leandra. Halfway through the evening, a hot sensation ran up the back of my neck and my scalp began to tingle. Ive experienced this tingle many times before and know its a sign that a spirit or other being is in the room. Moments later, invariably the spirit delivers a message. Thats when I hear The Voice.

Author Stacey Duguid: 'My first experience of a ghost was when, aged six, I walked out of my bedroom one morning to find a dog sitting there'

Let me be clear: I am the worlds least likely spirit medium. Im a journalist and fashion editor and spend my days writing and blogging about clothes. Give or take a few tricky trends, I look pretty normal. From the outside, there is nothing woo-woo about me, and youd be forgiven for thinking Im totally delusional. I get it  what if the tingle is just social anxiety? Dont we all have an inner voice? Yes, we do, but I know the difference between my own commentary and a spirit trying to be noticed.

Give or take a few tricky trends, I look pretty normal. From the outside, there is nothing woo-woo about me

That evening with Leandra, after experiencing a major tingle that made my head feel like it was on fire, The Voice boomed: Tell her not to sell her house. Go away, I willed it, then picked up a glass of champagne from a passing tray and tried to relax. Thats when it happened. Feeling as though I was watching myself from three feet away, I said to Leandra, in a voice that sounded like mine, Youre going to live by water. She moved backwards in her chair. What did you just say? she asked, eyes wide. Um, is all I could muster. What I mean is, she continued, I know Im going to live by water, but how the hell do you?

My first experience of a ghost was when, aged six, I walked out of my bedroom one morning to find a dog sitting there. I went to touch it, but my hand went straight through it. The dog pottered alongside me for a few steps, then disappeared as it reached the corner of the landing where the staircase began. I then spent my childhood jumping at top speed over that corner step, certain that it was home to an energy I couldnt see but could feel. Each time I ran past the step, the hairs on my arms would stand up and a chill would rip down my spine. Even at six, I knew the dog was trying to protect me.

As a child, waking up with a feeling of how a situation might play out, going to the phone before it rang, calling someone by their name before theyd even introduced themselves, all felt normal. By the time I reached my early 30s, this sixth sense had turned into hearing voices. The first time it happened, I was waiting to be served at a bar. I turned to a friend and said, Your dad wants you to call your auntie. Stunned silence was finally broken by the words, My dads dead. Despite feeling totally freaked out, within months of receiving my message from the grave, my friend tracked down her auntie in Las Vegas and flew there to meet her. Fifteen years on, theyre incredibly close.

Last summer, I went away for a week to a remote country house in the Scottish Borders. Everything felt fine until I went to bed. In the dark, strange things began to happen  I could feel rushes of energy, saw lights, heard noises. I didnt sleep for four nights in a row. On the fifth, I texted my psychic friend Dane Punch, who suggested I needed assistance from the divine. Ask Archangel Michael for help, he advised. Call upon him to use his sword of light to escort any negative energies out of this place and ask him to send them to the light with love. That night I slept for hours. It turns out the house was once a male prison and, according to the chef, the ghost of an inmate is often seen walking through the kitchen at night. If you ever find yourself in spiritual bother, ask for Archangel Michael as loud as you can. There for all of us, he has never let me down.

Going back to my evening with Leandra, Id moved on from youre going to live by water to having a full-blown vision of her future home. Grabbing a pen and paper, I drew what I saw in my minds eye, detailing everything from where the sun set to the view from one of her windows. Leandra stared at the sketch and said, Ive drawn this myself and have it at home  I know exactly where this is. She then showed me a photo on her phone. Everything became clear  my sketch was of the Swedish countryside near where she and Stef, her recently deceased partner, have a summerhouse, her sanctuary. This isnt a coincidence, she said, this is confirmation  I now know, at some point, Ill live by water. Needless to say, Leandra is no longer a client  it was a bonding experience and shes now a good friend. And one things for sure, even if Leandra ends up living in Sweden, Stef doesnt want her to sell her house in London  I told Leandra he was suggesting she use it as her pension pot.

The following day, elation turned to something I couldnt quite put my finger on. Whats up? asked my husband-to-be, whos just about to finish his doctorate in counselling psychology. Finally, with the drawing I have evidence. After all these years of feeling as though Im losing my marbles, perhaps I can actually channel spirits.

Being an accidental psychic has served me well over the years. I can sense a kindred spirit the moment I come into contact with their aura; I connect with people on a much deeper (or higher) level, and I even met my fiance because of The Voice. After cancelling our blind date for the fourth time, a spirit shouted in my ear Go! Hours later, I experienced love at first sight. The same happened when I went to high school and met my best friend Natalie. Our souls connected that day and have remained spiritually entwined for years. Given that Natalie now works as a spiritual teacher, its no wonder we were drawn to each other.

But channelling can also be a hindrance  spirits shouting in my ear, me thinking Im going bananas, spouting spiritual advice in business meetings (and bars). I also attract major energy drainers (as in real-life humans) and can come away from meetings or home from the daily commute feeling depleted. As a result, Ive recently been taught how to close down my chakras, which blocks unwanted intrusion from passers-by, spirits and ghosts who try to bombard me with messages to whomever they want, whenever they feel like it.

Shortly after channelling Stef, I began seeing an energy healer and mentor, Delilah Sullivan, and using my sessions with her as a spiritual reset. And, after avoiding the place for 15 years for fear of demonic possession (slight exaggeration), one sunny morning this May, I finally entered the hallowed halls of the College of Psychic Studies. There to attend James Philips workshop, Alchemy Energetics 1  the Spiritual Level, I found myself in a room with chairs set out in a semicircle and a red rug covered in lit candles, angel cards, crystals and bottles of essential oils. As I entered the room, my deceased grandparents and great aunt Dorothy appeared as visions. I assumed they just wanted to say hello, and kept quiet for fear of sounding like an oddball. Minutes later, when it was my turn to introduce myself, I told a roomful of strangers how I thought I was going mad for years and that hearing voices with no evidence has often left me feeling depressed. To my horror, I burst into tears. When I looked up I found that no one was laughing or doubted a single word.

Spirits shouting in my ear, spouting advice in meetings and bars, can be a hindrance

Thanks to Philips modern-day shamanic workshop and his guidance, Im getting my head around engaging with my spirit guides, who change over a lifetime, can take many forms but always have our best interests at heart. To be guided by mine, each morning I open my windows, burn sage to clear any negative energy, play shamanic drums on YouTube and go on a journey with my spirit animal, a wolf, and spirit guide, a wizard in a rainbow coloured glittery cloak.

After spending the day at the College of Psychic Studies, Im beginning to view channelling the spirit world as a gift. There is much to learn, which is why I called established energy healer Georgia Coleridge. Im curious to understand why some of us are more susceptible to tuning into the spirit world than others. Georgia says: We are all born with the ability but either due to fear  many children communicate with ghosts but some become frightened by what they experience, so shut down  or our rigid education system, the ability to use our sixth sense has been lost.

Georgia could be right. Despite many spooky moments, Ive somehow managed to remain open to the invisible ones who walk among us. Some women are more open to energy when they become mothers, adds Georgia. And I agree: I receive many more messages from spirits since having children seven years ago. Not that I discuss spirit voices in front of my children. Theyre free to draw their own conclusions and Im aware of not exposing them to the woo woo for fear of frightening them. Thats why no one was more shocked than me when my son recently said to me, Mummy, I sometimes feel a hand on my back. Then I turn around  and its a ghost.

Follow Stacey @staceyduguid
Queen's visit to COP26 'hangs in the balance' and monarch will be 'guided by doctors' on whether to go as she is ordered to rest until she gets hospital results
Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below.

Ms P.S. writes: I hired a car from Avis in Coventry and used it for four months with no problems. Then the car was stolen along with my house keys and everything in the car, including my daughter's new 850 pram.

I informed the police and the car was recovered in London the next day. The thief was arrested and charged. I had insured the car through Avis and a month later the company took 885 from my NatWest Visa card without my permission, leaving me overdrawn as I had also had to pay for a replacement pram and new locks at home.

I wrote endless letters to Avis and NatWest without reply. NatWest has now told me I have run out of time for reclaiming the 885.

Confusion: Avis's bill included charges for refuelling, a one-way fee and damage done when the car was stolen

You did all the right things. You were insured, reported the theft to the police and even went to court as a witness when the thief was prosecuted and convicted  though he absconded.

So what was the 885 supposed to pay for? It has not been easy to match up various Avis charges, some of which were justified and others not. I did find Avis had already credited 58 back to you. What I ended up with was charges for the car rental itself, damage to the car, refuelling and a one-way fee. The rental was correct and came to 338. But there was no way you could or should be held responsible for damage caused by the thief when the car was stolen.

Similarly, I do not see how you could reasonably be charged for the cost of the fuel it took to recover the car from London and get it back to Coventry. The oddest bill of all was the one-way fee charged by Avis for picking up its own car from the police in London and driving it back to the Midlands.

All of these charges added up to 399 and Avis has now credited this sum in full to your Visa card.

A warrant was issued for the arrest of the thief and he was caught. It turns out he has been committing similar offences for years and in 2013 he was jailed for 16 months. He is now back in prison thanks to your evidence.

66 for extra leg room? Pull the other one

Footing the bill: BA charged extra but couldnt guarantee space

Mrs H.S. writes: My husband and I believe we have been mis-sold seats by British Airways.

We wanted more comfortable seating with extra leg room for our flight from Heathrow to Australia and were happy to pay an extra 66 each for seats 29J and 29K. This was after being told by BA that these were bulkhead seats giving extra legroom.

But at Heathrow we were told they were not bulkhead seats. BA says we are not entitled to our money back because of its terms and conditions.

It is never possible for any airline to give every passenger the seat they want. But if you paid extra it raises the question of what you got for your cash. If the extra leg room did not exist with the seats you booked, it looks as if you got nothing for your 66 apiece.

I asked British Airways to look into this. It is true the airlines terms and conditions say it cannot promise passengers they will always get the seat they want.

But the company operates a paid-for reserved seat scheme which was introduced after passengers requested it.

So what went wrong? Well, it turns out that one possibility is that on a different type of aircraft those seats would have provided the extra space you wanted.

BA told me there had been a misunderstanding with one of its booking agents when you reserved your seats.

It has now refunded the 132 you paid and added 5,000 Avios points for you to use against future flights, an upgrade, hotel or car hire.

The buck should stop with South Bucks for council tax

In the red: The council never made contact despite the arrears growing

Ms S.K. writes: Last year, I had fun and games with my local authority, South Bucks District Council. After much disagreement I set up a direct debit to pay council tax.

Now, after just getting a Pin for my bank account, I have found that though the direct debit was set up, the council never requested the money from my Nationwide account and I owe them more than 2,200.

The council blames me, saying I should have checked my bank account every month. I do not know why the council never contacted me as the arrears grew. I cannot afford 2,200 on top of the council tax due for the current year.

While I would never discourage anyone from checking their bank account regularly, it is a bit much for the council to blame you for its failures  first to collect its tax by using your direct debit and then its failure to check why it was not getting the tax it expected.

The start of your problem goes back a couple of years when you were in dispute with the local authority over the amount of council tax you should pay.

You lost that argument and later made an arrangement to pay the arrears that had accumulated and then to pay current taxes as well.

South Bucks District Council has told me: Unfortunately, due to human error, the arranged amount was not correctly coded as a direct debit at that time, meaning payments were not taken and the standard reminders were not produced, for which we apologise.

The authority has now reconsidered and settled for a payment of 1,279 as a lump sum which you have managed to pay.

That leaves 935 of arrears, plus the normal council tax for this year which you are paying by instalments.

Not such a Smart move by Barclays

Ms J.W. writes: I am so disgusted with Barclays. For many years I have been a customer and share investor with the bank. Last year it changed its share dealing business into Smart Investor  not very smart at all. Since then issues take months to resolve and phone calls last at least half an hour.

I tried to buy shares, but it would not let me. I was informed this was because my husbands address was in New Zealand which we left four years ago. I was told to go to a branch and change the address.

However, the branch could not help me because the postcode did not fit its criteria. The young woman at the branch had never heard of Smart Investor.

I have received a flood of complaints about Smart Investor since it was launched. It was supposed to allow customers to see their bank account and share deals in one place online, but many people found it did not work.

When they tried to switch to a different investment company, transfers that should have taken days stretched for months.

Barclays has admitted your incorrect address was Smart Investors oversight. One official told me: It does not reflect the level of service she should rightly expect.

You have now received an apology, a refund of 25 in charges and a further 250 as a gesture of goodwill.

You have now opened an account with Halifax.
A top Japanese official has issued an ominous warning to Theresa May's Government, saying a 'no-deal' Brexit would be 'impossible for us to accept'.

Shinichi Iida, a minister in the London embassy, said Japanese manufacturers are holding off on committing to the UK with new investments due to the uncertainty  and that potential new investors are steering clear of Britain.

Iida  who represents 1,000 Japanese firms with British operations including car giants Nissan, Toyota and Honda  said it was 'imperative' that the UK and EU reach an agreement on Brexit before a meeting of the European Council in October.

Looking ahead: The EU's chief negotiator dismissed large swathes of Theresa May's proposals on Brexit

The EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, last week dismissed large swathes of the Government's proposals on Brexit, as set out in a White Paper.

'Japanese manufacturing companies, including automakers, are seriously concerned with the current circumstances,' Iida told The Mail on Sunday.

'They have been avoiding expansion and investment for the future because of the uncertain circumstances surrounding Brexit. That needs to be lifted.'

On the prospect of a 'no-deal' scenario, he said: 'The bottom line for us is clear. There are some people who claim  including the Prime Minister  that no agreement is better than a bad agreement. That would be impossible for us to accept.'

Iida said it was 'a disappointment' that little progress was made on Brexit at a European Council meeting in Brussels last month.
The wife of notorious Melbourne underworld figure Carl Williams is no stranger to court appearances.

In addition to supporting her gang member husband as he battled numerous charges, Roberta Williams also fronted in relation to her own cases.

The latest saw her fighting the Australian Tax Office's demands that her million-dollar home be sold in order to pay back large debts owed by Carl's father George, a battle she ultimately lost last week.

Roberta has adopted a number of different and colourful looks over the years when appearing in court - including beanies, 'not guilty' T-shirts and colourful sneakers.

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Roberta Williams (pictured in 2008) has adopted a number of different and colourful looks over the years when fronting court

Roberta (pictured in 2007) has also been a fan of wearing beanies to court, being spotted in a variety of different coloured hats including black, white and yellow

Facing tax evasion charges in 2008, Roberta smiled for photographers outside court, with her hair in a pixie crop and wearing a black jacket

Wearing a wore a brown top and holding a Louis Vuitton handbag, she attended Melbourne Magistrates Court in June 2004 to support her gang member husband who was appearing on charges including conspiracy to murder.

Roberta has also been a fan of wearing beanies to court, being spotted in a variety of different coloured hats including black, white and yellow.

She wore a black beanie with a top reading 'NY' to Melbourne Magistrates Court in April 2007 after being charged with a string of driving offences.

At Carl Williams' sentencing hearing the same month, she wore a yellow beanie with a blue and white jacket, jeans and yellow sneakers.

In May, Roberta wore a white Lonsdale beanie to another sentencing at Melbourne County Court.

In 2008, Roberta faced court on tax evasion charges, accused of failing to lodge a tax return between 1998 and 2006.

At another appearance in 2008 she was pictured leaving court wearing a t-shirt reading 'not guilty'

She smiled for photographers outside court, with her hair in a pixie crop and wearing a black jacket.

At another appearance in 2008 she was pictured leaving court wearing a t-shirt reading 'not guilty'.

A year later in 2009, Roberta wore a yellow waistcoat and a white top to court after her son Tye Stephens was arrested during a raid.

On June 22 she was seen leaving the Melbourne Supreme Court wearing a black top, ripped jeans and white sneakers, with her hair in a ponytail

In 2011 Roberta carried her baby son Giuseppe from the Supreme Court in Melbourne after Matthew Johnson was sentenced to 32 years in prison for the murder of her husband.

In the most recent matter concerning her Melbourne home, Williams has taken a more casual approach to her attire.

On June 22 she was seen leaving the Melbourne Supreme Court wearing a black top, ripped jeans and white sneakers, with her hair in a ponytail.

A few weeks later on July 11 Roberta stepped out wearing a tan-coloured coat, paired with a pair of black boots and a yellow cup of coffee.
One of the most respected US cardinals has been accused of sexually abusing both children and adult seminarians, raising questions about who in the Catholic Church hierarchy may have known, as well as what Pope Francis is going to do about it.

Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was removed from public ministry in June following allegations of sex abuse that were brought to the Vatican's attention several years ago.

On Friday a new alleged victim claimed McCarrick assaulted him for two decades beginning in 1969 when he was 11 and the priest was 39.

Now all eyes are on Pope Francis, who has already denounced a 'culture of cover-up' within the Catholic Church and will be faced with deciding whether to revoke McCarrick's title as cardinal or even defrock him altogether.

Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, one of the most respected cardinals in the US, has been accused of sexually abusing both boys and adult seminarians. The allegations surrounding the 88-year-old have raised questions about who in the Catholic Church hierarchy may have known about the alleged misconduct as well as what Pope Francis is going to do about it

Pope Francis will be faced with deciding whether to revoke McCarrick's title as cardinal or even defrock him altogether. The two religious leaders are pictured together in 2015

McCarrick's alleged sexual misconduct has been referred to as an open secret in American church circles.

The priest known as 'Uncle Teddy' is said to have frequently invited adult seminarians over to his beach house and into his bed.

McCarrick's cardinal brethren has been remarkably silent about what knowledge they may have had regarding the alleged abuse.

The decision to remove the 88-year-old from the public ministry was issued after an allegation that he fondled a teenager more than 40 years ago was deemed 'credible and substantiated'.

According to the Washington Post, the alleged victim - now in his 60s - said he was a student at Cathedral Preparatory and Seminary school in Queens, New York, in 1971 when he was picked to be the altar boy for a Christmas service at St. Patrick's Cathedral, where McCarrick was a monsignor.

Patrick Noaker, the victim's attorney, said McCarrick was measuring the then-16-year-old for a cassock when he 'unzipped his pants and put his hands in the boy's pants'. McCarrick allegedly told the teen not to tell anyone what happened.

A year later, McCarrick allegedly assaulted the teen again. Noaker said that McCarrick followed the boy into a restroom and 'assaulted him, tried to get his hands into his underwear. The boy had to push him away'.

The victim never told the church about what happened until recently when it created the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program, which reviews cases of alleged abuse by clergy and compensates victims.

McCarrick denied the allegations, saying that he has 'no recollection of this reported abuse'.

McCarrick was removed from public ministry in June following allegations of sex abuse that were brought to the Vatican's attention several years ago

The priest's reputation took another blow this week when alleged victim James came forward in an interview with the New York Times.

McCarrick, a friend of James' family, allegedly entered the 11-year-old's bedroom when he was changing out of his bathing suit.

'He said: Turn around," and I really don't want to, because I don't want to show anybody anything,' James recalled.

James said that when he complied, 'Uncle Teddy' dropped his pants, too.

'See, we are the same,' the priest allegedly told him. 'It's okay, we are the same.'

In a following interview with AP, James said: 'I was the first guy he baptized. I was his little boy. I was his special kid.'

The incident marked the beginning of two decades of alleged abuse, according to James.

The now-60-year-old said he was relieved when the news about McCarrick being removed from public service was announced last month.

Francis, pictured Sunday, has already denounced a 'culture of cover-up' within the Church

A spokeswoman for McCarrick said Friday the cardinal hadn't received formal notice of any new allegation but would follow the civil and church processes in place to investigate them.

The Reverend Thomas Berg, the vice rector and director of admissions at St Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, told AP: 'There is going to be so much clamor for the Holy Father to remove the red hat, to formally un-cardinalize [McCarrick].'

CATHOLIC CHURCH'S CHILD SEX SCANDAL IN CHILE Pope Francis has spent the better part of this year dealing with a spiraling child sex abuse, adult gay priest sex and cover-up scandal in Chile that was so vast the entire bishops' conference offered to resign in May. The pontiff accepted resignation letters from three of the highest figures in the Chilean church in June. All 34 of Chile's bishops had offered to resign, but Pope Francis announced only three would be stepping aside -Bishop Juan Barros of Osorno, Bishop Gonzalo Duarte of Valparaiso and Bishop Cristian Caro of Puerto Montt. Barros, 61, is accused of covering up the crimes of Father Fernando Karadima who was first accused of abusing teenage boys in Chile in 1984. Advertisement

Berg said the church needs to ensure that men with deep-seated same-sex attraction simply don't enter seminaries - a position recently reinforced by the Vatican at large and by Francis in comments to Chilean and Italian bishops.

He added that the church also needs to take action when celibacy vows are violated.

'We can't effectively prevent the sexual abuse of minors or vulnerable adults by clergy while habitual and widespread failures in celibacy are quietly tolerated,' he said.

Francis had ordered McCarrick to be removed from the College of Cardinals on June 20 around the same time that the dioceses of Newark and Metuchen, New Jersey, revealed that they had received three complaints of misconduct by McCarrick against adults and had settled two of them.

While the statute of limitations on the alleged sex crimes has run out, the pope could take immediate action to remove McCarrick from the College, said Kurt Martens, a canon lawyer at the Catholic University of America.

The stiffest punishment that an ordinary priest would face if such an accusation is proven would be dismissal from the clerical state, or laicization.

The Vatican rarely if ever, however, imposes such a penalty on elderly prelates. It also is loath to do so for bishops, because theologically speaking, defrocked bishops can still validly ordain priests and bishops.
Darryl Fulton, who was exonerated of a murder conviction last year after spending 23 years in prison, claims a Chase bank in Chicago turned him away twice when he tried to deposit a $169,876 compensation check

A man exonerated of murder after spending 23 years in prison was turned away twice while trying to deposit a nearly $170,000 compensation check at a Chicago bank.

Darryl Fulton had spent nearly a quarter century in jail after being wrongly convicted in the 1994 rape and murder of Antwinica Bridgeman when his conviction was vacated in November of last year after DNA evidence pointed to another suspect.

Fulton's attorney Kathleen Zellner told the Chicago Tribune that her client was trying to deposit a check from the state of Illinois for nearly $169,876 - compensation for the time he spent in prison - when a Chase branch denied him.

Zellner claims a Chase Bank branch initially said she needed to endorse Fulton's check because her firm's name was under his.

When Fulton tried a second time, he was denied because the bank said he signed the check in the wrong place, Zellner said.

The attorney asserted that Chase refused to deposit the check 'because he's a black male'.

'I'm just trying to deposit my check,' Fulton told the Tribune. 'I just wanted to be treated like anyone else.'

Chase released a statement saying the bank should have accepted Fulton's check, but did not address the racism allegation.

Fulton was wrongly convicted in the 1994 rape and murder of Antwinica Bridgeman in 1997. He is pictured with family and attorney Kathleen Zellner, left, after being released in November

Zellner claims her client tried to deposit the compensation check twice this week but was told he couldn't without an endorsement from the attorney's firm

Fulton and his friend Nevest Coleman were both convicted in 1997 after Bridgeman's body was found in Coleman's basement two weeks after she went missing at her 20th birthday party in 1994.

The then-27-year-old Fulton and 25-year-old Coleman confessed to the crime, but later said their confessions were coerced.

Both men were sentenced to life in prison for the murder, but last year DNA evidence was linked to a serial rapist and prosecutors dropped charges.

A Cook County judge awarded them certificates of innocence in March, and each man has a civil rights lawsuit pending against the city of Chicago.

Since their release Fulton has been working at a factory near the western suburbs and Coleman was rehired as a groundskeeper with the White Sox.

Fulton is shown in an interview last November following his release from prison after 23 years

The 51-year-old, pictured with daughter Jaszulyn Fulton, center, and great-niece Peoria Barber, right, is now working at a factory in the western suburbs of Chicago

Chase released a statement this week saying it made a mistake in turning Fulton away the first time, but denied doing it twice, calling the second incident a misunderstanding.

'We did offer to deposit the check on his return visit and have reached out to him to clear up any confusion,' the bank said.

'We regret the error and apologize for the inconvenience.'

Zellner has said Fulton will be changing banks following the incident.

The attorney has represented numerous wrongly convicted men and said she's experienced so many problems with her clients depositing their checks before.

'I find it particularly outrageous because he was wrongfully convicted,' Zellner said.

'The check is from the state of Illinois to him and I can't attribute any other reason except they're discriminating against him because he's a black male.'
The chief executive of ANZ Bank has said he will apologise to a former senior trader who was forced to recount intimate details about her sex life and prior sexual abuse after making allegations of workplace sexual and racial harassment.

The woman, who told the Sydney Morning Herald she did not want to be named, was interrogated by the bank's lawyers as part of its defence against the allegations of harassment at the ANZ New York office.

Shayne Elliott said information gained from these interrogations would not be used in the upcoming trial and he would personally apologise to the woman involved as 'a serious line was crossed'.

A former senior trader at ANZ Bank who made allegations of sexual and racial harassment has been forced to recount intimate details about her sex life and prior sexual abuse (stock image)

The former ANZ executive who filed a multi-million dollar workplace discrimination claim said she was was hounded about how many sexual partners she'd had while at a team dinner where members of management were present and that male staff members bragged openly about attending sex bars.

She also alleges one senior manager would 'openly rate the 'racks' of women' and told a female colleague she 'can suck my d**k' when she complained how he handled a trade.

A transcript of a deposition, which was made available last month, revealed lawyers for ANZ grilled the executive about her sexual history, the number of sexual partners she'd had and her activities outside of work, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The woman was also forced to recount the sexual abuse she suffered at university, whether she had sought psychiatric assistance and and if she had ever had a sexually transmitted disease.

Christopher Lowe, a lawyer for ANZ at the time, defended the bank's harsh line of questioning by implying that the executive may have overreacted.

The woman was interrogated by the bank's lawyers as part of its defence against the allegations of harassment at the ANZ New York office (stock image)

However, Mr Elliott said he was not aware of the lawyer's strategy.

'I apologise. This is wrong and not acceptable,' he wrote over Twitter.

'We have instructed them that this is not to be used during trial and I will apologise to the complainant personally.

'For example if I patted my secretary on the bottom she might view that as sexual abuse. If I were to rape her that is also sexual abuse,' he added.

'It was wrong. We were wrong. Our people and our lawyers were wrong'.

During one interrogation, the woman recounted a previous sexual assault experienced whilst taking a bus as a Freshman at an American university.

'I woke up to find the stranger next to me, his hand in my v-----',' she said.

The former trader was also asked about the health of her family, whether she attended sex workshops outside of work, if she had ever been on safari or contracted any sexually transmitted diseases.

A transcript of a deposition revealed lawyers for ANZ grilled the executive about her sexual history, the number of sexual partners she'd had and her activities outside work (stock image)

Shayne Elliott, chief executive of ANZ, (pictured) said he will apologise to a former senior trader who was forced to recount intimate details about her sex life

Her lawyer Renan Varghese applied to have the testimony removed from the trial, saying his client would be embarrassed and demeaned in front of a jury.

'This disgraceful tactic constitutes a blatant continuation of the harassment and retaliation [the trader] suffered at ANZ,' Mr Varghese said.

An ANZ spokesman said the bank was disappointed in the line of questioning used by their external lawyers and that any past sexual history or abuse was not relevant to the defence and would not be raised as part of the trial.

The matter will be put to a jury trial in September this year and follows other recent allegations the bank has fostered a toxic culture of sexism and drug use.
The case involves Iyman Faris (pictured), who was sentenced in 2003 for aiding and abetting Al-Qaeda by scoping out the bridge

The government can't strip a terrorist of his U.S. citizenship, a federal judge ruled this month in a decision siding with a Pakistan-born man serving the last few years of a 20-year prison sentence for his guilty plea to plotting to destroy New York's Brooklyn Bridge.

The case involves Iyman Faris, who was sentenced in 2003 for aiding and abetting Al-Qaeda by scoping out the bridge as part of a plot to cut through cables that support it.

His case was among the first and highest-profile terrorism cases after the September 11 attacks.

Faris met with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan and worked with Sept. 11 architect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, although some critics questioned how realistic the plot was, given post-Sept. 11 security in New York.

A court filing last year in U.S. District Court in southern Illinois argued that Faris lied on immigration papers before becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1999 and that his terrorist affiliations demonstrated a lack of commitment to the U.S. Constitution.

The plot was allegedly aimed at cutting the cables that support the Brooklyn Bridge (pictured) in New York

Faris met with Osama bin Laden (L) in Afghanistan and worked with Sept. 11 architect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (R)

'The U.S. government is dedicated to ... preventing the exploitation of our nation's immigration system by those who would do harm to our country,' Chad Readler, acting assistant attorney of the Department of Justice's civil division, said in a statement at the time.

The government filed in Illinois because Faris was imprisoned there then. He has since been moved to federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Faris, who's 49, was known as Mohammad Rauf before becoming a U.S. citizen, worked as a truck driver in Columbus and was married to an American woman for a while.

Federal Judge Staci Yanle (pictured) said there's not enough evidence to prove Faris' misrepresentations influenced the decision to grant him citizenship

He is scheduled for release Dec. 23, 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

Federal Judge Staci Yanle said this month there's not enough evidence to prove Faris' misrepresentations influenced the decision to grant him citizenship.

'American citizenship is precious, and the government carries a heavy burden of proof when attempting to divest a naturalized citizen of his or her citizenship,' she wrote on July 11.

The Department of Justice declined to comment.

One of many objections raised by Faris' attorney is that the government's action violated the terms of his 2003 plea agreement, which never included the possibility of denaturalization or deportation.

'We look forward to defending this case,' Chicago defense attorney Thomas Durkin said. 'It's a wrong-headed decision by the government to proceed in this fashion.'
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh suggested several years ago that the unanimous high court ruling in 1974 that forced President Richard Nixon to turn over the Watergate tapes, leading to the end of his presidency, may have been wrongly decided.

Kavanaugh was taking part in a roundtable discussion with other lawyers when he said at three different points that the decision in US v. Nixon, which limited a president's ability to withhold information needed for a criminal prosecution, may have come out the wrong way.

A 1999 magazine article about the roundtable was part of thousands of pages of documents that Kavanaugh has provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of the confirmation process. The committee released the documents on Saturday.

Kavanaugh's belief in robust executive authority already is front and center in his nomination by President Donald Trump to replace the retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Brett Kavanaugh (above) commented at a 1999 legal roundtable that perhaps the Supreme Court's ruling in US v. Nixon was mistaken, remarks that are coming back to haunt him

The issue could assume even greater importance if special counsel Robert Mueller seeks to force Trump to testify in the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

'But maybe Nixon was wrongly decided - heresy though it is to say so,' Kavanaugh said in a transcript of the discussion that was published in the January-February 1999 issue of the Washington Lawyer.

'Nixon took away the power of the president to control information in the executive branch by holding that the courts had power and jurisdiction to order the president to disclose information in response to a subpoena sought by a subordinate executive branch official.

'That was a huge step with implications to this day that most people do not appreciate sufficiently...Maybe the tension of the time led to an erroneous decision.'

At another point in the discussion, Kavanaugh said the court might have been wise to stay out of the tapes dispute. 'Should U.S. v. Nixon be overruled on the ground that the case was a nonjusticiable intrabranch dispute? Maybe so,' he said.

Kavanaugh was among six lawyers who took part in the discussion in the aftermath of independent counsel Kenneth Starr's investigation that led to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. Kavanaugh had been a member of Starr's team.

The discussion was focused on the privacy of discussions between government lawyers and their clients.

Nixon's lawyers had argued that the President is not subject to any court processes aside from impeachment, and that he could not be compelled by a court to hand over his tapes

The tape recorder from President Nixon's Oval Office is seen above. Nixon recorded thousands of hours of conversations on the tapes, which were sought by a special prosecutor

Philip Lacovara, who argued the Watergate tapes case against Nixon and moderated the discussion, said Kavanaugh has long believed in a strong presidency. 'That was Brett staking out what has been his basic jurisprudential approach since law school,' Lacovara said in a telephone interview Saturday.

Still, Lacovara said, 'it was surprising even as of 1999 that the unanimous decision in the Nixon tapes case might have been wrongly decided.'

Kavanaugh allies pointed to a recent, more favorable assessment of the Nixon case.

'Whether it was Marbury, or Youngstown, or Brown, or Nixon, some of the greatest moments in American judicial history have been when judges stood up to the other branches, were not cowed, and enforced the law. That takes backbone, or what some call judicial engagement,' Kavanaugh wrote in a 2016 law review article in which he referred to several landmark Supreme Court cases.

The 1999 article was among a pile of material released in response to the committee's questionnaire. Kavanaugh was asked to provide information about his career as an attorney and jurist, his service in the executive branch, education, society memberships and more.

It's an opening look at a long paper trail that lawmakers will consider as they decide whether to confirm him. The high court appointment could shift the court rightward for years to come.

A longtime figure in the Washington establishment, Kavanaugh acknowledged in the questionnaire that he had joined clubs that he said once had discriminatory membership policies.

'Years before I became a member of the Congressional Country Club and the Chevy Chase Club, it is my understanding that those clubs, like most similar clubs around the country, may have excluded members on discriminatory bases that should not have been acceptable to people then and would not be acceptable now,' he wrote.

The old remarks emerged in the thousands of pages of documents that Kavanaugh handed over to a Senate committee as part of the confirmation process

Asked to list the 10 most significant cases for which he sat as a judge, Kavanaugh cited nine in which 'the position expressed in my opinion (either for the court or in a separate writing) was later adopted by the Supreme Court.'

The 10th regarded a man fired by mortgage giant Fannie Mae after he filed a discrimination complaint that alleged a company executive had created a hostile work environment by calling the worker 'the n-word.' Kavanaugh said he included it 'because of what it says about anti-discrimination law and American history.'

Kavanaugh said an appeals court panel on which he sat reversed a lower court's ruling in favor of Fannie Mae. He said he joined the majority opinion in 2013 and wrote a separate concurrence 'to explain that calling someone the n-word, even once, creates a hostile work environment.'

In the questionnaire, Kavanaugh cited his opinion in that case: 'No other word in the English language so powerfully or instantly calls to mind our country's long and brutal struggle to overcome racism and discrimination against African-Americans.''

But it was one of the relatively few discrimination cases in which Kavanaugh sided with a complaining employee.

Offering a timeline leading to his nomination, he said White House counsel Don McGahn called him the day Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement, June 27, and they met the next day.

Trump interviewed him July 2, with McGahn present, and Vice President Mike Pence interviewed him July 4. Kavanaugh spoke by phone with the president on July 8 and that evening met at the White House with Trump and his wife, Melania, where he said he was offered and accepted the nomination.

Asked whether anyone sought assurances from him about the stand he might take on a specific case or issue, he answered 'No.' He also said he had not offered any indication how he might rule as a justice.

Kavanaugh has written some 300 rulings as an appeals court judge and has a record in the George W. Bush White House as well as in Starr's probe of Clinton.

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the committee chairman, said the questionnaire was 'the broadest and most comprehensive' ever sent by the committee and he welcomed 'Judge Kavanaugh's diligent and timely response.'

The nominee told lawmakers he registered for the Selective Service in his younger days but did not serve in the armed forces.

Years before he became a judge and compiled a solidly conservative record, Kavanaugh also reflected on how past nominees have sometimes disappointed partisans who wanted a more liberal or conservative justice.

Speaking on CNN in 2000, he was responding to a question about whether the next president could 'pack the court' with like-minded justices.

Presidents often prefer to avoid bloody confirmation fights, he said in a transcript that was released Saturday. 'We've seen that time and again, to pick the consensus pick who turns out to be more moderate and thus less predictable, that's what's happened,' Kavanaugh said.
Theirs has been one of the most iconic and controversial property partnerships this country has ever seen  but now brother power couple Candy & Candy is no more.

I can reveal the company, formed in 2001, has been quietly renamed and billionaire brothers Nick, 45, and Christian, 43, have ceased working together.

The Candy brothers have endured 23 years of impressive highs and well-publicised lows: they even found themselves at the centre of an architecture row with Prince Charles in 2010 when he opposed their 3 billion Chelsea Barracks plan.

Some say the split has been spiky, but the Surrey-born brothers insist it is amicable.

Brothers Christian Candy and Nick Candy during the launch of the One Hyde Park development in Knightsbridge

After making a mint, the Candy brothers have parted way after a successful property development partnership

A source said: Christian instigated discussions  he has wanted out for a long while and they havent worked together for some time.

Last month, Nick changed the business name from Candy & Candy to Candy Property, putting the new firm entirely into his name.

Last month, Nick changed the business name from Candy & Candy to Candy Property, putting the new firm entirely into his name

The change comes after a difficult year for the duo. In December they successfully defended a 132 million damages claim brought by a former associate, but the High Court case left their reputation bruised.

The Epsom College-educated brothers first purchase was a one-bedroom flat in Londons Earls Court in 1995, and by 2004 they were developing the landmark One Hyde Park apartments in Knightsbridge, known as the most expensive residential development ever built.

A spokesman for Nick said that he had been running the firm solo since 2011, and added: The name change is designed to remove any confusion that there are still two parties involved.

Denis's double No10 snub for art duo

What a clash of cultures. Denis Thatcher, I can reveal, double-dissed artists Gilbert & George, right, by putting TWO question marks against their names on an invitation list he vetted for Maggies No 10 party after her 1987 Election victory  indicating his reluctance to welcome them.

Denis Thatcher, I can reveal, double-dissed artists Gilbert & George, right, by putting TWO question marks against their names

He also took against Paul McCartney and David Attenborough  though they got just one question mark each. It shocked the art duo because they are actually Thatcher fans  perhaps the only major artists from that era who are Tories!
Photo by Lou Rocco/ABC via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- New documents show that one month before the 2016 elections, the FBI sought permission to surveil Carter Page, the one-time foreign policy adviser to the campaign of Donald Trump, because they alleged he had been recruited by the Russian government.



The FBI believes the Russian governments efforts are being coordinated with Page and perhaps other individuals associated with [Trumps] campaign, the application with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court said.



Page is alleged in the documents to have had established relationships with Russian Government officials, including Russian intelligence officers.



In more than 400 pages made public Saturday as a result of a Freedom of Information request by media outlets, and first reported by The New York Times, the government laid out its case for secretly monitoring Page in a series of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act -- or FISA  warrants, each of which was approved by the FISA court. The documents, which include an application and a warrant for surveillance of Page, were first filed in secret in October 2016, are blacked out in the version that was made public. He stepped away from the campaign a month earlier.



The public portions of the documents do not indicate the methods the FBI intended to use to monitor Page.



Page told ABC News Saturday he was stunned by the allegations, which he has repeatedly maintained are false.



Im having trouble finding any small bit of this document that rises above complete ignorance and/or insanity, he said in a text message response to questions about the surveillance request.



The documents show the warrant applications were submitted and approved at least through June 2017, with the June 2017 application signed by FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.



The release of the document comes in the wake of a lengthy partisan disagreement in congress over allegations that the FBI abused its powers when seeking to secretly monitor someone who was once associated with the Trump campaign  though the campaign later distanced itself from Page.



Republicans who saw the full classified documents have previously alleged that surveillance of Page was improperly based on information gathered by Christopher Steele, a former British agent who gathered intelligence on alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russians. But the highly redacted documents released Saturday indicate that Steeles information was just one of many reasons the FBI was concerned about Page.



Steele was working for a research company that, while initially hired by Trumps Republican political opponents, was later funded by a Democratic Party law firm.



In recent months, Republicans have insisted the FBI did not adequately disclose the political motivations behind the research. But in the documents released Saturday, the FBI said it speculates that those behind the research were likely looking for information that could be used to discredit Candidate 1s campaign.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
U.S. director of intelligence Dan Coats said on Saturday he in no way meant to be disrespectful toward President Donald Trump with what he called his 'awkward response' to news of a second planned Trump summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Coats issued a statement seeking to control the damage from an interview he gave at the Aspen Institute security forum in Colorado on Thursday in which he expressed surprise when the news broke that Trump was planning another Putin summit.

'Some press coverage has mis-characterized my intentions in responding to breaking news presented to me during a live interview.

Sources close to the White House told The Washington Post earlier this week that West Wing staffers were in an uproar over Coats' comments

'My admittedly awkward response was in no way meant to be disrespectful or criticize the actions of the president,' Coats said.

'I and the entire intel(ligence) community are committed to providing the best possible intelligence to inform and support President Trumps ongoing efforts to prevent Russian meddling in our upcoming elections, to build strong relationships internationally in order to maintain peace, denuclearize dangerous regimes and protect our nation and our allies,' Coats added in his statement.

Coats expressed surprise on Thursday when the news broke that Trump was planning another Putin summit, this time at the White House

'Say that again?' said DNI Dan Coats, upon learning that Vladimir Putin was coming to the White House in the fall

Coats was on stage at the Aspen Institute taking questions when he was informed by Andrea Mitchell, the MSNBC anchor who moderated the event, about the second summit.

'Say that again. Did I hear you?' he asked, appearing amused. 'OK, that's going to be special.'

Coats' appearance at the Aspen Institute had generated some frustration at the White House.

One source said there was a belief that if Coats had been in Washington instead of Colorado, he would not have been surprised by the news.

Sources close to the White House told The Washington Post earlier this week that West Wing staffers were in an uproar over Coats' comments, with one reportedly stating that the intelligence chief had 'gone rouge.'

Trump has drawn heavy criticism from both Republicans and Democrats over his summit last Monday in Helsinki, Finland, with Russian President Vladimir Putin (L)

Presidential aides said that they were also concerned that the DNI's comments would be interpreted by Trump as a personal betrayal, who lavished praise towards Coats in a recent interview with CBS News.

Senior White House officials even went as far as to send a transcript of the interview to Coats' office, a way of making sure he saw the compliments.

According to the Post, Trump is notorious for nursing grudges and does not take kindly to personal slights.

Trump has drawn heavy criticism from both Republicans and Democrats over his summit last Monday in Helsinki, Finland, with Putin, when he seemed reluctant to blame Russia for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Trump later made clear he supported the U.S. intelligence community's findings about Russian meddling.
Vince Cable is facing a plot to unseat him as Liberal Democrat leader and replace him with an MP who is 40 years younger.

The veteran, who has been trying to brand the Lib Dems as a stop Brexit force, is facing a backlash from party members after missing a key Commons vote last week on quitting the EU, which the Government won by just three votes.

Dr Cable, 75, chose to attend a dinner with unnamed political figures from another party rather than vote against pro-Brexit amendments tabled by Jacob Rees-Moggs hardline European Research Group. Now, a group of senior Lib Dems are planning to meet this week to push for Dr Cable to be succeeded by 35-year-old Layla Moran, the partys education spokeswoman, who became an MP only last year.

Leader of the Lib Dems, Sir Vince Cable, and Oxford West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran at The Coseners House, Abingdon - in her constiuency

One said it was time to sweep away the fossil who has led the party since Tim Farron quit after the Lib Dems won just 12 seats at last years General Election. The source added: It is not so much skipping one generation, as two.

Dr Cable, who was Business Secretary in the Coalition Government, has struggled to make an impact since taking over.

The anti-Cable group is split between those who want him to go now and those who want to position Ms Moran as the natural successor when he stands down of his own volition. But most are agreed that Ms Moran would be more electorally attractive than deputy leader Jo Swinson, who is favourite to succeed him.

Staunch Remainer Ms Moran, a former maths teacher, was born in the UK to a Christian-Palestinian mother from Jerusalem and a British father who worked as an EU diplomat. She is thought to be the first MP to come from a Palestinian background.

She holds a majority of just 816 in her Oxford West constituency.

A leading Lib Dem anti-Brexit campaigner said: Layla Moran has that rare ability to connect with people. Swinson just doesnt have the necessary stardust.

A source close to Ms Moran said she is keen to build her majority in her seat before considering the leadership. And she doesnt want her supporters to treat Jo like that. Theres also been a good recovery under Vinces leadership.
The mother of a man with ADHD murdered over a Facebook post about his ex-girlfriend has spoken of her torment after his death.

Carl Gregory, 20, was killed during a fight in a Kent shopping centre car park in October 2016.

His murderer was a friend of his ex-girlfriend Chloe Lemare, who he had posted about on social media just before he was killed.

His post showed a picture of a woman leapfrogging over a series of phallic statues with the caption 'How most girls get over ex's'.

The killer, John Dickson, had also heard Carl called Miss Lemare a 'slag' after they broke up, his trial at Maidstone Crown Court was told.

He was sentenced to life in prison, but his mother Helen Godden, 46, is still haunted by what could have happened if things had played out differently.

Carl Gregory, 20 (pictured) was killed during a fight over a Facebook post about his ex-girlfriend in a Kent shopping centre car park in October 2016

She told the Sunday Mirror: 'I'm sure no one thought that day would end with murder but people see something on Facebook, get riled up and feel big and strong when they're alone in front of a computer. They make plans and things quickly get out of control.'

'Words online can lead to very real actions with consequences. Carl's murder was so senseless and we have to live forever with the pain.'

She told the newspaper her worst regret is not offering him a lift home on the night he died, which would not have saved him, but meant he would have 'died in her arms'.

The mother-of-four decided not to drive him home because he didn't want to embarrass him in front of his friends.

Speaking about how the family are doing now, she said it is still 'very, very hard' and looking at pictures of her murdered son for too long 'eat her heart'.

Dickson was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 18 years for murdering Carl outside Hobbycraft at the Westwood Cross shopping centre in Thanet, Kent.

The attack happened after Mr Gregory posted a picture of a woman leap-frogging over penis statues and added the caption: 'How most girls get over exs.' He also branded Miss Lemare a 'slag'.

Carl's post showed a picture of a woman leapfrogging over a series of phallic statues with the caption 'How most girls get over ex's'

The court heard, another man, Christopher Pollard, described as a long-standing friend of Miss Lemare's, then arranged to meet up with Mr Gregory.

Pollard's friend Dickson also arrived at the scene and, after a row broke out, he held Mr Gregory in a choke hold, which led to his death.

Carl, of Ramsgate, Kent, had been diagnosed with ADHD at a young age. He met Miss Lemare about 18 months before his death.

The relationship ended in August last year but they remained in contact and played Pokemon Go together.

Pollard was cleared on murder and manslaughter.

Jailing Dickson at Maidstone Crown Court after his trial, judge Adele Williams, warned of the dangers of social media.

She said: 'This was a truly senseless killing. You made the decision to place a chokehold around Carl Gregory's neck for approximately two minutes.

'You knew exactly what you were doing and how dangerous it was, and you admitted as much in evidence. It was the compression of his neck that killed him.

Carl and Chloe Lemare's relationship (pictured together) ended in August last year but they remained in contact and played Pokemon Go together

'You then viciously and gratuitously stamped on his head. This was clearly captured on CCTV.

'You callously left Carl Gregory at the scene, offered him no assistance, and called no one.'

'This case well illustrates some of the dangers of young people using social media.

'It shows how an argument can escalate, and be blown out of all proportion because of the speed of communication.'

Ms Godden said in a victim impact statement at the time: 'Carl was a young man who enjoyed life, and who was loved by many different people.

'We will never forget the moment police knocked on their door and effectively ruined all our family lives forever.

'The reality of seeing Carl's lifeless body and being unable to protect him - I cannot express that in words.

'I felt pain which I never knew existed. No one can witness this constant pain which I fear will be with me for the rest of my life.'

She also spoke of the impact on his siblings and her other children, the court proceedings, and described how they had to silently endure the detail of his murder.

Ms Godden added: 'We have all been given a life sentence. No matter what the result is, we all have to come to terms with never seeing Carl again.'
The self-described white nationalist who was seen sobbing in a YouTube video after a right-wing rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, left him with a warrant out for his arrest, has been banned from the state.

Christopher Cantwell, also known as the crying Nazi pleaded guilty to assault and battery charges following the rally on August 11, which was held to protest the removal of a confederate statue.

Cantwell admitted to using pepper spray on counter protesters, and was sentenced to two 12 month jail periods, with all but seven months of his sentence suspended, and with 107 days jail time served was freed from detention,The Washington Post reported.

The 37-year-old from Keene, New Hampshire, was ordered to leave Virginia within eight hours of the sentencing, and is not allowed to return for five years, and must pay a $250 fine for discussing his victims online.

Cantwell was involved in the rally on August 11, where torch-bearing men and women gathered at the University of Virginia, marching towards a statue of Thomas Jefferson chanting 'You will not replace us', and: 'Jews will not replace us'.

An ensuing battle with counter-protesters turned violent.

Christopher Cantwell has been kicked out of Virginia and banned for five years after pleading guilty to assault and batter during a right wing rally in Charlottesville last year

Cantwell used pepper spray on counter protesters during the rally. After he was sentenced on Friday, he was given eight hours to get out of Virginia

Albemarle Commonwealths Attorney Robert Tracci told the Washington Post the outcome: brings a measure of finality to the defendants dispersal of pepper spray nearly a year ago.

This agreement was supported by the victims in this case, who have been consulted at each stage of the criminal process, Tracci said.

Tracci told DailyMail.com Cantwell's suspended sentence of 17 months is conditioned upon good behavior, including no contact with the two victims in this case.

'If he violates these terms, the Commonwealth is in a position to seek re-imposition of the balance of his unserved sentence,' he said.

'Because he pleaded guilty to two assault and batteries, and the maximum time for each is 12 months, he has 17 months suspended time and received credit for time served awaiting trial.

'The resolution was supported by the victims, one of whom moved overseas.'

Cantwell was pictured shirtless after the Charlottesville rally, crying in the gutter because he had been pepper-sprayed himself.

Days after the rally, an interview between Cantwell and VICE was published, where he said he was trying to make himself more capable of violence and noted he would f***ing kill these people [counter-protesters] if we have to.

But the violent and confident persona he aired in his interview was replaced by a weeping and terrified man just days later, when he learned there was a warrant out for his arrest.

He told viewers he was scared he would be killed, and begged for guidance from the police on what to do.

Cantwell, 37, is known as 'the crying nazi' because of a video he shared online of himself tearing up after learning there was a warrant out for his arrest following his use of pepper spray on August 11

Hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis, KKK and members of the 'alt-right' protested the removal of a confederate statue in Charlottesville on August 12 2017 - the day after Cantwell assaulted two people with pepper spray at a similar rally at the University of Virginia. Before long, counter-protesters had arrived and the rally turned fatally violent

White nationalists descended on Charlottesville again on August 12, 2017 - in part to protest plans to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

The group began fighting in the streets with counter protesters before the event even officially began.

The brawling went on for nearly an hour leaving dozens injured in plain view of officers, until the event eventually disbanded.

Later, as counter protesters were peacefully marching through a downtown street, a car drove into the crowd, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring many more.

James Alex Fields Jr, who had been seen marching with white supremacist groups, was behind the wheel, and he has been charged with first degree murder.

City officials had earlier tried to move the rally to a larger park about a mile from downtown Charlottesville, but their request was blocked by a federal judge after the American Civil Liberties Union sued on free-speech grounds.

A car driven by James Alex Fields Jr. mowed down a crowd of counter-protesters during the rally on August 12, one day after white nationalist rally at the University of Virginia turned violent
Acting power pair Charlotte Riley and Tom Hardy have been troubled by a stalker, I am sorry to report.

The co-stars of TV gangster series Peaky Blinders have been targeted by a woman with an unhealthy obsession with hard-man hunk Tom, causing distress at a time when they should be rejoicing in news that they are expecting their second child.

One source close to Charlotte, 36, and Tom, 40, tells me lawyers have the problem in hand.

One source close to Charlotte, right, and Tom, left, tells me lawyers have the problem in hand

But another says they are considering buying a home in remote Devon so they can retreat from their 3.5 million London pile when they feel its getting too much.

Im told: Tom is tired of the glitzy life in London and Hollywood at the moment. He wants to find a farmhouse where he can keep dogs and horses.

Tom was in San Diego last week promoting his new movie, Venom.

Idris's Bond dream finally gets the bullet

He's been tipped as the next James Bond for four years  but it seems Idris Elba has finally given up on the dream of playing 007.

The actor and part-time DJ has instead set up a record label and already has his first signing  trendy French hip-hop artist James BKS.

He's been tipped as the next James Bond for four years  but it seems Idris Elba has finally given up on the dream

No-nonsense Idris said recently: [They] just want to have a black guy play James Bond rather than Idris Elba, the actor, play James Bond. Ugh, come on.

Its surely the movie industrys loss, as shown by our tongue-in-cheek version, right, of how things could have been
Passengers on a tour boat that sunk, killing 17 people  including nine from one family, four of them aged under ten  were told it was safe not to wear life jackets, a survivor said.

Tia Coleman, who lost all her children in the tragedy, said: The captain told us, Dont worry about grabbing the life jackets, you wont need them. So nobody grabbed them because we listened to the captain and he told us to stay seated.

When it was time to grab them it was too late. I believe that a lot of people could have been spared. I lost all my children.

Nine members of the same family (eight pictured) were killed on Thursday night after a duck boat capsized on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri (from top left: Butch Coleman, Ray Coleman, Glenn Coleman, Angela Coleman (seen holding Maxwell). From bottom left: Reece Coleman, Belinda Coleman and Evan Coleman)

I lost my husband, my mother-in-law, my father-in-law, uncle, sister and nephew.

Two amphibious duckboats were caught in a storm on Table Rock Lake in Missouri on Thursday evening. One managed to get back to land.

Mrs Coleman and ten relatives, from Indiana, were among 31 people on the other which sank in 40ft of water. Another nephew survived.

The Colemans who died were Arya, one, Maxwell, two, Evan, seven, Reece, nine, Glenn, 40, Angela, 45, Belinda, 69, Horace, 70, and Ervin, 76.
Andrew Griffiths, who has been accused of harassing his ex-partner

The disgraced former Tory minister who sent 2,000 sex texts to two female constituents has now been accused of harassing his ex-partner.

Andrew Griffiths, 47, allegedly staged 'accidental' meetings in the street and followed the woman after their relationship of several years unravelled.

She split with the shamed MP five years ago because he cheated on her and downloaded pornography, a source reportedly told the Mirror.

The woman allegedly attended a police station in Central London and reported that the former banker was harassing her.

But she decided to withdraw her complaint out of fear there would be reprisals because of Griffith's Westminster connections, the Mirror report.

'Mr Griffiths has never engaged in any harassment or abusive conduct,' a spokesman for the MP said yesterday.

'These allegations were never put to him at the time and he has had no contact from the police.'

Griffiths is facing growing calls to step down as MP for Burton and Uttoxeter.

The married father-of-one, a former chief of staff to PM Theresa May, was exposed this month for sending explicit texts to two barmaids.

He demanded they send him nude pictures and videos during a three-week period and offered to meet them for a threesome.

Imogen Treharne, 28, has made a formal complaint to the Conservative Party about Griffiths

'I can be an evil ******* when I'm turned on' he wrote in one message, as well as bragging that 'Daddy's busy running the country'.

One of the women, 28-year-old Imogen Treharne, made a formal complaint to the Conservative Party's Code of Conduct disciplinary body, which will investigate.

The tribunal have the power to recommend Griffiths is expelled from the Conservative Party. He would have 28 days to appeal such a decision.

It has also emerged that in 2016 Griffiths was accused of inappropriately touching local Tory councillor Deneice Florence-Jukes.

She said he held her waist and touched her knee. He was put under investigation but no further action was taken.

Griffiths shares a home in Burton, Staffordshire, with his 47-year-old wife Kate and their three-month-old daughter Alice.
Top Secret documents have been revealed confirming that the FBI asked a judge to spy on Donald Trump's former campaign advisor Carter Page because they believed he was 'the subject of targeted recruitment by the Russian Government'.

The FBI on Saturday publicly released 412 heavily-redacted pages of warrant applications to wiretap Page, following a lawsuit filed by the New York Times and several other news outlets.

The materials include an October 2016 application to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to wiretap Page as well as three 90-day renewal applications.

The first three applications were signed by then-FBI Director James Comey, and the fourth by his deputy Andrew McCabe, after Trump fired Comey in May of 2017.

Newly released documents show that the FBI claimed that former Trump campaign advisor Carter Page (above) was 'the subject of targeted recruitment by the Russian Government'

The first three FISA applications were signed by then-FBI Director James Comey (above), and the fourth by his deputy Andrew McCabe, after Trump fired Comey in May of 2017

The original FISA warrant application (shown in part above) and three renewal applications were released by the FBI on Saturday after a court battle with news organizations

Unredacted portions of the documents show the FBI telling the intelligence court that Page 'has been collaborating and conspiring with the Russian government'

It is highly unusual for documents related to FISA wiretap applications, which are top-secret requests to conduct domestic surveillance, to be released.

While the documents were heavily redacted in places, visible portions of the documents show the FBI telling the intelligence court that Page 'has been collaborating and conspiring with the Russian government.'

The agency also told the court that 'the FBI believes Page has been the subject of targeted recruitment by the Russian government.'

Page has denied being a Russian agent. He had been named as a foreign policy advisor to Trump's campaign, but resigned following news reports in September 2016 that he was the target of an FBI investigation.

After a redaction, the the application to wiretap Page included a partial sentence: '... undermine and influence the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election in violation of U.S. criminal law.'

The surveillance of Page became a contentious matter between Republican and Democratic lawmakers earlier this year.

Republicans alleged the FBI had abused its surveillance powers and improperly obtained the warrant by relying on British ex-spy Christopher Steele's Democrat-funded 'dirty dossier' in the warrant applications.

British ex-spy Christopher Steele (above) is referred to as Source #1 in the documents. He was hired by Democrats to dig dirt on Trump, and produced the infamous 'dirty dossier'

The FBI added the bolded footnote seen above to its renewal applications, noting that it had terminated its relationship with Steele (Source #1). Candidate #1 refers to Trump

Democrats rebutted that charge, as both sides characterized the FISA documents in different ways. The documents, meanwhile, remained out of public view.

The newly released documents show that the FBI revealed in a footnote that 'Source #1', as it refers to Steele, had been hired by an opposing campaign to dig dirt on the Trump campaign, but noted he had a history of providing 'reliable information' to the FBI.

The renewal applications include a footnote in bold saying that the FBI had severed its relationship with Steele because he had shared some of his claims with a news organization in October 2016.

That organization is believed to be Yahoo News, for the same article that is cited elsewhere in the FISA application and renewals.

Republicans had argued that the application used the Yahoo article, sourced from Steele, to bolster Steele's own claims in the dossier.

House Democrats were quick to say that the newly released documents bolstered their argument that the FBI had ample probable cause to surveil Page.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (above) quickly released a statement saying that the newly released documents clearly prove 'Russia's coordination with Carter Page'

'Despite President Trumps repeated claims, these documents provide clear evidence of "Russias coordination with Carter Page," a high-ranking Trump campaign official, "to undermine and improperly and illegally influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election,"' House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement.

'For more than a year, House Republicans have bullied the Department of Justice and FBI to release highly sensitive documents to derail the Special Counsel's and other legitimate national security investigations and cover for the President,' Pelosi said.

'For the sake of our national security and our democracy, these vital investigations must be allowed to continue unhindered by Republican interference. The GOP must cease their attacks on our law enforcement and intelligence communities, and finally decide where their loyalty lies.'

Representative Adam Schiff, the California Democrat who is the ranking member of the House intelligence committee, said the documents underscore the 'legitimate concern' the FBI had about Page's activities.

Yet Schiff said the materials shouldn't have been released during an ongoing investigation because of national security.

He blamed Trump for making public House Republicans' initial memo about the FISA applications, a move by Trump that the congressman called 'nakedly political and self-interested, and designed to to (sic) interfere with the Special Counsel's investigation.'
A book dubbed a Silence Of The Lambs for the internet age has been crowned Britains best crime novel of the year.

The Intrusions, by Stav Sherez scooped the 2018 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award, supported by The Mail on Sunday. Now in its 14th year, the crime-writing prize is considered one of Britains most prestigious.

The London-based thriller examines the invidious world of online crime, where sextortion  internet-based blackmail  goes hand-in-hand with murder.

The Intrusions, by Stav Sherez scooped the 2018 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award

Mr Sherez was awarded the prize on Thursday in a ceremony hosted by broadcaster Mark Lawson at the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate.

He said: The Intrusions are the stuff we have all around us; all the static and scatter of TV and phones. Everything is impinging on our consciousness and you dont have time to think.

Its good to have new criminality to deal with. But its not only criminality: the internet is affecting politics; its affecting elections; it affects us and our kids.

Scottish author Ian Rankin described The Intrusions as Silence Of The Lambs for the internet age.

Past winners of the award, run in partnership with T&R Theakston Ltd, The Mail on Sunday and WHSmith, include Jack Reacher author Lee Child, programming chairman for this years festival, Mark Billingham, and Val McDermid.

US novelist John Grisham, 63, won a special award for outstanding contribution to crime fiction.
A manhunt is underway after a woman was stabbed to death in a high-rise brawl.

Laa Chol, 19, died after a fight broke out between two groups of African-Australians in the early hours of Saturday morning in Melbourne's city centre.

It is understood Ms Chol was attending a party at the EQ Tower when a second group crashed the event.

Police have interviewed a dozen partygoers and are combing through evidence after the party spiralled out of control.

Laa Chol, 19, died after a fight broke out between two groups of African-Australians in the early hours of Saturday morning in Melbourne's city centre

It is understood Ms Chol was attending a party at the EQ Tower on A'Beckett Street when a second group crashed the event

A group of young African-Australians, aged in their late teens and early 20s, had rented the apartment for the party before the fight broke out.

The second group left the apartment before police arrive, but detectives are confident CCTV footage will help them make an arrest.

Ms Chol was remembered by devastated friends as a 'beautiful soul' in touching tributes.

Friends took to social media to share their shock and devastation at her death.

'Never thought Friday would be my last time on earth seeing you, you were such a beautiful soul & didn't deserve any of this,' Shushu Kishak posted.

Authorities were called to the scene of the rented 56th-floor apartment shortly after 5am on Saturday morning.

Ms Chol, from Pakenham, ultimately died from what commander of the North West Metro region Tim Hansen called 'assault related injuries'.

She was stabbed to death, according to unverified reports.

Police reported that 12 people were helping them with their inquiries but said the alleged offender was not likely part of that group.

Further tributes poured in via social media on Saturday, with many taking to Facebook to pay their respects.

'Hard time for all her family and friends, when they came here to give their kids a better life,' one said.

Friends have remembered Laa Chol, 19, as a quite person as they grieve her violent death on Saturday morning

'Very sad for any young person to lose their life,' said another.

'So very sad, she was an amazing young lady to know, will be sadly missed by all,' another wrote.

'My understanding is this wasn't a random attack,' Victoria Police Commander Tim Hansen told reporters.

'There's no sign of forced entry but we're trying to clarify what brought [the second group] there.'

Mr Hansen further noted that the only known link between the two groups was that both groups were of 'African-Australian heritage' and all were aged around 19-20 years old, News.com.au reported.

Ms Chol was treated at the EQ Tower residential building by paramedics, but died from her injuries.

Ms Chol, from Pakenham, ultimately died from what police have called 'assault related injuries'

While the exact circumstances of the incident are yet to be released, a resident of the apartment building told the Herald Sun she heard prolonged and 'horrendous' screams.

'It went on for about 20 minutes,' the woman said.

'You couldn't hear anything but this horrendous screaming... I just thought they were drunk.

'They were shouting and screaming and the girl's scream was incredibly loud  just screeching.'

Homicide squad detectives are investigating the death.
The Government is set to impose hotel-style star ratings on banks in an effort to shame those that are lax on fraud.

The radical proposals would tell customers where their money is likely to be safest  but they are being fiercely opposed by the financial giants.

Industry bodies claim that any rating would be misleading, may be exploited by criminals and would discourage institutions from coming clean about fraud.

The Government wants to impose hotel-style star ratings on banks to shame those lax on fraud

But campaigners insist the plan is vital to tackle a 10 billion-a-year online crimewave. Nearly five million offences a year are committed in England and Wales.

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, who sits on the Public Accounts Committee, said: We deserve to know which banks deal with fraud effectively so that we can make informed choices about who we trust our money to.

She added that similar schemes in other sectors led to a race to the top in terms of security.

In a letter seen by The Mail on Sunday, the Home Offices top civil servant, Sir Philip Rutnam, told MPs that a star rating system would help raise standards across the board.

But the move could lead to a showdown with the banking sector.

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran backs the idea

A spokesman for industry body UK Finance said: Publishing individual banks data would not provide an accurate picture for customers of the relative performance of different banks and would instead provide information that could be exploited by fraudsters to identify vulnerabilities.

Fraud prevention service Cifas agreed, adding that the system would have an impact on legitimate fraud reporting, signpost security weaknesses to fraudsters and create an anti-competitive market.

However, Harry Rose, editor of Which? Money, said the scheme would help customers.

He added: We welcome any initiative that helps people to make more informed choices about where they bank.

The ratings would be issued by the Home Office based on fraud data that the banks pass to watchdogs on the Financial Conduct Authority.

The Home Office said it was committed to developing a scheme which will give consumers useful information on banking fraud performance but will also avoid tipping off criminals by publicising potential vulnerabilities.
A woman was shot dead when a 28-year-old man stormed a Trader Joe's in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon and held hostages for three hours before surrendering to police.

The woman, Mely Corado, was killed early into the hostage situation, police told reporters on Saturday night, and was the only fatality of the day. Mely had worked at Trader Joe's since 2014.

LAPD sources told ABC7 Mely was the store manager.

The gunman allegedly shot his grandmother 'up to seven times' before fleeing in her car with a woman believed to be his girlfriend, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

Garcetti said the suspect got into an argument with his grandmother about 1.30pm, and the woman believed to be his girlfriend, who was 'forcibly taken' with him, was also injured but is expected to survive.

The man's grandmother was transported to hospital in 'grave condition', has undergone several surgeries and remains in a critical condition, LAPD Chief Michael Moore said.

Scroll down for video

Pictured: Mely Corado, the Trader Joe's employee who was killed in the store when the suspect ran in on Saturday afternoon

Pictured: The 28-year-old man who allegedly stormed the supermarket on Saturday and took dozens of hostages. He is seen being treated for a gunshot wound to his left arm, sustained in a shootout with police

The man who held up to 50 people hostage at Trader Joe's and allegedly killed a woman inside surrendered to police in handcuffs on Saturday evening

Pictured: The suspect, who is 28 years old, allegedly shot his grandmother as many as seven times before holding as many as 50 people in a Trader Joe's hostage

Pictured: The suspect (pictured center), handed himself into police just after 6.30pm after a three-hour siege

Mayor Eric Garcetti said a woman had been shot dead inside the store

Pictured: A young victim is taken away from the store in a wheelchair with a bandage on their knee an

When the man fled the scene of the first alleged shooting, police caught up to him, and he shot at officers multiple times. Police chased him from Hollywood into Silverlake, where he crashed outside the shop, shot his girlfriend, and ran inside.

The vehicle was seen wrapped around a pole and police rescued the 20-year-old woman left inside. Her injuries have not been confirmed, but are believed to include a gunshot wound, KTLA reported.

Law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times the woman is his girlfriend, and he had fired at officers, who fired back, before he ran inside the supermarket.

LAPD told KCAL the man had shot his grandmother and girlfriend about 1.30pm, before fleeing the Hollywood scene in a 2015 Toyota Camry and arriving at the supermarket before 3.30pm

When he did surrender to police just after 6.30pm, the man emerged with handcuffs on and with four hostages, as was previously agreed to in negotiations between the man and LAPD, ABC reported.

Police swarmed the Trader Joe's in Silverlake on Saturday afternoon after the gunman barricaded himself inside

PIctured: The suspect's car, which he crashed into a street pole before running into the shop

SWAT teams positioned themselves tactically around the shopping center as they tried to help hostages escape

Hostages were seen escaping from a ladder near the front of the store (pictured)

Law enforcement spent hours working to evacuate employees and customers, including small children, with at least one person seen fleeing with injuries.

While many were seen fleeing from the supermarket, it is believed there were still as many as 30 people inside just after 4pm.

Mayor Garcetti confirmed to reporters the man had been in contact with LAPD during the hostage situation, and initially had 40-50 customers and employees in the store with him.

'A slow and steady stream of people who had hidden and were helped by LAPD to escape, or people who were released by the hostage taker [were seen leaving the store],' he said.

The gunman was injured in his left arm during his shootout with police, and NBC reported towards the end of the hostage situation, people he had forcibly taken were helping him with his wounds.

Devin Field said on Twitter he was about to enter the Trader Joe's when the man's car crashed into a street lamp outside.

'I was walking in when he crashed into the entrance and got out shooting,' he said.

'I ducked behind the four-foot retaining wall in the parking lot and three LAPD officers ran over, knelt behind it right next to me and opened fire.'

Field says others who had been evacuated said the gunman 'walked in shooting', demanded a jumper and a phone, and moved the remaining hostages to the back of the store.

Pictured: A Trader Joe's employee is comforted after escaping the supermarket where the man barricaded himself with hostages

A Trader Joe's cart left by a customer who fled a hostage situation in the store sits in a parking lot nearby

Police used mirrors held through a shot-out window to see where the suspect was positioned

A police officer with a helmet is seen carrying a child away from the store

Pictured: Armed police follow an officer seen helping a child escape

An employee told him there was 'blood all over the floor', but they did not know where it'd come from. He says another employee said one Trader Joe's worker was shot in the arm.

Field's account has not been confirmed by any official sources.

Don Kohles , 91, was also walking into the Trader Joes when the suspect crashed his car into the street pole.

He says police fired at the male driver and shattered the stores glass doors. Kohles says he and others inside took cover and laid on the floor as the suspect ran inside.

He says the man ran toward the back of the store and yelled at people inside but he never heard any more gunshots.

The elderly man said he was terrified and others around him were sobbing. After about 30 minutes, he says police came him and rushed them outside.
They were shocking images that caused an international outcry.

King the lion cub was pictured shackled in a filthy cage and half-starved while being kept as an exotic pet in a Paris apartment.

But now the cub is safely roaming a South African game reserve  thanks to the efforts of British wildlife charity Born Free, whose supporters raised 100,000 to help rescue him.

King the lion cub was pictured in a Paris appartment shackled in a filthy cage and half-starved

Video footage of the cub being punched and kicked sparked worldwide revulsion when it went viral on social media last year.

Following a tip-off, French firemen tracked him down to a block of flats in the Paris suburb of Noisy-le-Sec, where a 24-year-old man was keeping him.

Rescuers described King as being in deep distress, but now the one-year-old roams safe and free at the Big Cat Rescue Centre at Shamwari Private Game Reserve.

His journey from squalor to savannah saw King taken first to the Natuurhulpcentrum wildlife rescue centre in Belgium, then on to Heathrow Airport.

Now the cub is safely roaming a South African game reserve thanks to the efforts of British wildlife charity Born Free

From there, Kenya Airways laid on a free flight to Port Elizabeth in South Africa, from where he was driven the short distance to the veldt of Shamwari in the Eastern Cape, home to Born Frees two big cat rescue centres.

Emotional scenes followed as King was released from his crate into the African bush. Born Free co-founder and British actress Virginia McKenna said: So many people responded to bring young King to Shamwari.

My thanks to everyone whose hearts were touched by his story, as he now takes his first steps on African soil.

Animal care manager Glen Vena said: King is settling in well and is slowly exploring his new natural enclosure. He is taking everything in day by day and is very happy.

King was described as being in deep distress, but now the one-year-old roams safe and free

If the other Born Free big cats around him are roaring, he will sit up and listen to them.

For now, all is well and its wonderful to see King enjoying his new African home.

Dr Chris Draper, Born Frees head of animal welfare and captivity, added: It is staggering in 2018 that lion cubs like King are still finding their way into the pet trade in Europe. It must stop. This situation needs addressing urgently and we hope that by introducing the world to King  his plight, his rescue, and his rehoming  Born Free can draw attention to this important issue.

The owner of the flat where King was discovered was arrested for illegally keeping a wild animal and animal abuse.
The mother of TV host Richard Bacon praised the NHS for saving her son's life after he was placed in a coma due to suffering from a double chest infection.

Mr Bacon fell ill while travelling to Britain from the US and was taken off a plane in a wheelchair before being admitted to hospital.

The TV presenter only recently returned home to his family after 12 days in hospital.

His mother Christine praised the NHS for the 'great job' they did on him and said she feared the worst after he was put into a coma.

Richard Bacon and Christine Bacon enjoying a drink together. His mother was very worried about her broadcaster son, who spent 12 days in hospital

TV presenter Richard Bacon hooked up to a number of machines in hospital. He is now safely home and recuperating. A number of fans online have been wishing him well

She told the Sunday Mirror: 'We got in the car and drove to London. It was a nightmare not knowing that he was being put into a coma and not knowing why.

'He was incredibly poorly. We think it was double bronchitis. It's a good job he was in this country. Had he been in LA I wouldn't have been able to see him.

'The NHS have done a great job! It was like it was meant to happen this way. He was in a coma, with loads of wires in him and we knew it was critical.

'When I was at his bedside, and him not knowing I'm there, was surreal really.

'Like any situation you have to deal with it, there's not an escape. People have been so lovely and kind.

'Being a mother, you can't imagine losing your kids. As a mother you can't let yourself really consider that you're going to lose him, there's nothing worse.

'It's not the way things go. He's not a child but he was my first born and I love him. I thought mainly that 'you can't leave us, Richard'.

The Instagram post showed him smiling with his two children on the doorstep of his London home

The former Blue Peter host appeared happy and relaxed as he made his way down the street after leaving Lewisham Hospital after 12 days

'But we could have lost him. I can't imagine. We're quite a close family. He has two younger sisters, they've all got two children. '

She added it was a 'massive relief' he had now left hospital and she thanked all those who prayed for Richard.

After leaving hospital the broadcaster was pictured smiling with his two children on the doorstep of his London home.

In a post uploaded to Instagram he is holding hands with son Arthur, six, and Ivy, four, who have stuck 'welcome home' messages and bunting on the porch.

Alongside the picture he wrote: 'Cured Bacon.'

On Saturday, Mrs Bacon tweeted a touching picture of the him and his mother together, with her arms draped over the TV presenter.

She captioned the image: "Me and my lad ?@richardpbacon? He's getting there."

Still wearing a hospital tag around his wrist, he was helped by Rebecca McFarlane as he used a frame to steady himself

The former Blue Peter presenter, who appears frail in picture and can be seen with a bandage on his neck, made a 'V' for victory sign to the camera as he lies between son Arthur, six and Ivy, four



On Thursday, he emerged from hospital accompanied by his wife Rebecca, walking with the aid of a frame.

Before leaving the ward, Bacon, father to Arthur, six, and Ivy, four, tweeted that he was "cleared for take off", along with a picture of his hospital bed.

He added: "Gone within the hour. I don't know whether I see this as the bed I nearly died in or the bed that saved my life.

"Either way. I won't miss it. But I will miss the 50 staff of Lewisham Hospital who definitely saved my life. Every. Single. One. Of. Them."

On Wednesday, the radio and TV presenter marked his last full day in hospital and, paying tribute to Rebecca, said: "How will I ever thank her?"

He added: "I was in a coma for nine or 10 nights (I just learned). That's a lot of staring at your husband and his pipes. And a lot of worry."

He shared a picture of his hand intertwined with hers on the bed.

Richard 's father Paul Bacon previously told MailOnline: 'He's going to stay with relatives while he convalesces. He'll just be resting up so that he can fully recover.

Richard Bacon shared a picture of an empty hospital bed as he finally prepared to leave hospital, and thanked staff for saving his life

'As a family we've all been at his bedside throughout this very worrying and anxious time.

'But he's only just waking up to that and discovering all that he's been going through throughout this ordeal now.

'So we're all very relieved that he's leaving hospital as you can imagine. And that we've somehow got through it all as a family.

'We're still not clear about what has happened to him. But he's looking forward to being at home and he's going to make the most of this time to be with his wife and his children.

'He remains very grateful to be getting out of hospital and also to the hospital staff for all that they've done for him.'

Bacon, 42, posted a photo on Instagram of his wife holding his hand on his hospital bed, and it it appeared she was also wearing her husband's ring on her index finger

Richard Bacon has paid tribute to his wife Rebecca (pictured together in 2010), left. After he was admitted to hospital he posted a picture of him in his hospital bed hooked up to several wires (right)

Mr Bacon fell ill while travelling to Britain from the US and was taken off a plane in a wheelchair before being admitted to hospital. On Monday he posted on social media saying he had 'nearly died'.

In tweets which were later deleted he said: 'So, I did six days straight in a coma. Been here another four since. It's an (as) yet unidentified double chest infection.

'I nearly died. At one point, as I was run down a hallway to ICU (an intensive care unit) at midnight, with a massive needle jammed in my chest - bit like Pulp Fiction - I thought, 'This is it.'

He was full of praise for the NHS and Lewisham Hospital, tweeting: 'Low on energy but I love and admire all the team Lewisham Hospital. Viva the NHS.'

Bacon has been married to his wife Rebecca (pictured) since 2008, and they have two children

The father-of-two, who lives in Los Angeles, was taken ill on a flight from the US to the UK earlier this month with suspected pneumonia.

After his condition worsened, hospital staff in London put him into a coma to allow his body to fight the infection. He awoke on Friday.

On waking up, he posted on Twitter: 'Ha. I am alive. Or in Lewisham. Or somewhere between the two.'

Bacon (pictured in April 2017) was diagnosed with pneumonia on both lungs

The former 5Live presenter also shared a quote with his fans where he talked about the 'meaning of love' as he was inundated with messages of support by fans and famous faces.

Comedian David Baddiel replied: 'Very much hope this is actually you tweeting this. In which case: welcome back'.

Match of the Day host Gary Lineker also asked him if he had 'overslept' and the presenter replied: 'Yes, for six days straight.'

Fans welcomed him back and wished him a speedy recovery on social media.

One said: 'I've never been so glad to see someone's name on my timeline as I have yours. So good to see you! Take it easy and do as you are told to get you fully recovered xx'

Another said: 'Welcome back. I had 7 days in an induced coma years ago after a serious RTA. It's a tough thing to overcome. Hope you recover steadily and safely. Thank heavens for the NHS.'

A third tweeted: 'Here's to a speedy recovery. Glad you are back with us!'
Hillary Clinton has weighed in on the latest White House controversies, blasting President Donald Trump over his meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Clinton spoke on Saturday evening at OZY Fest in New York's Central Park, where the digital magazine's investor Laurene Powell Jobs quizzed her for her take on current events and trends.

Jobs, the widow of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, asked Clinton about Special Counsel Robert Mueller's latest indictment, of 12 Russian military intelligence officers for their alleged role in leaking stolen Democratic National Committee emails.

'What does all this mean? It's fair to say that it means that this was a very wrong, and unfortunately successful, cyber attack on our electoral system,' the former Democrat presidential candidate replied.

Clinton spoke on Saturday evening at OZY Fest in New York's Central Park, where she was interviewed by the digital magazine's investor Laurene Powell Jobs (right)

Clinton sat down with Jobs to speak out about Trump's recent meeting with Valdimir Putin

The former presidential candidate implied that Trump was a patsy being manipulated by Putin

Clinton also addressed Trump's recent meeting with Putin in Helsinki, which drew controversy when Trump at first cast doubt on whether Russia had meddled in the election before walking back his remarks.

'The great mystery is why the president has not spoken up for our country,' Clinton said. 'We saw that most clearly in this most recent meeting with Putin. We don't know what was said in the room with just the two of them.'

'This idea that we are somehow not sure where our own president stands is deeply disturbing. The best way to deal with that? Is to vote in November,' Clinton continued.

Clinton also implied that Trump was a patsy getting played by Putin. 'I don't think there is any doubt that Vladimir Putin has a very clear strategy,' she said. 'As a former KGB spy, he is quite adept at reading people and knowing how to manipulate them.'

For his part, Trump said on Friday that Barack Obama, under whom Clinton served as secretary of state, was the true 'patsy' in Russian relations.

'Look at all the things that I have done. Nobody else did what I have done,' Trump told CNBC. 'Obama didn't do it. Obama was a patsy for Russia. He was a total patsy.'

For his part, Trump said on Friday that Barack Obama, under whom Clinton served as secretary of state, was the true 'patsy' in Russian relations

'The great mystery is why the president has not spoken up for our country,' Clinton said

Clinton admitted that she didn't get along with Putin when she was secretary of state

At the festival, Clinton admitted that she didn't get along with Putin when she was secretary of state. 'To be fair, hardly anyone who believes in freedom gets along with him because he is always trying to intimidate and dominate and direct how people and nations behave,' she said.

Asked about the possibility of the US alienating its allies under Trump, Clinton said: 'Pretty soon we become less relevant.'

'Even assuming there is some coherent strategy in all of this that I don't see. You would hope that it would be a strategy that would include greater American involvement in the world,' Clinton said.

The former candidate proposed that the US should teach the rest of the world to embrace diversity.

'We should be a model for how a big, diverse, pluralistic society thrives together. Our diversity is one of our strongest assets in the 21st century. And change is always hard. I understand that.'

Clinton also proposed that the US 'should be a model for how a big, diverse, pluralistic society thrives together'

The crowd is seen at OZY Fest earlier on Saturday as Cynthia Nixon spoke

'For those of us who want to turn the clock back on that and say somehow that has hurt America, they just are not walking around with their eyes open, they are living in a very narrow understanding of what has already made us great.'

Clinton also weighed in on Trump's nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, following Justice Anthony Kennedy's retirement announcement earlier this month.

'The potential replacement of Justice Kennedy is so consequential for those human rights, for women's rights, for LGBT rights,' she said.

Other featured speakers at OZY Fest included conservative tax reformer Grover Norquist, former MLB star Alex Rodriguez, actress Rose McGowan, and New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon.

The annual festival, hosted by the digital magazine OZY, is now in its third year.
British taxpayers are forking out 350,000 to a luxury hotel on the tropical island of St Helena because it does not have enough guests.

It is the latest twist in the scandal surrounding the remote islands new 285 million airport, which was funded by UK foreign aid in a bid to increase tourism.

It opened last year and was immediately dubbed the worlds most useless airport because large planes cannot land due to high winds battering its clifftop site.

The airport was criticised as large planes cannot land due to high winds battering its clifftop site

Hotels and guest house owners on the island  a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic  anticipated a tourist invasion when the airport opened but have been bitterly disappointed by the paltry numbers turning up.

A small South African airline runs a single weekly service, but to cope with the risk of wind shear, 22 of the 100 seats on each plane must remain empty.

During a closed session of the islands executive council last week, the luxury Mantis St Helena Hotel was awarded a 350,000 bailout, bringing its total subsidy to an astonishing 2.5 million.

Other hoteliers and guest house owners have been invited to apply for funds from a 250,000 pot given by the Department for International Development. In addition to the airport, the British Government subsidised St Helena to the tune of 28 million in 2016.

During a closed session last week, the Mantis St Helena Hotel was awarded a 350,000 bailout

DFID claimed the airport would help attract almost 30,000 visitors a year by 2042. Labour peer Lord Foulkes said he understood why hoteliers needed help, but added: It wouldnt have been necessary if the whole airport project hadnt been b******d up in the first place.

A spokesman for the island government insisted the hotel had a viable future.

The Mail on Sunday is campaigning against the bloated 13 billion UK foreign aid budget. Other handouts have been used to teach British folk songs around the world and fund a BBC Somali radio drama that provided practical tips for illegal migrants to Europe.

A DFID spokesman said: Our support for St Helena has resulted in three times as many tour operators offering holidays to the island and we expect the tourism industry to continue growing, which will reduce the reliance on UK aid.
A female stablehand who punched a co-worker in the face during a fit of jealousy because she was looking at her fiance has been sentenced.

Lizzie Hasler, 27, was given 250 hours of community service for the incident in which she told her fellow stablehand 'best for you to walk away or I'll knock you out,' before punching her twice in the face.

The victim was seriously injured suffering a broken nose, fractured left cheek, a chipped front tooth, and ligament damage in her neck.

A female stablehand (pictured left) who punched a co-worker in the face during a fit of jealousy because she was looking at her fiance (pictured right) has been sentenced

Lizzie Hasler (pictured) was given 250 hours of community service for the incident in which she told her fellow stablehand 'best for you to walk away or I'll knock you out'

Magistrate Michael Barko labelled the attack a 'drunken rage of jealousy' during sentencing on Wednesday and said that 'it's about time sentences are imposed to females that are imposed on males for the same thing.'

'If I showed these facts to the general community and said it's a male, they would say he should go to jail,' he said.

A group including Ms Hasler and the victim were having drinks with co-workers at the Doncaster Hotel in Kensington on March 3 after a race meeting.

Ms Hasler left the venue with the victim just before midnight when, outside on the footpath, she calimed the victim had been looking at her fiance all night and yelled, 'What the f--- are you looking at?'

The 27-year-old is originally from the United Kingdom.

She was found guilty of one count of assault occasioning bodily harm and has also been disqualified by Racing NSW for six months, which she is appealing.
Diane Abbott has dropped a complaint against The Mail on Sunday after she falsely claimed our report that she mistakenly used a gents lavatory in the House of Commons was fabricated.

The Shadow Home Secretary backed down after a witness gave a detailed account of how Ms Abbott had stumbled into the mens lavatory and acknowledged him as he stood at a urinal  before entering one of the cubicles. It happened at about 10pm on June 11 after Ms Abbott dined in a nearby Commons restaurant in Portcullis House, where many MPs have offices.

This newspaper reported the incident in the Black Dog political diary under the headline Dianes visit to wrong chamber.

Diane Abbott has dropped a complaint against The Mail on Sunday after she falsely claimed our report that she mistakenly used a gents lavatory in the House of Commons was fabricated

Our report, which comprised a total of 51 words, said she was seen innocently wandering into the gents in the Commons. After a man standing at the urinals pointed out her mistake, she said Sorry  before calmly heading to one of the cubicles and closing the door.

The item signed off with a wry: These Corbynistas never obey the rules

However, Ms Abbott said the article was fabricated and malicious and designed to provoke abuse. She made a formal complaint to this newspaper and to the press watchdog, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Her spokeswoman said the item was not supported by any evidence.

It meant the entire basis of (the) article is fabricated and had the sole aim of ridiculing Ms Abbott.

The Mail on Sunday stood by the accuracy of the story and informed Ms Abbott and IPSO it had received an account by an individual who witnessed the incident and who said he was outraged by her denial.

The individual, who is not a politician and had been visiting Parliament, said that at about 10pm on Monday evening (June 11) Ms Abbott stumbled into the gents toilets.

A witness gave a detailed account of how Ms Abbott had stumbled into the mens lavatory as he stood at a urinal  before entering one of the cubicles in the Commons

He continued: She acknowledged me at the urinals and then went into one of the cubicles. She had been dining in The Adjournment (a restaurant in Portcullis House) After she finished in the loo she immediately exited via Westminster Tube with her dining companion.

Ms Abbott said the story breached IPSOs Editors Code of Practice, which states the media must not publish inaccurate misleading or distorted information.

Her spokeswoman said that by publishing the item without thoroughly investigating its authenticity this newspaper had deliberately and with malice attracted harmful and abusive comments towards Ms Abbott. The MP called for action to remedy the glaring inaccuracies of the story.

Ms Abbott has not responded after The Mail on Sunday informed her on June 29 that it stood by the story. IPSO has taken no action.

Absurdly, one of the comments on social media about the article claimed the title of The Mail on Sunday political diary, Black Dog, was intended as racist abuse of Ms Abbott.

In fact, it has been the name of the diary since the paper was launched in 1982 and derives from the term used by Winston Churchill to describe his battle with depression.

Black Dog is known as the best political gossip column in Westminster and regularly pokes fun at MPs from all sides.

A spokeswoman for Ms Abbott declined to comment.
An embattled Labor backbencher is facing further allegations of bullying and abuse against staff - as senior party figures are said to be closing ranks on the future of her position in government.

Emma Husar, a first-term federal member for Lindsay in Sydney's outer-west, has now been accused of treating staff like 'slaves' in addition to making one perform domestic duties.

It comes following a string of bullying allegations from her former staff, which Ms Husar has strongly denied.

However, matters now seem to have escalated with the first-term politician allegedly involved in a probe that could lead to being disendorsed by the Labor party before next year's election.

Emma Husar's (pictured left with Bill Shorten) political future may hang in the balance as she faces further allegations of abuse against former staffers

And one former staffer told The Australian Ms Husar's expectations for her staff 'crossed the line'.

'To be told to do the dishes is one thing. The way you're told, and the way it's presented, is a different thing. Everyone had a turn at being her slave,' they said.

Additionally, questions are now being raised about Ms Husar's use of her electoral allowance following suggestions it may have been used to household items.

During her term in office, staff allege it was common for Ms Husar to require them to serve in work time as 'babysitters' for two of her three children, to wash dishes, walk her dog, clean up dog excrement among other duties.

Earlier this week, a former male staffer has claimed to Sky News he was instructed to do the dishes to learn about his 'white male privilege'.

The first-term federal member for Lindsay in Sydney's outer-west has strongly denied the claims, which includes treating staff like 'slaves'

However, matters now seem to have escalated with the first-term politician allegedly involved in a probe that could lead to being disendorsed by the Labor party before next year's election

In a Friday phone conference, Labor bosses were said to have questioned how Husars alleged behaviour could have gone unchecked for so long, given the turnover of more than 20 staff members in just two years.

The allegation came after BuzzFeed revealed the New South Wales branch of the Labor Party had been investigating Ms Husar since March, looking into allegations of bullying harassment, verbal intimidation and misusing staff.

One former staff member alleged to the website that Husar had called them 'c***s' and 'f***wits'.

Others have reportedly accused her of making her staff babysit her children during and outside work hours and walk her dog.

Her Penrith electorate office has also seen a high turnover of staff since she won her marginal seat at the July 2016 elections, with 20 people resigning during the past two years.

Earlier this week, a former male staffer has claimed to Sky News he was instructed to do the dishes to learn about his 'white male privilege'

Others have reportedly accused her of making her staff babysit her children during and outside work hours and walk her dog

Ms Husar, who hails from Labor's right faction, has vehemently denied the allegations leveled against her but did not specifically refute individual claims.

'The assertions that have been made do not reflect who I am or how my office operates,' she said in a statement sent from Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's office late today.

'I was horrified to learn that complaints have been made. At no time has any staff member raised these issues with me.'

Ms Husar said her office was a 'professional and respectful workplace'.

'I am a single mum with three children, working hard and doing my best. If I have let anyone down, I apologise,' she said.

'I respect and am cooperating with the independent process that is underway, and will not be commenting any further.'

Ms Husar said she was 'horrified' by the claims and said her office was a 'professional and respectful workplace'

The Labor Party's NSW branch confirmed to Daily Mail Australia earlier this week that an independent investigation was underway

Senior federal Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese, who was raised by a single mother, praised Ms Husar, who has spoken in parliament about the struggles of raising an autistic son.

'What I know about Emma Husar is that she's a single mum, works incredibly hard, represents her electorate very strongly,' he told Nine Network today.

'I find her a terrific person to deal with. I find her a very good local member of parliament.'

Senior federal cabinet minister Christopher Pyne said any investigation should be allowed to run its course.

'I'm not obviously privy to what these complaints are and I think you'd be unwise to comment on them unless you have all the facts,' he told the Nine Network.

The Labor Party's NSW branch confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that an independent investigation was underway.

'The ALP has an independent process for assessing complaints,' a spokesman from Essential Media Communications said.

'The independent process also provides advice to the party on what action, if any, is necessary in response.

'The process is mindful to provide protection to the complainant and also procedural fairness to the subject of the complaint.'

Ms Husar, who won Lindsay in 2016 with a four per cent swing, previously worked in the electorate office of Labor frontbencher Ed Husic.
Far-right provocateur Lauren Southern has accused Australian police of inciting violence and 'participating' in protests during a controversial speaking event she held in Melbourne.

Ms Southern appeared on Sky News with conservative journalist Andrew Bolt, who asked the Canadian if she had even been 'presented with a police bill for protecting you from thugs?'

'Never in my life,' the 23-year-old responded. 'This really does seem like an incentive for violence. Not only do you get to beat people that you don't like and attack them but they're going to be oppressed economically as well.'

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Far-right provocateur Lauren Southern (pictured) has accused Australian police of inciting violence and 'quite frankly participating' in protests during a controversial speaking event

'This really does seem like an incentive for violence. Not only do you get to beat people that you don't like and attack them but they're going to be oppressed economically as well,' Ms Southern said (Pictured: Victoria Police controlling protesters at an event in Melbourne)

'The police are quite frankly participating ... They might as well be members of Antifa at this point, just put on the masks and join!'

Political commentator Andrew Bolt said he was 'calling out Victoria Police and their masters in the Labor government' for 'cooperating with violent fascists of the left to stop conservatives or people of the right from holding meetings' over Twitter ahead of his anticipated interview with Southern.

'Police and the fascist left make it too frightening or too expensive for conservatives or the right to hold meetings in Melbourne,' Bolt said.

'Conservatives must pay a fortune or risk violence. What on earth happened to our democracy and our free speech?'

Political commentator Andrew Bolt (left) said 'police and the fascist left make it too frightening or too expensive for conservatives or the right to hold meetings in Melbourne'

Ms Southern's Melbourne appearance on Friday night with co-speaker Stefan Molyneux was interrupted by violent protester who threw rocks at a bus arriving with ticket holders.

A protester yelling 'I love Muslims' stormed the stage and was tackled by security at the event after throwing herself at the speaker in front of the auditorium.

Nita Habibi shouted 'I love freedom of speech' and 'I love refugees' as she was dragged out of the event at La Mirage Reception and Convention Centre in Melbourne's north.

Dramatic footage showed security bundling the protester off the stage, with Miss Southern apparently unharmed.

As Habibi was dragged off stage, Miss Southern's supporters can be seen cheering and clapping.

'[Southern spouts an extremely Islamophobic rhetoric that is nothing short of hate speech. She is a dangerous individual whose false views on Muslims stir up polarisation and violence,' Habibi told The Australian after the event.

Violent protests have erupted near the venue where Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux's speaking event on Friday

Miss Southern will be travelling across Australia for her speaking tour

Violence erupted between protesters and counter-protesters, with punches thrown and people being dragged over protective barriers.

Victoria police were on the ground in the area, including riot police and mounted police, who worked to keep the protests at bay.

The violent protesters could be heard shouting slogans, 'unite to fight the right' and 'Nazi scum'.

Victoria Police said they were 'disappointed' after protesters clashed with riot and mounted police outside a Melbourne venue.

Violence from within the crowd of protesters is also being reported, with punches thrown and some being dragged over the protective barrier

The violent protesters could be heard shouting slogans such as 'unite to fight the right' and claiming anyone with a ticket to the event was 'Nazi scum' (Lauren Southern pictured)

Police anticipated violent protests and earlier this week let event organisers know that it would cost them $68,000 for the police presence.

The young provocateur is known for her controversial views on multiculturalism, Islam and feminism and was banned in March from entering the UK.

The Campaign Against Racism and Fascism says Southern is 'a notorious racist and Islamophobe'.

'She is known for her involvement in the racist attempts to obstruct NGO search-and-rescue boats trying to help shipwrecked migrants in the Mediterranean,' the group alleged in a Facebook statement.

Traffic police were forced to close parts of the Hume highway near the La Mirage Reception and Convention Centre after more than 100 protesters, some covering their faces, stormed the area

A number of protesters got violent and began to throw rocks at a bus arriving with ticket holders

Victoria police insisted on being present for crowd control and security after another right wing activist, Milo Yiannopoulos, visited Melbourne in December 2017, prompting violent protests from the far left.

More than a dozen men were sought by police after Milo Yiannopoulos' speaking show descended into chaos.

Left-wing protesters flocked to Stubbs Avenue, in the city's north-west, ahead of the controversial commentator's sold-out show on December 4.

Miss Southern (pictured) and her speaking partner Stefan Molyneux are set to speak in Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane after Friday's talk in Melbourne

Police in riot gear intervened when verbal clashes turned physical between around 500 left-wing and 50 right-wing activists.

Several protesters were seen throwing punches and rocks, while others brandished make-shift weapons including wooden clubs and sticks.

Yiannopoulos, who held his first Australian tour last month, slammed the 'violent' left-wing protesters for causing the trouble outside the event.

Police had anticipated violent protests and earlier this week let event organisers know that it would cost them $68,000 for the police presence

Victoria police insisted on being present for crowd control and security after another right wing activist, Milo Yiannopoulos, visited Melbourne in December 2017 (picture from Southern's event)

WHO IS LAUREN SOUTHERN? A Canadian gonzo journalist. Miss Southern has created a platform on issues such as immigration, free speech and feminism. Since breaking onto the scene Miss Southern has caused controversy with a number of stunts including crashing Antifa rallies. Other stunts include wearing traditional Muslim head wear in some of her You Tube videos. Miss Southern is also an outspoken critic of the far left. She takes to her You Tube channel to speak out against left wing causes. Advertisement

'There was a lot of kerfuffle out front,' he told Alan Jones on 2GB Radio the day after the chaotic scenes.

'It was not as the newspapers reported ''a clash between the far left and far right'' it was the left, showing up, being violent to stop freedom of speech.'

Miss Southern and her speaking partner Stefan Molyneux are set to speak in Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane after Friday's talk in Melbourne.
The former girlfriend of a schoolboy who plotted to gun down his classmates in a Columbine style massacre has told how he left her scarred for life after carving his name into her back with penknife.

When plotting the murder of his teachers and classmates in Northallerton, Tom Wyllie carried out the twisted act on the girl, 15, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Speaking to The Mirror, she said: 'He wanted to hurt me. He did hurt me.

Twisted: Thomas Wyllie carved the letter T O M into his former girlfriend's back with a penknife

'He physically abused and harmed me. Tore me down until I had nothing, so I'd have to go back to him.'

'Having your young lover saw and cut at you with a blade is both physically and mentally scarring.

She has taken drastic steps to try to get rid of the unsightly carving but is scarred for life.

In a bid to remove the letters TOM from her back the teenager heated up knives and tried to burn off the letters.

She has also had two operations.

But the horrific scarring still remains on her back.

Wyllie and Alex Bolland were just 14 when they decided to commit 'one of the worst atrocities in British history' with guns and homemade bombs.

A bottle containing flammable liquid that was found by officers searching the older boy's hideout. A rucksack full of equipment was also found, which prosecutors claimed were instruments for building an explosive

The 15-year-old friends from Yorkshire fantasised about murdering classmates and teachers like 'heroes' Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold did when they killed 13 people in Colorado in 1999.

The pair 'devoured' information about US shootings online and watched CCTV footage of the Columbine massacre and even dressed like their 'heroes,' Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said.

The pair planned the massacre using explosives and guns at their school in Northallerton.

They created a 'hit-list' of targets - which included students who had bullied and wronged them, as well as teachers.

But their plot emerged last year when one confided in a female friend on Snapchat and police found a 'hideout' with a rucksack filled with bomb ingredients.

Wylie, the ringleader, was given 12 years behind bars in an young offender institute.

The eldest of the plotters, he has been described as the leader and main instigator.

He discussed his motivations for the plan in a diary which espoused what jurors were told was his 'twisted ideology'.

The inside cover of the book, which was recovered from the teenager's home in October 2017, apologises for either committing 'one of the worst atrocities in British history' or killing himself.

Later he added: 'I just want to kill every single one of you f***ers. Everyone is filthy and deserve [sic] to be shot, including me. I'll play the role of god and decide who a [sic] let live and die.' Wyllie had a detailed knowledge of guns and the so-called Dark Web, where he watched videos of distressing material, including live suicides, which he shared on social media. The Dark Web is a network of hidden websites where users can remain anonymous.

The journal also features a page of 'stuff we need' to execute the plan, including napalm, firearms and pipe bombs.

Wyllie's parents, Andrew, 60, and Lynn, 45, who live in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, were so concerned about his internet use they handed his computer to police months before his arrest. Both boys shared messages about killing themselves and taking others with them by 'shooting up the school'.

This is the contents of the gang's rucksack found by police at their hideout, which contained componants for a bomb and masks

But despite a series of tip-offs from classmates, teachers and parents, police initially refused to take the threat seriously.

North Yorkshire Police investigated four complaints about Wyllie over a six-month period, but nothing was done.

In a secret hideout, Wylie had kept a rucksack filled with screws, boards and flammable liquid, which prosecutors suggested were instruments for making an explosive device which was to be part of the killing.

Prosecutors told how the boy had also warned his then-girlfriend that he wanted to murder her parents, so that he could run away with her and become a 'natural born killer'.

Wyllie, who held neo-Nazi views, was also convicted of unlawful wounding for carving his name into his girlfriend's back with a pen knife.

Bolland, also 15, was given a ten-year custodial sentence after being convicted of the same conspiracy to murder at Leeds Crown Court.

The boys, who were just 14 when they launched a murderous attack on their Yorkshire school, sat motionless in the dock as they were told the lengths of their sentences.

The judge, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, told the pair that their plan 'was not wishful thinking or fantasy, it was a real plot'.

She said: 'You are both 15-years-old and you were only 14 last year when you planned to murder teachers and pupils at your school in North Yorkshire by shooting them in a re-enactment of the Columbine massacre.'

The judge added that it was a 'firm plan with specific targets in mind as well as a plan to make indiscriminate explosives'.

She concluded her remarks by saying that the boys had intended to cause 'terror on the scale of the school shootings that have been seen in America'.

'The unchecked consumption of such material on the internet is capable of poisoning young minds to such an extent that two disaffected murderers, who killed themselves after ending the lives of innocent people, can become the focus of adulation and imitation,' she said.

'Children need to be taught better that they must exercise self-control in surfing the internet, for their own safety and mental health.'

During their trial, prosecutors claimed that the pair had 'hero-worshipped' Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the teenagers responsible for murdering 13 people at Columbine High School, Colorado, in 1999.

Wylie was given 12 years behind bars in an young offender institute. Pictured: Nails believed to have been bought for a explosive device

In the police interviews that followed their arrests in October 2017, both boys attempted to claim that the plan was nothing more than a fantasy, but in May jurors at Leeds Crown Court convicted them of conspiracy to murder.

Detective Chief Superintendent Martin Snowden, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, spoke outside court: 'Whatever their motivation, the intent of the defendants and the direction of their actions, placed others at risk.

'Thankfully, we'll never know if they'd have followed through with their plan.'

Mr Snowden said: 'Young people in particular are vulnerable to external influences, both in the real world and online, which can shape their views and influence their actions.

'While these influences are very difficult to control, it's important we're alive to the display of attitudes or behaviour which concern us and have the confidence to report them.

'On this occasion, those who came forward may ultimately have saved lives.'

In a joint statement, Det Supt Allan Harder, North Yorkshire Police head of safeguarding and Stuart Carlton, director of children's and young peoples service for North Yorkshire County Council added: 'This is a strong community which is committed to its young people and we know we can all pull together to help them to move on with confidence from these difficult times.'
Riot police shut down an 18th birthday party, leaving 19 teenagers detained and a 38-year-old man to be summoned for allegedly abusing police.

Western Australia police officially declared the address as likely to be an Out of Control Gathering and moved in to clear the area at 9.15pm on Saturday.

They also observed an excess of 60 intoxicated teenagers in the Clarkson property's yard and a total of around 100 party-goers.

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A man was seen shouting at police officers in the area (pictured), saying, 'You're not coming in here, and none of you dogs are coming in here! These kids are having fun'

By the end of the operation police had detained 19 juveniles and had summonsed a 38-year-old man for allegedly abusing police.

In a 7 News video, the man was seen shouting at police officers in the area, saying, 'You're not coming in here, and none of you dogs are coming in here! These kids are having fun'.

According to Western Australia police, a bottle was also thrown at a police car but was left undamaged.

It was a neighbour who informed the police that the party would be held that night, which led them to go to the area and observe before intervening.

'I can't believe how many young people had come out at the backyard, so...and yeah, it is very intimidating. Very,' the Clarkson resident told 7 News.

'The disrespect of some young people is just unbelievable,' She added.

The host reportedly said that the police's response to the party was 'an overreaction', 7 News reported.

She also added that, following the incident in January, she took extra precautions this time around by registering the party, organising security and arranging a guest list.

She also left a note for the neighbours.

The host said that, following the incident in January, she took extra precautions this time around by registering the party, organising security, arranging a guest list and leaving a note for the neighbours (pictured)

Police were also present at the same address last January because it was also declared an Out of Control Gathering

The note read:

'Hello Neighbour, my name is [name redacted]. I'm informing you we are celebrating an 18th birthday for my son, [name redacted]. We are registered with the police. The party is on 20th July 2018, it starts at 7pm and expected to end at midnight'.

'We have a live performer for a short time and high security. Any problems my contact is [redacted]'.

Police were also present at the same address last January because it was also declared an Out of Control Gathering.
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Thousands of colourful revellers have once again stepped out in an array of dazzling outfits to celebrate the second day of this year's Splendour in the Grass music festival.

Held in the North Byron Parklands, fans flocked to the festival yards in extravagant outfits, making way for a technicolour of show-stopping fashion statements.

Among the masses were a slew of high-cut shorts paired with barely there fish net tights - along with a collection of more one-off pieces.

And despite the winter weather, punters didn't let plummeting temperatures halt their stylistic creativity, instead using the three-day event to break out even the most eclectic of ensembles.

Held in the North Byron Parklands, fans stormed the festival grounds in extravagant outfits that, in some cases, had taken months to prepare

And despite the winter weather, punters didn't let plummeting temperatures halt their stylistic creativity

Music festivals have become a chance for punters to play with fashion, wearing outfits that would be deemed too risque in their day to day lives (

Among the masses were a slew of high-cut shorts paired with barely there fish net tights - along with a collection of more one-off pieces

Some punters plan their festival fashion months before the gates open, with several people admitting to The Sydney Herald that they bought their outfits before tickets for the event even went on sale.

'I bought my outfits before I got a ticket,'Tayla Crowther, a festival goer who had spent four months planning her outfit told the publication.

Together with another friend Tayla spent about $1200 on new outfits just for the festival. The pair aren't alone though, with many revellers spending over $1000 to get the right outfits.

Despite the winter weather, punters didn't let plummeting temperatures halt their stylistic creativity, instead using the three-day event to break out even the most eclectic of ensembles

The annual music festival takes place in north of Byron Bay in late-July each year

Held in the North Byron Parklands, fans stormed the festival yards in extravagant outfits, making way for a technicolour of show-stopping fashion statements

A Down To Test VIP tent will be erected at the festival encouraging concert-goers to take a free five-minute test (thousands of revellers are seen enjoying the three-day festival)

WHAT IS SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS? Splendour in the Grass is an annual Australian music festival that started in 2001. It is usually held near Byron Bay in New South Wales. It was nominated for the UK Festival Award for Best Overseas Festival. The music festival generally features genres such as indie, indie rock, alternative and hip hop. A number of local and international artists and bands will be playing at Splendour in the Grass 2018, including Lorde, Vampire Weekend, Khalid, The Wombats, Chvrches, Ben Howard, James Bay, Ocean Alley, Henry Rollins and more. This year's festival will run from the 20th to the 22nd of July. Advertisement

Music festivals have become a chance for attendees to not just see favourite bands play but to experiment with fashion that would be deemed to wild or risque during their daily lives.

Lizzie and Laura, both 24, said they work office jobs so the festival was a chance to experiment with their clothing.

'It's a bit of fun, some childish creativity,' Laura said.

Thousands of colourful revellers have once again stepped out in an array of dazzling outfits to celebrate the second day of this year's Splendour in the Grass music festival

Some punters plan their festival fashion months before the gates open, with several people admitting they bought their outfits before the ticket box was even one

It not uncommon for festival goers to spend thousands of dollars on their outfits for the three day event

However it hasn't been all carefree fun for the music fans this weekend, with experts believing almost over 1,000 punters may already be holders of chlamydia - a common sexually transmitted disease.

A Down To Test VIP tent has been erected at the festival encouraging concert-goers to take the free five-minute test to determine if they are infected or not.

The NSW Health run tent, which is working with Pash Consortium, is the first, large scale STD testing station.

Organisers are hoping to lure in Byron Bay punters with 'squeaky clean' toilets, phone charging stations, ice water, a glitter bar and a chill out lounge, amongst an otherwise chaotic festival atmosphere.

And while The Chlamydia tent and wild fashions have made headlines this year - Splendour in the Grass is still primarily about the music.

Sunday is set to be the largest day of the festival, headlined by US Pulitzer award-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar.

A policeman with intricate tattoos was one of more than 150 officers seen patrolling the grounds during the festival

Some festival-goers opted for unique attire, making a fashion statement while at the festival grounds

Over 30,000 festival goers are expected to descend on the three-day event across the weekend
A motorcycle cop who was riding escort duty for the funeral of a dead colleague has been killed by a suspected drunk driver.

Senior Corporal Earl 'Jamie' Givens was killed early on Saturday in Dallas while escorting the body of Senior Corporal Tyrone Andrews from a funeral home to a final resting place in east Texas after he died from cancer.

Driver Adrian Breedlove, 25, has been charged with intoxicated manslaughter and illegal weapons possession after allegedly striking Givens on his motorcycle.

The incident unfolded around 5.30am, when Givens took a position to close the entrance ramp of Interstate 20 at Bonnie View Road, police said in a recorded press conference.

Senior Corporal Earl 'Jamie' Givens was killed early on Saturday in Dallas

Givens was stationary on his motorcycle at the top of the on ramp with his emergency lights flashing to stop traffic for the funeral motorcade, police said.

Adrian Breedlove, 25, has been charged with intoxicated manslaughter in the death

A Kia Sportage traveling at speed and struck Givens and rammed into a concrete highway divider, cops said.

Officers on the scene rendered emergency aid to Givens until paramedics arrived.

He was rushed to Baylor University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Givens was a 32-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department and had been on the motor unit since 2012.

Andrews, whose body was being escorted to final rest, was a 27-year veteran of the department.

The driver of the Sportage, identified as Breedlove, was detained at the scene under suspicion of drunk driving.

Breedlove is being held in the West Tower Detention Facility. His bail has been set at $76,000.
Three men have been charged over a brawl outside a Sydney nightclub that left one man with head injuries.

Police were told a 21-year-old man was knocked unconscious and hit his head on the pavement outside the venue in Potts Point in the early hours of Sunday.

The victim was attempting to intervene in a fight between a group of men when he was knocked to the ground, police say.

He was taken to St Vincents Hospital by ambulance but has since been released.

A man has been left with head injuries after being knocked unconscious in a brawl in Sydney

Footage at the scene showed a young man with a torn t-shirt and red cap being led in handcuffs into a police van

Footage at the scene showed a young man with a torn t-shirt and red cap being led in handcuffs into a police van.

Three men aged 19, 20 and 22, were arrested at the scene and later charged.

The two younger men were charged with assault and will appear before the Downing Centre Local Court on August 21.

The 22-year-old was charged with hindering police.

The brawl occurred at Bayswater Road in Potts Point, a hub for bars and nightclubs
Being mindful of certain habits such as keeping work areas clean or even sneezing and coughing correctly could spare people from diseases.

It is especially important to keep these things in mind, given that the winter season increases the chance of catching colds or airborne viruses.

Disease expert and Director of New South Wales Health's Communicable Disease Dr Vicky Sheppeard identifies just some of the habits that could increase the risk of catching a disease, Yahoo 7 News reports.

Sneezing or coughing 'incorrectly' could lead to disease if one uses their hands to cover their mouth, experts say (stock image)

For instance, experts discourage using one's hands to cover their mouth when they sneeze or cough.

Although this is a common response, using one's hands to cover a sneeze can increase chances of spreading viruses and diseases.

New South Wales Health recommends using tissue for sneezes and coughs - and to dispose them immediately after use and to wash one's hands.

Dr Sheppeard also says that one must constantly wash their hands, especially after pressing lift buttons, going to the bathroom, or going on public transport.

'We usually say sing Happy Birthday as the length of time to thoroughly clean them,' Dr Sheppeard advised.

Other seemingly obvious mistakes are also the same ones people tend to make, such as failing to get vaccinations, constantly touching one's face or worse - going to work or school even though you know you're sick.
Former Brexit Secretary David Davis has unleashed another salvo at the PM's compromise blueprint for future trade

David Davis waded back into the Brexit row today by urging Theresa May to tear up her Brexit plan and demand a looser relationship with the EU.

The former Brexit Secretary unleashed another salvo at the PM's compromise blueprint, saying she should instead propose a 'Canada plus plus plus' deal.

Mr Davis also insisted she must step up preparations for 'no deal' with the EU and be ready to walk away if the bloc does not see sense.

The intervention came as Mr Davis' successor, Dominic Raab, admitted he is still trying to win over some doubtful Cabinet ministers to the PM's plan - which would see the UK obey a 'common rule book' with Brussels and collect some taxes on behalf of the bloc.

Meanwhile, a poll has found just 12 per cent of the public think the Chequers model would be good for Britain.

In an interview with the Sunday Express, Mr Davis - who quit a fortnight ago in protest at Mrs May's approach - predicted negotiations with the EU would remain deadlocked.

'We're going to have to do a reset and come back and look at it all again,' he said.

'I think when we get to the autumn, if we are in the situation where we don't have any degree of agreement, we're going to have to start again.'

Mr Davis urged ministers to draw up fresh proposals based on an amalgamation of the 'best bits' of deals the EU has already struck with other countries, such as Canada, South Korea, Switzerland and New Zealand.

That would probably mean a loose free trade agreement, with add-ons to reduce friction for areas of the economy like financial services.

There would be more scope for the UK to strike trade deals elsewhere, and Britain would set its own regulations - although the EU and critics claim such a relationship would require a hard Irish border.

Mr Davis suggested alongside putting forward the 'Canada plus' ties, preparations for no deal must accelerate from the current position of 'consult and cajole' to 'command and control'.

'By the end of the summer it should be plain we are making proper preparations for this,' he said.

Mr Raab said the UK could refuse to pay its 39billion divorce bill to Brussels if it does not get a trade deal.

He warned there would be 'conditionality' under the Article 50 withdrawal mechanism between settling Britain's exit payment and creating a new relationship with the EU.

But he indicated he was still trying to persuade all members of the Cabinet that Theresa May's Chequers agreement was 'the best plan to get the best deal'.

He said: 'Article 50 requires, as we negotiate the withdrawal agreement, that there's a future framework for our new relationship going forward, so the two are linked.

Theresa May, pictured at church in her Maidenhead constituency today with husband Philip, is battling to hold the Tories together as she desperately scrambles to put together a deal with the EU

Dominic Raab, pictured left with Michel Barnier in Brussels last week, admitted he is still trying to win over some doubtful Cabinet ministers to the PM's proposals

'You can't have one side fulfilling its side of the bargain and the other side not, or going slow, or failing to commit on its side.

'So, I think we do need to make sure that there's some conditionality between the two.'

What is in Theresa May's Brexit blueprint? These are some of the key features of the Chequers plan being pushed by the UK government: A new free trade area in goods, based on a 'common rulebook' of EU regulations necessary. This will require the UK to commit by treaty to match EU rules

'Mobility' rules which will end automatic freedom of movement, but still allow UK and EU citizens to travel without visas for tourism and temporary work. It will also enable businesses to move staff between countries.

Continued UK participation in and funding of European agencies covering areas like chemicals, aviation safety and medicines

A 'facilitated customs arrangement', removing the need for customs checks at UK-EU ports. It would allow differing UK and EU tariffs on goods from elsewhere in the world to be paid at the border, removing the need for rebates in the vast majority of cases. This is designed to avoid the need for a hard Irish border. But in theory it still allows Britain to sign trade deals.

Keeping services - such as banking or legal support - outside of the common rule book, meaning the UK is completely free to set its own regulations. It accepts it will mean less trade in services between the UK and EU.

Continued co-operation on energy and transport, a 'common rulebook' on state aid and commitments to maintain high standards of environmental and workplace protections.

A security deal allowing continued UK participation in Europol and Eurojust, 'co-ordination' of UK and EU policies on foreign affairs, defence and development.

Continued use of the EHIC health insurance card. Advertisement

Pressed on whether he would put such a provision into legislation, Mr Raab said: 'Certainly it needs to go into the arrangements we have at international level with our EU partners. We need to make it clear that the two are linked.'

The comments appeared at odds with the views of Chancellor Philip Hammond, who said of the divorce payment last December: 'I find it inconceivable that we as a nation would be walking away from an obligation that we recognised as an obligation.

'That is not a credible scenario. That is not the kind of country we are. Frankly, it would not make us a credible partner for future international agreements.'

Mr Raab also defended the controversial Chequers Cabinet compromise on withdrawal aims, insisting he wanted to persuade voters and Cabinet colleagues that it is the way forward.

The Brexit Secretary said: 'I want to make sure we can persuade everyone - grassroots, voters, parliamentary party and ministers, including in the Cabinet - that we've got the best deal and the best plan to get the best deal.'

The Brexit Secretary said critics were mistaken to think Mrs May would not walk away without a deal if she had to.

'They're wrong. No bluffing.

'The ball is now in the EU's court, and don't get me wrong, there will be plenty more negotiations, I've made that clear, but if they show us the same level of ambition, energy, pragmatism, this deal gets done in 12 weeks.'

A You Gov survey for The Sunday Times suggested only 16 per cent of voters think Mrs May is handling negotiations well, while 34 per cent believe former foreign secretary Boris Johnson would do a better job.

Just 11 per cent thought Mrs May's plans would be good for Britain, according to the research.

Some 38 per cent of people would vote for a new party on the right that was committed to Brexit, while 24 per cent are ready to support an explicitly far right anti-immigrant, anti-Islam party.

The poll found that one in three voters are prepared to back a new anti-Brexit centrist party.
This is the stunning moment a 737 jet soars into a near-vertical takeoff at the Farnborough International Airshow.

The Boeing aircraft speeds along the runway before turning almost 90 degrees as it takes off with its nose pointing towards the heavens.

Its steep angle was a showcase for the Boeing 737 MAX 7, a 172-seater plane expected to enter passenger service in early 2019.

The clip was filmed on Wednesday, the third day of the week-long Farnborough Airshow in Hampshire, which finishes today.

The Boeing jet took off at the Farnborough International Airshow in Hampshire on Wednesday

Taken from the side of the runway, the footage begins with what looks like a regular approach to take-off.

But as it leaves the ground the Boeing jet does not straighten out, instead curving its nose at a perilous angle towards the sky.

To the amazement of those watching on the ground it keeps climbing in a near-vertical position until it finally flattens out and drops in a more horizontal stance.

Farnborough's airshow offers a glimpse of some of the many cutting-edge innovations in the aerospace industry.

The take-off at Farnborough was a showcase for the new Boeing 737 MAX 7 aircraft

Instead of straightening out after takeoff the plane turns its nose to an almost vertical angle

Among the ambitious projects on display this year was an Aston Martin micro-plane, a three-seater craft, costing 3 million-5 million, which would fly at speeds of up to 200mph.

The show began as the Royal Air Force Airshow, held in London from 1920 to 1937, before relocating to Radlett from 1946 to 1948 and later to Farnborough.

The event, held only in even-numbered years, is organized by Farnborough International Limited and has attracted more than 200,000 visitors in previous years.

Members of the public can visit on the Saturday and Sunday with tickets in the 'runway enclosure' costing 69.
Cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom has given a horrifying account of the abuse she received during the Westminster harassment scandal - revealing she was called a 'lying b****'.

The Commons Leader said she was targeted by vile trolls online after claims she made a complaint about behaviour by ex-Defence Secretary Michael Fallon.

Sir Michael was alleged to have made a lewd suggestion about where she could put her cold hands to warm them up.

He denied wrongdoing, but later resigned conceding that other conduct had fallen 'below the high standards that we require of the Armed Forces'.

Commons Leader said she was targeted by vile trolls online after claims she made a complaint about behaviour by ex-Defence Secretary Michael Fallon

Ms Leadsom, who guided a new complaints system through Parliament last week, again denied today that she had spoken of the incident.

But she told the Sunday Express the backlash she suffered last year demonstrated how difficult is was for victims of inappropriate behaviour to raise the issue.

Dismissing concerns that the new rules at Westminster will suppress the identities of those facing allegations unless they are found guilty by an investigation, Ms Leadsom said the criticism was 'totally missing the point'.

'What was very clear from the victims is that the only way they would have confidence in coming forward to the complaints system is if they were not going to be outed themselves as a result,' Ms Leadsom said.

She said the cross-party group which drew up the new rules heard evidence victims were being put off because they 'saw what happened' to those who reported harassment.

'I had this myself. I never did say anything but someone decided, for reasons best known to themselves, to talk about an experience they knew I had.

'I had people camped on my doorstep,' she said.

'I had people writing to me, telling me I was a liar, when I had said nothing.

Ms Leadsom, who guided a new complaints system through Parliament last week, again denied today that she had spoken of the incident

Sir Michael (pictured) was alleged to have made a lewd suggestion about where Ms Leadsom could put her cold hands to warm them up. He denied wrongdoing, but later resigned conceding that other conduct had fallen 'below the high standards that we require of the Armed Forces'

'I had people who took the trouble to write letters explaining to me why a person like myself should feel grateful for attention.

'And there was Twitter trolling, "lying b****" and so forth.'

The overhaul of harassment rules at Westminster was triggered by a slew of allegations that surfaced against politicians last year.
Australia is facing an economic shock akin the global financial crisis, an expert has warned.

Some $500billion worth of interest-only mortgages expire in the next four years, raising fears that thousands will default when their repayment sums increase.

High mortgage default rates in the US sparked the 2007 global crash by leaving banks short of cash.

Australia is facing an economic shock akin the global financial crisis of 2007, an expert has warned

'My view is we're in somewhat similar territory to where the US was in 2006 before the GFC,' said Martin North, the principal at consultancy Digital Finance Analytics.

Mr North said this was not a sub-prime crisis because, unlike in the US, loans have not been given to people without jobs or on very low income.

But he said too many Australians have been given loans they should not have been able to get.

'This is absolutely not sub-prime in the US definition but there were people in Australia who were being encouraged to get very big loans because they could service interest-only,' he told The Age.

'We also know that some interest-only loans were not investors but they are actually first-home buyers encouraged to go in at the top of the market.'

An interest-only loan allows a customer to only pay back interest on their home loan rather than interest and part of the loan each month.

Some $500billion worth of interest-only mortgages expire in the next four years, raising fears of high default rates when the repayment sums increase

Normally they expire after a few years meaning the customer has to start paying back a chunk of the initial sum each month as well as the interest, increasing their repayments.

In April, the RBA said that $500billion worth of interest-only mortgages are set to expire in the next four years.

Assistant governor Christopher Kent said only a 'small minority' would struggle to pay higher rates.
Eleven people have been killed and four others critically wounded after gunmen fired on a minibus taking taxi drivers to Johannesburg, South African police have said.

Police spokesman Jay Naicker said the victims of the Saturday night attack had attended the funeral of a colleague and were returning home when the ambush occurred.

'There was a shooting at about 8pm (6pm GMT) last night. The vehicle was ambushed. There were 11 fatalities and four were seriously injured and are in hospital.

The windscreen of the van now has numerous bullet holes after the fatal ambush on Saturday night

Tensions between groups of taxi drivers vying for the same routes sometimes spill into deadly violence in South Africa. Pictured: The shot-up van

Police spokesman Jay Naicker said the victims of the Saturday night attack had attended the funeral of a colleague and were returning home when the ambush occurred. Pictured: Police at the scene

'We understand they were from the Gauteng taxi association.

'There has been a lot of taxi violence in the area but we are still investigating who the perpetrators were.'

He said the attack happened between the towns of Colenso and Weenen in KwaZulu-Natal province and the victims were from Gauteng province.

Police are investigating possible motives. Video shows officers at the scene.

Police at the scene after the killings. The attack occurred between the towns of Colenso and Weenen in KwaZulu-Natal province and the victims were from Gauteng province

Tensions between groups of taxi drivers vying for the same routes sometimes spill into deadly violence in South Africa.

South African media reported the deaths of 10 people in violence related to rivalries among minibus taxi drivers in Cape Town over one weekend in May.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (pictured) cautioned President Donald Trump about pursuing hostile policies against Tehran on Sunday, saying, 'War with Iran is the mother of all wars'

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday cautioned US President Donald Trump about pursuing hostile policies against Tehran on Sunday.

'War with Iran is the mother of all wars,' Rouhani, while not ruling out peace between the two countries.

Iran faces increased US pressure and looming sanctions after Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from a 2015 international deal over Iran's nuclear program.

Addressing a gathering of Iranian diplomats, Rouhani said:

'Mr Trump, don't play with the lion's tail, this would only lead to regret,' the state news agency IRNA reported.

'America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars,' Rouhani said, leaving open the possibility of peace between the two countries, at odds since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

'You are not in a position to incite the Iranian nation against Iran's security and interests,' Rouhani said, in an apparent reference to reported efforts by Washington to destabilise Iran's Islamic government.

In Washington, US officials familiar with the matter told Reuters that the Trump administration had launched an offensive of speeches and online communications meant to foment unrest and help pressure Iran to end its nuclear program and its support of militant groups.

Current and former US officials said the campaign painted Iranian leaders in a harsh light, at times using information that is exaggerated or contradicts other official pronouncements, including comments by previous administrations.

Rouhani scoffed at Trump's threat to halt Iranian oil exports and said Iran has a dominant position in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping waterway.

'Anyone who understands the rudiments of politics doesn't say "we will stop Iran's oil exports,"' Rouhani said, cited by the semi-official ISNA news agency.

'We have been the guarantor of the regional waterway's security throughout history.'

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday backed Rouhani's suggestion that Iran may block Gulf oil exports if its own exports are halted.

Rouhani's apparent threat earlier this month to disrupt oil shipments from neighbouring countries came in reaction to efforts by Washington to force all countries to stop buying Iranian oil.

President Donald Trump arrives at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Friday

Iranian officials have in the past threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for any hostile U.S. action.

On Sunday, Iran's ground forces commander became the latest military figure to back Rouhani's apparent threat, the semi-official news agency Tasnim reported.

'The Strait of Hormuz region must either be safe for all or be insecure for everyone,' said General Kioumars Heydari, quoted by Tasnim.

Separately, a top Iranian military commander warned that the Trump government might be preparing to invade Iran.

'The enemy's behaviour is unpredictable,' Tasnim quoted military chief of staff General Mohammad Baqeri as saying.

'Although the current American government does not seem to speak of a military threat, according to precise information it has been trying to persuade the U.S. military to launch a military invasion (of Iran),' Baqeri said.

Iran's oil exports could fall by as much as two-thirds by the end of the year because of new US sanctions, putting oil markets under huge strain amid supply outages elsewhere.

Washington initially planned to shut Iran out of global oil markets completely after Trump abandoned the deal that limited Iran's nuclear ambitions, demanding all other countries stop buying Iranian crude by November.

But the United States has somewhat eased its stance, saying it may grant sanction waivers to some allies that are particularly reliant on Iranian supplies.
Terrified residents of the EQ Tower, where 19-year-old Laa Chol was stabbed to death on Saturday morning, say wild parties break out inside the block every weekend.

The residential building in Melbourne's city district became a crime scene when a party on its 56th floor was crashed by another group, resulting in a massive brawl.

Permanent residents have said that the tragedy didn't come as a surprise, claiming drunken apartment parties have become commonplace in recent months.

About a quarter of the building's 633 apartments are short-stay rooms, frequently advertised on popular booking sites like Airbnb for as little as $65 a night.

The EQ Tower plays host to frequent wild parties every weekend, permanent residents say (interior pictured)

Rooms are frequently advertised on popular booking websites like Airbnb for up to $150 a night

Rooms can cost as much as $150 a night, with the room Ms Chol and her friends staying in believed to have cost $125.

'They seem to come and go at short notice. Many of them are obviously intoxicated or on other substances,' One of the tower's residents, Sean, said.

'As residents, we feel intimidated that we're unable to ask them to keep the noise down.'

One neighbour told reporters she heard 'horrendous screaming' coming from one of the rooms, but didn't call police because it wasn't unusual for the building.

Police have interviewed a dozen partygoers and are combing through evidence after the party spiralled out of control.

It is understood Ms Chol was attending a party at the EQ Tower (pictured) on A'Beckett Street when a second group crashed the event

Laa Chol, 19, died after a fight broke out between two groups of African-Australians in the early hours of Saturday morning in Melbourne's city centre

A group of young African-Australians - aged in their late teens and early 20s - had rented the apartment for the party before the fight broke out.

The second group left the apartment before police arrived, but detectives are confident CCTV footage will help them make an arrest.

Homicide squad detectives investigating the stabbing say about 12 people are assisting police with their inquiries.

Ms Chol was remembered by devastated friends as a 'beautiful soul' in touching tributes over the weekend.

Friends took to social media to share their shock and devastation at her death.

'Never thought Friday would be my last time on earth seeing you, you were such a beautiful soul & didn't deserve any of this,' Shushu Kishak posted.

Authorities were called to the scene of the rented 56th-floor apartment shortly after 5am on Saturday morning.

Friends have remembered Laa Chol, 19, as a quite person as they grieve her violent death on Saturday morning

Ms Chol, from Pakenham, ultimately died from what commander of the North West Metro region Tim Hansen called 'assault related injuries'.

'My understanding is this wasn't a random attack,' Victoria Police Commander Tim Hansen told reporters.

'There's no sign of forced entry but we're trying to clarify what brought [the second group] there.'

Mr Hansen further noted that the only known link between the two groups was that both groups were of 'African-Australian heritage' and all were aged around 19-20 years old, News.com.au reported.

Ms Chol was treated at the EQ Tower residential building by paramedics, but died from her injuries.

Ms Chol, from Pakenham, ultimately died from what police have called 'assault related injuries'

While the exact circumstances of the incident are yet to be released, a resident of the apartment building told the Herald Sun she heard prolonged and 'horrendous' screams.

'It went on for about 20 minutes,' the woman said.

'You couldn't hear anything but this horrendous screaming... I just thought they were drunk.

'They were shouting and screaming and the girl's scream was incredibly loud  just screeching.'

Homicide squad detectives are investigating the death.
A deal between Ecuador and the UK to hand over Julian Assange is imminent.

The new Ecuador President Lenin Moreno is believed to be visiting British officials to finalise the agreement.

A source close to the Presidents office confirmed that Mr Moreno is near to agreeing a deal which could see Ecuador withdraw its asylum protection of the Wikileaks founder within the next several weeks.

The Ecuadorian President is in London this week to speak at the 2018 Global Disabilities Summit, but the Intercept claim this is just a cover to conceal his actual purpose of finalising a deal with Britain.

President Lenin Moreno (pictured) described Julian Assange as 'a stone in the shoe'

Britain in secret talks to evict Wikileaks founder Julian Assange (pictured at the Ecuadorian embassy in London)

It comes after reports of the UK being in secret talks with Ecuador to evict Mr Assange from its embassy in London.

Senior foreign officials, believed to include the Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan, were in talks to try and decide Mr Assange's future, according to The Sunday Times.

The 47-year-old has been living at the embassy in Knightsbridge, in London, since June 2012 and is fearful he will be extradited to the United States if he leaves.

President Lenin Moreno has previously called Mr Assange a 'hacker' and a 'stone in the shoe'.

Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan, pictured at the Western Balkans summit in July, is believed to be involved in the talks

Yet sources close to Mr Assange believe his political asylum cannot be revoked and that he was not aware of the high-level talks.

In a recent visit to Ecuador in late-June US Vice President Mike Pence raised the issue' of the Australian anti-secrecy activist.

Assange was given political asylum under Moreno's predecessor Rafael Correa, but it has been far from smooth sailing with the new administration.

Mr Assange's internet was cut off in March this year and restrictions were placed on who could visit him.

Julian Assange, pictured on the balcony of the Ecuadorian embassy where he has been living for more than six years

President Moreno also ordered the removal of extra security at the embassy which has cost the country at least 3.7 million.

The operation - initially called 'Operation Guest' and later 'Operation Hotel' - ran up an average cost of at least $66,000 (48,885) a month.

While in the embassy Mr Assange's physical and mental health is believed to have deteriorated.

Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan previously branded Mr Assange a 'miserable little worm' during a Commons debate in March, adding he should leave the Ecuadorean embassy and surrender to British justice.
A man has died in hospital after being shot in the back inside a unit block as police search for the killer.

Emergency crews rushed to the apartment in Warwick Farm, south-west Sydney after reports of gunfire around 5.30pm on Sunday.

Police escorted paramedics as they raced the victim to Liverpool Hospital where he later died.

Emergency crews were called to an address on George Street (pictured) in Warwick Farm, south west of Sydney, just before 5.30pm following reports a gun had been fired

They are yet to make an arrest and are searching for the gunman responsible.

The extent of the victims injuries is unknown at this stage.

Police are speaking with a man who is assisting with inquiries, however tactical officers are searching the area for a second man.

It is unknown what role each of the men played in the shooting.

Police escorted paramedics as they rushed the victim to hospital in a serious condition
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The true extent of a sprawling travellers site in Essex, which has been allowed to expand onto green belt land, is revealed in these new aerial photographs.

Buckles Lane in South Ockendon  thought to be the largest traveller site in Europe - is home to more than 1,000 people.

In the 1980s, permission was granted for 50 caravan pitches for travelling showmen to use during the winter months.

These aerial shots reveal the staggering extent of a traveller's camp located in Buckles Lane, South Ockenden, Essex

The Essex camp is thought to be the largest traveller site in Europe and houses 1,000 people, many without permission

In the 1980s, permission was granted for 50 caravan pitches for travelling showmen, but the site has more than doubled

But over the years, the site  described as overcrowded by a Thurrock Council report in 2014 - has more than doubled in size, often without planning permission, with an estimated 350 families living on 120 pitches.

There are also a considerable number of mobile homes, which are being rented out by the sites residents to eastern European gypsies and the settled community.

The sheer size of the site has drawn comparisons to Dale Farm, located a short distance away in Basildon, which at its height provided accommodation for more than 1,000 people.

Following a ten-year legal battle, Basildon District Council gained the right to evict 80 families from their illegally-built homes in 2011, in an operation that cost the council 4.3million.

The site, which has expanded onto green belt, was described by Thurrock Council as 'overcrowded' in a 2014 assessment

The site has drawn comparisons to Dale Farm, located a short distance away in Basildon, where 1,000 people lived until 2011

Residents living close to the buckles Lane site believe Thurrock Council could do more to enforce planning regulations

Last October, regeneration councillor Mark Coxshall at Thurrock Council described the sprawling site as a 'festering sore'

Of the Buckles Lane site, people living close to the massive camp believe Thurrock Council could be doing more to enforce planning regulations.

Tony Jones, 48, told the Sunday Express: For years the council has let them get away with it.

A woman in her 60s added: I have lived here more than 30 years and the showmen have never caused a problem. But now they are advertising caravans to anyone in the local paper for 100 a week.

Ben Maney of Thurrock Council believes people living in Buckles Lane 'create their own set of rules' over planning issues

An estimated 350 families are living on 120 pitches at the Buckles Lane site, despite original permission for only 50 pitches

One resident, who has lived there for 19 years without planning permission, said they were 'an upstanding community'

Last October, regeneration councillor Mark Coxshall described the camp as a festering sore, while fellow Tory councillor Ben Maney said: For years, there has been a complete lack of parity with residents and businesses who are held to one set of rules while people in Buckles Lane create their own.

Fairground boss John Biddall, 51, who has lived at Buckles Lane for 19 years with no planning permission, defended his fellow residents as an upstanding community.

He added that renting out mobile homes was doing a service given the housing shortage in Thurrock.

Earlier this year, housing minister Dominic Raab launched a public consultation around unauthorised gypsy and traveller camps.

He invited police leaders to consider whether officers need new powers to evict travellers by criminalising those who settle on land without permission.

Mr Raab said he was deeply troubled by allegations about the behaviour of travellers and particularly by the widespread perception that the rule of law does not apply to those who choose a nomadic lifestyle.

Ministers are considering a new offence that would extend the scope of aggravated trespass. The offence currently applies only if a traveller has camped illegally and is shown to have intimidated or obstructed the landowner.

The consultation asks whether it is time to create a new criminal offence that would allow action against unauthorised camps that substantially damage land or cause serious inconvenience to the landowner or other lawful users of the land.

Mobile homes on the site are being rented out by residents to eastern European gypsies and the settled community

One resident said they are 'doing a service' to Thurrock by providing mobile homes, given the housing shortage in the area

The move would significantly lower the legal threshold for criminal action against illegally camped travellers.

But last month, The National Police Chiefs Council said the criminalisation of travellers was not the answer and recommended that new permanent and transit sites should be set up across Britain for gypsies, Roma and travellers in an effort to reduce illegal incursions.

The 2011 census found that 63,000 people in the UK identified themselves as either gypsy, traveller or Irish traveller. However, experts believe this figure may be an underestimate.

Local authorities have spent almost 35million creating 1,800 traveller pitches since 2012  although councils agree there is a need for more than 5,000.

Official statistics show the total number of traveller caravans rose by 32 per cent in the decade to January 2017.

There are now estimated to be 3,700 caravans on unauthorised sites  about 16 per cent of the total.
Theresa May faces a deepening political crisis as a poll showed voters oppose her Brexit plans - and are ready shift to the hard right.

Just 12 per cent said the compromise solution being championed by the PM would be good for Britain.

In a particularly stinging finding, the research found that twice as many people thought Boris Johnson would do a better job in Downing Street.

Mrs May is battling to hold the Tories together as she desperately scrambles to put together a deal with the EU.

Mr Johnson and David Davis both quit Cabinet after the premier forced through a compromise plan through at a Chequers summit for ministers a fortnight ago.

According to a YouGov poll for the Sunday Times, just 12 per cent of the public think the Chequers plan would be good for Britain, while 43 per cent disagree

Theresa May, pictured at church in her Maidenhead constituency today with husband Philip, is battling to hold the Tories together as she desperately scrambles to put together a deal with the EU

But Mr Davis's replacement as Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab admitted today that he is still trying to win over some doubtful Cabinet ministers to the proposals - which would see the UK obey a 'common rule book' with Brussels and collect some taxes on behalf of the bloc.

Meanwhile, Mr Davis has waded back into the row by urging Mrs May to rip up her plans altogether and start again.

The proposals also do not appeared to have delivered the breakthrough with the EU that Mrs May had hoped - as fears rise of a no-deal Brexit.

Michel Barnier gave the plans short shrift a a brutal press conference on Friday, suggesting they would be unacceptable.

According to a YouGov poll for the Sunday Times, just 12 per cent of the public think the Chequers plan would be good for Britain, while 43 per cent disagree.

Some 16 per cent of voters think Mrs May is handling negotiations well - compared to 34 per cent who believe former foreign secretary Mr Johnson (pictured in London last week) would do a better job

Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab (pictured left) admitted today that he is still trying to win over some doubtful Cabinet ministers to the Chequers proposals. The EU's Michel Barnier (right) gave the plans short shrift at a brutal press conference in Brussels on Friday

Former Brexit Secretary David Davis has unleashed another salvo at the PM's compromise blueprint for future trade

Some 16 per cent of voters think Mrs May is handling negotiations well - compared to 34 per cent who believe former foreign secretary Mr Johnson would do a better job.

Around 38 per cent would vote for a new party on the right that was committed to Brexit.

John Major says fresh Brexit referendum is 'morally justified' Remainers have stepped up calls for a second referendum on Brexit today. Tory ex-PM Sir John Major repeated his view that another national ballot would be 'morally justified'. 'It has downsides. I mean, frankly, a second vote has democratic downsides. It has difficulties,' he told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show . 'But is it morally justified? I think it is. 'If you look back at the Leave campaign a great many of the promises they made were fantasy promises. 'We now know they are not going to be met.' Referring to the 'irreconcilable' stance taken by hardline Tory Brexiteers, Sir John said: 'That has boxed the Government and particularly the Prime Minister into a corner. 'They are a minority of the House of Commons, a substantial minority of the House of Commons, but they are larger than the Government's majority. 'The danger at the moment is that they will frustrate every move the Government seek to make and by accident, because nothing can be agreed, we will crash out without a deal.' Advertisement

Some 24 per cent would be prepared to support an explicitly far-right anti-immigrant, anti-Islam party.

But in a sign of the increasingly polarised state of the UK, one in three voters would be prepared to back a new anti-Brexit centrist party.

In an interview with the Sunday Express, Mr Davis - who quit a fortnight ago in protest at Mrs May's approach - predicted negotiations with the EU would remain deadlocked.

'We're going to have to do a reset and come back and look at it all again,' he said.

'I think when we get to the autumn, if we are in the situation where we don't have any degree of agreement, we're going to have to start again.'

Mr Davis urged ministers to draw up fresh proposals based on an amalgamation of the 'best bits' of deals the EU has already struck with other countries, such as Canada, South Korea, Switzerland and New Zealand.

But he said preparations for no deal need to accelerate from the current position of 'consult and cajole' to 'command and control'.

'By the end of the summer it should be plain we are making proper preparations for this,' he said.

Mr Raab upped the ante in negotiations by warning the UK could refuse to pay its 39billion divorce bill to Brussels if it does not get a trade deal.

He warned there would be 'conditionality' under the Article 50 withdrawal mechanism between settling Britain's exit payment and creating a new relationship with the EU.

But he indicated he was still trying to persuade all members of the Cabinet that Theresa May's Chequers agreement was 'the best plan to get the best deal'.

He said: 'Article 50 requires, as we negotiate the withdrawal agreement, that there's a future framework for our new relationship going forward, so the two are linked.

Tory former PM Sir John Major insisted on the BBC's Andrew Marr show today (pictured) that another national ballot would 'morally justified' because pledges from Eurosceptics during the 2016 had turned out to be false
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These stunning pictures show a group of young elephants delighting safari-goers with a huge pile-on by the side of a waterhole.

Family herds of elephants were meeting up at the Shindzela Tented Camp in Greater Kruger, South Africa, when the youngsters got together to play.

As amazed tourists watched on the older elephants lay down on the ground and let the younger animals climb on their backs and push playfully at them with their feet.

Photographer Bobby-Jo Vial, 35, was positioned just 25 yards from the 'family reunion' and watched the elephants piling riotously on top of each other, as the animals made a 'great deal of noise' with their trunks.

She said: 'This was several different family units meeting together. I think that is why there was so much interaction happening.

'Elephants have their own immediate family herd and then they often meet up with extended family herds much like our own relatives.

'This could have been a family reunion. All the cousins playing. The younger elephants are the ones playing and the adults are drinking at the waterhole whilst keeping an eye on the youngsters.'

Young elephants pile on top of each other by a waterhole in stunning pictures captured in a South African animal park

One of the elephants climbs on top of a relative lying on the ground as the family herds meet up in Greater Kruger

A young elephant playfully pushes a fellow animal with his front foot during the pile-on at the South African waterhole

Amazed safari-goers watch as the elephants put on a spectacular display at the Shindzela Tented Camp

One of the elephants lies on the floor while another juvenile strokes its back with his foot during the playful meeting

The photographer described the meeting as a 'family reunion' saying that elephants were meeting different family units
Malcolm Turnbull has signalled a remote Northern Territory town in crisis could receive a regional deal, similar to federal government agreements in three cities around Australia.

Mr Turnbull became the first prime minister to visit Tennant Creek since 1982 when he spent Sunday afternoon and evening touring the troubled outback centre.

'There's a shortage of housing in Tennant,' Mr Turnbull told reporters at the end of the first of two days in the NT.

'There's real potential for us to take an approach similar to what we've done with city deals.'

Malcolm Turnbull became the first Prime Minister to visit Tennant Creek since Malcolm Fraser in 1982

The deals involve money to grow and improve cities for the future, with work already starting in Launceston, Townsville and Western Sydney.

The town was thrust into the spotlight in February after the alleged rape of a two-year-old girl.

Tennant Creek's regional deal would get three tiers of government together, along with indigenous and cultural groups, to agree on the town's priorities.

'It's the difference between ships going more or less in the same direction and passing in the night, and actually working together with a shared vision,' Mr Turnbull said.

The prime minister rounded out his first day in the town, which has been rocked by a child protection crisis, by visiting children playing sport and dancing in a disco at a community centre.

That was after riding with the Youth Night Patrol, which helps get kids on the streets get home safely.

After delivering a speech during the day, Mr Turnbull joined the community night patrol

The night patrol travels the streets of Tennant Creek and offers kids a safe ride home

Mr Turnbull addressed a dinner at the Papulu Apparr-Kaki language centre, with food provided by the Future Stars indigenous training program.

Earlier he visited that program's base and local businesses, as well as meeting with a regional economic development group.

Barkly Regional Council mayor Steve Edgington, who has lobbied for a regional deal for Tennant Creek, told AAP Mr Turnbull's comments had been very positive.

One heckler aside, Mr Turnbull received a warm reception as he arrived at the airport.

On arrival he was given a welcome to country in the local Aboriginal language, to which he responded in the same language.

'I know Tennant Creek has had its challenges in recent times and I know you are facing these challenges head on with great courage, leadership and collaboration,' Mr Turnbull said.

Tennant Creek was rocked after the alleged rape of a two-year-old toddler in February

In June, it was revealed the NT government had removed 15 children from their families around the town, when it was deemed unsafe.

A Northern Territory parliamentary estimates hearing was also told at least one child is sexually exploited or abused in the Territory each week.

Mr Turnbull said governments needed to work with indigenous people, rather than telling them what to do.

At the end of the speech, one man in the crowd yelled at the prime minister 'to look after our country rather than yourself and your business mates'.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion said the man had caused offence to local people by disrupting the welcoming ceremony.
Up to 800 White Helmets rescue workers in Syria were evacuated to Jordan on Sunday with the help of the Israeli military and could be resettled in the UK.

Jordan's foreign ministry announced in a statement that the kingdom received 422 Syrian citizens, after earlier saying it had given permission for 800 to arrive.

The Syrian regime considers the White Helmets as a 'terrorist organisations' as they operate in areas controlled by opponents to Bashar al-Assad. The group fled the area near the southern border earlier this summer.

On Monday Damascus condemned the evacuation, calling it a 'criminal operation.'

The UK has backed an international effort to rescue members of the group and their families via the frontier with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said in a joint statement with Penny Mordaunt, the International Development Secretary, that the 'brave and selfless' volunteers required 'immediate protection'.

An Israeli soldier hands out water on a bus during the evacuation of White Helmets from Syria

A convoy on its way from the Golan Heights as the Israeli army helped to rescue White Helmets

Jordan has agreed to temporarily house 422 evacuees, although its Foreign Ministry said Britain, Germany and Canada would resettle them.

Spokesman Mohammed al-Kayed said the Syrians would remain in a closed area for up to three months before moving on.

It is understood that the United Nations Human Right Council's procedures for identifying and resettling refugees would be used to decide who could come to the UK, while their placement would be resolved through the Government's vulnerable persons resettlement scheme.

Israel carried out the rescue mission on Saturday night following a request from the 'US, Canada, and EU countries'.

It was the first such intervention the country has had in Syria's civil war, now in its eighth year.

A spokesman for the Israel Defence Forces said the operation was an 'exceptional humanitarian gesture'.

'Upon request of the US, Canada and European states Israel has completed a humanitarian effort to rescue members of a Syrian civil organisation ('White Helmets') and families,' Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon tweeted.

But the military vowed to stay firm in its commitment to a non-intervention policy - where all the warring parties are considered hostile.

A video grab shows the evacuation of White Helmet rescuers in Syria on their way to Jordan

Family members of the Syrian WHite Helmet rescuers on a bus during the evacuation

It is unclear at this time just how many Syrian rescue workers could be relocated to the UK.

Mr Hunt and Penny Mordaunt said in a joint statement: 'Following a joint diplomatic effort by the UK and international partners, a group of White Helmets volunteers from southern Syria and their families have been able to leave Syria for safety.

'They are now being assisted by the UNHCR in Jordan pending international resettlement.

'The White Helmets have saved over 115,000 lives during the Syrian conflict, at great risk to their own. Many White Helmets volunteers have also been killed while doing their work - trying to rescue civilians trapped in bombarded buildings or providing first aid to injured civilians.

'White Helmets have been the target of attacks and, due to their high profile, we judged that, in these particular circumstances, the volunteers required immediate protection. We therefore took steps with the aim of affording that protection to as many of the volunteers and their families as possible.

'We pay tribute to the brave and selfless work that White Helmets volunteers have done to save Syrians on all sides of the conflict.'

Germany and Canada are also expected to rehouse some of those evacuated.

Jordan 'authorised the United Nations to organise the passage of 800 Syrian citizens through Jordan to be resettled in western countries,' the kingdom said.

'The government gave the permission after Britain, Germany and Canada made a legally binding undertaking to resettle them within a specified period of time due to 'a risk to their lives',' it explained.

People are escorted to a bus by Israeli soldiers during the evacuation on Sunday

People walk with children during the evacuation of White Helmets from war-torn Syria

Jordan 'authorised the United Nations to organise the passage of 800 Syrian citizens' the kingdom said. Pictured: Israeli soldiers on a bus

Founded in 2013, the Syria Civil Defence, or White Helmets, is a network of first responders which rescues wounded in the aftermath of air strikes, shelling or explosions in rebel-held territory.

White Helmets head Raed Saleh said the evacuees had arrived in Jordan after being 'surrounded in a dangerous region'.

They were encircled in the provinces of Daraa and Quneitra, he said, including a number trapped between the border with the Golan Heights and advancing Russia-backed regime troops, he told AFP.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said she 'called for global leadership to support and help these heroes' during a meeting of foreign ministers at the NATO leaders' summit in Brussels a week ago.

People board a bus at an unknown location as Israel took White Helmets via the Golan Heights

Israeli soldiers guiding members of families of Syrian White Helmet rescuers into a bus

Members of the Israeli security forces clear the way for a bus to evacuate the White Helmets

Civilians rushing out of the damaged buildings in Syria after airstrikes hit a school housing a number of displaced people. Running toward the danger is a member of the White Helmets

Israel has been sending medical aid to civilians who have fled fighting in the Syrian-controlled part of the Golan Heights.

Israel seized 1,200 460 square miles of the Golan from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it, in a move never recognised internationally.

On June 19, forces of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad launched an Russia-backed offensive to retake Daraa and Quneitra provinces.

Who are Syria's White Helmets? Founded in 2013, the Syria Civil Defence, or White Helmets, is a network of first responders which rescues wounded in the aftermath of air strikes, shelling or explosions in rebel-held territory. The White Helmets have rescued thousands of civilians trapped under the rubble or caught up in fighting in battered opposition-held zones along various fronts of Syria's seven-year conflict. Since its formation, when Syria's conflict was nearing its third year, more than 200 of its volunteers have died and another 500 have been wounded. The group's motto -- 'To save one life is to save all of humanity' -- is drawn from a verse in the Koran, although the White Helmets insist they treat all victims, regardless of religion. A wounded White Helmets volunteer evacuates his injured colleague following a reported air strike on the rebel-controlled town of Hammuriyeh in 2017 Some members have received training abroad, including in Turkey, returning to instruct colleagues on search-and-rescue techniques. The group receives funding from a number of governments, including Britain, Germany and the United States, but also solicits individual donations to purchase equipment such as its signature hard hats. Last year, a Netflix production called 'The White Helmets' won an Academy Award for best short documentary. A second film on the group, named 'Last Men in Aleppo,' was nominated for an Oscar in 2018. Advertisement

Just a month later, government institutions look set to return to most of these two provinces through a combination of deadly bombardment and Moscow-brokered surrender deals.

These deals provide for rebels to hand over their heavy weapons and those who disagree with a regime takeover to be bussed with family members towards opposition-held areas in the north of the country.

Jihadists are not party to these deals, and Russian planes bombarded a holdout of Islamic State in Daraa province overnight, a Britain-based war monitor said.

More than 20,000 civilians have fled bombardment on the IS-held corner on the border with Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan in the past 24 hours, fleeing into regime-held areas, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.
The drummer of one of Australia's best known rock bands has been told to grow up and 'start acting like an adult' in a stern dressing down by a Melbourne magistrate.

Mark McLeod from The Screaming Jets appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Sunday after he handed himself into Frankston Police.

Seven warrants were issued for McLeod's arrest after he failed to appear in Frankston Magistrates Court last November on several charges relating to unlicensed driving and possession of methylamphetamine.

Mark McLeod (pictured) remains a free man after he handed himself into police

Mark McLeod pictured after appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court, where he was convicted and fined

He was one of nine people identified by the Frankston Standard Leader on Friday as being wanted by Southern Metro Region Police for not showing up to court.

McLeod was convicted and fined $2300, and received a blasting from the magistrate when he appeared in court on Sunday.

'It's about time you started acting like an adult you've been acting like a nine-year-old, not a 42-year-old,' the magistrate told McLeod.

Outside court, McLeod expressed his relief at remaining a free man and being able to join his band mates on their six-month Rock Radio Riot national tour, which kicks off in Sydney in August.

Mark McLeod (pictured back) is free to join The Screaming Jets on their upcoming national tour

Seven warrants were issued for McLeod's (pictured) arrest after he failed to appeared in Frankston Magistrates Court last November

'I was a bit scared then, but it turned out good,' he told 9 News.

'I can't wait to get on my drum kit and start smashing those skins.'

McLeod has been with the band since 2012.

Known for their hit Better, The Screaming Jets formed in the New South Wales city of Newcastle in 1989 and released their eighth studio album earlier this month.

'I can't wait to get on my drum kit and start smashing those skins,' Mark McLeod (pictured) said after facing Melbourne Magistrates Court
Scotland Yard has been caught up in the biggest corruption probe for 40 years, as 14 officers face investigation for 'serious corruption and malpractice' by the police watchdog.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is looking at claims 'potentially conflicted' senior officers in the Metropolitan Police's Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) interfered with or curtailed investigations or failed to look at alleged wrongdoing altogether.

Jonathan Green, the IOPC's London director, said the watchdog was also investigating claims of racial discrimination in the DPS, set up to tackle misconduct and corruption in the UK's largest police force.

The Met's DPS unit, set up to tackle corruption and misconduct, is itself under investigation by the police watchdog

So far, gross misconduct notices have been served on three officers, one of whom is also under criminal investigation, while 'a number of officers' are also being assessed.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said Scotland Yard was 'fully co-operating' with the IOPC's investigation into allegations against 'a number of MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) personnel'.

Michael Lockwood, the former chief executive of Harrow council, is IPSO's director-general



Mr Green told The Sunday Times: 'I can confirm we have begun an investigation into allegations of serious corruption and malpractice within the Directorate of Professional Standards of the Metropolitan police.

'The investigation includes alleged interference in, and curtailment of, investigations by potentially conflicted senior officers, failure to investigate allegations of wrongdoing, systemic removal of the restrictions of officers under investigation and racial discrimination.

'As part of this investigation three officers have been served with gross misconduct notices and one of those officers is also under criminal investigation.

Scroll down for video.

Met commissioner Cressida Dick is battling against soaring crime rates and budget cuts

'Assessments on the status of a number of other officers remains ongoing.'

The investigation, codenamed Operation Embley, will be trying to bring prosecutions in what is seen as one of the murkiest area of policing, popularised in the BBC drama Line of Duty.

According to The Sunday Times, three whistleblowers from the force approached the IOPC to allege members of the DPS were shielding officers from a range of allegations.

IOPC's London director, Jonathan Green, confirmed the watchdog has started an investigation into claims of 'serious corruption and malpractice' within the Metropolitan Police's DPS unit

One of Britain's highest-profile police chiefs is also reported to be under investigation after he was accused of malpractice for improperly interfering in an investigation into bullying. The officer told The Sunday Times that he was not aware that he was under investigation.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'The Metropolitan Police Service has referred allegations regarding the conduct of a number of MPS personnel to the IOPC which is conducting an independent investigation.

'The MPS is fully co-operating with the IOPC investigation.'
Victoria has a 'major law and order problem' with Sudanese gangs, Peter Dutton has said after a young woman was stabbed to death.

Laa Chol, 19, was killed in a fight when a gang of young African-Australians crashed a party in Melbourne on Friday night.

The Homes Affairs Minister today released a statement blaming Sudanese gangs as police continue to investigate.

Tragic: Laa Chol, 19, was stabbed to death by a gatecrasher inside a Melbourne apartment

Victoria has a 'major law and order problem' with Sudanese gangs, Peter Dutton (pictured) has said

'This is a tragic and needless loss of a young life,' he said in a statement to Fairfax Media.

'There is a major law and order problem in Victoria and more people are going to be hurt until the rule of law is enforced by the Victorian Government.

'We don't have these problems with Sudanese gangs in NSW or Queensland.'

Mr Dutton accused Victorian Premier Dan Andrews of failing to acknowledge the issue of Sudanese gangs.

'He is out of touch and more people will get hurt or worse until the problem is fixed,' he said.

He said Mr Andrews should change Victoria's bail laws which he described as 'pathetic.'

It is understood Ms Chol was attending a party at the EQ Tower (pictured) on A'Beckett Street when a second group crashed the event

Ms Chol died after a fight broke out between two groups of African-Australians in the early hours of Saturday morning in Melbourne's city centre

On the night of Miss Chol's death, she was partying a rented apartment with a group of young African-Australians in their late teens and early 20s.

A second group crashed the party and left before police arrived - but detectives are confident CCTV footage will help them make an arrest.

Homicide squad detectives investigating the stabbing say about 12 people are assisting police with their inquiries.

Ms Chol, from Pakenham, ultimately died from what commander of the North West Metro region Tim Hansen called 'assault related injuries'.

'My understanding is this wasn't a random attack,' Victoria Police Commander Tim Hansen told reporters.

Friends have remembered Laa Chol, 19, as a quiet person as they grieve her violent death on Saturday morning

'There's no sign of forced entry but we're trying to clarify what brought [the second group] there.'

Mr Hansen further noted that the only known link between the two groups was that both groups were of 'African-Australian heritage' and all were aged around 19-20 years old, News.com.au reported.

Ms Chol was treated at the EQ Tower residential building by paramedics, but died from her injuries.

While the exact circumstances of the incident are yet to be released, a resident of the apartment building told the Herald Sun she heard prolonged and 'horrendous' screams.

'It went on for about 20 minutes,' the woman said.

'You couldn't hear anything but this horrendous screaming... I just thought they were drunk.

'They were shouting and screaming and the girl's scream was incredibly loud  just screeching.'
Britain's youngest convicted terrorist who plotted to behead police officers when he was just 14 has asked the courts for lifelong anonymity.

If successful, the teenager, from Blackburn, Lancashire, will join just six other offenders granted anonymity.

These criminals include Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, who murdered two-year-old James Bulger, and Maxine Carr, who gave a false alibi for her former lover Ian Huntley for the night he killed Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

The judge gave the teenager, referred to as only RXG during the case, anonymity because there was a risk the youth would be 'glorified for what he has done' by some sections of society.

Britain's youngest convicted terrorist who plotted to behead police officers aged 14, pictured in a court sketch with his family, has asked the courts for lifelong anonymity

Only six offenders, including Jon Venables (left) and Maxine Carr, have been granted lifelong anonymity. Carr was jailed for perverting the course of justice after providing a false alibi for Soham murdered Ian Huntley

The boy, referred to as only RXG during the case because of his age, exchanged more than 3,000 encrypted mobile app messages with Sevdet Besim

Children are normally granted anonymity in criminal proceedings until they turn 18, but judges can choose to name them after conviction if the crime is particularly heinous - as was the case in Jon Venables and Robert Thompson's sentencing.

RXG was jailed for life in October 2015 for inciting terrorism but will be eligible for release in 2020 after serving a minimum term of five years if he no longer poses a threat, reports the Sunday Times.

In March 2015 the teenager took on the role of 'organiser and adviser' to Australian jihadist Sevdet Besim, 18, telling him to murder police officers by beheading in Melbourne on Anzac Day.

The youngster exchanged more than 3,000 encrypted mobile app messages with Besim after he became swiftly radicalised by online Islamic State propaganda.

They also discussed packing a kangaroo with explosives, painting it with an Islamic State symbol and setting it loose on police officers.

RXG's lawyers will argue for his right to privacy under human rights law and his wish for a 'second chance'.

They will have to prove he is at serious risk of reprisals, or that his rehabilitation would be affected by his identification if he was radicalised again.

Roy James, Maxine Carr's former lawyer, told the Sunday Times: 'Everybody has a right to family and private life. He [RXG] would have to demonstrate that there is a real risk to him  as we did in Maxine's case.'

The courts have already grants RXG's lawyers an interim order to prevent his name being revealed when he turns 18. The case is expected to be heard in October.

Some lawyers are concerned the case could set a precedent, with one saying: 'What about all the other 18-year-old terrorists out there?'

Other people given lifelong anonymity include the Edlington brothers, two boys aged 10 and 11 who attacked and tortured two other boys by whipping them with sticks and covering them in plastic before setting them alight. They were released after six years in prison.

Mary Bell, who strangled four-year-old Martin Brown and Brian Howe, three, when she was just ten years old, also has anonymity. She was released aged 23 in 1980.


An eight-year-old boy has been killed and three other people seriously injured in a horrific crash near Belfast.

The youngster was pronounced dead at the scene after a silver Audi Q3 and a silver Ford Focus crashed in Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland yesterday.

Three ambulance crews attended as well as the Air Ambulance.

The incident happened on the Aughnacloy Road in Banbridge around 5.30pm on Saturday evening, July 21

A man, a woman and another child were rushed to hospital with serious injuries. The road was closed following the incident at around 5.30pm, but has since reopened.

Carla Lockhart, from the Democratic Unionist Party, described the incident as 'horrendous news' and urged parents to 'hold your children tight tonight.'

In a Facebook post, she said: 'Devastating news for a family tonight following the death of a little boy in a road traffic collision on the outskirts of Banbridge.

'Just horrendous news my thoughts and prayers are with the family.

'Hold your children tight tonight and please please pray for this family as they experience this unbearable grief.'

Inspector Gregory Beckett said: 'The boy tragically died at the scene of the two vehicle collision which occurred at around 5.20pm on Saturday evening, involving a silver Audi Q3 and a silver Ford Focus.

Carla Lockhart, from the Democratic Unionist Party, described the incident as 'horrendous news' and urged parents to 'hold your children tight tonight'

'Three other people have been taken to hospital and are being treated for injuries which are described as serious.

'The road was closed for some time following the collision but has since re-opened.

'Police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the collision or who may have dashcam footage to contact local officers in Lurgan or the Collision Investigation Unit on 101 quoting reference 994 21/07/18.'
Police are calling on the public to help find a 17-year-old girl who has been missing from her Dublin home since Thursday evening.

Anastasia Iancova was last seen leaving her home in Balgriffin, at around 5pm on Thursday, 19 July.

She is described as 5ft 7ins tall, of slim build, with long, brown hair. She has brown eyes and a piercing in her lower lip.

Anastasia was last seen wearing ripped black jeans and a white top.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Coolock Garda Station on +1 666 4200, the Garda Confidential line on +1 800 666 111 or any Garda station.
THE Tanzanian registered vessel MV UMOJA operating between the Port of Mwanza and Port Bell in Uganda, has recorded its fourth trip to Port Bell, after resuming work on Lake Victoria since June this year. In a statement issued by the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) this weekend, the Authoritys Director General, Eng Deusdedit Kakoko, said MV Umoja made its fourth trip to Port Bell on Friday with 18 ferry wagons of edible oil and aluminum alloys overboard.

The consignment comprised 10 wagons for the WFP and eight for Uganda Roofings Ltd all amounting to 600 tonnes.

This is an evidence that the Lake Victoria operations have now resumed fully, he said. In another development, the Uganda registered cargo ship MV KAAWA, is this week expected to make its maiden call at Mwanza Port from Port Bell after being grounded for more than 10 years.

The statement said, the assembly of the MV KAAWA was a step towards improving services on the Lake as this would assure customers of a reliable transport operation and the trips becoming frequent.

Currently MV UMOJA offers four trips a week on the lake, but with the resumption of the MV KAAWA services, they will increase six carrying around 3,500 tonnes of cargo onboard.

However, Eng Kakoko has called upon the public at the Central corridor to make use of the services in order to reduce costs of doing business expensively in other areas.

The Central corridor links Tanzanias Dar es Salaam port to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and the DRC through rail, road and inland waterways.
A British teenager is fighting for his life after he accidentally harpooned himself through the eye in an Italian holiday horror.

Devon White, 14, was carrying the weapon while travelling in a boat with his family in Sperlonga, near Rome, when the bolt went off at more than 60mph and went crashing through his left eye.

Paramedics treated him at the scene before he was airlifted 100 miles to hospital and had the bolt removed in a gruesome three-hour procedure.

Doctors said the weapon had not smashed into vital organs but could not yet say if Devon would make a full recovery, The Sun on Sunday reported.

A British teenager is fighting for his life after he accidentally harpooned himself through the eye in an Italian holiday horror

Local police chief Salvatore Capasso told the newspaper: 'It's a miracle this boy is still alive. I have never seen anything like it.

'The bolt was in his head and he was still alive and talking. I'm amazed he didn't die.

'Ive seen many things during my career but nothing as macabre as that.'

Capasso said the 14-year-old had been on the boat with his uncle, his brother and two friends. The tourists had been firing the weapon at nearby rocks.

He said the weapon had been faulty and had not secured itself properly when it was reloaded, causing the bolt to shoot off into Devon's face.

Police were investigating the matter because the teenager, from Chelmsford, Essex, was too young to have been handling the harpoon, he said.
A photographer claims flight attendants made jokes after she told them a man was masturbating next to her.

Genevieve Pascolla, 26, said in an Instagram post that she was traveling on a United Airlines flight from Heathrow Airport to Chicago when the incident occurred.

After she reported the man's actions to the flight attendants, she and another female passenger were given new seats.

However, Pascolla says the staff then began snickering and joking, implying that he was masturbating because of her.

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Genevieve, Pascolla, 26, a photographer (pictured) was on a June 4 flight from Heathrow to Chicago where she said a male passenger was masturbating next to her

After alerting a flight attendant to the scene (left and right) she and another female passenger were moved to new seats. However, Pascolla says the staff then began snickering and making jokes, implying that he was masturbating because of her

'They then started making jokes about the situation asking: "What perfume are you wearing? and excusing him, saying: "He's had a bit of wine",' Pascolla wrote in her post on Instagram.

She also alleges the male passenger was 'allowed to finish with a child sitting closely by.'

Pascolla claims she first approached a security guard upon deplaning and was asked if she would like an apology from the man, which she did not.

She then says she sent a complaint to United Airlines headquarters, and didn't receive a reply until six weeks later.

It seems Pascolla asked to be refunded for her flight because, in part of the email she shared on Instagram, a customer care employee writes: 'Unfortunately we are unable to honor your request for a refund from London to Chicago or offer goodwill compensation.'

'I am appalled at the lack of action taken in this situation in which as a woman, I was terrified. This man is clearly capable of much more,' Pascolla wrote. '(See email) your lack of action is disgusting.'

Pascolla sent a complaint to United and says the company didn't reply (pictured) until six weeks later

She seems to have asked for a refund but was told that United wouldn't be able to do so. United says the company did call Pascolla (pictured) for a 'wellness check' the day after the incident occurred

Pascolla told BuzzFeed News that she was given a voucher for half the cost of her ticket after she tweeted about she what she experienced. Pictured: United Airlines planes in San Francisco, April 2018

In a statement to BuzzFeed News, United Airlines spokeswoman Maddie King called the incident 'inappropriate and offensive' but said that cases like these are 'extremely rare'.

'That's why, in this case, our customers were promptly moved to different seats in a different section of the plane and law enforcement officials were summoned in advance to meet the perpetrator when the plane pulled into the gate,' King told the website.

She also said that Pascolla was compensated 'as a goodwill gesture' and was called for a 'wellness check' the day after the incident occurred.

Pascolla told BuzzFeed News that she was given a voucher for half the cost of her ticket after she tweeted about she what she experienced.

Despite, this Pascolla said she is still upset by the conduct of the flight attendants.

'They were excusing his disgusting behavior and making jokes,' Pascolla told BuzzFeed News.

'I understand you can't control the situation, but you can control how you handle it.'
Remainers ramped up the push for a second EU referendum today - amid fevered plotting about creating a new 'centrist' anti-Brexit political party.

Tory former PM Sir John Major insisted another national ballot would 'morally justified' because pledges from Eurosceptics during the 2016 had turned out to be false.

The intervention came as nearly 40 Opposition MPs signed an open letter calling for the public to be given another chance to decide on future ties with the EU.

Several Tories including Anna Soubry and Justine Greening have also endorsed the idea recently, although they have not added their names to the latest letter. Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve said this morning that another referendum might be the 'right thing to do'.

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Tory former PM Sir John Major insisted on the BBC's Andrew Marr show today (pictured) that another national ballot would 'morally justified' because pledges from Eurosceptics during the 2016 had turned out to be false

Theresa May, pictured at church in her Maidenhead constituency today with husband Philip, is battling to hold the Tories together as she desperately scrambles to put together a deal with the EU

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr show this morning, Sir John took aim at the 'fantasy promises' from the Leave side in the referendum.

'It has downsides. I mean, frankly, a second vote has democratic downsides. It has difficulties,' he said.

'But is it morally justified? I think it is.

'If you look back at the Leave campaign a great many of the promises they made were fantasy promises.

Government's spend on EU referendum leaflets gave Remain unfair advantage, report says The 9.3million spend by government on the EU referendum gave the Remain side an unfair advantage, an independent commission has suggested. The Independent Commission on Referendums, whose members include pro-EU Tory Dominic Grieve and Labour Leave backer Gisela Stuart, found the elections watchdog should be able to seek an injunction to block the distribution such material in future. Mr Cameron was heavily criticised in April 2016 when his government issued a leaflet to all households setting out why remaining in the EU was the 'best decision' for the country. In its report, the cross-party commission said: 'Less than three months before the EU referendum, the UK government spent 9.3million of public funds distributing a leaflet entitled 'Why the government believes that voting to remain in the EU is the best decision for the UK', the purpose of which, it claimed, was 'to help the public make an informed decision in the upcoming EU referendum.' According to the Sunday Telegraph, the panel, set up by University College London's Constitution Unit, added: 'The Commission is concerned that the current restrictions on government during referendum campaigns permit potentially unlimited spending of public money in favour of one side before the final four weeks.' Advertisement

'We now know they are not going to be met.'

Referring to the 'irreconcilable' stance taken by hardline Tory Brexiteers, Sir John said: 'That has boxed the Government and particularly the Prime Minister into a corner.

'They are a minority of the House of Commons, a substantial minority of the House of Commons, but they are larger than the Government's majority.

'The danger at the moment is that they will frustrate every move the Government seek to make and by accident, because nothing can be agreed, we will crash out without a deal.'

The letter urging a new Brexit referendum - including an option to stay in the EU - has been signed by 38 Labour, Lib Dem and Green MPs.

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable missed a crunch Brexit vote last week because he was having secret talks about joining forces with other Remainer politicians.

Some Lib Dem activists have been so incensed at the absence that they are threatening to oust him.

Sir Vince confirmed today that he was at a 'confidential private dinner' during last week's crucial vote on Brexiteer demands for the EU to reciprocate if the UK collects tariffs on its behalf.

The government defeated the idea by a tiny margin of just three votes - thanks in part to the absence of Sir Vince and fellow Lib Dem Tim Farron.

Amid fury from activists threatening to oust him, sources close to Sir Vince told the Sunday Times he was at a dinner with people involved in the potential new movement.

The veteran former Cabinet minister told Pienaar's Politics on BBC Radio 5 live that he 'got it wrong' and it was a 'mistake' to miss the vote.

He refused to confirm the dinner he was attending was to discuss the possibility of setting up of a new centrist anti-Brexit party, but added: 'In the longer term there may be a re-alignment because of the deep splits in the parties and I want my party to be at the centre of it.'

'The tensions building up in the Conservative and the Labour Parties are so severe it's difficult to see them surviving in their present form' although he said his immediate priority is to work with people in all parties to stop Brexit.'

Sir Vince Cable (pictured right) confirmed today that he was at a 'confidential private dinner' during last week's crucial Brexit vote on whether the UK should stay in the customs union. Some Lib Dem activists are so furious at his absence they want to replace him as leader with Layla Moran (left)

Cameron's 9m Remain leaflet was unfair

by John Stevens for the Daily Mail

David Camerons decision to spend 9.3 million of taxpayers money on a leaflet sent to all households ahead of the EU referendum gave the Remain side an unfair advantage, an independent commission has found.

A major review into how referendums are conducted has called for prime ministers to be banned from launching similar one-sided publicity drives using public money.

Mr Cameron caused outrage in April 2016 when his Government sent the 16-page leaflet to every home, setting out the case why remaining in the EU was the best decision. The leaflet cost more than the 7 million the two sides were each allowed to spend, but it was not counted towards the Remain campaigns spending as it was delivered the week before the official campaign period began.

The Independent Commission on Referendums said: The commission is concerned that the current restrictions on Government during referendum campaigns permit potentially unlimited spending of public money in favour of one side before the final four weeks.
A legendary warplane made almost entirely of wood is getting ready to take to the skies again.

The iconic de Haviland Mosquito, a multi-role combat aircraft nicknamed 'the Wooden Wonder', is undergoing a 5million restoration with a flight date set scheduled for 2021.

Behind the project is the Mosquito Pathfinder Trust, a charity who are asking for donations to pay for the rebuild in New Zealand.

The mammoth task of restoring the much-loved 'Mossie' is expected to take 36 months.

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First designed as an unarmed fast bomber the Mosquito was one of the fastest operational aircraft in the world when production began in 1941

The Mosquito had a number of wartime roles, including daytime tactical bomber, high-altitude night bomber, pathfinder, day or night fighter,fighter-bomber, intruder, maritime strike aircraft, and fast photo-reconnaissance aircraft and meteorological reconnaissance

When the restored WWII plane returns to Britain it will be the first time a 'Mossie' has been based in the UK since 1996 when a pilot and his navigator were killed in a crash during an air display at Barton Aerodrome, Manchester.

The Trust's Jaques Brooks told the Daily Star Sunday: 'We aim to get a Mossie back in the air over the UK and Europe.

'The role of such planes as the Spitfire is well documented, but the key part played by the Mosquito is under-appreciated.

'We are currently restoring the plane and now need donations to push the project forward.'

The aircraft chosen for the project is a Mk. IV Mosquito, built in 1944 and used for testing. In the 1980s it was transferred to Australia and sold off to a New Zealand restorer. The aircraft is now being rebuilt by specialists Avspecs in Auckland.

The project is backed by wartime Mossie pilot Colin Bell, a veteran of 50 bombing raids over Germany in the Second World War.

The last time the iconic 'Mossie' flew over British skies was in 1996 when a pilot and his navigator were killed in a crash during an air display at Barton Aerodrome, Manchester

The multi-purpose warplane was unusual in that it was built almost entirely of wood

Mr Bell, 97, told the Daily Star Sunday: 'It was unique and to have one back in the UK will be fantastic for the younger generations.

'They will be able to see it where it should be  back in the sky,'

The former pilot from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, recalled the horror of being shot at over Berlin.

He remembers a huge explosion and both engines cutting out.

He said: 'We got hit by flak, which stopped both engines. Thankfully, we got them going again. When I got back to base, I found my parachute, which I had been sitting on, was shredded by shrapnel.'

The main body of the aircraft has already been assembled, including its nose with room for eight machine guns and cannons

Avspecs, the firm behind the restoration, has already restored three Mosquitos back to flying condition, including one owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen

When it lands back in the UK, the aircraft will probably be based at the Imperial War Museum Duxford  a former RAF base in Cambridgeshire  which houses dozens of historic aircraft

Avspecs has already assembled the main body of the aircraft, including its nose with room for eight machine guns and cannons.

The firm has good pedigree, having already restored three Mosquitos back to flying condition, including one owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

When finished, it will probably be based at the Imperial War Museum Duxford  a former RAF base in Cambridgeshire  which houses dozens of historic aircraft.
A huge influx in tradesmen falling seriously ill from inhaling toxic dust has sparked calls for an immediate national ban on dry cutting techniques.

Stonemasons across Australia have been struck down with the deadly lung disease, silicosis, which they contracted by cutting artificial stone products used for kitchen and bathroom benchtops.

Silicosis is an irreversible disease cause by inhaling the dust which becomes trapped in the lungs, causing deep scarring and impacting the ability to breathe.

It takes 10-15 years for the disease to to develop, which often starts with a persistent cough that wont go away.

Dust diseases expert Roger Singh has called for action and regulation before any more tradesmen succumb or die from the shocking disease.

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Silicosis sufferer and former stonemason Anthony White (pictured) has spent the last few weeks fighting for life in intensive care after he was struck down with a viral infection

Anthony White (pictured) was a stonemason for more than 10 years. He now needs a lifesaving double long transplant

Mr Singh is currently speaking with six tradesmen diagnosed with the disease in his role with Shine Lawyers.

Stonemasons currently working in the industry are urged to see a doctor for a health check and lung scan.

'We are now speaking with stonemasons who tell us that despite the awareness that's been raised the dry cutting continues in their workplaces and wet cutting systems, and enforcement of proper face masks, that could prevent disease are not being installed,' Mr Singh said.

He has written to every state and territory minister calling for an immediate ban dry cutting and an enforcement program introduced to ensure the dangerous practices are stamped out.

Mr Singh also wants tougher penalties and fines for workshops that continue to use unsafe practices.

'We know wet cutting, using water to damp down the dust, is much safer but there is no regulation of the industry to enforce this practice,' Mr Singh said.

'We cannot let this continue. Australians deserve safe workplaces.'

Crystalline silica is present in a range of materials including concrete, bricks, sandstone, granite, clay and cement

Gold Coast stonemason Anthony White, 36, was diagnosed with silicosis last November after working in the field for more than 10 years.

He initially thought the life-threatening disease was just a common chest infection until an X-ray revealed he had scar tissue all over his lungs.

Mr White developed silicosis from dry cutting engineered stone, exposing him to the toxic silica dust.

Scarring of the lung tissue occurs if too much of this dust is inhaled and deposited in the air sacs, according to a fact sheet by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland.

What is silicosis? A silicosis infected lung Silicosis is the scarring of the lung tissue which leads to a shortness of breath due to a buildup of silica dust in the air sacs. Symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain, loss of appetite, fatigue Advertisement

Mr White needs to undergo a double lung transplant to survive but fears the worst.

'I want to be as strong as possible. It's hard. I want to be here for a bit longer,' he told Lisa Wilkinson on Channel 10, The Sunday Project earlier this month.

Mr White hopes the practice of dry-cutting will be banned so others won't have to suffer what he is going through.

Since he appeared on The Sunday Project, Mr White has spent the last few weeks in intensive care fighting a viral infection.

'We could have lost him but he's still fighting on and we are just taking it day by day at the moment,' his mum Dianne said in statement to Daily Mail Australia.

'We need some kind of change. We can't let this go on killing our young men. I don't care how we do it, with legislation or fines, it just needs to be done.'

Ms White said some of her son's doctors hadn't even heard of silicosis.

'Unfortunately they are going to start seeing more of it if something isn't done to stop dry cutting,' Ms White said.

'Anthony's case isn't a one off, there are going to be many young men affected like this and his condition is only going to get worse.'
Vince Cable is facing the threat of a Lib Dem leadership coup after it emerged he missed a Brexit vote because he was holding talks on creating a new pro-EU party.

The veteran, who has been trying to brand the Lib Dems as a 'stop Brexit' force, has suffered a furious backlash after missing a key Commons showdown last week.

It has emerged that Sir Vince was attending a dinner to discuss creating a new 'centrist' political force instead of voting against the government's plans - which were only passed by a majority of three.

The former Cabinet minister today dismissed 'ridiculous' speculation that he could be kicked out of the party's top job for the gaffe.

'Unlike Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn for different reasons, I'm in the fortunate position of having a united, cohesive team of people,' he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Pienaar's Politics. 'It's the last thing I worry about.'

But a group of senior Lib Dems are expected to meet this week to push for Sir Vince to be succeeded by 35-year-old Layla Moran, the party's education spokeswoman, who became an MP only last year.

Sir Vince Cable (pictured right) confirmed today that he was at a 'confidential private dinner' during last week's crucial Brexit vote on whether the UK should stay in the customs union. Some Lib Dem activists are so furious at his absence they want to replace him as leader with Layla Moran (left)

One said it was time to 'sweep away' the 'fossil' who has led the party since Tim Farron quit after the Lib Dems won just 12 seats at last year's General Election. The source added: 'It is not so much skipping one generation, as two.'

Sources close to Sir Vince tried to assuage the anger against him by telling the Sunday Times he was at a dinner with people interested in a new 'centrist' party.

And Sir Vince admitted today that he 'got it wrong' and it was a 'mistake' to miss the vote.

While refusing to confirm what was discussed at the dinner, he said: 'In the longer term there may be a re-alignment because of the deep splits in the parties and I want my party to be at the centre of it.

'The tensions building up in the Conservative and the Labour Parties are so severe it's difficult to see them surviving in their present form' although he said his immediate priority is to work with people in all parties to stop Brexit.'

Sir Vince, who was Business Secretary in the Coalition Government, has struggled to make an impact since taking over.

The anti-Cable group is split between those who want him to go now and those who want to position Ms Moran as the natural successor when he stands down of his own volition.

But most are agreed that Ms Moran would be more 'electorally attractive' than deputy leader Jo Swinson, who is favourite to succeed him.

Staunch Remainer Ms Moran, a former maths teacher, was born in the UK to a Christian-Palestinian mother from Jerusalem and a British father who worked as an EU diplomat. She is thought to be the first MP to come from a Palestinian background.

She holds a majority of just 816 in her Oxford West constituency.

A leading Lib Dem anti-Brexit campaigner said: 'Layla Moran has that rare ability to connect with people. Swinson just doesn't have the necessary stardust.'

A source close to Ms Moran said she is 'keen to build her majority in her seat before considering the leadership. And she doesn't want her supporters to treat Jo like that. There's also been a good recovery under Vince's leadership.'
A Good Samaritan donated her kidney to a dying stranger after she saw his desperate plea for a new organ on Craigslist.

Jessica Morris, from Orange County, California, decided that her New Year's resolution for 2018 would be to save a life - and she did just that by helping David Nichere.

The 30 year old had already set her mind on the idea of donating a kidney several years ago and found his Craigslist advert after joining the Facebook group 'Kidney Donors Network'.

David had been suffering end-stage kidney failure for six-and-a-half years and had resigned himself to the idea of slowly dying.

Weeks away from entering a hospice to see out the rest of his days through dialysis treatment, David, from San Francisco, was skeptical of her anonymous pledge until they met for the first time four months later.

Jessica Morris, from Orange County, California, saved David Nichere's life by donating her kidney after finding his desperate plea for a new organ on Craigslist (pictured together in hospital)

David had been suffering end-stage kidney failure for six-and-a-half years and had resigned himself to the idea of slowly dying when he posted the advert (pictured together after surgery)

David, who has Crohn's disease, had his first kidney operation when he was just three months old, and endured 26 more procedures over a 30-year period before being told his kidneys could no longer function.

Facing the reality of a slow death, the freelance writer decided to try one-last throw of the dice by posting an advertisement for a kidney donor to Craigslist.

Jessica said: 'Donation is a tough process, and it's extremely hard to be approved for the operation.

'Patients on dialysis like David are very beaten up and used to being let down, this was apparent throughout my entire testing period.

'It didn't sink in for David that his life was really about to change until he got the call to schedule surgery.

'I saw a different side of David in the hospital. He really is an amazing person, I'm so happy I was able to help him.'

The pair met for the first time in April and were given the go ahead by doctors to proceed with the operation, on June 11.

Now both are recovering well from the procedure, and Jessica hopes she and David can one day experience their mutual love of backpacking together.

Jessica has already been on two backpacking trips and hopes David will be cleared for travel in six months.

Jessica said: 'He will always be a part of my family and I will always be a part of his'

After surgery David's kidney function went up immediately, and he hasn't needed dialysis since then. The pair hope to go travelling together once he recovers fully

She said: 'I'll be honest, I don't think either of us got super emotional about it until the day of surgery when we realised nobody was going to tell us no [we couldn't go through with it].

'David has become like a brother to me. In the hospital it felt like David was my twin - it was so cool to recover together and share our experiences.

'He will always be a part of my family and I will always be a part of his.'

After surgery David's kidney function went up immediately, and he hasn't needed dialysis since then.

She added: 'This has been the most memorable experience of my life.

'I've donated to charities in the past and fostered dogs, but I never felt I was making enough of a difference.

'To know I was literally able to save someone's life, will stay with me for the rest of mine - I would do it again a million times over.

'We are all seeking a purpose in life, and you will never find one more rewarding than being someone's hero.

'I was so happy to be able to help him.'

For more information about becoming a donor visit David's website here.
Speaking at the Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival in Dorset this afternoon (pictured), Jeremy Corbyn urged MPs to delay a showdown over Labour anti-Semitism rules

Jeremy Corbyn today pleaded with furious Labour MPs to delay a showdown over controversial new anti-Semitism rules.

The leader has faced a massive backlash after new conduct rules drawn up amid a wave of vile abuse in the party stopped short of accepting the international definition of anti-Semitism.

Amid claims that activists will not be punished for common slurs such as comparing Israeli actions to those of the Nazis, veteran MP Margaret Hodge confronted Mr Corbyn at a meeting last week branding him an 'anti-Semitic racist'.

MPs and peers are due to press an emergency motion on the issue at a gathering tomorrow before Parliament breaks for the summer. Allies of Mr Corbyn admitted that Labour has been in a 'very dark place' over its response to the problems.

But speaking at the Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival in Dorset this afternoon, the leader urged MPs to delay the motion until the autumn - bizarrely suggesting not enough people will turn up to stage a proper debate.

'I'd rather they delayed that discussion until September because there will be a full attendance at meetings in September,' the Labour leader said.

'I suspect Monday's meeting will not be fully attended because Parliament is rising on Tuesday.

'I also think MPs should get full notice of that issue, but obviously the parliamentary party is quite free to debate it but, as with all functions of the Labour Party, ultimately, standing orders must be approved by the National Executive Committee and that cannot happen until the autumn.'

Mr Corbyn also revealed he had not spoken to Dame Margaret since she confronted him over the issue.

The MP - who lost family members in the Holocaust - is now facing a disciplinary probe for berating him as a 'anti-Semitic racist'.

In a clear jibe at Dame Margaret today, Mr Corbyn said he was 'always very calm' and 'treated people with respect'.

'I felt not pleased about it, I felt upset about it but as always I am very calm and treat people with a great deal of respect,' he said.

'I don't shout at people, I just listen to what they have to say.'

He added: 'A complaint has been registered and that will have to be dealt with by the party, but that is independent of me.'

Mr Corbyn defended the position taken by Labour's ruling NEC in not including within its new code of conduct the full definition of anti-Semitism - including illustrative examples - set out by the IHRA.

Veteran Labour MP Margaret Hodge - who lost family members in the Holocaust - is now facing a disciplinary probe for berating him as a 'anti-Semitic racist'

Mr Corbyn (pictured at the festival today) defended the position taken by Labour's ruling NEC in not including within its new code of conduct the full definition of anti-Semitism

Mr Corbyn laid a wreath on the grave of one of the martyrs during his visit to the festival today

'(The NEC) wasn't trying to re-write it, it has accepted almost all of it,' he said. 'What it's done is also put alongside it a code of conduct for members of the party because we will not tolerate anti-Semitism in any form whatsoever in the party.

'What we also agreed to do at the National Executive Committee is that we would have a consultation process now with a number of organisations.

'I have written on Thursday this week to a very large number of organisations asking if we can have a discussion with them and talk to them and then bring it back and get it right.

Who were the Tolpuddle Martyrs? The Tolpuddle Martyrs are said to have sparked the modern trade union movement. In 1834, farm workers in the west Dorset village formed a basic union to try and improve their living standards and bargaining leverage with landowners. However, six leaders of the union were arrested and sentenced to seven years transportation for taking an oath of secrecy. Protests swept the country, with thousands of people marching through London. An annual festival is held in the village to celebrate their contribution to the union movement. Advertisement

'I want us to deal with anti-Semitism in our society, as well as all of our parties, including my own.

'What's been done is an honest attempt to make sure that we do make it clear we will not tolerate anti-Semitism in any form and we will allow legitimate debate on issues facing Israel and Palestine, but it cannot ever be conducted in any anti-Semitic form.'

Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey, an ally of Mr Corbyn, admitted that the party was in a 'very dark place' over anti_Semitism.

She also defended Dame Margaret's right to 'express her opinion'.

'I wasn't there when the so-called incident happened so I can't comment on what was said, but what we do say in the party is that we treat colleagues with respect,' she told the Andrew Marr Show.

'But that's not to say that it's wrong for Margaret, if she did state those things to Jeremy, to express her opinion, it's right to express opinions to the leader of the party.

She added: 'I'm not sure where we're up to in terms of what action is being taken, I just know that the matter's being investigated, but as I say, within the party we're expected to treat colleagues with respect and not to engage in personal attacks.

'But as I said it's not wrong for a colleague to express concerns to another colleague, it just has to be done in the appropriate way.'
. . . Minister issues ten directives to bring sanity to Home Affairs

KANGI Lugola is a man on a mission. With hardly a month in the driving seat of the Ministry of Home Affairs, he is determined to leave no stone unturned in a bid to bring sanity to the vital ministry.

Having hit the ground running from day one, the on fire minister has made some bold decisions that sent shock waves into the ministry, signaling the end of business as usual era.

And, in line with his goal to transform the ministry and restore lost glory to departments, the Minister has again come out with guns blazing, issuing ten directives that among others are meant to exorcise ghosts that have been haunting his portfolio for a long time.

Notable among the directives is the resuscitation of the Lugumi saga and that of the machine for processing national identity cards whose payment has been cleared, but is yet to be brought into the country.

The Minister issued the directives in Dar es Salaam, yesterday, when briefing journalists about his tour of the national security and defence organs. On the controversial 37bn/- contract between the Tanzania Police Force and Lugumi Enterprises Limited, the Minister directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Simon Sirro to search for the company owner and take him to his office on July 31, this year.

Mr Lugola explained that, he came to learn that the company has not yet completed its work, thus it was important to meet with the owner to know the reasons for failing to finish its work.

He, however, noted that the door is open for the company owner to surrender himself to the Minister before the stated date.

I am aware that Lugumi is a Tanzanian who has a family it is important for him to voluntarily come to my office after getting this information so that we can discuss the matter, he said.

On the national IDs processing machines, the Minister ordered National Identification Authority (NIDA) Acting Director General to submit a detailed report on the purchase of the machine for processing IDs, which is yet to be brought into the country despite all payments having been cleared.

I want the DG to make sure that he reports to my office in Dodoma on July 25, this year, along with people who have been given the tender to buy the machine and provide explanations as to why the device is not in the country to date or else they should come with 32bn/- which they were given for purchasing it, he insisted.

He however, directed the Prisons in the country to come up with a special plan of feeding prisoners in order to minimise government burden of feeding them.

The President is tired of setting aside budget to feed prisoners, while the money could be channelled to other development projects  we want prisoners to be involved in production of food, to feed themselves, and even sell the surplus; this is

part of learning and we are not breaching any laws, he insisted. In ending illegal activities going on in the countrys prisons such as use of mobile phones, he has directed the Commissioner General of Prisons to make sure that his subordinates abide by work ethics in order to end such acts.

From today onwards, no any prisoner is allowed to enter prison cells with a mobile phone or any other thing which is prohibited and disciplinary action will be taken against heads of prisons, in case such illegal materials are found in cells.

On traffic accidents, the Minister ordered the traffic police to enforce traffic laws and regulations and conduct regular vehicle inspections in order to curb accidents.

We have already started setting up strategies with stringent measures against those who will cause accidents and one of them is the recent decision to dissolve the National Road Safety Council and its regional and district committees and the new council will be formed before the end of this month, he said.

Minister Lugola further, ordered the Director of Refugees Department to speed up the process of repatriating Burundi refugees because their homeland is now peaceful and safe.

He also directed all refugees who have abandoned their campsites to be arrested and returned to the camps. In addressing the problem of illegal immigrants, the Minister directed the Commissioner General of Immigration to ensure that immigration officials in regions and districts work efficiently by strengthening patrol at the countrys borders.

The Minister also warned police officers, who fabricate cases and engage in corruption, that stringent action will be taken against them. On police canine unit, he directed the IGP to make sure that he works on challenges facing the department, including keeping records of all dogs.

The Minister further, directed the Fire and Rescue officials, to make sure they timeously arrive at scenes in case of fire outbreaks instead of remaining in office for excuse of not having water tenders or fire engines.
A grammar school headmaster has been warned by police that one of his pupils will be stabbed to death within 12 months because of the spread of drugs gangs.

Andrew Fowler is the first grammar school head to say that violent gangs are recruiting children from some of Englands best schools.

The students, who it is believed are less likely to attract the attention of police because of their smart uniforms, are groomed into becoming drugs couriers with threats of violence.

Dane Court headmaster Andrew Fowler says he has been warned by police to expect a student to be stabbed to death within 12 months

The rise in violence around Dane Court Grammar School in the seaside town of Broadstairs, Kent, is also a sign that Londons gang culture is spreading as councils move tenants to social housing outside the capital, and gangs try to expand their reach.

It is part of the county lines crime wave hitting many towns and villages in the UK.

We have been told by the police there will probably be a fatal child stabbing of a pupil within the next 12 months, Mr Fowler said.

There are about 20 students we are concerned about. There are two or three who are certainly gang members.

'The age at which they are getting involved is getting younger and younger and now there are students in Years 8 and 9 [aged 12-14] we are concerned about.

His school is rated outstanding by Ofsted inspectors, and is part of a chain of five in the Coastal Academies Trust.

Mr Fowler, 51, said he had never come across anything similar in more than 20 years in teaching.

There have been gang-related arrests of our pupils outside school, he told The Sunday Times.

One child was arrested on a burglary charge. Another arrest was for possession of cannabis not for personal use.

'In some cases the children at risk are middle-class children who are well looked after.

Sometimes their parents are working very hard and the children are not getting the supervision necessary.

'They have so much potential and their lives are being destroyed.

Dane Court academy has been designated a specialist language school and an international baccalaureate world school

The headteacher says he has not seen anything like this in 20 years of teaching

Headteacher Andrew Fowler admitted the school is worried about at least 20 of the children, and added two or three are 'certainly gang members'

Gangs are targeting school children at the academy in Broadstairs, Kent, because they think police won't think to search children in smart school uniforms

Youngsters are often approached by gang members on their way home from house or beach parties.

Dane Court grammar The school was officially founded in 1957 and was, until 1980, designated as a selective technical high school.

Dane Court became an academy on April 1, 2011.

It has around 1,200 pupils and is rated outstanding by Ofsted inspectors. In 2010 much of the school was rebuilt into a single building, through a 20 million building programme as part of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) initiative.

As well as an academy, Dane Court has been classed as an international baccalaureate world school and a specialist language college. Advertisement

They exchange messages on Snapchat, and then the pupils are confronted at the school gates by gang members.

Mr Fowler added that some pupils at the school had been initiated into gangs by being persuaded to take part in a violent attack that was filmed on a mobile phone.

This footage was then used to blackmail them into being drugs couriers.

On May 4, an 18-year-old student was arrested at Dane Court and expelled on suspicion of dealing ecstasy at school.

Kent Police said yesterday that he is still being investigated and no one has been charged.

Sue Atkins, 54, who has lived in Broadstairs all her life, said: On the council estate drugs are rife.

She said it was becoming more common for London councils to move families into social housing in Kent and many of them were problem families.

Superintendent Amanda Tillotson, of Kent Police, said: Our policing model puts vulnerable children at its very centre.

'We also have officers who specialise in targeting organised criminals and they will use the full force of our powers to bring offenders to justice.
A mule found abandoned and wandering round a village in Ireland has become the first half-donkey, half-horse to win a dressage competition in the UK, after a rule change meant he could take part.

Wallace The Great had been turned down from official events and was told he could not be a member of British Dressage, as he is a mule, a hybrid produced from a male donkey and a female horse.

But campaigning owner Christie Mclean, 30, from Stroud, Gloucestershire, decided to fight for the mule's right to be treated equally to a genuine horse or pony, which are considered different species, with different chromosomes.

Wallace, with owner Christie McLean, is the first mule to win a British dressage event and did so during the first time that the half-donkey, half-horse animals were allowed to take part

Earlier this month, British Dressage conceded that mules would now be allowed to compete as a testament 'to inclusion and diversity in dressage, making the sport more accessible to all.'

For the first time in the UK, Wallace the Great competed in a British Dressage Quest Club competition, held at Summerhouse Equestrian, Gloucestershire - and beat eight fully horse competitors.

Delighted Christie said: 'Wallace won first in the intro class, out of nine.

'We'll be having a glass of bubbly this evening to celebrate the UK's first mule in dressage.

Mules like Wallace are a hybrid animal produced from a male donkey and a female horse

'He was competing against cobs (small horse), ponies and horses.

'There was a bit of everything and he blew them all out of the water.

'It is giving him a second chance to be somebody. It is about perseverance.

'I wanted to do this and make him happy. I just want the best for him.'

Wallace, aged 11, lives in Dursely, Gloucestershire, with two donkeys and another mule, which was so badly abused it could not be ridden.

Against the odds: Wallace became the first ever mule to compete under British dressage

Hot to trot: Wallace makes his way round at Summerhouse Equestrian Centre, Gloucestershire

Riding high: Wallace scored 67.4 per cent and came top against eight, fully horse competitors

He was found wandering around a village in Ireland and rescued by the Donkey Sanctuary, where he was fostered by Christie's friend, Lesley Radcliffe.

But for the past six months, Wallace and Christie have been training together and the mule's aptitude for dressage became clear.

Christie says that as he measures 14 hands high, it is 'exactly the same' as riding a horse.

And Wallace proved he was more than equal in ability and intelligence when he scored 67.4 per cent in the competition.

He was rewarded with his favourite treats, Stud Muffins.

Eyes on the prize: Proud Christie gives Wallace his favourite treats, Stud Muffins, after his win

Months of training for dressage have paid off, as Wallace impressed his way to first place

Christie added: 'I didn't sleep all last night, I was awake at 3am.

'People were so behind him and me, and I just want both of us to be the best we can be.

'It is like a mule version of Babe the pig. Babe wanted to be a sheep dog, and Wallace is the mule that wants to be a horse.

Tears of joy: Christie McLean is visibly moved after her rescue mule won his dressage event

'I think this shows that mules are equal in ability. I believe Wallace wants to do this.

'It's a double achievement - he's made history for mules, and British Dressage.

'It is a historic day which will never be repeated, a landmark.'

Some 14,000 people are members of British Dressage and compete in 2,000 competitions every year.

Dressage began in the 17th Century when it was used by the cavalry to train horses in preparation for battlefields.

It officially became a sport in the 1960s. British Dressage supports riders at all level, from Olympians to grassroots competitors.
A South London man has been arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts, Scotland Yard said.

Ravi Mendis, 43, was arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon and making threats to kill on Friday.

He was charged on Saturday with engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts, according to the force.

He will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday.

A London man has been arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts, Scotland Yard said

Scotland Yard said: 'A man has been charged with a terrorism offence by officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command.

'Ravi Mendis, 43, from south London was charged on Saturday with engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts contrary to section 5(1)(a) and (3) of the Terrorism Act 2006.

'He will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday.

'On Friday, Mendis was arrested in the south-London area on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and threats to kill.'
Former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page is denying allegations by federal investigators that he was being recruited and targeted by the Russians.

'This is ridiculous it's just beyond words,' he said on CNN's 'State of the Union' Sunday morning.

'It's literally a complete joke. It's so sad,' he added. 'I've never been agent of a foreign power by any stretch of the imagination.'

Carter Page: 'I've never been agent of a foreign power by any stretch of the imagination'

Documents released on Saturday show that President Trump's former campaign adviser was being surveyed as agents believed he had been recruited by the Russians

Carter Page has not been charged with any crime

Page was responding to new documents released Saturday that show the FBI sought permission to surveil him one month before the 2016 election because, they allege, he had been recruited by the Russian government.

'The FBI believes the Russian government's efforts are being coordinated with Page and perhaps other individuals associated with [Trump's] campaign,' the application with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court said.

The highly-redacted documents also indicate that the FBI 'believes Page has been the subject of targeted recruitment by the Russian government ... to undermine and influence the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election in violation of U.S. criminal law.'

The Justice Department released the more than 400 pages of documents in response to lawsuits by media organizations. It marked the first time the government has released applications seeking wiretaps of an American under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Trump declassified the documents last year.

Page call the charges 'totally false.'

'It's so misleading going through those 400 pages documents,' Page said on CNN.

He was asked about and played down a letter he wrote in 2013 in which he described himself as 'an informal adviser to the staff of the Kremlin.'

'It's really spin. I've sat in some meetings but to call me an adviser is over the top,' he noted.

Page has not been charged with any crime.

The released documents include an October 2016 application to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to wiretap Page as well as three 90-day renewal applications.

The first three applications were signed by then-FBI Director James Comey, and the fourth by his deputy Andrew McCabe, after Trump fired Comey in May 2017.

The warrant on Page has been a major point of contention between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill.

Republicans claim Page was the victim of the FBI, which was abusing its powers, and the warrant was part of a pattern of abuse from the FBI and Justice Department in their targeting of the Trump campaign.

Democrats, however, argue the warrant on Page was justified because of his contacts with Russia. They also point out the proper procedure was followed in obtaining the warrant.

Each side made their case in dueling memos released in February that were written based on information in the documents released on Saturday.

Trump defended himself and his campaign vigorously on Twitter Sunday morning

Trump claims Democrats wanted to discredit him

The president tweeted repeatedly about the released documents on Sunday morning, reiterating his charge he is the victim of a witch hunt

Trump wrote in a Sunday morning tweet that the FISA documents 'confirm with little doubt,' that the Justice Department and FBI 'misled the courts,' despite the fact that the document itself acted as legal justification for the FBI to obtain the 2016 warrant.

He also charged that his campaign was illegally spied upon.

'Looking more & more like the Trump Campaign for President was illegally being spied upon (surveillance) for the political gain of Crooked Hillary Clinton and the DNC,' he wrote.

Trump tweeted heavily about the documents on Sunday morning and quoted some of the speakers on 'Fox & Friends,' the morning news show of whom he is a regular viewer.

The president, in a tweet, quoted prosecutor Andrew McCarthy, who appeared on Fox and advised people to look at the judges who signed off on the warrants. All of those judges were appointed by Republican presidents.

Trump charges the 'FISA scam' led 'to the rigged Mueller Witch Hunt!,' referring to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russia's role in the election and allegations of obstruction against the president.

The documents released on Saturday did nothing to clear Trump of either the collusion or obstruction allegations being examined by Mueller.

The documents seem to discount claims made by some Republicans that the FBI failed to properly disclose the sources of information it used to seek the warrant on Page, and it shows that agents used other sources besides the Steele dossier to press for the warrant.

The warrant also shows the FBI did notify the judges of where some of the information came from  Christopher Steele, the former British spy who drafted the unverified dossier about Trump.

Carter Page, a former adviser to Trump's campaign, denies he was a target of Russia

The documents released on Saturday did nothing to clear Trump of either the collusion or obstruction allegations being examined by special counsel Robert Mueller

President Trump claims the documents show the FBI misled the court

The president also charged he was spied upon for political purposes

Steele's work was funded by a law firm connected to Hillary Clinton's campaign.

Trump and his Republican allies on Capitol Hill have claimed the FBI used material from Steele's dossier to obtain the warrant on Page without telling the court the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign, by name, had funded Steele's research.

But the warrant application shows the FBI did tell the court it believed the person who hired Steele was looking for information to discredit the Trump campaign but also believed his reporting about Page was credible.

Trump, on Twitter Sunday morning, quoted an allegation by a host on Fox News that one source was the Steele dossier.

'.@PeteHegseth on @FoxNews 'Source #1 was the (Fake) Dossier. Yes, the Dirty Dossier, paid for by Democrats as a hit piece against Trump, and looking for information that could discredit Candidate #1 Trump. Carter Page was just the foot to surveil the Trump campaign...' ILLEGAL!' he wrote on Twitter.
The Maori community left shaken by the death of a woman and two of her children allegedly at the hands of her teenage son has mourned its loss in a heart-wrenching vigil.

More than 200 people converged on Ellenbrook in Perth's east Sunday to honour the lives of murdered Michelle Peterson, 48, and her children Bella, 15 and Rua, eight.

Many relatives flew in from Ms Peterson's native New Zealand, with Maori men performing an emotional rendition of the haka before crowds at the service.

More than 200 people converged on Ellenbrook in Perth's east Sunday to honour the lives of murdered Michelle Peterson (pictured), 48, and her children Bella, 15 and Rua, eight

Many relatives flew in from Ms Peterson's native New Zealand, with Maori men performing an emotional rendition of the haka (pictured) before crowds at the service

Ms Petersen was remembered as a strong woman who would do anything for her children and fellow community members.

'Michelle was a strong, resilient woman, she would do absolutely anything for her kids,' and emotional attendee said.

Another added, 'we walked alongside her, we listened to her stories, and we supported her in every way we possibly could'.

Earlier in the day hundreds of motorcyclists took part in a memorial ride across the eastern suburbs to commemorate the murder victims.

Teancum Vernon Petersen-Crofts, 19, has been charged with murdering his mother and two siblings at their Ellenbrook home in the early hours of last Sunday morning.

Bella (left), 15, and her son Rua (right), eight, were allegedly killed by Ms Peterson's son

Petersen-Crofts appeared in a Perth court the following morning charged with three counts of murder.

Appearing before Midland Magistrate's Court without a lawyer, the accused broke down and rambled over the top of Magistrate Greg Smith, before allegedly attacking security.

'He's a criminal,' Petersen-Crofts told the court, speaking of an unknown person.

'He went to take me out bush. He did it. He came back from my family.

'I needed to because mama is with me...I was painting a picture of Jesus and stayed there for two months. He punched me so hard in the head. So hard.

'I left because I was that scared he was going to kill me. Mama told me to save myself.'

Teancum Vernon Petersen-Crofts, 19, has been charged with murdering his mother and two siblings at their Ellenbrook home in the early hours of last Sunday morning (pictured Bella)

Peterson-Crofts (pictured) was reportedly in a psychotic state hours before he allegedly murdered his mother and two siblings

When court security attempted to calm him, he allegedly hit out at a guard, WA Today reports.

'What are you looking at, serial killer? He looks like a serial killer and he's a security guard,' he said.

Meanwhile, Petersen-Crofts' presentation to a public hospital in a 'psychotic state' the Saturday before the killings is being looked into.

Media reports suggested he had been sent home but others speculated he had left of his own accord.

WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson revealed officers had been called to the family home several times in the weeks and days before the killings.

He said the actions taken by officers who attended were appropriate in the circumstances.

One of Ms Petersen's friends, Toni Ata, set up a crowdfunding page for the funerals that has already exceeded the $20,000 target.

'Her surviving children can't afford a funeral, or a casket, let alone three,' Ms Ata wrote.

'Right now I feel lost, I want to help and this is the only way I know how.'
A prisoner who brutally attacked his ex-girlfriend and her new partner is allegedly operating a clothing business from behind bars.

A Facebook page that sells clothing branded with obscene slogans such as 'F*** the law' and 'Full time Loco' has been encouraging its followers to submit competition entries to the Mount Gambier Prison.

'Competition time peoples. We want to see your best art work with FTL. The winner will win a piece of FTL clothing. Also the winner will be chosen from the Manace himself,' the business posted on Facebook.

A South Australian prisoner allegedly runs clothing company (pictured) from behind bars

On a Facebook page the company said it was having a competition for 'best art work' related to the brand

'Here's how to enter... Do your best artwork, write what's your favourite thing about FTL and your size and send it,' the post reads before listing the address of the prison.

It's understood that the competition's judge is a former prison guard who is currently serving two-and-a-half years after attacking his ex-girlfriend and her partner.

'He's inviting people through the Facebook page that's attached to this business, he's inviting people to send material to his prison cell,' opposition spokesman Lee Odenwalder said, according to 9News.

'This person should be in prison paying the price for their crimes and not profiting from a business,' he said of the of the 38-year-old prisoner, who for legal reasons cannot be named.

The Facebook page has been encouraging its followers to submit competition entries to the Mount Gambier Prison

'Do your best artwork, write what's your favourite thing about FTL and your size and send it,' the post reads

Before his arrest, the father-of-one had been active on the brand's social media account and ran the label.

The brand sells its adult hoodies for $50 and also offers a G-rated kids version for $40. Just over 1,200 people like the company's Facebook page.

It's understood SA Police are investigating the claims.

Mr Odenwalder has issued a 'please explain' to the government over the alleged operation.

Before his arrest the father-of-one (pictured) had been active on the brands social media account and ran the label

The prisoner, 38, is a former prison guard who brutally attacked his ex-girlfriend and her new partner

'We need to know exactly what the Marshall Government's position is on these things are,' he said.

The Corrections Department has said that if the claims are proven to be correct, the inmate will face a longer prison term.

Mount Gambier prison is the only privately owned prison in South Australia and houses medium and low security male prisoners.

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting the Facebook page or it's operators have done anything illegal.
A female security worker is lucky to be alive after she was mauled by a pack of dingoes during her lunch break.

The 52-year-old was working at the Telfer mine site in Western Australia on Wednesday when a dingo came up and took her mobile phone.

When she followed it, she was attacked and mauled by three dingoes.

She managed to stay on her feet, screaming for help while trying to fight off the dogs, 7News reported.

A security worker has received bites all over her body after being mauled by a pack of dingoes

The woman was eating her lunch when a dingo took her mobile phone. When she followed it, she was attacked by three dingoes

Photos show horrific bites to her arms and legs, and it has been reported that her entire body was covering in deep puncture marks, besides her neck and head.

Her family has said she is lucky that she didn't collapse, as the dogs may have gone for her throat had she fallen.

One of the bite marks on her leg is so deep there are serious concerns that it may have to be amputated.

The woman has already been operated on twice since arriving at the Royal Perth Hospital after the attack, but she will now need plastic surgery.

Her condition is currently serious but stable.

Trials have been done in the Telfer township using dogs to try to warn off dingoes and prevent confrontations with people.
Meghan Markle's future sister-in-law has been arrested on suspicion of assault once again and spent yet another night behind bars.

Darlene Blount, 37, the fiancee of Thomas Markle Jr, was arrested in Grants Pass, Oregon, on Friday on a charge of assault in the fourth degree.

She was bailed on Saturday, a deputy at Josephine County Jail told DailyMail.com.

Few details are known about the incident, but a source told DailyMail.com: 'Last night there was a domestic violence call at the home of Thomas Markle [Jr] and Darlene Blount. Darlene was arrested on assault charges.'

Arrested: Darlene Blount, 37, the fiancee of Thomas Markle Jr, was arrested. She is seen in her mugshot

It comes just months after a violent and boozy bust up with the Duchess of Sussex's half-brother Thomas Markle Jr. Thomas Jr and Blount are pictured together above

It comes just months after a violent and boozy bust up with the Duchess of Sussex's half-brother.

Police were called to the home of Thomas Jr and his fiancee on New Year's Eve.

On that occasion she told the the 911 operator, the 51-year-old was being 'really f***ing weird' and was beating himself up.

Blount said Thomas had been drinking when he became jealous, thinking she was trying to 'f*** some dude' she knew when out at a local bar.

The then 36-year-old claimed to be 'scared' of Thomas because he is 'a big guy', suggesting to the operator that he could be mentally ill.

Darlene Blount is the future sister-in-law of the Duchess of Sussex, as she is engaged to Meghan's half-brother Thomas Markle Jr

But when police arrived at the couple's home in Grants Pass, Oregon, they didn't buy Blount's story that Thomas hurt himself and arrested her for assault.

Thomas' bride-to-be was locked up in the Josephine County Jail for two nights until the District Attorney decided not to press charges and released her.

The couple later labeled the incident a wake-up call and said they were seeking relationship and alcohol counseling.

And previously in January 2016, Thomas Jr was arrested for allegedly holding a gun to Blount's head during another drunken row.
A teenager has been sentenced to death for raping a seven-month-old girl after he snatched from her home.

The 19-year-old rapist, named by Indian media as Pintu, kidnapped the sleeping toddler while she was being looked after by her partially-blind grandmother, according to reports.

After stealing her away from her home in Rajasthan, Pintu raped the girl in a school building.

Scroll down for video.

Indian activists protest after a rape case in Uttar Pradesh state that allegedly involved a lawmaker from the ruling party

Rescuers later found the girl crying in a field, and a medical examination confirmed she had been raped, the Times of India reports.

Pintu is the first defendant to face the death penalty after a new law was passed in the state of Rajasthan, where the sickening attack happened on May 9.

The law introduced capital punishment for people who rape children under 12, and was introduced in the state in March this year.

India has a grim record of sexual violence, with nearly 40,000 rape cases reported countrywide in 2016

Pintu was found guilty after a 30 day trial earlier this month, reports the Hindustan Times.

Following the sentence, state womens commission chairwoman Suman Sharma told the newspaper that it will set a precedent and will bring relief to mothers who worry about the safety of their daughters.

Special public prosecutor Kuldeep Jain told the Times of India: "This is the first time in the state that the accused has been convicted within such a short time."

An epidemic of rape and violence against women in India was internationally exposed when Jyoti Sign Pandey, 23, died after being raped and mutilated on a bus in the Indian capital of New Delhi.

Her death sparked mass protests across the country, and an Indian court upheld the death penalty against three of her attackers earlier this month.

Officials in the country have since faced harsh criticism for their apparent inability to deal with the issue.

Ten schoolboys gang-raped a Year 10 girl until she passed out in the latest horrific sex attack in India. Police say she was attacked on her way home in the West Champaran district of Bihar, north eastern India (file picture)

Many campaigners believe that little has changed and that the harsher penalties are still failing to deter the rape, abuse and murder of some of the most vulnerable of society.

Nearly 40,000 rape cases were reported countrywide in 2016.

But campaigners say the true figure is likely to be much higher given the social stigma around victims of sexual crimes.

In the last week alone ten schoolboys gang-raped a year 10 girl until she passed out and an eight -year-old girl was raped by five boys as young as nine after they watched porn on a mobile phone.

Indian police also arrested two men on Monday, July 16, over the gang rape and burning to death of a woman by five members of her family.
A man has been stabbed in north London, the Metropolitan police have confirmed to MailOnline.

A London air ambulance and police were called to a scene in Sanders Lane, Mill Hill shortly after 4.30pm.

The victim is currently being transported to hospital via air ambulance and his condition and age are not yet known.

An air ambulance leaving the scene in north London after a man was stabbed

A police cordon remains is in place on Sanders Lane.

Footage shared on social media shows a helicopter taking off from the area.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: 'Police were called at around 16:30 hours to a stabbing in Sanders Lane, NW7.

'Officers attended along with London's air ambulance and the London Ambulance Service.

'A man was found with stab injuries and was airlifted to an east London hospital. We await an update on his condition.'

The helicopter is transporting a man to hospital after a stabbing in Mill Hill, his condition is unknown

Sanders lane in north London where the stabbing took place

A man has been stabbed in north London, the Metropolitan police have confirmed to MailOnline




THE Mzumbe University Dar es Salaam Campus in partnership with the Kuehne Foundation have started a programme that would build capacity of workers focusing on healthcare and humanitarian logistics in a bid to improve the supply chain in the sector. Principal of the University, Dr Lucy Masoi, said the programme has come at the right time when the country faces challenges of losing medical supplies due to poor skills on healthcare logistics.

The recent work by Ageron et al (2018) analysed health care logistics and supply chain-issues and challenges. Healthcare and humanitarian logistics challenges have been seen as bringing drawbacks and hindering individual and organisations development.

However, still there are opportunities to rectify and create opportunities to make the healthcare and humanitarian logistics an area of great development, pointed out Dr Masoi, while officially opening a seminar on Thursday in Dar es Salaam.

On his side, Dr Omary Swalehe, the Programme Coordinator at the University, noted that the Kuehne Foundation supports the sector because it was part of the programmes implemented in the region.

The Kuehne Foundation supports African universities by engaging them in such programmes of logistics and supply chains to build their capacity.

He said the seminar was about health care and humanitarian logistics which consists of procurement.

The event was presided over by Medical Store Department (MSD) and Tanzania Peoples Defence Force representatives as well as other participants.

We have other participants from different institutions. Our aim was to see this knowledge shared across the country, Dr Swalehe added, On his side, Mr Worf- Christian Noske from Kuehne Foundation hinted that what they normally do was to upgrade skills of the staff in the realm.

We strongly believe that in order to overcome poverty in a sustainable way it is necessary to build up logistics capacity in Colleges and upgrade the skills of the lecturers of the Colleges.

Tanzania would therefore improve the logistics on its own instead of depending on foreign, he said.
A Vietnam veteran will finally receive a Medal of Honor after being denied the award 10 times.

John Canley, 80, is a retired sergeant major who's been credited with saving more than 140 Marines during one of the deadliest battles in the Vietnam War.

President Donald Trump called Canley on July 9 to share the news that the veteran living in Oxnard, California, will be receiving the nation's highest military award.

'He thanked me for my service and also wanted to thank my Marines for their service,' Canley told Military.com.

Marine veteran John Canley will finally be given a Medal of Honor by President Donald Trump after being denied the award 10 times. The 80-year-old living in Oxnard, California, is credited with saving numerous lives during one of the deadliest battles of the Vietnam War

The retired sergeant major took a leadership role in the week-long battle at Hue City in 1968. He is pictured fourth from the left in the image above

The 80-year-old had previously been awarded a Navy Cross, two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart for leading the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines through a week-long battle at Hue City in 1968.

He is credited with taking charge of his group after his commander was seriously injured and braving heavy enemy fire to bring his wounded brethren to safety.

'I'm just happy that I could provide that,' Canley said. 'It was an honor.'

One of the more than 147 men Canley is credited with saving is former Pfc John Ligato, who has spent the last 15 years lobbying for the war hero to be given the Medal of Honor.

'The Medal of Honor was rejected 10 times - never on the merits of what he did, it was always procedural,' Ligato said.

'He was totally fearless. He loved his Marines, and we loved him back.'

'There were times I gave up. But the irony is he's one of the most deserved Medal of Honor recipients ever in the history of our country.'

Previous requests to recognize Canley with the Medal of Honor were denied because it is supposed to be given within five years of the recipient's particular achievement.

Defense Secretary James Mattis reviewed Canley's file in 2017 after California congresswoman Julia Brownley drew attention to his case.

The Democratic representative was ultimately able to pass a resolution allowing Canley to be recognized.

Canley received the Navy Cross, two Bronze Stars, and a Purple Heart for his time in the Marines. He is pictured with Sgt Freddy Gonzales in Hue City

The war hero is said to have assisted numerous wounded comrades during the battle

Canley is pictured with California Rep Julia Brownley, who spearheaded the resolution to allow for the Marine to receive the Medal

Ligato has described Canley as a strong but caring leader during the confrontation between 147 Marines and 10,000 North Vietnamese troops.

'I know this sounds strange, but he wasn't one of these gruff, screaming guys. You did stuff for him because you didn't want to disappoint him,' he said.

'You followed him because he was a true leader - something you need in life-and-death situations.

Ligato said he and his comrades rarely speak about the war, but that each one of them had positive memories of Canley.

'We all had a Gunny Canley story,' he said. 'They were all different, but they all involved tremendous acts of valor.'

The date of the White House Medal of Honor ceremony has yet to be set, but Canley has already asked Ligato to speak about his company's Marines.

The 80-year-old who has been battling prostate cancer said he wants future generations of Marines to know 'that leadership is all about taking care of your people.

'If you do that, then you basically don't have to worry about the mission,' he said.
An Ethiopian 'prophet' who tried to raise a man from the dead by lying on top of him and shouting 'Wake up!' has been arrested.

Shocking footage shows Getayawkal Ayele trying to revive the corpse of Belay Biftu in the town of Galilee in the Oromia region.

He prostrates himself on top of Mr Biftu's lifeless body and repeatedly yells 'Belay, wake up!' - but his efforts proved unsuccessful.

Furious relatives began attacking health worker Ayele, while others fainted after witnessing his crude failed resurrection.

The shocking incident was filmed and has since gone viral on social media.

Abusing dead bodies is a crime under Ethiopian law and Ayele was arrested by police shortly afterwards.

Getayawkal Ayele trying to revive the corpse of Belay Biftu in the town of Galilee in the Oromia region

He prostrates himself on top of Mr Biftu's lifeless body and repeatedly yells 'Belay, wake up!'

Furious relatives began attacking health worker Ayele, while others fainted after witnessing his crude failed resurrection

Residents in the town said Ayele had approached the bereaved family and told them the New Testament story of Lazarus who was brought back to life by Jesus.

It seems they then agreed for Mr Belay to be dug up. But chaos ensued by the graveside after the failed resurrection.
A 17-year-old boy visiting Seattle was told to get the f*** out of this city' after two people took his 'Make America Great Again' hat and at least one of them spit on it before leaving it on the ground and walking off.

Ashton Hess, who lives in O'Fallon, Illinois, said he was also hit in the head, and videotaped the interaction, publishing it on YouTube on Wednesday.

Ethan Jackson, a non-binary individual who uses the pronouns they and them, came forward claiming to be the person with green hair in the clip.

Jackson didn't immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment on Hess's allegation that he was hit in the head.

Hess' posting of the video has resulted in statements of support from individuals including Infowars' Alex Jones and Paul Joseph Watson.

Jackson tweeted that taking Hess's hat has resulted in 'tens of thousands' of violent messages directed at the LGBTQI+ community.

Hess' caption for the video provides the following account of the interaction, which misgenders Jackson throughout with its use of the pronouns 'he' and 'him' rather than 'they' and 'them.'

'I was with my family silently on my phone waiting for a ride outside of Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Seattle, WA when I was hit in the head,' he wrote.

'My hat was knocked on the ground and picked up by the girl you see at the beginning of the video. She threw the hat to the man with green hair and he took off with it. He spat on it and then threw it into the street. He continued to curse at and flip off my family. I did absolutely nothing to provoke anyone around, and was completely blind sided when I was hit. He was quick to run away after my dad, my brother, and I started walking after him.'

Ashton Hess, 17 (right), was told to get the f*** out of this city' in Seattle this week, after Ethan Jackson (left) and another person took his 'Make America Great Again' hat and at least one of them spit on it before leaving it in the street and walking off

Jackson tweeted that taking Hess's hat has resulted in 'tens of thousands' of violent messages directed at the LGBTQI+ community

Hess's posting of the video has resulted in statements of support from individuals including Infowars' Alex Jones and Paul Joseph Watson

Watson called Seattle a 's***hole' and wrote 'this is why Trump will win again' on Thursday

At the start of the video, an unidentified person in the video can be heard saying, 'Do you see what it says?' to which Hess replies, 'C'mon, yes, I know what it says. Don't take my hat.'

Hess was wearing a hat with the words 'Make America Great Again' embroidered across the front, which is commonly referred to as a 'MAGA' hat.

The phrase was then-candidate and now President Donald Trump's campaign slogan leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

The camera pans to the ground for a moment, as Hess can be heard shouting, 'That's my property dude, c'mon.'

Then, we see the person who has been self-identified as Jackson calling Hess a 'racist' and telling him to 'get the f*** out of this city.'

At the start of the video, this unidentified person in the video can be heard saying, 'Do you see what it says?' to which Hess replies, 'C'mon, yes, I know what it says. Don't take my hat'

At this point, we see the person who has been self-identified as Jackson calling Hess a 'racist' and telling him to 'get the f*** out of this city'

The other person in the video, who Hess refers to as 'the girl you see at the beginning of the video' seems to be near Hess and not in the camera's view, says, 'You're not welcome here.'

'That's really necessary,' Hess responds, in a sarcastic tone.

The unidentified person can then be seen walking to catch up with Jackson.

'It is necessary,' the unidentified person says.

Hess then replies, 'I didn't do anything to you.'

'Really? Nice. Nice one. Real mature. Real classy, bud,' he said.

The hat is shown here, circled in red, where it lay in the street after it was taken from Hess

'You're not welcome here,' the unidentified person tells Hess, who says, 'That's really necessary,' in a sarcastic tone, as the unidentified person walks to catch up with Jackson

Hess, who apparently was following the individuals after they dropped his hat, then turns around to ask another person, 'Can I have my hat back?'

That person informs him, 'There's spit all over it.'

At this information, Hess says, 'Oh, that's disgusting,' and holds the hat out, in the camera's view.

'You can wash it,' the person says. Hess then repeats himself, saying, 'That's disgusting.'

In the post on social media that included the link to the video, Hess shared a photo of the hat with the words, 'Thank you liberals' typed across it, implying that he believes Jackson to be 'a liberal.'

In the post on social media that included the video link, Hess shared a photo of the hat with the words, 'Thank you liberals' typed across it, implying that he believes Jackson to be 'a liberal'

Jackson tweeted on Friday that, 'Democrats are just as gross as republicans'

Hess is a self-described member of the Grand Old Party, and is Twitter bio says 'Intern for Congressman Mike Bosts Campaign,' as well as that he's the founder and president of O'Fallon Township High School Young Republicans Club

Jackson, however, in a tweet on Friday wrote that, 'Democrats are just as gross as republicans.'

'Ur complicit ass wants to fight facism with peace. Tell me how that ends up,' they added, in response to criticism that Jackson should have tried to engage Hess in conversation rather than taking his hat, spitting on it and cursing at him.

Hess is a self-described member of the Grand Old Party, and his Twitter bio says 'Intern for Congressman Mike Bosts Campaign,' as well as that he's the founder and president of O'Fallon Township High School Young Republicans Club.

Later posts showed Hess throwing the hat in the trash, writing, 'rest in peace, you will be missed until a replacement arrives.'
The first ever computer manual which was written by a Victorian woman 175 years ago has been sold at auction for nearly 100,000 - nearly 20 times its expected price.

The edition, 'Sketch of the Analytical Engine by by L.F. Menabrea with notes by Ada Lovelace', was snapped up by an anonymous buyer after being sold by Moore Allen & Innocent in Cirencester, Glocestershire.

Ada, the only legitimate child of poet Lord Byron, was a maths prodigy who died aged 36.

A rare book by Ada Lovelace, the Victorian woman renowned as the world's first computer programmer has sold at auction for 95,000

During her short life, she played a key role in the early development of computer programming, becoming friends with mathematician Charles Babbage over his automatic mechanical calculator, the Difference Engine.

Lovelace played a key role in the 1843 book 'Sketch of the Analytical Engine', of which just seven copies are thought to exist - one of which sold at auction for 95,000.

Before going under the hammer on Friday (20/7), the book was described by auctioneer Philip Allwood as 'the first separate edition of arguably the most important paper in the history of digital computing before modern times'.

It was signed by 'Lady Lovelace' and was originally expected to sell for between 3,000 to 5,000.

During her short life Lovelace became friends with mathematician Charles Babbage, over his automatic mechanical calculator, the Difference Engine

Lovelace was the first person to recognise that Babbage's machine had applications beyond pure calculation, and published the first algorithm intended to be carried out by such a machine.

As a result, she is regarded as the first person to recognise the full potential of a 'computing machine' and the first 'computer programmer'.

After eight years of work, Charles Babbage unveiled his plans for the Analytical Engine at a seminar at the University of Turin in 1840.

Attending the seminar was Italian military engineer and mathematician L.F. Menabrea, who went on to serve as the country's Prime Minister.

Menabrea reported the presentation the following year in an obscure Swiss publication, and Babbage urged Lady Lovelace to translate the report into English.

Maths prodigy, Ada Lovelace, played a key role in Sketch of the Analytical Engine. Pictured, a section of Babbage's No1 Difference engine.

The 175-year-old book by the world's first computer programmer was found in a 'box of junk'

The book was snapped up by an anonymous buyer after being sold by Moore Allen & Innocent in Cirencester, Glos

The book was signed by 'Lady Lovelace' and was originally expected to sell for between 3,000 to 5,000

A Cotswolds book dealer acting on behalf of an anonymous buyer successfully bid for 'Sketch of the Analytical Engine

The book was described as 'the first separate edition of arguably the most important paper in the history of digital computing before modern times'

Only six copies of the 'geeky' book are known to exist, with two of them owned by Harvard University in the US

The copy was found in a box of other books that had been owned by a couple in the Cotswolds for years

Lovelace was finally credited as the translator for the book, four years after she died

She did, and also added her own explanatory notes, which were substantially longer than Menabrea's original article and included what many consider to be the first computer program - an algorithm designed to be carried out by the machine.

The resulting work was published in 1843 as 'Sketch of the Analytical Engine invented by Charles Babbage Esq by L.F. Menabrea of Turin, officer of the Military Engineers, with notes by the translator'.

Lovelace's identity as the translator remained a mystery and it wasn't until 1848, four years after her death aged just 36, that she was finally credited.

Who was Ada Lovelace? 'Ada Lovelace' was born Ada Gordon in 1815, and is the sold child of the marriage of the erratic poet George Gordon, Lord Byron, and his mathematics-loving wife Annabella Milbanke She was raised under her mother's strict regime of science, logic and maths

During her childhood Ada had a fascination with machines and designed fanciful boats and steam flying machines Aged 19, she married, William King. When her husband was made Earl of Lovelace in 1838 his wife became Lady Ada King

In 1833, she met Charles Babbage, and was intrigued by Babbage's plans for a tremendously complicated device he called the Analytical Engine Ada Lovelace died of cancer at 36, a few short years after the publication of 'Sketch of the Analytical Engine, with Notes from the Translator' Sourced from www.findingada.com Advertisement
Britain could send troops to Libya to train anti-terror forces to fight Islamic State after a request from the country's military.

The commander of the UN-backed government's counter-terrorism force said he had asked for help to teach a specialist unit new skills to combat jihadists amid fears the militants are trying to regroup.

Major General Mohamed Al-Zain said his preference was for the training to take place inside Libya, not in Britain.

Libya's new counter-terrorism force march at their base in Khoms. Britain is considering sending troops to Libya to train the anti-terror forces

A request has been submitted for UK soldiers to teach a unit new skills to combat jihadists

British defence sources said they had yet to have the request passed to them but would consider it  and they believed training inside Libya was possible.

General Al-Zain's comments come weeks after he met the UK's ambassador to Libya, Frank Baker, where they discussed building closer ties.

Talks are also underway to re-establish a British embassy in the war-ravaged country in the coming months, diplomatic sources in London said.

Speaking from the unit's base in the city of Khoms, Libya, General Al-Zain said: 'Right now they [IS also known as Daesh] are trying to re-gather and re-establish their forces once more.

Libyan demonstrators stand outside the former British embassy in Tripoli in 1984. High-level talks are underway to re-establish a UK embassy in the war-ravaged country

'Because the Libyan borders are not under total control, there is a concern about the movement of some of the Daesh leadership, from places where they are currently under attack and making their way into the Libyan desert.

'We have requested from our British partners help in training.

Fanatics paying illegal migrants to fight for them Islamic State militants in Libya are recruiting desperate migrants into their ranks by offering them monthly salaries, a military commander said last night. Major General Mohamed Al-Zain warned that illegal immigration in Libya had become a 'ticking time bomb', with the prospect of migrants being paid to carry out terror attacks. IS has found it easier to target those fleeing African nations because they are poor and easily influenced. He said: 'Money is the number one incentive of recruitment outside of the ideological convictions.' They are being recruited to fight 'in the early stages of them entering Libya', as well in their countries of origin, he added. They have moved to the desert and the valleys where they are plotting attacks. His comments came as the Libyan coastguard said migrants' hope of getting to Europe had dwindled after Italy closed its borders and they stepped up their rescue efforts. General Al-Zain was speaking from Khoms, a coastal city in the war-torn nation where migrants and refugees have set off for Europe in dinghies. He said: 'With regards to illegal immigration it is not only a source of funding for Daesh but it is also a way for them to recruit and increase their forces. 'They end up recruiting them and using them as fighters and this is something we saw a great deal of in Sirte.' He was one of the commanders of the 2016 military operation against IS in its former stronghold of Sirte, Colonel Gaddafi's home town. He said that at that time migrants were paid 1,500 Libyan dinars (834) a month to fight for them. Advertisement

'I am talking about the training of our counter terrorism soldiers wherever that may be.'

Asked if this would take place in the UK or Libya, he said: 'My personal belief is that if the Libyan troops are trained here in Libya it will be better and more beneficial for us.

'Training our troops inside Libya on the ground on Libyan terrain is the best type of training we could receive.'

He said there are still potentially several hundred IS fighters in hiding in the country, down from 5,000 two years ago.

The troops would be sent in a training capacity and not in a combat role. The security situation in Libya is considered so volatile that there is no permanent British presence in the country.

A deployment of UK trainers to Libya would need a large number of troops to protect them.

When Britain last examined sending training troops to Libya in 2016, they worked on the basis that only a third of the UK troops would be engaged in training and the rest would be needed for protection.

No one government is in charge of Libya and there are numerous militias competing for control.

A Whitehall source said any training would probably take place in Libya. In 2014 a British training programme for Libyan troops ended after soldiers at Bassingbourn Barracks, Hertfordshire, carried out sex attacks.

Two cadets on a basic infantry course were later jailed for 12 years for the rape of a man in Cambridge and three others were jailed for sexually assaulting women.

The source said: 'After what happened at Bassingbourn, I can't see us wanting a repeat of that any time soon.'

General Al-Zain said: After the most recent visit by the British ambassador we are in the process of building a more close relationship with the British.

This is based on the directives from the Libyan prime minister and also from the British side.

The commander, who did not want to be pictured for security reasons, said: The first level of co-ordination will be the sharing of intelligence.

He said the fight against terrorism was 75 per cent intelligence gathering and 25 per cent carrying out operations based on intelligence.
A brawl at a bridal shop in Birmingham left 'blood everywhere' and four people arrested.

The fight broke out at Seher Boutique wedding shop at around 5.30pm on Saturday.

Huge crowds of people were seen swarming the area, where people reported seeing weapons being used.

Four people were injured in the chaos and were then arrested when police were scrambled to the scene.

A brawl at Seher Boutique bridal shop (pictured with police tent outside) in Birmingham left 'blood everywhere' according to shoppers

Huge crowds of people were seen swarming the area (pictured) where people reported seeing weapons being used

Shoppers and residents told the Birmingham Mail there 'was blood everywhere' inside the shop.

One resident said: 'The owners called for help and it was just carnage, people were watching in shock from outside the window.

'There was just blood everywhere inside the shop. That's why they've got a police tent blocking it today.'

Two men, aged 24 and the other unknown, and two women, aged 22 and 46, were arrested at the scene.

Police continued to scour the scene on Sunday, where a police tent was erected outside the shop.

Police continued to scour the scene on Sunday, where a police tent (pictured) was erected outside the shop

In a statement, a West Midlands Police spokesman said: 'We were called to reports of a disorder in a shop at around 5.40pm on Saturday.

'A number of people were reported to have been fighting with weapons.

'Three people were treated in hospital for minor injuries and have been arrested.

'A fourth person remains in hospital with a fractured eye socket and is also under arrest. Searches continue at the scene today.

'At this stage, we believe it to be an isolated incident, but investigations are continuing.

'Officers are examining CCTV, and anyone with footage of the incident has been asked to contact police on 101.'
A taxi driver who was beaten up and knocked unconscious was told to make his own way to hospital - while paramedics treated his attacker for a panic attack.

Rob King, 64, was waiting in his cab outside a kebab shop in Sheerness, Kent, when a man approached his taxi and hurled punches through the open window.

Mr King, a grandfather and former boxer, was knocked out cold in the unprovoked attack, which left him with a broken cheekbone and a missing front tooth.

Rob King was asked to drive himself to hospital despite being left unconscious and with serious injuries

He said he couldn't believe it when he called 999 to alert police and call for an ambulance, but was told that an ambulance couldn't be sent to pick him up because they were 'too busy' and that he should make his own way to hospital.

He said: 'Because my injuries weren't considered life threatening, I was asked if someone else could drive me.

'Then I learned my ambulance had been sent to my attacker who was suffering a panic attack in the High Street and was unable to breathe.'

The cabbie was driven the 20-miles to the Medway Maritime Hospital by a fellow taxi driver at Royal Taxis.

His partner Dhareigne Pearce, 56, said the attack, which took place on July 1 this year, had left her partner 'badly shaken up' and too scared to go back to work.

'Rob was waiting for a fare outside a kebab shop when this yob came over and punched the hell out of him through the open window.

The grandfather was left battered and bruised in the unprovoked attack

'It was so fast and vicious that it knocked him for six', she told the Sheerness Times Guardian newspaper.

A spokesman for the South East Coast Ambulance Service confirmed that it was called to attend Mr King at 3.20am, but that due to a 'high level of demand', operators asked him to make his own way to hospital.

They also confirmed that an ambulance was sent to treat a man outside the Cyprus Kebab & Pizza takeaway at 3.50am who was 'having trouble breathing' - with paramedics staying with him for an hour.

The spokesman said: 'Because we had a very high level of demand that night we asked if he (Mr King) could make his own way to hospital as the injuries weren't life-threatening.

In better times: The former boxer said he was shocked at the way the ambulance service treated him

'We later received a call at 3.50am to a man outside the Cyprus Kebab & Pizza shop who was having trouble breathing.

'We sent one ambulance crew which stayed with him for an hour. He didn't require hospital treatment.'

The spokesman added: 'We apologise to the taxi driver, but this was an extremely busy night mainly because of the hot weather.'

A Kent Police spokesman confirmed that a 19-year-old man had been arrested at the scene and had now been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and as due before magistrates in Maidstone on July 26.

The grandfather and former boxer was attacked unprovoked by a yob. A 19-year-old has been arrested
John Coles went into cardiac arrest after a safety truck collided with his van at Heathrow

A British Airways engineer who died following a car crash at Heathrow didnt stand a chance after it took a paramedic  who was travelling by bicycle  nearly an hour to arrive on the scene.

John Coles, 44, had initially been injured and later went into cardiac arrest after a safety truck collided with his van at a Terminal 5 crossing earlier this year.

But details have only now emerged about the response to the crash at Britains busiest airport.

Despite the injured engineer complaining of chest pains after the accident, it took about 50 minutes for a paramedic to arrive on a bicycle after the first call for help.

And the first ambulance took an hour and eight minutes to arrive, by which time Mr Coles had gone into fatal cardiac arrest.

A safety truck collided with Mr Coles's van at a Heathrow Terminal 5 crossing earlier this year

Mr Coles, who lived with his parents in Poole, Dorset, had worked at Heathrow for 28 years.

His family are convinced the response of emergency services and the failure of Heathrow to crack down on speeding airside vehicles played a role in his death.

Mr Coles's grieving parents Richard and Venita, both 76, who have criticised the response of emergency services

His mother Venita Coles, 76, said: I find it impossible to cope with the fact I could not be there for him and others that should have been there for him werent.

'I wake up in the middle of the night thinking of him  all the time.

And Mr Coless brother Mark said: The slow response time by the ambulance was likely a significant factor in my brothers death. It meant he didnt stand a chance.

It seems very clear that Heathrow is not appropriately equipped to deal with an acute medical emergency.

Mr Coles joined BA as an apprentice at the age of 16 and rose through the ranks to become one of its senior aircraft technicians.

Ambulance and medical reports seen by the Daily Mail reveal the calamitous chain of events following the crash.

Ambulance and medical reports have revealed the calamitous chain of events after the crash

Heathrow Airport Fire Service arrived at the scene within minutes of the collision, which occurred in the early morning of February 14 this year.

They took Mr Coles out of the car, which had been badly damaged by the impact.

He was reported to have no visible injuries apart from a bloody nose and a small cut on his right cheek.

He was taken on a stretcher to a cramped gate room office at 5.56am.

He is then thought to have slowly bled to death from internal injuries on a stretcher as he waited for medics to arrive  although the family are still waiting for the official verdict from the coroner.

Heathrow Airport Fire Service arrived at the scene within minutes of the collision in February

The ambulance report shows the first call for a paramedic was made at 6.03am. The London ambulance service assigned it as a category three call as injuries were described as unknown.

This meant it was deemed urgent but not life threatening.

Three more emergency calls were made, and a paramedic on bicycle, who was based at Heathrow, was dispatched at 6.47am  arriving four minutes later, at 6.51am.

The medic did not start attending to Mr Coles until 7am, by which time he had gone into cardiac arrest.

A floral tribute for British Airways engineer Mr Coles after he was killed in the vehicle crash

The first ambulance on the scene arrived at 7.11am having been dispatched from Feltham station, almost seven miles from Heathrow.

Three other ambulances were despatched including one based at Heathrow airport station which did not arrive until 7.41am.

Mr Coles was finally taken to hospital at 8.22am, but witnesses suggested he was already dead by then.

As Heathrow is on private land, its roads are not governed by the Road Safety Act under which motorists found guilty of dangerous driving can be jailed for up to 14 years.

Mr Coles's mother and father are pictured at the grave of their engineer son in Dorset

The Coles family believe there must be a change in the law to protect airport workers.

Mr Coless father Richard, 76, said: If you told a member of the public that if you became ill at Heathrow or involved in an accident your first point of contact would be a guy rolling up on bike to assess your condition, people would think you must be joking.

A Heathrow spokesman said: We are fully co-operating with the police in their investigation into this incident.

London Ambulance Service said: Based on the information given on all the calls, we arrived on scene to treat Mr Coles within the national target response times.
AN international Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) has handed over 700m/- to a project known as R3W Water Project in Karatu District, Arusha Region to assist over 12,000 residents have access to reliable water.

The NGO-Catholic Relief Services (CRS) handed over the sum through the project to Endamarariek/Endabash Water Supply (ENDAWASU) and Karatu Village Water Supply (KAVIWASU) in two communities which have been facing severe water woes in the district.

Presiding over the handover, the R3W Project Manager, Engineer Ephraim Tonya said: The assistance was aimed at addressing two main challenges which affect sustainability of rural water projects in the area.

These are non-functionality and mismanagement of water revenue in the water supply schemes. Eng Tonya said that the project with the funding from the UK Aid through the Human Development Innovation Fund (HDIF) was helping the CRS and its partners to construct also 13 kilometre water supply pipes to provide water to Mjinikati, Mazingira Bora, Bomani and Sabato villagers.

He said through the funds, the CRS has constructed two deep boreholes, installed two solar pumping stations, and built 20 water kiosks with power solar as well as two large storage tanks of 22,500 litres and 45,000 litres respectively.

This is an integrated prepaid system that offers a closed system and revenue stream and make utilities the funds in advance contribute efficiently and help the technical team to address the challenges facing the schemes, he said.

Speaking during the handing over event, the KAVIWASU Manager, Mr Stephen Siay said: But with this innovation, KAVIWASU managed to freely donate one deep borehole of 10,000 litres per hour capacity, and built a reliable fence for the projects solar pumping station.

The project was designed for 22,500 litres, but KAVIWASU invested their own resources to make it 45,000 litres. HDIF Deputy Team Leader, Joseph Manirakiza, said that the UK aid through the HDIF was keen to catalyse innovations that contribute towards alleviating key human developing challenges, where water shortage was one of them.
California Democrat Maxine Waters has distanced herself from supporters who burned a US flag outside her office as they counter-protested a far-right militia group.

A few dozen supporters made a rebellious appearance outside the congresswoman's Los Angeles office on Thursday to counter the expected protest by the far-right Oath Keepers group.

The flag-burning incident occurred soon after the Oath Keepers group failed to show despite vowing that it would rally against the Waters.

California Democrat Maxine Waters has distanced herself from supporters who burned a US flag outside her office in LA on Thursday as they counter-protested a far-right militia group

Supports of Waters place their fists over a burned US flag as part of a counter protest outside her office on Thursday in Los Angeles

Photos from the protest show a group stomping on the flag before circling around and cheering when it erupted into flames. The Democratic counter-protesters were heard chanting: 'This is not the American flag, this is their flag.'

Waters issued a lengthy statement on Saturday distancing herself from the flag-burning protesters, saying they were acting to further 'their own agenda' and that the incident 'overshadowed' her calls for peaceful protests

Waters issued a lengthy statement on Saturday distancing herself from the flag-burning protesters, saying they were acting to further 'their own agenda' and that the incident 'overshadowed' her calls for peaceful protests.

'While most of those counter-protesters remained peaceful, I have learned that there were others in attendance who were not necessary from the 43rd District, but who nevertheless participated as counter-porters not so much in support of me, but to seek press attention in furtherance of their own agendas,' Waters said.

'Unfortunately, this group's actions with respect to the American flag, and their passing physical contact with other protesters, has created fodder for partisan media outlets to exploit and overshadowed the majority of counter-protests who engaged in peaceful demonstrations.

'While I do not agree with torching the flag as a form of protest, I understand the Constitution guarantees everyone the right to this form of free expression. However, physical violence, or even the perceived threat of violence, is not an acceptable way to protest injustice today and can never be tolerated.'

The American flag that was burned had been taken from the back of a pickup truck (above) that approached the counter-protesters outside Waters' office

South Los Angeles residents joined activist groups as well as union workers, church leaders and more for the midday demonstration. They are seen chanting during the counter protest

Signs read things such as: 'Don't mess with our Queen Maxine,' 'We support you Maxine our congresswoman' as well as 'Trump/Pence must go!' and 'Deport Trump.'

Demonstrators opposed to US president Donald Trump rally against a cancelled protest by alt-right supporters of the president in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles

The American flag that was burned had been taken from the back of a pickup truck that approached the counter-protesters outside Waters' office.

A group of counter-protesters there to support Waters were chanting 'black power' and other slogans when the pickup approached.

The vehicle, occupied by two men who appeared to be white, was stopped by the crowd. Some marchers opened the doors and one grabbed the flag flying on a pole in the bed of the truck, which then sped off.

The flag was stepped on and lit on fire as someone stoked the flames.

The congresswoman, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, sparked anger among conservatives after she called on the public to 'push back' on administration officials spotted in public.

The Oath Keepers called Waters a 'protest terrorist inciter' and said members intended to 'stand against terrorism, stand for freedom of speech and association, in support of ICE/Border Patrol as they enforce constitutional immigration laws.'

The gathering was planned for the early afternoon but police said that authorities had been informed by Oath Keepers that the demonstration had been called off.
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A 'bubble baby' who could have been killed by her mother's kiss is in urgent need of a bone marrow transplant as she was born with no immune system.

Arriella Andrews, four months, from Nottinghamshire, was born with an incredibly rare condition called severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) which means her immune system is totally non-existent.

SCID is the same genetic disorder suffered by Jake Gyllenhaal's character in the 2001 film Bubble Boy, which was the first thing 27-year-old mother Cassidy-Loren Andrews thought of when she heard her daughter's diagnosis.

Arriella Andrews, four months, from Nottinghamshire, was born with an incredibly rare condition called severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID)

Arriella, a 'bubble baby' could have been killed by her mother's kiss - is in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant

SCID is the same genetic disorder suffered by Jake Gyllenhaal's character in the 2001 film Bubble Boy, which was the first thing 27-year-old mother Cassidy-Loren Andrews thought of when she heard her daughter's diagnosis

Brave tot Arriella has spent more than a month in a sealed room in hospital, being pumped full of antibiotics to fight off constant infections that her body is not equipped to battle.

And for eight days first-time mother Cassidy needed to wear a gown, gloves and a mask to be around Arriella as germs from any contact, even a loving kiss, could have killed the baby girl.

The little fighter, who her mother has nicknamed her 'girl in the glass house', is now at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London waiting to find a match so she can have a life-saving bone marrow transplant.

Adult nurse Cassidy, who has had to leave her home and family in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, to be with her daughter, is sharing Arriella's story to urge people to become bone marrow donors.

Cassidy said: 'Seeing Arriella like this has been heartbreaking. She is surrounded by wires and tubes, it is the worst thing I have ever seen. It is every parent's worst nightmare seeing their child in hospital.

'It is so isolating, especially because she is suffering from something so rare, I've had to leave my home and my family.

Cassidy said of her daughter: 'Seeing Arriella like this has been heartbreaking. She is surrounded by wires and tubes, it is the worst thing I have ever seen. It is every parent's worst nightmare seeing their child in hospital

Adult nurse Cassidy, who has had to leave her home and family in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, to be with her daughter, is sharing Arriella's story to urge people to become bone marrow donors (pictured together)

Brave tot Arriella (pictured with her mother) has spent more than a month in a sealed room in hospital, being pumped full of antibiotics to fight off constant infections that her body is not equipped to battle

'There have been so many days when I've felt completely helpless. I remember one day I just sat by her bedside thinking "there is nothing I can do to help you." It was awful.

'Those eight days when I had to wear a mask, gown and gloves just to be near her were so difficult. Knowing that if I just kissed her then it could potentially take her life was absolutely horrendous.

'All you want to do when your baby is poorly is comfort her and I couldn't even touch her.

'When they moved her to Great Ormond Street she had to be put in this shuttle that was like a toboggan because exposure to any germs could have killed her.

'Now we're here, we're in an air-filtered room so I can kiss and cuddle her again. I spend every day with her here.

'When I found out I was pregnant in May last year, this is not where I thought I would be a year on. You never think it is going to happen to your child.

'But she is doing amazingly, I am so proud of her. She is so bubbly and she keeps on smiling despite everything she has been through.

Cassidy has nicknamed her daughter 'girl in the glass house'. The baby is staying in London's Great Ormond Street Hospital, miles away from home

Kisses! Cassidy has spoken of her turmoil at having to leave her friends and family in Nottinghamshire to be near her baby

'At first it felt like I had just become a mum and suddenly she was going to be taken away from me but now I'm staying more positive. If Arriella can keep smiling then I have to.

'I need to have hope and I need to fight for her because she can't do it for herself.'

While Arriella's father Jordan and Cassidy are no longer a couple, he also often visits his daughter in hospital.

'There have been so many days when I've felt completely helpless. I remember one day I just sat by her bedside thinking "there is nothing I can do to help you." It was awful' Cassidy said

'Be a flamingo in a world of pigeons': Little Arriella desperately needs help

Tied to tubes, baby Arriella hasn't yet has the chance to go ourside, despite being four months old

The parents both had blood tests last week so doctors can do genetic testing to find Arriella a bone marrow match and narrow down exactly which type of SCID she has.

Despite joining the register to be a bone marrow donor at the age of 18, Cassidy admits that until Arriella's diagnosis she thought bone marrow was only used to treat leukaemia.

But since discovering that Arriella has SCID, Cassidy has learnt the true importance of more people joining the bone marrow register.

Cassidy said: 'Because I'm here with Arriella, there have been such long periods of time where I don't even go outside - and she hasn't been outside in over a month.

The parents both had blood tests last week so doctors can do genetic testing to find Arriella a bone marrow match and narrow down exactly which type of SCID she has

Despite joining the register to be a bone marrow donor at the age of 18, Cassidy admits that until Arriella's diagnosis she thought bone marrow was only used to treat leukaemia

'Because she was born in winter and then she's been in hospital, Arriella has never experienced proper sunshine, it's devastating. I call her my girl in the glass house.

'There were so many things I wanted to do with her while I was on maternity leave but now she'll have so many of her firsts in hospital and my family are missing out on seeing her grow.

'But when Arriella gets her bone marrow transplant she will start getting better and have an immune system.

'She'll be able to do all the things that you dream of doing with your child and she'll live a long and healthy life.

'I always thought that if you were a bone marrow donor you could save someone with leukaemia but there are so many people who need transplants.

'Whoever donates bone marrow to Arriella will be saving her life. That's why I want to share her story and raise awareness, to get people to understand the importance of donating.

Since discovering that Arriella (pictured) has SCID, mother Cassidy has learnt the true importance of more people joining the bone marrow register

'Because she was born in winter and then she's been in hospital, Arriella has never experienced proper sunshine, it's devastating. I call her my girl in the glass house. There were so many things I wanted to do with her while I was on maternity leave but now she'll have so many of her firsts in hospital and my family are missing out on seeing her grow' Cassidy said

'The first thing I'm going to do when she gets out is take her to the park or have a little family barbecue. I want her to be in the sun and know what fresh air feels like.

'Even though she has never been able to go out in the sun, she is so full of sunshine. She is the best thing that's ever happened to me.'

When Arriella was born on January 7, 2018 weighing 7lbs 5oz she seemed completely healthy.

But the tot, who had been suffering for weeks from a cough doctors believed to be croup, was rushed to Kingsmill Hospital in an ambulance in April when Cassidy noticed she was sucking in her stomach with each breath.

Over the next three weeks, the baby girl was treated for three respiratory infections, pneumonia and the bacterial bug haemophilus.

When Arriella was born on January 7, 2018 weighing 7lbs 5oz she seemed completely healthy - but things quickly deteriorated

In her first three weeks the baby girl was treated for three respiratory infections, pneumonia and the bacterial bug haemophilus

Cassidy said: 'Those first few weeks she would get a bit better then she would get so poorly again. There were times I thought I was going to lose her'

'At first the doctors were trying to treat her for all these different things but when they realised there was thrush all down her windpipe, they knew there must be something more going on' Cassidy said

But a camera inserted into her throat revealed to doctors that Arriella had severe thrush all the way down her windpipe.

As it is so rare for thrush to spread so far, the tot was referred to The Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham for specialised blood tests.

Within hours, doctors discovered that Arriella has SCID as her blood showed no signs of any T cells - a subtype of white blood cell that makes up the body's immune system.

Cassidy said: 'Those first few weeks she would get a bit better then she would get so poorly again. There were times I thought I was going to lose her.

'At first the doctors were trying to treat her for all these different things but when they realised there was thrush all down her windpipe, they knew there must be something more going on.

'I can't thank Queen's Medical Centre enough for getting Arriella's results as quickly as they did. Without them, she wouldn't be here now and Great Ormond Street have been incredible' Cassisy said

'I remember saying 'but she's my baby' and then asking if she was going to die. The specialist told me it was very serious and it's called severe combined immunodeficiency' the baby's mother said

'We were sent to Queen's Medical Centre for them to do more specialised blood tests and in just six hours they had the results back.

'When the specialist came in to tell me Arriella had no immune system, I couldn't speak. I couldn't get my head around what was happening.

'I remember saying 'but she's my baby' and then asking if she was going to die. The specialist told me it was very serious and it's called severe combined immunodeficiency.

'As she started to explain it to me all I could think about was this film I'd seen called Bubble Boy. I asked her if it was like that and she said 'yes'.

The earlier SCID is diagnosed, the more chance a child has of developing a healthy immune system after a bone marrow transplant

Cassidy is due to launch a petition to make testing for SCID part of newborn screening in the United Kingdom

'When I watched that film I thought it was a made up condition, I never realised it was real. Now suddenly it was happening to my little girl.

'But the help and care we have had from every hospital each step of the way has been amazing.

'I can't thank Queen's Medical Centre enough for getting Arriella's results as quickly as they did. Without them, she wouldn't be here now and Great Ormond Street have been incredible.

'Going through this with Arriella has really changed my perspective on things. As a nurse I have always been the one helping people, not needing help.

'It's made me realise what it's like when the shoe is on the other foot. And it's shown me that the only thing you need in life is your health. If you've got that, nothing else matters.

For eight days first-time mother Cassidy needed to wear a gown, gloves and a mask to be around Arriella as germs from any contact, even a loving kiss, could have killed the baby girl

The new mum's work colleagues have also launched a JustGiving page to support Cassidy while she is away from home and taking extra leave from her job

'So if I can get a few more people to join the bone marrow register or help any other family with a sick child then I have achieved something worthwhile.'

The earlier SCID is diagnosed, the more chance a child has of developing a healthy immune system after a bone marrow transplant.

Cassidy is due to launch a petition to make testing for SCID part of newborn screening in the United Kingdom.

The new mum's work colleagues have also launched a JustGiving page to support Cassidy while she is away from home and taking extra leave from her job.
An outraged family say they received an $800 medical bill from a Las Vegas hospital after they were told to wash out their daughter's eyes themselves in a sink after she splashed gasoline in them.

Nine-year-old Brianna Lee was rushed to the Centennial Hills Hospital by her mother back in February after accidentally getting gasoline in her eyes at a nearby gas station.

Brianna had been helping her mother pump gas when the gasoline splashed up as she removed the nozzle, KTNV reports.

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An outraged family say they received an $800 medical bill from Centennial Hills Hospital in Las Vegas even though they had to wash their daughter Brianna Lee's eyes out (above) after the nine-year-old got gasoline in them

Her mother tried rinsing the girl's eyes out in the gas station bathroom but decided to take her to the emergency room after they started burning.

'It was actually kind of scary because my mom didn't want my vision to go away and I was scared that I wouldn't have good vision anymore,' Brianna said.

When the family got to the ER, doctors allegedly told them to just keep washing out Brianna's eyes themselves.

Her medical records show that doctors indicated the eyewash was too unsanitary to use and told her to use a regular sink instead.

A photo shows Brianna's mother rinsing her eyes under a regular tap.

The girl's medical records point out that the family weren't satisfied with the doctor's care so they eventually left the hospital.

Brianna told KTVN that she was scared she 'wouldn't have good vision anymore' after the gasoline splashed up as she helped her mother remove the nozzle at a gas station

When the family got to the ER, doctors allegedly told them to just keep washing out Brianna's eyes themselves (pictured above)

They claim the doctor didn't help them at all and that they received more help from the gas station attendant who gave them an eyewash free of charge.

The Lee family said they then received a medical bill of $800 from the ER doctor.

Centennial Hills Hospital said they couldn't comment specifically on Brianna's case because of privacy laws.

'We are reviewing the circumstances surrounding this matter to ensure that proper procedures are followed,' the hospital said in a statement.

'The eyewash station referenced is located in a utility room and is for staff use in case a chemical/caustic substance splashes in their eye while they are working in the room. It's not in a patient care area and not intended for patient use. That eyewash station is cleaned weekly.'
Sir David Attenborough (pictured in May this year) has said health and safety rules in the UK are stopping children connecting with nature

There was a time when children were free to wander about forests, finding birds' eggs and learning about nature.

But these days, they're missing out on the wonders of the outdoors  and it's because of health and safety, according to Sir David Attenborough.

The broadcaster said children today were 'disconnected from nature' and no longer spent time playing outside.

'If it's not health and safety telling you you've got to wear a gas mask, it's somebody telling you it's illegal to pick up a bird's feather,' he said.

'It's certainly illegal to peer into a nest. I don't doubt it's necessary for the welfare of the natural world, that should come first, but the interactions between humans and the natural world has been constrained, and that is a human loss.

'It could ultimately be a loss to the natural world because people won't understand it any more.'

The 92-year-old added that there were several reasons why children nowadays struggled to connect with nature.

'There's the physical one of getting out there and the legal one of being able to do what you want to do,' he said.

Sir David has been promoting the Big Butterfly Count, which wants people to submit sightings online

The documentary maker added that the main difference between his generation and his grandchildren's was privacy.

'The whole business of communications is now so transformed,' he told The Sunday Times Magazine.

'What is the social group in which you revolve normally? That is in work or in the family, but it is international for the kids now. For them, it's about self-exposure.'

Sir David has been promoting the Big Butterfly Count, which wants people to submit sightings online. Some species have declined in the past 40 years.
With glorious views of Lake Zurich, this luxury 2.3million penthouse apartment makes an attractive residence befitting any international tycoon.

But you might be surprised to learn it is in fact owned by the boss of a company a little closer to home  the Royal Mail.

This is the lavish apartment where Rico Back, 63, will remain living despite taking the helm of Britains postal service based in London.

Lap of luxury: Rico Backs penthouse apartment near Zurich is in a region of Switzerland with one of the lowest tax burdens

Location, location: The stunning views of Lake Zurich from the luxury apartments in Switzerland

The German-born business leader has been dubbed the flying postman over his decision not to relocate to the UK and instead commute 500 miles from Switzerland.

Last Thursday, Royal Mail suffered one of the biggest pay revolts in UK corporate history when shareholders rejected his multi-million remuneration package.

Mr Backs apartment is situated in an exclusive town near Zurich that is considered a hotspot for the business elite.

Mr Back, 63, will remain living 500 miles away from London despite being at the helm of Britains postal service

Other residents are said to include the boss of Fiat and the president of global logistics company Kuhne + Nagel.

Financially it may also appeal to some of its fiscally-savvy inhabitants as it is located in a region which has one of the lowest tax burdens in Switzerland.

Property experts estimate Mr Backs extremely prime real estate is worth around three million Swiss francs, equal to around 2.3million.

This is perhaps showcased by the Bentleys and Porsches that frequent the compound daily, and his wealthy neighbours, including an award-winning photographer and the founder of a Swiss tax firm.

Mr Back is also involved in local businesses, having become a board member of a nearby gym in which he has invested 230,000.

Though born in Hamburg, Mr Back is understood to have lived in Switzerland for more than a decade with his wife and three children, the youngest of whom still goes to school in Zurich.

Metal shutters were drawn across the apartment and no one was home at the weekend.

Royal Mail announced three months ago that Mr Back  who was previously boss of the companys European subsidiary GLS  was to succeed Dame Moya Greene as chief executive this summer.

He was offered an annual pay deal worth up to 2.7million if he hits bonus targets, on top of a controversial 6million payment for changing his GLS contract.

But at the companys annual meeting in Sheffield last Thursday, 70 per cent of shareholders rejected Mr Backs remuneration package.

Mr Back with Ewald Kaiser of DB Schenker in Hamburg, Germany, in 2016

Although he will remain legally domiciled in Switzerland, Mr Back will pay full tax on all his Royal Mail earnings, including any bonus payments.

It comes months after workers accepted changes to their pensions to help save the company money.

Last night, Cliff Weight, a director of individual shareholder group ShareSoc, said: How will Royal Mail employees feel to see their chief executive swanning around in some glitzy penthouse pad in Switzerland rather than slogging his guts out in the UK on behalf of them and all the other stakeholders in the business?

'Its surely a 24/7 job, youve got to be where the action is, where the head office is.

'Yes you need to go around the world to visit sites and keep in touch with international customers.

'But this is principally a UK company  most of the postmen are in the UK and most of the problems are in the UK.

Speaking at the AGM, Royal Mail chairman Peter Long said the firm needed to pay that level of fixed remuneration to get a high calibre person like Rico to be chief executive.

Defending Mr Backs decision not to relocate to the UK, Mr Long said: Rico is totally committed. Hes happy to be based in London as and when requested. His business residence is in London, hes here every week.

Alan Tate, of the Communication Workers Union  whose members at Royal Mail earn an average 28,274  said: There are going to be some difficult challenges for Rico in operating from Switzerland.

Royal Mail said Mr Back would use commercial flights and pay for them himself when travelling between Zurich and London.
A gunman is on the run after a man was fatally shot inside a Sydney apartment block.

Police were called to the home on the corner of George and Lachlan streets in Warwick Farm at 5.20pm on Sunday, where they found a man with a gunshot wound.

The 46-year-old was treated at the scene before he was rushed to Liverpool Hospital under a police escort, where he later died.

A gunman is on the run after a man was shot dead inside this Sydney apartment block

It is understood the man was shot in the back.

Several people who witnessed the shooting have been assisting police who are trying to piece together exactly what happened.

Detectives have established a crime scene at the unit.

More to come.
The hunt for the thugs who deliberately hurled acid in the face of a three-year-old boy in Worcester reached London today as three men were arrested 130 miles away in the capital overnight.

The mother screamed 'what have they done to my baby?' as the child was doused in a corrosive liquid in what police believe was a targeted attack in Britain's safest city on Saturday.

The toddler suffered serious burns as he sat in his pushchair in a Home Bargains shop on the city's Shrub Hill Retail Park.

The acid was thrown over him while he was out with his family and a witness said the little boy's mother was holding her head in her hands as she wept outside the shop.

Following the arrests of three men aged 22, 25 and 26 in London this morning and another of a 39-year-old man in Wolverhampton yesterday, police have now held four people all on suspicion of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.

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West Mercia Police believe the child was deliberately targeted in Home Bargains on Shrub Hill Retail Park at Tallow Hill. They have released images of three men (pictured) they would like to speak to

Police have now arrested four men - but none of them in Worcester. Three were in Walthamstow, London, last night and another in Wolverhampton

The shocking moment a three-year-old boy had acid deliberately hurled in his face was captured on CCTV, police have confirmed.

Chief Superintendent Mark Travis said: 'The incident was captured on CCTV but we will not release any footage that showed the substance being thrown or sprayed towards the little boy.

'A number of other exhibits from the area have also been taken for examination in the next couple of weeks.

'We have looked at the movement of people in the footage throughout the area and consider this to be a deliberate act against the little boy.

'The substance that was used is an acid or an alkali substance with caused the boy a degree of discomfort, we are finding out the nature of the substance as part of the investigation.'

West Mercia Police said the family of the little boy were coming to terms with the 'shocking' attack.

Speaking at a press conference at police HQ in Worcester, Chief Superintendent Travis said: 'There is nothing to suggest that this is incident is in anyway motivated by race or anything to do with the EDL protest that took place in Worcester this weekend.

'I think it's a natural question people would ask but we're really, really confident that they're not connected.'

Chf Supt Travis hinted that the motive behind the acid attack may have been as a result of a 'dispute between communities'.

He added: 'The family are coming to terms with something that is quite shocking.

'It's a difficult time for them and we need to make sure that while we work through the investigation they are safe and secure and are allowed to deal with the issues that they face.

'As a local policing commander in support of our local community I want to make sure the message is really clear that this is a very, very rare occurrence and what we will do is work to make people understand that this is not the way to resolve issues and disputes in communities.

Chief Superintendent Mark Travis said: 'At this time we are treating this as a deliberate attack on a three-year-old boy.' Pictured: The men wish to speak to

The child was treated in hospital for burns to his face and arms before being released yesterday afternoon. However, the long-term effects of his injuries are unknown.

Police yesterday issued a public appeal, releasing CCTV images of three men who were seen around the child at the time of the incident.

Shocked residents of the cathedral city, known for its low crime rate, last night condemned the attack as 'absolutely pure evil'.

Witnesses described the anguish of the mother, saying: 'There was a bit of shouting and screaming in the store but then it all went quiet.

'But then this woman ran outside and started screaming that her baby had been hurt and needed help.

'The mother was sitting outside the shop, screaming: 'My baby, my baby, what have they done to my baby?'

'She was in floods of tears and people from the shop were telling her they had called an ambulance and her child would be well looked after.'

The attack happened in a Home Bargains store in a retail park in the Tallow Hill area of the city on Saturday afternoon.

Shopper Rachel Bryant told The Daily Star: 'When I heard about the acid attack I couldn't believe it.

'It's horrendous to think something like this could happen to a little boy in the middle of a shop.'

Although detectives have not ruled out a racial motivation, they have said it is not thought to be linked to a march involving the far-Right English Defence League which took place in Worcester on the same day.

Mayor of Worcester Jabba Riaz also said there was no link between the two incidents.

The investigation has moved rapidly, with a 39-year-old man from Wolverhampton arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm. He remains in police custody.

Chief Superintendent Mark Travis added: 'Officers are working hard to establish exactly what happened and what the substance involved was.' Pictured: The store in Worcester

Police officers conducting a search of Shrub Hill Retail Park in Worcester on Sunday

Police have also issued an appeal showing three men captured in a CCTV image. In it, they are wearing casual clothing and sunglasses, and can be seen leaving the store and heading towards the city centre.

Last night it was claimed that one of the men pictured was seen in a pub car park smoking cannabis shortly before the attack.

Chief Superintendent Mark Travis of West Mercia Police said the boy, believed to be from Worcester, is now recovering at home with his family.

However, he stressed that the long-term implications of the child's injuries are unknown.

The very thin blue line: he's made of paper Pictured: The cardboard PC The police officer looked a bit wooden, and as shoppers got closer, they could see why. This life-size cardboard policeman was spotted in the Worcester branch of Home Bargains yesterday. Flat-pack PCs are an increasingly popular way for cash-strapped forces to boost their street presence. They are often seen in petrol stations to deter motorists from driving away without paying and in shops to discourage shoplifting. Advertisement

He said: 'Clearly we are working with the family to understand the motive of the attack.

'The child was with family members and was being well looked after and remained with family all the way through to hospital.'

He added: 'At this time we are treating this as a deliberate attack on a three- year-old boy.

'At the moment we are really trying to understand the motive so, consequently, the three men in the images we released, we would really like to speak to them.

'They were seen near the child at around the time of the incident and left the store shortly afterwards.

'We believe they may have information that may help us to understand what took place.'

Chief Superintendent Kevin Purcell renewed the appeal, tweeting: 'Really nasty crime this.

'These men are very distinctive. They clearly from behaviour know each other well. If you know them please let us know.'

One shopper added: 'I heard from someone who works at the shop that the man [who attacked the boy] was a skinny white guy. He was about 5ft 11ins and he ran out the shop.'

Officers are investigating a suspected acid attack on a three-year-old child on Saturday

Worcester City Council leader Marc Bayliss described the attack as 'absolutely pure evil'.

He added: 'I have never heard of an acid attack in Worcester so this is absolutely not something we have any experience of.

'If anything knows anything about this I would urge them to come forward.

'Think if this was a member of your family, an innocent child.'

Robin Walker, the MP for Worcester, described the incident as 'horrific', adding: 'The shock will be universal, anyone conducting such an attack on a small child is just appalling.

'It's an issue which rightly there has been a lot of concern in Parliament and a move to toughen sentences for any kind of acid attack.'

A Home Bargains spokesman said: 'Our thoughts are with this young child and his family at this very difficult time.'

Worcester is known for its low crime rates and in 2016, was named the safest city in England.
Greedy councils are hiring spies to snoop on struggling shopkeepers so they can make millions of pounds more in business rates.

Almost half of English councils are using a private business to sift through satellite images and secretly examine stores, a Daily Mail investigation has found.

If they are found to be underpaying rates, the council taxes them extra  and the company, Analyse Local, gets a cut of the cash.

The revelations will add to fears that small firms are being treated as cash cows by councils at a time when high streets face unprecedented threats.

Greedy councils are hiring spies to snoop on struggling shopkeepers so they can make millions of pounds more in business rates. Pictured: Angry restaurant owner Ian Eldridge

Labour MP John Mann, a member of the Treasury select committee, said: 'Councils should be focusing their money and efforts on supporting businesses to thrive on the high streets, not spending on companies to snoop on local businesses.

'The current systems of business rates is inadequate and unfair to brick-and-mortar businesses.'

Firms pay rates based on the estimated cost of renting their property  the so-called rateable value.

Analyse Local specialises in finding properties that are undervalued or have been missed off the ratings list altogether.

It charges councils a 6,000 annual fee to use its snooping software, and then takes a 10 per cent cut of any increase in the value estimates, according to documents seen by the Mail.

On its website, the business boasts that it has identified 6,036 shops, offices and factories undervalued by a total of more than 160 million  meaning it is likely to have pocketed a 16million cut. It has found another 4,893 premises undervalued by 90 million that are still going through the taxman's assessment process.

Analyse Local closely guards its spy software, but screenshots used in sales pitches feature what looks like satellite footage of properties.

These aerial views would show if buildings have been extended or redeveloped, as this would increase their value and push up business rates.

The firm also appears to examine shop fronts and planning documents, and it can even identify internal changes such as new equipment or layouts.

On its website, the company claims: 'Analyse Local is used by half of the local authorities in England to provide an accurate forecast of threats to rateable value.'

The company also highlights a string of glowing reviews from councils.

Former chief executive of Pizza Express Ian Eldridge (pictured) is among thousands of small business owners who claim to have been hit with crippling rate hikes

One officer from Basildon and Brentwood councils said: 'Having reviewed each of the cases of missing rateable value identified by Analyse Local, I am certain that my team would never have found any of them.'

Another official from the London borough of Brent, said: 'Analyse Local is able to provide detailed and extensive investigation into assessments in the council's locality that goes beyond what the council can obtain themselves.

The Mail is campaigning to save the British high street amid a crisis which has seen 50,000 retail jobs lost this year alone, following more than 61,000 store closures in 2017.

The paper is calling for reform of business rates and parking charges, and a fair tax for internet titans such as Amazon which are ruthlessly out-competing bricks-and-mortar retailers.

Mike Cherry, chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: 'Councils should be competing to create the most pro-business, low-tax regime to attract more businesses.

'It's high time Government stepped in and solved this business rates crisis once and for all.'

The Analyse Local brand belongs to software company Inform CPI.

A spokesman denied charging councils up-front fees, adding: 'We don't target small businesses, we don't target big business  we don't target anybody. We're completely neutral.'
It can be a very frustrating experience when something gets misplaced in the post- but rarely does something as conspicuous as the moon go missing.

But that is the situation Bristol-based artist Luke Jerram finds himself in after the disappearance of seven metre orb he created which was on route to a festival in Austria.

Mr Jerram said the disappearance of the structure, called The Museum of the Moon, was 'really annoying and upsetting'.

Luke Jerram's artwork Museum of the Moon (pictured) has been lost in transit. It was meant to be heading to an arts festival in Austria, but has gone missing

The Museum of the Moon at The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. The moon, created by Bristol based artist Luke Jerram, is currently missing

World renowned artist Luke Jerram (pictured right) with Hollywood star Rosario Dawson and Andrew Gaies at the Artemis: Life on the Moon exhibition in New York

Mr Jerram, told BBC News: 'It has huge implications for all these people who are looking forward to seeing this artwork, and they won't be able to as it's in some warehouse somewhere. We haven't got a spare.

'I hope TNT pull their finger out and try and find it.'

The giant artwork has been booked for a series of shows across Europe, so Mr Jerram will be hoping it can be found soon.

The Museum of the Moon is a giant orb presented in a number of different ways and also presented with different musical accompaniments.

The moon itself features detailed NASA imagery of the moon's surface.

Each centimetre of the internally lit moon represents five kilometres of the moon's surface.

The official website says: 'From the beginning of human history, the moon has acted as a cultural mirror to our beliefs, understanding and ways of seeing.

'Over the centuries, the moon has been interpreted as a god and as a planet. It has been used as a timekeeper, calendar and to aid nighttime navigation.

'Throughout history the moon has inspired artists, poets, scientists, writers and musicians the world over.

Luke Jerram has taken to Twitter to try and get his moon back safely. He has tweeted a picture of the container (pictured) the moon was in

On Twitter Luke Jerram has tweeted that company TNT have 'lost the moon'. He posted the shipping level (pictured) showing where the moon was meant to be heading

Artist Luke Jerram with his sculpture 'Inhale'. He has urged the company responsible for his moon to sort the issue out

'The ethereal blue light cast by a full moon, the delicate crescent following the setting sun, or the mysterious dark side of the moon has evoked passion and exploration.

'Different cultures around the world have their own historical, cultural, scientific and religious relationships to the moon.

'Museum of the Moon allows us to observe and contemplate cultural similarities and differences around the world, and consider the latest moon science. Depending on where the artwork is presented, its meaning and interpretation will shift.'

Courier firm TNT said it is looking into the issue.

After the Olala Festival in Austria which starts on July 26 the moon was then heading onto other festivals in Canada, the Netherlands, Stoke on Trent, Hull, Grantham and Orkney.

Mr Jerram recently completed a replica earth version, showing how the planet looks from space.
THE Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children has directed Mara Regional authorities to form a One Stop Centre that will serve victims of Gender Based Violence (GBV).

Issuing the directive, the Ministrys Deputy Minister, Dr Faustine Ndugulile recently at Mwisenge Secondary in Musoma, while launching a training progrmme to relieve schoolgirls from gender based violent activities, further ordered the area authorities to ensure that such centres are set up in all areas with high cases of GBV.

The One Stop Centre would be speeding up service delivery to GBV victims. I am giving you three months to establish such centres, added Dr Ndugulile.

He directed that such a centre should also be equipped to offer the services that any victim of GBV may need; adding that it was a measure the government was taking to tackle the menace in the country.

Dr Ndugulile hinted that equally the government has established about 500 Police Gender and Children Desks countrywide to address GBV and violence against children (VAC) cases, as part of its efforts to eliminate them.

He said he welcomed the training programme for it would enhance safe learning environment in schools.

The training programme would be implemented under the Waache Wasome (let them learn) under USAID funding in Tarime and Musoma Districts in Mara Region and Karatu District in Arusha Region.

The training programme is expected to reach 26,000 students and 1,300 teachers, according to the USAID Acting Mission Director, Ms Christine Djondo.

The programme was also praised that it would provide the girls with techniques and skills to tackle also other challenges which contribute in cutting short their education.

During various presentations, the participants cited the challenges as teenage pregnancies, and child marriages including some harmful traditional practices which are still common in the region like female genital mutilation (FGM).

In another development, the Deputy Minister cautioned male teachers against engaging in love affairs with their female students, saying that such acts are not acceptable and would not be tolerated by the government.

He thus, ordered State security agencies to make sure that stern measures are taken against any teacher, who would be found violating his directives.
It's a trend that has grown hugely in the 21st century  and is intended to celebrate a life well-lived.

But a bereaved newsreader has said that wearing bright colours at a funeral is unfair on children and risks turning the event into a fashion parade.

Sky News presenter Colin Brazier has asked mourners to wear black to the funeral of his wife, who died weeks ago after a long battle with breast cancer.

Sky News presenter Colin Brazier (left) has asked mourners to wear black to the funeral of his wife, who died after a battle with breast cancer. Pictured: Brazier with colleague Jayne Secker

Colin Brazier shared this image of himself and his wife on social media

The father of six, 50, said wearing colours stops people being able to grieve properly  and even suggested it could be a mental health time bomb for grieving children.

I have emailed friends and former colleagues with details of my wifes funeral, politely asking them to leave their Hawaiian shirts and pink helium balloons at home, he wrote in the Spectator.

Black please, if you dont mind. Its unfair on children to insist that a funeral should mean rejoicing in a life now passed. Maybe grown-ups can handle the cognitive dissonance required in celebrating a life rather than, you know, being all morbid. But I seriously doubt children can.

The presenter said having an open or celebratory dress code risked turning a funeral into a free-for-all, adding: Theres nothing funky about turning death into a fashion parade and a free-for-all of self-realisation. It is asinine and, if it inhibits the necessary catharsis of the grieving process, it may end up being a mental health time bomb. The old stuff  the black and the solemn  works because it distils the wisdom of ages.

His wife Jo died at 55 after a five-year battle with breast cancer.

Colin Brazier's wife Jo died at 55 after a five-year battle with breast cancer (pictured middle)

Jo (standing at the back) with her children. Mr Brazier recently revealed that Edith was forced to drop out of university after officials told her she wasnt allowed to pause her studies to spend time with her dying mother

The couple had six children, Edith, 18, Agnes, 15, Constance, 13, Gwendolyn, 12, Katharine, nine, and John, seven.

Mr Brazier recently revealed that Edith was forced to drop out of university after officials told her she wasnt allowed to pause her studies to spend time with her dying mother. She had been studying geology at Royal Holloway in Surrey, but he claimed the university wanted written proof of her mothers illness before they would give her time off.

Mr Brazier explained: The college authorities were blunt to the point of insensitivity.

The presenter also said he doesnt plan to give a eulogy at the funeral, adding: There is nothing modern, accessible or inclusive about me trying to stand up before a funeral congregation and tell them what my departed wife meant to me.

Yet several friends have asked: Will you say something? Its as if by saying no I risk being insufficiently ostentatious in my grief.'
A vaccine for avoiding multiple sclerosis has moved a step closer, as doctors believe they have discovered the cause of the disease.

MS develops following two separate common infections which cause the body to attack itself, British research has found.

And doctors now believe the development of a vaccine against one of the viruses may hold the key to future MS prevention.

Doctors now believe the development of a vaccine against one of the two common viruses which cause the body to attack itself may hold the key to future MS prevention (file image)

Approximately 100,000 people in the UK live with multiple sclerosis.

The neurological condition is triggered when the immune system attacks the nerves, causing pain, fatigue, vision problems and spasms.

What causes the body to begin attacking itself has never been identified.

But scientists at the University of Glasgow and Harvard University in the US suggest exposure to two common infections  threadworms followed by the Epstein-Barr virus  may be the trigger.

The findings therefore suggest that developing a vaccine or drugs to stop people getting the Epstein-Barr virus could also make them immune to multiple sclerosis.

Professor John Paul Leach, consultant neurologist at the University of Glasgow, said: MS is a condition where the body produces antibodies against itself for reasons that have never been understood and goes against its own nervous system. It is odd that we have never found out why some people are more prone than others.

There is already some evidence that exposure to the Epstein-Barr virus makes it more likely someone will develop MS but this does not offer the full explanation of why people develop this reaction. MS may be the result of not one but two infections in the right order.

The researchers explanation is currently just a theory but they plan to carry out further research. Threadworms affect around one sixth of the worlds population and are a parasitic infection affecting the gut, common in children.

The Epstein-Barr virus is one of the most common viruses in humans and is the cause of glandular fever although many people only suffer mild symptoms.

Dr Patrick Kearns of Harvard University, who led the research, said: I believe the missing link may be threadworm infection. This is a very common condition in children and is also common in soldiers living in barracks.

In areas where soldiers were billeted during the Second World War it would have spread to local populations.

I believe that what may be causing MS is a rare late complication of exposure to these two infections.

First, when the body is exposed to threadworm infection it produces an immune response and memory white blood cells are created and live in the immune system that could fight off the infection again. Next, if someone is exposed to the Epstein-Barr virus then even after they recover from the illness, the virus hides in the white blood cells.

It is already known to cause a huge number of other diseases and cancer and it could be that it causes the memory white blood cells that were created to respond to threadworms to start attacking similar cells in the human body. It may be a good idea for public health officials to treat worms at a population level.

But the real benefit would be developing better tools to target the Epstein-Barr virus with a vaccine or drugs.

The research is published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders.
Two former Emmanuel Macron bodydguards and three policemen were tonight charged in connection with violent attacks on anti-government protestors in France.

Alexandre Benalla, a 26-year-old who was one of the presidents closest lieutenants, and the other four face prison as the biggest crisis in Mr Macrons term of office to date intensified.

Mr Macron has been accused of covering up for Benalla, who was filmed impersonating a police officer as he attacked demonstrators, including a woman, at a rally in Paris on May 1.

Security adviser Alexandre Benalla faces prison after footage emerged of him attacking May Day protesters earlier this year

The 26-year-old was one of the president Macron's closest lieutenants (pictured together last May)

Benalla was on Sunday night indicted with charges including violence at a public meeting, impersonating a police officer and trying to destroy video evidence.

Vincent Crase, who worked for Mr Macron during his election campaign last year, faced similar charges.

The policemen, meanwhile, were accused of giving Benalla video surveillance images of his assaults in breach of professional secrecy.

They are said to have hidden the footage in the hope that it could not be used as evidence.

Mr Benalla was caught on film donning a riot helmet before attacking one woman (left) and one man (right) as they protest Macron's employment reforms

All of the men were on Sunday night bailed to appear in court at a later date after judicial police spent the weekend interviewing them.

They are all under judicial control, said a prosecuting source, as he confirmed all of the charges.

Benalla, who used to ski and cycle with Mr Macron, was initially suspended from the Elysee Palace staff for just fifteen days, but his alleged crimes were otherwise hushed up.

Benalla, in his 30s, is understood to be facing a range of criminal charges including 'violence committed in a group by a person with a public service mission'

It was only when opposition politicians saw the incriminating footage of him on social media that further action was taken.

Mr Macron has, meanwhile, remained silent on the scandal, leaving it to government aides to issue statements. Neither Benalla nor Crase have so far commented either.

Benalla was forced to cancel his wedding on Saturday as detectives grilled him in custody.

When other demonstrators start shouting at Benalla, he looks scared of being identified behind his visor, and then slinks off to a cafe (pictured)

He was due to marry his fiancee, Myriam, in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux, with guests including other close aides of Mr Macron present.

There have been calls for Gerard Collomb, Frances Interior Minister, to resign over the scandal. He is due to be questioned by MPs on Monday.

Under clause 40 of the French penal code, the government should have informed the judiciary of the criminal incident the moment they were aware of it.

Patrick Hetzel of the opposition Republicans party accused Mr Collomb of a string of lies aimed at hiding a scandal of state.
A White Helmet rescuing a child in Syria

Hundreds of White Helmet rescue workers have been evacuated from Syria, with many to be given sanctuary in Britain.

Since 2013, the 3,000 White Helmet volunteers  also known as the Syria Civil Defence  have worked in rebel-held areas where Syrias official emergency services do not venture.

Some of the volunteers and their families, about 800 in all, were moved into Jordan under the threat of advancing Syrian regime forces over Saturday night.

They will be resettled in Britain, Canada and Germany within three months, Jordan said yesterday.

The country added: The government gave the permission after Britain, Germany and Canada made a legally binding undertaking to resettle them within a specified period of time due to a risk to their lives.

Those successfully evacuated included about 100 White Helmets, with the rest family members. It later emerged several hundred were unable to make the journey.

The Israeli army said it had evacuated the rescue workers overnight due to an immediate threat.

The White Helmets have saved civilians from collapsing buildings after air strikes and been credited with rescuing more than 60,000 people.

Crucially the group has also documented chemical weapons attacks in the country, including the attack in Douma in April which led to the US, France and UKs strike at President Bashar al-Assads bases.

White Helmet volunteers work around destroyed buildings in Douma in October 2016

White Helmets boss Raed Saleh said the evacuees had been encircled in the provinces of Daraa and Quneitra.

This included a number trapped between the border with the Golan Heights and advancing Russia-backed regime troops. It marked the first such Israeli intervention in Syrias civil war, now in its eighth year.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt praised the operation yesterday.

He tweeted: Fantastic news that we  UK and friends  have secured evacuation of White Helmets and their families  thank you Israel and Jordan for acting so quickly on our request.

'The WH are the bravest of the brave and in a desperate situation this is at least one ray of hope.

The Government said the UK would provide protection to as many of the volunteers and their families as possible.
Victoria police have released an image of the man they believe can assist with their investigation (pictured)

Police are hunting for a Melbourne thief after two people were threatened by knife in attempted arm robberies.

Last month in Werribee, south-west of Melbourne's CBD, a man with glasses allegedly threatened two victims when he approached them within a five minute period.

The man allegedly demanded money and property but was unsuccessful in his attempts as nothing was stolen.

The incident occurred at about 6.45pm on Saturday June 30 near the intersection of Watton Street and Cherry Street.

A witness chased away the alleged attacker and he was last seen in the vicinity of Railway Avenue and Glen Street, Werribee.

Detectives from the Altona North Embona Taskforce have released an image of the man they believe can help with their investigation.

The image shows a man wearing a hooded jacket who has dark hair and wears glasses.

Leading Senior Constable Kendra Jackson urges members of the public to assist with their enquiries.

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Britain's tax burden has reached its highest level for almost half a century, a report has found.

The taxman is set to take 724.9billion this year  34.3 per cent of GDP.

That is the highest proportion since 1969-70, when the country was run by a Labour government under Harold Wilson.

The report, written by the TaxPayers Alliance campaign group, also said overall Government revenues are at a 32-year high at 37 per cent of GDP, a measure of the size of the economy.

Harold Wilson smokes a pipe at a Labour Party press conference in 1974

In total, the Government will raise 775.8billion  equivalent to around 28,000 from every household, according to the study.

The research also found that new taxes have hit poorer households the hardest. It discovered that the bottom 10 per cent of earners in Britain pay 49.5 per cent of their income in tax.

The report warned that taxes could have to rise even further to fulfil the promised 20billion-a-year funding boost for the NHS.

Pressure is mounting for spending increases elsewhere, with vigorous calls for cash injections for defence and education. But the campaign group urged ministers to steer clear of fresh taxes on stretched families and businesses and instead re-prioritise existing budgets.

John OConnell, chief executive of the TaxPayers Alliance, said: The gradual increase of taxation and the introduction of new taxes have hit poorer families the hardest, leaving them with less and less at the end of the month to pay for lifes necessities.

The funding models for social care and the NHS need real reform, not ever higher taxes. Instead of taking even more money away from families and businesses, the Government should consider cutting taxes, or reducing spending in other areas.

Recent suggestions for higher taxes have included a new levy on chocolate, ending the fuel duty freeze, and higher inheritance tax, council tax and business rates to pay for social care.

Prime Minister Theresa May and her husband Philip attend church in Maidenhead yesterday

The report said: It is wrong to assume that the only way to raise more revenue would be to increase tax.

Evidence shows that reducing tax rates can bring in more revenue.

It said corporation tax receipts have increased by 25 per cent in real terms after headline rates came down from 28 per cent in 2010-11 to 19 per cent in 2017-18.

Separate research by chartered accountants UHY Hacker Young found that 28billion has been raised in new taxes since the credit crunch.

It said new major taxes introduced by the Government since 2008-09 included the sugar tax, diverted profits tax  which was brought in to counter perceived tax avoidance by multinational companies  and the apprenticeship levy.

Darren Grimes, a tax partner for UHY Hacker Young, said: Past and present governments seem to be addicted to tinkering and introducing new measures. Every new tax makes the UK a harder place to do business.

A Treasury spokesman said: We want Britains families to earn more and keep more of what they earn. Thats why weve cut income tax, increased the National Living Wage and have raised the personal allowance to 11,850.
Former Secretary of State John Kerry has blasted President Donald Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as 'disgraceful'.

'I found it shocking. I found it to be one of the most disgraceful, remarkable moments of kowtowing to a foreign leader by an American president that anyone has ever witnessed,' Kerry said on Sunday to CBS Face The Nation.

Kerry is just the latest Democrat, along with more than a few Beltway Republicans, to condemn Trump for not denouncing Putin for election meddling at their meeting in Helsinki last week.

Speaking with CBS on Martha's Vineyard, Kerry continued: 'And it wasn't just that it was a kind of surrender. It's that it is dangerous. The president stood there and did not defend our country. He stood there and did not defend the truth, he did not defend the facts.'

Kerry spoke with Face The Nation at his summer home on Martha's Vineyard over the weekend

Kerry said the meeting sent a message to the world that Trump 'really doesn't have a handle on what he's doing' and that he doesn't 'know either what the facts are or he won't accept the facts' in relation to Russian election meddling.

For his part, Trump said on Friday that Barack Obama, under whom Kerry served as secretary of state, was the true 'patsy' in Russian relations.

'Look at all the things that I have done. Nobody else did what I have done,' Trump told CNBC. 'Obama didn't do it. Obama was a patsy for Russia. He was a total patsy.'

Kerry defended the Obama administration by pointing out that the alleged Russian interference was 'just unfolding' under his watch.

'We discovered this in the late summer' of 2016, Kerry said. 'And so you're- you're in the last moments of the presidential campaign, and the president [Obama] is already being accused of, you know, engaging in trickery.'

Kerry called Trump's meeting with Putin in Helsinki (above) 'disgraceful' and 'dangerous'

'So he had to stand back a little bit. But I was there in China when the president took President Putin aside. I know what he said to him,' Kerry continued.

Kerry said that photos from the private meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 in September 2016 prove that Putin was 'fairly unhappy' with Obama's admonishments.

The former secretary of state also subtlety suggested that Trump was somehow under malign influence with respect to Putin.

'Something is having an impact on- on President Trump with respect to dealing with Russia,' he said. And when you go out and you attack NATO and you attack our alliance - our allies - you start denigrating major leaders who have made a very significant effort to hold Russia accountable. You are really ripping apart something critical to the security of the United States and you are doing President Putin's work for him.'

Kerry said that photos from the private meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 in September 2016 (above) prove that Putin was 'fairly unhappy' with Obama's admonishments

Kerry is seen left in front of the Kremlin and right with Putin during a 2013 trip to Moscow to attempt to restore frayed US-Russia relations

Kerry also responded to recent remarks Trump made to CBS News when he was asked about the prospect of facing former Vice President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

Trump said on Thursday: 'Look, Joe Biden ran three times. He never got more than one percent, and President Obama took him out of the garbage heap, and everybody was shocked that he did. I'd love to have it be Biden.'

'I think it's so outrageous,' Kerry said of the remark. 'It's so personal. So unbecoming of a president of the United States to engage in that kind of- it shows fear or something, I don't know.'

Kerry claimed that Trump was looking for a 'diversion' from the issue of his handling of Russia.

'What he does is, he's always looking for the diversion, always moving away from the real business of our country because he doesn't know how to do the real business of our country,' Kerry said.
Matt Warman called for greater transparency so members of the public know which officials are responsible for policies that affect them

Voters should have the right to know who has made decisions on local services such as their hospital, a Conservative MP has said.

Matt Warman called for greater transparency so members of the public know which officials are responsible for policies that affect them.

Under his proposals, people would be able to demand to know who is ultimately behind a decision in any public sector body  and why it was made.

It would work in a similar way to how people are able to submit Freedom of Information requests to public organisations to get them to hand over data.

In a report for the Centre for Policy Studies, Mr Warman raised the example of how reforms to the NHS often leave the public confused about who should be held responsible.

The Tory MP for Boston and Skegness in Lincolnshire wrote: 'The most recent round of NHS reforms in England explicitly passed responsibility from the Government to NHS leaders, and on a local level to organisations such as Clinical Commissioning Groups.

'On top of this, there are all manner of complications. Who decides that some GP surgeries operate different levels of service for making appointments, and consequently why is best practice not widespread? Why is there such variation in access to services such as IVF?'

A poll of 2,000 people commissioned for the report found that only 49 per cent of Londoners were aware the city had an elected mayor, currently Sadiq Khan, or that he had 'powers that affect their lives'.

More than half of people in Wales (54 per cent) and four in ten (42 per cent) Scots were unaware that their devolved governments made or enforced laws that applied to them.

Cabinet Office minister David Lidington wrote in a foreword to the report: 'The stark polling results show that too many people simply don't know where power sits, or have faith in the people at all tiers of government who discharge it. Whatever party you are in, that should be troubling.'

The poll also found that 15 per cent of people did not realise Britain was still a member of the EU.

This rose to 19 per cent for 18 to 24-year-olds.
David Davis has launched an attack on Chancellor Philip Hammond and the Treasury for using 'nonsensical forecasts' and 'mathematical mumbo jumbo' in a bid to undermine a clean break from Brussels.

The former Brexit Secretary accused civil servants and ministers of jeopardising the country's future prosperity by failing to recognise the opportunities presented by Brexit.

In one of his first interviews since he resigned a fortnight ago, Mr Davis said it was impossible for economic forecasts to properly take account of how businesses could be boosted by new export markets.

Former Brexit Secretary David Davis has unleashed another attack on the Treasury as Tory infighting continues

He told the Sunday Express: 'You've got a Whitehall establishment which, putting it mildly, is not an enthusiast for the project. And certainly at the Treasury, which believes all these nonsensical forecasts.

'Project Fear Mark III, I think it is now. The Treasury in total believes this stuff and I don't. I simply think this is mathematical mumbo jumbo.

'These are the forecasts which didn't foresee the banking crisis, that got completely wrong the effect of the referendum.

'If you believe the forecasts you tend to get rather frightened of this or that outcome. I think they're too mechanistic and don't take into account the way people behave.'

Mr Davis said the 'primary instinct' of the Civil Service and some ministers was to defend the status quo.

He added: 'But if we'd spent the last ten centuries of our history defending what we have, we'd be a very much poorer country if that precludes things that can make us into a great country.

'We're going to have a massive growth in services, we are one of the world's lead service exporters.'

Mr Davis, who quit as Brexit Secretary in protest at the Chequers agreement, said Theresa May needed to 'start again' on withdrawal plans and ditch her compromise, which would 'trap Britain's fingers in the mangle'.

'We're going to have to do a reset and come back and look at it all again,' he said.

'I think when we get to the autumn, if we are in the situation where we don't have any degree of agreement, we're going to have to start again.'
These are some of the key features of the Chequers plan being pushed by the UK government:

Read articles that feature this panel

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Tories' open civil war rages as Justice Secretary David Gauke and Nicky Morgan make clear they would NOT serve in Cabinet under Boris... The former foreign secretary defied a major backlash over his marital woes and 'suicide vest' jibe at Theresa May to take aim at another...

Brexiteers are playing 'Russian Roulette' by trying to kill off PM's Chequers plan and could trigger the UK's most serious crisis in... Former foreign secretary Lord Hague said he feared Britain was on track for disaster unless hardliners on both sides of the debate were...

So much for keeping quiet! Boris Johnson savages May's Chequers plan talks as 'verging on the humiliating' as he defies pleas from allies to... The former foreign secretary took a seat in the front row for the launch of a report in parliament praising the benefits of a no-deal...

Tory Eurosceptics unveil rival Brexit plan for Irish border saying technology and 'trusted trader' schemes can solve issue as ex-GCHQ chief... Brexiteers including Jacob Rees-Mogg and David Davis demanded the PM ditches her Chequers plan - saying that technological solutions and...

Labour accused of 'dangerous' game playing that puts power before politics after Emily Thornberry says they will vote against ANY Brexit... Tories on the Brexit Delivery Group, which includes MPs from Leave and Remain and who want to deliver a smooth exit in March 2019, accused...

Brexit will be total write-off unless PM changes course, Boris Johnson claims Theresa Mays plan for the Irish border is `disastrous, the former foreign secretary said.

EU offers high-tech solution to Irish border problem amid claims May is on track for Brexit deal by end of year - but Boris Johnson warns... Concessions from the EU over the need for checks could pave the way for a deal by the end of the year, but Boris Johnson warned the PM's...

May gives strongest hint yet that EU citizens WON'T get preferential immigration treatment after Brexit The PM is preparing to unveil a new immigration system for after Brexit - potentially in her Tory conference speech next month.

Brexiteers and Remainers unite to declare May's Chequers plans dead after EU leaders snub her desperate plea for a compromise and savage her... Despite the PM making a plea for compromise at a summit in Salzburg, EU council chief Donald Tusk insisted her Chequers plan would undermine...

'Chequers is DEAD': Brexiteers and Remainers unite to declare May Brexit blueprint is finished after EU leaders snub her desperate plea for... Leaders across the EU also lined up to savage Theresa May's Chequers Brexit plans in a series of scathing press conferences at the Salzburg...

Donald Tusk says a no deal Brexit is 'more likely than ever' but urges both sides not to 'give up' as he confirms May WILL make last-ditch... The Prime Minister laid down the marker in a stormy Commons session after she dramatically pulled the plug on a fledgling divorce...

What are the Brexit alternatives? As Theresa May is condemned on BOTH sides of the divide this is what the rival camps say they want... The Prime Minister published her Brexit plan in July following the Cabinet showdown at Chequers and is sticking to it - despite its...

May admits time is running out in desperate Brexit conference call to 120 business leaders as they warn her to pump more money into no... The Prime Minister also conceded that the dragged-out negotiations have plunged Britain's businesses into uncertainty as she personally...
with Bernie Sanders. Not in her home state but in...Kansas. Looks like she has already been chosen as VP to Sanders bid for President. What a site...She said again today that she is for free health care for all, all student debts be erased AND college be free for ALL. She has a lready declared low unemployment is because people are working two jobs. She speaks easily but just how shallow is her thinking/knowledge?



Is she wealthy? Otherwise just how does she afford travel like this, while she has a fall campaign to pay for? Just where does all her money come from? IF the Dem party is paying for it all, does that mean the Socialists have taken full hold of the party?
Model and presenter Katie Piper was brutally attacked by a man enlisted by her ex-boyfriend

In recent years the headlines have been dominated by several high-profile acid attacks.

Model and presenter Katie Piper was brutally attacked by a man enlisted by her ex-boyfriend, David Lynch. In 2008 Stefan Sylvestre threw sulphuric acid at Miss Pipers face.

The attack was caught on CCTV and both men were jailed indefinitely in 2009. Miss Piper had 250 operations to reconstruct her face.

Last November, the ex-boyfriend of reality TV star Ferne McCann was jailed for 20 years for a horrific nightclub acid attack which left 22 revellers injured. Arthur Collins hurled acid across a dance floor at the Mangle E8 club in east London last April.

Collins was convicted of grievous bodily harm with intent and nine counts of actual bodily harm.

In June last year a woman celebrating her 21st birthday suffered life-changing injuries after a man hurled acid at her and her cousin.

Resham Khan suffered injuries to her face, eyes and legs after John Tomlin threw the corrosive substance over the pair as they sat in a car in east London.

It happened after Miss Khans cousin Jameel Muhktar had an argument with Tomlin, who was jailed for 16 years in April.

Berlinah Wallace was jailed for life in May after her 2015 acid attack on ex-lover Mark van Dongen in Bristol left him with such terrible injuries that he ended his life at a euthanasia clinic.

In July Xeneral Webster, 19, was jailed for 17 years for manslaughter for killing dementia nurse Joanne Rand in Frogmoor, High Wycombe.

Ms Rand was splashed with acid and died 11 days later from multiple organ failure after contracting septicaemia due to the burns.

It was the UK's first acid attack killing.
She has already sparked fan hysteria after being cast as the first ever female Doctor.

And Jodie Whittaker, 36, was more than happy to discuss female representation in cinema and television with Variety, at San Diego Comic Con on Saturday.

The actress was candid with her co-stars Mandip Gill, 30, and Tosin Cole, 25, as well as series showrunner Chris Chibnall, 48, and said: 'If we just cast who we think is right for the job, just start there.'

Female power: Jodie Whittaker discussed representation in film and TV with Doctor Who cast at Comic Con on Saturday, and called for James Bond to be next gender-swapped role

She continued: 'And then every door is open to everyone and we dont have to be defined by all the other things, the box-tick bits.

'Obviously some are gender-specific, thats not something to shy away from, but just audition an actor and say, "Whos the right person for the role?" It should be that simple.

Mandip, who is set to play The Doctor's companion Yasmin, then suggested that the next gender-swapped character could be James Bond, or rather Jane Bond.

Change: The actress was candid with her co-stars Mandip Gill, Tosin Cole, and showrunner Chris Chibnall, as she said: 'If we just cast who we think is right for the job, just start there'

Jodie Whittaker on casting diversity: "Just cast who we think is right for the job, just start there" https://t.co/9Ui10EY9z1 #DoctorWho #SDCC2018 pic.twitter.com/d94Y82pZ4t  Variety (@Variety) July 21, 2018

Move on from expectations: She continued, 'And then every door is open to everyone and we dont have to be defined by all the other things, the box-tick bits'

While Tosin was slightly confused by his co-stars at first, he then laughed and said: 'Oh, I see what you did there!'

The upcoming eleventh series of Doctor Who has already been the subject of much fanfare as it cast the first ever female Doctor in Jodie.

Peter Capaldi said goodbye to the role last year in an emotional Christmas farewell, and despite appearing on screens for less than a minute, viewers are already warming to Jodie's jovial version of the character.

Iconic character: Mandip (right), who is set to play The Doctor's companion Yasmin, suggested that the next gender-swapped character could be James Bond, or rather Jane Bond

Controversial: The upcoming eleventh series of Doctor Who has already been the subject of much fanfare as it cast the first ever female Doctor in Jodie

Ahead of October's anticipated Doctor Who return, Jodie spoke out on the mixed response she's received from fans of the show after being cast by Chris - who she had previously worked with on the ITV drama Broadchurch.

In an interview in this week's Radio Times, Jodie insisted there's actually 'less pressure' on her, as she feels free to make the role completely her own.

Jodie explained that she's excited to be a role model as the 13th Doctor, especially to young girls watching the iconic BBC show.
He summoned up the courage to ask Samira Mighty to be his girlfriend live on Aftersun, after she quit the Love Island villa to be with him.

But Frankie Foster is said to have bedded a blonde bombshell after hitting it off at Londons Libertine club- mere hours before he greeted Samira at Gatwick Airport.

According to The Sun, the fitness trainer, 22, slept with Stephanie- a 26-year-old Swedish beauty- a day before his emotional reunion with the West End performer.

Rumours: Frankie Foster is said to have bedded a blonde bombshell after hitting it off at Londons Libertine club- mere hours before he greeted Samira Mighty at Gatwick Airport

Saying Frankie should be 'ashamed', Stephanie told the publication: 'I was with friends and got talking to Frankie, who was sat drinking champagne with his manager at the next table- never once did he mention this Samira girl.

'We danced and ended up taking a cab back to his hotel room in Kings Cross, there were two double beds and I said, "Who else is staying here?"'

'He said, "Well, my manager is, he probably wont stay here tonight"... as far as the sex went, Frankie was nothing special but nothing bad.'

Cheating allegations: The fitness trainer, 22, is said to have slept with Stephanie- a 26-year-old Swedish beauty- a day before his emotional reunion with the West End performer

Touching moment: Viewers were left in tears when Frankie waiting at Gatwick Airport with a sign in his hand for Samira's arrival

Lothario? Saying Frankie should be 'ashamed', Stephanie told the publication: 'As far as the sex went, Frankie was nothing special but nothing bad'

Stephanie added their alleged rendezvous was cut short, claiming Frankie's manager 'killed the mood' by returning at 5am with McDonald's.

She said she later found out on social media about Samira's shock exit and the fitness trainer saying he was looking forward to seeing his Love Island flame, blasting the fitness trainer as an 'a******e'.

MailOnline has contacted Frankie's representatives for comment.

Chicken nuggets anyone?: Stephanie added their alleged rendezvous was cut short, claiming Frankie's manager 'killed the mood' by returning at 5am with McDonald's

These new rumours come off the back of claims the hunky islander told friends he was not bothered about his romance, hours before Samira left the villa to be with him.

According to The Sun, Frankie was overheard telling a pal that producers 'played up' his fling with the West End performer during their time on the show.

The business management student was overheard discussing his Love Island stint in a Shoreditch branch of Pret A Manger, when he made the awkward confession.

A fellow customer told the paper: 'He mentioned that obviously there's a lot of stuff that isn't shown and a lot more goes on... And his relationship was made out to be bigger than it actually was...

'He was shrugging it all off and looked really cheerful to be out of it. It was not like he was pining for Samira.'

The conversation allegedly occurred on the same day that Samira decided to leave the villa, after realising she would not develop feelings for anyone other than Frankie.

A representative for Frankie previously told MailOnline: 'Frankie and Samira are together and they have been inseparable since he surprised her at the airport.

'He has never felt like this with anyone and he's very happy with Samira and they are both excited for the future as boyfriend & girlfriend.'

The loved-up couple have been enjoying a string of dates since leaving the villa, heading to Thorpe Park together as well as meeting their fellow dumped islanders at Kisstory On The Common on Saturday.
Ant McPartlin has reportedly begged his estranged wife Lisa Armstrong to sign the divorce papers.

According to The Sun, the television presenter, 42, is keen to move on with the legal proceedings since he wants to focus on his new relationship with former PA Anne-Marie Corbett.

A source told the publication: 'Ant called her last week and they spoke for the first time since the news about his relationship with Anne Marie came out.

Moving on: Ant McPartlin has reportedly begged his estranged wife Lisa Armstrong to sign the divorce papers

'He is happy to give her what she wants, including the house, and to be very generous with a settlement

'But Lisa is being very canny, and biding her time.'

MailOnline has contacted Ant's representatives for comment.

Keen for closure: A source said: 'Lisa is being very canny, and biding her time'

Taking care: Ant and Lisa have been sharing custody of Hurley following their split, which was announced in January

Lisa is currently enjoying a break away in LA, after it emerged her estranged husband Ant is now dating Anne-Marie.

And the make-up artist certainly seems to be unwinding as she was spotted at the beach on Friday alongside her parents, following earlier reports she was set to fly them out to the States to join her on her healing trip.

The day before, Lisa wrote about how she's struggling to be apart from the pet dog Hurley, who she shares with Ant.

Healthy break: Lisa is currently enjoying a break away in LA, after it emerged her estranged husband Ant has got a new relationship

Sharing a snap of the chocolate Labrador on Instagram, she wrote: 'My baby boy #misshimsomuch'

The former couple share custody of Hurley following their split, which was announced by Ant back in January.

On Wednesday, Ant was pictured walking Hurley around a London park, alongside two female companions. The star looked healthy, having checked into rehab on numerous occasions to battle his drink and drug addiction.

Ant is now dating PA Anne-Marie Corbett - but Lisa claims she found along with the public and she wasn't given a heads up.

He first sought rehab treatment in June 2017, after becoming addicted to prescription drugs and alcohol following a botched knee surgery in 2015.

He entered rehab for a second time in March after he was involved in a three-car collision in Richmond - and was discovered to be over the limit behind the wheel.

He pleaded guilty to drink-driving in April, and received a record-breaking 86,000 fine, as well as a 20-month ban from driving.
Veteran comedian Barry Humphries is facing backlash for 'anti-trans' comments he has made in an interview with The Spectator.

The 84-year-old - who is known for dressing up in drag to portray his famous character Dame Edna Everage - told the British paper on Saturday that transgenderism is 'pretty evil when it's preached to children by crazy teachers'.

Following publication of his comments, the Australian star was hit with backlash on social media, with one writing: 'Shut up and retire'.

'It's pretty evil when it's preached to children by crazy teachers': Veteran comedian Barry Humphries is facing backlash over 'anti-trans' comments he gave to The Spectator on Saturday

Barry was interviewed by The Spectator about his new stage show when his contentious views about transgenderism were brought up.

In 2016, the funnyman caused outrage after describing gender reassignment surgery as 'self-mutilation', and it appears he has now doubled down on his opinion.

'They had their genitalia chopped off and tucked in and whatever they had to do. And that aroused a lot of indignation  probably among the people who'd spent a lot of money having it done,' Barry told The Spectator on Saturday.

He's not amused: Barry is best-known for dressing upin drag to portray his famous character Dame Edna Everage (pictured)

He further labelled transgenderism 'a fashion' and asked: 'How many different kinds of lavatory can you have?'

Many on Twitter criticised the icon for his views, with one writing: '@Barry_Humphries you are my idol. You broke ground, you broke rules, you p**sed off the establishment. You defined Australian culture. You have a lifetime of achievements. And now this will be your legacy. You've become the people you used to make fun of. Shut up and retire.'

Another labelled Barry's comments as 'hurtful & offensive', while a third described him as 'transphobic'.

'You've become the people you used to make fun of': Barry is now under fire for his comments

'Hurtful & offensive': Many on Twitter criticised the icon for his views

'Shut up and retire': One claimed that Barry's comments were tarnishing his legacy

However, a number of social media users defended the star, claiming that he has the right to express his opinions.

One claimed: 'Barry Humphries should be recognised for his artistic brilliance, NOT his personal views. You are then imposing your views on him, expecting him to bleat with the left leaning sheep. He will not do it, nor should he.'

Barry has not yet publicly responded to the social media backlash.
Jasmine Yarbrough, 34, and Karl Stefanovic, 43, have enjoyed a lavish wedding in Italy.

The lovebirds attended the nuptials of businessman Jack Bedwani and his fashionista bride Rae Temily in Tuscany last week, before travelling to Sardinia to continue the celebrations.

On Saturday, a loved-up Jasmine was seen wearing a flowing white gown as she posed for pictures with Karl against a serene seaside backdrop.

Nautical nuptials! Jasmine Yarbrough, 34, donned a flowing white gown as she cosied up with Karl Stefanovic, 43, during lavish celebrations for friends' Italian wedding

That's amore! Karl and Jasmine posed for pictures against the serene Sardinian backdrop

Smitten Karl looked like the cat who got the cream, as he gazed adoringly at his fiancee while a crowd of pals stood around and snapped photos.

Seemingly inspired by her friends' nuptials - and possibly her own impending wedding - Jasmine opted to wear bridal white.

Karl, meanwhile, cut a relaxed figure, seeming to enjoy his latest holiday break from the Today Show.

Nice work if you can get it! Karl is currently on holidays from the Today Show

Smitten: Karl looked like the cat who got the cream, as he gazed adoringly at Jasmine

The Channel Nine star has been absent from the program for the past fortnight, coinciding with the New South Wales school holidays.

Father-of-three Karl, who still has two children still in school, jetted to Europe with Jasmine just days after going on leave.

The couple was pictured on-board a luxury yacht in Sardinia with billionaire pal James Packer and his gorgeous girlfriend, Kylie Lim.

Summer serenade! Karl was seen posing for a cheesy photo with Jasmine

The pair then traveled the 500 km to Tuscany for the wedding of their pals Jack and Rae.

They posed for a happy snap with the groom, with Karl looking hip and happening in a white suit.

Jasmine, meanwhile, looked chic in a printed maxi dress and 70s-style sunglasses.
Cardi B's husband Offset was targeted by police due to his race and wealth, his lawyer said Saturday.

'We're talking about a young, African-American man driving a shiny, beautiful luxury car and clad in designer clothes and watches and jewelry,' the lawyer, Drew Findling told TMZ, calling it a 'common theme' in crime and punishment in the wake of the rapper's arrest earlier this week.

'Unfortunately people in his genre become a target for law enforcement who think that lifestyle is connected to some illegal activity ... and that is a sad statement,' Findling said.

Scroll below for video

Speaking out: Cardi B's husband Offset, 26, was targeted by police due to his race and wealth, his lawyer said Saturday. The hip-hop couple was snapped in Las Vegas in April

The 26-year-old Migos rapper on Friday was charged in Atlanta, Georgia with possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a weapon during a crime - both felonies - and possession of marijuana (one ounce or less) and an improper lane change.

Findling said that Offset, whose real name is Kiari Kendrell Cephus, was pulled over for the lane change in a bid to pin more severe charges on him.

Offset's assistant, the passenger in his car, had a license to carry guns and had firearms in the car for security purposes, the lawyer said.

Legal woes: The Migos rapper was arrested and charged with two felonies and two misdemeanors on Friday in his native Atlanta

Meanwhile, the situation has left Offset distressed over Cardi B, 25, and their child Kulture, who was born July 10, after the legal incident, said his lawyer.

Findling told People that Offset 'is concerned, very concerned, about [Cardi B],' as 'his new baby is his top priority as well as his other children.'

Earlier this month, an insider told E! News that 'Offset has been very helpful because he's been through this before and knows the ropes' and that 'Cardi loves him even more after seeing him hold their baby girl.'
It is likely the last time this group will gather together for an interview with SiriusXM.

But the Walking Dead gang were all  or at least mostly  smiles anyway on Saturday as they discussed what will be Andrew Lincoln's last season on the show.

The British star, who plays Rick Grimes on the smash hit AMC zombie drama, was joined by Norman Reedus, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Danai Gurira and Lauren Cohan  AKA Daryl, Negan, Michonne and Maggie.

Days gone bye: The Walking Dead gang were all  or at least mostly  smiles anyway on Saturday as they discussed what will be Andrew Lincoln's last season on the show

The ladies looked fab on the day, both rocking gorgeous black and white dresses.

Lincoln was sporting a much tighter haircut and tidier beard than fans are used to.

Earlier the 44-year-old admitted he regretted the news of his departure had leaked.

Squad: The British star was joined by was joined by Norman Reedus, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Danai Gurira and Lauren Cohan  AKA Daryl, Negan, Michonne and Maggie

Missed: Morgan and Reedus had nothing but praise for their co-star as they discussed his exit at the Variety Studio at San Diego Comic-Con

Brothers-in-arms: Reedus and Lincoln have been co-stars since the third episode

'There is a certain sense of relief this morning,' he told EW. 'But I still regret that the story broke, because I believe in story and I think it would have been its gonna be a great season but it would have been greater if it was not spoiled to a degree.'

Morgan and Reedus had nothing but praise for their co-star as they discussed his exit at the Variety Studio at San Diego Comic-Con.

'Hes like a true No. 1 on that call sheet,' Morgan said, according to Variety. 'He is the leader of this show and everyone kind of follows his lead and he leads with his heart, and thats a very rare quality.'

Beautiful: The ladies looked fab on the day, both rocking gorgeous black and white dresses

Widowed: Cohan plays Maggie Rhee on the smash hit AMC zombie drama

Fierce: Gurira plays the samurai-wielding Michonne

'This show really is a family,' he continued 'And I think a lot of that has to do with Andy.

'Andy has always been the guy, and the show is going to miss him, were going to miss him. Its going to be a different vibe, theres no replacing him.'

Reedus meanwhile, who revealed they had shared a trailer for nine years, joked: 'I hate that guy.'
Amanda Seyfried is juggling motherhood and a successful film career.

And the 32-year-old has never been more excited to get back into her role as Sophie Sheridan for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

'It was exactly what I needed,' she told Confidential about her return to the big screen.

'It was exactly what I needed!' Amanda Seyfried reflects on filming the Mamma Mia! sequel just months after giving birth to her daughter. The actress is pictured in New York on July 19, 2018

The Mean Girls star said she didn't realise just how 'important' the film was going to be for her after giving birth to her daughter in March 2017.

She also revealed that she wants to work on two movies a year over the next decade.

'I would like to do two movies a year, very quality movies, whether they be a comedy or a musical or some kind of thriller or a documentary,' she added.

'I would like to do two movies quality movies a year': The blonde beauty hopes her yearly film quota will give her and husband actor Thomas Sadoski (pictured) time to grow their family

Comeback role: The Mean Girls star explained to the publication she didn't know just how 'important' the film was going to be for her after giving birth to her daughter in March 2017. Pictured: Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again movie still

The blonde beauty hopes her yearly film quota will give her and husband actor Thomas Sadoski time to grow their family.

She said she's selective about the roles she accepts.

'I needed a movie that would give me international value for career purposes, that is so stupid but it does matter - it matters in terms of what work you get,' she said.

Selective: She said she's selective about the roles she accepts, 'I needed a movie that would give me international value for career purposes.' Pictured: Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again movie still

Amanda's first call to fame was in the 2004 comedy hit Mean Girls, starring as the ditzy blonde Karen Smith, alongside Lindsay Lohan and Lizzy Caplan.

Since then she has starred in Jennifer's Body, Lovelace and musical epic Les Miserables.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again also stars Meryl Streep, Lily James and Cher and is now showing in cinemas across Australia.
Grant Crapp has revealed what really went down in the hours before he was brutally dumped by his Love Island Australia girlfriend Tayla Damir last Thursday.

The beauty queen, 21, broke up with the 22-year-old electrician after finding out he had a 'secret girlfriend' prior to his appearance on the raunchy reality show.

Speaking exclusively with Daily Mail Australia on Sunday, Grant claimed he and Tayla had a blazing row about his ex-flame in the hours before their split.

EXCLUSIVE: 'I thought it was a lover's tiff!' Grant Crapp has spoken exclusively with Daily Mail Australia about his shock break-up with Tayla Damir

'Me and Tayla spoke the night before (her break-up post) and I honestly thought it was more of a lover's tiff or an argument, as most couples have', he told Daily Mail Australia after joining an ABBA tribute band on Sydney Harbour's new Rhythm Boat.

Grant believed their relationship could still be salvaged, until he saw Tayla share an Instagram post announcing that their relationship was over.

Sounding heartbroken, he revealed: 'I didn't expect it to go up on Instagram... I didn't know she (Tayla) was going to do it all. Firstly, I didn't think it was over and when I saw that... what are you going to do?'

'I honestly thought it was more of a lover's tiff or an argument': Grant and Tayla had a row about his former flame the night before she dumped him via Instagram

Whilst Tayla and Grant haven't seen each other face-to-face since the split, the star did reveal that they have spoken on the phone and have sent messages back and forth.

'I have spoken to her on the phone yesterday (Saturday), sent a few messages here and there Very, very briefly, spoke to her on the phone. I understand why she's upset,' he stated.

Grant steadfastly claims that he and his ex-girlfriend Lucy Cartwright had split before he entered Love Island Australia and met Tayla.

'I'm still in love with Tayla. I've said to her the ball's in her court': Grant wants to get back with Tayla

And the tattooed tradie is hopeful that the pair can reconcile.

'I'm still in love with Tayla. I've said to her the ball's in her court,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

On Friday, Grant shared a video to Instagram telling his side of the story,

'Going into Love Island that girl (his ex) totally knew I was going in there so I did break up with her before Love Island, so it was finished. I lied about that to Tayla and I totally regret that, it's something I'm not proud of. Tayla doesn't deserve that at all and I 100 per cent regret it,' he explained.
Depravity of False Teachers

12 But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption Click to expand...

10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. Click to expand...

28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. Click to expand...

The evolutionist view of the human-condition has led to the dehumanization of the humanity of man from Darwin on up. Just take a look a the history of the 20th century, which often at times is called the century of the atheist since it was the 20th century where atheists make themselves very well known. So we see the rise of the first Darwinian based governments with Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin and Mao etc. The Nazi and Communist regimes were all rooted on the philosophy of Social Darwinian -- survival of the fittest. This lead mankind to one human rights violation after the other. The atrocities committed by atheists in a short time span of the 20th century left some 200-million people exterminated.Human beings have the law of God, whereas the wild kingdom lives by instincts. When the law of God is removed from the human-condition we are reduced to savage instincts which is a reduction of our human nature. Clearly we humans are unique as we live by a law superior to the wild kingdom.2 Peter 2:12 New King James Version (NKJV)Jude 10 New King James Version (NKJV)These two verses speak about those humans who have become of a depraved mind and lost the ability to reason like human beings, being reduced to animal grunts and characteristics. And like the animals they perish like animals who have been caught and captured and cannot survive. For they have lost morality and have imitated the thoughts and characteristics of animals in which they incorporate into a knowledge falsely called human psychology which has led to them a reprobate mind.Evolutionary humanism is nothing more than mere animal psychology applied to humans. Yet we Christians have proven that our society has gone far beyond the mere instincts of the wild kingdom. To even suggest that humans, by nature, are no different than animals really begs the question. This is what Genesis says about the creation of humanity:Genesis 1:28 New King James Version (NKJV)God gave us dominion over the wild kingdom which is very easy to see throughout our history, as mankind is the top of the food chain. We accomplish many things the animals of the wild kingdom cannot. But we also have to learn these skills from the time we are born. Baby monkey's and apes are more mature at birth and learn how to be monkey's and apes much quicker than humans learn how to be humans. Yet the monkey's and apes do not surpass our intelligence and capabilities when they reach adulthood.Whales are highly intelligent animals without a doubt. Yet even the whales with their high intelligent and social structures have not surpassed the unique capabilities of man. We humans are the most blessed of all inhabitants on earth. We can sit at our computer or our smartphone several miles apart from each other and type in these messages to each other discussing these things that go back to the dawn of man. We have satellites in space which help pass on messages or even guide missiles to a specified target. While our endeavors aren't always moral, in all things we do under the sun we have proven our unique dominance over the wild kingdom.God let us know our uniqueness as we were created in His image and likeness. God gave us dominion which cannot be logically disputed. But without morality we could also destroy each other along with the wild kingdom. This is why we instill strong values in children from the earliest ages. Patents want what is best for their children and the world around them. They want the environment for the children to be better than it was for them. By following God's guideline, His manual for mankind--the Holy Bible--we are given the opportunity to not only save our souls in this lifetime, but also make this world a more tolerable and bearable place for our children.But when we decide we no longer care about mankind or the future of our children, we no longer regard their education as something connected with the knowledge of their Creator and Redeemer. When humanism is taught to children they are being disconnected from God and being reduced from their unique status on earth to just another animal, maybe a little smarter, maybe not. And when humans share the same pedigree with the animals we lose the uniqueness of humanity from creation and begin to live like brute beasts who are caught and killed by other savage humans. Thus the social structure of humans is broken down when God is ignored and chaos and death takes over just as it is in the wild kingdom.Think if it this way: How can millions and millions of years of genetic evolution lead to religion? If survival of the fittest was our only attribute from the start then how does the teachings of Christ fit into all this? And for all that, how does the social structure of the Sumerians fit into all this? For since the earliest writings of mankind we see nothing but an organized social structure with some form of moral code in play. This is because morality is nature law given to humanity from creation (Gen.2:7). We humans know we need strong morals to keep our societies from extinction. If we live by social Darwinian we will kill one another for pathetic reasons. And since the rise of secular humanism, we have seen the rapid decline of morality in western society. This has caused western society to get weaker and much less productive.
She rose to fame with her short-lived stint on ITV2's Love Island, where she displayed her fierce personality during explosive arguments with her fellow contestants.

And Hayley Hughes oozed glamour as she enjoyed a night out with a gal pal at the Royal Albert Dock Liverpool on Friday.

The model, 22, commanded attention in a skimpy gold mini dress as she made her way to Italian restaurant Gusto, situated within in one of Europe's finest heritage sites.

Stunning: Hayley Hughes, 22, oozed glamour as she enjoyed a night out with a gal pal at the Royal Albert Dock Liverpool on Friday

The sheer bodycon number, which highlighted her svelte figure, was embellished with intricate gold beads throughout.

Hayley carried a faux snakeskin embossed clutch bag and kept her accessories to a minimum, opting for a simple gold watch.

A pair of black barely-there heels gave extra height to the reality star's already enviably long pins.

The gorgeous Love Island star added an extra dose of glamour to her look with a pillar box red manicure and pedicure.

The model commanded attention in a skimpy gold mini dress as she made her way to Italian restaurant Gusto, situated within in one of Europe's finest heritage sites

Gorgeous: The sheer bodycon number, which highlighted her svelte figure, was embellished with intricate gold beads throughout

Wow! A pair of black barely-there heels gave extra height to the reality star's already enviably long pins

Hayley styled her long blonde locks into voluminous drop-curls and enhanced her pretty features with a heavy coating of bronzed make-up and a slick of nude lip gloss.

The reality stunner was in good spirits, laughing and smiling, as she arrived at the Liverpool hotspot with a gal pal ahead of their night out.

Meanwhile, Hayley and her Love Island co-star sparked speculation they were set to re-enter the villa when they jetted to Majorca last week.

It's all in the details: The gorgeous Love Island star added an extra dose of glamour to her look with a pillar box red manicure and pedicure

Va-va-voom: Hayley styled her long blonde locks into voluminous drop-curls

Mates date: The reality stunner was in good spirits, laughing and smiling, as she arrived at the Liverpool hotspot with a gal pal ahead of their night out

However, a Love Island representative confirmed the vivacious duo are not returning to the show.

The bombshells showed the boys what they were missing as they hit the beach during their girly holiday.

The new-found reality stars flaunted their incredible bikini bodies in scanty two-pieces as they strolled along the scanty shores.

The duo sent shockwaves through the villa during their stint on the hit ITV2 reality show, but both failed to find the man of their dreams.

Tease: Meanwhile, Hayley and her Love Island co-star sparked speculation they were set to re-enter the villa when they jetted to Majorca last week
She's never too far away from her tight-knit family.

And Tamara Ecclestone made her trip to sunny Ibiza a family affair as she reunited with F1 magnate Bernie, 87, and husband Jay Rutland, 37, for a fun day out with daughter Sophia, 4 on Friday.

The heiress, 34, looked totally elated to be surrounded by her nearest and dearest, and cut a stylish figure in a slinky blue satin dress with a lacy hem.

Smiles in the sunshine: Tamara Ecclestone, 34, soaked up the sun with daughter Sophia, 4, as she jets to Ibiza for a family getaway with husband Jay Rutland and father Bernie on Friday

Tamara showed off the slender stems in the skimpy design and polished off the look with chic blue sliders.

The reality TV star shielded her eyes from the sunshine in classic aviator shades and accessorised with a glamorous black shoulder bag.

Opting for a fresh-faced glow, Tamara stepped out with minimalist make-up as she swept up her long brunette tresses into a high ponytail.

Family affair: The reality TV star shielded her eyes from the sunshine in classic aviator shades and accessorised with a glamorous black shoulder bag

Sweet treats! Tamara ditched any glitzy jewels for the family walkabout, which included little Sophia being treated to a delicious ice cream

Stylish: Opting for a fresh-faced glow, Tamara stepped out with minimalist make-up as she swept up her long brunette tresses into a high ponytail

Tamara ditched any glitzy jewels for the family walkabout, which included little Sophia being treated to a delicious ice cream.

Husband Jay wasn't too far behind, and opted for a peach polo shirt and blue shorts as he chatted away to Tamara's racing mogul father.

Bernie cut a sharp figure for the fun day out in a crisp white shirt and dark denim jeans.

Husband Jay wasn't too far behind, and opted for a peach polo shirt and blue shorts as he chatted away to Tamara

Cute family: Jay tucked back his long salt-and-pepper locks and hid his eyes with circular shades while rocking a touch of light scruff around his sharp jawline

Effortlessly chic: Tamara led the family through the Ibiza town and lapped up the atmosphere

The sporting icon rocked a new look with a touch of scruff around his chin, and concealed his eyes with black sunglasses.

Bernie certainly looked very cosy with stylish wife Fabiana Flosi, 39, who stopped for a quick smooch while overlooking the sea.

Fabiana oozed summer glamour in a cream buttoned shirt dress and glittering sandals as she toted a chic wicker hand bag.

Looking dapper: Bernie cut a sharp figure for the fun day out in a crisp white shirt and dark denim jeans

Bit windy! Tamara didn't seem to mind walking against the wind in her flirty ruffled dress as she strolled with Sophia in tow

The Brazilian beauty - who married the mogul in 2012 - let her glossy chocolate locks fall past her shoulders in soft curls as she rocked a pair of sleek tortoiseshell sunglasses.

Elsewhere, Tamara and Jay looked ever the happy family, and recently rang in their fifth wedding anniversary, with the brunette beauty sharing a sweet snap to Instagram to mark the occasion.

Posting a black and white picture of her kissing Jay from the wedding day and captioned the snap: '5 years ago the beginning of our adventure'.

Looking good: Fabiana oozed summer glamour in a cream buttoned shirt dress and glittering sandals as she toted a chic wicker hand bag

Cosy up: The sporting icon sported a new look with a touch of scruff around his chin, and concealed his eyes with black sunglasses

Loved up: Bernie certainly looked very cosy with stylish wife Fabiana Flosi, 39, who stopped for a quick smooch while overlooking the sea.

The pair married in June 2013 after a whirlwind romance and splashed out 7million on her nuptials in the South of France, where they were serenaded by Mariah Carey and Elton John.

Over 150 guests were invited to the lavish three-day event, with the couple famously downed shots and jumped in the sea at the Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat.

Tamara has previously gushed about how her husband spoils her but insisted personalised sentiments impress her more than designer gifts.

She told The Mail On Sunday: 'Jay is brilliant at giving presents, For my birthday he gave me a DVD of pictures of us all, taken since Sophia was born. Personalised gifts mean so much to me.

Messy pup! Tamara cleaned up her adorable tot as she enjoyed one of the many attractions

On the hunt: Bernie indulged in an icy treat with Fabiana as they looked at some local souvenirs to take home
On Sunday night Australian Ninja Warrior's Olivia Vivian watched from the sidelines as her partner Ben Polson completed the semi-finals route and came in third.

Then it was time for the 28-year-old gymnast to hold her own, and she certainly did.

With her show-stopping back-flip over the Warped Wall in the qualifiers going viral around the world, Olivia made history again by repeating the trick.

Go again! With her show-stopping back-flip over the Warped Wall in the qualifiers going viral around the world, Australian Ninja Warrior's Olivia Vivian made history again by repeating the trick. made history again by repeating the trick

Easily taking the first half of the course, she made it to the Warped Wall a second time and again, black-flipped onto the podium, making history twice.

The former Olympian then made history a third time by making her dream come true and becoming the first woman to qualify for the finals of Australian Ninja Warrior.

However the success didn't come easily for the red head, who fell into the water during the Tramp to Rope obstacle after she'd conquered the wall.

Though disappointed that she didn't complete the course, Olivia was overjoyed to become the first woman in the finals of Australian Ninja Warrior.

Here she goes! Easily taking the first half of the course, she made it to the Warped Wall a second time and again, black-flipped onto the podium, making history twice (pictured)

Woo! The former Olympian then made history a third time by making her dream come true and becoming the first woman to qualify for the finals of Australian Ninja Warrior

Congrats! Her partner and fellow Ninja Ben Polson (left )was on hand to embrace her as the couple prepare to go head to head as rivals in the finals (pictured)

Her partner Ben was on hand to embrace her as the couple prepare to go head to head as rivals in the finals.

While it was a glorious moment in the show's history, Olivia's amazing maneuver did not come easy to the Perth native and she feared she wouldn't make it.

'I was very worried. It is a very tough course. I have so much respect for all these obstacles. I really do put a lot into this. And being in the finals is obviously a dream. You know, I love Ninja Warrior!' she told host Freddie Flintoff after her run.

He did well! Olivia watched from the sidelines as her partner Ben Polson completed the semi-finals route and came in third (pictured)

Pep up! On her first athlete also got an inspiring last minute pep talk her partner, fellow Ninja Warrior contestant Ben (left)

She tells news.com.au : 'He saw in my face how nervous I was and he came over and shook me and said, 'snap out of it!' And it worked'. Olivia is pictured with Ben (left)

Despite being born with a hole in her diaphragm, she became a Commonwealth Games silver medalist, and, after competing at the 2008 Olympics, Vivian competed in NCAA gymnastics for four years.

Another source of inspiration was Olivia's partner, fellow Ninja Warrior contestant Ben Polson, who encouraged her during the qualifiers.

She tells news.com.au: 'He saw in my face how nervous I was and he came over and shook me and said, 'snap out of it!' And it worked.'
She recently split with Miami Socialite Nicolo Knows.

And on Saturday, Megan Blake Irwin showed Nicolo what he's missing as she stepped out in a thigh-skimming ensemble with a mystery man in Sydney.

The 23-year-old newly-single stunner turned heads in a lace sheer mini dress as she enjoyed a night out on the town with the hunk.

Revenge body! Megan Blake Irwin (right) stuns in a sheer dress as she steps out with a mystery man (left) in Sydney... after her split from Miami socialite Nicolo Knows (not pictured)

With nothing but flimsy pieces of fabric covering her modesty, the blonde bombshell gave fans a generous glimpse at her shapely waist and pert assets.

The statuesque beauty showed off her ultra trim pins as she strutted in a pair of towering black stilettos.

She added a touch of monochromatic magic to her outfit by tossing a black quilted Chanel bag over her lithe shoulder.

Sheer delight! With nothing but flimsy pieces of fabric covering her modesty, the blonde bombshell gave fans a generous glimpse at her shapely waist and pert assets

Impromptu fashion parade: As she sashayed through the exclusive suburb she effortlessly turned her killer profile to the lens and flashed her picture-perfect pearly whites

At one point the model gave onlookers an impromptu runway show as she was spotted parading through the streets of the Harbour City.

As she sashayed through the exclusive suburb she effortlessly turned her killer profile to the lens and flashed her picture-perfect pearly whites.

In the process she flaunted her flawless flaxen locks which fell beautifully around her face.

Fans could see the male, clad in head-to-toe black lingering behind Megan's modelesque shadows.

That's not Megan! Miami socialite Nicolo Knows (right) confirmed his split from Megan by sharing a steamy bedroom photo with Russian model Asya Rosh (left)

What happened? Fans were left scrambling for answers (pictured: Megan, Nicolo)

The sighting comes after Nicolo confirmed his split from Megan by sharing a steamy bedroom photo of himself with Russian model Asya Rosh.

Fans were left scrambling for answers last week when Nicolo took to Instagram with the intimate photo, despite never formally announcing his split from Megan.

Meanwhile Megan has yet to comment on the split however she did share a heartfelt post about heartbreak hours after Nicolo uploaded his photo.

'She's become a new person, someone completely different. She made up of the pieces left behind of things people took from her,' she wrote in an Instagram Story.

'But that doesn't make her weak or damaged. it makes her strong. It makes her indestructible,' she added.

'She's become a new person': While Megan has yet to comment on the split, she did share a heartfelt post about heartbreak hours after Nicolo uploaded his photo

He has a type! Asya (left) and Megan (right) both share a penchant for posing seductively in scant attire on Instagram

Former flames: The Australian beauty was last pictured with Nicolo on February 15, when Megan shared a loved-up Valentines Day tribute to her man, who she called her 'best friend'

The Australian beauty was last pictured with Nicolo on February 15, when Megan shared a loved-up Valentines Day tribute to her man, who she called her 'best friend.'

The pair debuted their relationship on Instagram back in September last year, with Megan later telling the Sunday Telegraph she was in a 'very happy place'.
She's been forced to slash the price of her $1.9 million Miami apartment.

But Joanna Krupa was showing no signs of concern when she stepped out on Sunday, leaving the Good Morning TVN studios in her native Poland.

The 39-year-old model and TV personality looked lovely in a simple blue denim dress with gold button detailing as she headed out for the day in Warsaw.

Chic: Joanna Krupa turned heads when she stepped out on Sunday, leaving the Good Morning TVN studiows in her native Poland

Joanna showed off her slender legs in the thigh-skimming number, which she set off with simple white stilettos.

The blonde beauty's dress was perfectly on-trend and also boasted pocket and fringe detailing.

She styled her caramel locks in loose waves and kept her make-up simple and natural.

Stylish: The 39-year-old model and TV personality looked lovely in a simple blue denim dress with gold button detailing

Leggy lady: Joanna showed off her slender legs in the thigh-skimming number, which she set off with simple white stilettos

Her appearances comes after it emerged she had slashed the price of her stunning $1.9 million Miami apartment by $300,000, despite the abode boasting floor-to-ceiling windows and skyline views.

The star's former home was dropped to $1.595 million in the hopes of a quick sale, after she and now ex-husband first purchased the home in 2013 for $1.4 million.

Joanna split from nightclub owner Romain in 2017 after four years of marriage, but he told People earlier this year they have managed to stay on good terms.

Pretty as a picture: She styled her caramel locks in loose waves and kept her make-up simple and natural

He said: 'Joanna and I both own it and we are selling it. We are good friends and still have businesses together.

Real Housewives of Miami star Joanna's soon-to-be former home is nothing short of spectacular, with two bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms over 2,140-square-foot space in the famous Four Season Residences building.

The property is based around a neutral colour scheme with beige and grey furnishings alongside plenty of glass and marble-work, with the primary living area boasting large spaces and incredible floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Miami skyline.

Trouble selling: Her appearances comes after it emerged she had slashed the price of her stunning $1.9 million Miami apartment by $300,000
Their first marriage lasted fourteen months before they abruptly split in 2006.

But Brendan Fevola, 37, and his pregnant ex-wife Alex, 41, could be headed back to the altar.

Four years after their public divorce, the Fox FM radio host said they would consider walking down the aisle again and hinted at a wedding in Bali.

'We might go to Bali': Brendan Fevola hints at a second wedding with pregnant ex-wife Alex four years after their divorce. Pictured, the couple during their 2005 wedding at St John's Church in Toorak, Melbourne

'When the kids are a bit older we might go to Bali and get the togs on,' he told The Herald Sun on Sunday.

Brendan has three children, Leni, 12, Lulu, 8, and Alex's daughter Mia, 18, from a previous relationship.

The couple recently announced they are expecting a fourth child together.

Wedding bells? 'When the kids are a bit older we might go to Bali and get the togs on,' he told The Herald Sun of the prospect of a second wedding

'There's a baby in there': Brendan recently shared a bump photo of Alex to Instagram and expressed his excitement over the impending arrival

'The baby is all planned for November 28, which is my brother's birthday. I'm pumped,' he said.

'It was nine years ago we had our last baby, so you forget. It's all happening again and the kids are excited. I can't wait.'

The couple separated in 2006 after more than one year of marriage, following rumours of infidelity involving model Lara Bingle.

Scandal: Brendan and Alex separated in 2006 after more than one year of marriage, following rumours of infidelity involving model Lara Bingle (pictured on May 3, 2018 in New York City)

They reconciled but divorced in 2014 before announcing their engagement two years later.

Brendan recently shared a bump photo of Alex to Instagram and expressed his excitement over the impending arrival.

'There's a baby in there,' Brendan gushed alongside the sweet picture.

'So excited. Can't wait to meet you beautiful girl. Absolutely stunning.'

During a recent gender reveal, the couple confirmed they are expecting a baby girl.
They're weeks away from celebrating 10 years of wedded bliss.

But Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, 45, looked like a pair of newlyweds as they left Craig's restaurant in West Hollywood on Saturday night.

The 60-year-old comedian and her blushing bride were all-smiles while waiting for their ride at the valet stand.

Smitten: Ellen DeGeneres was all-smiles as she left Craig's restaurant in West Hollywood with wife Portia de Rossi on Saturday night

Ellen seemed at ease as she left the hotspot wearing a black sweater with a white lightning bolt embroidered across the front.

She kept with a monochrome theme and sported slender white jeans paired with black trainers.

Her short, shaggy blonde hair was swept to the side and the talk show host appeared to be nearly makeup-free.

Sweet: The 60-year-old comedian and her blushing bride were cheery while waiting for their ride at the valet stand

Happy: Ellen seemed at ease as she left the hotspot wearing a black sweater with a white lightning bolt embroidered across the front

Portia looked lovely wearing a black T-shirt paired with light grey skinny jeans and a matching denim jacket.

She furthered her matching ensemble with sparkling grey pumps and carried a black leather purse by her side.

The Arrested Development sensation wore her bright blonde hair in natural waves and swept to the side with just a touch of highlight on her cheeks.

While the couple is set to celebrate their 10-year wedding anniversary in August, Portia recently admitted she 'finally felt accepted' as a same-sex couple when divorce rumors began to swirl.

Beauty: Portia looked lovely wearing a black T-shirt paired with light grey skinny jeans and a matching denim jacket

Beaming: The Arrested Development sensation wore her bright blonde hair in natural waves and swept to the side with just a touch of highlight on her cheeks

'The divorce rumors came and then we really knew the perceptions (of same-sex marriage) had changed. I'm not kidding,' Portia told US Weekly.

'I know it sounds ridiculous, but when that started happening I thought, "Oh, now we're finally accepted". We get the same s**t as every celebrity couple.'

Portia and Ellen were married during an intimate candlelit ceremony at their Californian home on August 16, 2008, two months after same-sex marriage was legalized in Los Angeles.

The couple, who first met in 2004, have long been supporters of same-sex marriage, worldwide.
Kaia Gerber shared a photo to social media this weekend where she was wearing a gold swimsuit.

It appeared as if the 16-year-old model - who is the daughter of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber - was at a photo shoot as she was all made up.

This comes after the star landed the fall Karl Lagerfeld campaign, proving she has become one of the world's top models.

This is cool all right: Kaia Gerber shared a photo to social media this weekend where she was wearing a gold swimsuit

Gerber was standing next to a grey sectional sofa and a dark grey light in the shape of a ball with cut outs.

The cover girl had on a cross necklace with another smaller necklace and a big ring on as she looked off in the distance.

The Vogue favorite captioned the Instagram Stories photo, 'This is cool.'

Leap of faith: The star also shared a clip of her on vacation in Canada with her friends and family; they go every summer

A bit scary: The catwalk princess was jumping into a lake with a friend; the fall looked to be very long and not for the faint of heart

She is not afraid to take changes: This proves the young model has a bit of daredevil in her. Her caption read, 'We're just here to entertain'

The star also shared a clip of her on vacation in Canada with her friends and family; they go every summer.

The catwalk princess was jumping into a lake with a friend; the fall looked to be very long and not for the faint of heart.

This proves the young model has a bit of daredevil in her. Her caption read, 'We're just here to entertain.'

Coming soon: The teen is collaborating with Karl Lagerfeld for a new fall campaign which will premiere in September

As far as her gig gig with Karl, he seems to have handpicked her.

The young teen is featured wearing pieces from the new line, which according to WWD.com, are inspired by Karl's love of architecture.

The designer is believed to have shot the images at his 7L studio in Saint-Germain-des-Pres, with styling by Carine Roitfeld.

Whilst Kaia has been strutting her stuff for the camera for the brand's fall campaign, the images won't be used for the Karl Lagerfeld x Kaia fashion line which is set to be released later this year, as the house says the collection will have its own separate advertising campaign.

Double duty! Kaia will also be featured in new adverts for the brand's main collection

It's all about the location: The designer is believed to have shot the images at his 7L studio in Saint-Germain-des-Pres

Dream team: Styling for the shoot was done by Carine Roitfeld

More photos to come! These images won't be used for the Karl Lagerfeld x Kaia fashion line, as the fashion house says that collection will have its own separate advertising campaign

Kaia's collaboration with Karl - whom she has previously worked with by walking in two Chanel shows - was first announced at the start of this year.

Pier Paolo Righi, chief executive officer of Karl Lagerfeld, said the brand is excited by the venture.

In a statement, Pier said: 'When Karl first told us his idea to collaborate with Kaia, we were all excited by the incredible potential and power of bringing their two worlds together.'

We can't wait: The Karl Lagerfeld x Kaia line will combine Parisian chic with California cool

Older style: During her shoot, the young teen modeled a mature, all-black look

School girl: Kaia was able to be her young self with one look, which included a backpack draped over her shoulder

'We have been working intensely over the last months with Kaia in LA and at our studio in Paris. It was exciting to see her clear vision, passion and engagement, and the collection will definitely inspire many young women.'

The collection will team Karl's Parisian chic with Kaia's West Coast style, with the evening wear having a European influence and daywear inspired by the Californian look.

The new range, which will also include jewellery, sunglasses and shoes, will launch through a number of events in Los Angeles, New York and Paris in the autumn.

On his team: Kaia's collaboration with Karl - whom she has previously worked with by walking in two Chanel shows - was first announced at the start of this year. She is seen in Germany in December of last year (L) and in Paris this past January
They are expecting their first child together in November.

And David Gandy and Stephanie Mendoros looked incredible as they stepped out in stylish ensembles for the King Power Gold Cup Final at Cowdray Park Polo Club, Eastbourne on Sunday.

The male model, 38, and the criminal lawyer, 32, arrived hand in hand at the event in subtly coordinating outfits.

Couple goals: David Gandy, 38, and Stephanie Mendoros, 32, looked incredible as they stepped out in stylish ensembles for the King Power Gold Cup Final at Cowdray Park Polo Club, Eastbourne on Sunday

David teamed a pair of tailored beige trousers with a powder blue shirt and a slate grey double breasted suit jacket.

The handsome hunk strolled along in smart tan coloured shoes and added a nod to his wife's outfit with a tie featuring small white polka dots.

He finished off his look with a pair of gold-rimmed shades, an oversized watch and kept his subtle designer-length.

David's girlfriend of two years oozed elegance in an eye-catching off-white sheer midi dress, featuring a top layer of polka dots and ruffle detailing throughout.

Gorgeous pair: The couple - who are expecting their first child together in November - arrived hand in hand at the event in subtly coordinating outfits

Stylish: David teamed a pair of tailored beige trousers with a powder blue shirt and a slate grey double breasted suit jacket. The handsome hunk strolled along in smart tan coloured shoes and added a nod to his wife's outfit with a tie featuring small white polka dots

Dapper: He finished off his look with a pair of gold-rimmed shades, an oversized watch and kept his subtle designer-length; Pictured with Hugo Morris and Mariya Dykalo

Chic: David's girlfriend of two years oozed elegance in an eye-catching off-white sheer midi dress, featuring a top layer of polka dots and ruffle detailing throughout

The silky material floated effortlessly over blossoming baby bump, and the lawyer drew attention elsewhere with a colour-pop distraction coming from her vibrant purple heeled sandals.

Stephanie carried a tan coloured bag in her hand, and accessorised with simple gold jewellery.

The mother-to-be styled her glossy brunette tresses into a chic, low bun with dishevelled strands left loose, framing her face.

She shielded her eyes with a black, glamorous shades and kept her make-up dewy and bronzed.

Pretty lady: The mother-to-be styled her glossy brunette tresses into a chic, low bun with dishevelled strands left loose, framing her face

The loved-up pair looked completely at ease as they chatted to friends in the hospitality area, including newly married Hugo Taylor.

The former Made in Chelsea star was there without his bride, to promote his sunglasses brand Taylor Morris.

David and Stephanie were guests of Mariya Dykalo, the creative director of Aspinal of London, who stunned in a plunging pillar box red jumpsuit.

Hot mama in the making: The silky material floated effortlessly over blossoming baby bump, and the lawyer drew attention elsewhere with a colour-pop distraction coming from her vibrant purple heeled sandals

Celeb friends: The loved-up pair looked completely at ease as they chatted to friends in the hospitality area, including newly married Hugo Taylor

In June, David told for the first time of his joy at his impending fatherhood  and joked: 'I think we're going to need a bigger car!'

The country's highest paid model confirmed he is having a baby with his girlfriend of two years.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Gandy said: 'We're expecting our first in November. We're both thrilled. Absolutely delighted.

'It's our first. It's all very new to us. We're taking every day and week as it comes. It should be fun.

'We don't know I it's a boy or a girl and we're not planning to find out.'
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday cautioned U.S. President Donald Trump about pursuing hostile policies against Tehran, saying America should know ... war with Iran is the mother of all wars, but he did not rule out peace between the two countries, either.



Iran's Rouhani warns Trump about 'mother of all wars'

Reuters Staff



https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-usa-rouhani/irans-rouhani-warns-trump-about-mother-of-all-wars-idUSKBN1KC07Z July 22, 2018 / 3:03 AM / Updated 7 hours agoIran's Rouhani warns Trump about 'mother of all wars'Reuters Staff

Mr Hussein, who promised the mother of all battles after his invasion of Kuwait in 1990, is still telling his enemies that they are doomed.



It is not just my view but the view of my closest military and civilian advisers that that would be a mistake, Obama said, adding thats because we would see a repetition of what weve seen before, which is if you do not have local populations that are committed to inclusive governance and who are pushing back against ideological extremes, that they resurface, unless were prepared to have a permanent occupation of these countries. 



Posted 10:58 am, November 16, 2015, by CNN Wire



http://cbs4indy.com/2015/11/16/were-going-to-see-it-through-pres-obama-defends-u-s-strategy-against-isis-after-paris-attacks/ Were going to see it through: Pres. Obama defends U.S. strategy against ISIS after Paris attacksPosted 10:58 am, November 16, 2015, by CNN Wire

NOTE:

NOTE:



By Will Stewart and Simon Tomlinson for MailOnline

Published: 02:23 EST, 1 October 2015 | Updated: 09:56 EST, 1 October 2015



Vladimir Putin signs decree drafting 150,000 conscripts into the Russian military | Daily Mail Online Putin signs decree drafting 150,000 conscripts into the Russian military... as his jets launch new wave of air strikes in SyriaBy Will Stewart and Simon Tomlinson for MailOnlinePublished: 02:23 EST, 1 October 2015 | Updated: 09:56 EST, 1 October 2015

But, remember, the elite who are behind this are experts at manufactured crisis and their motto is ordo ab chao, which means order out of chaos. This was a term coined by the Masonic leader Albert Pike, McGuire told WND. The new global order will be birthed by either a global financial crisis, the prospect of World War III involving Islam, Russia, Ukraine, NATO, Iran, Syria and Israel and a manufactured climate-change crisis.



Posted By Leo Hohmann On 09/30/2015 @ 8:00 pm



http://www.wnd.com/2015/09/obama-puts-u-s-on-fast-track-to-world-government/ Obama puts U.S. on 'fast track' to world governmentPosted By Leo Hohmann On 09/30/2015 @ 8:00 pm
She regularly litters her Instagram feed with scanty bikini-clad snaps during her travels across the globe.

And Kimberley Garner channeled her inner Bond girl as she hit the beach during her family holiday in Saint Tropez on Sunday.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 28, ensured all eyes were on her as she showcased her incredible physique in a plunging white swimsuit.

Stunning: Kimberley Garner channeled her inner Bond girl as she hit the beach in Saint Tropez on Sunday

The swimsuit clung to Kimberley's enviably-toned frame, showcasing her ample cleavage with its low-cut neckline.

Not afraid to flash the flesh, the reality-star-turned-swimwear-designer showcased her peachy derriere and leggy frame in the microscopic thong swimsuit.

Shielding her eyes from the sun with a pair of black sunglasses, she complemented the striking one-piece with a pair of gold hoop earrings.

Beach-babe: The former Made In Chelsea star, 28, ensured all eyes were on her as she showcased her incredible physique in a plunging white swimsuit

Busty display: The swimsuit clung to Kimberley's enviably toned frame, showcasing her ample cleavage with its low-cut neckline

Pert: Not afraid to flash the flesh, the reality star turned swimwear designer showcased her peachy derriere and leggy frame in the microscopic thong swimsuit

Glam: Shielding her eyes from the sun with a pair of black sunglasses, she complemented the striking one-piece with a pair of gold hoop earrings

Kimberley appeared thoroughly relaxed as she headed to the beach bar for a chilled beverage after a refreshing dip in the sea.

Joined by her pals, the blonde bombshell appeared in a playful mood as she jumped off the decking and into the waters.

Since starting up her own luxury swimwear line Kimberley London, the Chelsea beauty often spends her time jetting to a number of countries.

Beach jaunt: Kimberley appeared thoroughly relaxed as she headed to the beach bar for a chilled beverage after a refreshing dip in the sea

Jet-setter: Since starting up her own luxury swimwear line Kimberley London, the Chelsea beauty often spends her time jetting to a number of countries

All natural: Recently, the blonde beauty was forced to deny claims she had gone under the knife when she shared an Instagram snap in recent weeks

Soaking up the sun: Property heiress Kimberley was making the most of her break away in the South of France after she spent enjoyed a Greek getaway in the A-list hotspot Mykonos

Property heiress Kimberley was making the most of her break away in the South of France after she spent enjoyed a Greek getaway in the A-list hotspot Mykonos.

During her Greek break, the swimsuit model topped up her tan when she relaxed with pals and she was even seen topless sunbathing beside her ex-boyfriend.

Kimberley insisted the pair have remained 'good friends' but they are 'not together' when she was contacted by MailOnline.

Bonding time: Kimberley has been spending time with her family in the coastal town of the French Riviera

Relaxing: After her refreshing dip in the sea, Kimberley chatted to pals as she sipped on her drink

Remaining tight-lipped on his identity, she revealed she broke up with her former beau after a 'wonderful' three years together.

Kimberley shot to fame when she starred in Made In Chelsea in 2012 as a love interest of Richard Dinan but now she is better known for her swimwear.

Recently, she was forced to deny claims she had gone under the knife when she shared an Instagram snap in recent weeks.

Giggly: Joined by her pals, the blonde bombshell appeared in a playful mood as she jumped off the decking and into the waters

Best ambassador for her brand: The former reality star regularly litters her Instagram feed with scanty bikini-clad snaps during her travels across the globe

She wrote: 'For all the gossip, no I have not had a boob job, and no I have not had a butt job! (Which still comes as a very weird concept to me)'

'Womens bodys change, sometimes Im a little chubbier and sometimes too skinny, its just natural and so important to love our bodys, whatever the phase - but thanks for all the gossip I have heard over the past year, it has really made me laugh.'

'ps I have been learning some butt exercises, will make a video, incase you want a fake butt ;) (sic).'
Bethenny Frankel sure does not let her figure go.

The 47-year-old TV star looked slender in a small green bikini as she sat atop her red vintage Ford while enjoying a weekend at her plush home in the Hamptons, New York.

This comes after she had a mental breakdown on Wednesday night's episode of The Real Housewives Of New York City.

Chilling out on Long Island: Bethenny Frankel looked slender in a green bikini as she sat atop her red vintage Ford while enjoying a weekend at her plush home in the Hamptons, New York

In her new Instagram post, the brunette captioned it, 'Sweet ride.'

The Skinnygirl founder owns a home in the Hamptons with a pool and hot tub, and often takes selfies there.

The star also takes her dog and daughter Bryn to the hideaway whenever she can; Bethenny has said in the past it's smart to have an escape from the grind of NYC.

She is a skinny girl for sure: In her new Instagram post, the brunette captioned it, 'Sweet ride'

This post comes after Frankel joined her co-stars on a trip to Caratagena, Colombia.

She ended up feuding with Carole Radziwill and Dorinda Medley.

Frankel also experienced a bad allergic reaction to fish that made her very uncomfortable.

Medical emergency: Frankel had an allergic reaction to fish while on a girls trip in Caratagena, Colombia with the Real Housewives of NYC cast

Bethenny's trip to South America started poorly with a bout of food poisoning.

'Is there fish in that soup?' Bethenny asked with fear in her eyes. 'I'm itching. My throat is itching. I thought it was chicken, f**k.'

The mom-of-one fled the room quickly with water in hand.

'It's the worst feeling, your throat gets itchy, you feel like you're going to throw up,' she explained in a confessional. 'It's like a poison inside you.'

Highly allergic! Frankel took one slurp of fish soup and began itching

Frankel returned to the group looking quite queasy.

'How do you feel?' Ramona asked.

'I threw up,' Bethenny responded after footage showed her crying and in the fetal position on the bathroom floor.

'You threw up?' Luanna asked.

'Yeah, and I have a rash everywhere,' Bethenny said as she lifted her top to reveal her belly.

Bad reaction: Footage showed Bethenny crying in the fetal position on the bathroom floor

'I threw up,' Frankel said as she rejoined the group of women

Bethenny powered through and joined the women for dinner.

But an argument between her and Carole quickly ensued when the women began conversating about last week's speed dating party.

Brian, better known as the man with the red scarf, had pursued Ramona, Carole, and Bethenny following the soiree.

Cat fight: Bethenny powered through and joined the women for dinner. But an argument between her and Carole quickly ensued when the women began conversating about last week's speed dating party

Playboy: Brian, better known as the man with the red scarf, had pursued Ramona, Carole, and Bethenny following the soiree

'I don't know, Brian was nice. He was very charming,' Radziwill said as she gloated about sharing a three-hour dinner with the man in the red scarf

'I don't know, Brian was nice. He was very charming,' Radziwill said as she gloated about sharing a three-hour dinner with the man in the red scarf.

'He's running game. This guy is running game,' Bethenny said with warning in her voice.

'What's the big deal? It's not like he slept with three women,' Dorinda chimed in.

'He's friends with Bethenny, he went on a date with me,' Carole remarked.

'No, we're not friends,' Bethenny corrected.

'He's running game. This guy is running game. He's Tom 2.0, no disrespect,' Bethenny said in reference to Luann's former man. 'I told him I don't want to date him'

'He's hitting up you, he's hitting up Bethenny,' Luann de Lesseps pointed out.

'He's Tom 2.0, no disrespect,' Bethenny said in reference to Luann's former husband who cheated on her. 'I told him I don't want to date him.'

'I don't think he wanted to date you either,' Carole snapped.

'It's a little unusual for someone to be circling one group. You just have this smugness like you won some prize,' Bethenny said. 'I just feel like there is an ego thing about it.'

'You feel good saying that?'

'I think we're just worried about Carole because this guy is a player,' Sonja said trying to diffuse the situation with a bit of positivity.

New do: Luann said she was 'vibing Sofia Vergara' in her blonde wig and red lipstick at dinner

Bethenny and Carole didn't resolve the situation before leaving the dinner table.

And a mere moments later, Frankel had a verbal tussle with Dorinda.

The Skinny Girl mogul made a negative comment about the home they'd rented, and Medley passed it along to their hostess Tinsely Mortimer.

'Bethenny hates the house,' Dorinda said.

'Well, then she can go,' Tinsley replied.

Drama queen: Later, Frankel had a verbal tussle with Dorinda. The Skinny Girl mogul made a negative comment about the home they'd rented, and Medley passed it along to their hostess Tinsely Mortimer

'If I say something to you don't f**king say it to anyone else,' Bethenny said to Dorinda the next day.

'I got you. I hear you,' she responded.

But despite their resolution, Frankel began to cry.

'I'm so stressed out. My restraining order is up in a month. And I'm dealing with this custody battle,' she said. 'There is so much going on. I'm going to explode.'

Bethenny added: 'I'm under so much stress. I'm like having a panic attack. I don't want to go back to the life I had. I don't want to be tortured.'

R&R: The next day, Bethenny tried to relax in the pool but wound up crying

The episode ended with 'to be continued...'

But a teaser for next week's episode showed a snippet of Frankel on the phone as she continued to spiral out of emotional control.

'I had a breakdown last night,' she cried. 'I don't have a relationship with Carole. I'm not welcome here.'
Married At First Sight's Telv Williams has warned his TV 'ex-wife' Sarah Roza to stay away from his children.

In an explosive interview with NW on Monday, the 34-year-old revealed Sarah paid 'a surprise visit' to his former partner and their two kids, Miah, three, and Telv Jr., two.

'That was the final straw for me. I want Sarah to move on, stop talking about me to the media and stay away from my children,' he said.

'Stay away from my children!' Married At First Sight's Telv Williams has warned his ex Sarah Roza to stop speaking to his kids, three and two, after learning she paid 'a surprise visit'. Pictured: Telv and Sarah on MAFS

'For some reason, Sarah decided to fly to Perth [from Melbourne], look up the mother of my children and go pay them all a visit,' Telv raged.

'They met for breakfast and she even painted my daughter's nails!'

When contacted by Daily Mail Australia, Sarah, 39, explained that she is 'close friends' with Telv's ex Amy, the mother of his two children.

Claims: 'Sarah decided to fly to Perth, look up the mother of my children and go pay them all a visit. They met for breakfast and she even painted my daughter's nails!' an outraged Telv told NW magazine on Monday. Pictured: Telv and his children Miah, three, and Telv Jr., two

She claimed that Telv's children 'FaceTime her daily' and that she and Amy bonded over their shared experience of dating the FIFO worker.

Sarah also alleged that Telv would tell his children that she was 'dead' so they would stop asking after her, despite them still being in 'regular contact'.

Telv and Sarah were paired on the latest season of Married At First Sight, however their union was short lived.

The couple split at the start of the year, but only made the news public on March 24.

Hitting back: When contacted by Daily Mail Australia, Sarah (pictured) explained that she is 'close friends' with Telv's ex Amy, the mother of his two children. She also claimed that Telv's children 'FaceTime her daily' despite the fact she is no longer dating the FIFO worker

Shortly after the split, Telv began dating brand ambassador Maddie Carolan.

After a tumultuous, on-again-off-again romance, they broke up earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Sarah dated fire protection engineer James Stephens for two months but their relationship ended badly.

In an Instagram post on July 7, Sarah hinted that James cheated on her.

However, speaking to NW on Monday, James insisted they never actually dated and only attended a few events together as friends.

Ill-fated romance: Telv and Sarah were paired on the latest season of Married At First Sight, however their union was short lived. The couple split at the start of the year, but only made the news public on March 24
She recently revealed brand new artwork on her hip.

And Ireland Baldwin appeared keen on showing off her massive tattoo as she flaunted her killer curves on Instagram Sunday afternoon.

The 22-year-old model stopped in front of a mirror for the perfect selfie to display her tiny white bikini before modeling a summer-inspired, blue Madewell sundress for her followers.

Wow! Ireland Baldwin appeared keen on showing off her massive tattoo as she flaunted her killer curves on Instagram Sunday afternoon

Ireland's tanned and toned torso was on display wearing a white underwire bikini top with just the right amount of fabric to cover her ample assets.

Matching string bikini bottoms hugged her hips as she showed off her impressive figure to her 412,000 followers.

She later sported the Ruffled Wrap Maxi Dress in Mini Daisy from Madewell's collection of classic threads.

Mirror, mirror: The 22-year-old model slipped into a summer-inspired, blue Madewell sundress for her followers

Ireland kept most of her blonde hair pulled back with tendrils framing her makeup-free face.

The blonde beauty seemed to be on a family vacation as she posed for a photo with her four-year-old stepsister Carmen, with stepmom Hilaria sharing the photo on her Instagram account.

She later took her followers along on a journey outside where her father Alec, 60, was cooling off in the pool.

Hugs: The blonde beauty stunner seemed to be on a family vacation as she posed for a photo with her four-year-old stepsister Carmen, with stepmom Hilaria sharing the photo on her Instagram account

Ireland has a collection of more than 20 tattoos with the recent addition of the rose, including David Bowie, Totoro, Hello Kitty and a girl eating a bowl of ramen.

She also has 'Ecureuil'  the French world for 'squirrel'  on her left wrist, and best of all a 'mosh pit' tattoo; ie the word 'mosh' tattooed in her armpit.

The in-demand model has been featured on the covers of Elle Bulgaria, L'Officiel Ukraine and Marie Claire Mexico and has had editorials in W, Vogue Italia and Vogue Taiwan.

She landed the coveted Guess Girl job in 2017, joining some of the biggest icons in the business such as Anna Nicole Smith, Claudia Schiffer, Drew Barrymore and Kate Upton.
Their kiss on the lips has been the centre of many arguments in the Love Island villa.

And loyal Georgia Steel was forced to watch the incriminating evidence of her smooch with Jack Fowler in front of her new beau, Sam Bird, as well as her former contestants, Ellie Brown and Charlie Brake, on Sunday's explosive Love Island: Aftersun.

The barmaid, 20, has remained adamant that Jack was lying about their awkward kiss on a date and that their feelings were mutual, with the two of them leaning in for a smooch - not just her.

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Awkward!: Georgia Steel was forced to watch the incriminating evidence of her smooch with Jack Fowler in front of her new beau, Sam Bird, on Sunday's explosive Love Island: Aftersun

Yet host Caroline Flack decided to clear up the confusion on Sunday's show as she aired the footage, which showed Georgia go in for a kiss TWICE, in slow motion.

Georgia was left mortified over the scenes, as she squirmed: 'That's NOT the way I remember it. I swear to God, I do not remember it that way.

'I don't do just a peck, I always do a double whammy, so yeah, for me, it was very erm, not how I remembered that at all.'

Not impressed: The footage of the barmaid, 20, was also aired in front of her former contestants Ellie Brown and Charlie Brake

And not letting her get away with it quite just yet, Caroline asked: 'Do you think you owe some people an apology?'

To which the camera panned onto Ellie in the audience, who got into an explosive spat with Georgia over the kiss and her so called 'loyalty' in the villa, as Charlie signalled for the barmaid to apologise to his girlfriend.

But in awkward scenes, Georgia snubbed Ellie and failed to apologise to her, as she continued: 'I feel like yeah, I feel like the way that it went, was the way it went.'

Loyal: Georgia has remained adamant that Jack was lying about their awkward kiss on a date and that their feelings were mutual, with the two of them leaning in for a smooch - not just her

To which the audience started booing over the awkward scenes, with Ellie left speechless over the snub.

Yet Georgia continued to ignore the jeering crowd and Ellie, as she continued: 'That's not the way I remember it at all, because I'm honest, so I would have said if I did.'

But Caroline still wasn't done grilling the contestant as she asked: 'Do you think you were loyal at that moment?'

Oh dear: Georgia was left mortified over the scenes, as she squirmed: 'That's NOT the way I remember it. I swear to God, I do not remember it that way.'

Tense: When asked if she should apologise, the video panned into the audience onto Ellie as Charlie signalled for the barmaid to apologise to his girlfriend

To which the squirming reality star replied: 'I was in there to find someone, I would have loved to have seen someone in my situation handle it in a different way to be honest. I spoke to Laura before, which I didn't have to do.'

Talking about what she would say to Laura now, she added: 'Laura, babe, I honestly do not remember it that way, you know me, hun, if I remembered it that way, I would have said it.'

Yet awkward moments aside, Sam revealed that the two are planning to move in with each other in London, despite the fact they're not even official boyfriend and girlfriend yet.

He said: 'I haven't popped that question yet, we were living together first anyway!'

No apology: Yet Georgia snubbed Ellie, who she fell out with in the villa over the kiss, as she looked straight at her and then turned around to keep talking

'I'm honest!': Talking about what she would say to Laura, she added: 'Laura, babe, I honestly do not remember it that way, you know me, hun, if I remembered it that way, I would have said it.'

On Monday morning, Georgia and Sam made another TV appearance, joining Christine Lampard on the Lorraine sofa.

Christine looked stylish as ever in a midi leopard print dress which showed off her blossoming baby bump.

On Aftersun, Georgia insisted that despite initially being left heartbroken by former flame Josh when he dumped her for Kaz, she is well and truly over him.

'It was an absolute blessing in disguise. I can't thank him enough', she enthused.

'I didn't think I'd get over it but it wasn't as difficult as I thought it was - and also then I wouldn't have met [Sam]!'

Sam was adamant the pair are in it for the long haul, revealing that Georgia's mum keeps calling him 'Prince Charming' and ringing him up to chat.

Georgia was also asked whether her 'I'm loyal, babe' catchphrase has been haunting her in the outside world.

'It is. I never knew it would be as big as it is!', she giggled.

Back again: On Monday morning, Georgia and Sam made another TV appearance, joining Christine Lampard on the Lorraine sofa

Her knight in shining armour: Sam was adamant the pair are in it for the long haul, revealing that Georgia's mum keeps calling him 'Prince Charming'

Cringe! Georgia was also asked whether her 'I'm loyal, babe' catchphrase has been haunting her in the outside world

Going strong: Sam revealed that the two are planning to move in with each other in London

Having a chat: On Monday morning, Georgia and Sam made another TV appearance, joining Christine Lampard on the Lorraine sofa

Wild side: Christine looked stylish as ever in a midi leopard print dress which showed off her blossoming baby bump

So chic: Christine boosted her frame in a pair of simple strappy black sandals

During Georgia and Sam's Aftersun appearance, fans were shown a clip of the couple meeting Georgia's parents in Yorkshire in sweet scenes.

The brunette beauty's mother, Sharon, broke down in tears as she was so thrilled for her daughter and one 'happy mama'.

She said: 'It was very hard to see you upset. Then Prince Charming came along, you have found love and I can genuinely say that in my heart.

'It is a shame, you should have been there until the end. Are you going to make an honest woman of my daughter?'

To which Sam replied: 'Getting into a relationship is important to me, if I want to ask her, I would do it in a special way.'

With Georgia crying and adding: 'I couldn't have done it without you Sam, I really couldn't.'

Emotional reunion: Earlier in the evening, it showed Sam meeting Georgia's parents in Yorkshire in sweet scenes

Parents' approval: During the introduction, the brunette beauty's mother, Sharon, broke down in tears as she was so thrilled for her daughter and one 'happy mama'
A senior Labor frontbencher says Bill Shorten will lead the party to the next federal election irrespective of the results of the Super Saturday by-elections.

Labor is expected to retain the seats of Perth, Fremantle and Braddon, but is behind in the Queensland seat of Longman ahead of the July 28 by-elections.

The party is not contesting the South Australian seat of Mayo, where the Centre Alliance's Rebekha Sharkie is likely to beat the Liberals' Georgina Downer.

Labor's Brendan O'Connor said the party was confident of doing well in Longman, but admitted it was a "tough contest" given One Nation was preferencing the LNP.

Asked on Sky News how a loss would impact on Mr Shorten's leadership, Mr O'Connor said: "Bill Shorten will be leader at the next federal election."

"The last election campaign, the full contest, he won 14 seats and took us within a whisker of winning the election," Mr O'Connor said.

He said Mayo would be a test for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, as it is a "blue-ribbon, safe Liberal seat".

"When you talk about tests for Labor, there are tests for Malcolm Turnbull and Mayo is a test for him."

Liberal frontbencher Josh Frydenberg dismissed any pressure on Mr Turnbull, given no government has won an opposition seat in a by-election for 100 years.

"These by-elections will be close, but history goes against the coalition so we are very realistic about our chances," Mr Frydenberg told ABC TV.

He said the polls showed Mr Turnbull was "way ahead" of Mr Shorten as preferred prime minister.

Asked whether an early federal election was on the cards if the Liberals performed well, Mr Frydenberg said: "The prime minister has made it clear he is expecting the election to be next year and nothing I've heard would changed that prediction."

"The reality is we are trying to climb Everest in winning these by-elections."
The federal government urgently needs to address the issue of food delivery riders being paid below the minimum wage and missing out on work rights, says Labor.

The Transport Workers Union says three in four riders are paid below minimum rates while one in every two riders say they or someone they know has been injured on the job.

As well, food delivery companies do not pay sick leave or workers compensation when people are injured on the job.

Labor workplace spokesman Brendan O'Connor says there is too much sham contracting, where people were deemed not to be employees.

"In the case of Deliveroo riders and Uber Eats workers they are getting a third of the minimum wage," he told Sky News on Sunday.

"That has to stop - you can't continue to argue someone is a contractor so you can avoid paying them even the minimum wage."

On the issue of Uber drivers, Mr O'Connor said Labor was looking at policy shifts overseas.

In November last year, Uber in the UK lost an appeal against a tribunal ruling that its drivers should be classed as workers with minimum-wage rights.

"You can see around the world there are decisions being made as to the status of Uber drivers and recently in London they have actually determined an Uber driver to be an employee, so I am looking at other jurisdictions to see what happens there," Mr O'Connor said.

"It is exploitation ... and we see no efforts from the government to address that."
An ambitious plan to build 14-kilometre road bridge from Kangaroo Island to the South Australian mainland has been unveiled.

A consortium of local businesses are behind the four-lane proposal which would include infrastructure to pump fresh water to the island and could include technology to harness wave energy in Backstairs Passage.

The idea has the backing of SA-BEST MP Frank Pangallo, who has hailed it as a nation-building project that would ensure Kangaroo Island reaches its full potential and becomes Australia's top tourist destination.
Labor says it will examine the idea of encouraging migrants to settle outside the major cities.

A policy aimed at getting more migrants to make rural and regional towns their long-term home is expected to be released later this year by the Turnbull government.

Labor frontbencher Brendan O'Connor, a former immigration minister, said it was an important policy issue.

"The overwhelming number of migrants are attracted to the big cities, Sydney and Melbourne in particular, and there are communities crying out for skills and labour in other areas, so it is a very uneven situation, and I think that therefore it is worthy of examination," Mr O'Connor told Sky News on Sunday.

He said there should also be a focus on the misuse of student and working holiday-maker visas.

Too many people came to Australia on the premise of studying or holidaying, but ended up working full-time, he said.
Another 23 refugees have left Nauru bound for the United States.

The group includes two Rohingyan families, including a couple with their three children and a father and his two sons.

The rest are Rohingyan, Afghan, Pakistani and Tamil single men, according to refugee advocates.

While well over 300 people have now been transferred to the US under the deal with Australia, more than 1520 people remain in offshore detention on PNG's Manus Island and Nauru.

Thousands of people marched in rallies across Australia over the weekend to mark the fifth anniversary of offshore processing, which began under the Rudd government.
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Bonita Thompson walks about six kilometres in the blistering Northern Territory heat to get to work.

The grandmother of nine with a 10th on the way met with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Sunday, showing him where she works at the Future Stars indigenous employment program.

The Territory's red dirt is the floor in the tin shed where she lives in Tennant Creek.

There's no electricity or water.

"I've been working every day just to get food on the table for my family," Ms Thompson told the prime minister.

Karen Sheldon is behind Future Stars, which works with highly disadvantaged indigenous job seekers to drive home the message that welfare is a safety net, not a way of life.

"They might have been so inured to generations of welfare that they might just think it's impossible for them," Ms Sheldon told AAP.

The program has secured another year of funding, starting Monday.

And Karen Sheldon Training is expanding, with an Airbnb 250 kilometres up the Highway in tiny Elliott expected to be up and running in an old house early next year.

Ms Sheldon wants the prime minister to leave Tennant Creek believing nationally consistent employment programs don't suit disadvantaged people in remote indigenous communities.

"I just want to make sure there's a recognition that one size doesn't fit all in Australia," Ms Sheldon says.

Meanwhile Ms Thompson is finished telling Mr Turnbull about her life.

"You're an inspiration," he says.
Crime has no colour. That's one South Sudanese community leader's message to politicians feeding debate about youth offending and "gangs" in Melbourne.

"If you really want to talk about crime in Victoria, talk about crime in general," community leader and lawyer Maker Mayek told ABC TV on Sunday night, after interventions by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton.

"Crime has no colour."

Mr Mayek's comments came as Mr Dutton said the death of a 19-year-old woman from Melbourne's African-Australian community at an out-of-control house party was indicative of a "major law and order problem" with Victoria's Labor government.

"We don't have these problems with Sudanese gangs in NSW or Queensland," he said in a statement to Fairfax Media.

Days earlier, the prime minister said "you have to be honest, there are Sudanese gangs in Melbourne".

While Mr Mayek acknowledged there was an over-representation of Sudanese people in crime statistics "the main problem here is making this an election issue".

"Intervention is not going to be helpful if you don't take race out of it," he said.

Liberal MP Jason Wood, who like Mr Dutton is a former police officer, told the ABC he first raised the issue of gang crime with his colleagues two years ago but was rebuffed.

"Everyone said, it's not an issue. When I spoke about it, regarding Sudanese crime ... everyone said 'oh no, it's not happening, it's not happening'."

"Now because we raised it, people actually agree it's happening.

"If you've got this situation where you're too afraid to talk about it, to mention the word 'gang', to me it's crazy."
Today's Birthday, July 23: Australian television great Bert Newton (1938 - ).

Legendary entertainer Bert Newton, affectionately known as Moon Face, recently caused a stir at Australian television's night of nights.

The 80-year-old received a standing ovation as he returned to the Logies - an event he has hosted more times than anyone - to present the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent.

But parts of his speech drew awkward laughter and social media criticism when referring to himself as an "old poof" before joking about Kennedy's alleged "mentoring" of young people.

"You knew if you went to his dressing room it was locked, he will be inside doing some mentoring," Newton said.

Newton later apologised if he'd offended anyone, but said he couldn't promise it wouldn't happen again.

Born Albert Watson Newton in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy in 1938, Bert initially considered becoming a priest as a young boy and attended a Catholic college.

His broadcast career started in 1952 as a schoolboy on Melbourne radio station 3XY, dressing up as a clown for advertisements.

Newton branched into television in 1957 to host Melbourne HSV-7's The Late Show, moving to GTV-9 in early 1959 to present daytime television program In Melbourne Today.

After appearing in a live commercial with "Gra Gra" in 1959, Newton made regular appearances on Kennedy's variety show and assumed hosting duties on some episodes.

It was the humble beginnings of a lifelong friendship and association with the man dubbed "King of Australian television".

Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Newton starred in a series of Nine Network projects, including The Don Lane Show and Ford Superquiz.

The toupee-wearing great fronted Network Ten's Good Morning Australia from 1993 to 2005 before the show was axed.

He jumped ship back to Nine soon after, presenting Bert's Family Feud and 20 To 1.

Newton has hosted or co-hosted the Logies on 19 occasions and is a four-time Gold Logie winner.

The Logies Hall of Famer has also starred in several major musicals later in life.

He underwent a quadruple heart bypass surgery in 2012 and was hospitalised with a bout of pneumonia in 2017.

Newton and wife Patti, a former radio and television personality, live in Melbourne and have two children.
Malcolm Turnbull has nominated a public housing shortage as the biggest issue in a remote Northern Territory town in the midst of a child protection crisis.

Tennant Creek could be given a new deal across three tiers of government to help the troubled outback town combat shocking social dysfunction.

Mr Turnbull is in the NT visiting a town rocked by a crisis highlighted by the alleged rape of a two-year-old girl.

"The lack of housing is the biggest single issue that has been described in every encounter," the prime minister said at a dinner on Sunday night.

In response to the issue, Mr Turnbull opened the door for a regional deal for Tennant Creek, similar to federal government agreements with Townsvile, Geelong and Western Sydney.

Under the deal, federal, territory and local government would consult with indigenous and cultural groups to nut out priorities for housing, economic growth, health and education.

Barkly Regional Council Mayor Steve Edgington welcomed the potential for a regional deal for Tennant Creek after pushing for the concept.

He said housing was a recurring issue for the town, with a child in overcrowding facing lower education and health outcomes, and heightened safety risks.

"We can't guarantee a child's safety when there's a number of visitors and people coming in from outside Tennant Creek staying at those houses," Mr Edgington told AAP.

The NT government has committed to building nine public houses in Tennant Creek in the next 12 months.

"That won't go far because we have a four- to six-year waiting list for a three bedroom house at the moment," Cr Edgington said.

Mr Turnbull will on Monday meet with police to discuss Operation Haven, which is aimed at reducing family violence and alcohol abuse.

In June, it was revealed the NT government had removed 15 children from their families around the town, when it was deemed unsafe.

The prime minister ended Sunday in the town by visiting children playing sport and dancing in a disco at a community centre.

That was after riding with the Youth Night Patrol, which helps get kids on the streets home safely.

Mr Turnbull addressed a dinner at the Papulu Apparr-Kari language centre, with food provided by the Future Stars indigenous training program.

Earlier he visited that program's base and local businesses.
Several people who witnessed a shooting in Sydney's west which led to a man's death have been assisting police who are trying to piece together exactly what happened.

Police were called to a unit block on the corner of George and Lachlan streets in Warwick Farm just after sunset on Sunday, where they found a man with a gunshot wound.

The man was treated at the scene before being taken to Liverpool Hospital under a police escort, where he later died, and police say they have established a crime scene at the unit and have been speaking with witnesses.
A girl has escaped with a minor burn in one of two suspicious house fires in Sydney's west.

The seven-year-old's leg was slightly burned as she escaped from the Blair Athol property where a car was on fire around 6.30pm on Sunday.

Emergency services were called out to the home again at 1am on Monday when the fire reignited in the roof, destroying the house.

Police are treating the blaze as suspicious.

Meanwhile, police are appealing for information after a fire at an empty house at St Marys was destroyed by fire shortly after 2am.
A fly-in fly-out worker at the Telfer gold and copper mine in Western Australia has been attacked by three dingoes, leaving her with deep wounds to her legs, arms and body that will need plastic surgery.

The woman, a security worker, was eating lunch at a designated safe eating area on Wednesday when one dingo approached and stole her mobile phone, before two other dingoes attacked her when she went to retrieve it.

She has had two operations at Royal Perth Hospital and will need plastic surgery, The West Australian reports on Monday.
The mother and a cousin of the woman who was killed in a Melbourne CBD brawl on the weekend have spoken of their grief and loss, calling for "justice" for the young aspiring lawyer.

The 19-year-old, named by News Corp Australia as Laa Chol, died during an out-of-control party in the short-term stay unit on the 56th floor of the EQ Tower early on Saturday morning.

"I'm speechless...I don't know what I'm going to do without her," her mother, Ojwanga Abalo told The Herald Sun, while cousin, Nyawie Dau, said, "We need justice for Laa. They need to find whoever did this."
Incoming Treasury Secretary Philip Gaetjens has hit back at those who say he should never have been appointed to the role because of his links to the Liberal party, saying public servants should be defined by their "own capabilities".

Labor says the appointment of the former chief-of-staff to Liberal treasurers Peter Costello and Scott Morrison undermines the Treasury department's reputation, and has accused the government of "stacking" the public service.

But Mr Gaetjens told The Australian Financial Review he is "more at the policy end of the spectrum than the political end".

"Certainly, there's a bit too much media focus on defining people by who they worked for rather than defining them by their own capabilities," he told the AFR on Monday.

"As most public servants would know, you do have to combine the art of the possible and look at what can be achieved in the politics of the day, which is getting more and more difficult."

Mr Gaetjens was also secretary of the NSW Treasury between 2011 and 2015 and served as a senior executive in the Commonwealth Treasury, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the South Australian Department of Treasury and Finance.

Treasurer Scott Morrison has said Mr Gaetjens will bring "significant experience" to the job.

Treasury boss John Fraser will step down on July 31.
Our Alan Grayson-Neil Young contest ends this evening at 9 PM (PT), midnight on the East Coast. The randomly selected winner get a really beautiful double platinum RIAA-certified award plaque that was awarded for Neil Young's 1972 masterpiece,. It's very rare and would make an amazing Christmas present for the Neil Young fanatic in your life. (Yes, this triple digit weather will be ending in the not too distant future.) This page will explain how to win-- although it;'s easy: just qualify by contributing any amount to Grayson's campaign on that same page and then pray your name gets randomly selected.

Alan and his wife Dena are committed Neil Young fans. "Neil Young and I," Alan wrote to his supporters on Friday, "were both deeply moved by the tragedy at Kent State, when the National Guard shot and killed four anti-war students. And we both felt compelled to say something about it, each in our own way. In Neils case, he wrote 'Ohio,' one of the most famous political songs in American history":

Tin soldiers and Nixon coming, We're finally on our own. This summer I hear the drumming, Four dead in Ohio. Gotta get down to it. Soldiers are cutting us down. Should have been done long ago. What if you knew her, And found her dead on the ground? How can you run, when you know? Gotta get down to it. Soldiers are cutting us down. Should have been done long ago. What if you knew her, And found her dead on the ground? How can you run, when you know? Tin soldiers and Nixon coming, We're finally on our own. This summer I hear the drumming, Four dead in Ohio.

"In my case, I gave the following speech. (A blogger who wrote about it said 'break out the tissues.')

Earlier today, we voted on memorializing the events-- the tragic events-- that took place 40 years and one day ago at Kent State University. Americans today, most Americans, are too young to remember what happened then, but I think that those of us who lived through that time and many others who thought about it, or saw afterward what happened, have this picture in their mind. This is Mary Ann Vecchio kneeling over the body of Jeffrey Miller at Kent State that terrible day, when four students were shot by American soldiers. I think we would honor them by remembering how and why they died, and thats what I propose to do now.





In 1968, Richard Nixon ran for President. He said he had a secret plan to end the war. That plan was so secret that apparently even Nixon himself didnt know what it was; because when he was elected, he simply expanded the war. In November of 1969, the My Lai massacre exposed to the whole world, not just to Americans but to the whole world, the sheer brutality of the war in Vietnam. The following month in December of 1969, the draft was instituted. American college students and others, everyone of a certain age, everyone knew that they would have to serve in Vietnam unless the war was ended.





And then on April 30th of 1970-- the first war ever announced on TV-- President Nixon announced the invasion of Cambodia by US forces. Almost immediately, there were protests at universities all around the country, including at Kent State. And those protests grew and grew day-by-day. And the right wing immediately mobilized against these protests. In Ohio, the governor, Governor Rhodes, said quote, Theyre the worst type of people that we harbor in America.-- these students protesting against the war-- I think that were up against the strongest, well-trained militant revolutionary thats ever been assembled in America, and President Nixon chimed in by saying that the anti-war protesters were pawns of foreign communists.





And so it was that four days after the announcement of the invasion of Cambodia, there was a protest that took place at Kent State University, Ohio. 20,000 students collected-- assembled peaceably-- to protest, and the National Guard was called in to drive them away. First, the National Guard attacked them with tear gas. The students took the tear gas canisters and threw them back at the National Guard. The National Guard drew its bayonets and charged the students, and forced them to a different location, but they still didnt disperse, so at that point they shot them. Four Americans died that day, including Jeffrey Miller.





The protests continued.





In fact, they grew. Almost a thousand universities were shut down all across the country. For the only time in American history, we had a national student strike, everywhere in the country. And at Jackson State ten days later, two more students were shot by the National Guard. Shot dead. And the thing that I remember most from that time is this sign written on a bed sheet and dropped from a dormitory window outside of New York University in New York, this noble sign: They cant kill us all.





Lets take a closer look: They cant kill us all.





Now, then as now, together both times, there are people all around the world, and especially people in America, who want to live in peace-- who think that no war is better than two wars, who think that we voted to end war, not to continue it. And after all, we know in our hearts, they cant kill us all.





There are people who think that we should be concentrating on education and not war, and we know they cant kill us all. There are people who think that we should be concentrating on our health, our own bodies, improving our living standards, rebuilding America instead of war, and they cant kill us all. There are people who believe, not only in America but all over the world, that we should be striving every day toward peacetoward peace-- not toward war-- and they cant kill us all.
Protest groups infuriated by US President Donald Trump are expected to target the Australia-US Ministerial meetings on California's Stanford University campus.

Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop and Defence Minister Marise Payne will meet with Mr Trump's top cabinet members, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary James Mattis, for AUSMIN at the university's Hoover Institution on Monday and Tuesday.

China, North Korea, trade and Russia will be items on the agenda.

Anti-Trump protest groups, including Indivisible, view AUSMIN as an opportunity to protest Mr Trump's presidency.

The US State Department, Stanford campus police and Palo Alto police have devised a security plan to protect the delegations.

"For security reasons, we are not releasing security measures for the visit and any possible protests," Stanford Public Safety Department spokesman Bill Larson told AAP.

"However, if there are protesters, they will be directed to assemble in an area near the venue."

Aram Fischer, an organiser of several Indivisible chapters in California, told the San Francisco Chronicle Mr Trump's foreign policy was "a disaster on all fronts".

"The trade deals he is cutting are hurting the economy and alienating our allies," Mr Fischer said.

"And his foreign policy with Russia is making our country less safe."

The San Francisco Bay Area voted overwhelmingly against Mr Trump in the 2016 presidential election, with rival Hillary Clinton receiving more than 70 per cent of the vote.

The US selected the Stanford site for this year's AUSMIN to honour the 1951 signing of the ANZUS treaty in San Francisco.

The high-level US-Australian talks come at a crucial time for the two nations.

Mr Trump's recent European and British tour, culminating with a private meeting and controversial press conference with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, rocked America's relationships with allies.

Mr Trump, in a media interview last week, raised doubt if the US would support NATO member Montenegro if it was threatened.

Ms Bishop is expected to urge the Trump administration to hold Russia accountable for the downing of the Malaysian Airlines flight over Ukraine that killed 38 Australians, the annexation of Crimea, cyber meddling and the alleged role in nerve agent attacks in the UK.

At last year's AUSMIN Rex Tillerson was secretary of state, but his ouster resulted in former CIA director and China hawk Mr Pompeo's arrival.

Mr Pompeo upset China last year when he named it a bigger threat to the US than Russia and Iran.

China's island building in the South China Sea and pursuit of investment opportunities with South Pacific nations is expected to be discussed at AUSMIN.

"We'll be discussing China, where, of course, we are seeking to advance a very pragmatic but principled relationship with China that takes into account their helpfulness on certain core international issues, including the DPRK (North Korea), while still holding Beijing to account for violations of international law and norms when that occurs," a senior State Department official told reporters last week.

"We'll continue to be talking about how we promote trade that is free, fair, and reciprocal, specifically with regard to China, and make sure that we can do our best to ensure that China aligns itself with these fundamental principles that we have."
Chris Pine (L) and Gal Gadot participate in the Warner Bros. Theatrical Panel for "Wonder Woman 1984," which Gadot described as a "new chapter" rather than a sequel

Warner Bros. closed the final full day of the Comic-Con International fanfest on Saturday as the belle of the ball, bringing its roster of superheroes to take a bow in San Diego.

The studio took over the 6,500-seat main arena at the world's largest celebration of fan culture for two star-studded hours, serving up tantalizing teasers for its DC Extended Universe series of comic-book movies.

With Disney-owned Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm both bowing out this year, it was Warner's chance to shine and the studio obliged with a line-up of the world's biggest stars, including Johnny Depp, Chris Pratt, Jude Law, Elizabeth Banks and Eddie Redmayne.

One of the most eagerly-awaited presentations of the week, it was a chance for WB to show it is back on track after poor reviews for its DC Extended Universe movies "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice," "Suicide Squad" and "Justice League."

The studio set out its stall with extensive looks at James Wan's upcoming "Aquaman" and "Wonder Woman: 1984," a follow-up to 2017's "Wonder Woman," the DCEU's only unqualified success.

"The way we look at this is not a sequel, it's a new chapter, it's a new story," said Israeli actress Gal Gadot, who was shown as Wonder Woman saving a young girl from gunmen in rough early footage.

Director Patty Jenkins described the era of the sequel -- out in November next year -- as "mankind at its best and worst."

- 'Half-naked' -

"We're aware of things now that we weren't in the 1980s," she told the crowd. "There were some incredible and beautiful things in the 80s but at the same time... it's us at our most extreme."

The presentation also unveiled the first trailer for "Shazam!" -- an altogether more light-hearted entry in the DC universe starring Zachary Levi that is due out in April next year.

But the undoubted star of the show was "Aquaman," which raised the roof as a shirtless Jason Momoa appeared onscreen in a new trailer as half-human, half-Atlantean hero Arthur Curry.

Johnny Depp made a surprise appearance onstage for the Warner Bros. Theatrical Panel for "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald"

"You're in armor or you're half-naked in tattoos and it was a bad choice looking back to wear denim," Momoa recalled of the production, which required him to be wet most days.

"They look like leather pants, but they're not."

There was a second preview for the Christmas release that unveiled Aquaman's nemesis, Black Manta, as well as more underwater action, a rooftop chase and a final view of the Momoa in his superhero threads.

Warner's first exclusive of the session gave Harry Potter fans a look at the legendary battle between Professor Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald in "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald," which hits theaters on November 16.

Troubled star Johnny Depp was a surprise appearance onstage, missing "Aquaman" actress Amber Heard, his wife before last year's acrimonious divorce, by less than an hour.

- Loud gasps -

Depp plays Gellert Grindelwald, a casting that irked many since the actor has been dogged by controversy in his private life, including allegations of domestic abuse.

The mustachioed, platinum-haired A-lister didn't take questions but came onstage in costume after the Q&A to rapturous applause, alongside Redmayne and newcomer Jude Law, making his Harry Potter debut as a young Albus Dumbledore.

Up next was "Lego Movie 2" with sit-com support actor turned in-demand megastar Chris Pratt, who plays Star-Lord in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies.

The actor laughed that he first accepted the role of Lego construction worker and planet-saver Emmet Brickowski in the 2014 original when he was still Andy on comedy series "Parks & Recreation."

By the time he'd finished recording his voice part he was a Hollywood star and a Marvel superhero.

"It was one of those moments when I thought, 'Oh, I'm living in a computer simulation -- this is the Matrix," he joked.

(L-R) Millie Bobby Brown, Vera Farmiga, O'Shea Jackson Jr. and Michael Dougherty all appear in the upcoming "Godzilla: King of the Monsters," with the trailer drawing loud gasps from Comic-Conners

If it's not superheroes and wizards, it's skyscraper-sized lizards, and a trailer from "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" drew loud gasps from the Comic-Conners.

Led by 14-year-old "Stranger Things" star Millie Bobby Brown, the footage showed a city collapsing as Godzilla and fellow giants King Ghidora, a three-headed dragon, the insect Mothra and the winged beast Rodan do battle.

Michael Dougherty's movie is part of WB's "MonsterVerse," which launched with Gareth Edwards's 2014 "Godzilla" and last year's "Kong: Skull Island."

"I'm still a kid playing with Godzilla toys. They're just bigger more expensive Godzilla toys," he said.
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika votes in legislative elections at a polling station in Algiers in May last year

With no clear successor to longtime President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Algerians may well see their frail leader who rarely appears in public cling on for a fifth term in office.

When Bouteflika came to power in 1999, he won the backing of his conflict-weary citizens who credited him with bringing about reconciliation after a fierce civil war.

Nearly two decades on and with a presidential election scheduled for next year, the 81-year-old leader shows little sign of leaving office despite his ailing health.

"As long as God keeps him alive, Bouteflika will definitely seek a fifth term," said Mohamed Hennad, political science professor at the University of Algiers.

There has been constant speculation about the health of the president -- and even rumours of his death -- who suffered a stroke in 2013 that saw him spend three months in a French hospital.

But Bouteflika surprised observers to win a fourth term in 2014, casting his vote from a wheelchair, and he is widely expected to appear on the 2019 ticket.

"All the external signs tend to show a very small group of very powerful people at the head of the Algerian state, in favour of the re-election of the current president," said Pierre Vermeren, contemporary history professor at the Pantheon Sorbonne University in Paris.

- Possible successor sacked -

One possible successor, national police chief Abdelghani Hamel, was last month ejected from the president's inner circle.

The sacking of Hamel was intended to curb the official's ambitions, according to a diplomat based in the capital Algiers.

"It's the housekeeping before the election," the foreign envoy said.

The move is similar to reshuffles within the powerful intelligence services just months ahead of the 2014 election, in which Bouteflika clinched 81.5 percent of the vote despite being absent from the campaign trail.

Abdelaziz Bouteflika pictured at Paris' Orly airport on February 21, 1964, when he was then Algeria's foreign minister

Politicians have already been preparing for a fifth term under Bouteflika, with the secretary general of his National Liberation Front (FLN) in April asking him to run.

Last month, Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia said his Rally for National Democracy (RND) party would support the president "continuing his mission and his sacrifice in the service of Algeria".

One fierce critic of Bouteflika's decision to stay in power, New Generation (Jil Jadid) party president Soufiane Djilali, accused the presidential camp of trying to "neutralise other potential candidates".

There is "no doubt that President Bouteflika wants to finish his days in power", he said.

Possible opponents such as religious groups or political parties have been "totally marginalised", according to historian Vermeren who said there is "no counter-power to the state leadership".

- Disenchanted youth -

Algerians may have some wait ahead before he announces his candidacy, which the president did just two months before the last poll.

Longtime President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 81, shows little sign of leaving office despite his ailing health

Although those wary of a political overhaul, after a fourth term marred by social and economic hardships, may decide to steer clear of the polls entirely.

The last presidential election saw a 50-percent abstention rate and it could reach a record high in 2019, with Algerians suffering from falling oil prices and youth unemployment at 30 percent.

Half of Algeria's 40-million population is now under the age of 30 and few young people remember the expectant days of their president's first term.

Nonetheless, from the University of Algiers, Hennad regard Bouteflika stepping aside voluntarily as an "improbable hypothesis".

There is only one alternative, the academic said: "If he is declared unfit before the vote; unthinkable at the moment."
Michael Blanc with his mother, Helene Le Touzey, in Jakarta in 2014, when Blanc was freed on parole but ordered to remain in Indonesia

A Frenchman detained for 18 years after trying to smuggle drugs into Bali arrived in Geneva on Sunday and was on his way home after being deported in a case that sparked outrage in France over Indonesia's tough narcotics laws.

Police arrested Michael Blanc on the day after Christmas in 1999 at the tropical island's airport with 3.8 kilogrammes (8.4 pounds) of hashish hidden inside scuba diving canisters.

Blanc, now 45, was given a life sentence -- narrowly escaping the death penalty which has been handed to some other foreign drug traffickers, including two members of the notorious Bali Nine who were executed in 2015.

His prison term was later cut to 20 years, and in 2014 Blanc won something that few foreigners get in Indonesia -- parole, though he was not allowed to leave the country immediately.

The three-year parole period ended in July 2017, and he then had to wait another year while on probation.

Jean-Claude Blanc, the father of Michael Blanc, waiting for his son's arrival at the Geneva airport on Sunday

The former cook was escorted by immigration officials to Jakarta airport Saturday accompanied by his mother, Helene Le Touzey, who gave up her life in France to spend nearly two decades in Indonesia campaigning for his release.

"He has indeed arrived in Geneva," Martial Saddier, a parliamentary lawmaker for Blanc's native Haute-Savoie region in western France who is close to Blanc's family, told AFP.

He was met by his father Jean-Claude Blanc and other relatives out of sight of the journalists gathered to cover his return, and they later left by a side door.

"I may be almost as nervous as he is," Jean-Claude Blanc told AFP while waiting for his son's plane to land.

Saddier said Blanc was going to remain several days in an undisclosed location. "He's going to recover from these past nearly 20 years before making any public appearances," he said.

- Years of efforts -

The life sentence handed out by an Indonesian court, which rejected Blanc's claim that he was carrying the drug-filled gear for a friend, was criticised in France as unduly harsh.

The country has some of the world's toughest laws against drug use and trafficking, and several convicted suspects have been executed since President Joko Widodo took office in 2014.

Paris raised the issue at the highest levels, with the then-prime minister Francois Fillon bringing it up during a visit to Indonesia in 2011.

In 2008, Blanc's sentence was cut to 20 years thanks in large part to his mother's efforts.

She later helped secure her son's parole in 2014, despite the fact that Indonesian law does not usually allow conditional release of foreigners after serving just two-thirds of their sentence.

Michael Blanc before his departure Saturday at the Jakarta airport, in a photo provided by Indonesia's immigration authority

More than 70 people, including 42 foreigners, are facing the firing squad for drug offences, according to the Coalition for the Abolition of Death Penalty in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

Among them were foreign nationals, including two Bali Nine members arrested in 2005 for an attempt to smuggle heroin from Indonesia to Australia.

The executions of Australian ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran sparked diplomatic outrage and a call to abolish Indonesia's death penalty.

Although Jakarta suspended executions last year, Widodo has said the country is facing a "drug emergency" and previously ordered police to shoot traffickers who resist arrest.

High-profile cases like that of Australian national Schapelle Corby, who spent more than nine years behind bars for smuggling marijuana into Bali, have stoked concern that Indonesia is becoming a drug destination.

Corby was deported in 2017 after several years of parole.
Street vendor and Golden Gays member Al Enriquez, 82, also known as "Carmen Dela Rue", introduces himself to the crowd during the Golden Gays of Manila Beauty Pageant

Al Enriquez sheds his threadbare street vendor clothes like dead skin and develops a voguish, winking air once he slips into a gauzy gown and wig of tight blond curls.

He's 82 years old and is one of the stars in a beauty pageant for elderly and poor gay men that's about to start in a banquet hall on a rundown Manila street.

But this is not a rowdy, hooting drag show for tourists -- instead it is part of the decades-long work of a collective of men like him to take care of their own.

They call themselves the Golden Gays and they mean it.

"When I'm dressed like this I feel ecstatic and I feel that I don't have any sadness in me," Enriquez told AFP. "I'm gay and I'm not embarrassed that I'm gay."

The winners of the Golden Gays of Manila Beauty Pageant in Manila

The Philippines has a reputation of openness toward homosexuality, but experts say legal protections are lacking and the nation's weak social safety net especially fails older gay people.

That's why the Golden Gays have recruited corporate and private sponsors who pay for their members to get a decent lunch and a few days' worth of groceries after the pageants they hold at least once a month.

"The show is just our way of saying thank you", says the group's 68-year-old organiser Ramon Busa, known as Monique de la Rue once in heels and make-up.

- 'My mother was angry' -

Most of the 48 members are in their 60s and are among the millions of Filipinos who survive on less than five dollars per day.

The Philippines has a reputation of openness toward homosexuality, but experts say legal protections are lacking and the nation's weak social safety net especially fails older gay people

In real life they are dishwashers, street hawkers or scavengers, but for the afternoon the door will be closed on reality.

Ahead of the performance, the air in the room smells of perfume and the fried food that will be served for lunch. The men tug their dresses into place and scrutinise themselves in handheld mirrors.

The show starts with music firing at distortion volume from battered speakers as the 18 performers shimmy down the catwalk and strike poses -- or land on the laps of the dozen or so friends and supporters in the audience.

The shows have been going on for years, but the Golden Gays' roots are even deeper.

Back in the mid-1970s they got their start in Manila's urban sprawl as the Home for the Golden Gays -- a house where homeless or poor older gay men could spend the night.

The Golden Gays of Manila Beauty Pageant is part of the decades-long work of a collective of men to take care of their own

However, the home belonged to their founder, activist and columnist Justo Justo, and when he died in 2012 his family evicted the group within days.

This setback did not break up the group, which serves as the family that many of its members don't have.

Federico Ramasamy, a long-time Golden Gay, was rejected by his parents once they learned of his sexuality. He made his way to Manila and never looked back.

"I was born in the late 50s, so family values were very high," he said. "My mother was very, very angry at me when she learned that I was a gay. She sent me away."

- 'Hand to mouth' -

The Golden Gays became his family and a refuge from the real life in which he makes about two dollars a day for a 15-hour shift as a dishwasher.

That's why the Golden Gays have recruited corporate and private sponsors who pay for their members to get a decent lunch and a few days' worth of groceries after the pageants they hold at least once a month

"But I feel good, especially when it comes to what happened today, the Golden Gays. We all get together," said Ramasamy, 60, after the pageant.

The age and precarious lives of the Golden Gays mean the group has lost more than a few members to death. The most recent loss was 71-year-old George Fernandez, who died in June of a blood infection.

Anthropologist Michael Tan said life is a struggle for elderly Filipinos in general because social safety nets like pensions and healthcare are quite weak compared to those in more developed nations.

"But it is worse for gay men because of heightened vulnerabilities: not having children to turn to -- although many do support nephews and nieces or have adopted children -- and again being vulnerable to violence," he said.

The Catholic Church, which counts a majority of the nation's 105 million people as believers, remains a major force in Philippine society and has resisted anti-discrimination laws, he added.

Contestants taking part in the Golden Gays of Manila Beauty Pageant at a restaurant in the Philippines' capital

Busa, the Golden Gays organiser, shrugs at the challenges of life and says what the group really needs is a permanent new home -- preferably paid for by a generous benefactor.

With or without a house of their own the Golden Gays will survive, he said.

"That's how we live -- hand to mouth. But we have to maintain our poise, our will to live," Busa said.

"It's truly difficult but there's no choice."
Former warlord and now Afghan vice president Abdul Rahid Dostum has spent the last year in Turkey

Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum is expected to return to Kabul Sunday, more than a year after fleeing the country during an investigation into the rape and torture of a political rival.

The powerful ethnic Uzbek leader and former warlord, who is linked to a catalogue of human rights abuses in Afghanistan, will fly from Turkey to Kabul where he will be welcomed by high-ranking officials at a special ceremony, Afghan officials said.

"At 4:00 pm (1130 GMT) today General Dostum's flight will land at Kabul international airport," Jamal Nasir Farahmand, a spokesman for Dostum, told AFP.

Dostum's return, which has been the subject of much speculation, comes amid violent protests in several provinces across northern Afghanistan -- his traditional power base.

Thousands of Dostum's supporters have taken to the streets in recent weeks, shuttering election and government offices and blocking sections of highways, demanding the release of a pro-government militia leader and calling for Dostum's return.

Expectations for Dostum's arrival have done little to quell the unrest though, with protesters vowing Sunday to continue demonstrating until the burly leader of the Uzbek minority tells them otherwise.

"We don't trust the government. We will continue our protests unless General Dostum tells us to stop," Ehsanullah Qowanch, a protest leader in Faryab province, told AFP.

Qowanch also repeated calls for the release of Nezamuddin Qaisari -- a district police chief and Dostum's provincial representative in Faryab -- whose arrest earlier this month ignited the protests.

Another protester Massoud Khan said: "We have been on the streets for 20 days now. We are not going to stop our protests unless our demands are met."

- 'Known killer' -

Observers say President Ashraf Ghani, an ethnic Pashtun, gave the green light for Dostum to come back to Afghanistan to stabilise the north and secure ethnic Uzbek support ahead of next year's presidential election, which he is widely expected to contest.

Dostum left Afghanistan in May 2017 after he was accused of organising the rape and torture of a political rival.

He had denied the allegations and said his departure was for medical check-ups and family reasons.

Ghani described Dostum as a "known killer" in 2009. Yet he chose him to be his running mate in the 2014 presidential election, underlining the at times uncomfortable ethnic realities of Afghan politics.

Presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri said Saturday that Dostum had been "treated" and would resume his duties upon his return.

Seven of Dostum's bodyguards have been convicted of the sexual assault and illegal imprisonment of Ahmad Ishchi, a former governor of northern Jowzjan province, in 2016.

Dostum allegedly had Ishchi abducted in Jowzjan and then kept him hostage in his private compound for several days, where the captive was said to have been tortured and sodomised.

Chakhansuri deflected questions about whether Dostum would face charges over the incident, saying "the judiciary is an independent body, the government does not interfere in their decisions".

Dostum is one of several controversial figures that Kabul has sought to reintegrate into mainstream politics since the US-led invasion in 2001.

His heroic status in the north belies the extreme barbarities he is known for.

Dostum, who helped the United States oust the Taliban regime in 2001, allegedly allowed hundreds of Taliban prisoners to be suffocated to death in shipping containers.

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Founded in 2013, the Syria Civil Defence, or White Helmets, is a network of first responders who rescue wounded in the aftermath of air strikes, shelling or blasts in rebel-held territory

Jordan said on Sunday that it has taken in 800 Syrian White Helmets rescuers and their families from Israel and plans to transfer them to the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany.

"The Jordanian government said it had authorised the United Nations to organise the passage of 800 Syrian citizens through Jordan to be resettled in western countries," the kingdom said.

"The government gave the permission after Britain, Germany and Canada made a legally binding undertaking to resettle them within a specified period of time due to 'a risk to their lives'," it said in an English-language statement.

"These Syrian citizens who were working in the civil defence, had fled the areas controlled by the Syrian opposition after the Syrian army's attack in those areas."

Founded in 2013, the Syria Civil Defence, or White Helmets, is a network of first responders who rescue wounded in the aftermath of air strikes, shelling or blasts in rebel-held territory.

Foreign ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Kayed said the kingdom had accepted the members of the Syrian rescue organisation for "purely humanitarian reasons" as their lives had been at risk.

Kayed said those evacuated would stay in "a restricted area" of Jordan until they are transferred to the three countries within three months.

More than 650,000 Syrian refugees are registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Jordan but the kingdom says it hosts 1.3 million Syrian refugees.
In this file photo taken on February 25, 2017, a member of the White Helmets carries a wounded girl amid the rubble following reported government airstrike on the rebel-held town of Douma

Israel evacuated hundreds of White Helmets rescuers and their family members threatened by advancing Syrian regime forces to Jordan on Sunday for resettlement in Western countries.

Jordan's foreign ministry announced in a statement that the kingdom received 422 Syrian citizens, after earlier saying it had given permission for 800 to arrive.

Foreign ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Kayed said Britain, Germany and Canada had initially agreed to accept around 827 rescuers and their relatives, but eventually settled on a figure of 422.

He said they would be allowed to stay in Jordan for a period of time not exceeding three months.

A Canadian government source told AFP that a second group of White Helmets and their relatives was also supposed to be evacuated but "could not reach the border because of the situation on the ground."

The group is still in Syria and it is not certain that a new effort to bring them out can be mounted due to the "precarious" situation there, according to the source.

Founded in 2013, the Syria Civil Defence, or White Helmets, is a network of first responders which rescues the wounded in the aftermath of air strikes, shelling or explosions in rebel-held territory

The Israeli military said it had transferred the rescue workers and their families to a neighbouring country, adding that the operation was "exceptional".

"A few days ago President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau and others approached me with the request to help extract from Syria hundreds of White Helmets," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

"These are people who save lives and now find themselves in deadly danger, therefore I approved bringing them through Israel to another country as an important humanitarian step."

White Helmets head Raed Saleh said the evacuees had arrived in Jordan after being "surrounded in a dangerous region".

They had been encircled in the Syrian provinces of Daraa and Quneitra, which respectively border Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, he told AFP.

Israel seized 1,200 square kilometres (460 square miles) of the Golan from Syria in 1967, in a move never recognised internationally.

The United States praised Israel and Jordan for facilitating the evacuations and Britain, Canada and Germany for agreeing to give the evacuees new homes.

"We are glad that these brave volunteers, who have saved thousands of lives, are now out of harm's way," the US State Department said of the White Helmets.

Britain's Foreign Office said it had helped facilitate the overnight evacuations.

"White Helmets have been the target of attacks and, due to their high profile, we judged that, in these particular circumstances, the volunteers required immediate protection," it said.

- 'Save all of humanity' -

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer told Bild newspaper that Germany would take in eight White Helmets members and their families.

The move was "an expression of my stance of ensuring humanity and order in migration policy," he said.

Canada will take in up to 50 White Helmets volunteers and their families, totalling up to 250 people, officials said.

"A group of core countries have committed to resettle a number of White Helmets. Canada is resettling up to 50 members and their families, and is working with the international community to assess remaining needs," said Canada's foreign affairs spokeswoman Elizabeth Reid.

Ottawa confirmed that Trudeau spoke to Netanyahu Saturday about "the regional security situation and the evacuation of White Helmets from Syria".

In this file photo taken on March 25, 2017, White Helmets volunteers rescue a survivor following reported air-strikes on the rebel-held town of Hammuriyeh

Israel's Haaretz daily said the evacuees also included orphans who had been injured in the Syrian fighting.

It was unclear how many White Helmet volunteers remained in both the Daraa and Quneitra provinces after the evacuations.

But a volunteer in Daraa city, who asked to remain anonymous, said he had decided to stay despite being given the choice to leave.

"It's our country and we have a right to live in it in safety," he told AFP, however adding he was among a minority who wished to remain.

"We are first and foremost a humanitarian organisation, not a military one, or a terrorist one as the regime alleges."

The White Helmets have rescued thousands of civilians trapped under the rubble or caught up in fighting in opposition-held zones along various fronts of Syria's seven-year conflict.

Since its formation, when Syria's conflict was nearing its third year, more than 250 of its volunteers have been killed.

The group's motto -- "To save one life is to save all of humanity" -- is drawn from a verse in the Koran, although the White Helmets insist they treat all victims, regardless of religion.

- Thousands flee -

Some members have received training abroad, including in Turkey, returning to instruct colleagues on search-and-rescue techniques.

The group receives funding from a number of governments, including Britain, Germany and the United States, but also solicits individual donations to purchase equipment such as its signature hard hats.

A picture taken on July 22, 2018 from the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights shows smoke rising across the border area in Syria's southwestern Quneitra province as rebels destroy their arms stocks before their evacuation

On June 19, Syrian government forces launched a Russia-backed offensive to retake Daraa and Quneitra provinces.

Just a month later, regime forces have regained control of most of these two provinces through a combination of deadly bombardment and Moscow-brokered surrender deals.

Jihadists are not party to these deals, and Russian planes bombarded a holdout of the Islamic State group in Daraa province overnight, a Britain-based war monitor said.

More than 20,000 civilians have escaped bombardment on the IS-held corner in the past 24 hours, fleeing into regime-held areas, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Children play in a water fountain in a Tokyo park as a heatwave grips Japan

Japan's severe heatwave killed at least 15 people and sent more than 12,000 to hospital in the first two weeks of July, official figures show as the temperature neared 40 degrees C (104 F) in many cities on Sunday.

Twelve people died of heatstroke in the week ending July 15 after three perished in the preceding week, according to latest data.

More than 9,900 people were rushed to hospital during the week to mid-July, jumping from 2,700 in the previous week, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.

The scorching weather shows no signs of easing.

Kyodo News agency reported that at least 11 people, mostly elderly citizens, died on Saturday alone from suspected heatstroke.

A total of 3,091 ambulances were dispatched in Tokyo on Saturday, a record for a single day, it said.

The weather agency said Sunday's temperatures exceeded 35 degrees C at 233 observation points across the nation by mid-afternoon.

It hit a local record of 39.8 degrees C in the central city of Gujo Sunday afternoon, while in some parts of Tokyo the temperature rose past 37 degrees.

The weather agency issued a warning of extraordinary high temperatures for most regions of Japan's main island.

"Risks of heatstrokes are particularly high," it said, urging citizens to drink enough water and use curtains and air conditioning.

The education ministry has told schools to postpone outdoor activities on hot days. A six-year-old boy died of heatstroke last week after a school outing in sweltering weather.




act like anything... he's an authentic working class guy and marine veteran very much the same way Randy Bryce is. Golden has a great record of accomplishment as one of the leaders in the state House. He has a well-rounded platform, but his primary issue seems to be healthcare. We asked him why and urged him to write Maine's second congressional district isn't white collar Portland or ritzy Kennebunkport. All 10 of Maine's wealthiest towns are in York and Cumberland counties, part of ME-01. Meanwhile ME-02 is an all-American blue collar district. And it's a swing district that Obama won by about 10 points both times he ran but that Hillary lost by about 10 points to Trump. The Democratic establishment was looking for a Blue Dog to run, a Republican-lite character who would sound like a less extreme version of the current congressman, Trump enabler Bruce Poliquin. Instead, Mainers chose one of their own, Jared Golden, a populist leader who doesn'tlike anything... he's an authentic working class guy and marine veteran very much the same way Randy Bryce is. Golden has a great record of accomplishment as one of the leaders in the state House. He has a well-rounded platform, but his primary issue seems to be healthcare. We asked him why and urged him to write another guest post . And he did:









Mainers Want To Talk About Healthcare

-by Jared Golden













As I travel across Maine's 2nd Congressional District-- the largest district geographically east of the Mississippi River-- the one issue voters want to talk about most is healthcare. When speaking with small business owners, private building contractors, those working in Maine's fishing industry, the best shipbuilders in the world at Bath Iron Works, and Mainers of every stripe, more often than not, the discussion turns quickly to healthcare. And it's no wonder. For years, the hard-working people of Maine-- and America-- have struggled under the ever-increasing challenges associated with ensuring they and their loved ones have access to affordable, quality care.





Hearing their stories has given me both hope and determination. Hope because the folks I meet remind me of how ruggedly independent the people of Maine are; determination because these same people need a representative who has their back in Congress. Unfortunately, the current office-holder, Republican Bruce Poliquin, has turned a deaf ear to these stories. In fact, Poliquin refused to even meet with the people he is elected to represent about the issue when, last year, the Congress was debating the repeal of the ACA. Ultimately, Poliquin voted to pull the rug from under his constituents that would have left more than 100,000 without healthcare. Fortunately, this partisan effort failed due to three courageous Republican Senators but, if Poliquin had been successful, devastating consequences would have soon followed.





The American Health Care Act of 2017 passed the House of Representatives in May of 2017 with the help of my opponent. The AHCA would have made dramatic changes to Medicaid, a program, that for 50-plus years, has served the needs of the poor and disabled, including low-income seniors, and children living in low-income homes. Despite the fact that the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected 23 million additional Americans would become uninsured, Poliquin still voted for this flawed legislation. And the bad news didn't stop there.





Maine is a rural state but, in the 2nd District we take rural to another level. Mainers living far from the urban centers of the state rely heavily on rural healthcare clincs and hospitals located throughout the district. Poliquin's vote would have devastated that network leading to a large percentage-- if not all-- of these facilities closing their doors. That would have left many of his constituents without care, plus led to the elimination many good-paying jobs thus causing a double-whammy to local economies. And you don't need to take my word for it. Were all worried, Jeffrey Austin, vice president of government affairs at the Maine Hospital Association said in an article published by the Portland Press Herald. The average operating margins in Maine hospitals are about 1 percent. There just isnt room for dramatic negative impacts.





The Maine Hospital Association opposed the repeal Poliquin voted for. And then there is the looming opioid crisis that Maine is facing. Poliquin's repeal would make a terrible situation even more unbearable. In a March 2017 piece published in Perspective Magazine, doctors Peter Friedman, Christina M. Andrews and Keith Humphreys laid out the need to preserve the healthcare tools provided by the ACA in fighting the scourge of the opioid crisis-- a crisis that has led to more than a death per day in my home state. The doctors wrote "Although the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was not designed with the opioid epidemic in mind, it provides valuable tools for expanding access to medication treatment." They went on to point out "...inclusion of addiction treatment as an essential health benefit that existing insurance plans must cover, and requirements that benefits for treatment of opioid use disorder be provided at parity with coverage of medical and surgical procedures" were among the reasons the ACA should not be repealed. Despite the impact on his constituents, despite the real damage repeal would have wrought upon local communities, and despite the heartbreak of the on-going opioid crisis, my opponent still broke from the rest of our state's Congressional delegation in voting to repeal the ACA.




A national survey report released earlier this year said around 60 percent of young women in India aged between 16 and 24 years did not have access to sanitary pads

India has withdrawn a controversial tax on sanitary pads following a vocal campaign led by activists and Bollywood stars to boost female education and empowerment.

Saturday's announcement is part of a slew of changes to the national goods and services tax (GST) intended to reduce the prices of around 90 key consumer goods, many of which target urban middle classes ahead of next year's general election.

"I think all women will be happy to know that sanitary pads will now have 100 percent exemption. There will be no GST on sanitary pads," India's acting finance minister Piyush Goyal told journalists on Saturday.

Activists, Bollywood actors and some politicians had opposed the 12 percent tax, citing a lack of access and affordability for a key hygiene product as a key barrier to female empowerment in the country.

A national survey report released earlier this year said around 60 percent of young women aged between 16 and 24 years did not have access to sanitary pads.

The figure was as high as 80 percent for some of India's poorer central and eastern states.

Reports in the last few years have linked absence of basic infrastructure such as toilets at Indian government schools outside big urban centres, and lack of access to sanitary pads, with higher dropout rates among girls.

"One of those days when a news brings tears of joy as a cause close to ur heart gets fulfilled," Akshay Kumar, one of Bollywood's most popular stars, wrote on Twitter.

Kumar was the lead actor in Padman, a Bollywood movie released earlier this year about the life of an activist who created a line of low-cost sanitary napkins for rural India.

"Thank you ... for understanding the need for menstrual hygiene and exempting sanitary pads from tax. I'm sure crores (tens of millions) of women in our country are silently sending gratitude ur way," he added.

The new national GST (goods and services tax) was introduced last July under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and was the country's biggest tax overhaul in a generation.

It was meant to unify the over $2 trillion economy into a single market, with four tax rates of 5, 12, 18 and 28 percent.
A lorry passes through the the Kerem Shalom crossing, the main passage point for goods entering Gaza, in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, on July 17, 2018

Israel will reopen its only goods crossing with the blockaded Gaza Strip on Tuesday if calm is maintained, a minister said, after having closed it July 9 partly over kites carrying firebombs.

UN officials meanwhile warned that the Gaza Strip was facing serious fuel shortages affecting hospitals as well as water and sanitation facilities, calling for restrictions to be lifted.

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that "if today and tomorrow the situation continues as it was yesterday, then on Tuesday we will allow Kerem Shalom (goods crossing) to return to normal activity and the fishing zones will return to the same distances as before."

Lieberman, speaking at the crossing, stressed that calm also meant an end to months of kites and balloons carrying firebombs over the border fence from the Palestinian enclave run by Islamist movement Hamas to burn Israeli farmland.

Israeli authorities say hundreds of fires have been started by the firebombs since April.

Lieberman said "the key is quiet, calm, zero firebombs, zero friction on the fence and zero rockets or, God forbid, shooting."

Lieberman's comments came after a ceasefire was reached following a major flare-up of violence between Palestinian militants in Gaza and Israel on Friday.

The escalation -- the second in as many weeks -- followed months of tension that have raised fears that a fourth war since 2008 could erupt between Hamas and Israel.

The ceasefire followed a wave of deadly Israeli air strikes across Gaza sparked by the death of an Israeli soldier shot near the border.

There has been relative calm on the Gaza border since the ceasefire.

- 'Being fast depleted' -

Israel announced on July 9 that the goods crossing was being closed to most deliveries partly in response to the firebombs and other incidents along the border fence.

On July 17, it further tightened the restrictions to also prevent fuel deliveries while reducing the fishing zone Israel enforces off Gaza to three nautical miles from six.

The crossing has remained open for food and medicine on a case-by-case basis.

The UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, Jamie McGoldrick, said Sunday that "supplies of emergency fuel provided by the UN for critical facilities in Gaza are being fast depleted."

He called on Israel to end restrictions on fuel imports and warned hospitals could soon be forced to close, with emergency supplies set to run out in early August.

"Given ongoing blackouts of about 20 hours a day, if fuel does not come in immediately, peoples lives will be at stake, with the most vulnerable patients, like cardiac patients, those on dialysis, and newborns in intensive care, at highest risk," he said in a statement.

Gaza suffers from a severe electricity shortage and relies on generators in many cases.

Mass protests and clashes erupted on the Gaza border on March 30 and have continued at varying levels since then.

At least 149 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since March 30. The soldier shot dead on Friday was the first Israeli killed.
The Canidrome Club in Macau was until its shutdown Asia's only legal dog-racing track

Authorities in the gambling hub of Macau have taken under their care more than 500 greyhounds abandoned by the operator of the city's dog-racing track after it closed.

The Canidrome Club, owned by one of the city's most powerful women Angela Leong, was until its shutdown Asia's only legal dog-racing track.

The track, established in 1931, had long faced criticism from animal rights groups, who said the greyhounds were treated cruelly and sometimes put to death after a losing streak.

But the closure of the track in the semi-autonomous Chinese city had also raised fears over the fate of the dogs.

The government's move follows a long wrangle between campaigners and billionaire Leong, a lawmaker in Macau and the fourth wife of gambling mogul Stanley Ho, who has denied the accusations of inhumane treatment.

The Macau government said in a statement Saturday the 533 greyhounds were in "normal health condition". They were being cared for by government specialists and volunteers from animal rights groups, including Macau-based Anima, which had called for an end to dog-racing.

The government last week slammed Leong's company Yat Yuen for delaying efforts to find new homes for the dogs, saying it acted irresponsibly.

It said the company could be punished under the Animal Protection Law.

Yat Yuen did not respond to a request for comment.

Anima estimated that some 70 dogs died or were killed in 2016 due to injuries, illnesses or for underperformance, the South China Morning Post has reported.
Participants attend a demonstration in Tel Aviv on July 22, 2018, to protest a new surrogacy law that does not include gay couples

Israelis demonstrated and held a one-day strike on Sunday to protest a law denying surrogacy to gay couples, with thousands attending a rally in Tel Aviv.

Police did not give an estimate of numbers at the city's central Rabin Square, but Haaretz newspaper put the attendance at 60,000.

A police statement said that large numbers of officers were deployed to "ensure the safety of participants and maintain public order".

Earlier in the day demonstrators blocked a major Tel Aviv highway for about 20 minutes. Protesters also blocked traffic in central Jerusalem and two were arrested, police said.

Israeli media showed dozens of protesters at each of a number of locations throughout the country, including those shouting "shame" and waving rainbow flags.

Participants attend a demonstration in Tel Aviv on July 22, 2018, to protest a new surrogacy law that does not include gay couples

At Rabin Square, a regular venue for protests or celebrations, demonstrators brandished rainbow flags and some held a banner reading "We are family."

The rally came after parliament on Wednesday approved surrogacy for single women or those unable to bear children -- without granting the same right to same-sex couples or single men.

Previously, only heterosexual married couples were able to use a surrogate.

Around 200 companies announced they would allow their employees to not work to protest, without it counting against their vacation days.

Sunday is already a semi-official holiday in Israel as Jews mark Tisha B'av, which commemorates the destruction of the two biblical-era temples.

"It is a symbolic measure, but one that shows real support," Julien Bahloul, spokesman for the Association of Gay Fathers in Israel, told AFP.

Some companies said they would contribute up to around $15,000 to help gay couples forced to seek surrogacy abroad.

Bahloul said gay couples wanting to have children must find a surrogate mother abroad and the costs can rise to more than $100,000. Costs would be cut in half if it were allowed in Israel, he said.

- 'Demanding equality' -

At Sunday's Rabin Square rally one demonstrator said the protest was about not only the new law, but also the place of the gay community in Israeli society.

"We are demanding equality for the LGBT community," Chen Arieli told AFP.

"It's not about surrogacy, it's about security in the streets," she said.

A 16-year-old girl was stabbed to death on a 2015 pride march in Jerusalem by an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man who also stabbed five other people and is now serving a life sentence.

Israel has been a trailblazer when it comes to gay rights, but same-sex relationships remain a taboo among religious conservatives who prop up Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government.

Participants attend a demonstration in Tel Aviv on July 22, 2018, to protest a new surrogacy law that does not include gay couples

The premier relies on ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties Shas and United Torah Judaism, both of which oppose families with same-sex parents.

Opposition MP Ofer Shelah, of the centrist Yesh Atid party, said he had gathered signatures from a sufficient number of lawmakers to force Netanyahu to answer questions on the issue in a parliamentary debate.

"We shall not let Netanyahu avoid giving an answer on the blatant discrimination against the LGBT community over the surrogacy law," he said in a statement.

"The debate is only the beginning of a process," he wrote, adding that the ultimate aim was "changing the law and ending the discrimination."

Israel's Channel 11 public television said that the Israeli Supreme Court was to hear this week petitions against the law from two male couples.
Afghan children play on a swing on the outskirts of Kabul: explosives planted or discarded in the city take a deadly toll on the young

Every day Shah Mahmood's children took it in turns to dump the family's trash near their Kabul home. But this simple chore turned deadly on Sunday when a blast in the street killed two of them and wounded another.

No one appears to have witnessed the explosion on the quiet, dusty street divided by a putrid open drain, but police told AFP they believe a magnetic bomb hidden in a pile of garbage had detonated after the children touched it.

It is a tragic scene played out across war-torn Afghanistan almost every day -- children killed or maimed by explosive devices left over from decades of conflict, carelessly discarded or deliberately planted.

"This is our life all around the city -- it happens everywhere," a tearful Mahmood told AFP, as he stood with a dozen male mourners in a narrow dirt lane outside his house.

"I was working as normal at the vegetable market, my children were throwing out the garbage and the bomb went off and they were killed."

Mahmood, who has nine children, said his daughter Shabnam, 13, and his eight-year-old son Nisar died in the explosion.

Their small bodies were thrown several metres by the force of the blast, according to people who found them.

Another daughter, nine-year-old Rukhsar, was taken to the trauma facility run by Italian NGO Emergency where she underwent major surgery for multiple shrapnel wounds.

She was in critical but stable condition.

"Some people said the bomb was hidden under the (shipping) container and others were saying it was in the garbage (on the ground). It is difficult to know," Mahmood said.

Behind the mud and brick wall of Mahmood's home in a poor area of Khair Khana neighbourhood came the sound of grieving women wailing.

Civilians, including children, have borne the brunt of the country's nearly 17-year conflict.

UN figures show 3,179 children were killed or wounded in 2017, accounting for almost one-third of the total civilian casualties for the year.

Improvised explosive devices, such as remotely detonated or pressure-plate bombs, killed or wounded 545 of them.

Unexploded ordnance claimed the lives of 142 children and wounded 376 in the same period.

"Conflict-related violence continues to erode the rights of children to education, healthcare, freedom of movement and other fundamental rights, as well as family life, playing outdoors and simply enjoying a childhood free of the brutal effects of war," UNAMA's human rights chief Danielle Bell said in a report recently.

Mahmood said Shabnam and Nisar were "calm and quiet children" who spent most of their time indoors -- not uncommon in Kabul where many parents make their children play inside for fear of violence.

"My elder daughter... never went out on her own, she always wanted to have the company of her brother," Mahmood said.

"Today, sadly, they were killed."
Dostum's return comes amid violent protests in several provinces across northern Afghanistan, his traditional power base

A suicide bomber killed at least 14 people and wounded 60 at the entrance to Kabul international airport on Sunday, officials said, as scores gathered to welcome home Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum from exile.

Senior government officials, political leaders and supporters were leaving the airport after greeting the powerful ethnic Uzbek leader and former warlord when the explosion happened.

"This is the first time I have seen a suicide attack," one witness told AFP.

"People were collecting human flesh with their hands," he said, shaking as he spoke. "What is going on in Afghanistan?"

Dostum, clad in a Western suit and sunglasses and travelling in an armoured vehicle, was unharmed, his spokesman Bashir Ahmad Tayanj said.

Kabul Police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said 14 people had been killed and 60 others wounded, adding that nine members of the security forces and traffic police were among the dead.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack through its official Amaq news agency late Saturday, according to the SITE intelligence monitoring group.

The suicide bomber was on foot, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said, adding that civilians, including a child, and security force members were among the casualties.

Dostum, who is linked to a catalogue of human rights abuses in Afghanistan, was mobbed like a celebrity as he left the chartered plane from Turkey, where he has lived since May 2017.

His return, which has been the subject of much speculation, comes amid violent protests in several provinces across northern Afghanistan, his traditional power base.

Thousands of Dostum's supporters have taken to the streets in recent weeks, shuttering election and government offices and blocking sections of highways to demand the release of a pro-government militia leader and to call for Dostum's return.

Expectations of the return did little to quell the unrest, with protesters vowing Sunday to continue demonstrating until the burly leader of the Uzbek ethnic minority tells them otherwise.

"We don't trust the government. We will continue our protests unless General Dostum tells us to stop," Ehsanullah Qowanch, a protest leader in Faryab province, told AFP.

Qowanch also repeated calls for the release of Nezamuddin Qaisari -- a district police chief and Dostum's provincial representative in Faryab -- whose arrest earlier this month ignited the protests.

Another protester, Massoud Khan, said: "We have been on the streets for 20 days now. We are not going to stop our protests unless our demands are met."

- 'Known killer' -

Observers say President Ashraf Ghani, an ethnic Pashtun, gave the green light for Dostum to come home to stabilise the north and secure Uzbek support before next year's presidential election, which he is widely expected to contest.

Former warlord and now Afghan vice president Abdul Rahid Dostum has spent the last year in Turkey

Dostum left Afghanistan in May 2017 after he was accused of organising the rape and torture of a political rival.

He had denied the allegations and said his departure was for medical check-ups and family reasons.

Ghani in 2009 described Dostum as a "known killer", yet he chose him as his running mate in the 2014 presidential election, underlining the sometimes uncomfortable ethnic realities of Afghan politics.

Presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri said Saturday that Dostum had been "treated" and would resume his duties upon his return.

Seven of Dostum's bodyguards have been convicted of the sexual assault and illegal imprisonment of Ahmad Ishchi, a former governor of the northern province of Jowzjan, in 2016.

Dostum allegedly had Ishchi abducted in Jowzjan and then kept him hostage in his private compound for several days, where the captive was said to have been tortured and sodomised.

Chakhansuri deflected questions about whether Dostum would face charges over the incident, saying "the judiciary is an independent body, the government does not interfere in their decisions".

Dostum is one of several controversial figures whom Kabul has sought to reintegrate into mainstream politics since the US-led invasion in 2001.

His heroic status in the north belies the barbarities for which he is known.

Dostum, who helped the United States oust the Taliban regime in 2001, allegedly allowed hundreds of Taliban prisoners to be suffocated in shipping containers.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will head to Africa and a summit of the BRICS emerging economies

Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan will make the latest in a string of trips to Africa this week, visiting South Africa and Zambia as well as attending a summit of the BRICS leading emerging economies, the presidency said Sunday.

The five BRICS countries -- Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa -- seen by analysts as rising challengers to established Western economies are holding the group's latest summit in Johannesburg.

Turkey is not a member of the BRICS, but Erdogan will attend a special session in his capacity as the current chair of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the event, the presidency said.

Previous reports have said Erdogan is also due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on the summit's sidelines.

Russia and Turkey have been cooperating increasingly strongly, notably on the Syria crisis, and Ankara is buying Russian S-400 air defence systems in a deal that has upset the West.

The Turkish presidency described Erdogan's participation in Johannesburg as the "first high level contact" between Turkey and the BRICS.

After the visit to South Africa on July 25-27, Erdogan will head to Zambia on July 28 in what the presidency said would be the first ever visit by a Turkish head of state.

Erdogan has made expanding Turkey's presence in both Muslim and non-Muslim Africa one of the priorities of his foreign policy.

Since being elected president in 2014, he has visited 20 African countries.

Ankara is aiming to have a Turkish diplomatic mission in every African country and wants to play a major role in development and trade in the continent.

It will be Erdogan's first trip to Africa since was re-elected on June 24 for a second term with enhanced powers.
Rahman (C) pictured appearing in court in 2013: he has now been attacked by ruling party student activists

A prominent former editor and critic of Bangladesh's government was assaulted on Sunday by ruling party student activists after a court hearing, police and witnesses said.

The cadres of the Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling Awami League, attacked Mahmudur Rahman, 66, with bricks and bamboo sticks, his colleague Mohammad Abdullah said.

The attack happened when he got into a car after being bailed over a defamation case by a court in the western town of Kushtia.

"It was a brutal attack. (They) hit the right side of his head with a brick. We are now heading to Jessore city on an ambulance," Abdullah said.

Images on social media showed Rahman bloody but conscious and able to walk.

Rahman was the editor of the mass-circulation pro-opposition Bengali daily Amar Desh, which was shut down by the government in 2013. He also heads a pro-opposition professional group.

Abdullah said Rahman had been confined to the courtroom for five hours after more than 100 of the activists took up position outside.

"Some 60-70 people took part in the attack," he said, accusing police of inaction.

A police officer said they were busy providing security for a religious event.

Images of a bloodied Rahman went viral on social media.

Police confirmed the attack on Rahman was by ruling party student activists.

"After he got bail, Chhatra League activists attacked his car with brick pieces. He was hit by broken glass of the car," a police official said.

Rahman has been flown back the capital Dhaka where he will be treated at a top hospital, his colleague Abdullah said.

Rahman spent more than three years in jail on periods of arbitrary detention and was released in November 2016.

He faces some 80 charges including sedition, torching of vehicles, a plot to kill the son of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and inciting religious tension.

According to rights group Reporters without Borders, media self-censorship is growing in Bangladesh as a result of the "endemic violence" against journalists and media outlets, and the "almost systematic impunity" enjoyed by those responsible.
Comoros opposition supporters demonstrated earlier this month against proposed constitutional reforms up for approval in a controversial referendum

Comoros vice-president Moustoidrane Abdou escaped an assassination attempt early Sunday when his vehicle was fired on days before a controversial referendum on constitutional reform, a security source said.

"His car was seriously damaged but the vice-president is unhurt, there are no victims," the source, who requested anonymity, told AFP.

Abdou was travelling to his home village of Sima in the west of Anjouan island when assailants on a motorcyle raked his car with automatic gunfire near the island's biggest town of Mutsamudu, said the source.

The attackers escaped, the source added.

Authorities dispatched investigators from the capital Moroni on Grande Comore, the largest of the country's three main islands, following the incident.

Abdou, one of the country's three vice-presidents, holds the portfolios of production and energy in the government of President Azali Assoumani.

Assoumani, elected in 2016, has called a referendum for July 30 on a constitutional reform that could allow him to seek re-election and retain power beyond 2021, when his currently non-renewable term would otherwise end.

Under the current constitution, power rotates every five years between the archipelago's three main islands.

The nation was plunged into crisis in April when Assoumani suspended the Constitutional Court, the highest court in the country, sparking opposition protests.

Comoros President Azali Assoumani (left), seen on the during the Arab League summit earlier this year, hopes the referendum can cement his grip on power byallowing him a potential second five-year-term from 2021-- but the plan has sparked widespread opposition

One of his leading critics, ex-president Ahmed Abdallah Sambi, was placed under house arrest, while another prominent opposition leader was jailed following violent clashes between security forces and anti-government demonstrators.

Abdou's fellow vice-president Ahmed Said Jaffar last month dubbing the referendum illegal, urging Comorans to "reject the dangerous abuse" of power.

The archipelago, which is situated in the Indian Ocean between Mozambique and Madagascar and is one of the world's poorest countries, was repeatedly shaken by separatist movements and instability prior to the passing of a new constitution in 2001 providing for the rotation of power between the islands.

The president does not have the power to dismiss the three vice-presidents under that constitution, but Assoumani's reform proposals would allow him to abolish their posts.

The former colonel first seized power in a coup in 1999, then won a democratic election in 2002 to rule until 2002.

Assoumani, who went on to win a 2016 election marred by violence and allegations of voting irregularities, said in May that "consulting the people is the most democratic process for modifying the constitution".
Iraqi security forces use water cannons to disperse protesters in the capital Baghdad's Tahrir Square on July 20, 2018

Fresh protests hit southern Iraq Sunday as medical sources put at 11 the number of demonstrators killed in two weeks of unrest sparked by ire over corruption and lack of public services.

Security forces remained deployed around the capital Baghdad after struggling Friday to disperse crowds of angry protesters who took to the streets.

Demonstrations have roiled swathes of southern and central Iraq since erupting in the oil-rich port city of Basra on July 8, when security forces opened fire killing one person.

Overall medical sources put the death toll in the unrest at 11 people, three in each of the cities Basra, Samawah and Najaf, and one in both the cities of Diwaniyah and Karbala.

Most of them were killed by gunfire from unidentified assailants, while one person suffocated to death on tear gas used to disperse the demonstrators.

Protesters on Sunday took to the streets in the cities of Samawah and Nasiriyah, chanting "no to corruption", a scourge Iraqis say has long blighted their country.

Since the start of the demonstrations those involved have focused their anger on the political establishment, with government buildings and party offices being sacked or set ablaze.

The Iraqi authorities have scrambled to halt the unrest and have blocked social media sites online to try to prevent the spread of protests.

Iraq is in a state of political limbo with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi overseeing a caretaker government as wrangling to form a new government drags on after elections in May.

A coalition headed by populist cleric Moqtada Sadr topped the polls, campaigning on an anti-graft ticket to claim the most seats in parliament.
Jim Thompson with Bernie and Alexandria in Wichita



Hillary Clinton didn't campaign in Kansas. 427,005 people voted for her there anyway (36%). She won the Kansas City area-- Douglas County 31,195 (62.28%) to 14,688 (29.32%) and Wyandotte County 30,146 (61.80%) to 15,806 (32.40%) in landslides and did well enough in Johnson and Shawnee, respectively 129,852 (44.76%) to 137,490 (47.40%) and 33,926 (44.99%) to 35,934 (47.65%). She took the 3rd congressional district up there 47-46%. Sedgwick County (Wichita) was a bummer for her though-- 69,627 (36.88%) to 104,353 (55.28%). For whatever reasons, Clinton wasn't a popular political figure in Kansas. The state primary caucuses saws Bernie beat her in every district and his statewide total was an astonishing 67.7% to 32.3%. Bernie is very popular in Kansas. Who'da thunk?





The Republican wing of the Democratic Party-- the corporatists-- had a convention last week in Columbus Ohio to plot out a way to prevent Bernie and Elizabeth Warren from winning the 2020 presidential nomination. The same wing of the party and their media shills have been spending more time smearing Alexandria Ocasio than on defeating Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan since she defeated one of their own, corrupt New Dem powerhouse Joe Crowley, a few weeks ago in a primary. Bernie and Alexandria were in Kansas City and Wichita Friday, campaigning for progressives Brent Wilders and James Thompson.





Reporting for The Intercept yesterday, Briahna Gray wrote that "the gestalt of the days remarks was something bigger than any one race. The speeches-- particularly Sanders-- announced a unifying theme that felt too coherent to have been thrown together for a House primary or two. Individually, the remarks were compelling. Together, they comprised an unabashed declaration of post-partisan movement building-- a rebuke to those in power who fetishize every identity-based division in order to diffuse the largest coalition in the country: the working class."





In the 3rd district (Kansas City), Welder has a primary from a heavy-funded EMILY's List moderate and some very right-wing Democrat coming up before he can get to Trump rubber-stamp Republican Kevin Yoder. In the 4th district (Wichita), "Thompson is an even better opportunity to prove the Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez case. Thompson is looking to fill the Wichita seat-- home of Koch Industries-- once held by CIA Director Mike Pompeo. Thompson made waves last year when he came close to defeating Republican Ron Estes in a special election in a solidly red district, falling seven points short ahead of this years rematch. A civil rights attorney with no prior electoral experience, his near-win is evidence, to some, that Sanderss platform is as pragmatic as it is progressive. They say we should be more centrist, Thompson said to supportive boos before arguing that if Kansans wanted a moderate, or a 'Republican-lite,' they wouldve voted for Clinton in 2016."

Where electoral battles have long been viewed as a struggle over red states and blue states-- an effort to dominate the map like advancing armies, on Friday, that partisan dichotomy was evoked only to be dismissed in favor of a narrative that highlights the universal struggles shared by residents in locales as diverse as Kansas and Vermont and the Bronx. Yes: Trump is a racist. Critiques of his immigration policy and calls for criminal justice reform received enthusiastic applause. And yes: Kansas went red in 2016. But Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez, and Thompson each emphasized that the enemy was not a color-- not red or blue, nor black or white. It was the 1 percent, people like the three families who, as Sanders pointed out, have more wealth than the bottom half of Americans.



Where there are working-class people, exhorted Ocasio-Cortez, there is hope for the progressive movement. Later, Thompson echoed that sentiment. Its not about Republicans or Democrats, he said, but about working people coming together.
Aviation minister Hadi Sirika said Nigeria Air would take off in December with 15 leased aircraft and said talks have been held with manufacturers Airbus and Boeing to buy new aircraft

Nigeria chose one of the world's top international airshows to unveil its plans for a new national flag carrier, with a glitzy launch aimed at attracting foreign investors.

Aviation minister Hadi Sirika said Nigeria Air would take off in December with 15 leased aircraft and said talks have been held with manufacturers Airbus and Boeing to buy new aircraft.

Qatar Airways and Ethiopian have been mooted as possible investors.

"I am confident we will have a well-run national flag carrier, a global player, compliant to international safety standards... which has the customer at its heart," said Sirika.

The announcement at Britain's Farnborough Airshow sparked an outpouring of national pride in Nigeria, whose reputation abroad is often associated with corruption and poor governance.

Supo Atobatele, editor-in-chief of Air Transport Quarterly and a former spokesman of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, said the move was long overdue.

"An airline flying our flag across the globe will enhance the international image of our country," he told AFP.

The government said the new airline will not only cater for a growing demand for air travel but also create jobs and boost the economy, which is recovering from recession.

Its "private sector-driven" financial structure in which the government only holds only a five percent stake would also boost competition and drive up standards, it has argued.

- Mixed reception -

Reaction to the announcement has not all been overwhelmingly positive, however, and many sounded a note of caution given Nigeria's unenviable track record in aviation.

More than 40 airlines have gone under in Nigeria in the last 30 years, not least the former national airline, Nigeria Airways, which collapsed under a weight of debt in 2003.

Fifteen years later, many former employees are yet to be paid salary and pensions arrears, according to unions.

Virgin Nigeria was founded as a joint venture with Richard Branson's Virgin Group, folded in 2008. The British tycoon complained of political interference and vested interest.

He likened the behaviour of the authorities to the mafia in the United States of the 1930s and questioned why any international firm would consider investing in the country.

Rebrandings as Nigerian Eagle Airlines and Air Nigeria also failed to get off the ground, while in recent years the government has stepped in to stop private airlines going under.

Domestic aviation is dogged by delays and cancellations while foreign airlines dominate the most popular international routes to Europe, north America and the Gulf.

The government is covering the start-up costs of $300 million (256 million euros) for Nigeria Air.

But Atobatele said the new carrier needed to be devoid of political interference for it to survive.

"The major reason why Nigeria Airways failed was because it was run as a social service and not as a business. Nigeria Air should not be allowed to suffer the same fate," he added.

The general secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, Olayinka, Abioye, said he was worried about use of state funds to finance the new airline.

"What will become of the fate of the domestic airlines that have been allocated the routes of the defunct Nigeria Airways?" he added.

"Are they going to be shut out of those routes when the new national carrier comes on stream?"

- 'Wrong priority' -

Abolaji Odumesi, a frequent air traveller from Lagos, said there was no need to launch a new airline in the first place.

"We should have resuscitated Arik Air and Aero Contractors to form the nucleus of Nigeria Air since they have been taken over by the government because of their huge debts," he added.

Beyond questions about the extent of government involvement, tight margins and huge costs involved, others said Nigeria had more pressing issues to address.

Former education minister Oby Ezekwesili said a national carrier was "clearly a wrong priority" and a "waste" of money that could be better spent elsewhere.

Some 86.9 million of Nigeria's more than 180 million people were now living in extreme poverty -- the most in the world -- with fears that could increase as the population increases.

Only a tiny minority had benefited from the billions of dollars made in oil production. Corruption and mismanagement has left public services in tatters and infrastructure inadequate.

Buhari, who is seeking re-election in February next year and made the relaunch of a national flag carrier a campaign pledge in 2015, has vowed to improve the situation.

But for most people, air travel remains a luxury.
A truck is seen at the gate of the Kerem Shalom crossing, the main passage point for goods entering Gaza, in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, on July 17, 2018

Israel will reopen its only goods crossing with the blockaded Gaza Strip on Tuesday if calm holds following a ceasefire, a minister said, after closing it July 9 partly over kites carrying firebombs.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned separately, however, that the military was prepared for far more intense strikes in the Gaza Strip if it deems necessary after a severe flare-up of violence on Friday.

UN officials meanwhile said that the Gaza Strip was facing serious fuel shortages affecting hospitals as well as water and sanitation facilities, calling for restrictions to be lifted.

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Sunday spoke of reopening the goods crossing, known as Kerem Shalom.

"If today and tomorrow the situation continues as it was yesterday, then on Tuesday we will allow Kerem Shalom to return to normal activity and the fishing zones will return to the same distances as before," he said.

Lieberman, speaking at the crossing, stressed that calm also meant an end to months of kites and balloons carrying firebombs over the border fence from the Palestinian enclave run by Islamist movement Hamas to burn Israeli farmland.

Israeli authorities say hundreds of fires have been started by the firebombs since April.

Lieberman said "the key is quiet, calm, zero firebombs, zero friction on the fence and zero rockets or, God forbid, shooting."

A spokesman for Israel's fire service said there were no fires caused by the devices along the Gaza border on Saturday and Sunday. He said there had been an average of around 24 per day in recent weeks.

But on Sunday evening the Israeli military said that one of its aircraft had earlier fired "at a terrorist squad launching arson balloons from the northern Gaza Strip into Israeli territory".

There were no reports of casualties.

The comments by Lieberman and Netanyahu came after a ceasefire was reached following a major flare-up of violence between Palestinian militants in Gaza and Israel on Friday.

The escalation -- the second in as many weeks -- followed months of tension that have raised fears that a fourth war since 2008 could erupt between Hamas and Israel.

The ceasefire followed a wave of deadly Israeli air strikes across Gaza sparked by the death of an Israeli soldier shot near the border.

There has been relative calm on the Gaza border since the ceasefire.

"At the weekend we gave Hamas a very severe blow, and if necessary we will strike them sevenfold," Netanyahu said.

- 'Being fast depleted' -

Israel announced on July 9 that the goods crossing was being closed to most deliveries partly in response to the firebombs and other incidents along the border fence.

On July 17, it further tightened the restrictions to also prevent fuel deliveries while reducing the fishing zone Israel enforces off Gaza to three nautical miles from six.

The crossing has remained open for food and medicine on a case-by-case basis.

The UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, Jamie McGoldrick, said Sunday that "supplies of emergency fuel provided by the UN for critical facilities in Gaza are being fast depleted."

He called on Israel to end restrictions on fuel imports and warned hospitals could soon be forced to close, with emergency supplies set to run out in early August.

"Given ongoing blackouts of about 20 hours a day, if fuel does not come in immediately, people's lives will be at stake, with the most vulnerable patients, like cardiac patients, those on dialysis, and newborns in intensive care, at highest risk," he said in a statement.

Gaza suffers from a severe electricity shortage and relies on generators in many cases.

Mass protests and clashes erupted on the Gaza border on March 30 and have continued at varying levels since then.

At least 149 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since March 30. The soldier shot dead on Friday was the first Israeli killed in that period.

Gaza's only other goods crossing is with Egypt. It had been kept largely closed in recent years, but Egypt opened it in mid-May and the crossing, known as Rafah, has remained open most of the time since then.
The story began last year after Elon Musk tweeted a picture of the colorful mug, which depicts a crudely drawn unicorn against a rainbow, with smiley-face emojis in the background

Elon Musk has reached an agreement with a US potter who accused him of using his farting unicorn design on Tesla products without permission.

Tom Edwards, of Evergreen, Colorado, wrote on his website on Friday that the issue had been resolved "in a way that everyone feels good about!" while Musk tweeted a screenshot of the same statement.

The story began last year after the billionaire founder of the electric car firm and SpaceX tweeted a picture of Edwards' colorful mug, which depicts a crudely drawn unicorn against a rainbow, with smiley-face emojis in the background.

The mythical creature is seen passing wind into a funnel that is connected to a car. "Electric cars are good for the environment because electricity comes from magic," reads the back.

Musk called it "maybe my favorite mug ever" and the publicity led to a slight bump in sales for Edwards, who was happy that the South African-born entrepreneur, often hailed as a leading tech innovator and visionary, was a fan of his work.

But Edwards' admiration turned to disappointment when he found out the image had made its way into Tesla's promotional materials and even its operating system, for which he had not received compensation.

That prompted a bitter exchange on Twitter where Edwards' daughter Lisa Prank wrote that Musk had "ripped off my dad's art! this is a true story! what do you have to say for yourself @elonmusk ??"

Musk initially credited the work to another artist and described the row as "kinda lame," adding that Edwards should be happy it had boosted his mug sales.

The news came days after Musk apologized for calling a British diver who helped rescue 12 Thai boys from a cave a "pedo" (short for "pedophile"). His initial comment drew widespread outrage and briefly sent Tesla shares tumbling.

The tirade raised concerns over the entrepreneur's stability and leadership, coming after a series of previous social media attacks on Wall Street analysts, journalists and employees.

Edwards, for his part, was magnanimous in his response.

"It's clear there were some misunderstandings that led to this escalating, but I'm just glad that everything has been cleared up," wrote the 61-year-old, a self-described "ceramics geek" who began working in pottery in the late 1970s after dropping out of graduate school.

"I've always been a Tesla fan, and I'm looking forward to getting back to making pots and selling them in my online store," he added.
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has called for the pursuit of multiparty democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law in the face of the longtime control of parliament by a single coalition

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has called for "multi-party democracy", his chief of staff said Sunday, in a country that has long been under the tight control of a single coalition.

"Given our current politics, there is no option except pursuing a multiparty democracy supported by strong institutions that respects human rights and rule of law," Abiy said, according to his chief of staff Fitsum Arega on Twitter.

"This will allow us to mediate our differences peacefully and to ensure lasting progress."

The comments were made at a meeting Abiy had with leaders of numerous political parties and indicate a possible opening up of the narrow political space.

It also signals the latest in a series of stunning turnarounds under Abiy who has pursued economic reforms and sealed peace with neighbouring Eritrea since coming to power in April.

Ethiopia is technically a multi-party democracy but in practice has been dominated since 1991 by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) which, together with its allies, controls every seat in parliament.

Earlier this month Ethiopia's parliament removed three groups from the country's list of "terrorist" organisations in a bid to mend fences with the political opposition.

Rights groups have long accused Ethiopia of using allegations of involvement with the armed anti-government groups Ginbot 7, Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) as a pretext to jail journalists and opposition politicians.

Since Abiy came to power, thousands of dissidents have been released from jail and this week parliament voted to grant amnesty to "individuals and groups either under investigation or convicted on treason, crime against the constitutional order and armed struggle."
Argentina's Economy Minister Nicolas Dujovne (L), with Central Bank President Luis Caputo, said the group must focus on harmony even amid rising trade tensions

Group of 20 members pleaded on Sunday for increased dialogue to defuse escalating trade tensions that could hit global economic growth hard.

Finance ministers and central bankers from 20 leading economies closed a two-day meeting in Buenos Aires warning that "heightened trade and geopolitical tensions" threaten the economic expansion.

It comes at a time when US President Donald Trump's protectionist policies have provoked ire from traditional allies such as the European Union, Canada and Mexico, and sparked a series of retaliatory measures.

The G20's final communique stressed "the need to step up dialogue and actions to mitigate risks and enhance confidence" amidst fears of an escalating global trade war.

While the statement did not mention the United States, which is at the center of trade disputes with G20 members China, the EU and others, it demonstrated more concern than in March, when the group avoided the issue altogether.

Argentina's Economy Minister Nicolas Dujovne hinted that the G20 could not afford a rupture over trade disputes which he said should be resolved directly between governments or through the World Trade Organization.

"It's not about denying differences," Dujovne told reporters at the conclusion of the meeting. But "we have to try to emphasize consensus because we recognize the importance of keeping this group alive and in harmony."

During the 2008 global financial crisis the G20 was critical in preventing an even worse outcome and saved millions of jobs, he said, noting that "it's in the bad times when you see how essential it is."

But Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin reiterated his claim that the US merely wants "more balanced trade" with other countries.

Mnuchin also dismissed the economic impact of the raft of tariff hikes and retaliatory duties, saying so far they have only affected the US on a "micro" scale. But from a "macro standpoint we do not yet see any significant pattern on the economy."

US businesses have been hit with a series of punitive measures by China, the EU, Canada and Mexico, including tariffs on soybean, motorcycles, bourbon and other goods, while manufacturers are complaining about rising prices of key supplies subject to new US duties.

- 'Allies not foes' -

EU finance chief Pierre Moscovici hit out at Trump's protectionist policies, but said cool heads are needed to resolve the dispute.

European Union finance chief Pierre Moscovici says the United States must start acting as "allies" not "foes"

The US and EU have been at loggerheads since Trump angered European allies by imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum. He also has threatened to hit auto imports with duties which would be especially hard for Germany.

While the EU is "willing to build bridges," Moscovici told reporters "we believe that targeting us is certainly inappropriate... and that we must act with the US as allies -- not foes but allies."

Mnuchin insisted the US wants to "resolve the trade issues with the EU" and the complaint often is more about "non-tariff barriers" than tariffs.

"We have a trade imbalance with many countries as a result of not exactly free and fair trade," he said. Earlier in the meeting he said the dispute with the EU could be resolved by agreeing to trade with no tariffs, no barriers and no subsidies.

Muscovici warned that "further trade escalation conflicts would negatively affect" all the countries involved, the US included. Protectionism benefits no one, and creates "no winners, only casualties."

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde agreed, and again spoke out against the tit-for-tat tariffs and urged that "trade conflicts be resolved via international cooperation without resort to exceptional measures."

The IMF warned recently that in a worst-case scenario, $430 billion of global GDP -- or a half percentage point -- could be lost in 2020 if all tariff threats and retaliations are carried out.

As well as imposing tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum, Trump hit China with a 25 percent punitive levy on $34 billion of goods, with tariffs on the way on an additional $16 billion, and $200 billion more under consideration.

And in a television interview aired last week, Trump threatened to impose duties on the entire $500 billion of goods the US imports from China.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin responded to complaints from G20 ministers saying the US simply wants trade with no barriers and equal access

"We want our companies to have the same access to their markets that they have to us," Mnuchin said about the Asian giant. "We don't force joint ventures on them, we don't want our companies to have joint ventures there."

The US has long complained that China steals US technology through forced transfers or outright theft, and the issue is at the heart of Trump's trade offensive.

Mnuchin said, "we want to have the right to protect our IP and our technology, anywhere in the world, that's not just China specific."
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - One app promotes itself as a way to discuss sensitive negotiations and human resources problems without leaving a digital record.

Another boasts that disappearing messages "keep your message history tidy." And a popular email service recently launched a "confidential mode" allowing the content of messages to disappear after a set time.

The proliferation of digital tools that make text and email messages vanish may be welcome to Americans seeking to guard their privacy. But open government advocates fear they are being misused by public officials to conduct business in secret and evade transparency laws.

FILE - In this May 14, 2018 file photo, Gov. Eric Greitens leaves the civil courts building in St. Louis, Mo., after speaking with reporters after a felony invasion-of-privacy case against him was dismissed. In Missouri, Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill that would make clear that personal social media pages and messages sent through digital platforms such as Confide and Signal are public records as long as they relate to official business. The legislation arose because of a controversy involving use of the Confide app by Greitens, who resigned in June amid a series of scandals. (Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP, File)

Whether communications on those platforms should be part of the public record is a growing but unsettled debate in states across the country. Updates to transparency laws lag behind rapid technological advances, and the public and private personas of state officials overlap on private smartphones and social media accounts.

"Those kind of technologies literally undermine, through the technology itself, state open government laws and policies," said Daniel Bevarly, executive director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition. "And they come on top of the misuse of other technologies, like people using their own private email and cellphones to conduct business."

Some government officials have argued that public employees should be free to communicate on private, non-governmental cellphones and social media platforms without triggering open records requirements.

Lawmakers in Kentucky and Arizona this year unsuccessfully proposed exempting all communications on personal phones from state open records laws, alarming open government advocates. A Virginia lawmaker introduced a bill to exempt all personal social media records of state lawmakers from disclosure.

New Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer went the opposite direction in February with an executive order that requires his staff to use official email accounts for all government business. He also banned private accounts for any communications related to "the functions, activities, programs, or operations" of the office.

In neighboring Missouri, Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill that would make clear that personal social media pages and messages sent through digital platforms such as Confide and Signal are public records as long as they relate to official business. The legislation arose because of a controversy involving use of the Confide app by former Gov. Eric Greitens, who resigned in June amid a series of scandals.

"We need to clarify the expectations, because we should not be allowed to conduct state business using invisible ink," said state Rep. Ingrid Burnett, who said she's disappointed the bill didn't advance.

The proposals were captured by a new Associated Press application called SunshineHub, a digital tool that tracks bills related to government transparency in all 50 states. They point to the mushrooming challenge of defining and maintaining government records in the smartphone era.

The issue exploded into public view last year amid reports that several employees in the office of Greitens, then Missouri's governor, had accounts on Confide. The app makes messages disappear immediately after they are read and doesn't allow them to be saved, forwarded, printed or captured by screenshot.

The news prompted an inquiry from the state attorney general, an ongoing lawsuit alleging the practice violated the state's sunshine law and the bill that would declare all such communications relating to government business to be public records.

Greitens and aides have said they used Confide only to discuss logistics such as scheduling matters that were insignificant, "transitory" and therefore not required to be maintained as public records. An inquiry by Attorney General Josh Hawley found no evidence the practice as described was illegal, but investigators didn't recover the disappeared messages.

Greitens' explanation for using the app has drawn skepticism from critics, who question why mundane messages would be sent on a platform that promotes "honest, unfiltered confidential conversations" on sensitive topics.

"That's absurd. Nobody switches out to a secret burner app to do that," said Missouri attorney Mark Pedroli, who is suing Greitens on behalf of an open government group and using the case to investigate whether the former governor used the app to communicate with donors and political aides.

"One of the motivating factors of this lawsuit is to find out - what could be the worst-case scenario of a governor or elected official using a secretive app like this?"

He said government agencies should move to ban or severely restrict the use of such applications before they become commonplace. He already has obtained during the litigation a training slide that repeatedly instructed members of Greitens' staff to never send text messages on government cellphones, an apparent suggestion to do such business only on personal phones.

In Kentucky, language added to an unrelated bill in March would have exempted all electronic communications related to public business - including calls, text messages and emails - from the state open records law. Those messages would be exempt from disclosure as long as the phone or computer was paid for with private money and used non-governmental accounts.

Open government advocates protested the legislation, which would have been the first of its kind in the nation. Lawmakers modified it so it would exempt only "communications of a purely personal nature unrelated to any governmental function." Media and open government advocates called the language unnecessary, saying personal communications already aren't subject to disclosure.

A similar bill introduced in Arizona to shield all communications created, stored or received on electronic devices paid for with private money died without a hearing.

The measures in Kentucky and Arizona were introduced after the states' attorneys general issued legal opinions concluding that government agencies were not responsible for managing their employees' personal phones, and because of that such communications are not subject to open records laws.

Similar concerns arose after Gmail introduced its confidential mode, which allows senders to control who can access, forward, print or copy sensitive data and to set a time for messages to "expire."

National Freedom of Information Coalition board president Mal Leary recently wrote a letter to Google arguing that those features, which were recently launched as part of a redesign, could promote the illegal destruction of public records. Leary noted that Google's suite of services is commonly used by state and local governments and urged the company to disable that feature from accounts and emails linked to public agencies.

"Technology that allows the self-destruction of official, electronic public communications is not promoting transparency, and under most state open government laws, is illegal," Leary wrote.

Google responded that those features are similar to other tools in the marketplace, and that government administrators will be able to choose to disable them on their networks.

The company noted that even after a message in "confidential mode" expires and its content is no longer available, a history of the message remains available in the sent folder and the headers and subject line remain visible in the recipient's inbox.

FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2018 file photo, Republican Jeff Colyer is sworn in as the 47th governor of Kansas during a ceremony at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. In February, Colyer announced an executive order that requires his staff to use official email accounts for all government business. He also banned private accounts for any communications related to "the functions, activities, programs, or operations" of the office. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner, File)

FILE - In this May 30, 2018, file photo, Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer, right, answers a question from reporters as Lt. Gov. Tracey Mann, left, listens during a news conference in Topeka, Kan. Kansas Gov. Colyer in February issued an executive order that requires his staff to use official email accounts for all government business. He also banned private accounts for any communications related to "the functions, activities, programs, or operations" of the office. (AP Photo/John Hanna, File)
LOUDON, N.H. (AP) - Christopher Bell has cracked the Cup supremacy in Xfinity.

The 23-year-old Bell held off hard-charging 2012 Cup champion Brad Keselowski over the final 18 laps at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to win his second straight Xfinity Series race.

Bell pulled off the towering achievement of winning two straight Xfinity races against former champs from NASCAR's top-tier series who moonlight on Saturdays. Bell topped 2015 Cup champion Kyle Busch to win last week's race at Kentucky Speedway and he followed up Saturday in the No. 20 Toyota by keeping Keselowski at bay down the stretch for his third win this season.

Christopher Bell celebrates his win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., Saturday, July 21, 2018. (Elizabeth Frantz/The Concord Monitor via AP)

"You hope to race those guys at one point, so I'm thankful that I get the opportunity here in the Xfinity Series to race with them and proud that I'm able to compete with them, let alone beat them," Bell said.

Keselowski had won the pole Saturday but was dropped to the rear of the field because he was late to the mandatory drivers meeting. It proved to be nothing more than a mild inconvenience for Keselowski in the No. 22 Ford. He stormed past the second-tier regulars and had his fourth straight Xfinity win in sight.

Bell, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, had the fresh tires that Keselowski needed and that was enough to ring in a victory lane celebration. Bell gave his checkered flag to a young fan in the stands.

"I hope it means a lot more to that kid than it is to me," he said. "You know, we get trophies, we get all sorts of trophies, so hopefully it means a lot to that kid."

JGR fields cars for Busch and Bell, one reason it's continued to have success in Xfinity.

"They've won before me, they're going to win after me," Bell said. "It's my job to make sure they win with me."

Ryan Preece, John Hunter Nemechek and Matt Tift completed the top five to complete a solid showing for the Xfinity regulars.

"You see all this crap going around the Internet that Cup guys shouldn't be allowed in Xfinity," Bell said. "Why?"

Because Xfinity is supposed to be the series where the stars of NASCAR's future are discovered. Instead, they spent this season looking up at Cup regulars Busch, Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Austin Dillon as race winners.

But Bell said he wanted them in Xfinity so he could race against the best drivers in NASCAR.

Busch led more than 100 laps last week at Kentucky before he faded late and Bell took advantage for the win. At New Hampshire, Bell was aided by four fresh tires down the stretch that helped make the difference.

Keselowski nipped at Bell's bumper over the final three laps but could never reel him in for the decisive pass.

"I didn't have any rear left tire," Keselowski said. "I think we would have won today on four (tires) but that's not the way it played out."

Bell, the 2017 Truck Series champion, is certainly talented enough to find himself in a Cup ride the next few years. It's just a matter of where he'll fit in a series where top rides are scarce.

Bell said he's just getting started in Xfinity.

"Whenever you come to here, you step in this equipment at Joe Gibbs Racing, you're expected to win," he said. "Pressure's on for you to deliver and thankfully I've been able to deliver, at least some of the time."

___

More AP auto racing: www.racing.ap.org

Christopher Bell stands next to the trophy after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., Saturday, July 21, 2018. (Elizabeth Frantz/The Concord Monitor via AP)

Brad Keselowski makes a pit stop during the NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., Saturday, July 21, 2018. (Elizabeth Frantz/The Concord Monitor via AP)
Famed restaurant critic Jonathan Gold died on Saturday in Los Angeles

Jonathan Gold, who became the first restaurant critic ever to win the Pulitzer Prize for criticism, has died. He was 57.

Gold died on Saturday in Los Angeles after being diagnosed earlier this month with pancreatic cancer, the Los Angeles Times reported.

'I can't imagine the city without him. It just feels wrong. I feel like we won't have our guide, we won't have the soul,' said Laura Gabbert, who directed 'City of Gold,' a 2015 documentary about the critic. 'It's such a loss. I can't wrap my head around it still.'

Gold's reviews first appeared in L.A. Weekly and later in The Times and Gourmet. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2007 while at L.A. Weekly. He was a finalist again in 2011.

'There will never be another like Jonathan Gold, who will forever be our brilliant, indispensable guide through the culinary paradise that is Los Angeles,' Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement.

Gold's writing was focused on 'hole-in-the-wall joints, street food, mom-and-pop shops and ethnic restaurants'. He is seen celebrating his 2007 Pulitzer with a giant glass of champagne

'Jonathan earned worldwide acclaim as a food critic, but he possessed the soul of a poet whose words helped readers everywhere understand the history and culture of our city.'

The Times noted Gold's reviews, appearing in his column called Counter Intelligence, focused on 'hole-in-the-wall joints, street food, mom-and-pop shops and ethnic restaurants,' which he preferred to call traditional restaurants.

Known as J. Gold, he had a distinctive style, wearing suspenders, a slightly rumpled button-down shirt, moustache and mop of feathery strawberry blond hair.

Ruth Reichl, who edited Gold at The Times and at Gourmet, called him a trailblazer.

'Jonathan understood that food could be a power for bringing a community together, for understanding other people,' she told the newspaper. 'In the early '80s, no one else was there. He was a trailblazer and he really did change the way that we all write about food.'

Gold also won numerous James Beard Foundation journalism awards during this career. In May, he received the Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review Award.

His reviews were compiled into a book, 'Counter Intelligence: Where to Eat in the Real Los Angeles,' in 2000.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - A suicide bomber carried out an attack near the Kabul airport Sunday, killing 14 people and narrowly missing Afghanistan's vice president, who was returning home after living in Turkey for over a year, security officials said.

The blast occurred near Kabul International Airport shortly after the convoy of the controversial vice president had just left the airport, Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said.

Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, a former Uzbek warlord, and his entourage were unharmed, said Danish.

Afghan security personnel stand guard next to wounded comrades at the site of an attack near the Kabul International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, July 22, 2018. An Afghan spokesman said there has been a large explosion near the Kabul airport shortly after the country's controversial first vice president landed on his return from abroad. Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum and members of his entourage were unharmed in the explosion on Sunday, which took place as his convoy had already left the airport (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Danish said that 14 people, including both civilians and military forces, were killed in the attack and 50 others wounded.

The Islamic States group's local affiliate claimed responsibility for the attack on its Amaaq News Agency website, claiming it had killed and wounded over 115 people.

In a statement from the presidential palace, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the attack.

Dostum had been undergoing medical treatment in Turkey, and is now well and ready to resume work, said presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri.

Dostum left Afghanistan in 2017 after the attorney-general's office launched an investigation into allegations that his followers had tortured and sexually abused a former ally turned political rival. He has since reportedly been barred by the government from returning to Afghanistan.

It was not immediately clear whether Dostum will now face any charges.

"The judiciary in Afghanistan is an independent body and will carry out its duties and responsibilities as it deems appropriate," said an official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the issue.

Dostum, accused of war crimes committed after the fall of the Taliban government in 2001, has also been criticized by the United States for human rights abuses.

Afghan first vice president, a former Uzbek warlord, Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, center, and members of his entourage disembark on arrival at Kabul International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, July 22, 2018. An Afghan spokesman said there has been a large explosion near the Kabul airport shortly after Dostum landed on his return from abroad. Dostum and his entourage were unharmed in the explosion which took place after his convoy had already left the airport. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Afghan security personnel carry an injured comrade after an attack near the Kabul International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, July 22, 2018. An Afghan spokesman said there has been a large explosion near the Kabul airport shortly after the country's controversial first vice president landed on his return from abroad. Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum and members of his entourage were unharmed in the explosion on Sunday, which took place after his convoy had already left the airport. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Afghan first vice president, a former Uzbek warlord Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, in red striped tie, and members of his entourage disembark on arrival at Kabul International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, July 22, 2018. An Afghan spokesman said there has been a large explosion near the Kabul airport shortly after Dostum landed on his return from abroad. Dostum and his entourage were unharmed in the explosion which took place after his convoy had already left the airport. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Afghan first vice president, a former Uzbek warlord, Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, center, and members of his entourage arrive at Kabul International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, July 22, 2018. An Afghan spokesman said there has been a large explosion near the Kabul airport shortly after Dostum landed on his return from abroad. Dostum and his entourage were unharmed in the explosion which took place after his convoy had already left the airport. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Afghan security personnel carry an injured officer after an attack near the Kabul Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, July 22, 2018. An Afghan spokesman said there has been a large explosion near the Kabul airport shortly after the country's controversial first vice president landed on his return from abroad. Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum and members of his entourage were unharmed in the explosion on Sunday, which took place after his convoy had already left the airport. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

An injured civilian uses a cellphone as he sits on the ground after an attack near the Kabul Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, July 22, 2018. An Afghan spokesman said there has been a large explosion near the Kabul airport shortly after the country's controversial first vice president landed on his return from abroad. Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum and members of his entourage were unharmed in the explosion on Sunday, which took place as his convoy had already left the airport (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT -- An Afghan police officer runs past the bodies of security personal after an attack near the Kabul Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, July 22, 2018. An Afghan spokesman says there has been a large explosion near the Kabul airport shortly after the country's controversial first vice president landed on his return from abroad. Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum and members of his entourage were unharmed in the explosion on Sunday, which took place as his convoy had already left the airport (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
LONDON (AP) - What to do during Britain's hottest summer in years? Why, count butterflies, of course.

Britain is holding a Big Butterfly Count to help experts assess the state of the wildlife environment. The count is being backed by celebrities, including naturalist David Attenborough, and depends on people devoting 15 minutes to counting butterfly species.

More than 60,000 volunteers took part in the Butterfly Conservation survey last year. The annual survey began in 2010 and the group says it's become the largest butterfly monitoring project in the world.

FILE - This March 23, 2016 file photo shows a Blue Morpho butterfly landing on a plant during a photo call for hundreds of tropical butterflies being released, to launch the Natural History Museum's Sensational Butterflies exhibition in London. During the summer of 2018 Britain is holding a Big Butterfly Count to help experts assess the state of the wildlife environment. The count is being backed by celebrities, including naturalist David Attenborough, and depends on people devoting 15 minutes to counting butterfly species. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, file)

The group says butterflies react very quickly to environmental changes, making them excellent indicators of biodiversity. It says a decline in butterflies is "an early warning" of other wildlife losses.

The count, which also helps to identify threatened species, goes until Aug. 12.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's president Hassan Rouhani has urged U.S. President Donald Trump to "make peace" with Iran, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported on Sunday.

The report quotes Rouhani as saying "American must understand well that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace and war with Iran is the mother of all wars."

Rouhani warned Trump to stop "playing with the lion's tail" and threatening Iran, "or else you will regret it."

Trump earlier this year pulled the United States out of the international deal meant to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon and ordered increased American sanctions.

Trump has suggested Iranian leaders are "going to call me and say 'let's make a deal'" but Iran has rejected talks.

Rouhani has previously lashed out against Trump for threatening to re-impose the sanctions, as well as for moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and banning travel to the U.S. from certain Muslim-majority countries.
MOSCOW (AP) - One of Russia's best-known graduate schools, created to avoid a brain drain among top academics in the newly open Russia of the 1990s, has lost its state accreditation, amid fears of a wider clampdown on educational institutions with strong Western connections.

Russian government auditors last month revoked the accreditation of the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences, the second case in a year that a private school which partners with a European university has been downgraded.

"They are closing down independent intellectual centers," said Mikhail Gelfand, a biotechnology professor at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow.

In this photo taken on Friday, June 29, 2018, current and former students of the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences give a standing ovation to the founder of their school Theodor Shanin, sitting at right, in Moscow, Russia. Russian government auditors last month revoked the accreditation of the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences, the second case in a year that a private school which partners with a European university has been downgraded. (AP Photo/Maria Danilova)

Known colloquially as Shaninka, after British sociologist Theodor Shanin who founded it in 1995, the school routinely tops Russian university rankings and launches its students into prestigious careers at home and abroad. Shaninka, a small school that graduates about 450 students a year, also runs a joint program with the University of Manchester in Britain, and students can receive both a Russian and a British degree.

The government audit in May started out routinely, said Konstantin Gaaze, who teaches sociology at Shaninka, but three days later the auditors apologized and left abruptly, without sharing their preliminary findings with the school, as is normal.

A month later, the education oversight agency announced that it was stripping Shaninka of its government accreditation, citing violations.

Among these was that the dean of the school's law department has an undergraduate degree in history, not law - even though he does hold advanced degrees in law and has published articles in international law journals. Another complaint was that a theoretical course on political and legal studies did not include a laboratory-based workshop.

Shaninka's troubles follow a string of regulations passed in Russia in recent years that restrict the work of nongovernmental groups and media that receive foreign funding. The audit also took place when Russia's relations with the West were at a particularly low point. London had accused Moscow of the March poisoning in Britain of a former Russian spy and his daughter. The Kremlin denied the accusations and responded by closing down the British Council in Russia, a government-funded group that promotes British culture abroad.

Shaninka's president, Sergei Zuyev, would not speculate about what could have brought on the sanction, but staunchly disputed the findings of the audit.

"People who teach here are usually well-known researchers in Russia and abroad who are published widely, but for some reason we are told that these people cannot lecture or hold certain positions at the school," he said. "This is strange. I don't agree with that."

The University of Manchester said in a statement that it "has validated programs at the Moscow School since 1996 and in that time they have not caused any concern with regards to academic quality and standards."

Rosobrnadzor, the agency that conducted the audit, did not respond to a request for comment. But deputy prime minister Tatyana Golikova has recently called for giving top universities more freedom in setting their own curriculum and for reforming the way auditors are chosen, the state news agency Interfax reported.

Gaaze said academic standards at the school are far superior to those at most Russian universities. He said he had to read up to 150 books and up to 500 articles during his graduate course there.

"I had a feeling that I simply didn't know how to read books before I enrolled at Shaninka," Gaaze said.

Arnold Khachaturov, a philosophy major at Shaninka, says the school teaches students to think independently.

"They call it a hotbed of liberalism but I would rather say it's a greenhouse for critical thought, for independent analysis," Khachaturov said.

While the university can continue to operate without state accreditation, it will not have access to government funds for scholarships and will not be able to offer deferrals from military service to male students.

Students and professors are concerned that Shaninka might follow in the footsteps of the European University in St. Petersburg, another top private liberal arts school that lost its government license last year under similar circumstances. The university was left to function only as a research center and can no longer educate students.

A bitter twist in Shaninka's case is that a watchdog group has revealed that a dissertation defended in 2005 by Svetlana Nikonova, one of the experts who audited Shaninka, had been plagiarized.

"This is the usual case of a dissertation that was copy-pasted from the works of other people without any references," said Andrei Rostovtsev, who heads the Dissernet group.

Nikonova declined to speak to an Associated Press reporter when reached for comment.

Nikonova's work is one of about 8,000 "garbage" dissertations identified by Dissernet volunteers since the group was founded five years ago. Among those exposed are national lawmakers, one federal and many regional ministers, university presidents and deans, and other prominent public figures.

Rostovtsev says such dissertations are usually "purchased" by government officials, members of the military, doctors and even university professors because academic titles give better pay, perks and prestige. A dissertation can cost from $10,000 up to $50,000.

Since Dissernet's inception, about 200 people have been stripped of academic titles because of bogus dissertations.

Against this background, experts are all the more worried that President Vladimir Putin's government has decided to go after Shaninka.

"The authorities view independently thinking people, whatever their views, as a potential threat," said Vladimir Gelman, a political science professor at the European University.

In this photo taken on Friday, June 29, 2018, moderator Boris Dolgin, right, Sergei Zuyev, second left, president of Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences, Irina Prokhorova, left, a member of the supervisory board at the school and school founder Theodor Shanin, center, speak at a meeting of the school's current and former students in Moscow, Russia. Russian government auditors last month revoked the accreditation of the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences, the second case in a year that a private school which partners with a European university has been downgraded. (AP Photo/Maria Danilova)
VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Francis has lamented the latest migrant deaths in shipwrecks of smugglers' boats and entreated nations to act swiftly to prevent more tragedies.

Francis in his traditional Sunday appearance to faithful in St. Peter's Square expressed sorrow over recent deaths in the Mediterranean Sea and assured victims' loved ones of his prayers.

He called on "the international community to act decisively and quickly so similar tragedies aren't repeated" and said the "safety, respect of rights and the dignity of all must be guaranteed."

Paramedics carry a person rescued from a boat that capsized off Cyprus' northern coastline, as he is brought to a hospital in Silifke, near the city of Mersin, southern Turkey, late Wednesday, July 18, 2018. A boat carrying about 150 migrants capsized off the northern coast of Cyprus on Wednesday, with the search continuing and some 105 people rescued so far according to the Turkish coast guard. (Mustafa Ercan/DHA-Depo Photos via AP)

Far fewer migrants have arrived in Italy this year compared to the same period in 2017, but U.N. refugee officials say recent crossings have been deadlier.

With Italy's new populist government and Malta not allowing aid groups' boats to dock, rescued migrants lately have been stranded at sea for days.

People with hands painted in red protest in front of the Italian Interior Ministry headquarters in Rome, Wednesday, July 18, 2018. Dozens of protesters marched in front of the ministry to protest government's hard-line immigration policy. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

People with hands painted in red protest in front of the Italian Interior Ministry headquarters in Rome, Wednesday, July 18, 2018. Dozens of protesters marched in front of the ministry to protest government's hard-line immigration policy. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

People with hands painted in red protest in front of the Italian Interior Ministry headquarters in Rome, Wednesday, July 18, 2018. Dozens of protesters marched in front of the ministry to protest government's hard-line immigration policy. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

People with hands painted in red protest in front of the Italian Interior Ministry headquarters in Rome, Wednesday, July 18, 2018. Dozens of protesters marched in front of the ministry to protest government's hard-line immigration policy. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Rescue workers from the Proactiva Open Arms Spanish NGO retrieve the bodies of an adult and a child amid the drifting remains of a destroyed migrant boat off the Libyan coast, on Tuesday July 17, 2018. A migrant rescue aid group accused Libya's coast guard of abandoning three people in the Mediterranean Sea, including an adult woman and a toddler who died, after intercepting some 160 Europe-bound migrants on Monday near the shores of the northern African country. (Proactiva Open Arms via AP)

Claus-Peter Reisch, captain of the migrant rescue ship "Lifeline" gives interviews after arriving at the airport in Munich, southern Germany, Monday, July 16, 2018. (Matthias Balk/dpa via AP)
VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Latest on immigration into Europe (all times local):

8:15 p.m.

Spain's Maritime Rescue Service says it has picked up 447 people who were trying to cross to the Mediterranean Sea from northern Africa.

Paramedics carry a person rescued from a boat that capsized off Cyprus' northern coastline, as he is brought to a hospital in Silifke, near the city of Mersin, southern Turkey, late Wednesday, July 18, 2018. A boat carrying about 150 migrants capsized off the northern coast of Cyprus on Wednesday, with the search continuing and some 105 people rescued so far according to the Turkish coast guard. (Mustafa Ercan/DHA-Depo Photos via AP)

The service said it rescued 257 migrants from 20 boats Sunday in the Strait of Gibraltar, the closest stretch of water between African and European shores. Another 190 were taken from four boats in the Alboran Sea.

On Saturday, the Spanish rescue service took 329 people off vessels crowded with migrant passengers.

The number of migrants and refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Spain this year has surpassed arrivals in Italy.

According to the International Organization for Migration, a UN agency, over 18,000 people reached Spain by sea from January until mid-July.

___

3 p.m.

A Spanish rescue group says it has filed a lawsuit in Spanish courts against the captain of a cargo ship and the captain the Libyan coast guard for not rescuing three migrants from a shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea.

Proactiva Open Arms director Oscar Camps says the lawsuit accuses both the Libyan coast guard and the Panamanian cargo ship Triades of failing to rescue two women and a small boy from a migrant boat 80 nautical miles off the coast of Libya on July 17.

Open Arms later found and rescued them, but only one woman was still alive. The woman and the two bodies were brought to the Spanish island of Mallorca on Saturday.

Camps said the lawsuit was signed by his crew and former NBA player Marc Gasol who was accompanying the rescue mission on the Mediterranean.

___

1:20 p.m.

Libya's coast guard says it has intercepted 40 migrants in the Mediterranean Sea, near its shores, bound for Europe.

Coast guard spokesman Ayoub Gassim says a boat carrying 31 men, eight women and a child was stopped on Saturday off the coast of the western city of Zuwara. He said Sunday that the migrants - who are from Morocco, Egypt, Syria and Nigeria, were taken to a naval base in Tripoli.

Libya has emerged as a major transit point to Europe for people fleeing poverty and war in Africa and the Mideast, as human traffickers take advantage of the country's lawlessness.

Libyan authorities have stepped up efforts to stem the flow of migrants with the help of training and money from European nations. Aid workers, however, say migrants who are returned to Libya often risk facing beatings, rape or slavery.

___

12:45 p.m.

Pope Francis has lamented the latest migrant deaths in shipwrecks of smugglers' boats and entreated nations to act swiftly to prevent more tragedies.

Francis in his traditional Sunday appearance to faithful in St. Peter's Square expressed sorrow over recent deaths in the Mediterranean Sea and assured victims' loved ones of his prayers.

He called on "the international community to act decisively and quickly so similar tragedies aren't repeated" and said the "safety, respect of rights and the dignity of all must be guaranteed."

Far fewer migrants have arrived in Italy this year compared to the same period in 2017, but U.N. refugee officials say recent crossings have been deadlier.

With Italy's new populist government and Malta not allowing aid groups' boats to dock, rescued migrants lately have been stranded at sea for days.

People with hands painted in red protest in front of the Italian Interior Ministry headquarters in Rome, Wednesday, July 18, 2018. Dozens of protesters marched in front of the ministry to protest government's hard-line immigration policy. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

People with hands painted in red protest in front of the Italian Interior Ministry headquarters in Rome, Wednesday, July 18, 2018. Dozens of protesters marched in front of the ministry to protest government's hard-line immigration policy. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

People with hands painted in red protest in front of the Italian Interior Ministry headquarters in Rome, Wednesday, July 18, 2018. Dozens of protesters marched in front of the ministry to protest government's hard-line immigration policy. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

People with hands painted in red protest in front of the Italian Interior Ministry headquarters in Rome, Wednesday, July 18, 2018. Dozens of protesters marched in front of the ministry to protest government's hard-line immigration policy. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Rescue workers from the Proactiva Open Arms Spanish NGO retrieve the bodies of an adult and a child amid the drifting remains of a destroyed migrant boat off the Libyan coast, on Tuesday July 17, 2018. A migrant rescue aid group accused Libya's coast guard of abandoning three people in the Mediterranean Sea, including an adult woman and a toddler who died, after intercepting some 160 Europe-bound migrants on Monday near the shores of the northern African country. (Proactiva Open Arms via AP)

Claus-Peter Reisch, captain of the migrant rescue ship "Lifeline" gives interviews after arriving at the airport in Munich, southern Germany, Monday, July 16, 2018. (Matthias Balk/dpa via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) - At the ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools Pesach Eisen attended in Brooklyn, most of the day was spent studying religious texts with classes taught in Yiddish. One class at the end of the day was spent on secular subjects including English and math, enough to be "able to go to the food stamps office and apply."

"Everything was super basic. ... Nobody took it seriously, so even if you were a studious person you had no chance," said the now-32-year-old Eisen, who had to take remedial classes and study intensively on his own before he succeeded in graduating from college in 2016.

Complaints that schools like Eisen's run by New York's strictly observant Hasidic Jews barely teach English, math, science or social studies have fueled a movement to demand stricter oversight by state and local educational authorities. Critics plan to file a lawsuit on Monday in federal court, seeking to stop the state from enforcing legislation that was intended to shield the schools, called yeshivas, from some government oversight.

In this July 18, 2018 photo, Pesach Eisen poses in front of a yeshiva he attended as a child in the Borough Park neighborhood in Brooklyn, N.Y. Eisen, now 32, left his orthodox community in his late teens. Complaints that schools like Eisen's run by New York's strictly observant Hasidic Jews barely teach English, math, science or social studies have fueled a movement to demand stricter oversight by state and local educational authorities. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

"When we grew up there was no such thing as big aspirations - 'I want to be a doctor, I want to be a lawyer, I want to be a businessman,'" said Eisen, who no longer practices the ultra-Orthodox faith. "It's, 'I want to be a rabbi. That's the only thing.'"

Defenders of the yeshivas say parents have the right to send their children to schools that provide a Jewish education consistent with their beliefs and traditions.

"We specifically for generations have chosen this kind of education for our children," says Ari Goldberg, who has seven children attending Hasidic yeshivas in Brooklyn. "This is what we want. Why should it be taken away?"

The yeshiva backers also say critics err by just counting the minutes of a school day spent on secular studies.

"The problem solving, the literacy, the critical thinking, all that is in Judaica studies as well," said Yitzchok Kaufman, a Brooklyn yeshiva alumnus and parent.

The planned lawsuit by Young Advocates for Fair Education, or YAFFED, which is pushing for improved secular education in the ultra-Orthodox schools, names Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Department of Education's top two officials as defendants.

Department of Education spokeswoman Emily DeSantis said the department is working on updating its guidance on equivalency of instruction at the yeshivas.

There are about 275 Orthodox Jewish yeshivas in New York state, but many are modern Orthodox schools that provide a full secular curriculum along with religious studies.

YAFFED founder Naftuli Moster said the Hasidic yeshivas where secular education is generally given short shrift number 83 in New York City and 38 in other parts of the state. An estimated 115,000 children attend the schools.

For boys in the Hasidic yeshiva system, the emphasis is on studying religious texts. Classes are taught in Yiddish, the language spoken in most Hasidic homes. Secular subjects are relegated to the end of the long school day, when the boys are restless and inattentive, critics say.

Once the boys reach high school, they don't study secular subjects, devoting their entire day to the Torah, Talmud and other Jewish texts.

Hasidic girls can't study Talmud and therefore learn more English, math and social studies than the boys do, though taboo subjects such as evolution and sex education are typically omitted.

"They erased anything about dinosaurs," said Shavy Rosenberg, who attended Hasidic schools for girls. "Anything more than 5,000 years old was erased."

Although the schools are private, they are not entirely free of government oversight because of a state law requiring that instruction in non-public schools be substantially equivalent to the instruction given at the local public school.

YAFFED was founded in 2012 with the aim of pressuring New York City and New York state to enforce the substantial equivalence standard at yeshivas. But that effort was dealt a blow last spring when a state senator who represents a heavily Orthodox Brooklyn district threatened to hold up the state's $168 billion budget unless the state agreed not to enforce the substantial equivalence rule in the same way at ultra-Orthodox yeshivas as it's enforced at other schools.

The legislation pushed by Sen. Simcha Felder, a Democrat who caucuses with the Republicans in the state Senate, singled out schools with long days, bilingual programs and nonprofit status - in effect, yeshivas - and put the state Department of Education, not local school districts, in charge of determining what curriculum rules those schools must follow.

In this November, 1999 family photo, Pesach Eisen poses at a banquet table during his bar mitzvah in the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y. Critics say dozens of New York's ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools run by Hasidic Jews are failing to provide enough instruction in English, math or other secular subjects to prepare students for the modern world. (Pesach Eisen via AP)

In this April 26, 2018 photo, a Jewish boy walks to a yeshiva in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Critics say dozens of New York's ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools run by Hasidic Jews are failing to provide enough instruction in English, math or other secular subjects to prepare students for the modern world. A group that's pushing for more secular instruction in the yeshivas plans to file a lawsuit Monday, July 23 in federal court in Brooklyn over the issue. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

In this July 19, 2018 photo, Naftuli Moster poses at his office in New York. Moster is the founder of a group called Young Advocates for Fair Education, or YAFFED, that is pushing for improved secular education in the state's ultra-Orthodox schools. An estimated 115,000 children attend the schools. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
PARIS (AP) - A French judge handed preliminary charges Sunday to one of President Emmanuel Macron's top security aides after video surfaced that showed him beating a protester at a May Day demonstration.

The initial charges against Alexandre Benalla came the same day French authorities opened a judicial investigation of the assault. The multiple alleged offenses included violence, interfering in the exercise of public office and the unauthorized public display of official insignia.

The video made public by Le Monde newspaper on Wednesday has sparked the first major political crisis for Macron since he took office last year. Lawmakers and the president's political opponents have questioned why Benalla was not fired and referred for prosecution when presidential officials learned about the beating months ago.

FILE - In this Wednesday April 26, 2017 file photo, Emmanuel Macron, right, is flanked by his bodyguard, Alexandre Benalla, left background, outside the Whirlpool home appliance factory, in Amiens, northern France. Investigators have detained for questioning on Friday, July 20, 2018 one of President Emmanuel Macron's top security aides caught on camera beating a protester in May, a turn of events now evolving into a major political crisis for the president. The presidential Elysee Palace said it is taking steps to fire Alexandre Benalla, who was identified earlier this week by the newspaper Le Monde for beating a young protester during May Day protests while wearing a police helmet (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

The recording shows Benalla, who is not a police officer, wearing a police helmet at the May 1 protest. Surrounded by riot police, he brutally dragged a woman from the crowd and then repeatedly beat a young male protester on the ground.

The man was heard begging Benalla to stop. The officers did not intervene.

Four others were also charged Sunday night: Vincent Crase, who worked for Macron's party and was with Benalla on the day of the protest, and three police officers who were suspected of illegally passing footage from the event to Benalla.

Crase was handed preliminary charges of violence and prohibited possession of a weapon.

Benalla, 26, handled Macron's campaign security and remained close to France's youngest president after his election. The presidential palace initiated proceedings to fire Benalla Friday and investigators raided his house Saturday.

Macron's office has said Benalla only was supposed to be accompanying officers to the May protest as an observer.

However, the president's office has been heavily criticized since it revealed that it knew about the assault before last week. Macron pledged as a candidate to restore integrity and transparency to the presidency.

Lawmakers were aghast to learn that Benalla initially received only a two-week suspension and still had an office in the presidential palace 2 months after the beating.

Suspicion about a possible cover-up surfaced after what appeared to be inconsistent answers from Macron's office. It said last week that since May, Benalla had been working in an administrative role instead of security. But Benalla was photographed by the president's side as his bodyguard during France's July 14 national holiday.

Macron's political adversaries have seized the opportunity. Les Republicans party leader Laurent Wauquiez said the government was "trying to conceal a matter of state".

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen tweeted: "If Macron doesn't explain himself, the Benalla affair will become the Macron affair."

Macron has remained silent about the behavior captured on video. Lawmakers plan to question Interior Minister Gerard Collomb this week.

FILE - In this Wednesday April 26, 2017 file photo, Emmanuel Macron, right, is flanked by his bodyguard, Alexandre Benalla, left, outside the Whirlpool home appliance factory, in Amiens, northern France. Investigators have detained for questioning on Friday, July 20, 2018 one of President Emmanuel Macron's top security aides caught on camera beating a protester in May, a turn of events now evolving into a major political crisis for the president. The presidential Elysee Palace said it is taking steps to fire Alexandre Benalla, who was identified earlier this week by the newspaper Le Monde for beating a young protester during May Day protests while wearing a police helmet (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday April 26, 2017 file photo, Emmanuel Macron, right, is flanked by his bodyguard, Alexandre Benalla, left, outside the Whirlpool home appliance factory, in Amiens, northern France. Investigators have detained for questioning on Friday, July 20, 2018 one of President Emmanuel Macron's top security aides caught on camera beating a protester in May, a turn of events now evolving into a major political crisis for the president. The presidential Elysee Palace said it is taking steps to fire Alexandre Benalla, who was identified earlier this week by the newspaper Le Monde for beating a young protester during May Day protests while wearing a police helmet (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
PHOENIX (AP) - Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema says Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency that some in her party are clamoring to abolish, is performing an "important function." She recently joined House Republicans to ease restrictions on banks. And she offered a decidedly nonpartisan comment on conservative Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court.

The third-term congresswoman has come a long way from her days as a Green Party activist as she tries to become the first Democrat to represent Arizona in the Senate in 30 years.

It's a notable strategy in an election year in which many Democrats see a path to victory by tapping into the outrage of the party's base in the Trump era. In neighboring Nevada, for instance, Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen is aiming to flip another GOP-held Senate seat and she seized on the high court vacancy to highlight the threat to abortion rights.

Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz. speaks on May 29, 2018, at the Capitol in Phoenix. Sinema has come a long way from her days as a green party activist as she seeks to become the first Democrat to represent Arizona in the Senate in 30 years. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Some Arizona Democrats are frustrated that the 42-year-old Sinema hasn't taken similarly aggressive stances.

Ken Wixon, a lifelong Democrat, said he planned to back Sinema's Democratic opponent, Phoenix activist Deedra Abboud, in the Aug. 28 primary.

"I supported (Sinema) before, but she's too easily influenced," Wixon said after attending a recent political meeting in suburban Phoenix where Abboud spoke. "She seems to roll over too easily."

Sinema said her shift to the right is the result of learning to work with others in a hyper-partisan Congress.

"What I'm really proud of is my ability and willingness to learn and grow as a political leader," she told The Associated Press recently when asked if her moderate profile would turn off Democrats. "That's allowed me to learn new opinions and change as I've gotten new information."

Sinema is favored to win the primary and is seen as a competitive Democratic candidate in a general election that could hinge on how voters feel about President Donald Trump and his policies. That's why some Democrats are willing to back her even if her liberalism has limits.

"I have some serious questions," said Steven Slugocki, Democratic chairman in Maricopa County, Arizona's most populous. "That's not to say I won't support her. The alternative is far worse."

That alternative, to Slugocki, is any of the Republicans vying to succeed retiring, one-term Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, a persistent Trump critic. The GOP field includes former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a crusader against illegal immigration who was convicted for contempt of court related to racial profiling practices and later pardoned by Trump, and Kelli Ward, a state senator endorsed last year by former Trump adviser Steve Bannon.

The third GOP candidate, Rep. Martha McSally, has been viewed as a moderate in the vein of Arizona's senior GOP senator, John McCain. But as the primary approaches, she has sharpened her stance on immigration, removing her name as a co-sponsor of legislation backing a path to citizenship for some young immigrants in the country illegally.

Immigration politics are central to Arizona's politics today.

In 2016, the influx of Latino voters contributed to Democrat Hillary Clinton's narrow loss to Trump here. Clinton lost Ohio, for instance, by nearly twice as much as she lost Arizona.

A Democratic victory in the Senate race would suggest the state could be up for grabs in 2020. Bill Clinton was the last Democratic presidential nominee to carry Arizona in 1996.

And yet Sinema remains controversial among Arizona Democrats.

She drew complaints among liberals last year as one of two dozen House Democrats to join majority Republicans backing a measure to sharply increase penalties for people deported more than three times, more sharply for those with a criminal record. Likewise, she was one of a handful of Democrats who backed a measure giving federal officials authority to detain and deport noncitizens who live in gang territory.

While Latino voter advocates groan at some of Sinema's positions, they note her support for allowing a path to citizenship for some young immigrants brought to the country illegally as children.

"The most important thing we can do right now is elect candidates who will serve as a check on Donald Trump," said Cristobal Alex, president of Latino Victory, a national political advocacy group active in several states this year. "She's the only viable choice for our community in this election."

One important sign of Sinema's viability, albeit with the election still more than three months away, is that she reported having more than $5.3 million in her campaign account at the end of June. That's many times more than what Arpaio, McSally and Ward had. Recent polls also show Sinema leading all three Republican prospects in potential head-to-head contests.

Some Arizona Democrats acknowledge murmurs of discontent, but say Sinema reflects her politically-mixed southwest Phoenix-area district, home to Arizona State University in Tempe and Republican-leaning residential areas in Scottsdale and Chandler.

"There are some grumblings," said state Sen. Lela Alston, who served alongside her in the Legislature before Sinema's election to Congress in 2012. "While there are some individuals who would never vote for her, more say - even though they wish she was voting more to the left - they are going to embrace her candidacy, given their choices."

Sinema's little-known Democratic opponent, Abboud, said she thinks both candidates have a shot to get votes from moderates or disaffected Republicans.

"You have people that want something different," Abboud said. "They want to vote on their values."

Such grumblings boiled over in May when some Democrats in Pima County, which abuts the U.S. border with Mexico, proposed condemning some of Sinema's votes with the Republican majority. The motion was ultimately defeated, a sign that voters are seeking pragmatism, said Jo Holt, who leads the party in Pima County.

"Some of these folks on the left will say in one breath they don't like a vote she took, but that they'll support her because things in the country have gotten so bad," Holt said. "In another political environment, these votes might hurt her more."

Sinema's resilience has not been lost on some Republican operatives in Arizona, increasingly anxious about their party's chances of holding the seat.

"She has benefited from being able to stake out a centrist approach," said strategist Jon Seaton, "and really hasn't paid much of a price for it."

Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz. arrives at the Secretary of State's office to deliver her ballot signatures, Tuesday, May 29, 2018, at the Capitol in Phoenix. Sinema has come a long way from her days as a green party activist as she seeks to become the first Democrat to represent Arizona in the Senate in 30 years. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Rep. Krysten Sinema visits Blockwise Engineering in Tempe, Ariz., on July 2, 2018, and speaks with company founder Ed Goff about his company's manufacturing process. Sinema has come a long way from her days as a green party activist as she seeks to become the first Democrat to represent Arizona in the Senate in 30 years. (AP Photo/Melissa Daniels)
JOHANNESBURG (AP) - The United States said Sunday it is "deeply concerned" about South Sudan's peace process and "skeptical" that President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar can oversee an end to a five-year civil war.

The White House press secretary's statement comes amid rising international frustration as Kiir and Machar pursue a fragile new peace agreement. The proposed deal once again would make Machar Kiir's deputy - an arrangement that has erupted in deadly violence.

South Sudan's civil war began in 2013 between supporters of Kiir and then-Vice President Machar. Machar returned as deputy in 2016 under a peace deal and fled the country on foot months later when fighting again broke out in the capital, Juba.

Multiple cease-fires, including a "permanent" one agreed on by Kiir and Machar last month, have been violated within hours. The fighting has killed tens of thousands, created more than 2 million refugees and left millions at home near famine.

The new White House statement says the U.S. won't fund South Sudan's government unless the peace process includes civil society, churches, women, and other excluded groups and is no longer a "narrow agreement between elites."

It adds: "In fact, such an agreement may sow the seeds of another cycle of conflict."

The U.S. is South Sudan's top donor of aid and has threatened to withhold funding in the past if the warring sides could not find a path to peace.

The new statement also condemns lawmakers' recent extension of Kiir's time in office until 2021, which the armed opposition has protested as going against the spirit of the peace talks.

The United Nations Security Council earlier this month imposed an arms embargo on the country.

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ORLEANS, Mass. (AP) - The 100th anniversary of the only enemy attack on American soil during World War I was commemorated with a wartime song at an event attended by descendants of a captain from a local lifesaving station.

A German U-156 submarine shelled a tugboat near Orleans, in Cape Cod, on July 21, 1918, the first attack on the U.S. in 100 years. The U-boat sent hits to the tugboat Perth Amboy and its four barges and left an hour later.

Several people were injured, but no one died in the assault or the counter-attack.

In this photo provided by the Orleans Historical Society, injured crewman John Bogovich is transported to the beach after a German World War I submarine attack on Orleans, Mass., on July 21, 1918. Orleans was the only town on U.S. soil to receive enemy gunfire during World War I. (Courtesy of Orleans Historical Society via AP)

The commemoration took place Saturday evening on Nauset Beach. A guitarist led a crowd in singing "Over There," a wartime song written by George M. Cohan in 1917. Descendants of Capt. Robert Pierce, keeper of the Orleans Lifesaving Station during the attack, were present.

The Nauset Sea Scout Ship Explorer Club, under the direction of skipper Dean Skiff, brought out its long surfboat, giving members of the public a chance to see if they could have rowed out to aide in the rescue of the attack survivors.

It remains a mystery why an advanced submarine would attack a target that had no real wartime value. One theory is that the sub had hoped to cut the underwater communications cable that ran from Orleans to France. If that was the case, the mission failed.

The submarine attacked other ships near Canada but disappeared in September 1918.

In this photo provided by the Orleans Historical Society, a crew prepares to receive survivors of a German World War I submarine attack on Orleans, Mass., on July 21, 1918. Orleans was the only town on U.S. soil to receive enemy gunfire during World War I. (Courtesy of Orleans Historical Society via AP)
BERLIN (AP) - Thousands of people are protesting in Germany's southern city of Munich against what they say is the "politics of fear" that is pushing public debate in the country to the right.

Police said 15,000 people took part in Sunday's rally, which was supported by trade unions, church groups and artists.

Many of the protesters criticized Germany's interior minister, Horst Seehofer, and his conservative party for trying to close the country's borders to migrants.

Protestors attend a demonstration under the slogan 'United Against Politics Of Fear' in Munich, Sunday, July 22, 2018. ( Andreas Gebert/dpa via AP)

The Christian Social Union - which has long dominated Bavarian politics - fears losing votes to the anti-migrant Alternative for Germany party in October's state election.

Members of Seehofer's party in the Munich city assembly had tried to stop employees of two publicly funded theaters from attending the protest.

A woman with a poster reading: 'United Against The Politics Of Fear' attends a demonstration in Munich, Sunday, July 22, 2018. ( Andreas Gebert/dpa via AP)
KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) - After eight previous tries, the husband of celebrity chef Paula Deen has won the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest held in the city where writer Ernest Hemingway lived and wrote during the 1930s.

Michael Groover won the contest held on Saturday at Sloppy Joe's Bar, which is where the author often relaxed with friends. Deen applauded the victory of her 62-year-old husband, who is a harbor pilot from Savannah.

The contest was held on the 119th anniversary of Hemingway's birth and is a highlight of the annual Hemingway Days celebration.

In this Saturday, July 21, 2018, photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, Michael Groover, left, husband of celebrity chef Paula Deen, right, walks off the stage after competing in the semi-final round of the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest at Sloppy Joe's Bar in Key West, Fla. On his ninth attempt, Groover won the competition, the highlight event of the island city's annual Hemingway Days festival that ends Sunday, July 22. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)

Judged by former winners, the contest attracted 151 entrants. Semi-finalists included entrants from Australia, Norway, and Ontario, Canada.

Groover said he shares Hemingway's love of fishing and hunting, and has written a book, "My Delicious Life with Paula Deen."

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This story corrects the number of times Michael Groover has competed in the contest.

In this Saturday, July 21, 2018, photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, Michael Groover, kneeling, husband of celebrity chef Paula Deen, poses with past winners of the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest at Sloppy Joe's Bar in Key West, Fla. On his ninth attempt, Groover won the competition, the highlight event of the island city's annual Hemingway Days festival that ends Sunday, July 22. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)

In this Saturday, July 21, 2018, photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, finalists in the 2018 Hemingway Look-Alike Contest, from left, Michael Groover, Jon Auvil, Matt Collins, Jeffrey Peters and Joe Maxey, acknowledge their supporters and try to impress the judges one final time at Sloppy Joe's Bar in Key West, Fla. Groover, husband of celebrity chef Paula Deen, won the competition on his ninth attempt. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)

In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, Ernest Hemingway look-alikes have their picture taken with visitors amid fake bulls outside Sloppy Joe's Bar Saturday, July 21, 2018, in Key West, Fla. The island city's annual Hemingway Days festival continues through Sunday, July 22. Hemingway lived and wrote in Key West throughout most of the 1930s. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)

In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, Dave Hemingway, left, smears birthday cake on Richard Filip after he and fellow Ernest Hemingway look-alikes sang "Happy Birthday" to the famed American author Saturday, July 21, 2018, in Key West, Fla. Dave Hemingway (no relation to the author) won the 2016 Hemingway Look-Alike Contest and Filip was victorious in 2017. July 21 marks the 119th birthday anniversary of Hemingway, who lived and wrote on the island during the 1930s. The fun was a facet of Key West's annual Hemingway Days festival that concludes Sunday, July 22. (Andy Newman /Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)

In this Saturday, July 21, 2018, photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, Michael Groover, left, husband of celebrity chef Paula Deen, right, answers a journalist's question after winning the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest at Sloppy Joe's Bar in Key West, Fla. It was the ninth time that Groover has competed in the contest, the highlight event of the island city's annual Hemingway Days festival that ends Sunday, July 22. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)

In this Saturday, July 21, 2018, photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, Frank Kramer, left, and Mark McAllister, right, show their looks during the semi-final round of the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest at Sloppy Joe's Bar in Key West, Fla. The highlight event of the island city's annual Hemingway Days festival attracted 151 men who vied for the coveted title. Ernest Hemingway lived and wrote in Key West during much of the 1930s. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - The world's top financial officials called Sunday for more dialogue on trade disputes that threaten global economic growth, with one warning that differences remain and tensions could escalate further.

The two-day meeting of finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 20 nations came as the United States clashes with China and other nations over trade, with the nations imposing tariffs on billions of dollars of the other's goods.

A final communique said that although the global economy remains strong, growth is becoming "less synchronized" and risks over the short and medium terms have increased.

Christine Lagarde, right, International Monetary Fund Managing Director and Argentina Treasury Minister Nicolas Dujovne arrives for a press conference during the G20 meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank governors in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, July 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

"These include rising financial vulnerabilities, heightened trade and geopolitical tensions, global imbalances, inequality and structurally weak growth, particularly in some advanced economies," the communique said. "We ... recognize the need to step up dialogue and actions to mitigate risks and enhance confidence."

On Friday, President Donald Trump renewed his threat to ultimately slap tariffs on a total of $500 billion of imports from China - roughly equal to all the goods Beijing ships annually to the U.S. The White House has also itemized $200 billion of additional Chinese imports that it said may be subject to tariffs.

The U.S. has also imposed tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum, including from Europe. China, the European Union, Canada, Mexico and Turkey have counterpunched with taxes on U.S. goods. EU tariffs on American products include Harley-Davidson motorcycles, cranberries, peanut butter, playing cards and whiskey.

EU financial affairs commissioner Pierre Moscovici warned that such disputes are a threat.

"Protectionism, I want to insist on that, is good for no one," Moscovici told reporters. "Trade wars are not easy ... they create no winners, only casualties."

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin disputed that protectionism is the issue.

"People are trying to make this about the United States and protectionism. That's not the case at all," he said at a news conference. "This is about the United States wanting fair and free trade. ... We very much support the idea that trade is important for the global economy, but it's got to be on fair and reciprocal terms."

Mnuchin said there had been no "substantive discussions" with China about trade during the meeting. Asked what it would take to re-start talks with the Asian giant, he said, "Anytime that they want to sit down and negotiate meaningful changes, I and our team are available."

As the gathering wound up, Moscovici said differences of position remain despite talks.

"These meetings have been taking place in an international context which is very challenging. ... Trade tensions remain high and they threaten to escalate further," he said.

Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, has warned that a wave of tariffs could significantly harm the global economy, lowering growth by about 0.5 percent "in the worst-case scenario."

Mnuchin disagreed Sunday, saying that overall, the U.S. economy has not been harmed by the trade battles set off by Trump's get-tough policies. He acknowledged, however, that some individual sectors have been hurt and said U.S. officials are looking at ways to help them.

"We see some micro impacts where people, our counterparts, are targeting very, very specific items, in very specific communities," he said. "But from a macro standpoint, we do not yet see any significant impact on the economy."

So far, global markets have remained generally calm despite the U.S.-China trade war and the other trade conflicts.

But analysts say they expect Trump will impose more tariffs on China and potentially other key U.S. trading partners. With those nations almost certain to retaliate, the result could be higher prices for Americans, diminished export sales and a weaker U.S. economy by next year, they say.

Moscovici said the G-20 meeting had not been tense. He said that countries must remain "cool-headed and maintain a proper sense of perspective" and that the EU remains open to dialogue.

"That's why EU President Jean-Claude Juncker and EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom will meet with Trump" in Washington next week, he said. "We hope this meeting will be productive and successful."

Mnuchin said that the U.S. looks forward to those discussions.

The Group of 20 nations is composed of traditional economic powers such as the United States, Japan and Germany and emerging nations such as China, Brazil, India and Argentina.

Officials in Buenos Aires also discussed issues including the future of work and infrastructure for development, the international tax system and financial inclusion. It is the third of five meetings by finance ministers and central bankers scheduled in advance of a meeting of G-20 national leaders in Argentina to be held Nov. 30-Dec 1. Mnuchin said Trump plans to attend.

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Associated Press writer Patricia Luna and AP video journalist Paul Byrne contributed to this report.

A protester holds a sign that reads in Spanish "No to the agreement Macri-IMF" during demonstration against International Monetary Fund near the G20 Finance Minister and Central Bank governors meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, July 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

European Financial Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici gives a press conference during the G20 meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank governors in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, July 22, 2018. G-20 finance ministers and central bank chiefs are meeting in Buenos Aires amid fears over U.S. President Donald Trump's trade policies and the potential impact of a trade war. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Policemen take position during demonstration against International Monetary Fund near the G20 Finance Minister and Central Bank governors meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, July 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, left, and Japan's Minister of Finance Taro Aso, chat after posing for a group picture at the G20 Meeting of Finance Ministers in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, July 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Political parties opponents and social movements protesters hold signs that read in Spanish: "Out IMF and No to the payment of the debt, " one showing an image of with a picture of Christine Lagarde, International Monetary Fund Managing director, during a demonstration against the IMF near the G20 Finance Minister and Central Bank governors meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, July 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
BERLIN (AP) - Germany says it will take in eight Syrian rescue workers known as White Helmets, who were evacuated from southern Syria by the Israeli military.

The German government said in a statement Sunday that preparations are underway to bring the volunteers and an unspecified number of family members to Germany.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was quoted as saying that "the efforts of the White Helmets deserve admiration and respect." Maas noted that the group has saved more than 100,000 lives since the start of the Syrian conflict.

FILE - In this Wednesday, June 14, 2017, file photo, provided by the Syrian Civil Defense group known as the White Helmets, shows a civil defense worker carrying a child after airstrikes hit a school housing a number of displaced people in the western part of the southern Daraa province of Syria. The Israeli military said Sunday it had rescued members of a Syrian volunteer civil organization, known as White Helmets, from the volatile frontier area and evacuated them to a third country, the first such Israeli intervention in Syria's lengthy civil war. (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP, File)

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said giving the rescue workers shelter "is a humanitarian obligation. More than 250 White Helmets have been killed in the war since 2013.

Germany has provided the group with 12 million euros ($14 million) in funding since 2016.
BRANSON, Mo. (AP) - The 17 people killed when a tourist boat sank in a Missouri lake were remembered Sunday during a service attended by hundreds of people in the tourism community of Branson.

A church bell at Williams Chapel at College of the Ozarks chimed 17 times for those who died Thursday at Table Rock Lake.

More than a dozen survivors of the tragedy, along with their family and friends, filled the front pews of the church to organ music. Although a patrolman guarded their privacy, he allowed one attendee, Carmen Lawson, to deliver pink and red roses after the service to a family that lost nine loved ones.

College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Mo., held a community wide memorial service on Sunday, July 22, 2018, for the families, friends and victims of the duck boat tragedy on Table Rock Lake. (Nathan Papes /The Springfield News-Leader via AP)

"It was such a tragedy," said Lawson, 61, of Branson, who delivered the flowers. "I feel for the family."

Branson Mayor Karen Best recalled the desperate family members who turned to City Hall for information about their loved ones.

"We started putting faces with names. Those who were once strangers to us quickly became family," Best said. "They were a part of our community. And we did what families do. We held hands, we wept and we prayed together."

She praised the people who tried to save others from drowning, calling them "heroes who did everything in their power to save lives."

The service was held at the college near the site of the accident, which happened as winds approached hurricane strength. The city and college hosted the remembrance for the victims.

"Today we are all family," said College of the Ozarks President Jerry C. Davis. "We are here to comfort those who have been affected by this tragedy in so many, many ways."

Online fundraisers had raised more than $400,000 for the Indiana family's funeral expenses by Sunday afternoon.

Others killed were from Missouri, Arkansas and Illinois.

During the closing benediction, Nixa Fire Chaplain Steve Martin said of the victims that while "most of them are visitors ... they are not strangers to us."

Duck boat accident survivor Tia Coleman is comforted by her sister Leeta Bigbee after speaking to the media at Cox Medical Center Branson Saturday, July 21, 2018, in Branson, Mo. Coleman lost nine family members in the accident Thursday on Table Rock Lake which left over a dozen people dead. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

People look at a memorial in front of Ride the Ducks Saturday, July 21, 2018 in Branson, Mo. One of the company's duck boats capsized Thursday night resulting in several deaths on Table Rock Lake. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Family of victims of the duck boat accident on Table Rock Lake leave after a community wide memorial service for the families, friends and victims at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Mo., on Sunday, July 22, 2018. (Nathan Papes /The Springfield News-Leader via AP)

Family members and attendees stand for the benediction during Sunday's memorial for victims of the Branson duck boat sinking on Table Rock Lake, at the Williams Memorial Chapel on the campus of the College of the Ozarks near Branson, Mo., Sunday, July 22, 2018. (John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star via AP)

Family members, of victims of the Branson duck boat sinking on Table Rock Lake, embrace at the end of Sunday's memorial service, at the Williams Memorial Chapel on the campus of the College of the Ozarks near Branson, Mo., Sunday, July 22, 2018. (John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star via AP)

Family members, of victims of the Branson duck boat sinking on Table Rock Lake, leave at the end of Sunday's memorial service, at the Williams Memorial Chapel on the campus of the College of the Ozarks near Branson, Mo., Sunday, July 22, 2018. (John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star via AP)

An attendee to Sunday's memorial for victims of the Branson duck boat sinking on Table Rock Lake, holds a program listing the names of the victims, at the Williams Memorial Chapel at the College of the Ozarks near Branson, Mo., Sunday, July 22, 2018. (John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star via AP)
PARIS (AP) - The Latest on the beating of a protester by a security aide to France's president (all times local):

9:15 p.m.

French authorities have handed preliminary charges to one of President Emmanuel Macron's top security aides after he was captured on video beating a protester in May.

FILE - In this Wednesday April 26, 2017 file photo, Emmanuel Macron, right, is flanked by his bodyguard, Alexandre Benalla, left, outside the Whirlpool home appliance factory, in Amiens, northern France. Investigators have detained for questioning on Friday, July 20, 2018 one of President Emmanuel Macron's top security aides caught on camera beating a protester in May, a turn of events now evolving into a major political crisis for the president. The presidential Elysee Palace said it is taking steps to fire Alexandre Benalla, who was identified earlier this week by the newspaper Le Monde for beating a young protester during May Day protests while wearing a police helmet (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

The charges came after French authorities opened a judicial investigation Sunday of the assault, which has sparked the first major political crisis for Macron since he took office last year.

A judge handed Alexandre Benalla multiple charges on Sunday night. They included violence, interfering in the exercise of public office and the unauthorized public display of official insignia.

The video made public by Le Monde newspaper on Wednesday showed Benalla wearing a police helmet at the May Day protest. He is not a police officer.

Four others were also charged: Vincent Crase, who worked for Macron's party and was with Benalla on the day of the protest, and three police officers who were suspected of illegally passing footage from the event to Benalla.

Crase was handed preliminary charges of violence and prohibited possession of a weapon.

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2:15 p.m.

The French presidential aide who was caught on video beating a protester is going before a judge and could be charged with violence by a public official, illegal use of surveillance video and impersonating a police officer.

The video of the May 1 event in Paris, revealed Wednesday by the Le Monde newspaper, shows Benalla in a helmet with police markings. Surrounded by riot police, he brutally drags a woman from a demonstration and then repeatedly beats a young male protester on the ground.

The man is heard begging him to stop. Another man in civilian clothing pulled the young man to the ground. Police didn't intervene.

The presidential palace began the process of firing the 26-yeaer-old on Friday and his house was raided by investigators on Saturday.

Benalla handled Macron's security during the 2017 presidential campaign and continued working for Macron after his election.

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1:50 p.m.

French authorities have opened a judicial investigation into the beating of a protester in May by one of President Emmanuel Macron's top security aides.

The shocking attack by Alexandre Benalla was caught on camera and is sparking a major political crisis for the French leader.

Paris prosecutor's office said Sunday that Benalla and four others are being placed under judicial control and are going before a judge, where charges could soon be brought.

Macron has remained silent on the topic. Benalla was fired Friday by the presidential palace and investigators raided his home on Saturday.

Paris prosecutor's office said Benalla, who handled Macron's security during the 2017 presidential campaign, and Vincent Crase, who was by Benalla's side during the attack, are now prohibited from possessing a weapon or working at a public function.

FILE - In this Wednesday April 26, 2017 file photo, Emmanuel Macron, right, is flanked by his bodyguard, Alexandre Benalla, left background, outside the Whirlpool home appliance factory, in Amiens, northern France. Investigators have detained for questioning on Friday, July 20, 2018 one of President Emmanuel Macron's top security aides caught on camera beating a protester in May, a turn of events now evolving into a major political crisis for the president. The presidential Elysee Palace said it is taking steps to fire Alexandre Benalla, who was identified earlier this week by the newspaper Le Monde for beating a young protester during May Day protests while wearing a police helmet (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday April 26, 2017 file photo, Emmanuel Macron, right, is flanked by his bodyguard, Alexandre Benalla, left, outside the Whirlpool home appliance factory, in Amiens, northern France. Investigators have detained for questioning on Friday, July 20, 2018 one of President Emmanuel Macron's top security aides caught on camera beating a protester in May, a turn of events now evolving into a major political crisis for the president. The presidential Elysee Palace said it is taking steps to fire Alexandre Benalla, who was identified earlier this week by the newspaper Le Monde for beating a young protester during May Day protests while wearing a police helmet (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Far-right congressman Jair Bolsonaro formally announced his candidacy for Brazil's presidential election Sunday, joining a race in which he is currently polling second after jailed ex-President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, who will likely be barred from running.

Thousands of supporters wearing Bolsonaro shirts showed up at the rally cheering, honking air horns, waving flags. Many mimicked guns with their fingers - a hand sign that the former military officer has made popular.

Bolsonaro told the crowd he would change the status quo if he won the election. He spoke about helping police to crack down on crime, filling his Cabinet with military officers and taking Brazil out of the Paris climate accord.

Presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro sings Brazil's national anthem next to his wife Michelle, right, and lawyer Janaina Paschoal during the National Social Liberal Party convention where he accepted the party's nomination in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, July 22, 2018. The far-right congressman is running in distant second to former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is in jail, and promises to clean house ahead of October elections. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

The candidate has not nominated a vice president to run with him yet.

Presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro speaks to supporters during the National Social Liberal Party convention where he accepted the party's nomination in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, July 22, 2018. The far-right congressman is running in distant second to former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is in jail, and promises to clean house ahead of October elections. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Lawyer Janaina Paschoal addresses the National Social Liberal Party convention where far-right Congressman Jair Bolsonaro was nominated the party's presidential candidate in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, July 22, 2018. Paschoal was the lead lawyer who presented the case against former President Dilma Rousseff during her impeachment process. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

A supporter of Brazil's presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro, wearing a mask of President Donald Trump, arrives to the National Social Liberal Party convention where Bolsonaro is to accept the nomination in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, July 22, 2018. Far-right congressman Bolsonaro is running in distant second to former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is in jail, and promises to clean house ahead of October elections. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro holds a little girl as he poses for photos with supporters during the National Social Liberal Party convention where he accepted the party's nomination in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, July 22, 2018. The far-right congressman is running in distant second to former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is in jail, and promises to clean house ahead of October elections. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
UMAG, Croatia (AP) - Third-seeded Marco Cecchinato further elevated his breakthrough year by winning the Croatia Open final on Sunday, beating Guido Pella of Argentina 6-2, 7-6 (4) in their first meeting.

The 25-year-old Italian recovered from 4-2 down in the second set on outdoor red clay.

Cecchinato won his first ATP title in April in Budapest, as a lucky loser, then knocked out Novak Djokovic en route to the French Open semifinals. He was the first Italian male Grand Slam semifinalist in 40 years.

Cecchinato is at a career-high ranking of 27, and will rise to No. 22 on Monday.

The unseeded Pella was playing in his first career final.
BURBANK, Calif. (AP) - A transgender activist who won a discrimination lawsuit after her school refused to let her use the girls' bathroom will be TV's first transgender superhero.

Nicole Maines will star in The CW/Warner Bros.' "Supergirl" as Nia Nal, aka Dreamer. Producers describe her character as a "soulful young transgender woman with a fierce drive to protect others."

Maines gained national attention for her battle against her Orono, Maine school district over her right to use the girls' bathroom.

In this Sunday, June 26, 2016 photo Nicole Maines poses at her home in Portland, Maine. Maines, a transgender activist who won a discrimination lawsuit after her school refused to let her use the girls' bathroom will be TV's first transgender superhero. Maines will star in The CW/Warner Bros.' "Supergirl" as Nia Nal, aka Dreamer. Producers describe her character as a "soulful young transgender woman with a fierce drive to protect others." (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Maine's highest court ruled in 2014 that school officials violated state anti-discrimination law when they required her to use a staff restroom.

It was the first time a state high court concluded that a transgender person should use the bathroom of the gender with which they identify.
BRANSON, Mo. (AP) - The Latest on the sinking of a duck boat in Missouri (all times local):

9:45 p.m.

Survivors of the Missouri duck boat accident and many friends and family members have joined hundreds in the tourism community of Branson during a memorial service for the 17 who died.

Family members and attendees stand for the benediction during Sunday's memorial for victims of the Branson duck boat sinking on Table Rock Lake, at the Williams Memorial Chapel on the campus of the College of the Ozarks near Branson, Mo., Sunday, July 22, 2018. (John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star via AP)

The more than a dozen survivors walked into the Williams Chapel at College of the Ozarks on Sunday as organ music played.

A patrolman guarded their privacy, but he allowed a woman carrying roses to deliver them to loved one of an Indiana family that lost nine members during Thursday's accident.

Carmen Lawson, a 61-year-old Branson resident, said she'd been on the lake that day but didn't go on the boat. She called it "such a tragedy."

A fire chaplain, Steve Martin, said that while most of the people who died were visitors, "they are not strangers to us."

___

6 p.m.

Around 200 people have attended a community memorial service in Branson for the 17 people killed when a duck boat sand in a Missouri Lake.

The Joplin Globe reports a church bell chimed 17 times Sunday at Williams Chapel at College of the Ozarks to honor the victims. The boat sank during a sudden storm Thursday at Table Rock Lake in the tourism town.

The college and the city put on the community memorial service Sunday afternoon.

Branson Mayor Karen Best spoke on behalf of the 17 who died, 14 others who survived and "the many heroes who did everything in their power to save lives."

___

3:15 p.m.

A memorial service is scheduled for the people killed when a tourist boat sank in a Missouri lake.

The service will be held Sunday afternoon at the College of the Ozarks, near Table Rock Lake, where the duck boat sank Thursday, killing 17 people. The accident happened as winds approached hurricane strength.

Nine of the people who died were part of one Indiana family. Online fundraisers had raised more than $400,000 for their funeral expenses by Sunday afternoon.

Two GoFundMe campaigns are underway for the Coleman family, who lost three generations in the duck boat accident.

GoFundMe spokeswoman Katherine Cichy says it's verified one campaign that's raising money. Ingrid Coleman Douglas tells The Indianapolis Star a second campaign is also legitimate.

Others killed were from Missouri, Arkansas and Illinois.

Branson Mayor Karen Best speaks at a community wide memorial service on Sunday, July 22, 2018 at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri for the families, friends and victims of the duck boat tragedy on Table Rock Lake. (Nathan Papes /The Springfield News-Leader via AP)

Duck boat accident survivor Tia Coleman is comforted by her sister Leeta Bigbee after speaking to the media at Cox Medical Center Branson Saturday, July 21, 2018, in Branson, Mo. Coleman lost nine family members in the accident Thursday on Table Rock Lake which left over a dozen people dead. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

People look at a memorial in front of Ride the Ducks Saturday, July 21, 2018 in Branson, Mo. One of the company's duck boats capsized Thursday night resulting in several deaths on Table Rock Lake. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Mo., held a community wide memorial service on Sunday, July 22, 2018, for the families, friends and victims of the duck boat tragedy on Table Rock Lake. (Nathan Papes /The Springfield News-Leader via AP)

An attendee to Sunday's memorial for victims of the Branson duck boat sinking on Table Rock Lake, holds a program listing the names of the victims, at the Williams Memorial Chapel at the College of the Ozarks near Branson, Mo., Sunday, July 22, 2018. (John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star via AP)

Family members, of victims of the Branson duck boat sinking on Table Rock Lake, leave at the end of Sunday's memorial service, at the Williams Memorial Chapel on the campus of the College of the Ozarks near Branson, Mo., Sunday, July 22, 2018. (John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star via AP)

Family members, of victims of the Branson duck boat sinking on Table Rock Lake, embrace at the end of Sunday's memorial service, at the Williams Memorial Chapel on the campus of the College of the Ozarks near Branson, Mo., Sunday, July 22, 2018. (John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star via AP)
A variety of Brexit stories make headlines in the Sunday papers, while Prince George appears on several fronts as he turns five today.

Britain will refuse to pay the so-called Brexit divorce bill of 39 billion if Brussels fails to agree a deal with the UK, new Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has told the Sunday Telegraph.

The front page of The Sunday Telegraph: 'Raab: No trade deal, no cash for the EU' #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/S9FgiIXjgO  The Telegraph (@Telegraph) July 21, 2018

Meanwhile, former Brexit secretary David Davis has told the Sunday Express Mrs May should start again with her strategy.

What the papers say

The Sunday Times leads with a poll that suggests voters are abandoning Mrs Mays Government and would back a hard Brexit or right-wing group at an election, with Boris Johnson a preferred leader.

Tomorrow's front page: Voters turn to far right, Boris  and Remain #tomorrowspapertoday pic.twitter.com/331jAyz9v2  The Sunday Times (@thesundaytimes) July 21, 2018

Elsewhere, the Home Office does not know how many customs officers it has to deal with possible increased checks after Brexit, The Independent reports.

And The Observer says Dominic Cummings, the former director of Vote Leave, is facing renewed calls to be forced to give evidence to MPs over allegations the campaign broke electoral law.

Hello twitter! Heres tomorrows Observer front page. Shahmir Sanni: Nobody was called to account. But I lost almost everything. Interview by @carolecadwalla https://t.co/kQJ4wFViyX pic.twitter.com/e8ZVGWmxEq  The Observer (@ObserverUK) July 21, 2018

Three jets owned by the Ministry of Defence, which are part of a 10.5 billion fleet, are being used to fly tourists to the Mediterranean because the RAF has no use for them, the Mail on Sunday reports.

The Sunday People has spoken to a former girlfriend of Thomas Wylie, who plotted a Columbine-style massacre at a North Yorkshire school.
The Israeli military has evacuated 800 members of a Syrian volunteer civil organisation from the Golan Heights border area.

The announcement marked the first such Israeli intervention in Syrias civil war, now in its eighth year.

The military said it was an exceptional humanitarian gesture that was done at the request of the United States and its European allies due to an immediate threat to (Syrians) lives.

A general view of Tell al-Haara, from the highest hill in the south-western Daraa province, Syria

Following an Israeli Government directive and at the request of the United States and additional European countries, the IDF recently completed a humanitarian effort to rescue members of a Syrian civil organization and their families  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 22, 2018

Israeli media reported that some 800 members of the Syrian rescue organisation known as The White Helmets and their families were evacuated overnight. The reports say they were transferred to Jordan and would travel on from there to the UK, Germany and Canada.

In Jordan, the Foreign Ministry confirmed that 800 Syrian citizens have entered their territory to be resettled in Western countries. The ministrys spokesman Mohammed al-Kayed said the Syrians would remain in Jordan for three months.

The request was approved based on pure humanitarian reasons, he said.

The civilians were evacuated from the war zone in Southern Syria due to an immediate threat to their lives. The transfer of the displaced Syrians through Israel is an exceptional humanitarian gesture  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 22, 2018

The Israeli military said its actions did not reflect a change to Israels non-intervention policy in Syrias war, where all the warring parties are considered hostile.

US officials had said they were finalising plans to evacuate several hundred Syrian civil defence workers and their families from south-west Syria as Russian-backed government forces closed in on the Quneitra province.

The officials said The White Helmets, who have enjoyed backing from the United States and other Western nations for years, were likely to be targeted by Syrian forces as they took control of the south-west. Evacuation plans were accelerated after last weeks Nato summit in Brussels.

Since the Syrian government offensive began in June, the area along the frontier with the Golan Heights has been the safest in the south-western region, attracting hundreds of displaced people because it is along the disengagement line with Israel demarcated in 1974 after a war.

The civilians were subsequently transferred to a neighboring country. Israel continues to maintain a non-intervention policy regarding the Syrian conflict and continues to hold the Syrian regime accountable for all activities in Syrian territory  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 22, 2018

The Syrian government is unlikely to fire there or carry out air strikes for fear of an Israeli response.

The White Helmets have typically operated in opposition-held areas across Syria, places where government services are almost non-existent, voluntarily risking their lives to save hundreds of civilians during government air strikes and bombardments.

Over the last month, Syrian government forces aided by Russian air power have swept through south-western Syria to consolidate government control over this strategic corner of the country that straddles the border with Jordan and the frontier with Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

With its new advances, government forces are, for the first time since the civil war began in 2011, retaking this territory from the rebels and restoring their positions along the disengagement line on the frontier with Israel that is part of a ceasefire agreement reached in 1974 between the two countries formally still at war.
A top US intelligence official has said he meant no disrespect to President Donald Trump in a televised interview discussing the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Director of national intelligence Dan Coats said his comments at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado were not intended to be critical of the presidents decision to invite Mr Putin to a meeting in Washington later this year.

Some press coverage has mischaracterised my intentions in responding to breaking news presented to me during a live interview, Mr Coats said. My admittedly awkward response was in no way meant to be disrespectful or criticise the actions of the president.

Mr Coats has been under scrutiny since he said he wished Mr Trump had not met one-on-one with the Russian leader and expressed dismay that the president had publicly undermined US intelligence agencies.

Mr Coats issued a rare statement rebutting the presidents comments during a press conference with Mr Putin doubting the findings of the intelligence community on Russian election interference.

White House aides were fearful that he might resign over the presidents comments, and the president spoke positively of Mr Coats in a television interview on Wednesday.

But Mr Coats display of surprise upon learning that Mr Trump had invited Mr Putin to Washington this autumn for a follow-on meeting drew the presidents ire.

Say that again, Mr Coats said, cupping his hand over his ear on live television. He took a deep breath and continued: OK. Thats going to be special.

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin

Mr Coats also revealed in the interview with NBCs Andrea Mitchell that he was unaware of what transpired in the private meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Putin in Helsinki, and restated without equivocation his belief that Russia continues to pose a threat to the American electoral system.

Basically, they are the ones that are trying to undermine our basic values and divide with our allies, Mr Coats said of Russia. They are the ones who are trying to wreak havoc over our election process.

Mr Coats, who oversees the nations 17 intelligence agencies, also said that if he had been asked, he would have advised Mr Trump against meeting Mr Putin alone, with just interpreters.

Thats not my role. Thats not my job. It is what it is, Mr Coats said.
Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has accused the EU of irresponsibly ramping up pressure in withdrawal negotiations.

The comments came as Mr Raab indicated he was still trying to persuade all members of the Cabinet that Theresa Mays Chequers compromise agreement was the best plan to get the best deal.

As Mr Raab, who has said a deal with the EU can be reached by October, readied to return to Brussels for more Brexit talks on Thursday, he signalled that Britain could withhold its 39 billion divorce bill if it did not get a trade deal in return.

Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab

80% of the UK-EU withdrawal agreement is settled says Brexit Secretary @DominicRaab #marr pic.twitter.com/65ctgVGPba  The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) July 22, 2018

And Tory former prime minister Sir John Major left the door open to a new referendum, insisting such a vote would be morally justified.

Mr Raab was scathing about comments from Brussels stating that a no deal scenario would mean there would be no specific arrangements in place for UK citizens living on the continent, or for EU migrants in Britain after withdrawal.

Mr Raab told BBC1s The Andrew Marr Show: Well, I think thats a rather irresponsible thing to be coming from the other side.

We ought to be trying to reassure citizens on the continent and also here.

There is obviously an attempt to try and ramp up the pressure.

New Brexit Secretary @DominicRaab on UK government preparations for 'no deal' with the EU #marr pic.twitter.com/wRk0eepC97  The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) July 22, 2018

The Brexit Secretary said there had to be conditionality under the Article 50 withdrawal mechanism between settling Britains exit payment and creating a new relationship with the EU.

He told the Sunday Telegraph: Article 50 requires, as we negotiate the withdrawal agreement, that theres a future framework for our new relationship going forward, so the two are linked.

You cant have one side fulfilling its side of the bargain and the other side not, or going slow, or failing to commit on its side.

So, I think we do need to make sure that theres some conditionality between the two.

The comments appeared at odds with Chancellor Philip Hammond, who said of the divorce payment last December: I find it inconceivable that we as a nation would be walking away from an obligation that we recognised as an obligation.

Mr Raab also defended the controversial Chequers Cabinet compromise on withdrawal aims, stating: I want to make sure we can persuade everyone  grassroots, voters, parliamentary party and ministers, including in the Cabinet  that weve got the best deal and the best plan to get the best deal.

Asked if reports the Government was planning to stockpile food for a no deal outcome were true, Mr Raab told the BBC: No. That kind of selective snippet that makes it into the media I think is  to the extent that the public pay attention to it  I think is unhelpful.

Pressed on claims the M26 in Kent could partially become a lorry park, the Brexit Secretary said: Well, no. But of course if we have no deal we will want to make sure that were prepared at the border with the knock-on effects that that would have if on the EU side they take the worst case scenario approach, which is frankly irrational. Im confident we wont get there.

No wonder Dominic Raab can talk so casually about a No Deal Brexit on #marr.



People like him will be fine. It's the poorest - those he has belittled so many times in the past - who will be financially crippled.  David Lammy (@DavidLammy) July 22, 2018

On a second referendum, Sir John told The Andrew Marr Show: I mean, frankly, a second vote has democratic downsides. It has difficulties.

But is it morally justified? I think it is.

A referendum isnt an easy option, but its not one at this stage that I would rule out.

Sir John said he feared the hardline stance of a group of arch-Brexiteer Tory MPs could now see the UK crash out of the EU without a deal.

Former Conservative PM Sir John Major is asked whether the party's factions can continue to co-exist #marr pic.twitter.com/2WwrelLLuR  The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) July 22, 2018

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called for the Government to step up Brexit negotiations in order to avoid a no deal.

It seems to me they are putting their priority into stepping up preparations for a no deal.

I just get the feeling that the tail is wagging the dog in the Conservative Party and those that want no deal seem to be ruling the roost and they are pushing for that.

I believe there has to be serious stepping up of negotiations to reach an agreement on customs and on trade.

Conservative former minister Dominic Grieve said no deal would be absolutely catastrophic for the UK, adding on Sky News Sophy Ridge on Sunday: We will be in a state of emergency  basic services we take for granted might not be available.

Former Brexit secretary David Davis has urged the Prime Minister to reset her negotiating strategy.

Mr Davis, who quit as Brexit secretary in protest at the Chequers agreement, said the PM needed to start again on withdrawal plans.

Were going to have to do a reset and come back and look at it all again, he told the Sunday Express.
Rescue workers known as the White Helmets are expected to be resettled in Britain after an evacuation from Syrias conflict-scarred southern border.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said in a joint statement with the International Development Secretary that the brave and selfless volunteers required immediate protection.

The UK had backed an international effort to rescue members of the group and their families from the frontier with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

UK-Australian ministerial consultations

They had fled as a Syrian government offensive in the south-west of the country intensified earlier this summer.

The regime considers the White Helmets a terrorist organisation because it works in areas controlled by its opponents. They are often targeted during attacks.

Jordan has agreed to temporarily house the 422 evacuees, but its Foreign Ministry said Britain, Germany and Canada would resettle them.

Statement by @Jeremy_Hunt and @PennyMordaunt on UK action to help resettle @SyriaCivilDef from Syria https://t.co/B0T7LOIora  Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) July 22, 2018

Spokesman Mohammed al-Kayed said the Syrians would remain in a closed area for up to three months before moving on.

The Foreign Office is expected to help resettle the White Helmets and their families.

It is understood that the United Nations Human Right Councils procedures for identifying and resettling refugees would be used to decide who could come to the UK, while their placement would be resolved through the Governments vulnerable persons resettlement scheme.

Mr Hunt and Penny Mordaunt said in a joint statement: Following a joint diplomatic effort by the UK and international partners, a group of White Helmets volunteers from southern Syria and their families have been able to leave Syria for safety.

They are now being assisted by the UNHCR in Jordan pending international resettlement.

The White Helmets have saved over 115,000 lives during the Syrian conflict, at great risk to their own. Many White Helmets volunteers have also been killed while doing their work  trying to rescue civilians trapped in bombarded buildings or providing first aid to injured civilians.

White Helmets have been the target of attacks and, due to their high profile, we judged that, in these particular circumstances, the volunteers required immediate protection. We therefore took steps with the aim of affording that protection to as many of the volunteers and their families as possible.

We pay tribute to the brave and selfless work that White Helmets volunteers have done to save Syrians on all sides of the conflict.

Israeli forces carried out the rescue on Saturday night following a request from the US, Canada, and EU countries.

It was the first such intervention the country has had in Syrias civil war, now in its eighth year.

A spokesman for the Israel Defence Forces said the operation was an exceptional humanitarian gesture.

But the military vowed to stay firm in its commitment to a non-intervention policy  where all the warring parties are considered hostile.
Afghanistans first vice-president has escaped unharmed from an explosion near the airport as he returned home after living in Turkey for more than a year.

The interior ministry said a suicide bomber carried out the attack near Kabul International Airport shortly after the convoy of controversial vice-president Gen Abdul Rashid Dostum had left the area.

Eleven people, including civilians and military personnel, were killed in the attack and almost 50 were injured.

Abdul Rashid Dostum

Mr Dostum is understood to have been the target of the attack. It is not yet known who carried it out, but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group are active in the Afghan capital.

Mr Dostum, a former Uzbek warlord, had been undergoing medical treatment in Turkey and is now well and ready to resume work, said presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri.

He left Afghanistan in 2017 after the attorney-generals office launched an investigation into allegations that his followers had tortured and sexually abused a former ally turned political rival. He has since reportedly been barred by the government from returning to Afghanistan.

Afghan security personnel

It was not immediately clear whether Mr Dostum will now face any charges.

The judiciary in Afghanistan is an independent body and will carry out its duties and responsibilities as it deems appropriate, said an official.

Mr Dostum, accused of war crimes committed after the fall of the Taliban government in 2001, has also been criticised by the United States for human rights abuses.
Londonderry has celebrated a successful Foyle Maritime Festival despite a the recent spate of summer violence.

Hundreds lined Derrys Quay on Sunday to bid farewell to The Clipper global yacht race teams as they set off for Liverpool on the final day of the festival.

Concerns that the riots and disturbances in the city would affect the success of the event subsided as it ran without any issue over 10 days of celebrations.

Round the World Yatch Race

The festival took place just days after the July 12 parades, which saw a number of young people arrested and over 200 petrol bombs thrown at police.

Between July 14-22, up to 220,000 people have visited and enjoyed the city as they played host to the crews of the 11 visiting race yachts during their stopover, with hotels in the area reportedly filled to more than 80% capacity.

The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor John Boyle, led the crowds in waving off the fleet as it made its way back up the Foyle to the official race start at Greencastle in Co Donegal.

Final farewell today to the Clipper yachts at the Parade of Sail and the last day of the @foylemaritime Hope you have all enjoyed it - we certainly have. #FMF18 pic.twitter.com/aybJuTmw14  Derry Strabane Cncl (@dcsdcouncil) July 22, 2018

Speaking after the event, Mayor Boyle said the festival had been a major success for the city and district and wider North West region.

It has been fantastic to see Derry and the wider North West region profiled in such a positive way on a global platform.

Once again weve demonstrated our ability to stage an international event generating substantial revenue for the local economy, and enhancing the regions profile as an exciting and unique visitor destination.

This is the fourth time the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race has included Derry/Londonderry as a stopover city, with plans currently being developed to host the Foyle Maritime Festival biennially.

Clipper Race chairman and founder Sir Robin Knox Johnston said: You can see what the race means to the people of Derry-Londonderry because thousands have lined the banks of the River Foyle to see the fleet off today, and there was a huge cheer for every team as they left the marina.

Its just enormous and this stopover has got better every time we have come here.

This has definitely been the best yet given the reception the crew have had here all week, its been fantastic to see the crowds and support! Frankly, you cant help but enjoy it.
Geraint Thomas shrugged off the boos which continue to come Team Skys way at the Tour de France as he enjoyed another day in the yellow jersey.

Thomas finished safely in the pack as Magnus Cort Nielsen won stage 15 to Carcassone from a breakaway, keeping Thomas one minute 39 seconds clear of team-mate Chris Froome, with Team Sunwebs Tom Dumoulin a further 11 seconds back.

But after standing on the podium to collect the yellow jersey for a fifth straight night, Thomas faced more questions about the negative reaction Team Sky so often get at the Tour.

Geraint Thomas

If the situation is getting to the Welshman, he was not about to show it.

For me this is the highlight of my career, its a massive honour and priviledge to be wearing the jersey and have such an incredible race so far, he said. Theres a bit of negativity around and it isnt nice but at the end of the day you need to stay strong in your head and crack on.

The way I see it, Id rather be in this jersey having the race of my life and getting booed than being 30th and dropped on the first climb and everyone cheering me on.

On a day when the French newspaper Liberation wrongly described Froomes recent salbutamol case as a positive test which was white-washed by the UCI, Thomas said questions about why there is ill-feeling towards Team Sky was perhaps one for the French press.

Its not a nice situation, and obviously we would prefer everyone to love us, but Im not sure its anything weve done, or especially that Ive done, to deserve it, he said.

You would have to ask the public, and maybe its a reflection of the way were perceived in the French media. Its maybe a question for some of you guys.

Fan reaction on Sundays 181.5km stage from Millau was more muted a day after Froome had an unidentified liquid thrown on him on the climb to Mende.

Mitchelton-Scotts Luke Durbridge used Twitter to describe some of the behaviour on Saturday as disgraceful  comments which were appreciated by the four-time Tour winner.

It doesnt get us down, we stay focused on the race, but it is really nice to feel that camaraderie, Froome said before Sundays stage. A lot of guys are speaking out about it now, the riders are sick and tired of it.

The targeting of Froome has reached a point that Bahrain-Merida manager Brent Copeland said he had told his riders not to follow him because it was too dangerous, having seen his star man Vincenzo Nibali crash out of the Tour after tangling with a fan on the Alpe dHuez.

Asked about Copelands comments, Froome said: Its a pretty sad situation if that is correct.

Thomas and Froome will now enjoy Mondays rest day before the intriguing intra-team battle for yellow resumes on Tuesday, with three tough days in the Pyrenees having the potential to be decisive.

Froome, chasing a record-equalling fifth Tour title, will no doubt have ideas on where he might snatch yellow away, but Thomas warned he would not give up the jersey easily.

I think I would have to have a bad day, he said. I wouldnt give it up for any money. Its the yellow jersey in the Tour de France. Its a massive honour just to be wearing it. Obviously I want to wear it as long as possible.

Like Ive said from the start, who knows what is around the next corner. Well take each day as it comes.

There was no movement at the top of the standings on Sunday, with the main contenders finishing in a group some 13 minutes after Nielsen outsprinted Jon Izagirre of Bahrain-Merida and Bauke Mollema of Trek-Segefredo.

The trio snuck off the front of the remnants of a 29-man breakaway on the descent off the Pic de Nore as crosswinds splintered the group, and neither Izagirre nor Mollema could compete with Nielsens sprinting skills as the Dane took a stage win on his debut Tour.

World champion Peter Sagan got into the breakaway, and he took third place in the days intermediate sprint to all-but wrap up the points classification, receiving his 100th green jersey at the finish.

After the stage it was announced that Team Skys Gianni Moscon had been disqualified from the race, with the team due to issue a statement on the matter.
Jeremy Corbyn is facing a major showdown over Labour policy on anti-Semitism.

A meeting of Labour MPs and peers is set to debate an emergency call to toughen up rules against projecting prejudice, despite a call from the party leader to delay the debate until the autumn.

After complaints that a new code of conduct did not go far enough, a gathering of the Parliamentary Labour Party on Monday will consider adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism.

Tolpuddle martyrs festival

Extraordinary degree of support for Dame Margaret Hodge among Labour MPs after a party spokesman said "action will be taken" against her for accusing Jeremy Corbyn of being an antisemite. pic.twitter.com/A4Rvcsk4K7  Lucy Fisher (@LOS_Fisher) July 18, 2018

Mr Corbyn said: Id rather they delayed that discussion until September because there will be a full attendance at meetings in September.

I suspect Mondays meeting will not be fully attended because Parliament is rising on Tuesday.

The move comes after senior Jewish Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge, who lost family members in the Holocaust, last week confronted Mr Corbyn in Parliament over the partys response to anti-Semitism.

She later said Mr Corbyn was now perceived by many as an anti-Semite.

Mr Corbyn revealed he had not spoken to Dame Margaret since the incident, which she faces disciplinary action over.

He said: I felt not pleased about it, I felt upset about it but as always I am very calm and treat people with a great deal of respect.

I dont shout at people, I just listen to what they have to say.

A complaint has been registered and that will have to be dealt with by the party, but that is independent of me.

Mr Corbyn also defended the position taken by Labours ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) in not including the IHRA definition in its new code of conduct.

He said: (The NEC) wasnt trying to re-write it, it has accepted almost all of it.

What its done is also put alongside it a code of conduct for members of the party because we will not tolerate anti-Semitism in any form whatsoever in the party.

'We haven't won the faith of the Jewish community' @RLong_Bailey on the Labour row over the definition of anti-Semitism #marr pic.twitter.com/EZ1VKqtTGK  The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) July 22, 2018

The comments came as a shadow Cabinet ally of Mr Corbyns, shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey told the BBC: Were starting from a very, very dark place due to the actions of a minority in our party and the failure of us to deal with it quickly.

Labours code explicitly endorses the IHRAs working definition of anti-Semitism and includes a list of behaviours likely to be regarded as anti-Semitic copied word-for-word from the international organisations own document.

But it omits four examples from the IHRA list:

1. Accusing Jewish people of being more loyal to Israel than their home country.

2. Claiming that Israels existence as a state is a racist endeavour.

3. Requiring higher standards of behaviour from Israel than other nations.

4. Comparing contemporary Israeli policies to those of the Nazis.

Labour insisted that while the examples are not reproduced word for word, they are covered in the new code.

Baroness Smith, the Labour leader in the House of Lords, has said her party adopting the full international definition of anti-Semitism is the way forward.

She told BBC Radio 4s Westminster Hour: Thats the one that gives the Jewish community confidence and with that they have confidence that were tackling it properly.

The NEC (National Executive Committee) are consulting with the groups. So lets hope we can move forward on this.

Tory vice chairman Rehman Chishti said: Labours failure to adopt the IHRA definition of anti-Semitic racism in full is shameful.
BERLIN, July 21 (Reuters) - The German government has let a cap it imposed in 2017 on the amount of Hermes export guarantees it provides for trade with Turkey at 1.5 billion euros ($1.76 billion) expire, a German newspaper reported on Saturday.

The Hermes guarantee scheme provides German government protection for German companies when foreign debtors fail to pay.

Newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said, without citing its source, that the cap would not be extended for the current year.

The German Economy Ministry was not immediately available for comment.

A two-year state of emergency imposed after Turkey's failed 2016 coup ended on Thursday but President Tayyip Erdogan's opponents say his new executive presidency and a draft anti-terrorism law leave him with sweeping powers to stifle dissent.

Erdogan's crackdown on opponents following the failed coup soured ties between Ankara and Berlin. ($1 = 0.8534 euros) (Reporting by Michelle Martin Editing by Andrew Bolton)
By Tim Cocks

DAKAR, July 21 (Reuters) - China's President Xi Jinping arrived in Senegal on Saturday for a two-day visit to sign bilateral deals, the first leg of an Africa tour at time when the continent is awash with cheap Chinese loans in exchange for minerals and construction contracts.

China now does more trade with Africa than any other nation and Xi's trip - his second abroad since starting a second term under new rules that abolished term limits - will also take him to Rwanda and South Africa, for a summit of BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).

China's consistent overtures to Africa contrast sharply with the United States, whose President Donald Trump has shown little interest in the continent.

He will meet Senegalese President Macky Sall for the third time and sign several deals. China's ambassador to Senegal Zhang Xun was quoted in the local press in March as saying China had invested $100 million in Senegal in 2017.

Xi was greeted by a brass band and hundreds of people waving Chinese and Senegalese flags and wearing T-shirts with the two leaders' faces on.

Africa is in the midst of a boom in infrastructure projects, managed and cheaply financed by China and part of Xi's "Belt and Road" initiative to build a transport network connecting China by land and sea to Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

China has pledged $126 billion for the plan, which has been praised by its supporters as a source of vital financing for the developing world. In Senegal, Chinese loans have financed a highway linking the capital Dakar to Touba, its second main city, and part of an industrial park on the Dakar peninsula.

POLITICAL SUPPORT

Critics say Africa is loading itself up on Chinese debt that it may struggle to repay, with estimates ranging in the tens of billions of dollars. That could leave African nations with no choice but to hand over controlling stakes in strategic assets to the Chinese state.

U.S. officials have warned that a port in the tiny Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, a host to major U.S. and French military bases, could suffer this fate, although Djibouti rejects the fear.

In Guinea, meanwhile, one of the world's poorest nations, China is lending $20 billion to the government in exchange for aluminium ore concessions.

As well as trade and minerals, China has also seen Africa as a source of political support. Chinese diplomacy has, as of May this year, succeeded in isolating every African country except the monarchy of Swaziland from Taiwan, which China sees as a renegade province. (Writing by Tim Cocks Editing by Andrew Bolton)
29-year-old Raveendra Sanjeewa alias 'Lokka' has been arrested by the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) with a fire arm in connection with the shooting incident in Maradana last year where three persons were injured.

Police said the suspect was arrested near a Dematagoda film hall yesterday on charges of aiding and abetting the shooting.

The CCD recovered a revolver, five 9MM ammunitions from the suspect possession. He was identified as a resident of Colombo 12.

At least three individuals were critically injured when they were shot at by two suspects travelling on a bike in Maradana on August 29, last year.
There is a nexus between drug trafficking and underworld operations



Four underworld kingpins operate from outside the country



Underworld operations during MR rule as well



Crime rate dropped since 2015



UNP will nominate its own presidential candidate for sure

Law and Order Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara, in an interview with Daily Mirror, shares his views on the current crime wave and plans for the elections pending at the moment. The Minister shared the following:-

Q There is a rise in the number of organized crimes and armed robberies. What is the reason behind this alarming increase?

There are several aspects to it. Actually, the crime rate has dropped since 2015. There is a drop in robberies. Also, the number of sexual and child abuses have come down. Yet, we find clashes between armed groups. Rival underworld gangs carry out organized crimes against each other. We have increased raids. Already, 40 persons involved in organized crimes have been put behind bars. We seize drugs. In fact, we seized the largest haul of heroin recently with a street value of Rs.1,250 million. We have noticed that the street value of heroin has trebled in Sri Lanka now. In addition, drug trafficking has triggered rivalry among those involved.





"There is a drop in robberies. Also, the number of sexual and child abuses have come down. Yet, we find clashes between armed groups. Rival underworld gangs carry out organized crimes against each other. Already, 40 persons involved in organized crimes have been put behind bars"

Q Drugs smuggled in such large quantities into Sri Lanka. Has the country become an international drug trafficking hub lately?

Sri Lanka has become a drug trafficking hub and we have received information to that effect. Some kinds of narcotics have been smuggled to be peddled locally. Last year, we seized more than 1500 kg of cocaine. It is an expensive drug, but not used in Sri Lanka. It means Sri Lanka has become a transitional point of drug smuggling.

Q How do you intend to curb such crimes?

We need to get international assistance. We are acting in this direction. We have signed certain international covenants and need to ratify a few more.

Q What are the challenges you encounter in curbing these organized crimes?

I did not face any political interference. No minister talked to me in this regard. We are acting to set up special units to deal with the situation. We have arrested a lot and jailed them. We see these crimes are manoeuvred by those living overseas. Some prisoners operate such crimes from their prison cells. It is a big problem.

Q How many underworld leaders are living abroad?

There are at least four such main gang leaders who are living and operating from abroad.

Q The government envisaged Interpols assistance to trace former SL Ambassador to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga. Why dont you get Interpols assistance to arrest these underworld gang leaders too in the same way?

The government is making every possible effort. But, there is scant support from some countries to apprehend these criminals. Therefore, we need to sign international agreements.

Q What are the other barriers?

Actually, if we can strengthen the mechanism to get international assistance, it will facilitate our investigations. It has become difficult for us to get information from international sources. It is more so for us in carrying out investigations into financial frauds as well.

Q What is the reason for the sudden emergence of these underworld groups?

Gang rivalry.

Q President Maithripala Sirisena proposed to implement capital punishment for drug trafficking. What is your opinion?

Even death row criminals operate drug businesses from the prison cells. The Cabinet unanimously decided to implement the death sentence.

Q But, Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera is opposed to it. Also, the heads of missions of European Union countries, Canada and Norway had expressed their objections. How do you proceed with it at this backdrop?

There is international influence. We might face a cut in international assistance if we go ahead with the capital punishment. We need to reconcile all aspects.

Q You said drug trafficking is operated by prisoners in some cases. They cannot do it without the assistance from the prison authorities. How are you going to tackle this issue?

We have informed the prison authorities, yet, it happens. Some officers seem to be aiding and abetting prisoners in this regard. I do not pinpoint all the officers. We are in discussion with the Justice Minister to address this issue. These are long standing issues.

"Some officers seem to be aiding and abetting prisoners in this regard. We are in discussion with the Justice Minister to address this issue. These are long standing issues"

Q The prison authorities are answerable to the government. Then, what is the barrier that prevents them from handling this issue?

We are in touch with the Justice Minister.

Q You are a veteran in the political circle with more than three decades of experience in Parliament. People point their fingers at politicians for nurturing the underworld rings to unleash violence against their opponents? How do you see the evolution of it in the country over the years?

The underworld had been in operation during the former rule as well. We are aware of an underworld gang that killed 18 members of the same family. It happened during the Rajapaksa regime. There were about 30 rival killings. Such cases were not highlighted in the media. Journalists were intimidated and abducted. But today, there prevails a peaceful atmosphere. We do not notice thunder accompanied by heavy rain. If it is thunder only, we feel. That is how I compare the two different situations.

Q Actually, I am asking about the evolution of underworld criminal activities from a sociological point of view. The underworld flourished under every regime with political patronage. Some people argue that it happened after the introduction of the open economy in 1977. How do you view this situation?

Underworld and drug trafficking are intertwined. International drug trafficking is a crime committed in a well-organized manner. We need to curb drug trafficking. The underworld gangs are financed by drug trafficking. It is an international problem. Earlier, we had only Kasippu (illicitly distilled alcoholic beverage) and Ganja (cannabis) as narcotics. Today, it covers a variety of items such as Kerala ganja, ganja, heroin, cocaine, hashish etc. These are available in different forms such as tablets, stickers etc. We need to use advanced technologies to detect them. We have to amend our laws to deal with the emerging threats.

Q Earlier, you stressed the need to deploy the military personnel to arrest the trend. How far have you progressed in the evolution of laws for it?

Only under the state of emergency, we can deploy the military to deal with civil activities. There is no state of emergency now. Therefore, we have to work out new legislation to provide for it.

Q You undertook a visit to Jaffna recently. How did you assess the situation there?

We held extensive talks with the Chief Minister, Governor, senior police officers and others. The situation is not as bad as it has been portrayed by the opposition there. Our intelligence authorities stand alert. As for the Ava criminal gang, it is viewed as the resurgence of the LTTE. Yet, it is not the case. These criminals are youths who are mimicking violent scenes in South Indian movies. They seem to have been inspired by sword attacks. They emulate cowboy characters. They brandish swords. Actually, there is no veracity in the allegations being made by Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna or Pohottuwa members.





"Our supporters want an UNPer to be the President. The UNP could not get one of its members elected as the President since 1994. So, our party men want a President who hails from the UNP"





Q Why cant the police control the situation?

The police have acted in this regard. Numerous suspects have been arrested. Today, there are a lot of foreign remittances to the north. Misusing of such money is also adding to the chaos. There are unemployment issues as well. So we have to think about these issues.

Q Before the advent of the LTTE in 1970s, there were criminal activities such as drug smuggling from India. In fact, it served as a precursor to the emergence of the LTTE. How serious is the problem in that context?

In order to curb these issues, the intelligence services remain on high alert.

Q There is an allegation that the intelligence services have been crippled. What are your comments on this?

It is not true. Our intelligence authorities are very active. It was an attempt to whip up unnecessary fear.

"As for the Ava criminal gang, it is viewed as the resurgence of the LTTE. Yet, it is not the case. These criminals are youths who are mimicking violent scenes in South Indian movies. They seem to have been inspired by sword attacks. They emulate cowboy characters and brandish swords"





Q Kerala Ganja is smuggled into the country from India. How do you seek cooperation from the sub continent to deal with the situation?

We have seized more than 3000 kg of Kerala Ganja. We intend to open talks with the Indian authorities to take necessary steps. The police submitted various proposals to us in this regard. We need Indias help to identify the accused and bring them here to be tried legally.

Q Apart from that, how do you see the political situation?

We are working on it now and are ready to face elections.

Q There is an allegation that you are planning to postpone PC polls. How true is it?

We are ready for them.

Q Elections to three councils are already overdue...

Yes, it will increase to six by December. We insist that the elections to all of them should be conducted on the same day.

Q What is your plan for the presidential election?

The UNP will nominate its own candidate for sure.

Q During the last couple of occasions, you supported a common candidate. Why is there a change of strategy this time?

Our supporters want an UNPer to be the President. The UNP could not get one of its members elected as the President since 1994. So, our party men want a President who hails from the UNP.

Q Any idea of who the possible candidate would be...

He would emerge at the last moment. Late President R. Premadasa came forward in the same fashion in 1989. After that all those who became Presidents were announced at the last moment. We will also do the same next time.
Former Secretary to the President Austin Fernando has been nominated as Sri Lanka's High Commissioner in New Delhi by President Maithripala Sirisena.

Fernando held a number of posts in the public sector before being appointed as Secretary to the President.

The Parliament Committee on High Posts is to examine the suitability of a number of individuals including Fernando who had been nominated as High Commissioners of several countries.

Miss N.M.A. Gunasekera and Anuruddha Kumara Mallikarachchi have also nominated for the post of Sri Lankan High Commissioners for the United Kingdom and South Africa.
uly marks the commencement of one of the darkest periods in this country. Following the ambushing and killing of 13 soldiers in the north, the government of this country condoned a section of its people to be brutally massacred by another section of our countrymen. Following these events, for a period of 35 years, 9 months, 3 weeks and 4 days -- both Sinhalese and Tamils unleashed brutalities and crimes against humanity on each other.



Today, July 23, 2018, both Sinhalese and Tamils need to collectively hang our heads in shame. We need to accept that in our name, be we Sinhalese or Tamils, we tacitly allowed death and destruction to be rained on innocent men women and children. Many among us, again both Sinhalese and Tamils, were opposed to the destruction being visited upon the other in the name of community.

But we did little to oppose the ongoing atrocities. Perhaps we were afraid of the consequences of outspokenly opposing the horrible crimes which were committed in our name. But the fact remains we did not make known our opposition to the dastardly deeds committed in our name.

In the south, a few Sinhalese protested at the draconian legislation in the form of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). Very few, if at all, protested the myriad of attacks on an innocent Tamil civilian population under cover of this Act nor did we see many demanding the release of young boys and girls who later disappeared under the provisions of this Act.

Entire villages in the east of the country razed, but even NGOs normally in the forefront of human rights causes took to the streets to protest the atrocities. In like manner, when the armed struggle commenced in the Tamil areas of the north and east, lamppost killings were frequent. People were accused by one militant group or the other of some petty crime, tied to a lamppost and shot out of hand.

There was no opposition or condemnation of these killings. Even when particular Tamil militant leaders like TELO leader Sri Sabaratnam was brutally dragged behind a jeep through the streets of Jaffna and killed, by a particular group which claimed to be the sole representative of the Tamil people, no one protested. In some places the opposite happened, celebrations appeared to breakout and traders began distributing soft drinks to people in the vicinity...

When a giant Tamil intellectual like Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam was killed by a suicide bomber or when TULF leader Amirthalingam was shot in cold blood there was no outpouring of grief among the Tamil people, nor did we see protests in the North and East against the killings. In fact Dr. Neelan Thiruchlvam was labelled a traitor to the Tamil cause.

When bus loads of Sinhalese people, including infants and children were targeted and killed, protests did not breakout in the north and east against the atrocities. Nor did protests breakout when the Muslim populations in the north and east were ethnically cleansed.

Its time to stop misquoting Franz Fanons phrase in The Wretched Of The Earth that violence committed by the victims of oppression, cannot be equated with that of the oppressor. Despite our thin veneer of civilization, both Sinhalese and Tamils, did in the past tacitly approve the atrocities committed in our name.

Sadly, in the near 10-year period since the armed opposition was crushed, we have not moved beyond the stage of blaming each other for past sins. Some leaders on both sides of the ethnic divide continue rousing tensions based on ethnicity, religion and race. It is also time to face another home truth. There is a distinct disconnect between the the younger generation of Sinhalese and Tamils, regarding the events of July 83, the war which followed.

In Palestine, young people are in the forefront of the struggle against Israel because the atrocities against the Palestinians never ceased.

In Sri Lanka, the situation is different. Small but significant changes have occurred.

But the state has missed many opportunities to eradicate the fears of the vanquished. The Tamils expected the government to protect them. After the war, this was not apparent. Let the people honour their fallen dead, its a small but significant step. The military should work with the local government to build infrastructure country-wide, rebuilding playgrounds, hospitals and roads

Its time to remember, learn lessons of the past and ensure history does not repeat itself.
he speech by the former State Minister of Childrens Affairs Vijayakala Maheswaran has been magnified in the media as a call by her for the return of an LTTE administration to maintain law and order and secure the safety of women in the North.

I have used the term outburst because the content of the speech is not in the form of a considered statement and is more in the nature of an emotional outburst. The sexual abuse and murder of a six-year-old child and another incident mentioned by the ex-Minister had evidently put her into an emotional state where she hit out at her own Governments inability to maintain law and order and made her mindful of an earlier period when discipline was strongly enforced, and she suggested the revival of the LTTE as the panacea.

My objective, however, is to point out that she and others like her seemed to have missed the elephant in the room, which is the community in which these crimes are being committed and the need to try and reform this community. In this instance for example the crime itself was not committed by outsiders but by the childs own 22-year-old relative. While the police, no doubt have a responsibility to maintain law and order, they cannot be expected to be in charge of or control the moral values and behaviour of the larger community in which these crimes take place. Vijayakala also refers to widespread drug use and alcohol imbibing prevalent in the north and refers to politicians as bringing these items into the society. Obviously all these factors are interconnected with the prevalent sexual abuses and assaults as well as gang violence and robberies.

There is a perception among a section of society that there is the sense of a general malaise in this community where many young people in the urban centres particularly, prefer to be dependent on the remittances of hardworking relatives abroad rather than undertake some gainful employment themselves. Combining with this is lack of interest in education and instead the urge to go abroad to western countries where they imagine an easier life is possible. The interest in education and learning which was the hallmark of the Jaffna man is sadly less evident.

"Vijayakala also refers to widespread drug use and alcohol imbibing prevalent in the north and refers to politicians as bringing these items into the society"





I would say that these are all features of a society which is still coming out of the trauma of a 30- year war, the theatre of which has been the northern and eastern provinces. Presently, the Tamil- speaking people feel excluded from the body politic. They feel that they have no part in the administration of the Country. A visit to the Central Ministries in Colombo would strengthen this view not only because of the paucity of Tamil-speaking officers in these Ministries but also because of the indifference to matters concerning these provinces.

"The Police should be able to function in the Tamil language, receiving complaints and writing down statements in the Tamil language"

This sense of not having a role to play leads to the general malaise in the society and makes the young people feel that they have no future in this country. This is also what makes some sections of the people recall the LTTE administration favourably as in the case of Vijayakala. Because, during this period, whatever the hardships and strict discipline enforced, the Tamil people were at the centre of the administration. Their concerns, language and culture were given importance.

This is what lies at the back of Vijayakalas cry what has this government done for us except give back some lands of ours they had taken?. So if this Government is to win the confidence of the people, they must actively engage with the people. Whether it is Reconciliation or Rehabilitation, the people must be given a participatory role. It should not be a top down bureaucratic exercise. The official languages policy must be actively enforced so that Tamil citizens of the Country can at least receive communications from their government in their own language. There must be symbolic steps taken as for example the National Anthem must be always sung in both languages when the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation closes its services at night. In Singapore, for example, the broadcasts are in all four languages of the citizens, including Tamil.

"Whether it is Reconciliation or Rehabilitation, the people must be given a participatory role. It should not be a top down bureaucratic exercise"





Institutions such as the Provincial Council and Tamil-speaking people with executive power in the central government such as Vijayakala should also be playing a positive role. The Minister in charge of Childrens Affairs could have initiated programmes to raise awareness of child protection, instead of merely railing against the government of which she herself was a State Minister. Of course she could not change the community single-handedly but other responsible bodies like the Provincial Council and religious institutions also have a responsibility towards it.

"If the Community feel the Police are not proactive enough, why not encourage youth; especially young women to join the Police force?"

They could also undertake campaigns against these abuses and focus attention on these aspects of the communities lives. Inaugurating more cultural activities, public lectures on educational and other matters and distance education through the TV and the internet could also be tried as a means of weaning people away from their addiction to drink and drugs. If the Community feel that the Police are not proactive enough, why not encourage young people, and especially young women to join the Police force?

In Tamil Nadu, for example, Police stations run by Policewomen alone (All Women Police Stations had been instituted by the late Chief Minister Jayalalitha and have proved very successful as women feel more comfortable reporting sexual crimes at these police stations). The requirement of a pass in mathematics at the O/Levels for constables which is, I understand, a stumbling block for would-be recruits is due to the lack of Mathematics teachers in the schools. This could be rectified by giving exemptions for candidates from certain districts for a stated period , while also providing more mathematics teachers to schools in the rural areas. It must be recognized as a policy that the areas which were war affected be given certain concessions till they can be brought up to the required standards. A major requisite for maintaining law and order in the Province is to improve the existing Police services. The Police strength has to be brought up with the recruitment of more recruits from the province, as well as streamlined removing indiscipline and corruption from the ranks. The Police should be able to function in the Tamil language, receiving complaints and writing down statements in that language.

There is another aspect of the speech which merits analysis. Vijayakalas outburst also brings out her perception and probably that of others in the community as well, as to what is the best form of governance and what constitutes law and order in a society. It is here that I feel apprehension because she seems to imply that law and order and security of people in general, is best maintained under a dictatorial or authoritarian form of governance. Hence she shows nostalgia for that aspect of the era when the LTTE-controlled several parts of the North and East, and calls for the return of such an administration.

It is well known that the LTTE maintained a strict discipline and close watch over the people under their control. For that reason women as well as people in general were able to move around freely without fear. Armed gangs would have been given short-shift, and crimes such as sexual abuse and harassment would receive summary justice. However, Vijayakala prefers not to remember that there were many young girls and boys in the rural villages in the north and east especially in extremely poor and depressed class villages who were taken away from their weeping parents forcibly and made to fight in the war only to die as cannon fodder.

A Court in the Netherlands in 2015, used the evidence compiled by a Dutch female tourist about Tamil girls in the Eastern Province abducted and forcibly conscripted as child soldiers, while on their way to tuition classes, to convict five persons collecting money for the LTTE. Abduction itself is a crime and conscription of children to fight in a war is a war crime. Furthermore in such a society, there are no checks and balances. All dissent is severely punished. For this reason, so many Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (Federal party) MPs, including their late leader Appapillai Amirthalingam were mercilessly gunned down because they took the view that a negotiated settlement, and non-violent methods were the way to solve the ethnic problem and win Tamil rights. Dissent of any kind against the views of the fuhrer is something that is not to be tolerated in such a disciplined society.

In a similar view expressed in the South, none other than the Anunayake of the Malwatha Maha Nikaya, a chief Buddhist prelate has urged a would-be Presidential candidate to be a Hitler. Obviously this fascination with authoritarianism and dare I say fascism, although hopefully confined to a few at present, runs on both sides of the ethnic divide. Hitler, it must be remembered got rid of his political opponents - both Christian Democrats as well as Communists, burnt the Parliament (Reichstag) and carried out a policy of ethnic-cleansing under which six million Jews, Slavs, Gypsies and several other communities (considered vermin) were systematically executed, gassed to death or worked to death in concentration camps. His plans to enlarge the boundaries of the fatherland and to rule the world brought about the World War II and the ultimate destruction of Germany which came to be divided between the four allied powers who had won the war. The Germans underwent terrible suffering, especially those on the eastern front who had to face the advancing Soviet Red Army which had many wrongs to repay.

The Tamils of the north and east have had their share of death and destruction due to the war. Even today we have with us the war widows whom Vijayakala refers to solicitously. But would she want to see a repetition of this same scenario when she calls for the return of an LTTE administration. The Germans, after Hitler, rebuilt their country with sheer grit and determination, to become the powerhouse of Europe under a Federal and Democratic Constitution. This could be an example that Sri Lanka and the North-East Tamils could well emulate rather than indulging in nostalgia for earlier authoritarian or fascist regimes.
The following essay was written by my good friend Eli Savit. Eli is an attorney and an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan Law School. His areas of expertise include appellate and Supreme Court litigation; civil rights, education law, environmental law, and public-interest litigation. He writes regularly about legal issues on the Take Care Blog and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter at @EliNSavit.

(On a personal note, Eli is an attorney who has, in large part, restored my faith in the profession.)

Enjoy (and please share widely.)

Late Friday afternoon  in typical news-dump fashion  Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette issued a formal opinion which stated that Michigans Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act does not prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Schuettes opinion was in many ways predictable. The Attorney General, who infamously spent millions of taxpayer dollars fighting marriage equality all the way to the United States Supreme Court, has rarely missed an opportunity to stand against LGBTQ equality. His decision to insert his office into this issue was as unsurprising as it was disappointing.

But its important to clarify a crucial point about Schuettes latest anti-LGBTQ salvo. The opinion issued Friday has no force of law. It does not  and it cannot  change the legal landscape related to Michigans civil rights law. Powerful though his office may be, the Attorney General is not a judge. He has no authority to definitively interpret Michigan laws.

Heres the background: In May, Michigans Civil Rights Commission ruled that Elliott-Larsens existing prohibition on discrimination because of sex prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The Commission was expressly empowered to make that ruling. In Michigan  as in the federal system  agencies are responsible for interpreting the laws theyre charged with enforcing. And the Commission is the agency charged with enforcing Elliott-Larsen.

The Commissions ruling, moreover, was supported both by the law and by common sense. Thats because its impossible to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity without discriminating on the basis of sex. A gay man who is fired from his job on the basis of sexual orientation  i.e., because he is attracted to men  would not have been fired from his job if he were a woman attracted to men. Similarly, a transgender woman who is denied service at a restaurant on the basis of gender identity would not have been denied service if she were assigned the sex female at birth. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, in short, is discrimination because of sex. Multiple federal courts agree. The federal Civil Rights Act contains identical language prohibiting discrimination because of sex. And over the past several years, a torrent of federal decisions have held that language prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Commission was thus squarely within its legal authority to issue its interpretive ruling. Not only was the Commission empowered to interpret the law, its decision was reasonable, well-justified, and consistent with the decisions of multiple jurists.

That doesnt mean that the Commission has the last word. It is a foundational principle of American law that courts have the final authority to interpret the law. And the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act provides a simple route through which the Commissions interpretation of the law can be reviewed by a court. If an agency gets its interpretation of the law wrong, in other words, courts can and will correct it.

The key point, though, is that the judiciary is the only branch of government that has the authority to review the Commissions interpretation of the law. The Michigan Supreme Court has made absolutely clear that an agencys interpretation of the law will be followed unless and until the statute is otherwise authoritatively interpreted by the courts. There is no process by which the Attorney General can review and override an agencys interpretation.

All of that makes Schuettes formal opinion legally befuddling. As the states top law-enforcement official, Schuette must be aware of the foundational legal principle that only courts can override agency interpretations of the law. He must be aware of the Michigan Supreme Courts holding that an opinion of the Attorney General  does not compel agreement by a government agency. And he must further be aware of recent Supreme Court decisions waving aside any suggestion that the attorney general can bind a state agency.

Nevertheless, Schuette issued an opinion which called the Commissions interpretation of the law invalid. But that opinion cannot actually invalidate the Commissions interpretation. Nor can the Attorney General force the Commission to comply with his own preferred interpretation of the law. The Attorney General is not a judge, and his opinions are not judicial decisions. At bottom, Schuettes formal opinion is entitled to only slightly more legal consideration than a Tweet or a Facebook post.

All of this is important  and not just because of the crucial need to afford LGBTQ Michiganders the same civil rights as all of us enjoy. We have a constitutional system in this country in which the judiciary is empowered make definitive interpretations about the law. The Attorney General cant just seize judicial power for himself. If he could, it would upset our careful system of checks and balances.

So, take Bill Schuettes opinion for what it is. Its a politicians political essay, which seeks to (once again) beat up LGBTQ Michiganders to curry favor with his far-right base. But it cannot, and it should not, be read to override the Commissions interpretation of the law. If it were, it would inflict great harm  not just to LGBTQ Michiganders, but to our system of constitutional governance as a whole.
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As shocking as anything that Donald Trump said in Helsinki last week was Vladimir Putins emphatic claim that the Russian state has never interfered, and is not going to interfere, into internal American affairs, including election processes.

Just as there are two NATOs, there are two Vladimir Putins. When US policy didnt change during his first eight years in office, Putin changed his own. Gradually he became an antagonist  and a demonstrable liar.

Much of what I know about the Russian president I owe to Steven Lee Myers biography, The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin (Knopf, 2015), which, despite its tendentious title, is a first-rate book. During seven years in Moscow for The New York Times, Myers lost all sympathy with his subject, and, by the end of the book, regards him as a little more than a megalomaniac, returning to the presidency in 2012 with no clear purpose other than the exercise of power for its own sake. That much, I think, is pretty clearly mistaken. But the bulk of Myerss sensitive and extensive reporting permits the reader to reach a conclusion independent of the author.

As an officer in the KGB in the 1980s, watching the Soviet Union begin to fall apart, Putin learned much about the virtues of credibility. He was, for instance, unusually candid in the campaign manifesto, Russia at the Turn of the Millennium, that he published on the eve of replacing Boris Yeltsin at the end of 1999. Russias economy had shrunk by half in the 1990s, he wrote; it was a tenth the size of the United States, then a fifth the size of China. Fifteen years of robust growth would be required just to reach the level of Spain or Portugal.

For the first time in the past two hundred [or] three hundred years, [Russia] is facing the real threat of slipping down into the second, and possibly even third rank of world states. We are running out of time to avoid this.

Putin took office as a conciliator, eager for economic integration with the West. He was the first to offer assistance to the Bush administration after 9/11. He did not object to a US base in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan to support the invasion of Afghanistan. He journeyed to Texas to visit George W. Bush at his Crawford ranch.

A series of disappointments followed. NATO continued a second round of expansion, admitting seven nations, including Lithuania, Latvia and Eastonia, former republics of the Soviet Union. Putin flew to Germany and France to join them in their opposition to the invasion of Iraq, without success. The US quietly supported the Orange and Rose Revolutions  westernizing movements in Ukraine and Georgia, and bruited those nations eventual entry into NATO.

Perhaps the most decisive development came when Chechen hostage-taking left 400 dead in the north Caucasus city of Beslan in September 2004. Afterwards, Putin blamed the US for failing to work closely with Russia in cracking down on Chechen rebels. All were terrorists in Moscows eyes; in Washingtons opinion, some were moderates with legitimate aspirations to independence.

Putin spoke out strongly in February 2007 in a speech to a security conference audience that included several American grandees. The New World Order with one master, one sovereign, was increasing tensions, not diminishing them. Unilateral and frequently illegitimate actions were causing more deaths than the bi-polar world that had existed before 1989, he said.

The next developments are familiar. A short war with Georgia in 2008 designed to emphasize its Finlandization in Moscows eyes. President Obamas appointment of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. The Arab Spring and NATOs intervention to remove the Qaddafi regime in Libya. The beginnings of civil war in Syria. Putins decision to replace Dimitri Medvedev as president after the latter served a single term. Clintons support of election protests, and, above all, the events in Ukraine in 2014 that led to Russias annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

Even then, Putin relied on the reputation he had built for candor, starting with Russia at the Turn of the Millennium. The emotionally-charged speech to both houses of the Russian parliament announcing the annexation of the Crimean peninsula was analyzed and annotated by the BBC. It stands up well as an act of persuasion to those who grant Moscows right to a Monroe Doctrine of its own. Even the pretense of the little green men who stage-managed the referendum by which Russia obtained the consent of the locals seems to fall within the penumbra of truth-telling. Nations arent expected to disclose orders of battle when going to war.

It was the downing of a Dutch airliner by missile in eastern Ukraine that marked Putins departure from Western standards of credibility. The Russian government denied any role in the in incident, in which 298 persons perished, but investigators concluded that only a senior Russian military commander could have ordered the sophisticated anti-aircraft system deployed to Ukraine.

It was the same thing again last week when Putin denied that the Kremlin had sponsored a massive campaign of digital theft and political tinkering with US social media in 2016. The Washington Post reported yesterday that Clemson University researchers had discovered that Russian operatives had spun out 18,000 tweets, at the rate of a dozen a minute, on the eve of Wikileaks first disclosures of emails stolen from Clintons campaign manager.

Its not that Russian interference changed the election. If any last-minute gambit was decisive, it was the incipient mutiny in the FBIs New York office, for which former US attorney and New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani served as the mouthpiece. Its that the Russian invasion of digital discourse was a flagrant violation of previous norms. Presumably it arose from exasperation; undoubtedly it made matters worse. But there is no reason to think that it changed the result of the election. The fact remains that Trunp won, 304 to 227 votes in the Electoral College. There will be another election in little more than two years.

Apparently Trump hoped to return home from Helsinki with a written Russian promise that the government wouldnt encourage or even allow such trespassing again, starting with the mid-term elections. There was the idea that if Trump brought home such a guarantee, he would be seen as having scored a victory, an unnamed Russian lawmaker told Demetri Sevastopulo and Kathrin Hille of the Financial Times. But the proposed text amounted to an admission of guilt.

Twenty-seven years after the end of the Soviet Union, Russia and the United States are once again foes. This time the valences are reversed. The US is the expansionist power. It is Russia promulgating a doctrine of containment. Both nations are led by men who cannot be taken at their word. US overreaching is not likely to continue indefinitely, any more than did Soviet behavior the last time around. But this much is already clear. Putin is a major figure in the history of his country. Trump is slowly being disowned by his.
MORE than an event, its an opportunity.

Thats how LambEx 2018 organisers and committee members describe the sheep and lamb extravaganza that will be held in Perth on Sunday, August 5 to Tuesday, August 7.

The program features a fantastic line-up of international and Australian speakers who will present on an array of local and global issues for the sheep and lamb industry.

To be held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, conference chairwoman Bindi Murray said the event was shaping up to be the biggest and best yet.

We have a fantastic program and an amazing line-up of speakers from across the globe who will provide a thought-provoking and insightful look at the lamb and sheep industry in Australia and internationally, Ms Murray said.

LambEx 2018 keynote speakers are internationally recognised including CEO for The Center for Food Integrity Charlie Arnot and Beef and Lamb New Zealand independent director, Melissa Clark-Reynolds.

We are also excited to welcome James Rebanks from the Lake District of the UK.

Others to speak include AuctionsPlus Angus Street who will answer the question whether farmers can expect Amazon-style disruption in livestock marketing in years to come, consultant Jason Trompf who will look at the achievements and leakages of the sheep supply chain and Meat & Livestock Australias Lisa Sharp who will discuss the new generation consumer through the lens of making sure growers are producing what they want.

All sectors of the lamb industry have come together to build on LambExs previous success and ensure the Australian sheep and lamb industry continues its proud tradition of showcasing its industry, Ms Murray said.

Its never been a more profitable time to be a lamb producer.

In the past 12 months sheep, lamb and wool prices have risen to some of the highest levels theyve ever been.

LambEx 2018 will continue to highlight how our industry has grown and what steps producers and industry stakeholders can continue to take to ensure a lift in production and subsequent profits.

LambEx 2018 major event partners are the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Meat & Livestock Australia and WAMMCO International.

Other major sponsors include Fairfax Agricultural Media, Fletcher International Exports, Australian Wool Innovation, Virbac Australia, Rabobank and Boehringer Ingelheim.
Its been a busy month for FETAV reviewing the FIG operation and they are delighted to announce that FIG is now operating fully again.

The shop has been operating normally throughout, and FETAV would like to extend their thanks to Norman, Ann-Marie- Aimee and Linda who stepped in to support the continued operation of the shop. A huge thank you also goes to the shop volunteers, without whose hard work and commitment it wouldnt have been possible.

Whats next for FIG?

Initially FETAV planned to form a new committee however, they have agreed to trial a new and more modern approach to running FIG.

FIG Management Team

FIG now has a Management Team made up of five members (Norman Clark, Aimee Smithson Lonsdale, Linda Jones, Ann-Marie Clark and Lyn Ward).

Norman, Aimee, Linda and Ann-Marie will cover the other roles necessary to run FIG collaboratively  Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, Shop management. This includes fundraising activities and making decisions as to how the money will be spent. Decisions will be made democratically via a voting process.

This spreads the load meaning no one person has all the work and all the information on any one role.

Lyn will continue to focus on the marketing of FIG and support the decision making process, holding the deciding vote if needed.

The Management team will share regular updates on FIG activities and all elements of finance and how the money is being spent. This will be communicated both internally in shop meetings and externally via Facebook and Fethiye Times. The FIG website will also be updated and relaunched.

This new approach will be monitored by FETAV and reviewed at the end of the year with a view to making this structure permanent.

Fundraising

Craft Fayres

The FIG Autumn Craft Fayre will take place on Tuesday 11th September 2018 from 16:00  22:00. It will be in the usual place next to Address Restaurant on the harbour.

Tables can be booked in the FIG Charity Shop during normal opening hours; Monday to Saturday 11am  3pm from Monday 6th August 2018.

Table prices:

2 tables: 30TL

3 tables: 35TL

4 tables: 40TL

5 tables: 55TL

6 tables: 60TL

Please supply a photocopy of either your Kimlik or Residency Permit when booking tables.

The FIG Christmas Fayre will take place on Tuesday 11th December 2018 from 11am  4pm.

Full details of both Craft Fayres will be published on Fethiye Times later this week.

Coffee Mornings

The Management Team is currently looking at various possible venues for the coffee mornings. The plan is to, initially, hold one a month and there will be a new format. Watch out for further details.

Soul Train 2

FIG is one of the childrens charities who will receive a donation from the monies raised at Soul Train 2. The FIG team are currently collecting suitable raffle prizes for hampers. If you are planning a visit to Turkey in the coming weeks please support FIG by bringing items that would be suitable, or even a donation from duty free.

Plans for fundraising are coming along nicely and a question we hear a lot is, what do you do with the money you raise?

FETAV and Management Team will review various projects where they can make a difference to the lives of local children. Once a decision has been made, well let you know.

How can you help?

Having said all that, it will be very difficult for us to achieve this without more volunteers. If youd like to be part of the new and exciting FIG, why not contact us, come along and meet the management team and find out more.

You can also donate your unwanted items to the shop. At the moment they particularly need mens clothing and bric-a-brac.

Contact us

You can send us a message via Facebook: www.facebook.com/figfethiye

Email us: figfethiye@gmail.com

Alternatively, you can call 00 90 537 562 4889

We look forward to hearing from you

Fethiye International Group

Caring for Children
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FLINT, Michigan  When the housing market crumbled, former construction worker and business owner Jason Flowers had a plan. Always interested in medicine, he started down a path which has led him to his Master of Science in Anesthesia from the University of Michigan-Flint. On the way, he designed a potentially life-saving device called the MieT Tube.Flowers met a certified registered nurse anesthetist while he was building homes in Tennessee. A week later, he applied to the nursing program at Tennessee Tech University.I fell in love with the operating room, says Flowers, 32.After finishing his Bachelors degree in nursing, the Ann Arbor native returned to Michigan and began attending UM-Flint. During his studies, Flowers worked at Hurley Medical Center  primarily with young patients who needed ear, nose, or throat surgeries. With these children, many of whom already had irritable airways, each patient was a challenge and the tubes needed covered a wide range of sizes.And, getting the right size is critically important.Too big and the tube could critically damage the childs airway. Too small and fluids can start entering the lungs.Its crazy to think that we live so consistently and so easily, but four minutes without oxygen and its just done, says Flowers.So, he came up with a solution: The MieT Tube, or, in somewhat laymans terms, the Minimally Invasive Expandable Tracheal Tube.Drawing on his background in construction, Flowers developed the idea of creating a mechanical device that uniformly expands its diameter without changing its overall length. His design utilizes interconnected ladder trusses and a series of mechanical expansion points, enabling the tube to both expand and shrink when necessary.The MieT Tube eliminates guesswork, minimizes the chance of injury, and reduces the time it takes to clear an airway.With a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old, youre talking about an airway thats smaller than your pinky  by a lot. When youre in an emergent intubation scenario, you dont have a lot of time, Flowers says.Flowers graduates from UM-Flint in August and will take his board exams two days later. But his invention already is drawing attention. He won the Hagerman Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Business Pitch Competition, has a prototype of the MieT Tube and is applying for Small Business Innovation Research funding to help, he hopes, bring his invention to market and help save lives.
Well that would have been awkward.

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard managed to avoid each other on Saturday when the actor made a surprise appearance at San Diego Comic-Con. He turned up for the Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald panel. She was there for the Aquaman panel. Both events were scheduled for the same room within an hour of each other.

Depp, 55, showed up in costume as his character Gellert Grindelwald, which he plays in the upcoming Fantastic Beasts movie. The blond haired-actor then delivered a creepy monologue before disappearing when the lights flickered.

"The great gift of your applause is not for me but for yourselves," Depp said during his monologue. "Magic blooms only in rare souls. It is granted to those who live for higher purposes. What a world we would make for all of humanity. We, who live for freedom, for truth  the moment has come to rise up and take our rightful place in the world."

The panel also included co-stars, Eddie Redmayne and Jude Law.

JOHNNY DEPP TALKS DIVORCE, LAVISH SPENDING IN SHOCKING TELL-ALL: I WAS 'AS LOW' AS 'I COULD HAVE GOTTEN'

No one saw Depp and his 32-year-old ex-wife cross paths Saturday, People reported.

Depp and Heards rocky relationship became public knowledge when she filed for divorce in May 2016 after 15 months of marriage. Surrounding the ugly split were allegations that Depp was physically and verbally abusive. He was also accused of once throwing a cellphone at her when he was drunk.

Depp has repeatedly denied the allegations, calling them salacious false stories, gossip, misinformation, and lies.

Depp and Heard reached a $7 million divorce settlement in January 2017.

But Depps surprise appearance also shocked fans amid the actors recent personal troubles and shocking tell-all interview with the Rolling Stone. He had also been photographed in June looking gaunt, leaving some fans concerned about his health.

JOHNNY DEPP'S APPEARANCE CAUSES CONCERN AS SOURCES CLAIM HE'S 'FINE,' 'HEALTHY'

A source previously told Fox News the actor is fine despite the troubling reports and concerns.

His split from Amber took a huge toll on him, the source said. It was mentally draining and he took a hit financially... Johnny has [thrown] himself into his music full-time and has been touring with his band, Hollywood Vampires... Hell be just fine. Johnny is happy his fans continue to support his music.

Depps role in the sequel to Fantastic Beasts has prompted social media backlash amid the abuse allegations, but creator JK Rowling has defended Depps involvement.

Based on our understanding of the circumstances, the film-makers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies, Rowling said last year.

The Comic Con crowd greeted Depps surprise appearance with cheers, The Wrap reported.

Fox News' Julius Young contributed to this report.
Jonathan Gold, who became the first restaurant critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for criticism, has died. He was 57.

The Los Angeles Times , where Gold most recently worked, reported that he died Saturday after being diagnosed earlier this month with pancreatic cancer.

"I can't imagine the city without him. It just feels wrong. I feel like we won't have our guide, we won't have the soul," said Laura Gabbert, who directed "City of Gold," a 2015 documentary about the critic. "It's such a loss. I can't wrap my head around it still."

NEW JERSEY TO HONOR ANTHONY BOURDAIN WITH 'FOOD TRAIL' OF CHEF'S FAVORITE RESTAURANTS

Gold's reviews first appeared in L.A. Weekly and later in The Times and Gourmet. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2007 while at L.A. Weekly. He was a finalist again in 2011.

"There will never be another like Jonathan Gold, who will forever be our brilliant, indispensable guide through the culinary paradise that is Los Angeles," Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. "Jonathan earned worldwide acclaim as a food critic, but he possessed the soul of a poet whose words helped readers everywhere understand the history and culture of our city."

The Times noted Gold's reviews, appearing in his column called Counter Intelligence, focused on "hole-in-the-wall joints, street food, mom-and-pop shops and ethnic restaurants," which he preferred to call traditional restaurants.

Known as J. Gold, he had a distinctive style, wearing suspenders, a slightly rumpled button-down shirt, moustache and mop of feathery strawberry blond hair.

Ruth Reichl, who edited Gold at The Times and at Gourmet, called him a trailblazer.

"Jonathan understood that food could be a power for bringing a community together, for understanding other people," she told the newspaper. "In the early '80s, no one else was there. He was a trailblazer and he really did change the way that we all write about food."

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Gold also won numerous James Beard Foundation journalism awards during this career. In May, he received the Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review Award.

His reviews were compiled into a book, "Counter Intelligence: Where to Eat in the Real Los Angeles," in 2000.
NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

If theres such a thing as hell on earth, I saw it last week in Los Lotes, Guatemala.

I stood with three of my dear friends  Orlando, Alex and Edison  in their village at the base of Guatemalas Volcan de Fuego. It was the first time Ive been able to gain access to the site since the village was buried under 10 to 20 feet of ash, mud, and water on Sunday, June 3.

My friends eyes welled up as we walked across the mountains of debris, standing just feet above those who had been buried alive  including Orlandos wife and 8-year-old son. Between my three friends, eight of their closest family members were killed.

I dont think Ive ever been to a place where there is so much death and destruction in such a localized area. As I stood there looking around, all I could think was, We have to do more. We have to help these families rebuild.

Even though this tragedy is out of the news, its survivors are still dealing with the devastation it brought on their lives. Los Lotes was once a beautiful place, home to 2,000 people. Now its a mass grave of ash and volcanic rock. Though most public estimates put the Volcan de Fuegos death toll around 100 people, our partner in Guatemala tells me this figure is grossly underestimated. In Los Lotes an estimated 1,500 people were buried alive and are either still missing or presumed dead.

Every house in the village has been destroyed.All thats left to see is the top of the local school  a school Orlandos 8-year-old son used to attend. Now the school is destroyed, and Orlandos son is gone. Alexs uncle is dead. And Edison suffers physical as well as emotional scars from the worst day in Los Lotes history. In the middle of the mayhem, he was shot and may lose sight in his right eye.

As I departed Guatemala, I promised my friends I would do everything I could to help them rebuild their homes and the homes of other survivors in Los Lotes.

I have traveled to Guatemala countless times to deliver humanitarian aid. But this tragedy was personal for me. Ive known these men for many years; they are some of my best friends. Every time I come to Guatemala, I spend time with them and work alongside them. And it breaks my heart to know that in one day, they lost everything.

Families are living in crowded temporary housing in a nearby village. Orlando even told me hes staying in one room with 17 family members!

Yet, amidst this heartbreak, theres one thing Im grateful for: our organization, World Help, is in a unique position to help the people of Los Lotes. Our in-country partners were the first to rush in and provide aid for the survivors from the village. Just a day after the eruption, we were handing out food and emergency supplies in the surrounding areas. In fact, the Guatemalan government has allowed us to be the first NGO to enter the village and help in the recovery efforts.

As amazing as it may sound, the people of Los Lotes have not given up hope. Theyre literally rising from the ashes, picking up the broken pieces of their lives to rebuild new ones. Though they have lost so much, they still have faith that this is not the end of their story.

As I departed Guatemala, I promised my friends I would do everything I could to help them rebuild their homes and the homes of other survivors in Los Lotes. My hope is that if youre reading this, you will join us in the effort. There are some things that can never be replaced, but we can show these survivors love and help them as they rebuild their lives.
The Department of Justice has released documents used by the government to justify the FISA surveillance warrant against Carter Page, a former campaign adviser to then-candidate Donald Trump.

The materials released by the DOJ include an October 2016 application to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to wiretap Page as well as several renewal applications. It is highly unusual for documents related to FISA wiretap applications to be released.

Though heavily redacted, the documents show that the infamous and unverified Steele Dossier was a major component of the 2016 surveillance warrant. The dossier, which was opposition research funded by the DNC and Hillary Clinton campaign, contains salacious allegations against Trump. It was also a major component used to justify subsequent renewals.

The visible sections of the released FISA documents do not indicate the dossier was ever verified. Instead, the FBI claimed that Steele was reliable based on his previous work.

The FISA records also reveal that a September 2016 Yahoo News article by Michael Isikoff was a significant part of the government's warrant application.

But London court records show, and Republicans emphasize, that Steele briefed Yahoo News and other reporters in the fall of 2016 at the direction of Fusion GPS -- the opposition research firm behind the Steele Dossier.

WATCH: DARRELL ISSA REACTS TO RELEASE OF FISA DOCUMENTS

The newly released FISA warrant application, however, seems to indicate the Yahoo News article was an independent piece of corroborating information that justified the surveillance of Carter Page. Republicans question whether the story is an example of circular reporting that merely repeated information from Fusion GPS, the opposition research firm that commissioned former British spy Christopher Steele to compile the dossier.

Based on what is visible, the dossier is not described to the FISA court as a political document, as the Democrats have asserted; in fact, the FBI speculates to the FISA court that it was commissioned to damage Candidate 1, who is Donald Trump.

Page's denials of the Yahoo News reporting were included in the early renewals to the FISA application. The last renewal in late Spring 2017 is particularly important, because by that point, the FBI had dumped Steele as a source after he misled them over his media contacts.

One of the documents reads: The FBI speculates to the FISA court that the U.S. person was likely looking for information that could be used to discredit candidate 1s campaign."

Fox News believes that the U.S. person is Glenn Simpson, co-founder of Fusion GPS.

HOUSE MEMO: DISPUTED DOSSIER KEY TO FBI FISA WARRANT TO SURVEIL TRUMP TEAM

The unredacted FISA materials also contain only limited references to ex-Trump adviser George Papadopoulos. Media reports had speculated that Papadopoulos' 2016 meeting in London with a professor who had ties to Russia was a key justification for the FISA-authorized surveillance of Page.

Papadopoulos has since pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe.

Critics have charged that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who signed off on the FISA application renewals, should not have approved them without more reliable intelligence.

Reacting to the document release, Page told Fox News, "I'm having trouble finding any small bit of this document that rises above complete ignorance and/or insanity."

President Trump also weighed in on Twitter Sunday, calling the situation a "scam."

"Looking more & more like the Trump Campaign for President was illegally being spied upon (surveillance) for the political gain of Crooked Hillary Clinton and the DNC," Trump wrote. "Ask her how that worked out - she did better with Crazy Bernie. Republicans must get tough now. An illegal Scam!"

The surveillance of Page became a contentious matter between Republican and Democratic lawmakers earlier this year. Republicans alleged the FBI had abused its surveillance powers and improperly obtained the warrant, a charge that Democrats rebutted as both sides characterized the documents in different ways. The documents, meanwhile, remained out of public view.

WATCH: CARTER PAGE SPEAKS OUT

House Democrats were quick to say that the documents bolstered their arguments.

"For more than a year, House Republicans have bullied the Department of Justice and FBI to release highly sensitive documents to derail the Special Counsel's and other legitimate national security investigations and cover for the President," House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. "For the sake of our national security and our democracy, these vital investigations must be allowed to continue unhindered by Republican interference. The GOP must cease their attacks on our law enforcement and intelligence communities, and finally decide where their loyalty lies."

U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, the California Democrat who is the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, said the documents underscore the "legitimate concern" the FBI had about Page's activities. Yet Schiff said the materials shouldn't have been released during an ongoing investigation because of national security.

Schiff blamed Trump for making public the House Republicans' initial memo about the FISA applications, a move by Trump that the congressman called "nakedly political and self-interested, and designed to to (sic) interfere with the Special Counsel's investigation."

Earlier this year, GOP members of the House Intelligence Committee voted to release a memo claiming the DOJ abused the FISA warrant process in order to hurt Trump's presidential campaign, claiming the warrant against Page was based in significant part on the Steele Dossier.

Trump declassified the memo over the objections of the FBI, which warned that the document contained material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memos accuracy, the Hill report said.

Fox News' Gregg Re and the Associated Press contributed to this story.
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters said that the counterprotesters who burned and stomped on an American flag outside her California office this week, while exercising their right to express themselves, were also acting to further their own agenda."

Waters issued a statement Saturday saying that the protesters who appeared outside her Los Angeles office Thursday did so despite her calls to steer clear of a planned protest by a far-right group, the Oath Keepers.

Many people from within the community heeded my advice and steered clear of the event, but there were groups of individuals who felt compelled to participate and show their support for me despite my request, her statement read.

The Oath Keepers event did not materialize.

Waters said a group of nonpeaceful demonstrators, not necessarily from her congressional district, participated in the counterprotests not so much in support of me, but to seek press attention in furtherance of their own agendas.

During Thursdays protest, a vehicle with an American flag on the back approached and was stopped by the crowd. Some individuals opened the car doors while others grabbed the flag as the vehicle drove off. The flag was then stepped on and set ablaze. A few people cheered and someone yelled, "This is not the American flag, this is their flag."

While I do not agree with torching the flag as a form of protest, I understand the Constitution guarantees everyone the right to this form of free expression, Waters said.

While I do not agree with torching the flag as a form of protest, I understand the Constitution guarantees everyone the right to this form of free expression.  U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif.

The Democratic lawmaker said she does not support any forms of violence, but stands by her respect for the Constitution.

Waters recently sparked anger among conservatives after she called on the public to "push back" on Trump administration officials spotted in public.
Robert Driscoll, the lawyer for accused Russian spy Maria Butina, took aim at the Department of Justice on Sunday, telling Fox News exclusively that investigators charged her on technicalities after a lengthy surveillance operation because they didn't want to have to follow her to South Dakota.

Driscoll's remarks came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday to demand the release of Butina, calling the charges against her "fabricated," according to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry.

In his first interview since Lavrov's call, Driscoll said that Russia doesn't "want her back -- they want her out."

"She's a young woman, who is 29 years old, who just graduated from American [University] with a master's, and she's being held without bond in a D.C. jail on a FARA [Foreign Agents Registration Act] registration charge, and a lot of people look at a young woman like that, and think of their kids," Driscoll said.

"Maria has nothing to do with the 12 Russians who were indicted, she has nothing to do with the [Special Counsel Robert] Mueller probe," he added. "They haven't pointed to anything she did that would be remotely spy-like. Spies don't communicate by Twitter direct message."

RUSSIAN OFFICERS INDICTED FOR ALLEGEDLY HACKING DNC EMAILS

Driscoll played down Butina's texts with her alleged Russian handler, Alexander Torshin, which referred to her "teachers." Her attorney told host Leland Vittert that the two were close because of her previous gun-rights advocacy in Moscow.

"To me, it's an overblown case," Driscoll said. "I think Maria circled among people who were involved in U.S. politics, and people got excited when they saw that."

Driscoll stopped short of saying that Butina's prosecution is a purely political effort, but he charged that it amounts to much ado about a technicality -- and a prosecution that would not have occured if Butina were an American citizen.

FBI agents charged that Butina was getting ready to move to South Dakota to live with her reported boyfriend, conservative political activist Paul Erickson, when they moved in to arrest her.

Driscoll said Butina's connections with high-level officials were overhyped and incidental, and came largely through her relationship with Erickson.

"They haven't charged her with being a Russian agent," Driscoll said. "Everything she's done, according to the government, would be legal if she had filed a piece of paper with the attorney general."

Butina, a Russian national, was arrested in July and is accused of attempting to infiltrate multiple organizations in the U.S. at the direction of an unnamed senior Kremlin official. She has pleaded not guilty to the allegations but remains in jail as prosecutors argued she could be considered a flight risk.

Butina gained access to an extensive network of U.S. persons in positions to influence political activities in the United States by living with and having a personal relationship with another individual, according to court documents.

WATCH: IS BUTINA A RUSSIAN AGENT WHO TRADED SEX FOR SECRETS?

She also allegedly offered sex to someone in exchange for a position within a special interest organization. Court records did not name these people.

The 29-year-old has connections to a longtime GOP operative as well as the National Rifle Association (NRA). She also asked President Trump a question about the United States relationship with Russia when he was just a presidential candidate.

She was in the U.S. on a student visa, enrolled at American University in Washington, D.C. She received her graduate degree from the university in May.

While Lavrov insisted that Butina be released, there were no signs that the State Department was willing to grant or even acknowledge that request over the weekend.

On Sunday, a State Department statement that recapped Pompeo's call with Lavrov omitted any mention of Butina, focusing instead on Syria policy and the countries' efforts to improve counterterrorism coordination.

"Among the topics discussed was the fact that Russia had violated its commitment in southwest Syria" the statement read. "The two also discussed how to implement ideas on counterterrorism process coordination and the mutual goal of establishing business-to-business dialogue between private, non-governmentally controlled entities in each of our two countries."

Fox News' Kaitlyn Schallhorn contributed to this report.
Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz slammed the massive number of redactions in the set of documents the Justice Department released on Saturday related to the wiretapping of a onetime campaign adviser to President Trump.

Appearing on Fox News Channels Sunday Morning Futures, Dershowitz argued that the vast majority of redactions were meant to cover up peoples incompetence and not any top secret information and that the American public deserves to know what has been hidden from view.

We need to know more, not less, Dershowitz said. We need less redactions.

The documents, which were released to the New York Times and several other media organizations that had filed Freedom of Information Act lawsuits to obtain them, have been at the center of a political firestorm for months, as some Republicans have suggested that the FBI misrepresented evidence to obtain warrants to monitor Trumps former adviser Carter Page as they investigated possible collusion between the Russian government and the Trump aide.

Visible portions of the heavily redacted documents show the FBI telling the court that Page "has been collaborating and conspiring with the Russian government." The agency also told the court that "the FBI believes Page has been the subject of targeted recruitment by the Russian government."

The documents show that the Steele Dossier  a report compiled by Christopher Steele, a former head of the Russia Desk for British intelligence -- was a major component of the 2016 surveillance warrant. The so-called Steele Dossier contains salacious, but unverified, allegations against Trump and was also a major component used to justify subsequent renewals of the wiretap.

The dossier, which was opposition research funded by the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign, contains salacious allegations against Trump. It was also a major component used to justify subsequent renewals.

The visible sections of the released FISA documents do not indicate the dossier was ever verified. Instead, the FBI claimed that Steele was reliable based on his previous work. The FISA records also reveal that a September 2016 Yahoo News article by Michael Isikoff was a significant part of the government's warrant application.

The Steele Dossier, we know how it was obtained, Dershowitz said. But was there information sufficient enough to be used to justify intruding on an American citizens privacy?

On Sunday, Trump tweeted about the documents: "As usual they are ridiculously heavily redacted but confirm with little doubt that the Department of 'Justice' and FBI misled the courts. Witch Hunt Rigged, a Scam!"

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida also broke with Trump, saying he didn't think the FBI did anything wrong in obtaining warrants against Page.

"I have a different view on this issue than the president and the White House," Rubio said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation." ''They did not spy on the campaign from anything and everything that I have seen. You have an individual here who has openly bragged about his ties to Russia and Russians."

Page has denied being an agent of Russia, which he repeated Sunday to CNN, saying, "No. I've never been the agent of a foreign power."

In a 2013 letter, Page described himself as an "informal adviser' to the Kremlin but now he told CNN "it's really spin" to call him an adviser.

Catherine Herridge, Pamela K. Browne and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
On four occasions, the FBI told the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) court that it "did not believe" former British spy Christopher Steele was the direct source for a Yahoo News article implicating former Trump aide Carter Page in Russian collusion, newly released documents reveal.

Instead, the FBI suggested to the court, the September 2016 article by Michael Isikoff was independent corroboration of the salacious, unverified allegations against Trump in the infamous Steele Dossier. Federal authorities used both the Steele Dossier and Yahoo News article to convince the FISA court to authorize a surveillance warrant for Page.

But London court records show that contrary to the FBI's assessments, Steele briefed Yahoo News and other reporters in the fall of 2016 at the direction of Fusion GPS -- the opposition research firm behind the dossier.

The revelations are contained in heavily-redacted documents released over the weekend after a Freedom of Information lawsuit by the organization Judicial Watch.

The materials released by the DOJ include an October 2016 application to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to wiretap Page as well as several renewal applications.

The FBI's assessment that Steele was not the direct source of the Yahoo News article is contained in all of the released FISA applications, including a renewal in June 2017.

"The FBI does not believe that Source #1 [Steele] directly provided this information to the identified news organization that published the September 23rd News Article," the FBI states in one of the released FISA documents. "Source #1 told the FBI that he/she only provided this information to the business associate and the FBI."

DOJ RELEASES FISA DOCS THAT SERVED AS BASIS FOR WARRANT AGAINST CARTER PAGE

The documents describe Source #1 as someone "hired by a business associate to conduct research" into Trump's Russia ties -- but do not mention that Fusion GPS was funded by the DNC and Hillary Clinton campaign.

Instead, the documents say only: "The FBI speculates that the identified U.S. person was likely looking for information that could be used to discredit [Trump's] campaign."

Fox News believes that the U.S. person is Glenn Simpson, co-founder of Fusion GPS.

The FBI describes Steele in the documents as "credible" and "reliable," but noted that it suspended its relationship with him in October 2016 because of his "unauthorized disclosures to the press."

The unredacted FISA materials also contain only limited references to ex-Trump adviser George Papadopoulos. Media reports had speculated that Papadopoulos' 2016 meeting in London with a professor who had ties to Russia was a key justification for the FISA-authorized surveillance of Page.

Papadopoulos has since pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe.

GOWDY: CARTER PAGE MORE LIKE 'INSPECTOR GADGET THAN JASON BOURNE'

Reacting to the document release, Page told Fox News, "I'm having trouble finding any small bit of this document that rises above complete ignorance and/or insanity."

In the early renewals of the FISA application, the FBI disclosed to the court that Page had strongly denied the Yahoo News reporting.

Critics have charged that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who signed off on the FISA application renewals, should not have approved them without more reliable intelligence.

In a series of tweets early Sunday, President Trump called the FISA documents proof of a "witch-hunt" and a "scam," and praised Judicial Watch for obtaining the documents.

But Democrats countered that the release had, in fact, vindicated the FBI.

"These documents affirm that our nation faced a profound counterintelligence threat prior to the 2016 election, and the Department of Justice and FBI took appropriate steps to investigate whether any U.S. persons were acting as an agent of a foreign power, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif, who serves as ranking member of the House intelligence committee, said in a statement.

FBI and DOJ would have been negligent had they not used all the tools at their disposal, including Court-authorized [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] FISA surveillance, to protect the country," he added.

Fox News' Catherine Herridge and Pamela K. Browne contributed to this report.
The prediction was given by experts during a workshop held by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) in Ho Chi Minh City on July 20.

According to Nguyen Viet Hung from the General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDC), Vietnams import-export value reached US$225 billion in the first half of 2018, up nearly 13% year-on-year.

The countrys export turnover increased by 16.3% year-on-year to nearly US$114.2 billion in the reviewed period. Meanwhile, it spent US$110.8 billion on importing goods, up by 9.6%. The country enjoyed a trade surplus of US$3.4 billion in the first two quarters.

Statistics from the GDC show that Vietnams exports structure in 2018 is almost unchanged compared to 2017, with key exports being phones and electronic components; textiles and garments; and footwear and handbags.

Foreign-invested enterprises continue to be the main driver of Vietnams export growth for the year.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, domestic businesses reported a 19.9% rise in exports by shipping US$33.07 billion worth of goods abroad in the first half of the year. Meanwhile, FDI enterprises earned US$80.86 billion from exports, up 14.5% from the corresponding period last year.

Hung said with the positive growth rate reported in the first half of the year  and taking into account that second half import-export growth is always forecast higher than the first half  Vietnams import-export turnover is likely to hit US$475-477 billion, with a trade surplus of around US$4.5-5 billion.
Saturday in the park with Hillary Clinton turned out to be a chance to listen to the former Democratic presidential nominee take aim, once again, at President Donald Trump.

Clinton's appearance in New York City's Central Park came during OZY Fest 2018, a two-day music and culture event sponsored by Ozy, a digital media organization.

In a live discussion in the parks Rumsey Playfield, Clinton sat down with Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs and founder of Emerson Collective, a nonprofit advocate of liberal causes that led the event, Business Insider reported.

"We have decades and decades of proof that absorbing immigrants, creating opportunities ... and opening the doors has been to our advantage. And to those who want to turn the clock back on that and say somehow that it has hurt America, then they're not walking around with their eyes open."  Hillary Clinton

Clinton lambasted Trumps controversial immigration policies as well as his widely criticized summit in Helsinki last week with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Decades of absorbing immigrants and opening the doors, Clinton suggested, has been to our advantage.

To anyone who suggests such policies have hurt America, the former U.S. secretary of state continued, theyre not walking around with their eyes open.

Clinton then gave her thoughts on last Monday's Helsinki summit, for which Trump received bipartisan condemnation for appearing to side with Putin over U.S. intelligence agencies conclusions that high-level Russian officials meddled in the 2016 presidential election.

Why didnt he stand up for our country? Clinton asked. In this case it doesnt seem like our president cares. Hes trying to be friends with Putin for reasons we are all trying to figure out.

"Why didnt he stand up for our country? In this case it doesnt seem like our president cares. Hes trying to be friends with Putin for reasons we are all trying to figure out."  Hillary Clinton

Clinton denounced Putin as a very aggressive guy who wants to dominate his neighborhood again.

The former Democratic presidential nominee criticized Trump for not having aides present during his two-hour meeting with Putin, and mentioned that as secretary of state under President Barack Obama, she always had note takers in attendance so "there's no mistake about what was said."

Clinton was joined by New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon, and actress Rose McGowan, both whom who echoed liberal platitudes.

Nixons proposal to abolish ICE has become a rallying cry for the far left, which has leveled sharp criticisms against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as it carries out Trump administration policies.

Other announced guests at the festival included comedians Michelle Wolf and Hasan Minhaj; the band Passion Pit; rapper Common; and authors Malcolm Gladwell and Salman Rushdie.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Former FBI Director James Comey waded back into the political fray on Twitter Sunday, warning Democrats not to "rush to the socialist left" in upcoming elections.

"Democrats, please, please dont lose your minds," Comey wrote. "This president and his Republican Party are counting on you to do exactly that. America's great middle wants sensible, balanced, ethical leadership."

Last week, Comey urged voters to back Democrats in November's midterm elections, tweeting that Republicans had proven "incapable of fulfilling the Founders design that 'Ambition must  counteract ambition.'"

Comey's latest tweet appeared to be a response to the rise of New York City congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old former bartender who defeated House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley in a primary last month.

Since then Ocasio-Cortez has emerged as a star of the so-called "democratic socialist" movement, having made several media appearances and campaigned with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in support of primary challengers.

The Democratic Socialists of America has endorsed 42 candidates for office at the federal, state and local levels in 20 states --including Florida, Hawaii, Kansas and Michigan.

Allie Cohn, a member of the DSA's national political team, told The Associated Press this weekend that the group's paid membership has reached 45,000 nationwide. In the years before President Trump's election, that number hovered around 6,000.

The most ambitious Democrats in Washington have been reluctant to embrace the label, even as they embrace the policies defining modern-day democratic socialism: Medicare for all, a $15 minimum wage, free college tuition and the abolition of the federal department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE.

Republicans, meanwhile, are encouraged by the rise of democratic socialism  for a far different reason. They have seized on what they view as a leftward lurch by Democrats they predict will alienate voters this fall and in the 2020 presidential race.

The Republican National Committee eagerly notes that Sanders' plan to provide free government-sponsored health care for all Americans had no co-sponsors in 2013. Today, more than one-third of Senate Democrats and two-thirds of House Democrats have signed onto the proposal, which by one estimate could cost taxpayers as much as $32 trillion.

The co-sponsors include some 2020 presidential prospects, such as Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and California Sen. Kamala Harris.

Those senators aren't calling themselves democratic socialists but also not disassociating themselves from the movement's priorities.

Most support the push to abolish ICE, which enforces immigration laws and led the Trump administration's recent push to separate immigrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Of the group, only Booker hasn't called for ICE to be abolished, replaced or rebuilt. Yet Booker's office notes that he's among the few senators backing a plan to guarantee government-backed jobs to unemployed adults in high-unemployment communities across America.

"Embracing socialist policies like government-run health care, a guaranteed jobs program and open borders will only make Democrats more out of touch," RNC Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Former Secretary of State John Kerry blasted President Trump for his attacks on former Vice President Joe Biden Sunday, calling Trumps words unbecoming of a president and asking why the president isnt more focused on his job.

"It's so personal. So unbecoming of a president of the United States to engage in that ... it shows fear or something, I don't know," Kerry told CBS' "Face the Nation." "Why is he picking that at this point in time when he has major issues he needs to deal with?"

Kerry's remarks came days after Trump called Biden a dream opponent in the 2020 presidential election and were part of a harsh critique of the president that suggested Trump was creating a diversion to the issues facing his White House.

"Look, Joe Biden ran [for president] three times," Trump told CBS News last week. "He never got more than one percent and President Obama took him out of the garbage heap, and everybody was shocked that he did. I'd love to have it be Biden."

Biden, who is widely considered the current frontrunner to win the Democratic nomination in 2020, has recently stepped up his criticism of Trump.

Speaking recently on a podcast called "Anger Management," Biden said that Trumps "zero tolerance" immigration policy made him feel ashamed and added that U.S. credibility on the world stage was deteriorating.

The reason why the rest of the world in large part has repaired to us is not the example of our power, but the power of our example, Biden said.

He added: And we are sending a signal that I just think is so, so damaging to our ability to be a positive force in being among the leaders in the world. Whether its that, or whether its praising [Philippines leader Rodrigo] Duterte or praising {Vladimir] Putin or praising Kim Jong Un. I mean, what are we doing?

Kerrys comments come after a difficult week for Trump, who took a bipartisan beating for his contradictory statements about Russia's culpability for interference in the 2016 presidential election and for raising doubts about the U.S. intelligence community's conclusions about Moscows meddling.

"That's what he's trying to run away from," Kerry said. "He wants to have you raising the question you just raised with me, which is the real question in the moment, nothing about Joe Biden or what happened in the last campaign and everything," Kerry said, adding "What he does is, he's always looking for the diversion, always moving away from the real business of our country because he doesn't know how to do the real business of our country."
President Barack Obama's former national security adviser, Susan Rice, on Sunday called President Trump's lengthy one-on-one meeting last week with Russian President Vladimir Putin a "historic mistake."

"It was a historic mistake to allow the president of the United States -- not just Donald Trump, but any president, frankly -- to sit for two hours without any notetakers, without any aides present, with one of the most adversarial leaders in the world, relative to the United States," she said.

Predictably, Rice charged, Russia has been able to use the off-the-record meeting for propaganda purposes.

"Russia is dictating the global public perception of what transpired in that meeting, and we have no basis for countering it," Rice told ABC's "This Week."

"It's a very, very uncomfortable and indeed dangerous situation for the United States to be in," she added. "We are left to wonder -- and even the president's Cabinet members are left to wonder -- what exactly happened."

SUSAN RICE APPOINTED TO BOARD OF NETFLIX

Rice also sharply criticized Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs, which have affected the EU and Canada in addition to Russia, as well as his withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement and the White House's attacks on the impartiality of the intelligence community.

"He's taken a series of steps that, had Vladimir Putin dictated them, he couldn't have mirrored more effectively," Rice said. "What his motivations are I think is a legitimate question ... but the policies that this president has pursued globally have served Vladimir Putin's interests."

Trump's meeting with Putin in Helsinki, Finland, on Monday -- and his apparent equivocation as to whether Russia meddled in the 2016 election -- drew bipartisan condemnation. Trump later said he had misspoken when he said that he didn't see why it "would" be Russia that had attempted to interfere in the election.

DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DAN COATS BREAKS WITH TRUMP ON RUSSIA MEETING

"Theres no inherent problem with two leaders, even from hostile countries, engaging in dialogue," Rice said. "I support that. But you must come prepared. You must come to advance the United States agenda, not to lie prostrate for the Russian agenda."

Rice, who advised President Obama during his administration's negotiation of the Iran nuclear deal, notably requested to unmask the names of Trump transition officials caught up in electronic surveillance in the months prior to his election.

The unmasked names, of people associated with Trump, were then sent to all those at the National Security Council, some at the Defense Department, then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and then-CIA Director John Brennan  essentially, the officials at the top, including former Rice deputy Ben Rhodes.

DOJ RELEASES DOCUMENTS THAT SUPPORTED SURVEILLANCE WARRANT FOR TRUMP CAMPAIGN OFFICIAL

"This Week" host George Stephanopoulos did not ask Rice about the recent release of heavily redacted documents that were used by the FBI to support a FISA application to surveil ex-Trump aide Carter Page.

Republicans have charged that the FISA application improperly relied on DNC-funded opposition research, as well as news articles that effectively recycled claims from the opposition research firm behind the dossier.

In 2012, Rice, who was then serving as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, appeared on five different Sunday talk shows to suggest that the Benghazi terror attacks were the result of spontaneous protests over what she called a hateful Internet video.

Emails uncovered after the fact revealed that administration officials knew the Benghazi attacks were the result of terrorism, not an Internet video, and indicated that even folks within the State Department were stunned by Rice's appearances. One State Department employee suggested Rice had gone "off the reservation."

It was less than a year later, in June 2013, that Rice was tapped by President Obama to serve as national security adviser.

Fox News' Travis Fedschun contributed to this report.
President Trumps former Press Secretary Sean Spicer acknowledged on Sunday that his former boss should have been quicker in clarifying his comments during a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week about Moscows meddling in the 2016 presidential election, but blamed the media for blowing the issue out of proportion.

Speaking to Howard Kurtz on Fox News Media Buzz on Sunday, Spicer said that Trump had admitted to fumbling his words when he appeared to side with Putin and cast doubts on U.S. intelligence conclusions about Russian meddling, but added that Trump in the past had spoken very clearly about Russian hacking.

I think the issue is the degree and intensity with which they went after him, Spicer said of the media. There was this fury from the media that a lot of folks thought they had to react to.

Spicer added: Most Republicans, most Americans, are glad that he made it clear.

While Spicer is correct that most Republican voters across the country approve of Trumps handling of the summit in Finland with Putin, recent polling shows that half of Americans do not.

According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll released on Sunday, 50 percent of Americans disapprove of how the president dealt with his summit with Putin, with only 33 percent approving of it. When asked about Trump casting doubts about U.S. intelligence in regards to Russian meddling, the number jumped to 56 percent disapproving to just 29 percent approving.

Trump's public doubting of Russia's culpability for interference in 2016  though he tried to "clarify" his remarks a day later  sparked bipartisan condemnation in Washington and sparked congressional lawmakers to look once again for ways to tighten sanctions on the longtime U.S. foe.

By the time Trump arrived back in the U.S., the parade of critical statements had become a stampede, leaving the president the most isolated he'd been in the White House since last year's controversy over white supremacist protesters in Charlottesville.

Trump waited 27 hours, sent five tweets and sat for two television interviews after his initial comments in Helsinki before claiming he'd used a confusing "double negative" and meant "would" instead of "wouldn't" in a key sentence at his press conference about who was responsible for election meddling.

"The sentence should have been: I don't see any reason why I wouldn't -- or why it wouldn't be Russia," the president said Tuesday before a meeting with Republican members of Congress.

The next day brought a fresh challenge. Trump appeared to answer "no" to a reporter's question asking whether Russia was still targeting the U.S. While hours later, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders emerged to say Trump had merely tried to put a stop to the questioning by saying "no," although he continued discussing Russia after that.

And Sanders created a fresh headache for the administration when she said the White House was still reviewing a proposal from Putin to allow access by Russian law enforcement officials to Americans whom the Kremlin accuses of unspecified crimes in return for U.S. access to interrogations of Russian agents indicted for their alleged roles in interfering in the 2016 election. The State Department, by contrast, rejected the proposal  which Trump days earlier had called an "incredible offer  as "absurd."

Despite the blowback inside the Beltway for Helsinki, the new poll suggests that it has done little to shift attitudes toward Trump overall. An average of recent polls compiled by Real Clear Politics finds that just under 53 percent of Americans disapprove of the president compared to just over 43 percent who approve.

President Barack Obama saw 46 percent of Americans having

favorable views of him at the same point in his presidency, July 2010, while 46 percent disapproved. Similarly, 69 percent of Americans approved of President George W. Bush in July 2002, while 24 percent disapproved.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Among the documents that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee ahead of his confirmation hearing is a 1999 magazine article that includes some of his toughts on presidential authority.

For example, according to the article, Kavanaugh suggested in a roundtable discussion with other lawyers that the 1974 high court ruling that forced President Richard Nixon to turn over the Watergate tapes, leading to the end of his presidency, may have been wrongly decided.

Kavanaugh's belief in robust executive authority has become a focal point in his nomination by President Donald Trump to succeed retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.

"[M]aybe Nixon was wrongly decided  heresy though it is to say so, Kavanaugh said. Nixon took away the power of the president to control information in the executive branch by holding that the courts had power and jurisdiction to order the president to disclose information in response to a subpoena sought by a subordinate executive branch official," Kavanaugh said in a transcript of the discussion that was published in the January-February 1999 issue of the Washington Lawyer.

Kavanaugh was among six lawyers who participated in the discussion in the aftermath of independent counsel Kenneth Starr's investigation that led to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. Kavanaugh had been a member of Starr's team.

Philip Lacovara, who argued the Watergate tapes case against Nixon and moderated the discussion, said Kavanaugh has long believed in a strong presidency.

"[I]t was surprising even as of 1999 that the unanimous decision in the Nixon tapes case might have been wrongly decided," Lacovara said.

The 1999 article was among a pile of material released in response to the committee's questionnaire. Kavanaugh provided information about his career as an attorney and jurist, his service in the executive branch, education, society memberships and more.

Kavanaugh has written some 300 rulings as an appeals court judge and has a record in the George W. Bush White House as well as in Starr's probe of Clinton.

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the committee chairman, said the questionnaire was "the broadest and most comprehensive" ever sent by the committee and he welcomed "Judge Kavanaugh's diligent and timely response."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This is a rush transcript from "Sunday Morning Futures," July 22, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

MARIA BARTIROMO, HOST: Good morning. Good Sunday morning.

We are getting a first look at top-secret surveillance records this morning showing how the FBI spied on a former member of the Trump campaign.

And now the president is weighing in this morning.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin makes clear one of his obsessions during that joint press conference with President Trump.

And what is the strategy for House Republicans to keep control of the House, as we witness a rising interest in Democratic socialism ahead of the midterm elections?

Good morning, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Maria Bartiromo, and this is "Sunday Morning Futures."

President Trump responds this morning to the Justice Department releasing more than 400 pages of documents related to the 2016 FISA application for former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. It shows the intimate Steele dossier was, in fact, a major component for the surveillance warrant.

Fresh reaction from House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Alan Dershowitz coming up this morning.

Vladimir Putin called him out by the name during the Helsinki news conference by President Trump. Today, Bill Browder responds to the Russian leader. He will join me live.

And the midterm race is heating up. I'll speak exclusively with House Majority Whip Steve Scalise about the Republican leadership's strategy to keep control of the House.

All that and a lot more right now, as we look ahead on "Sunday Morning Futures."

And top of the news right now, the Justice Department is making its first public disclosure of a highly sensitive FISA request by releasing the heavily redacted version of the documents relating to that FISA warrant against former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page.

The 400-plus pages were released as a result of lawsuits filed by several media organizations, including Judicial Watch. The documents reveal major components in the FBI surveillance request leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

They were memos written by Christopher Steele. That is what they used to get the warrant, the former British intelligence officer hired by a research firm working for Trump's opponent Hillary Clinton.

The president reacting on Twitter earlier this morning, saying: "Congratulations to @JudicialWatch and @TomFitton being successful in getting the Carter Page FISA documents. As usual, they are ridiculously heavily redacted, but confirm with little doubt that the Department of Justice and the FBI misled the courts. Witch-hunt. Rigged. A scam."

The president later tweeted this: "Looking more and more like the Trump campaign for president was illegally being spied upon, surveillance for the political gain of crooked Hillary Clinton and the DNC. Ask her how that worked out? She did better with crazy Bernie. Republicans must get tough now. An illegal scam."

Joining me right now with his first reaction to all of this is House Judiciary Committee Chairman and Virginia Republican Congressman Bob Goodlatte.

Mr. Chairman, it's good to see you this morning. Thanks so much for joining us.

REP. BOB GOODLATTE, R-VIRGINIA: Good morning, Maria. It's good to be with you.

BARTIROMO: Well, what strikes me about all of these documents that I have been looking at all morning is all of the redactions on every page, major black, black lines redacted.

So, tell us, what did we learn from this FISA warrant?

GOODLATTE: Well, we certainly learned that there is a serious problem with the FBI presenting to the FISA court an application for a search warrant against a United States citizen and then followed by three renewals when they were basing it on a very flawed document, the so-called Steele dossier, that has never been verified.

Even after all of this came out, they attempted to verify it and failed. So that's number one.

Number two, I have had the opportunity, as have a few other members of the House of Representatives, the opportunity to read these FISA warrant applications without all of those redactions. There are only a few redactions in the document that I reviewed.

And I think it is critically important that the American people have the opportunity to see most of the rest of those documents. We want to make sure that we're protecting sources. We want to make sure that we're protecting methods that are used in investigations.

But most of the information that is redacted in that report should easily be seen by the American people. They can judge for themselves, but I will tell you, it doesn't support the issuance of a warrant against Mr. Page.

BARTIROMO: So, what will be done about it?

GOODLATTE: Well, certainly, this is a big development for the investigation that I, as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Trey Gowdy, as chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, have been pursuing now for the last nine months, because, as you know, at each step in that process, the FBI has objected to our looking into this matter, because they claim it's part of an ongoing investigation.

And we have said all along we're not interested in looking at the substance of anything that Mr. Mueller does find in his investigation. We don't want to interfere with that. But we do want to see how this investigation was launched and how it contrasts with the shocking way that they handled the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation.

So that is an absolutely critical aspect of this. And now we have a federal judge who agrees that information regarding that investigation can and should be made public and has ordered it be made public. Much more needs to be done in that regard.

But the Congress, which has subpoena power and has issued subpoenas with regard to both documents and witnesses, is entitled to have answers to our questions. And I think that this is a major boost to that effort.

BARTIROMO: There was one redaction here about an agent, an agent launching this investigation. Are we assuming that that is Peter Strzok, who is also-- his name redacted in this warrant?

GOODLATTE: I can't comment on the redacted items in that until a court has ordered them to be made public.

But I can say that, based upon our other aspects of this investigation, that Peter Strzok was at the heart of both the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation, where the FBI bent over backwards to find every way possible to not proceed with that case.

And, in fact, as you know, they did decide in a very public and controversial way not to proceed in that investigation. And he was also at the heart of the beginning of this investigation into so-called Trump campaign-Russia collusion.

BARTIROMO: I want to know what this tells us about the Robert Mueller probe, because you go back to Carter Page, and here is the guy who was actually wiretapped and surveilled.

If Carter Page was an agent of a foreign power working for the Russians, why is he still running around free? Why are there no charges against Carter Page?

And, by the way, what does that say about Comey, McCabe, Yates, Rosenstein, and the others who repeatedly certified to the court that he was, that he was an agent of foreign power? Why has he not been charged then?

GOODLATTE: Well, excellent question.

He was surveilled for a solid year, three-month increments for -- with three renewals. And I don't believe they found anything with regard to him. I cannot speak for him, and I can't speak for special counsel Mueller.

And, as I have said before, he has been charged with a responsibility to carry out. And if he finds evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, he should bring it forward. This investigation is now more than 2 years old.

And it is, I think, very -- he's only been on the job for a little over a year. But this was going on for almost a year before he came on the scene, and still is a cloud, a shadow over this administration.

It is something that, if they have the goods, as Chairman Gowdy has said, bring them to a grand jury. If you don't, let's let the world know that they don't have that evidence.

BARTIROMO: I want to run for you what Senator Rand Paul said on Fox News this past week, because I'm wondering if this information and all that we're gleaning from all of this, whether it's the FISA warrant or your interactions with Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, which I'm going to get to, if that is going to dictate where the Robert Mueller investigation goes.

You would think that it would, since his mandate is collusion with the Russians. Here is what Senator Rand Paul said about all of this, this week on Fox News.

Listen to this, Mr. Chairman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: The president sees the Mueller investigation, he sees all these accusations from partisan Democrats, Hillary Clinton, saying, oh, he colluded with the Russians, but then he also sees that the only people who actually we know colluded with the Russians were Hillary Clinton, who paid a British agent, who then paid Russians for information with this dossier.

So he is -- feels like the intelligence community cooked up a political or partisan investigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARTIROMO: Would Robert Mueller interview Hillary Clinton?

GOODLATTE: Well, again, I can't speak for Robert Mueller.

But I can very heartily agree with Senator Paul when he says that Democratic operatives related to the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee paid for the creation of the so-called Steele dossier, and then turned it over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

But what's so unprecedented about this is that the FBI then took it, weaponized it, without ever verifying its credibility, and brought it to the FISA court without disclosing the source of that information.

That is deeply troubling. And it is a part of the reason why the new FBI director has been hard at work trying to reform this organization, whose credibility has been damaged by a few key people.

And, by the way, those few key people are the same people in both of these investigations, James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, the FBI counsel, the chief of staff to the director, the same people in both these investigations.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

GOODLATTE: In one instance doing everything possible to avoid indicting Hillary Clinton, including allowing her chief aides to be in the room with her when she was interviewed by the FBI, creating a memo exonerating her before most of the witnesses, including Secretary Clinton, had been interviewed, not putting this before a grand jury, even though they had impaneled a grand jury in that investigation.

They didn't let the grand jury determine whether she should be indicted, and then changing the language in the memo from gross negligence to extreme carelessness. Gross negligence very closely tracks the statute. Extreme carelessness is not a meaningful phrase. All to avoid indicting her.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

GOODLATTE: That is shocking.

BARTIROMO: And many of the people that you mentioned, they have signed -- on the signage page of this FISA warrant, they all signed it, OKing it, and that includes John Brennan -- Sally Yates, John Brennan, Jim Comey, Peter Strzok.

So, John Brennan, he's the man who deserves a belated bit of scrutiny, according to The Wall Street Journal, Kim Strassel's op-ed just this past week. We know that John Brennan has been all over town trashing President Trump and trashing the hearing that your committee actually did with Peter Strzok.

What are your thoughts on John Brennan's involvement?

GOODLATTE: Well, we have lots of questions for John Brennan, and he will definitely be sought by the committees for an interview. This is an extremely disturbing thing to see both he and James Comey, supposedly impartial government officials carrying out their jobs in very important areas in intelligence-gathering and law enforcement, express the kind of extreme bias that they have shown now, which I think reflects quite accurately on what they were doing back in 2016.

BARTIROMO: So, he's on your list of witnesses to have in to interview them?

GOODLATTE: Absolutely. Definitely.

BARTIROMO: Who else is on that list?

GOODLATTE: Well, we're going to go through -- we have received a list from the Intelligence Committee of literally dozens of people.

We're going through that list now and determining which ones are our priority. I think I would rather leave it at that, but certainly we will also be talking to Director Comey and former Attorney General Lynch.

BARTIROMO: Let me ask you about Lisa Page.

I know that you had behind-closed-door meetings with her, but, apparently, during that hearing, you have discovered more information that you want. Can you tell us anything about the Lisa Page testimony and what you learned?

GOODLATTE: Well, it was a private confidential interview.

But I will say this, that Ms. Page, in contrast to Mr. Strzok, was far more forthcoming and gave us far more information regarding what was going on in 2016 and into 2017, to help our investigation.

But I will also say that she reminded us of some documents that hadn't been talked about for a while, including the fact that there are not only memos by James Comey that we're all aware of, but also memos by Andrew McCabe, the deputy director of the FBI, that are of interest to us as well, and we're seeking those now.

BARTIROMO: So now you're seeking those documents.

I know that you have been focused and certainly your colleague Devin Nunes has been focused on any information before the actual investigation was launched, which was July 31, 2016.

Mr. Chairman, I want to take a short break, and then I want to come back to that. We also have much to discuss with you, including that showdown with Democrats over a House resolution to support ICE.

We will be right back with Chairman Goodlatte.

Follow me on Twitter @MariaBartiromo, @SundayFutures. Let us know what you would like to hear from Chairman Goodlatte.

And a quick programming note: Former Democratic vice presidential nominee Senator Joe Lieberman will join me this Wednesday on "Mornings With Maria" on the Fox Business Network. So join me weekdays at 6:00 to 9:00 a.m. Eastern on Fox Business.

We will be right back with Chairman Goodlatte.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)



BARTIROMO: We're back with House Judiciary Committee Bob Goodlatte.

And, Mr. Chairman, we know, based on the copies of the FISA warrant that we were able to look at today, that Rod Rosenstein, the deputy A.G., signed off on the FISA warrant. And they signed off three additional times, so a total of four times, with the same evidence.

Are you among those calling for Rod Rosenstein to recuse himself?

GOODLATTE: I am not at this point.

Rod Rosenstein did sign the third renewal application or, in other words, the last FISA warrant application. He was asked at the hearing that he testified at a couple weeks ago whether or not he read the document. He declined to answer that because he claimed it was part of an ongoing investigation.

I think that's an important question that he needs to answer, but I also think it's even more important that he continue to work with the Congress to move this forward, so that we can get answers to all of our questions and get all of the documents that we have subpoenaed.

There has been definitely more cooperation since we issued the subpoena and since U.S. attorney John Lausch from the Northern District of Illinois was appointed to help us get those documents. We have much greater access to unredacted documents than we have had before.

But we still have a long way to go. This is an ongoing investigation, and there are many more documents and many more questions that witnesses have been instructed by the FBI not to answer that need to be answered.

And I think the fact that a judge has now ordered the release of this FISA warrant application shows that it is entirely appropriate for us to look into how this investigation was launched.

BARTIROMO: Yes. And, of course, that investigation morphed into the Robert Mueller investigation.

And there was one text from Peter Strzok to Lisa Page that basically says there's no there there when the Robert Mueller investigation launched, correct?

GOODLATTE: That's correct.

BARTIROMO: Yes. OK, we will keep following that.

Let me move on to immigration. You have been working, obviously, with two bills. Are you going to be able to get one of them across the finish line before the midterm elections? What are your expectations there, Mr. Chairman?

GOODLATTE: Well, you know, Maria, 224 House Republicans, all but 12 of the Republicans in the House, have voted for one of the two measures that we offered.

Unfortunately, neither one got to 218. One got to 193, just 21 votes short of what is a current -- what -- the majority that day.

BARTIROMO: Right.

GOODLATTE: And there are many members hard at work trying to make sure that we bring some of the measures from the second one into the first one and get over 218 votes. That would be huge.

BARTIROMO: OK. Well, we will wait for that.

And real quick, I know you had some technology executives in a hearing as well. You're looking at the editing of information, conservative ideas. Tell us what you're looking at in terms of technology CEOs and where you are in that regard. Real quick, sir.

GOODLATTE: Well, we held a hearing last week with representatives from Facebook, Google and Twitter, in the case of Google, particularly YouTube, regarding their censorship policies, which they do on all three of those social media platforms.

BARTIROMO: Right.

GOODLATTE: And we have had the opportunity to ask some very probing questions about how it is that they have liability protections that newspaper or television...

BARTIROMO: Mr. Chairman, we're going to be looking at this.

GOODLATTE: OK.

BARTIROMO: Thank you so much. Good to see you, sir, Chairman Goodlatte.

GOODLATTE: Thank you, Maria.

BARTIROMO: We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARTIROMO: Welcome back.

The Senate voting unanimously on a nonbinding resolution to oppose giving Russia access to U.S. officials. Vladimir Putin making the proposal in exchange for allowing special counsel Robert Mueller access to the 12 Russians indicted by the Justice Department.

Putin made the suggestion during that Helsinki news conference with President Trump, calling out my next guest by name. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We can actually permit official representatives of the United States, including the members of this very commission headed by Mr. Mueller, we can let them into the country and they will be present for this questioning.

Then we would expect that the Americans would reciprocate, and so we can bring up Mr. Browder in this particular case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARTIROMO: "Bring up Mr. Browder in this particular case."

Joining us right now is the man, Bill Browder. He is the CEO of Hermitage Capital Management and a thorn in Putin's side now for several years.

Bill, it's good to see you this morning. Thanks very much for joining us.

BILL BROWDER, CEO, HERMITAGE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: Great to be here.

BARTIROMO: Look, I know you a lot of years, Bill. And we have talked about your story for a lot of years.

But, even then, for me, after knowing the story as well as I do, I got chills down my back when I heard Vladimir Putin mention your name. What did you think?

BROWDER: Well, I should point out that he's been mentioning my name on a regular basis for the last six years. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Vladimir Putin is obsessed with me.

He's obsessed because I was the one responsible for getting the Magnitsky Act passed in 2012, which sanctions Putin and his corrupt cronies for human rights violations. And he hates that.

BARTIROMO: So, tell us about that, because just to briefly go through your story, at one point, you were the leading -- one of the leading investors in Russia. You owned a lot of Russian companies, Russian stocks in your Hermitage Capital fund.

You were living between Moscow and London. You were traveling back and forth all the time, when you were -- became aware of corruption going on, oligarchs stealing money from Russian companies. You wanted it stopped.

You started to become more of an active investor, calling out this. And then what happened, Bill?

BROWDER: Well, so after exposing corruption in these big companies like Gazprom, Putin expelled me from the country, declared me as a threat to national security.

The police then raided my offices in Moscow, seized all my documents. I had a young lawyer named Sergei Magnitsky start to investigate. And he figured out that they seized those documents to steal $230 million of taxes that we paid to the Russian government. He exposed it.

He was then arrested by some of the people he exposed, put in pretrial detention, tortured for 358 days, and then killed at the age of 37 in a Russian prison on November 16, 2009.

BARTIROMO: Wow.

BROWDER: And, since then, I have put aside everything else I'm doing on a mission to get justice for Sergei Magnitsky, which has resulted in the Magnitsky Act, which Putin hates me so much for.

BARTIROMO: And the Magnitsky Act basically protects companies and punishes those who try to have fraud and stealing of the wealth by the oligarchs. And Putin is upset by that.

Let's show you -- the Wall Street Journal editorial board wrote a piece about you this weekend, saying, Donald Trump, meet Bill Browder.

It begins like this: "Vladimir Putin knows what he wants from Donald Trump. And one priority is help in silencing businessman and human rights advocate Bill Browder. Someone should tell Mr. Trump that he and Mr. Browder were both targeted by Fusion GPS, the political gun for hire that midwifed the Steele dossier in 2016."

Tell us what happened with you and Fusion GPS, Bill.

BROWDER: So, just a little bit of background on the story.

So, the Department of Justice discovered that there was some of the money from the Magnitsky case in New York. They opened up a criminal case against a Russian oligarch. And Fusion GPS came in to work for the Russian oligarch for Natalia Veselnitskaya, who is the Russian oligarch's lawyer.

So, Fusion GPS, the firm that did the Trump dossier, started to do a smear campaign on me. And they put together all of Natalia Veselnitskaya's talking points about me for the Trump Tower meeting where she went into speak with Donald Trump Jr.

And I would deduce that Fusion GPS and Glenn Simpson, therefore, put together the same talking points for Vladimir Putin, because they were the same talking points in Trump Tower.

So, in that Helsinki meeting last week, Vladimir Putin said a whole bunch of stuff about me. And, as far as I can tell, I think that those talking points came from Glenn Simpson.

BARTIROMO: Well the Senate voted down any idea that the Russians would be able to question you. And Donald Trump obviously agreed with that, so that's not happening.

But I have seen some of your quotes in the press. You're afraid that, if in fact that were to happen, you're a dead man.

BROWDER: Well, basically, even if there's only a 1 percent chance of it happening, if I get handed over to the Russians and to Vladimir Putin, I will be killed. There's no question about it. They have made death threats on a number of occasions.

A number of other people connected to this case have either been killed or attempted to be killed. Vladimir Putin wants me dead. This is not -- this is not -- this is a very serious matter.

BARTIROMO: Now, the charges that he levels against you, which were all debunked, we should say, but he says you avoided taxes in Russia and in the U.S. and that you gave hundreds of millions of dollars to Hillary Clinton. Your reaction?

BROWDER: Well, all -- he's been throwing out charges against me like candy.

These particular charges have been analyzed by the U.S. Department of Justice, by the British government, by Interpol, by the German government, and have all been rejected outright. It's just complete nonsense.

In terms of the Hillary Clinton campaign contributions, I have given zero, zero contributions to Hillary Clinton in any campaign. I do not make U.S. campaign contributions.

And, in fact, this $400 million number that he threw out, they then walked back to $400,000 the next day. And the real number is zero.

BARTIROMO: It's an interesting situation, because when you look at the past in terms of Vladimir Putin, there's your story. There's Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Garry Kasparov, the chess champion, was thrown in jail, not to mention the endless number of murders of journalists in Russia and enemies of Putin.

Then again, Russia and the U.S. control 90 percent of the world's nuclear capability. What does President Trump do? He has to work with the other partner of the nuclear capability, no?

But it's important to put a picture together of who Vladimir Putin is.

BROWDER: Well, I think that President Trump should do what Ronald Reagan did.

I mean, Russia and the Soviet Union have had these nuclear warheads for a long time. Ronald Reagan knew what to do, which was to contain the Soviet Union. And Donald Trump should contain Russia. This is not -- you don't make friends and buddy-buddy up to a hostile, malign power.

And that's what that 98-0 vote was about and every other vote in Congress about Russia. This is not a partisan thing. This is a -- it's un-American to do anything other than contain Vladimir Putin. And I think...

BARTIROMO: It feels, at this point, we are seeing a new era. And it seems that the president understands who this person is.

But we will keep watching that.

Bill Browder, it's good to have you on the program this morning. Thanks very much.

And we're not saying where you're coming to us from. We understand the danger you're in.

Next up, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)



BARTIROMO: Welcome back.

Republicans are working on their strategy to retain control of Congress come November amid talk of a blue wave in the upcoming midterms.

My next guest has some insight on the plan for the GOP lawmakers in the House.

With me now in an exclusive interview is House Majority Whip and Republican Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise.

Congressman, it's great to see you this morning. Thanks so much for joining us.

REP. STEVE SCALISE, R-LA, HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP: Morning. Always great to be with you, Maria.

BARTIROMO: So, what is the plan to retain control of the House, from your standpoint?

SCALISE: The plan is to continue focusing on getting the economy moving, seeing this great economic growth, and then locking it in.

We're going to bring some more bills to cut taxes. We're going to make the tax cuts permanent. That bill, Chairman Brady and his committee are already working on.

We just did a jobs 3.0 bill, a bill to provide more regulatory relief, and do some more things that will help create more jobs and rebuild the middle class.

And, look, it's a stark contrast with the radical left's agenda right now in Washington. Pelosi is talking about raising taxes. She's talking about abolishing ICE, single-payer health care. That's not the direction we need to go. So let's keep the economy moving. We're going to continue focusing on it.

This week, we're going to bring a bill to repeal the medical device tax, push back the health insurance taxes, the HIT tax, some of these things that are hurting health care in this country, and let's focus on getting the economy moving.

BARTIROMO: And, by the way, the economy is going to show movement this week. We get the GDP number out on Thursday, and all expectations call for a second-quarter GDP number of 4 percent, largely as a result of some of the rollback in regulations and the tax cut plan.

I want to talk about what the Democrats, though, are going to do in response to that. Joe Lieberman, a former senator, wrote an op-ed.

And Lieberman writes this in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal this week, "Vote Joe Crowley for working families."

It begins with this quote: "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's surprise victory over Representative Joe Crowley seems likely to hurt Congress, America, and the Democratic Party. It doesn't have to."

What Lieberman writes is that he's hoping that Crowley's name is on the ballot, because the idea to abolish ICE came from her, Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez. And Tom Perez, the head of the DNC, says she's the future of the party.

SCALISE: Well, I hope she is, because it shows such a dramatic shift to the radical left. That's not where America is.

America is still a center-right country. And you saw she was out there with Bernie Sanders going through the Midwest, going to Missouri. She was in Kansas City. They're trying to push this idea of abolishing ICE, of all things.

Think about this, Maria. The very people who keep our country safe -- ICE has been directly responsible for stopping human trafficking, stopping -- saving some of these kids that are being exploited from human trafficking. And they want to get rid of them. They want open borders.

That's not what this country is all about. I hope they keep going around and letting people know that's what they would do if they were in the majority.

BARTIROMO: I don't understand the idea of open borders. It's really questionable in terms of that being a platform to run on.

In terms of immigration and your efforts, we just heard from Bob Goodlatte. Are you going to be able to come up with a plan that protects the DACA recipients, but also protects this country with the proper security in terms of securing the borders?

SCALISE: Well, Maria, we have had two different bills we have brought to the floor that would do just that.

And, as you heard Chairman Goodlatte say, we have had large numbers of Republicans vote for it, but not one Democrat. So when you have between the two bills 224 Republicans voting yes to build a wall, secure the border, solve the DACA problem and the visa lottery system, and not one Democrat could find a way to vote for any of those bills, it shows you they don't want to solve this problem and we do.

We will keep working on it, but let's -- let's look at those votes, Maria, to show there are serious Republican plans to secure this country's border. And every single Democrat voted no because Nancy Pelosi bullied them and threatened them and said she didn't want to provide Donald Trump with a win.

That's not -- again, that's not what this country is all about. Some of the great things President Trump has done, working with us to cut taxes, to get the economy moving, to bring regulations under control, it's actually working. They should want to join with us to keep that going.

To be opposed to the things that are helping rebuild our middle class is a losing strategy for Democrats.

BARTIROMO: And in a -- also foreign policy, you look at some of the outcomes that have come, Jim Mattis apparently saying that the NATO meeting was among the most successful meetings that he's ever seen.

Your thoughts on the president's relationship with Vladimir Putin and what the U.S. needs to do with Russia, given these horrible stories we just heard about Putin from Bill Browder.

SCALISE: Yes, Putin is a bad guy. He's not our friend.

I think what you have got to look at are the actions that President Trump has taken to stand up against Putin and to stand up against Russia. And they're significant, Maria.

If you start with the Ukraine, they're our friend in Eastern Europe. You saw Putin rolling through Crimea, moving into Eastern Europe. And Barack Obama sat on the sidelines. Those countries -- by the way, the Ukrainians, they didn't say, give us boots on the ground. They said, can you just sell us arms, so we can push back against the Russians' aggression and bomb their tanks?

And Obama said no. President Trump said yes and actually sold them those missiles, so that they can defend their country and push Russia out of Eastern Europe.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

SCALISE: And that's happening right now.

He kicked out diplomats. He increased sanctions against Russia. That's standing up to Russia. We need to keep reminding Russia they're not our friend. They need to get out of Syria. They need stop allying with some of these rogue countries.

BARTIROMO: Kevin Brady was on this program last week, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. He said he was going to get -- try to get a vote on tax cuts 2.0 to the floor in September.

Do you think he will need Democratic support here? Is anybody going to vote for tax cuts 2.0, when they're complaining about deficits, and they didn't vote for tax cuts 1?

SCALISE: Every single Democrat should vote for tax cuts 2.0.

BARTIROMO: But they won't.

SCALISE: Because it's worked for our economy.

But they probably won't, Maria. And, look, we're going to go forward anyway. What Chairman Brady is doing, I think, is important work. He was down at the White House just a few days ago working with President Trump to make sure that the cuts include all the things we want to do to keep this economy growing.

BARTIROMO: All right.

SCALISE: We're seeing historic growth. Let's keep it going.

We are going to have a bill on the floor to do just that in September. And it'll pass the House. The real question is, will every Democrat vote no, like they did last time, now knowing how well it's working for middle-class families?

BARTIROMO: It's a win for President Trump, for sure.

Congressman, it's good to see you. Thanks so much.

SCALISE: Great being back with you, Maria.

BARTIROMO: We appreciate you joining us, Congressman Steve Scalise there.

The Department of Justice released heavily redacted documents last night relating to the surveillance warrant against a former Trump campaign aid. So what, if anything, do these documents tell us?

Alan Dershowitz weighs in next, as we look ahead on "Sunday Morning Futures" right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)



BARTIROMO: Welcome back. Back to our top story today.

The Justice Department released top-secret documents on the FISA warrant sought for the Trump campaign aide Carter Page. The release of the heavily redacted 412-page report comes in response to several freedom of information lawsuits.

It shows the FBI relied on the discredited Steele dossier as a major component to apply for surveillance warrants on Carter Page. For his part, Page is maintaining his innocence.

My next guest is the author of the new book "The Case against Impeaching Trump." Harvard Law Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz joins me right now.

And, Alan, it's good to see you this morning.

Your reaction to what we have received in terms of this FISA warrant, which is heavily redacted, every page, massive black spots? What do you think?

ALAN DERSHOWITZ, ATTORNEY: Well, I'm used to seeing redacted information.

I would say 90 percent of redactions are generally designed to cover people's incompetence, and they're not national security. And I think you should have an objective, neutral person go through the redactions and always err in favor of publicly releasing and transparency, rather than secrecy.

But what it also shows us is that there is potentially a violation of the United States Supreme Court decision called Franks vs. Maryland and its progeny. That case says, when you make an application for a warrant, you have to be truthful. And if you omit important information or fail to disclose information that might discredit the source, there's a real legal problem.

And here, of course, we know that the Steele dossier, we know how it was obtained, we know the circumstances. And the FISA court didn't know those pieces of information, should have known it. And the question really is, was there other information sufficient beyond the Steele dossier to justify intruding on the privacy rights of an American citizen?

BARTIROMO: That's right.

DERSHOWITZ: And we don't know enough yet to answer that question.

BARTIROMO: Well, I mean, we know that one other piece of information used was a Yahoo article about the Steele dossier. So it was all based on the Steele dossier.

DERSHOWITZ: Yes.

BARTIROMO: And then they re-upped it and got -- they had to get additional sign-offs on it three times with the same information.

Normally, you -- when you go to re-up a warrant, you have new informational. It's based on the dossier.

Look, is it high time we all admit that the Obama administration spied on the Trump campaign because it was a political enemy and there was an election?

DERSHOWITZ: Well, I would like to know more about that. That's why right from day one I called for an independent, nonpartisan, expert investigating commission that would look at the entire 2016 election, ranging from Comey's statements to Strzok to whether the Obama administration put a spy in the campaign.

All of these things are relevant to all Americans. And they're nonpartisan. We want to see fair elections. We don't want to see the thumb of any FBI agents, Justice Department officials, Russia, Comey, we don't want to see the come, even a pinkie on the scale of our election.

And we're not learning this from the Mueller report.

BARTIROMO: So, what happens now, Alan?

DERSHOWITZ: Yes.

BARTIROMO: It certainly doesn't feel good. It feels like it's rigged, this whole thing.

What happens now when you're -- in your estimation, based on what we know from Peter Strzok, what we know about the hearings in terms of Lisa Page, and, of course, all of these texts?

DERSHOWITZ: Well, we will see, first of all, whether any of this appears in Mueller's report, because there's going to be a report.

But there are also indictments and there will be some contested cases. And in the contested cases, lawyers have a gold mine to work with, defense lawyers, challenging this FISA application, challenging Strzok's objectivity.

All of this will become a basis for legal proceedings and legal challenges. We have already seen Judge Ellis in Virginia question the special counsel, wonder whether, not only are they trying to make people sing, but also make them compose.

The process is a very flawed one. And the more the American people know about it, the more distressed they are at how special counsels operate, particularly in the context of political elections.

We need to know more, not less. We need less redaction, more transparency. And we have the right to judge for ourselves whether our system of justice is operating fairly, within the Constitution, and consistent with civil liberties.

Right now, there are questions, more questions than answers.

BARTIROMO: There sure are.

All right, we are going to keep watching that and wonder when the Robert Mueller report will be out. We're waiting on that, of course.

Good to see you, Alan. Thanks very much for weighing in this morning.

DERSHOWITZ: Oh, thank you so much.

BARTIROMO: Alan Dershowitz joining us.

We will be right back with our all-star panel on all of that. Back in a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARTIROMO: Welcome back.

The Justice Department releasing the Carter Page FISA documents.

Let's bring in our panel on that.

Ed Rollins is a former Reagan-Bush campaign manager. James Freeman is an assistant editor for The Wall Street Journal editorial page. Both are FOX News contributors.

And it is a pleasure to see you both.

ED ROLLINS, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you.

JAMES FREEMAN, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Good to be here. Thanks.

BARTIROMO: Good to see you.

Your reaction to what we have heard this morning, Ed Rollins?

ROLLINS: The truth of the matter is what was discovered with this document and the Strzok testimony, what have you.

Hillary was never a target of any investigation. Strzok admitted that. She was never under investigation. They clearly -- Strzok, I think, was one of the instruments of really going after the Trump campaign. And he's trying to woo -- he's trying to woo his girlfriend. And, basically, she was very anti-Trump.

Brennan was an anti-Trump person. And my sense is that they used this idiotic document that was an opposition research document to go violate the FISA rules and all of the rest of it. And this whole thing got started -- Carter Page is not an operative for the Soviet Union.

The problem was the Trump campaign didn't have the big significant foreign policy people. These were all kinds of fringe players. And I think to a certain extent they got Paul Manafort on past sins.

BARTIROMO: Right.

ROLLINS: That'll all be the -- next week's trial will start.

But I think the reality is, there was nothing. There was no there there. And I think the American public...

(CROSSTALK)

BARTIROMO: Right. That was one of the texts. There's no there there. Peter Strzok said it.

But you mentioned Carter Page. If Carter Page was an agent of foreign power, why is he still running around with no charges, James? There are no charges.

FREEMAN: Right. It's been two years now.

And, as you mentioned, a lot of black marker, a lot of redactions in these documents.

BARTIROMO: Oh, yes. Look at this.

FREEMAN: But one thing that does come through is, it appears the dossier was central to it. And when they weren't relying on the dossier, they were appealing to the authority of Yahoo News, without pointing out that that was a Steele story as well in terms of the source.

BARTIROMO: It's all connected.

FREEMAN: No, why do they continue to say that Steele is credible after they even acknowledge in their re-applications that he didn't do as he was told and he was sharing information with the media? That's a question.

So, I think this is another argument for the president to declassify everything, get it out there. Enough of the redactions. Let's see the whole FISA applications. Let's see what are known as the Woods notes, where the FBI goes through and figures out what they can put in the FISA document.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

FREEMAN: We need to see where this came from.

BARTIROMO: And the editorial board did an op-ed on that, asking the president to actually make sure that you declassify these documents.

Is this going to hurt the Dems in the midterm?

ROLLINS: I think it will, because they're just -- they're arguing things that aren't valid to the American public.

And, equally as important, their party is getting so far to the left, that if Republicans, who have a lot of open seats and a lot of challenged seats, if they go out and talk about the president's programs of getting the economy moving, what have you, they will do fine.

But they can't make it a national campaign. They got to make it a local campaign.

BARTIROMO: Right. And we're going to get the GDP number out on Thursday, James.

FREEMAN: Yes.

BARTIROMO: And it may very well show 4 percent growth.

The outcomes that this president has had are very positive. And they're insane over it.

FREEMAN: Yes.

Well, this -- I mean, going back now, two years later, there's nothing on Carter Page. Two years later, we're asked to believe that this was some secret Russian plot to revive the American economy and rebuild the U.S. military and strengthen Ukraine to resist Russian expansionism.

So it gets harder and harder to believe. And I think the president and his Republican allies in Congress have a pretty strong case on the economy.

ROLLINS: The one thing is, the Russians were trying to play here. And they have tried to play here for a long time. And they got more publicity this time, because there were all these investigations.

BARTIROMO: Yes, and because they tried to implicate Trump.

ROLLINS: But not...

BARTIROMO: And we know Russia has been trying to undermine the West for a long time.

ROLLINS: And not effective.

BARTIROMO: Trump had nothing to do with it.

Great to see you both. Thank you so much.

Have a great day, everybody. I will see you next week.

END

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This is a rush transcript from "Fox News Sunday," July 22, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS HOST: I'm Bret Baier in for Chris Wallace.

President Trump invites Vladimir Putin to the White House for a round two after he walks back comments about Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have President Putin. He just said it's not Russia. I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be.

The sentence should have been I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be Russia, and I think that probably clarifies things pretty good by itself.

BAIER: We'll discuss the fallout from the Helsinki summit, including the rift within the president's own party with Congressman Trey Gowdy, chairman of the House Oversight Committee.

Then --

SEN. BOB MENENDEZ, D-NEW JERSEY: We cannot wait to see whether Russia attacked us in the 2018 election. We know that they are in the midst of making that a reality.

BAIER: Democrats seek details about what happened in Putin and Trumps one- on-one and call for tough new sanctions. We will discuss with New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on Foreign Relations Committee.

And in case you missed it --

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS HOST: I have here the indictment that was presented on Friday from the special counsel Robert Mueller. May I give this to you to look at, sir?

BAIER: Highlights from Chris' exclusive interview with the Russian leader. And insight and analysis from our Sunday panel.

All, right now, on "Fox News Sunday".

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BAIER HOST: And hello again from Fox News in Washington.

The tension following President Trump's meeting with Vladimir Putin continues to rise this weekend as the president faces widespread criticism over his handling of Russia after he seemed to side with Putin's denials of election interference, at least at first.

Joining me now from South Carolina, Congressman Trey Gowdy, chairman of the House Oversight Committee.

Mr. Chairman, thanks for being here.

REP. TREY GOWDY, R-S.C., CHAIRMAN, HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: Yes, sir. Thank you.

BAIER: You know, after the president's meeting with Vladimir Putin and that much analyzed press conference in Helsinki, your colleague, Republican colleague from Texas, Congressman Will Hurd, a former CIA officer wrote an op-ed for The New York Times and it was entitled, "Trump is Being Manipulated by Putin. What should we do?"

And in it, the Texas Republican writes, quote: Over the course of my career as an undercover officer in the CIA, I saw Russian intelligence manipulate many people. I never thought I would see the day when an American president would be one of them.

So, do you agree with Congressman Hurd? Is the president being manipulated by Vladimir Putin?

GOWDY: Well, Will has a background as a CIA officer. I defer to him on manipulation.

I can tell you this, Bret, the president has access to every bit of evidence, even more than those of us on House Intel. And Will and I serve on Intel. He has access to Pompeo and Chris Wray and Dan Coats and Nikki Haley.

The evidence is overwhelming. It can be proven beyond any evidentiary burden that Russia is not our friend and they tried to attack us in 2016. So, the president either needs to rely on the people that he has chosen to advise him, or those advisors need to reevaluate whether or not they can serve in this administration.

But the disconnect cannot continue. The evidence is overwhelming and the president needs to say that and act like it.

BAIER: So, he eventually set it through the week, Congressman, but what do you think was the evolution there? Why the hesitation?

GOWDY: I don't know. I watched the press conference. It wasn't just that line. It was -- the president missed, I think, a really good opportunity to distinguish the United States from any other country, but especially from Russia, and I don't know what was said in a private conversation.

But I do know this -- we got a classified briefing this week, Bret. There is no way you can listen to the evidence and not conclude, not that the Democrats were the victims, but the United States of America were the victims. We were the victims of what Russia did in 2016, and it ought to be a source of unity and rallying around the fact that we are never going to allow this to happen again and we're going to punish those who try to do it.

And there was this equivocation during the press conference that I'm glad he corrected it, but when you're the leader of the free world, every syllable matters and you really shouldn't be having to correct it when you're the leader of the free world.

BAIER: As you mentioned, after several days of kind of dealing with the rhetorical walk-back, the White House announced on Twitter that the senior task had been tasked to set up a second summit, Vladimir Putin coming to Washington this fall. And that obviously caught many here in Washington by surprise.

It also caught the president's director of national intelligence by surprise, who is doing an interview in Aspen at the time. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREA MITCHELL, NBC NEWS: The White House has announced on Twitter that Vladimir Putin is coming to the White House in the fall.

DAN COATS, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Say that again?

(LAUGHTER)

COATS: OK.

MITCHELL: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

COATS: That's going to be special.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: Now, the DNI released a statement last night apologizing, saying he didn't mean to be critical or disrespectful in his reaction and response. But do you think it's strange that the director of national intelligence didn't know about the invite before it went out?

GOWDY: I do think it's strange. I also think this, Bret, I think that the United States of America sometimes has to meet with people that we don't have anything in common with. I think our president has to meet with the leader of North Korea. We have to lead -- meet with the leader from Iran.

But it's very different to issue an invitation. This country is different. We do things differently. We set the moral standard for the rest of the world.

The fact that we have to talk to you about Syria or other matters is very different from issuing an invitation. Those should be reserved for, I think, our allies like Great Britain and Canada and Australia and those who are with us day in and day out.

They should -- I think we should be very judicious in who we invite and place that in perimeter (ph) of acceptance on. So, I would hope the president would keep that in mind if we are issuing invitations to foreign leaders.

BAIER: I want to return to the investigation. Overnight, responding to Freedom of Information requests, the Department of Justice released a heavily redacted FISA court request by the FBI, asking for permission to surveil or listen into Carter Page. A fairly low-level figure in the Trump campaign or orbit but one the FBI suspected, according to these documents, of colluding with Russian agents and may be being one.

I know you read this months ago, but it's the first time one of these kind of documents is out in the public domain, even heavily redacted. What is your take on this?

GOWDY: My take is that Carter Page is more like Inspector Gadget then he is Jason Bourne or James Bond. Trump never met him. Trump never had a conversation with him. I'm sure he's been on the FBI's radar for a long time, well before 2016.

Here's what we'll never know, Bret -- we'll never know whether or not the FBI had enough without the dossier, the unvetted DNC-funded dossier because they included it and everyone who reads this FISA application sees the amount of reliance they placed on this product funded by Hillary Clinton's campaign and the DNC. So, that's point number one, is the dossier and its use.

The other thing I hope my fellow citizens will take note of is the FBI missed a really good opportunity to tell the judge exactly who paid for that. If you look at the footnote, it takes a lot more effort to define it the way they did, where you have no idea who funded it, then just to come right out and say the DNC hired Perkins Coie who hired Fusion GPS who hired Christopher Steele.

There, done. That's an easy footnote, everybody can follow it. But for whatever reason, the FBI decided not to represent that to a court.

BAIER: So, Carter Page is never indicted. He hasn't been brought in.

GOWDY: Not yet.

BAIER: He is still walking around.

GOWDY: Yes, and that -- I mean, look, this is an investigation. All investigations don't lead to indictments. There have been two dozen indictments in this case but Carter Page is not one of them.

I have a different standard between investigating something and someone. And keep in mind, and counterintelligence investigations are never designed to become public. So, you and I were not supposed to be having a conversation about Carter Page on national television.

This case is different. He has not been indicted. He is presumed innocent. He'll be presumed innocent even if he is indicted. I don't have an issue with looking into people that have cozy relationships with Russia. That's fine. That's what law enforcement supposed to do.

I do have an issue when you rely on political opposition research that is unvetted and you represent that to a court and use it to spy on an American.

BAIER: You have seen this document long ago, but are there documents that you know exist that you have yet to see?

GOWDY: Some. The McCabe memos, which came up during the Lisa Page interview.

(CROSSTALK)

BAIER: Andrew McCabe, number two at the FBI who became acting director after Comey leaves.

GOWDY: Right. As soon as you become acting director, apparently, you make a decision to memorialize all of your conversations with the president, even while you are applying for the job I hasten to add. But I have not seen the McCabe memos. There were other references that Lisa Page made the documents and files that I think Congress is entitled to see.

I've seen as much if not more than any other member of Congress, which is why I am so adamant that Russia is not our friend and they tried to attack us.

BAIER: Are you equally adamant that the president is not -- has not colluded with Russia?

GOWDY: I have not seen one scintilla of evidence that this president colluded, conspired, confederated with Russia. And neither has anyone else, or you may rest assured Adam Schiff would have leaked it. So, that's why they've moved off of collusion onto obstruction of justice, which is now their current preoccupation.

BAIER: You mentioned Lisa Page. She and Peter Strzok, these two figures, FBI agent and FBI attorney, who had been texting back and forth. They were lovers, had some very heated, aggressive anti-Trump texts.

One that said we can't take a risk, it's an insurance policy. Another that said an investigation leading to impeachment, you and I both know the odds are nothing. I thought -- If I thought it was likely there would be no question I would go over to Bob Mueller, that's what he's talking about. I hesitate in part because my gut sense and concern is there's no big there there.

Lisa Page was up on Capitol Hill. Did she say they were talking about there's no there there in the Russia case?

(CROSSTALK)

GOWDY: -- it can be. She was a much better witness than Peter Strzok. Look, she hates Republicans, including the one you are talking to, but she had a credibility about herself and how she answered our questions that Peter Strzok never bothered to have.

Take a look at that text. That's from Peter Strzok and he's concerned that there is no big there there. He's not optimistic that there is not, he's not hopeful there's not. This is a career counterintelligence agent who is concerned that this investigation will not lead to impeachment.

So, it's already led to indictments. It's already led to our understanding that Russia is not our friend. You have a wonderful opportunity to safeguard our 2018 elections.

None of that was enough for him, Bret. It had to be impeachment, and that was his concern is that there was no big there there. And that's why he was not sure he wanted to participate in this investigation.

That is sad. It is pathetic that a career FBI agent would only be interested in impeachment, which is why he has no credibility and she actually does have some.

BAIER: So, Trump supporters look at that, former CIA Director John Brennan, former FBI Director James Comey, what he said, what they've said. And they say they understand why the president feels a little inquisitive about where things are going.

GOWDY: Yes, Bret, you don't even have to be a Trump supporter to be mindful of the fact that John Brennan thinks he's guilty of a crime for which he can be hanged, that John Brennan thinks he should be in the dustbin of history, that Jim Comey thinks impeachment is too good of a remedy and Jim Comey now thinks that everyone should vote Democrat so Bernie Sanders will be the head of the budget committee and Dianne Feinstein will be the head of intel.

I mean, these are the people that were supposed to be dispassionately, objectively investigating a fact pattern and they have much animus against Donald Trump as anything I have seen in my eight years in politics. Add into that, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page and the other unidentified FBI agents who also wanted him to resign or be impeached or thought he was destabilizing.

So if you are Donald Trump and you see all of these people in positions of responsibility that think you ought to be -- that you're guilty of treason, a crime for which you can be put to death, by the way. That's what John Brennan said.

So, what I would encourage the president, those are all people from yesterday. You have your own people in place now and it is possible to conclude that Russia interfered with us and it still does not delegitimize your presidency. That's where I would encourage the president to go.

Russia is not our friend. We need to be very careful dealing with them but that does not take away from the fact that he won the 2016 election, much to the chagrin of Brennan, Comey and all the rest.

BAIER: Congressman Gowdy, thanks for your time today.

GOWDY: Yes, sir. Thank you.

BAIER: Up next, did President Trump put the interest of Russia above the United States in his summit with Vladimir Putin? We'll talk to one of the top Democrats demanding answers. Senator Bob Menendez joins us, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: Top Democrats called on President Trump to cancel his summit with Vladimir Putin after the indictments of 12 Russian military intelligence officers for interfering in the 2016 election. Now, many are demanding answers to what really happened in Helsinki, calling for increased sanctions on Russia, for the president's national security team to testify and for President Trump to press Putin to extradite those 12 agents.

Joining me now, New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez. He's the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Welcome back to "Fox News Sunday," Senator.

SEN. BOB MENENDEZ, D-N.J., SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: Good to be with you, Bret.

BAIER: Thanks for being here.

You know, a lot has been made obviously about this meeting and the news conference in Helsinki, but here's what the president said this week about actual U.S. policy after this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Look at the sanctions I've put on. Look at the diplomats I threw out. Look at all of the things that I've done, nobody else did what I've done.

Obama didn't do it. Obama was a patsy for Russia. He was a total patsy. Look at the statement he made where he thought the mikes were turned off, OK? A stupid statement he made.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT: This is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility.

DMITRY MEDVEDEV, RUSSIAN PRIME MINISTER: I understand. I transmit this information to Vladimir.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: So, Senator, do you think U.S. policy towards Russia was tougher under the Obama administration or under the Trump administration?

MENENDEZ: Well, certainly, President Obama created the European deterrence initiative after Russia invaded, and annexed Crimea. He recommitted to the 2008 commitments NATO made to having Georgia be part of NATO, once they were ready and developed. He actually imposed a series of sanctions supported by the Freedom Support Act that I helped write and did a series of executive orders.

So, it was incredibly strong at the time. I have to say that when I listened to President Trump say he's been stronger, we had to bring him kicking and screaming to the CAATSA sanctions, the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, that had a 98-2 vote in the Senate, overwhelming vote in the House that he didn't want to sign, he was forced to sign because they had veto-proof majorities.

And even so, there are about seven mandatory provisions of that law as it relates to Russia that the administration has not pursued. So, I would simply say that what I saw in Helsinki at a moment that the president could have challenged President Putin about the reality that his 17 intelligence agencies all unanimously agreed that Russia interfered in the 2016 elections, that they are in the midst of doing that as we speak in these elections, 108 days away. That was a moment to challenge him on that, on Ukraine, on what's happening in Syria.

And instead the president did not show the strength that an American president, I believe, should have shown at that moment.

BAIER: He says that he said that behind closed doors in that CBS interview with Jeff Glor. He -- what would you like -- have preferred him do in the news conference publicly?

MENENDEZ: Well, I would have liked him to have said, look, President Putin, we know that you interfered in our 2016 elections and that you are doing it now and that's not a question, that's a statement and here are consequences to it. If you want to rejoin the world order and observe international law and stop invading sovereign nations like Ukraine, then we can have a pathway forward.

But at the end of the day, there will be real consequences and I'm glad that we're talking, but there are real consequences to your constant engagement in our elections that undermine our democracy. I would have liked, Bret, for him to do what Chris Wallace, your colleague, did in his interview with President Putin.

BAIER: Which we'll see in just a moment.

I guess his supporters say he may have done that behind the scenes. He may have not set the right things on the news conference.

MENENDEZ: No one knows what he said behind the scenes because he took an extraordinary -- over two hours with only an interpreter. Not even the secretary of state --

BAIER: Do you think there's any upside --

(CROSSTALK)

MENENDEZ: -- the head of national intelligence.

BAIER: Is there any upside to talking to Putin?

MENENDEZ: Look, it depends if you challenge him. Now, we are going to give him, you know, a red carpet treatment and invite him to Washington. To me, that's beyond comprehension.

You can speak to adversaries, but at the end of the day, you have to do it in a way in which you challenge them. The president seems to want to be chummy with Putin instead of challenging him.

He should be challenging him about violating international law. He should be challenging him about the massacre that's taking place in Syria. He should be challenging him about the annexation of Crimea, and say, we will never recognize the annexation of Crimea.

BAIER: But, Senator, you know that you don't know that he didn't do that behind closed doors.

MENENDEZ: None of us know.

BAIER: OK, so let's --

MENENDEZ: I have no idea. But when you had an opportunity to show the world, all of our allies, show NATO, show the free world that you would in fact were not supplicant to Vladimir Putin, but a challenge to him, you failed to do so. And then to come back, you know, it's too late, too little and the wrong continent, and now change your tune once you're here versus when you are there standing alongside Putin.

BAIER: Let's turn to domestic politics. Supreme Court nominee that the president put up, Brett Kavanaugh, you have said that you will not vote for him. Democrats are obviously pushing back.

Do you believe Democrats can stop the Kavanaugh confirmation?

MENENDEZ: Well, I think if the American people understand Judge Kavanaugh's record, they will rise up and that will stop his nomination. Look, here is a judge who has written that in fact the president is above the law, that he can decide what laws are constitutional or not, which I always believed was reserved for the Supreme Court under our system of government and therefore not obey a law if, in fact, he believes it's unconstitutional.

He believes the president cannot be investigated while in office. This is someone who spent four years with Ken Starr investigating the Clinton administration. It's amazing to me that he has the view that a president cannot be investigated. And so --

BAIER: So, where are the votes going to come on the pushback?

MENENDEZ: And so, he has a series of challenges. I think that when the people in the country know, they will raise their concerns with their members of the Senate, including Republicans. Look, our colleagues --

BAIER: Do Democrats have regrets that --

MENENDEZ: Our colleagues Dean Heller in Nevada, of course, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski who care about women's health and others I think will have an opportunity to express themselves as to whether they want to support someone who in fact would erode those basic rights.

BAIER: Do Democrats have regrets that Senator Harry Reid moved that vote to only requiring 51 for confirmation?

MENENDEZ: I think Republicans will regret to moving to 51 on Supreme Court nominees. There will come a moment in which they'll regret that and, you know, if this continues, we are going to have a Senate not as the Founders of the Constitution and the Framers of the Constitution imagined, it will just be a majority vote institution like the House of Representatives and that will dramatically change the country.

BAIER: Senator, you are up for reelection in New Jersey this year. You could face a real race in blue New Jersey, but the energy and passion and really the grassroots of your party is on the progressive side. Just over the past few days, Senator Bernie Sanders has been campaigning with the newest superstar of your party, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York. She was campaigning they were campaigning in Kansas.

Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has said that capitalism will eventually come to an end. She said she doesn't mind being called a socialist. In her words, there's an Israeli occupation of Palestine, and they say, Sanders and Ocasio- Cortez, that their agenda is now the Democratic mainstream agenda.

Is it?

MENENDEZ: Look, that's their agenda. And, you know, under our democracy, everybody has their agenda. I've seen an extreme right wing agendas that I disagree with equally as well.

Look, our agenda as Democrats is about ultimately making sure that we have an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthiest, not just big corporations. Our agenda is making sure that we secure our nation, including our sacred right to vote, that it cannot be affected by countries like Russia outside of the world. Our agenda is making sure that every family goes to sleep at night knowing that they have the health care they need to keep their family healthy and secure. That's our agenda.

BAIER: So, you don't think there will be this progressive litmus test in your party?

MENENDEZ: Listen, you know, I think that people care about whether or not they have an economy that helps them meet their hopes and dreams and aspirations, whether they have health care for their family, whether they can get their kid educated without being under a mountain of debt, to get a college education. Those are the things that Democrats have been fighting for. We'll continue to do so and I think that has universal appeal.

BAIER: Well, Senator Menendez, thanks again for joining us on "Fox News Sunday".

MENENDEZ: Thank you, Bret.

BAIER: Up next, Chris Wallace presses Russian President Putin on many topics after the Helsinki summit. We'll have the highlights of that incredible interview, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: Coming up, the Democratic socialist movement becoming a significant force in national Democratic politics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ, D-N.Y., CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Wherever there is working-class people, there is hope for the progressive movement.

(END VDEO CLIP)

BAIER: We'll ask our Sunday panel what the leftward shift could mean for the Democrat Party, coming on "Fox News Sunday".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: Following the president's summit with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Chris Wallace sat down with the Russian leader for an extensive interview. Here are some of the key exchanges.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Mr. President, one of the issues that is standing in the way of more progress, as you know, are the allegations of Russian interference in the U.S. election. You have repeatedly said, and you said again today that this was not the action of the Russian state, but if it was anything, it was patriotic Russian individuals.

I have here the indictment that was presented on Friday from the special counsel Robert Mueller that says that 12 members of Russian military intelligence, the GRU, and they talk specifically about units 26, 165 and 74-455. They say -- you smile, let me finish -- they say that these units were specifically involved in hacking into Democratic Party computers, stealing information, and spreading it to the world to try to disrupt the American election.

May I give this to you to look at, sir? Here.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Well, let me start answering your question with something a little bit different. Let's have a look at it this way. People are talking about interference of Russia with the election process in the United States.

I have mentioned this in 2016 and I want to say it now again and I really wish for your American listeners to listen to what I say.

First of all, Russia as a state has never interfered with the internal affairs of the United States, let alone its elections.

WALLACE: But sir, this is the indictment. It shows -- I have 12 names here. It talks about specific units of the GRU, Russian military intelligence. Is the GRU not part of the Russian state?

PUTIN: I'll get to it. Just have a little bit of patience and you will get a full answer to your question.

Interference with domestic affairs of the United States, do you really believe that someone acting from the Russian territory could have influenced the United States and influenced the choice of millions of Americans?

WALLACE: I'm not asking if they influenced -- I'm asking whether they tried.

PUTIN: I'm about to answer. This was the first point that I'm trying to make. If you have some patience, you will hear the entire response.

I said this in 2016 and I say it now -- the idea was about hacking an e- mail account of a Democratic candidate. Was it some rigging of facts? Was it some forgery of facts?

That's the important thing that I'm trying -- point that I'm trying to make. Was there any false information planted? No, it wasn't.

These hackers that are being discussed -- I will get back to it, just bear with me for a moment. As we're getting told, they hacked a certain e-mail account and there was an information about manipulations conducted within the Democratic Party to incline the process in favor of one candidate.

And as far as I know the entire party leadership resigned. They admitted the fact of their manipulation, so that's one thing. Manipulation of the public opinion should stop and an apology should be made to the public at large --

(CROSSTALK)

PUTIN: -- instead of looking for those responsible or the party at fault.

And now to the mentioned things. As I said in the press conference --

WALLACE: But Mr. President, may I just say, you are indicating that they stole real money --

PUTIN: Don't you like my answer?

WALLACE: -- not counterfeit money. So, are you saying it's OK because of the fact that they took from the DNC, from John Podesta. It was their real e-mails, so it's OK to hack and spread this information out and interfere with the election?

PUTIN: Listen to me, please? The information that I am aware of, there's nothing false about it. Every single grain of it is true and the Democratic leadership admitted it, first point.

Now the second point, if you don't like my answer, you can give it to me straightaway, and I'll just keep silence. And if you want Americans to listen to my opinions could you just wait for a little bit?

And now for the specific accusations. First of all, special counsel Mueller has accused a certain private company in Russia that is not even a very big enterprise. The core area of competence is a restaurant. And now this company hired American lawyers and defending its integrity and reputation in American court.

So far, American court has not discovered any trace of interference whatsoever. Do you know it or not? Millions of Americans know about it.

And now to the individuals from the indictment act. We with the United States, we have a treaty for assistance in criminal cases, an existing treaty that exists from 1999. It is still in force and it works efficiently.

Today, I referred an example of its sufficient work.

(CROSSTALK)

WALLACE: And I'm not trying to interrupt --

PUTIN: Why would Mr. Mueller --

WALLACE: I'm not trying to interrupt -- be disrespectful --

PUTIN: Well, let me finish. Just let me finish. You are trying to interrupt but I will finish.

Why wouldn't special counsel Mueller send us an official request within the framework of this agreement? Our investigators will be acting in accordance with this treaty. They will question each individual that American partners are suspected of something.

Why not a singular request was filed? Nobody sent us a single formal letter, formal request.

(CROSSTALK)

WALLACE: Let me just say, I don't want to interrupt. And I want to ask one question -- I'm trying to move on to other subjects.

Why do you think Robert Mueller issued this indictment three days before you and President Trump met here at the summit?

PUTIN: I'm not interested in this issue a single bit. It's the internal political games of the United States. Don't make the relationship between Russia and the United States -- don't hold it hostage of this internal political struggle.

And it's quite clear to me that this is just an internal political struggle and it's nothing to be proud of for American democracy to use such dirty methods and political rivalry.

WALLACE: Last year, Defense Secretary Mattis said that Russia is the greatest threat, Russia is the greatest threat to the United States, and he has since made it clear, an even greater threat than terrorism.

In March, you introduced a new generation of Russian missiles, including what you called in invincible missile you said that could evade, defeat all of our missile defenses, and you even released a video that showed the super missile flying over the United States and hitting Florida very near where President Trump's estate is at Mar-a-Lago.

Aren't you escalating the arms race, and aren't you being deliberately provocative?

PUTIN: As far as the footage is concerned, they did not specify that the missile is about to hit the United States. You have to look at it more carefully.

Secondly --

WALLACE: It shows Florida.

PUTIN: There was not sign Florida. There was not a caption saying Florida. Take a more careful look at it. It was never a caption Florida.

WALLACE: No, but you can see it on the map.

PUTIN: It was clear it was flying over the eastern coast of -- no, no, no, it couldn't be seen on the map. Just take a closer look.

And I'm not trying to scare your population with make believe threats. I'm pretty sure I can give you as a present this footage.

And now to the offensive weapons. They were not born out of nowhere. They were born as a response to the unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the ABM treaty.

From the very beginning, we've been warning our American counterparts that we aren't going to join the global antimissile system, we see no purpose for it, but we'll do everything to have means to overcome it.

Well, the response of our counterparts was that the United States designed this antimissile defense system because it is against -- it's not designed to be guided against you. In 2003 or 2004, I think I mentioned one of those systems, and there was no response from our American counterparts.

So what we did now, we just demonstrated that we do have means to overcome the system. It's just a negotiating item. I do hope that in terms of strategic stability, we'll be able to find a mutually acceptable solution for both sides, and that applies to the INF treaty under the intermediate and shorter range missiles as well.

WALLACE: I need to ask you, domestically, not internationally, domestically inside Russia, why is it that so many of the people that opposed Vladimir Putin end up dead or close to it?

Former Russian spy and double agent Sergei Skripal, the victim of a nerve agent attack in England. Boris Nemtsov, a political opponent, gunned down near the Kremlin. Investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya murdered in an apartment building.

Why is it that so many people who were political enemies of Vladimir Putin are attacked?

PUTIN (through translator): Well, first of all, all of us have plenty of political rivals. I'm pretty sure President Trump has plenty of political rivals.

WALLACE: But they don't end up dead.

PUTIN (through translator): Not always. Well, haven't presidents been killed in the United States? Have you forgotten about -- well, has Kennedy been killed in Russia or in the United States? Or Mr. King? What happens in the clashes between police and civil society and some several ethnic groups? Well, that is something that happens on the U.S. soil.

All of us have our own set of domestic problems. But going back to what happened in Russia, yes, we do have crime and unfortunately there are still some crimes. And some extent, Russia's statehood is maturing and there are some side effects. And we persecute people responsible for these crimes.

But since you've mentioned the Skripal case, we would like to get at least some sort of a document, evidence about it, but nobody gives it to us. It's the same thing as the accusations with meddling in the election process in America.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BAIER: You can watch Chris's full interview with Vladimir Putin on foxnewssunday.com. We do know where Chris is, and he will be back next week.

Up next, we'll bring in our Sunday group to discuss the fallout from Helsinki and the Russian investigation going forward.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Dan Coats came to me and some others, they said they think it's Russia. I have President Putin. He just said it's not Russia. I will say this, I don't see any reason why it would be.

The sentence should have been, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be Russia.

QUESTION: Is Russia...

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Is Russia still targeting the U.S., Mr. President?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Press, let's go, make your way out.

(CROSSTALK)

SARAH SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president was -- said, thank you very much and was saying no to answering questions.

TRUMP: I let him know we can't have this. We are not going to have it. And that's the way it's going to be.

Getting along with Russia is a positive, not a negative. Now with that being said, if that doesn't work out, I will be the worst enemy he's ever had, the worst he's ever had.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: The evolution this week of President Trump's position regarding Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election. It's time now for our Sunday group. FOX News senior political analyst Brit Hume, columnist for The Hill Juan Williams, and the co-hosts of "Benson and Harf" on FOX News radio, Marie Harf and Guy Benson.

All right, Brit, the president has been very active on Twitter this morning, just a few moments ago saying: "I had a great meeting with Putin and the fake news used every bit of their energy to to try and disparage it. So bad for our country."

Thoughts.

BRIT HUME, FOX SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, what do we know about that meeting? Well, we know very little because there's no record of it of any kind that we know of except in the memories of the two participants and their translators, unless Russia, of course, taped it.

So we don't have any real way to assess that other than what Trump claimed about it. And of course, his performance, as you just showed, at the press conference with Putin in Helsinki, was, I think, Newt Gingrich stated correctly, the worst moment of his presidency and one that I think despite his walking it back and repeatedly saying other things in its aftermath, I don't think he is going to live that down any time soon.

BAIER: Juan, a lot of Trump supporters point to that there's no substantive policy changes. They say it was a bad press conference, but as far as being aggressive against Russia, this administration still is.

JUAN WILLIAMS, COLUMNIST, THE HILL: I hope they are. I mean, obviously the president kind of slow-walked the sanctions. We couldn't figure out why it took so long to implement the sanctions. But, yes, there are sanctions in place. But let's not bury the lede on this story, Brit, which is I think as Newt Gingrich said, as others have said, Trey Gowdy said on your interview with him this morning, this is a national disgrace.

This is unbelievable. And the one thing we do know that came out of this meeting was a discussion between President Trump and Vladimir Putin about possibly talking or interviewing Michael McFaul, our former ambassador to Russia that the Russians think was overly aggressive on the human rights front.

So to me, that's extremely troubling. I think that all of us have to say, hey, we understand that President Trump doesn't want to delegitimize his election, but, again, to reiterate something Trey Gowdy said this morning, this is about America being under attack and being under attack heading into the midterms in terms of our election and democratic process.

BAIER: Guy.

GUY BENSON, CO-HOST, "BENSON & HARF": Well, I think it's difficult for the president to go on Twitter, it's easy for him, but for us to digest, him blaming all of this on the fake news because the fake news simply played in its entirety the press conference that he himself participated in.

And it was a very, very low moment. I do think that his pivot eventually to what we saw in the CNBC interview was the thing that the administration ought to be doing, which is highlighting not just the sanctions, but the diplomatic expulsions, the lethal aid to Ukraine, and other elements that are much more robust of the policy as opposed to the rhetoric that we saw when the president was standing with Vladimir Putin, which was, again, I think indefensible.

BAIER: Right. But as the week went on, in Middle America, how do you think this plays?

MARIE HARF, CO-HOST, "BENSON & HARF": Well, I think Middle America has tuned out a lot of the conversation about foreign policy because they're worried about the economy, they're worried about education and health care costs. So that's a separate conversation.

But it is still very important to digest what President Trump is doing on foreign policy. Put that Helsinki press conference in the context of how he treated our NATO allies, right? He went to Europe. He treated our NATO allies very hostilely. He really attacked them publicly, and then did the opposite, and was very weak standing next to President Putin in terms of his language.

So I don't think this was a rhetorical screw-up. I think that President Trump wants American foreign policy to go in a different direction vis-a- vis our allies and Russia. And I think that has influenced the fact that he is not trying to protect the United States now from this happening again.

And for all Americans, that should be a concern because we know Russia is trying to do it right now. And his blinders to Russian interference makes countering it harder.

BAIER: OK, Brit, just last thing on this. Here's what the administration says and his supporters. NATO has increased its military spending, largely because of Trump's pressure. The U.S. has put in heavy military equipment into Ukraine. Not something that Russia would like.

HUME: More now.

BAIER: We have helped liquid natural gas in Eastern Europe that is destabilizing Russia. There are things they are doing much beyond, this is what his supporters would say, the Obama administration.

HUME: Well, those points are correct. These things are all -- are in fact happening, which is why this is such a paradox between the president's behavior in the presence of Vladimir Putin and the actions he has taken. They point in different directions. There's no getting around that.

But I think, you know, until we finally know, if we ever do, what has actually been said in the meeting with Putin and what may be said in the next one that apparently is going to be forthcoming this fall, it will be impossible to assess this correctly.

BAIER: So the president doesn't often like polls, but a new Washington Post/ABC poll said, post-summit, his handling of the summit, 33 percent Americans approve of the president's handling of the meeting with Putin, 50 percent disapprove, just to give you a moment in time from that sense.

Let's talk, Guy, about this Carter Page FISA document that comes out overnight, which is pretty -- well, it's just very rare to see a FISA document at all, heavily classified. This one heavily redacted. What does it tell us? What does it mean?

BENSON: Well, I will confess that I did not spend all night reading 400 pages of this. But I did...

BAIER: We expected you to.

(LAUGHTER)

BENSON: Yes, I know. I will never be invited back. I could lie, oh, I read the whole thing, it's amazing.

The redactions are the key point. I've seen, scrolling through Twitter, partisans on both sides claiming vindication from context clues. Oh, this means we are right, this means that's correct. There is so much, the substance -- some of the substance is just blacked out for pages.

So I think the one take-away that Trump supporters will not like is the degree to which the Steele dossier was relied on very heavily to secure this FISA warrant against a U.S. citizen and a Trump associate. Whether there was more substance underneath that, that the FBI was able to verify in terms of Mr. Page's past conduct with the Russians, which I think is deeply suspect, remains to be seen.

BAIER: The president again tweeting: "Looking more and more like the Trump campaign for president was illegally spied upon. Surveillance for political gain of crooked Hillary Clinton and the DNC. Ask her how that worked out. She did better with crazy Bernie. Republicans must get tough now. An illegal scam."

HUME: Not illegal as far as I can tell. It was approved by the judge, which is the process it has to go through. I mean, I think it may well have been improper. And I think that, as Guy suggests, and as the document reveals, there is stuff in that FISA warrant application that has no business being there. That does not make it illegal, it may make it improper.

HARF: And it was removed three times, which means you had to get independent evidence that it was producing usable intelligence. And I will say, this is not a witch hunt. This is not the only thing that is part of the Russia investigation. And the FISA application wasn't put in for Carter Page until he left the Trump campaign.

So the idea that this is part of "spying on the Trump campaign" just isn't backed up by the timeline.

BAIER: Yes. I mean, Trey Gowdy said that Carter Page in reality is more like Inspector Gadget than he is Jason Bourne. He is still walking the earth and giving interviews.

Juan, I want to turn quickly to politics, and this real focus on the left. You had the Vermont senator, Bernie Sanders, and the new star, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez campaigning in Kansas. Is the progressive wing of the party driving the Democratic Party?

WILLIAMS: Oh, I don't think there's any question the energy is in what I would call the far left base of the party, still injured over Donald Trump's election, still can't believe it, right, and thinking that the way that you do politics now has to be Trump-like.

You have to be aggressive, some would say bullying. You have to name-call. You have to set out a very clear, aggressive agenda.

So to me it was astounding to see Bernie Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez in Kansas, a state that trump won plus-20, Bret. So but they are there and they are relying on an agenda that I think lots of Democrats think that the Democratic establishment is reluctant to embrace.

Things like health care. Things like tuition assistance for young people with heavy student loans. Things like a minimum wage hike. All of this is true but at the same time this week we had a poll that showed most Democrats want a fresh face and that fresh face is, guess who, Joe Biden. He's the top. I think he has like 35 percent support as the next candidate for the Democrats.

BAIER: Speaking of which, the president weighing in on Joe Biden this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I dream about Biden. That's a dream. Look, Joe Biden ran three times. He never got more than 1 percent. And President Obama took him out of the garbage heap and everybody was shocked that he did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: Guy?

BENSON: Well, I'm going to go back to the far left here, because that's fun. But the fact of the matter is there are 194 House Democrats, 122 of them have signed on as cosponsors to Medicare-for-all, which is single- payer health care, which would cost $32 trillion.

This is a mainstream, totally fantastical view that is taken root in the Democratic Party and it's frightening.

HARF: But I will say the Democratic Party is running candidates across the Midwest, in Michigan and Ohio and Pennsylvania, that are moderate and that fit their districts.

BAIER: But they are answering questions now on what Ocasio-Cortez says day by day, that capitalism is going to fall and that, you know, socialism is OK.

HARF: But that's not what they are running on. And if Republicans think that all these challengers in these swing districts across the Midwest are all democratic socialists, they are going to be in for a big wake-up call in November.

BAIER: Quickly, Brit.

HUME: The far left of the Democratic Party is Donald Trump's best hope for reelection. And if they nominate for president the next time around, someone from that part of the party, holding the views that, you know, we've just been talking about, that would be of inestimable benefit to whoever the Republican nominee is, I presume Trump.

BAIER: Panel, thank you.

Chris Wallace will be back next Sunday, I promise. And we will be back with a final word.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: Keep it here on your local Fox station and Fox News Channel for more reaction to the Trump-Putin summit and all the day's news. And don't forget "Special Report," I have a part in that, 6:00 p.m. Eastern tomorrow and every week night on Fox News Channel.

That's it for us today on "Fox News Sunday." Have a great week. Chris will be back next week and we will see you next "Fox News Sunday."

END

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Passengers on multiple Air India flights out of Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey have reported being bit by bed bugs over the past week.

Pravin Tonsekar posted a photo of multiple bed bugs, claiming the business class seats he and his family were sitting in on their 17-hour flight to Mumbai were infested with bed bugs.

OHIO MAN CALLED IN BOMB THREAT SO HE WOULD NOT MISS UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT

Toneskar continued to accuse the airline of an unsatisfactory trip, tweeting that his wife and daughters had to suffer half of the journey sitting in economy seats with broken tables and inoperative TV after the flight crew moved them because of the bed bugs.

Another passenger, Vivek Modi, said he could see bed bugs crawling around on the seats, the Hindustan Times reported.

Air India reached out to Toneskar, who said both of his daughters were bitten all over their bodies, to offer an apology.

We are sorry to hear this, Mr. Pravin. Sharing the details with our maintenance team for corrective measures in this regard, the airline tweeted.

Two days later, a passenger, Rohan, heading to Mumbai from New Jersey on Air India tweeted, my wife and three kids [flew] business class AI 144 from Newark to mumbai; now they have bed bug bites all over their body; is this what we paid $10,000 for???

Rohan said once he got to India, a doctor prescribed his wife 10 days of medication for the bed bug bites.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

On Thursday, passengers on a different Air India plane, also heading to Mumbai, had bed bug bites  including an 8-month-old, who allegedly suffered multiple bites during the flight.

After the reports, Air India grounded both of the planes for fumigation.

According to NJ.com, a spokesperson for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said the agency has not received reports of bed bugs in the terminal or other parts of the airport.

Air India did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The assessment was made in an article on the marine economy and tourism - the focus of bilateral cooperation between Vietnam and Egypt, published in Al Messa newspaper, one of the most prestigious Egyptian daily newspapers, on July 20.

In the article, the author Refat Khaled stresses that during the visit to Egypt in last May, Vo Van Thuong, Politburo member and Head of the Party Central Committees Commission for Communications and Education confirmed that the relationship between Vietnam and Egypt is witnessing good development in all areas, especially after the historic visit to Vietnam by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in 2017, which has promoted cooperation between the two countries in many areas, especially when it comes to the marine economy and tourism.

According to Refat Khaled, as a major North African country, Egypt has always held a significant geo-strategic position, serving as the gateway between the three continents of Africa, Europe and Asia.

The article run on Al Messa daily newspaper.

Meanwhile, Vietnam has 48 bays and more than 3,000 islands in the East Sea. Regarding fishery resources, Vietnam is on the list of 20 most economically advantageous seas for marine fisheries in the world, with many species of high economic value.

In terms of tourism, the article said that Egypt is famous for its ancient civilisation and vibrant culture. Therefore, it is also an increasingly popular destination for Vietnamese tourists. The number of Vietnamese tourists to Egypt is currently on the increase.

In 2017, Vietnam welcomed about 36,000 visitors from African countries, including Egypt, out of a total of 12 million international visitors. Visitors to Vietnam enjoyed hundreds of the worlds most famous white sand beaches in Ha Long, Nha Trang, Da Nang and Phu Quoc, along the countrys 3,260 km long coastline.

According to the Arabic daily newspaper, Vietnam and Egypt signed nine cooperation documents, including four agreements related to the marine economy and tourism. This shows that the two sectors are the focuses and priorities for cooperation, contributing to promoting the good traditional friendship between Egypt and Vietnam.
An Ohio man who called in a bomb threat to Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky International Airport so he would avoid missing his flight was sentenced Thursday to four months in prison and ordered to pay a fine.

Dana Carter of Dayton made a series of calls to the airport claiming there was a bomb on a Dallas, Texas-bound United Airlines flight in October.

UNITED AIRLINES PASSENGER CLAIMS FLIGHT ATTENDANTS 'STARTED MAKING JOKES' AFTER SHE MOVED AWAY FROM MASTURBATING SEATMATE

The 40-year-old allegedly made the false reports because he was worried he was going to miss his flight.

The original flight ended up being canceled because of the threat and Carter was placed on another flight for Dallas less than two hours later, the Dayton Daily News reported.

Carters attorney admitted the false threat was a foolish act, the Daily News reported.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

In addition to jail-time, Carter has been ordered to pay $7,700 in restitution to United Airlines for the canceled flight.

After his release, Carter will be on federal probation for three years.
A suspect who allegedly barricaded himself inside a Trader Joe's store and held multiple people hostage -- not long after reportedly shooting his grandmother and another woman -- has been taken into custody, Los Angeles police said Saturday.

One woman was killed at the store amid the standoff, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said at a news conference after the arrest. The woman was a Trader Joes employee, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a law enforcement source.

The suspect, who police said is around 28 years old, has not yet been identified.

After the standoff began, police advised the public to avoid the area around the intersection of Hyperion Avenue and Griffith Park Boulevard, in the city's Silver Lake neighborhood.

SWAT officers were called to the scene as the standoff got underway. An employee of the Associated Press who lives in the area reported seeing a car crashed into a utility pole outside the store.

Authorities said the ordeal began with "a family dispute," during which the unidentified suspect allegedly shot his grandmother and another woman.

The suspect then left the area in the grandmother's vehicle, taking the other female with him, authorities said.

The LAPD tweeted that officers were able to track down the suspect "via LoJack," a vehicle tracking device. They began chasing after the suspect's vehicle, "at which point the suspect fired multiple rounds at pursuing officers," according to police.

"The suspect then crashed his vehicle, at which point an officer-involved shooting occurred," police said. The suspect then headed toward the store, barricaded himself and a standoff ensued.

"Inside the Trader Joe's, a female victim was struck by gunfire. She was pronounced dead at scene," police said.

Police confirmed that the suspect held "multiple victims hostage" at the store before he was apprehended.

In the three-hour hostage negotiation, between 40 and 50 others were trapped inside the store, the Times reported. During that time, the suspect allowed some to leave while others sneaked out, and some reportedly crawled out of windows.

The Los Angeles Fire Department sent 18 ambulances and 100 firefighters at the scene, "expecting the worst," during the standoff, the report said.

President Donald Trump earlier tweeted that he was monitoring the standoff "very closely."

Following the suspect's apprehension, Mayor Garcetti thanked responders and law enforcement for their handling of the situation.

The Associated Press and Fox News' Amy Lieu contributed to this report.
A woman was shot and killed when a gunman ran into a busy Los Angeles supermarket where he held dozens of people hostage for about three hours Saturday before handcuffing himself and surrendering to police. No hostages were seriously hurt.

About two hours before taking the hostages, police say the man shot his grandmother seven times and wounded another woman, who he forced into a car. Police chased the vehicle and exchanged gunfire with the man, who crashed into a pole outside the Trader Joe's in the city's Silver Lake section and ran inside.

Frightened customers and workers dove for cover as police bullets fired at the suspect shattered the store's glass doors. Some inside the supermarket climbed out windows and others barricaded themselves in rooms as scores of police and firefighters and 18 ambulances converged on the scene and prepared for mass casualties.

Heavily armed officers in riot gear stood along the side of the store and used mirrors to look inside as hostage negotiators tried to coax the man into freeing his 40 to 50 hostages and surrendering.

At about 6:30 p.m., the man agreed to handcuff himself and walked out the front door, surrounded by four of the hostages. The unidentified man, who police said is about 28, was immediately taken into custody. Police said he had a wound to his arm.

Mayor Eric Garcetti congratulated police and firefighters for their work and mourned the loss of life at the Trader Joe's where he and his wife regularly shopped when they lived in the neighborhood.

"The heroism that was shown today was second to none and the teams that were able to respond, secure the perimeter and engage in conversation with the suspect no doubt saved lives today," he said, adding "our hearts go out to everyone who has been traumatized."

Among those who survived the harrowing afternoon was 91-year-old Don Kohles. He lives in the neighborhood and was walking into the supermarket when he saw "two police cars coming like a bat out of hell" and the suspect crashed into the pole.

The driver got out and police started firing at him as he ran toward the Trader Joe's. Kohles hurried inside and he and others took cover as the suspect ran in.

"Those bullets went right over the back of me as he was running right down the main aisle," Kohles said. He was terrorized as he lay on the floor and others around him sobbed.

Christian Dunlop, a real estate agent and actor who lives nearby and frequents the Trader Joe's, was on a corner near the store when he saw four people run out. One person, an employee, was dragging an injured woman by the hands.

"She appeared lifeless," Dunlop said.

He then saw about five employees hang out a second-floor window and drop to the ground, and about 15 other people run to safety from the back of the store. Among them was a police officer carrying a small child, he said.

"I know all the employees. I see them all the time. My heart was just racing and thinking about all the endless possibilities," Dunlop said.

Makela Wilson, 26, an office manager, had finished shopping and was driving out of the parking lot when the suspect crashed his vehicle and police opened fire. She heard three or four gunshots and then officers in SWAT gear arrived and ordered her and other people in their cars to hunch down in their seats.

"Duck down! Duck down!" an officer shouted at her. She estimates she was in the car for a half-hour until officers escorted her to safety. At about the same time, other officers went into the store and rushed out Kolhes and others near him.

Police Chief Michel Moore said the suspect made a "series of demands" during the standoff but crisis negotiators believed they could convince him to surrender peacefully.

"Our hostage negotiators believed they had established a good rapport with him," the chief said.

Police aren't sure what led to the initial violence that produced the car chase and standoff. Moore said at about 1:30 p.m. the suspect shot his grandmother and another woman in a South Los Angeles home and then forced the other woman into his grandmother's car. The grandmother was in critical condition while the other woman suffered a grazing wound.

Officers were able to track the car using LoJack  a stolen vehicle tracking system  and officers tried to stop the suspect in Hollywood, but the man refused to pull over, Moore said. During the chase, the suspect fired at officers, shooting out the back window of his car.

Outside the store, the man exchanged gunfire with police again and the woman was shot and killed, Moore said. It was not clear if she died from police gunfire or was killed by the gunman. Moore said police and firefighters responded quickly but could not save her.

Fire officials said six people, ranging in age from 12 to 81, were taken to the hospital. None had been shot and all were in fair condition.

___

This story has been corrected to show spelling of police chief is Michel Moore.

___

Associated Press writer Terry Tang in Phoenix contributed to this report.
New Orleans police say street muggers pulled out guns and demanded money from 10 people in a 7-hour span, according to reports.

No one was hurt and the police werent saying if any of the five stick-ups, which took place from 9 p.m. Thursday to 4 a.m. Friday, were related.

The total of robberies in New Orleans stood at 39 before the five robberies were reported, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Only one of the robberies resulted in an arrest, the paper reported.

James Travis III, 38, was charged with pointing a handgun at three men near Interstate 10 and stealing a backpack from one of them, according to the paper.

Travis was seen running into a hotel where he was arrested by cops and charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm and one count of armed robbery with a firearm, the paper reported.

It was Travis first arrest, the paper reported.

At 3:30 p.m. Friday a 17-year-old was robbed by a man in a vacant house, the Times-Picayune reported. The victim reported that the robber pointed the gun at him and vowed to "blow his head off."

The paper reported that police later arrested Christopher Lloyd, 17, in connection with the incident.
New York is apparently no longer the big cheese.

The Second City has been dubbed the "rat capital" of America according to apartment search service RentHop, which said Chicago had the highest amount of rat-related complaints of four major U.S. cities.

The data compiled by the website showed that there were more than 50,000 rat-related complaints in 2017, which is a 55 percent increase since 2014.

"The abundance of garbage and buildings in The Windy City makes it a great location for these rats to seek shelter and food for survival," according to RentHop. "The presence of these furry critters poses a threat to city dwellers due to the fact that they are capable of spreading diseases and cause allergic reactions to humans and animals."

The worst neighborhoods in the Windy City were Logan Square, Englewood and West Ridge.

"Most of the neighborhoods with a higher concentration of rat complaints coincide with the neighborhoods with a higher concentration of dog poop," according to the website.

Tourists visiting Chicago may avoid watching the scurrying pests, as neighborhoods in the downtown area such as The Loop, Gold Coast and River North logged fewer complaints.

RAT CHEWS THROUGH CABLE AT BALLET PERFORMANCE, PLUNGES IT INTO DARKNESS

Compared to four other cities were RentHop operates -- New York; Washington, D.C.; and Boston -- Chicago topped the total amount of rat complaints year-round with nearly 51,000.

The Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation told the Chicago Tribune the agency received 42,670 requests for rodent abatement from residents in 2017. Agency officials told the paper the lower number was after duplicate complaints, and a number of "proactive rodent abatement" cases undertaken by the department.

Rodent complaints are not an accurate indicator of the rat population in an area; however, they do show that Chicagoans care about the health and safety of their communities, Streets and Sanitation Spokeswoman Marjani Williams told The Tribune. (Streets and Sanitation) encourages residents to report rodent activity to 311 so that our crews can quickly investigate and address every sighting.

Williams added that the department conducts preventive baiting, and began a pilot program to place dry ice into rodent burrows in parks or other green spaces to suffocate rats.
The agency that supervises the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile would essentially lose direct Cabinet oversight under legislation that Congress is negotiating.

The little-noticed provision in a defense policy bill is opposed by the Trump administration and senior lawmakers from both parties, but efforts to scrap it have not overcome resistance from staffers on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

At issue in the Senate-approved bill is whether the National Nuclear Security Administration remains under the direct control of the Energy Department, where it's been since its creation in 2000.

The bill would empower that agency to act nearly on its own, freed from what a report by the Senate committee calls a "flawed DOE organizational process" that has led to "weak accountability ... insufficient program and budget expertise and poor contract management."

That report cites a series of delays and cost overruns at the agency, including a contentious project to reprocess weapons-grade plutonium and uranium into fuel for commercial reactors. The cost of the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility in South Carolina has ballooned from $1.4 billion in 2004 to more than $17 billion and completion is decades away. The Energy Department has moved to cancel the project, but it remains open  at a cost of $1.2 million a day  amid a legal challenge by the state of South Carolina.

The White House and Energy Secretary Rick Perry strongly oppose the reorganization, saying it would usurp Perry's authority to set policy in crucial areas and make the nuclear agency's general counsel independent of the Energy Department's legal division.

The White House said in a statement that the bill would block the energy secretary from directing civil and national security functions at the agency and "degrade" the secretary's ability to protect the health, safety and security of employees and the public.

A Perry spokeswoman, Shaylyn Hynes, called the plan "misguided" and said it would "weaken national security efforts by limiting DOE's critical role in managing America's nuclear weapons capabilities."

"It is in the best interest of the safety and security of all Americans to remove this provision from the bill and continue NNSA to be represented by a Cabinet-level official, allowing DOE and NNSA's complementary relationship to remain strong," Hynes said.

The NNSA said in a statement that while intended to improve efficiencies, "the changes put forward by the Senate committee would significantly limit the secretary's ability to fulfill his nuclear security missions and ... lead to unnecessary duplication of effort at NNSA for work already being carried out by DOE."

The leaders of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee said the plan was "a major step backward."

"To reduce the secretary's authority in such a sweeping way .... raises serious questions about the long-term consequences," Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said in a letter to the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Murkowski and Cantwell supported Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, as he tried unsuccessfully to remove the provision during Senate debate on the defense bill last month. A later Cruz effort also failed on procedural grounds.

Criticism of the nuclear agency isn't new.

A congressional commission led by a former Army undersecretary and retired Navy admiral concluded in 2014 that it had failed in its mission and relied too heavily on private contractors that had turned it into a massive jobs program with duplicative functions and a "dysfunctional management and operations relationship."

The commission, however, did support the current oversight arrangement.

A Senate aide familiar with the reorganization plan contended it was "a straight-up power grab" by staffers at the nuclear agency and the Senate Armed Services Committee. Agency staffers, frustrated by delays that occur as the Energy Department's general counsel and other officials review their work, took their case to Senate committee staffers, according to the aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal deliberations.

The committee chairman, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has been away from the Capitol since December as he fights brain cancer. Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., has led the committee in McCain's absence but has not played a role in the nuclear agency dispute.

In its staff-written report, the committee said the proposal was not "an indictment of the current Energy secretary" but rather an effort to "address a number of structural impediments" that have "damaged the NNSA's ability to carry out its mission."

A committee spokeswoman declined to comment, as did representatives for Inhofe and Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, the committee's top Democrat. Spokesmen for leaders of the House Armed Service Committee also declined to comment.

Perry told Congress this year that there have been "historically questionable expenditures of dollars" on the MOX project and other NNSA contracts, but said officials were working to ensure taxpayers "are getting a good return on our investment."

"We will give good oversight," Perry told the House Science, Space and Technology Committee in May, pledging to make the NNSA and other DOE agencies "as transparent as we can and try to get us the results that this committee wants."

Greg Mello of the Los Alamos Study Group, a New Mexico-based watchdog group, said the proposed changes would begin "dismantling civilian control over the nuclear weapons enterprise."

Corporate contractors "have already captured NNSA. These changes would gut what remaining oversight and external control there is," Mello said.

___

Online:

National Nuclear Security Administration: https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/national-nuclear-security-administration

___

Follow Matthew Daly: https://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC
The brother of the woman fatally shot during Saturday's three-hour police standoff in a Los Angeles supermarket said she was my world.

Melyda Corado was identified as the lone victim as a gunman took 40 to 50 store employees and customers hostage at a Trader Joes store in the city's Silver Lake neighborhood. (The gunman reportedly wounded two other people in another part of the city.)

Corado was the store's manager, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a law enforcement source.

Im sad to say she didnt make it. My baby sister. My world, Albert Corado tweeted. I appreciate the retweets and the love. Please respect my familys privacy as we are still coming to terms with this.

Earlier in the day, as the hostage situation unfolded at the store, he tweeted that he was having trouble contacting his sister, saying he felt helpless and scared for my sister.

As word of Melyda Corado's death spread, people on social media poured in their condolences.

Such a lovely, sweet, friendly, hardworking woman, Felicia Willson, who said she worked with Melyda for years, tweeted. I was thinking about her the whole time, and its just incomprehensible.

Albert tweeted his thanks to the woman and said she (Melyda) loved all her Tjs family so much and was so excited to be a mate.

Our entire community is thinking about your sister tonight, Matt Spicer tweeted.

Such a senseless, traffic end to a beautiful life, another person wrote on Facebook.

Celebrities also tweeted their sympathies to the victim's brother.

"Oh, Albert, I don't have the words to express the sorrow I feel in my heart for you and your sister," tweeted Nancy Sinatra, a daughter of Frank Sinatra.

"I m so sad to hear about your loss. Lots of love to your family," Patricia Arquette tweeted.

"I worried about a family member too. I imagined, and yet still can't imagine," B.J. Novak tweeted. Another heart with you in this unimaginable time, Albert."
A Florida sheriff says the states Stand Your Ground law prevents the arrest of a man who fatally shot another man last week during an argument over a handicapped parking spot.

Markeis McGlockton, 28, shoved Michael Drejka, 47, to the ground during the argument Thursday at a Clearwater convenience store and then was shot and killed when Drejka, from a sitting position, pulled out a gun he legally owned and opened fire, shooting McGlockton once in the chest.

He told deputies that he had to shoot to defend himself. Those are the facts and thats the law," Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said, according to WFTS-TV. No matter how you slice it or dice it that was a violent push to the ground.

Gualtieri announced Drejka had been cleared Friday. His decision led to a small protest at the store Saturday, Fox 13 Tampa reported. The State Attorney General could still make an arrest.

Fox 13 on Friday aired surveillance video showing the shooting and the moments leading up to it.

The station quoted Gualtieri as saying the facts were clear: McGlockton violently shoved Drejka to the ground and Drejka feared for his life. Because of that, he was covered under "Stand Your Ground.

McGlockton, of Clearwater, shoved Drejka after he came out of the store and saw Drejka arguing with his girlfriend Britany Jacobs, 25, who was parked in the handicapped parking spot.

Drejka, also of Clearwater, confronted her because she didnt have a permit to legally park there, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

McGlockton had gone inside to purchase snacks and sodas with their 5-year-old son, according to the paper. Jacobs was waiting for him in their car with their two other children, a 4-month-old and a 3-year-old.

Jacobs told WFTS that Drejka was getting away with murder.

How is this 'Stand Your Ground' law?" she asked. "Its not! Markeis pushed him, how does that justify a bullet?

The Tampa Bay Times reported interviewing Rick Kelly, 31, who said that two months ago he was at the store and parked in the same handicapped spot. He said he saw Drejka walking around his vehicle checking to see if he had a permit, which he didnt.

He said that during the ensuing argument Drejka threatened to shoot him.

"Its a repeat, Kelly told the paper. It happened to me the first time. The second time its happening, someones life got taken. He provoked that."

That doesnt matter, Gualtieri told reporters when he announced that Drejka wouldnt be charged.

Whats relevant is not whether this guys a good guy, nice guy, or whether hes a jerk, or whether hes a thorn in peoples side and what hes done, whether its three weeks ago, three months ago or three years ago, the sheriff said. Whats relevant and the only thing we can look at here is was he in fear of further bodily harm.
At least three people were shot, at least one of them fatally, when a suspect erupted in violence at home and then drove to a Trader Joe's store in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon and held dozens of store employees and customers hostage.

The standoff lasted about three hours, ending with the unidentified suspect being taken into custody.

The fatality was identified as Melyda Corado, an employee of the Trader Joe's store, in the city's Silver Lake section, according to a Twitter message posted by her brother and reported by local media.

"Im sad to say she didnt make it. My baby sister. My world. I appreciate the retweets and the love," Albert Corado tweeted. "Please respect my familys privacy as we are still coming to terms with this."

The other shooting victims were believed to be the suspect's grandmother and girlfriend, according to police. They were shot about two hours before the Trader Joe's standoff, at a home in South Los Angeles, authorities said.

The grandmother was in critical condition after being shot seven times, according to the Associated Press. The girlfriend suffered a relatively minor head wound and was in good condition, police said, according to the Los Angeles Times.

After the shootings in South LA, the suspect reportedly forced the girlfriend into his grandmother's Toyota Camry and drove off, drawing police pursuit and ultimately crashing into a pole near the Trader Joe's store, NPR reported.

He was on three tires so he couldnt make the turn," witness Dan Zito told the Times.

After exiting the vehicle and running toward the store, the gunman traded shots with police who were in pursuit, the L.A. Times reported.

"The bullets were flying everywhere," witness Don Kohles told the Times.

"The bullets were flying everywhere."  Don Kohles, witness

One shot from police struck the suspect in his left arm before he stormed into the supermarket, where he took 40 to 50 hostages, the newspaper reported.

Police fired at the suspect and shattered the stores glass doors.

The suspect returned fire, fatally shooting the Trader Joes employee during the exchange, the paper reported, citing a law enforcement source.

Some inside the supermarket climbed out windows as scores of police and firefighters and 18 ambulances converged on the scene and prepared for mass casualties.

Heavily armed officers in riot gear stood along the side of the store and used mirrors to look inside as hostage negotiators tried to coax the man into freeing his hostages and surrendering.

At about 6:30 p.m., about three hours after the standoff began, the man agreed to handcuff himself and walked out the front door, surrounded by four hostages.

The unidentified man, who police said was about 28 years old, was immediately arrested.

"Those bullets went right over the back of me as he was running right down the main aisle," witness Kohles, a 91-year-old customer, said. After about 30 minutes of terror and sobs, police came inside and rushed out Kolhes and others near him.

Fire officials said six hostages, ranging from 12 to 81 years old, were hospitalized. None had been shot and all were in fair condition.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
During the trip, the delegation paid a courtesy call to Vice President cum President of the Senate of Argentina Marta Gabriela Michetti, and held talks with Provisional President of the Senate Federico Pinedo.

The Vietnamese lawmakers also had meetings with Commander-in-Chief of the Argentine Armed Forces Gen. Bari Del Valley Sosa, Acting Foreign Minister Daniel Raimondi, Vice Chairman of the Senates Foreign Relations Committee Omar Perotti, and representatives of the Argentina-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians Group.

At the meetings, Ty affirmed Vietnams external policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification of international relations, with much attention paid to developing strategic ties with Argentina.

He underlined that Vietnams NA supports and appreciates the development of ties between the two countries, and is willing to promote exchanges and cooperation with the Argentine parliament.

Highlighting the friendship, solidarity, and mutual support between Vietnam and Argentina, Ty stated that Vietnam has always highly valued the Argentine peoples solidarity with Vietnam during its struggle for independence in the past.

Vietnam wishes to foster its partnership with Argentina in a comprehensive manner and developing cooperation in economy, investment, trade, defence, and security on a par with the sound political relations and potential of both sides, he said.

He thanked Argentina for its support at the UN and other multilateral platforms, affirming that Vietnam is willing to coordinate with Argentina on mechanisms for common interests and for peace, stability, and development across the world.

The Argentine officials expressed hope to further strengthen the partnership with Vietnam both bilaterally and multilaterally.

Michetti said that Argentina is keen on further promoting collaboration with Vietnam in all fields, pledging that she will direct Argentine agencies to hold meetings with their Vietnamese counterparts to discuss measures to expand bilateral cooperation to other areas such as defence and tourism.

The Argentine leader also hoped that the two legislative bodies would introduce suitable legal policies to create optimal conditions for businesses of both nations to strengthen their partnerships, thus dealing with the imbalance in bilateral trade.

Meanwhile, both Pinedo and Perotti said that Argentina is ready to work with the Vietnamese NA in law-building and supervising the implementation of signed deals between the two countries and at multilateral forums.

The Senate of Argentina wants to soon organise a visit to Vietnam to forge stronger cooperation between the two legislatures as discussed during the ongoing visit.

Valley Sosa and Raimondi lauded the outcomes of the Vietnamese delegations visit. Argentina can support Vietnam in defence personnel training and in joining UN peacekeeping operations, they said.

Within the framework of the visit, the Vietnamese delegation also laid flowers at President Ho Chi Minhs statue in Buenos Aires.
Paul McDonald, senior executive director at the staffing firm Robert Half International, has seen job markets of both extremes in his 35 years in recruiting: The ultra-low unemployment of the late 1990s, sky-high unemployment during the Great Recession and now back to a jobless rate of just 4 percent.

McDonald's firm focuses on placing professional staffers in such fields as accounting, finance, technology and high-end administrative work. Unemployment has remained low in those fields for years, giving McDonald, based in Menlo Park, California, experience in how companies  and jobseekers  should proceed in a tight labor market.

The Associated Press spoke with McDonald about today's job market.

___

The 4 percent unemployment rate is near multi-decade lows. How would you compare this period to others you've experienced?

This one seems to be longer-lasting and more robust. The job gains have been very consistent over a number of months and years. It's a very good time to look for a job. Companies need to be on top of their game in order to attract talent and retain the talent.

And how are companies doing that? How have they changed their hiring practices in this tight job market?

It's always about recruiting. It's not just a "post-and-hope environment." That's a strategy for losing in today's market. What's winning is that you're offering employee referral bonuses. You're tapping all your networks. You're looking for people who maybe could boomerang back into your company after leaving two years ago, if they left on good terms. Another strategy we're seeing is part-time employment for someone who may have had a life event. Maybe they decided to start a family, they left you a couple of years ago and now they would work part time. Offering remote opportunities has also been a really popular strategy.

Are companies loosening their skill demands to find the workers they need?

Maybe they're hiring someone with 75 to 80 percent of the job description. The mandatory skills are there, and then they're looking at the cultural fit, the soft skills ability, the business acumen. And then they train up for the weaknesses that person might have in their skill sets. That strategy has been really effective.

Given low unemployment, should job-seekers demand higher pay than they received in their previous job?

The further you stray from your experience, the lower the expectation should be on compensation. But today, if you're in accounting, finance, technology, creative, the legal profession  for attorneys, the unemployment rate is 1.2 percent  if you're making a move within your core competency area, employers are expecting to pay up for that experience. You should expect a good offer.

_____________

Interviewed by Christopher Rugaber

Answers edited for clarity and length.
A Florida man has been ordered held without bail in the killing of a convenience store owner who was the father of two students who survived the Parkland school massacre in February.

Tyrone Fields, 19, of Deerfield Beach, was arrested Friday in the shooting death of Ayub Ali, 61. Fields made a brief first appearance in court Saturday morning, the Sun Sentinel reported.

Ali was killed Tuesday while working at his Aunt Mollys Food Store in the Florida town of North Lauderdale.

Surveillance video showed Fields entering the store, robbing Alia at gunpoint, leaving the store, coming back and taking Ali to a back office where detectives say he was fatally shot, the paper reported, quoting the Broward County Sheriffs Office.

Detectives circulated the video Thursday seeking information about the killer and were contacted by a number of tipsters.

One of the tips led detectives to contact an associate of Fields' who encouraged him to meet with law enforcement, the Broward County Sheriffs Office said in a statement.

DAD OF 2 PARKLAND SURVIVORS IS ROBBED, KILLED; SUSPECT SURRENDERS

Around 12:30 p.m. July 20, Fields turned himself in at Fort Lauderdale Police's station, the statement said.

Alis 17-year-old daughter Elama and 15-year-old son Rahat were at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, the day of the shooting, the paper reported.

A local TV reported that Elama hid from the gunman in her classroom, according to the paper. The rampage left 17 students and staff dead and 17 wounded.

Ali was an immigrant from Bangladesh who had been in the United States for 20 years. A family spokesman said he worked long hours to save up enough money to buy the convenience store.

He was a very, very nice person, a friend of Alis told Miami FOX 7. He was very friendly with the customers. Everybody likes him in the community.
A black business owner in California claims that police officers approached him at his newly opened store, and accused him of trying to break-in.

Viktor Stevenson, owner of Gourmonade  gourmet lemonade  in San Francisco, wrote online Thursday that four officers walked up to him with guns almost drawn after they believed he was breaking into his own business in the Mission District.

Four cops just hopped out on me guns almost drawn took my ID at my own store, Stevenson wrote on Instagram. This racist thing is out of control but it wont stop me!

The stores security alarm was going off, Stevenson told KNTV, and he reportedly asked the officers if thats why they were at his store, noting he was on the phone with the security company.

SUBWAY EMPLOYEE CALLS POLICE ON BLACK FAMILY WHO STOPPED TO EAT DINNER

Stevenson said the officers werent there because the alarm went off, but rather accused him of breaking in. He alleged police asked to see his hands, which were in his pockets, and asked him to prove he owned the store.

I said, Yeah absolutely, here is my key, Stevenson told the news station. Took my key out, opened my door, closed my door. Are we ok? Are we good to go? He said, No, can I see your ID?

The officers, according to Stevenson, said someone in the neighborhood reported him to police, which he says was because of his race.

I am standing here at my business, on the phone, there is no way that looks suspicious, Stevenson said. I am sorry. A three-year-old would be like, he is not doing anything.

The San Francisco Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News request for comment.

OAKLAND RESIDENTS CALL POLICE ON BLACK FIREFIGHTER DOING HIS JOB

The incident comes amid a string of similar situations around the nation in which people have called the cops on black people doing harmless things.

A Tennessee property manager was fired in early July after she reported to police that a black man was wearing socks while using the apartment complex swimming pool, just after a white woman called police to report that an 8-year-old black girl was selling water in San Francisco without a permit.
A 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder after he shot and killed a Trader Joe's employee Saturday when he held workers and customers hostage during a more than two-hour standoff.

Gene Evin Atkins is being held on a $2 million bail, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department website stated. Atkins was taken into custody around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, more than two hours after he ran into the Trader Joe's in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles and barricaded himself.

About two hours before, Atkins shot his grandmother seven times and wounded another woman, who he forced into a car. Atkins drove to the supermarket and ran inside after crashing his vehicle into a pole. He barricaded himself inside and held dozens of employees and customers hostage.



Moments after shots rang out in the supermarket, employee Sean Gerace and helped several of his colleagues escape. Gerace told NBC Los Angeles he was working in the backroom when he heard the commotion around 3 p.m. He and his colleagues ran to an upstairs storage area for safety.

"I grabbed an emergency ladder, barricaded the hallway, grabbed a weapon, put the ladder out the window, and just tried to get the attention of a SWAT officer," Gerace recalled.

Gerace was seen on video signaling to police officers at the scene before he and other employees climbed down the ladder. He helped other workers out of the building before running to safety.

HOSTAGES FREED AFTER TRADER JOE'S STANDOFF IN LA; SUSPECT SURRENDERS; AT LEAST 3 SHOT, 1 DEAD

Meanwhile, gunfire erupted between the suspect in the store and police officers outside.

It was a matter of split seconds between the time he got out, the boom-boom-boom and him running into the store, Dan Zito, who was outside of the store when the incident occurred, told the Los Angeles Times.

KCAL9 employee Lynne Westafer said she didnt know the alleged gunman had shot his grandmother several times before the hostage situation.

He said he would start killing us if he didnt get to talk to his granny, Westafer recalled. And he would start counting down from five  and that was terrifying.

Im mostly angry, Im still furious. There were moments of total terror. He loved the power and he was going to milk the situation, she said about the terrifying situation.

The standoff ended when Atkins agreed to handcuff himself and walked out the front door, surrounded by four of the hostages. He was injured when he was taken into custody, police said.

"The heroism that was shown today was second to none and the teams that were able to respond, secure the perimeter and engage in conversation with the suspect no doubt saved lives today," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said. "Our hearts go out to everyone who has been traumatized."

EMPLOYEE SLAIN AT TRADER JOE'S IN LA WAS 'MY WORLD,' BROTHER SAYS; OTHERS TWEET CONDOLENCES

A woman, identified by her family and local media as Melyda Corado, was killed during the shootout and standoff. Corado, who was a recently promoted store manager, was pulled out of the store by employees and pronounced dead at the scene.

They were just so devastated, Westafer said about the staff who found out about Corados death. Everyone loved her. Theyre destroyed. She was in her late 20s. Its heartbreaking. I cant even tell you how upset they are.

The grandmother who was shot seven times was in critical condition while the other woman suffered a grazing wound.

Fire officials said six people, ranging in age from 12 to 81, were taken to the hospital. None had been shot and all were in fair condition.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Washington officer was killed Sunday morning when he was struck by patrol vehicle while deploying spike strips to stop a suspects truck during a pursuit, police said.

The Kent police officer, who was identified as Diego Moreno, was assisting with a vehicle pursuit when he was killed.

We are deeply saddened by the loss of Officer Diego Moreno. He was part of our family and we will always have him in our hearts. Please continue to keep Officer Moreno, his family, friends, and colleagues in your thoughts and prayers, the police force wrote on Twitter.

Washington State Patrol Capt. Ron Mead said in a news conference that preliminary investigation showed the cop was killed when a Kent Police Department patrol vehicle hit him.

Make no question about this, were it not for the actions of this suspect or suspects, this officer would be alive today. Its directly because of the suspect or suspects actions that led to the officers death, Mead said.

Police received calls about a shooting just before 2 a.m. Officers in the area heard gunshots and rushed to the scene, where they saw a red truck fleeing the area, police said. Witnesses told cops the truck may have been involved in the initial shooting.

Officers deployed spike strips in an attempt to stop the suspects.

OFFICERS KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY IN 2018

The police officer pursuing the red truck struck another officer who was deploying spike strips at the time. The patrol car then crashed into three other vehicles, according to Mead.

The Officer is an eight-year veteran with Kent Police; his contributions to our department, and positive impact on his co-workers and the community, have been significant, the police department wrote on Facebook.

The officer in the patrol car was also injured. He was taken to the hospital and is in critical but stable condition, police said.

The red truck also hit one of the spike straps and crashed. One person was arrested.

Mead said officials are investigating the incident and would not comment whether they are searching for more suspects.

The collisions shut down Washington State Route 516 for hours.
A manager of a Washington, D.C., restaurant -- who was the married father of a 9-month-old girl -- died Friday night from gunshot wounds he suffered earlier this month when he was robbed after attending a wedding in Atlanta, police said.

Christian Broder, 34, who managed Millie's a California Baja-style restaurant in the nation's capital, was an Atlanta native and returned there to attend the event at a country club July 7, Washington's FOX 5 reported.

After the reception, Broder and several friends were waiting outside for an Uber ride when two men in a white Dodge Charger approached them. Washington's WTOP-FM radio reported that the group had mistaken the Charger for their Uber ride.

One of the vehicle's occupants then got out of the car, pointed a gun, and demanded the groups belongings, police said. The group handed over their valuables and the gunman returned to the car.

Broder followed the gunman, who then turned around and shot Broder in the stomach, police said. The gunman got in the car and the Charger sped away.

Broder was treated at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta before being transferred to a Washington-area hospital, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. He died Friday "surrounded by loved ones," his family wrote on a GoFundMe page.

A teenage suspect was arrested July 13 on charges of aggravated assault, aggravated battery, and one count of firearm possession during the commission of felony, the Journal-Constitution reported.

Authorities said they expect the teen's charges to be upgraded to murder.

Broder leaves behind his wife, who teaches preschool, according to NBC Washington, and their child.

A Saturday post on the GoFundMe page read, We are heartbroken to share that last night Christian passed away. He was comfortable with Molly by his side and surrounded by loved ones. We are so grateful for your love and support over the last two weeks as Christian fought so hard.

As of early Sunday, the page had raised more than $236,000 of its $250,000 goal.
The British couple who were poisoned by Novichok had sprayed a container disguised as perfume that later broke in the mans hands when they were contaminated with the military-grade nerve agent, a family member said.

Charlie Rowley, 45, and his girlfriend Dawn Sturgess, 44, were sickened after coming in contact with the nerve agent on June 29. The next day, both of them collapsed within a few hours of each other.

Sturgess died in the hospital about a week later. Rowley was released from the hospital on Friday after he regained consciousness.

NERVE AGENT NOVICHOK, USED IN EX-SPY'S POISONING, IS 5 TIMES STRONGER THAN VX OR SARIN

Rowleys brother Matthew told The Sunday Telegraph his brothers memory about the incident is vague, but the 45-year-old remembers handling a container that appeared to be a perfume bottle.

"He told me that they found something that looked like a perfume bottle. Dawn sprayed what was inside it on both her wrists and rubbed them together, like you do when youre trying perfume, Matthew told the news outlet.

Charlie said she then gave the bottle to him and somehow it splintered or broke in his hands. Thats how he must have got contaminated, he added.

UK MAN EXPOSED TO DEADLY NOVICHOK AGENT REGAINS CONSCIOUSNESS

Police said last week they found a small bottle in Rowleys apartment in Amesbury, about a 15-minute drive from Salisbury, where British authorities say a Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with Novichok in March.

Rowley was interviewed by police shortly after he regained consciousness. Several details still remain unclear, including where the bottle came from and how it ended in Rowleys home. The former mechanic and bar manager remains the primary witness to the crime.

Charlie is so angry about what happened to Dawn. Really angry. He was fond of her and his daughter got on [sic] with hers. They were like a family to him, Matthew said.

Rowleys brother said he thought Rowley was going to die after he heard Sturgess had passed away.

I was so thankful when they told me he had regained consciousness and was getting better and to talk to him on the phone at the hospital was such a relief, Matthew said. Im his older brother and I was so worried he was going to die.

Authorities are looking whether the couple's nerve agent exposure was linked to a recent attack on Skripal and Yulia, who were in critical condition for weeks but have since been discharged from the hospital.
The event was attended by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and former Politburo members, including former President Truong Tan Sang, former National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung, former permanent member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC) Secretariat Le Hong Anh, along with Politburo members: National Assembly Standing vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong, Secretary of the Party Central Committee (PCC) and Head of the PCC's Organisation Commission Pham Minh Chinh, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan. Also attending were members of the Party Central Committee (PCC) Secretariat: President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Tran Thanh Man, Head of the PCCs Commission for Internal Affairs Phan Dinh Trac, Chief Justice of the Supreme Peoples Court Nguyen Hoa Binh, and Chairman of the PCCs Inspection Commission Tran Cam Tu; along with Vice Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Uong Chu Luu and representatives from Laos and delegates of central ministries and departments, and provinces and cities nationwide and heroic Vietnamese Mothers, Heroes of the People's Armed Forces, veterans, war invalids, soldiers, former youth volunteers and the relatives of martyrs.

The Prime Minister presented gifts to relatives of the ten young unmarried female volunteers at the Dong Loc T-junction during the war, and families of martyrs and national contributors in the province.

Addressing the event, PM Phuc said that Dong Loc victory was the victory of patriotism, showing the traditional indomitable spirit of the Vietnamese people. The examples of selflessness for the motherland and the heroes and martyrs' great sacrifices are a source of eternal pride, providing great encouragement for generations of Vietnamese people in the struggle for national independence, sovereignty, unity, territory integrity.

On behalf of the Party and State leaders, the PM called on ministries, agencies and localities, agencies, organisations, enterprises and people all over the country to jointly take better care of the families of war invalids, sick soldiers, martyrs, veterans, former volunteers and people who contributed meritorious services to the revolution.

The Prime Minister presented gifts to relatives of the ten young unmarried female volunteers at the Dong Loc T-junction during the war, and families of martyrs and national contributors in the province.

Politburo member and National Assembly Standing vice Chairwoman, Tong Thi Phong, handed over the Resolution of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on recognising Dong Loc as Dong Loc town.

On the occasion, Politburo member and National Assembly Standing vice Chairwoman, Tong Thi Phong, handed over the Resolution of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on recognising Dong Loc as Dong Loc town.

The ceremony was followed by an art programme featuring a number of songs and dances praising the country and honouring the bravery of soldiers and young volunteers who laid down their lives in the struggle for national liberation and reunification.
Caves are more than the sites of mines and ancient hieroglyphs, the burial places of giants, and homes for bats. They can also be haunted. And, why not? In desperate times, caves were utilized for sanctuary and sometimes standoffs and, given the geology, they seem like ideal vessels in a feng shui sort of way, to retain and hold a kind of amplified haunting that is held captive in a cul-du-sac formation. I am utterly fascinated with the haunted cave phenomena. I cannot think of a better spirit vessel.





Let's have a look at some more infamous haunted caves....













Bell Witch Cave









The Bell Witch Cave in Adams, Tennessee is a very popularly known cave apparently haunted by the Bell Witch. The cave is supposedly beneath a burial mound and there is even the remains of a previously robbed Native grave, though this is rather unusual for a Native burial, but not at all unusual for a giant burial in a stone sarcophagus.









There are vague reports of sounds, giggling, talking, laughter and more within the cave, as well as belief that the Bell Witch monitors the occupants or a woman is seen sometimes within the caverns. There has been a lot of hype around this site. There could be some genuine haunting going on, but the source of the haunting may not be a supposed Bell Witch, but something perhaps more ancient, as the robbed grave might provide.





Mammoth Cave









Mammoth Cave in Kentucky is called the largest haunted cave. Interestingly, both Tennessee and Kentucky have amazing geology and an ancient history of giant races, as well as having great histories of Native Tribes and Civil War hardships. These are perfect places for caves to be haunted. In fact, it's generally assumed there are lots more giant finds to be made in these caves, as well as perhaps even having active races of "little people" or "giants" and even "reptoids" existing within deep caverns today.





This seriously mammoth cave has seen a lot of history for thousands of years and that leaves a certain mystique, but it also has reason to be supposedly haunted. As far back as 4000 years ago, "Natives" were mining deep inside it.





Is the cave haunted by spirits or simply a very lengthy history for thousands of years? That is hard to tell, but some have had unusual experiences , seen things, heard things, felt things within.









In 1797, a man chased a bear into the entrance of the cave. He was said to be the first white man to enter it. In 1798, a man who owned the land the cave was on, sold it to some brothers who wanted to mine saltpeter. By 1810, the brothers sold it to a bigger business who could mine for saltpeter on a bigger scale. The War of 1812 made saltpeter much sought after. The new owner had slaves working the cave to mine the saltpeter for eventual gunpowder production. After the war, however, saltpeter needs fell and the business went under.





The cave then became known for the "mummies" found in it. This brought in the first tourists to see the cave. In 1842, the cave was used as an experiment to house people with TB. And patients died there.



This cave in Derbyshire offered an odd sound -











Swallow Cave



Swallow Cave near Nahant, Massachusetts is not a particularly big cave, but it has a reputation of being haunted by a witch. The story goes back to the 1700s when Natives were fighting with settlers in Lynn, Massachusetts and they hid up in the cave. A local witch helped out the settlers to find the Natives, but then begged them to not fire upon the Natives. She somehow managed to convince the Natives to go back to the Cape Cod area and there was peace. Later, when she died, the people supposedly buried her above the cave in memory for what she had done and her spirit was said to still haunt the cave.

Dungeon Rock Cave



Dungeon Rock in Lynn, Massachusetts, has a reputation of a potential pirate treasure within. A spiritualist of the times, Hiram Marble, thought he could find the pirate treasure and use spiritualist movement tools to do so. It was his ultimate goal to prove that spiritualists' tools were credible. Unfortunately, he went decades searching and died without making his goal.



Wabasha Street Caves



This interesting place has a sorted history. The Wabasha Street Caves in Saint Paul, Minnesota, is a building that leads back into caverns where they once mined silica. At different times, it was used for everything from gangster hideout to mushroom farming. An apparition of a man wearing a panama hat has been seen inside and a female apparition at the bar. Three gangsters in the 1930s were said to be shot down within the caves and they all have been seen at various times haunting the place.



Amusement

Now, this may be a "haunted cave" you are more likely to visit - the infamous "Haunted Cave" in Lewisburg, Ohio ; a popular attraction!









Here's a cave movie to put you in the mood -




Antonio Giovinazzi has emerged as the big favourite to drive for Sauber in 2019.

The rumour stepped up a notch at Hockenheim, where he drove for the Swiss team in Friday practice.

The Italian is a member of Ferrari's driver academy. This year, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc is at Sauber, but he is linked with a move to Ferrari for 2019.

"We will discuss the issue with Ferrari and then make a decision," said Sauber boss Frederic Vasseur at Hockenheim.

"It's important for Alfa Romeo that we achieve good results with two drivers who are best suited for our future."

Giovinazzi, 24, said at Hockenheim: "It was nice to finally be back in the car, but everything felt normal.

"I know the team well now, since I did my first two races with them in 2017. Since then, Sauber has grown as a team so it would be silly to say I don't want to race in formula one with them in 2019," he added.

When asked about Giovinazzi's comments, Vasseur said: "It's nice that Antonio wants to drive for us. It's something to be proud of.

"He will work with us in several practice sessions and I can get to know him better and find a common language. Last year, we did the same with Charles," he added.

(GMM)
Organisers of the Russian grand prix are considering ignoring F1's 'grid girls' ban.

The Sochi round takes place in September.

Already this year, Monaco and Austria sidestepped Liberty Media's controversial 'grid girls' ban by using attractive women for other roles.

"We want them (grid girls) to be in," Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Kozak told Tass news agency.

"We are holding discussions with international organisers," he added.

(GMM)
"With Egyptian and United Nations efforts it has been agreed to return to the era of calm between (Israel) and Palestinian factions," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum told Reuters.

Israeli officials did not immediately comment on the announcement but an army spokeswoman said that in the early hours of Saturday, there was no known military activity in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian residents said the area was calm.

On July 20, Palestinian gunmen killed an Israeli soldier along the Gaza border and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched dozens of strikes into the Strip that killed four Palestinians, including three Hamas fighters. At least 120 Gazans were wounded.

The soldier was the first to be killed on the Gaza front in active duty since a 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, an Israeli army spokesman said.

At least four Palestinians from Hamas's military wing were reportedly killed in the IDF retaliatory action and at least 120 Palestinians were reportedly wounded, according to Israeli media.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an additional security assessment discussion at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Israeli media also reported that Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman called the United Nations envoy to the Middle East Nikoali Mladanov to discuss the deteriorating situation in Gaza on Friday evening.

Egyptian security officials and a diplomat from another unnamed state held contacts with Hamas and Israel in an effort to restore calm and prevent further deterioration, a Palestinian official told Reuters.
The new Kia Niro battery-electric CUV (crossover utility vehicle) has gone on sale in Korea, featuring an expected driving range of up to 385 kilometers (239 miles), as calculated by SAE J1364 in the United States. European sales of Niro EV will follow at end of 2018 and North America in Q1 2019.





The Niro EV sits alongside the existing Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid variants of the carof which more than 200,000 have sold globally since the Niros introduction in 2016. The Korean carmaker has received more than 5,000 pre-orders for the Niro EV in its domestic market since the car was first revealed earlier this year.

The Niro EV is to be Kias second globally-sold electric vehicle after the Soul EV, and will go on sale in Europe at the end of 2018 and North America in Q1 2019.

A 64 kWh lithium-polymer battery pack affords the driving range of up to 385 kilometers; plugged into a 100 kW fast charger, it takes 54 minutes to recharge the Niro EVs battery to 80%. Buyers will also be able to specify an optional 39.2 kWh lithium-polymer battery pack, with a range of up to 246 kilometers (153 miles) from a single charge.

Power is provided to the front wheels through a 150 kW (204 ps) motor, producing 395 Nm torque from a standstill, for acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.8 seconds. The battery pack is located low down in the body, beneath the trunk floor.

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. The Niro EV offers drivers a range of Kias Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, supporting the driver in various environments and scenarios to mitigate the risk of a collision.

Available active safety systems include Forward Collision Warning with Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Smart Cruise Control with Intelligent Stop & Go, and Lane Following Assist. Lane Following Assist is a Level Two autonomous driving technology which tracks vehicles in front of the car in traffic, and detects road markings to keep the Niro EV in its lane on the motorway. The system controls acceleration, braking and steering according to the behavior of the vehicles in front, using external sensors to maintain a safe distance. Lane Following Assist operates between 0 and 130 km/h (81 miles).

The Niro EV differentiates itself visually from the existing Niro Hybrid and Niro Plug-in Hybrid with a series of exclusive design features. Taking inspiration from the Niro EV Concept unveiled at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the exterior is based on a Clean and High-tech design concept. Its futuristic and aerodynamic tiger-nose grille features an integrated charging port, bearing a de-bossed Niro logo. Redesigned air intakes and new arrowhead-shaped LED daytime running lights combine with light-blue trim highlights to help it stand out further.

A 7.0-inch touchscreen HMI (human-machine interface) remains at the center of the dashboard, but has been updated to offer a series of EV-specific features. The new infotainment system enables owners to locate nearby charging points and monitor the level of charge and range remaining from the battery pack. The instrument clustera 7.0-inch color-LCD displayis also unique to the Niro EV, enabling the driver to intuitively check driving and EV powertrain information on-the-move.

The redesigned center console creates more storage space at the base of the dashboard for smaller items, including a wireless smartphone charger. A lamp is integrated into the top of the dashboard, with a light displaying whether the battery pack is recharging or fully charged when plugged in. This enables owners to quickly see the cars charge status at a glance from outside the car.

When the Niro was first launched in 2016, its new platform had been engineered to accommodate a variety of advanced powertrains. Its 2,700-mm wheelbase ensures all occupants have plenty of legroom, while the sense of space is boosted by its crossover design. Its body is 1,805 mm wide and 1,560 mm tall, ensuring maximum head- and shoulder-room throughout the cabin. At 4,375 mm in length, it offers more cargo space451 liters (VDA) (16 ft3)than many other plug-in and electric vehicles.
NIRA Dynamics, a Swedish automotive software technology company, has joined the AWare ecosystem of Renovo, a mobility software technology company. Automated Mobility fleet deployments that use Renovos AWare OS can seamlessly deploy NIRA Dynamics Road Surface Information (RSI) software on their vehicles.

NIRA Dynamics RSI is a software solution that measures and predicts road grip using the vehicle as a sensor. RSI provides a complete characterization of the real-time road friction and road roughness state.

RSI software installed on vehiclesnow including any AWare-powered automated vehicleenables precise measurements and estimates through use of high resolution sampling of the vehicles embedded sensors and controllers.

In parallel, computer vision algorithms running on the vehicle and ingesting camera feeds are used to verify close proximity predictions of road grip and ensure offline performance. These data are routed to a NIRA Dynamics backend where they are aggregated and made available as map layers ready for use by a range of third party consumers including operators of automated vehicles. This information on road grip is crucial to enable automated driving outside perfect weather and road conditions and in emergency situations.

In addition to automated driving, RSI enables efficient monitoring and maintenance of road infrastructure. Swedish road authorities and road contractors are already optimizing road maintenance using RSI and by doing so generating revenues to fleet operators that are running NIRA RSI software on their vehicles.

Renovo has extensive experience with road grip and automated vehicles through its partnership with Stanford University. Unveiled in 2015, MARTY (Multiple Actuator Research Test bed for Yaw control) is a self-drifting deLorean that acts as a rolling laboratory for Stanford researchers to explore automated control algorithms in low traction situations. The goal is to create algorithms for automated vehicles in emergency situations.

NIRA Dynamics joins the AWare ecosystem along with a growing list of leading companies in the automated mobility sector including Samsung, Verizon, Velodyne LiDAR, Parsons, INRIX, Argus Cyber Security, CARMERA, Affectiva, Phantom Auto, EdgeConneX Understand.ai, Metamoto and Bestmile.
Opinion

Sharjahs move for differently-abled emulative

Few countries really take proper care of the differently-abled and the elderly. One report published two years ago says thousands of people with a host of disabilities are locked away in Zimbabwe, both in homes and institutions, due to widespread fears they




Haiti - NOTICE : Temporary suspension of the launch of the ONA-Etidyan program





Chesnel Pierre, the Director General of the National Office for Old Age Insurance (ONA), informs the general public in general, and students in particular, that ONA has decided to temporarily suspend the launching process of the "ONA-Etidyan" program without providing further details of the reasons for this decision.



Chesnel Pierre stresses "Until we reach this important milestone, the ONA will continue to work to develop, with much more energy, this large-scale project and give it an impetus to reach a maximum of graduating students of our different universities."



He said, "Under this program, more than 2,000 young people from the country's ten geographical departments will benefit from an experience that can even serve as a springboard to long-term employment and prove to be equally crucial in their respective careers."



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Tianfu New Area.

On the 18th of July, the Park City Construction Bureau of Chengdu Management Committee of Tianfu New Area, Sichuan, was officially established in the No. 9 Building, Section A, Jingrong Center, Tianfu Science City, marking a brand-new chapter for Tianfu new area to build the Park City. Park City is a new people-oriented development concept of realizing high-quality urban modernization driven by ecological values, which was instructed by the party general secretary Xi Jinping.

The Park City Construction Bureau is another major strategic step after the establishment of the first Park City Planning Research Institute to further improve the systems and mechanisms for the Park City planning and construction. This is an important move to orient the development of Tianfu New Area in the direction guided by party general secretary Xi Jinping and substantiate the spirit of his major instructions for the development of Tianfu New Area.

The official establishment of the Park City Construction Bureau offers the world Chinas planning and construction solutions of city development

On February 11th this year, general secretary Xi Jinping inspected Tianfu New Area. He pointed out that " Tianfu New Area must be planned well and built well, in particular, to highlight the characteristics of the Park City and take the ecological value into consideration, trying to build a new growth pole, and construct the inland economic highland of opening-up. This is the first time that general secretary put forward the vision of building Park City and he pinned high hope to Tianfu New Area. On April 26th, general secretary Xi Jinping made a special mention of Tianfu New Area at the second forum on the development of Yangtze River ecological belt. He said, "When I went to Sichuan, I noticed the sound ecological environment of Tianfu New Area. Overall planning and long-term commitments are needed to sustain such achievement.

In order to better accomplish the task of planning and building the Park City, Chengdu Party Working Committee and Management Committee of Sichuan Tianfu New Area rolled out a highly efficient operating system which is well-organized and streamlined. It was decided that the same working force would serve both the Park City Construction Bureau and the Planning, Construction and Land Resources Bureau for better coordination and efficiency of the planning and construction of the Park City.

According to the information, the main responsibilities of the Park City Construction Bureau are as below: to adhere to the concept of " Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets", to explore the planning model and construction pathways of the Park City, to lead the planning and standard setting of the Park City, to establish the urban and rural planning system of the Park City, as well as to study the connotation, ecology, function, landscape, indicator system, public space and brand value of the Park City. These efforts are made in order to coordinate and move forward the planning and construction of the Park City and provide China's planning and construction solutions to the rest of the world for better city development.

Lin Qiang, the first director of the Park City Construction Bureau, said: "Its a great honor for me to serve as the first director of the Park City Construction Bureau and Im keenly aware of the huge responsibilities on my shoulders as well. I would reserve no efforts, be practical, rise to the tasks, never yield to any possible challenges, and work diligently with the spirit of reform and innovation to serve my post. Under the strong leadership of the party working committee and the management committee of Chengdu Tianfu New Area, We should unite and lead the overall staffs high standard and high level planning to build a new era park city, in response to the practical action and practical results the masses yearn for a better life. "

Four Shifts strategy is adopted to make a major breakthrough

Clarify goals for the park city planning and construction, Lin Qiang thoroughly introduced to the press the recent progress in the planning and construction of the park city. In order to fully implement the socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era proposed by President Xi Jinping, the spirits of the 19th National Peoples Congress and the statements made by General Secretary Xi Jinping during his visit to Sichuan, especially his remarks on the development of Tianfu New Area, the Sichuan Tianfu New Area Chengdu Party Working Committee and Management Committee after tenacious study and analysis, released the Suggestions on the Comprehensive Implementation of the Instructions by General Secretary Xi Jinping on Developing Tianfu New Area as an Important Node Supporting the Belt and Road Initiative and Yangtze River Economic Belt (1st Edition), the Suggestions on Accelerating the Construction of the Park City (1st Edition)", and the "Five-year (2018 - 2022) Action Plan of the Park City Construction (1st Edition)" on March 31st.

In these documents, the planning and construction of the park city are defined as the primary project for Tianfu new area. From the perspective of exploring the new paradigm of urban development, building the community of shared destiny and combining theory with practice, the Park City is an advanced form of city development which revolves around the people while preserving the ecology. Park City is an advanced form of urban development that fully embodies the new development concept. It insists on people-centered and ecological civilization-led, It is a new model of modern city and sustainable development of city construction with the integration of park form and urban space, the combination of production and living ecological space, natural, economic, social and human nature, which is the combination of modern city and new era. Aesthetic value, ecological value, humanistic value, economic value and life value are the five characteristics of New Age Park City.

The building of a park city is regarded by the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government as an unprecedented major event for the whole province that will exert lasting influence in the next one hundred years. In order to serve the purpose of setting up an example of full-scope opening up and all-directional development, Tianfu New Area is making four-shift changes (shift from large-scale infrastructure construction to building a high-quality living circle and high-quality industrial ecosystem, shift from relying mainly on regional allocation of resources to deploying high-end resources globally, shift from the traditional management system to a modernized international governance system, and shift from investment-driven development to innovative talents-driven development) as a breakthrough.

The plan is to build the park city in three steps: by 2022, double-digit growth rates are to be achieved for the main economic indicators. Tianfu Center, Western China International Expo City, Tianfu Science City, and an ecological landscape covering mountains, rivers, lakes, forests and lands are to be built in the core area; by 2035, the total economic output of Tianfu new area is to stand above the one trillion mark, with the citys total capacity and core competitiveness elevated to a new high, so as to build a key node supporting the development of Belt and Road initiative and the Yangtze River Economic Belt, as well as an example of a beautiful and livable park city; by 2050, Tianfu new area is to be thoroughly transformed into a beautiful and livable park city, a new growth pole and highland of open economy with regional and international influence. It will also become an important carrier for Sichuan to gather global resources and participate in the global competition.

Exploring the development pathway for the park city, accelerating research over eight main topics

At present, the basic theory research and planning construction practice of park city has been carried out. The research on the concept, form, green ecology, index system, consumption scene and brand value of the park city, led by six well-known experts such as Wu Zhiqiang, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, is speeding up as planned in the following eight aspects, The Chengdu City Park City Global Forum has stepped up its preparations in an effort to bring together the world's top minds to explore the park city's development path.

Meanwhile, with the idea of arranging the space according to the landscape, highlighting the natural imitation of urban aesthetics, and designing the functional zones with smart growth in mind, we will pick up the pace of building a park city with one core area and three city functional zones; we will also vigorously move forward such major ecological projects as Mt. Longquan Urban Forest Park, Northern Ecological Barrier Corridor, 1200km Grade III Greenway System, Xinglong Lake Landscape Enhancement, water ecological environment comprehensive management for West Sichuan Forest Plate. Luxi River, Jinjiang River and Dongfeng Canal, Qingsong wetland projects, the goal of which is to offer access to green and natural landscapes to all. Vigorous efforts will also be made to promote green building and rooftop greenery. We will consolidate the ecological foundation and enhance the ecological value; Economically, we will make industrial development more ecological and industrialize ecological preservation. By pulling together global resources, we will accelerate the construction of the unicorn island, Tianfu International Conference Center, super high-rise landmark buildings in Tianfu new area, and talent apartments with international standards and Chinese characteristics, and strive to build an industrial ecosystem with high-end and composite business types.




Haiti - News : Zapping...





Florida : EAD prolonged for 4,650 Haitians

"At our request, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has just announced that they have extended the work permit for all 4,650 Haitian Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries whose applications were still pending from today [July 20]," said Florida Democratic Senator Bill Nelson. Remember that the automatic extension of the "Employment Authorization Document" (EAD), given in January to the Haitian beneficiaries of the TPS, had expired on July 21, 2018 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21016-haiti-flash-tps-extension-for-6-months-official.html



UNIBANK : avoid speculation

The Watch Center of the Digital Observatory in Haiti (ObNH) believes it is appropriate to avoid spreading all sorts of speculations about the origin of the scam attempt by false emails targeting UNIBANK clients in Haiti https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25017-haiti-flash-attempted-scam-with-fraudulent-emails-from-unibank.html . The data we have so far do not agree with the facts put forward by some commentators.



Chile : 46,000 Haitians in the process of regularization

At present in Chile, more than 46,000 Haitians have already submitted their documents for regularization of their status.



Senate : Report of the hearing of the DG of the PNH

The invitation by the Senate of Michel-Ange Gedeon, the Director General of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), scheduled for Thursday has been postponed to Tuesday, July 24 due to the problem of the agenda of the Senate and the principal concerned confirmed the Senator of Artibonite Garcia Delva (PHTK).



USA : 32,000 Haitians threatened with expulsion

Currently more than 32,000 Haitians living in the United States through the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) are threatened with eviction by the Donald Trump administration. Note that the deadline for this temporary status will end on July 22, 2019 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22759-haiti-flash-tps-more-than-50-000-haitians-will-have-to-leave-the-usa.html



Gedeon to the Cayemites Islands

Michel-Ange Gedeon, the Director General of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) along with his counterpart of Minujusth went to the Cayemites in the locality of Anse a Macon in the department of Grand-Anse for a evaluation visit of the Program Accompagnement Council of the PNH (PAC-PNH) and responded favorably to one of the requests made by the inhabitants of this area, namely the construction of a police station.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















(Reuters) Erik Cetrulo, a former portfolio manager at Steven Cohens Point72 Asset Management, is raising funds for a global macro discretionary hedge fund and is targeting a launch in the first quarter of 2019, two sources familiar with the situation said. Entheos Capital Advisors formed its limited partnership in recent weeks, and is in early stage negotiations with potential seed and anchor investors, the sources said. The macro fund  so-called because it bets on macroeconomic events across asset classes  will trade foreign exchange, global fixed income, global equity indices and liquid commodities. As a discretionary fund, it will construct portfolios based on a top-down, thematic view of global markets.

To read this article:
For the second year in a row, New York has been declared the smartest city in the world, according to the IESE Cities in Motion Index . London and Paris also maintain their positions just behind the big apple, taking the second and third spots respectively.

The top-10 list is completed by Tokyo (4), Reykjavik (5), Singapore (6), Seoul (7), Toronto (8), Hong Kong (9) and Amsterdam (10.) Europe, with 12 cities ranking among the top 25, is once again the top-performing geographical area. It is followed by North America, with six; Asia, with four (all in the top 10); and Oceania, with three.

What is a smart city?

This fifth edition of the index analyzes the level of development of 165 cities from 80 countries, across nine dimensions considered key to being a smart, sustainable city: human capital (developing, attracting and nurturing talent), social cohesion (consensus among the different social groups in a city), economy, environment, governance, urban planning, international outreach, technology, and mobility and transportation (ease of movement and access to public services). The index is prepared by IESE Business School's Center for Globalization and Strategy under the direction of professors Pascual Berrone and Joan Enric Ricart.

While most smart cities rankings are focused solely on the use of smart technology or specific measures of environmental sustainability, to perform well on this index a city must perform well across a number of different elements. After all, it is not much good having an environmentally friendly city if crime & unemployment is so high no one wants to live there.

Here New York, London and Paris have done well because all three score highly across nearly all the criteria used in the index. New York is in first place overall due to its position as the worlds most important economic center, ranking first in this dimension, and is also top for urban planning. London, in second place, is best for human capital thanks to its high numbers of quality business schools and universities. Meanwhile Paris, the city with the second-highest number of international tourists, is first for international outreach and first for Mobility and Transportation, thanks to its metro system, bike sharing system and high-speed trains.

However, all three cities are still grappling with the issue of social cohesion and place in the bottom of the ranking on this measure. This reflects the fact that many cities that have high economic levels (in average terms), at the same time are more inequitable and unequal, which can lead to problems between different strata in society. According to the reports authors, One of the greatest challenges for cities is to transform themselves into urban centers that are simultaneously prosperous, equitable and inclusive.

Clearly striking a balance in the various areas where success is measured is a complex, ongoing process that requires an overall vision. It is not enough to excel in one area -- as is the case with Montevideo, Bangkok, Kiev and Doha, all located in the bottom half of the ranking -- since this produces "unbalanced" cities. Indeed, only a select group of cities -- such as Amsterdam, Seoul and Melbourne -- do moderately well in all dimensions. And it is difficult to combine certain dimensions -- namely, economic power with social cohesion as well as mobility/transportation with the environment.

About the ranking

The ranking aims to be a tool for mayors, city managers, companies and interest groups that want to improve the quality of life of city residents. Studying the most advanced cities in each category provides a source of inspiration to identify best practices for more innovation, sustainability, equity and connectedness.

The fifth edition presents some important updates with respect to the previous years: the number of indicators used has been significantly increased and the analysis has been enriched with new data -- such as the number of terrorist attacks, the compliance levels of ISO 37120 (known as the smart city standard), and even prospective variables, such as GDP per capita projections and rising temperatures.

You can view the full study here.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/iese/2018/07/13/the-smartest-cities-in-the-world-in-2018/#2297bdfd2efc




iciHaiti - Montreal : Solidarity Without Borders, calls for a moratorium on the expulsion of Haitians





On Saturday, in front of the federal offices of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), on Saint-Antoine Street, in Montreal, the Solidarity Without Borders network (involved in immigrant struggles, active in Montreal since 2003), organized a sit-in of several hours to demand an immediate moratorium on deportations of Haitians illegally arrived in Canada.



A few dozen activists from the network have denounced the Federal Government, which on the one hand recommends that Canadians avoid all non-essential travel to Haiti because of the climate of insecurity, but on the other hand continues to carry out deportations of Haitian citizens to Haiti.



S/ iciHaiti






















iciHaiti - Education : Cooperation with local authorities





The Directorate of Support to Private Education and Partnership (DAEPP) recently organized at Quisqueya University a conference-debate on the theme "The challenges of local partnership : roles of local authorities in the schooling of children."



This conference, which was meant to be a forum for dialogue between the different actors involved in the education sector, allowed us to discuss a set of themes relating to the necessity and importance of the involvement of everyone to advance the cause of education, including that of local and regional authorities.



Several actors from different associations, including those from education took part in the panel discussion composed of the former Minister of Education, Nesmy Manigat, Mayor of Carrefour Jude Edouard Pierre also President of the Federation of Mayors of Haiti and Julio Adam, President of the Federation of Administrations of Communal Sections (ASEC) of Haiti



For Charles Charles Volvick, Director of DAEPP, this first meeting is the beginning of a series planned by the Ministry of Education to mobilize and raise awareness the local authorities on their role in the education sector.



IH/ iciHaiti


















A 15-year-old Indonesian girl has been jailed six months for having an abortion after her brother raped her

According to a court official, the girl was sentenced on the island of Sumatra alongside her 17-year-old sibling, who was jailed for two years for sexually assaulting a minor.

The court official noted further that the girl had an abortion while she was six months pregnant and that her brother had raped her eight times last September.

The siblings were arrested in June after a male foetus was discovered at a palm oil plantation near Pulau village in Jambi province.

According to Indonesian law, abortion is a taboo but if it must be done, only in a situation where the Mothers life is at stake or certain circumstances like rape.

It notes also that an abortion must be performed by a registered professional no later than six weeks into a pregnancy, and the woman must undergo counselling.

The girl was allegedly helped by her mother who is facing separate charges.
Four policemen attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, Lagos State, have been dismissed over alleged robbery and other crimes.

Police spokesman, CSP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the dismissal on Sunday in Lagos.

Sgt. Adeoye Adekunle; Sgt. Adekitan Adebowale; Sgt. Agbi Lucky and Sgt. Odighe Hehosa were dismissed and subsequently charged to court for armed robbery, kidnapping, unlawful detention, intimidation and threatening violence.

AIG Adamu Ibrahim, in charge of Zone 2 Command, is said to have approved the dismissal based on the report of the investigation carried out on a petition against them.

Badmos said that a petition was written against them by Mr Chukwudi Godwin Odionye, popularly referred to as Bishop on May 2, 2018.

The petitioner stated that on June 4, 2017, he was in his house around Alagbado area of the state when four armed men stormed his house to effect his arrest on the allegation of performing FAKE miracles.

He stated that after his arrest, he was taken to one hotel at Agege where he was detained and threatened to be killed if he fails to cooperate.

He explained further that the following day, June 5, 2017, he was taken to the bank where he was made to transfer N7 million to the account of one of the operatives.

On receipt of the petition, the AIG ordered investigation into the case.

On the strength of investigation, it was revealed that no proper police procedure for investigation was followed in Mr Chukwudis arrest.

The four SARS operatives actually abducted the man from his house and unlawfully detained him in the hotel under the guard of the suspects for personal gain, Badmos said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a grand welcome ceremony held by Senegalese President Macky Sall at the airport in Dakar, Senegal, July 21, 2018. Xi arrived here Saturday for a state visit to Senegal. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

President Xi Jinping arrived here Saturday for the first state visit to Senegal by a Chinese head of state in nine years.

Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, were warmly received by Senegalese President Macky Sall and his wife Marieme, as well as Prime Minister Mohammed Dionne at the airport.

Sall held a grand welcome ceremony in Xi's honor.

Xi, on behalf of the Chinese government and the people, conveyed cordial greetings and good wishes to the government and the people of Senegal.

He said it is his fourth visit to Africa since he assumed office as Chinese president in 2013, and that Senegal is the first stop of his ongoing African tour and his first visit to a West African country as Chinese president.

China and Senegal are good friends and good partners, he said, adding that in recent years, bilateral relations have enjoyed rapid development with fruitful results in cooperation in various areas.

China and Senegal, he said, have witnessed close political exchanges, ever increasing mutual trust, steady advancement of mutually beneficial cooperation, rich and colorful cultural and people-to-people exchanges and close coordination and cooperation on regional and international affairs.

Xi noted that he and Sall agreed to elevate the two countries' ties to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and reached many consensuses on expanding bilateral cooperation in 2016.

The Chinese president said he was glad to see that those consensuses have been implemented step by step to the benefit of the two peoples.

He said he looks forward to having an in-depth exchange of views with Sall on bilateral relations and regional and international affairs of mutual concern.

Sall extended warm welcome to Xi on behalf of the Senegalese government and the people. He said the arrangements of Xi's visit testify that the Chinese side attaches great importance to its relations with Senegal.

The visit will play an important role in promoting the development of Senegal-China relations, as well as Africa-China ties, Sall said.

China has made remarkable achievements in development, he said, adding that his country looks forward to learning more from China's success and deepening cooperation between the two countries.

The Chinese president arrived in Senegal after finishing his state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday. Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leading ministers and members of the royal family saw him off at the airport.

Calling the visit to the UAE a complete success, Xi said upon departure that it further consolidated and lifted the friendly relations between the two countries and deepened the friendship between the two peoples.

Xi said he believes the UAE will make greater achievements in national construction, and that China is ready to constantly deepen practical cooperation with the country and advance their comprehensive strategic partnership.

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi said the visit will further promote the mutually beneficial cooperation between the UAE and China. He wished China prosperity and progress.

Senegal is the second stop in Xi's first overseas trip after being re-elected Chinese president in March. He has already visited the UAE and will pay state visits to Rwanda and South Africa, attend the 10th BRICS summit in Johannesburg, and visit Mauritius during a stopover.
Former vice president of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar declared his presidential ambition yesterday in Adamawa state.

The former vice president promised among many things that he would end Boko Haram.

Some Social media commentators in their opinion, argued that Atiku keeps jumping from party to party in search of presidential ticket.

They also recalled hoe Atiku had criticised the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP on whose platform he wishes to contest again after he was rejected 2014.

See reactions below

I think there are two versions of Atiku, I prefer the twitter atiku to the one I saw on that podium in Adamawa. Sounded weak and uninspiring. Same old speech.  olapeju abbey (@ablolar) July 21, 2018

In 2014, Yola man said  PDP has abandoned Nigerians, that d party cannot be redeemed, lamenting d crisis via BH & concluded PDP is a failure & d answer is APC. In 2018, APC is suffering from leadership problems, BH, large scale killings & PDP is d answer  can u trust Atiku?  Woye (@woye1) July 21, 2018

https://twitter.com/AHayatu/status/1020427778456338432?s=19
Punch

The All Progressives Congress has offered its aggrieved National Assembly members automatic tickets in their constituencies in a last-ditch effort to stop the impending defection of the lawmakers from the party.

Vanguard

Alhaji Balarabe Musa is a former governor of old Kaduna State. The veteran politician of leftist tendency, in this interview, bares his mind on the state of the nation.

ThisDay

In a move widely believed to be pre-emptive and designed to prevent the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from exploiting issues from the recent political realignments in the country

Guardian

The Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Education, Mr. Obafela Bank-Olemoh, told GBENGA SALAU, that the state government remains committed to the payment of bursaries and award of scholarship to indigenes of the state.

The Sun

The reconciliation being embarked upon by the All Progressives Progress (APC) is too little and it is coming a little too late because in Kaduna, the people have decided to throw away the baby with the bath water. God gives power. It is apparently clear that with our exit, APC has lost power in Kaduna, come 2019.

The Authority

The Commissioner of Police, Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Mr Haliru Gwandu, said the Nigeria Police has designed a Standard Operational Procedure, SOP, for operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, to help reform its activities.

Daily Trust

No fewer than eight governorship aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna State have agreed to come out with a consensus candidate for the 2019 election.

Leadership

nator Dino Melaye, is popularly known for his array of cars and dress sense. In this interview with BODE GBADEBO, he reveals that he is successfully single and talks about other personal things about him that may not be known.

Premium Times

Two former members of the House of Representatives on Saturday decamped from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom state.

The herald

Ademola Adeleke, the Osun West senator renowned for his dance moves, has won the governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State by the slimmest of margins.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has decided to change its name, ThisDay reports.

This, the party says became neccesary after suffering a string of losses in the last four governorship elections  Edo, Ondo, Anambra and Ekiti.

It was also revealed that the procedure will be supervised by deputy speaker, Ike Ekweremadu.

Also, the party hopes that the move will also prevent the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from tagging it as corrupt.

Nigerians have therefore taken to social media to react to the news that the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), has finally resolved to change its name ahead of the 2019 general election.

Some of the commentators argued that whether the PDP changes its name or not, Nigerians will still see it as what it used to be.

See reactions below

After a String of Governorship Losses

& in a bid to win some "APC big whigs" who gave the name change as a condition, PDP agrees to Change its Name

Sen Ekweremadu to lead committee PHCN is still called NEPA

Whatever name they choose, it's name and character will remain PDP  Lauretta Onochie (@Laurestar) July 22, 2018

"We have resolved to change our name"-PDP So, you're no longer responsible for the looting of 1999-2015. Congratulations  Ayekooto (@DeeOneAyekooto) July 22, 2018

https://twitter.com/Ediong/status/1021023873389690880?s=19

I learnt PDP had a meeting yesterday night and resolve to change their name. PDP or whatever you will call yourself we know you are the same corrupt politicians. Nigerians shine your eyes!!!  ALIYU MINJIBIR (@aliyu_minjibir) July 22, 2018

At the risk of stating the obvious, neutral observers can see that the #OsunAPCGovPrimaries and #OsunPDPGovPrimaries were like night and day. APC is entrenching internal democracy while PDP continues their rigging ways, while attempting to deceive us with a name change. Shame!  Muyiwa Gbadegesin, PhD (@muyiwag) July 22, 2018
Nollywood Actor and Filmmaker, Saidi Balogun and the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, have rolled out plans to partner the Brazilian government in shooting a movie to promote the Yoruba culture.

The decision was recently taken when the veteran actor and the Monarch paid a grand visit to Brazil.

In a chat with Potpourri, the versatile thespian said he was shocked to see that Brazilians had embraced the Yoruba culture, traditions and religion.

I travelled with the Ooni to Brazil to do some cultural things for African people over there, especially the Yorubas. Its like our father going there to unite them and bring them back to the roots.

We have about 400 deities in Yoruba land and 200 in Ife. In Brazil they worship Sango and some other gods; they even sing Yoruba songs. They sang the songs for us when we got there. Im the first actor and movie producer to travel out with the Ooni, he said.

He added, The Ooni took me there so we could look for ways to beautify our culture; so that both countries can work together. Movie makers there appreciate our culture. I was surprised to see how they love and embrace our culture. So we are trying to work together with the government to produce a movie in that regard, he said.

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Reno Omokri has thrown serious jabs at pastors in Nigeria for their silence over Leah Sharibu.

According to the author who recently wrote a book for Miss Sharibu, it is very disappointing that many pastors have remained mute over her continued stay in Boko Haram captivity.

Leah Sharibu was one of the 110 girls abducted by Boko Haram from the government girls technical science college in Dapchi, Borno state.

However, Leah was left behind when she failed to denounce her faith, when the terrorists group returned the girls, 104 of the girls.

Mr Omokri says it was not a problem for pastors in Nigeria to publicly respond to Daddy Freeze over the tithe controversy but have refused to speak up for Leah.

The former presidential aide said it will profit the church in Nigeria nothing to gain all the tithe and lose Leah.

Mr Omokri said this via his Twitter handle on Sunday. He wrote:

When I remember how quickly some pastors publicly responded to @DaddyFRZ over the tithe controversy and how slow those same pastors have been to speak up publicly for Leah Sharibu, I feel devastated. Leah, at just 15, is a great ambassador for Christ pls support #BringBackOurLeah  Reno Omokri (@renoomokri) July 22, 2018
An economic forum on the business opportunities between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China was held Friday evening in the UAE's capital Abu Dhabi, as part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the Arab country.

The UAE-China Economic Forum, co-hosted by China's Ministry of Commerce and the UAE's Ministry of Economy, was attended by 450 officials and business representatives from the two countries, including Chinese Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan and UAE's Economy Minister Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansoori.

In his keynote speech, Zhong hailed the agreement to lift the China-UAE bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Xi's visit.

He pointed to the bright future for the pragmatic cooperation between the two countries against the backdrop of economic globalization and diversification, stressing China's determination to uphold global free trade against unilateralism and protectionism.

Zhong said a total of six UAE companies have so far signed up for the China International Import Expo scheduled in early November in Shanghai, China's main financial hub.

The Chinese minister also encouraged to further cooperation in the areas of energy, services and new and high technology under China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Meanwhile, Al Mansoori expressed his optimism and high expectation for the prospect of the comprehensive strategic partnership with China, the largest trading partner of the UAE.

He said the China-UAE economic cooperation covers nearly all key sectors including wholesale, finance, insurance and construction, as reflected in the record non-oil trade volume of 53.3 billion U.S. dollars between the two countries in 2017.

The UAE's minister linked the UAE 2021 Vision, a national knowledge-based campaign to rely on its own talent to achieve significant economic changes, to China's BRI, adding that the UAE can become the key westward gateway for the Chinese initiative.

Proposed by China in 2013, the BRI refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aiming at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road trade routes to seek common development and prosperity.

The UAE welcomes investments from Chinese enterprises, especially in the sectors of scientific and technological innovation, advanced manufacturing and infrastructure, Al Mansoori noted.

The economic forum was highlighted by the power-point presentation of Omar Bin Sultan Al Olama, UAE's minister of state for artificial intelligence, as he harked back to the exchanges between China and the Arabian Peninsular through the ancient Silk Road about 1,500 years ago, while looking forward to learning from China in developing artificial intelligence (AI).

"China is leading in the field of AI, especially in the big data," he said.

Al Olama spoke highly of China's tech giants including Tencent, Alibaba, Baidu, Xiaomi and Huawei, expecting further cooperation on digital visual technology, driverless traffic and advanced robotics.

He also praised China's leading digital economy, exemplified by Wechat, a Chinese multi-purpose messaging, social media and mobile payment application developed by Tencent.
Charge Nurses Job in PIMS Islamabad Through FPSC

Latest Federal Public Service Commission FPSC Medical Posts Islamabad 2021 Professors, Associate, Head Nurse and Charge Nurses are required in Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences PIMS Through Federal Public Service Commission FPSC in Islamabad.

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Jobs at Pakistan Marine Academy PMA

Latest Pakistan Marine Academy Security Posts Karachi 2021 Jobs at Pakistan Marine Academy PMA for Candidates in Karachi. Candidates should have Higher Secondary School Certificate with required documents to apply. Download forms from PMA Website.

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Join Merchant Navy in Pakistan Marine Academy

Latest Pakistan Marine Academy Navy Posts Karachi 2021 Pakistan Marine Academy Karachi, Pakistan Navy, Government of Pakistan required applications from Pakistanis Nationals and Unmarried candidates join Merchant Navy.

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Madina Public High School Naseerabad AJK Teachers Jobs 2018

Latest Public School Teaching Posts Muzaffarabad 2021 Madina Public High School Naseerabad AJK, Pakistan is looking for the services from experienced candidates to fill the posts of Teachers and Subject Teachers.

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Pakistan Academy of Sciences Jobs

Latest Pakistan Academy of Sciences Management Posts Islamabad 2021 Administrative Officers having MSc with Experience in administration / Science Management are required in Pakistan Academy of Sciences in Islamabad.

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PIEAS University Islamabad Jobs 2018 for Technicians

Latest Pakistan Institute of Engineering & Applied Sciences PIEAS Education Posts Islamabad 2021 Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences PIEAS Islamabad, Pakistan required candidates for the posts of Telecom Operator, Junior Assistant, Technicians, Dispatch Rider, Cook, LTV Driver, Mali and Sanitary Attendant.

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Official Website: www.pieas.edu.pk

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The signing ceremony of People's Daily Online Global Partners.

The first-ever China-US Entrepreneur and Investment Summit held by Peoples Daily Online, themed on Smart Interconnection, Innovative Future, kicked off on Saturday in Silicon Valley, California, United States. Focusing on the present and future of Chinese and American innovation and venture capital, the summit aims to provide a platform for the two nations cooperation in science, technology, innovation, and investment.

Luo Linquan, Chinese Consul General in San Francisco delivered a speech at the summit.

The healthy development of China-US relations should be promoted jointly by Chinese and American public. At todays conference, industry representatives from both nations deepened their mutual understanding, which is important for strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides, said Luo Linquan, Chinese Consul General in San Francisco, United States.

Noting the recent trade conflicts between China and US, Luo reiterated the importance of mutual respect and cooperation, adding that the two sides have more common interests than differences, while differences should be dealt with through dialogues and consultation in a proper and balanced way.

Tang Weihong, Vice President of Peoples Daily Online, delivered a speech at the summit.

Echoing Luo, Tang Weihong, Vice President of Peoples Daily Online, pointed out that cooperation is the only way forward for China and America. She further noted that Peoples Daily Online has huge confidence in the venture capital cooperation between the two countries.

This is our first time holding a summit on the theme of entrepreneurship and investment in a foreign country. Peoples Daily Online is dedicated to becoming a bridge between the venture capital firms and startups from both countries and will join hands with the partners to enhance global entrepreneurship and create a better future for humanity, Tang added.

Guests also witnessed the launch of Peoples Daily Onlines overseas investment platform, which will later initiate a dollar-denominated venture capital fund.

Addressing the two nations cooperation in venture capital, Tang said that the cooperation should focus on emerging technologies that benefit the real economy and support early-phase projects and small enterprises, as well as contributing to the establishment of a community with a shared future for mankind.

At the summit, Lanzhou Municipal Government, Tianfu New Area of Sichuan, National Business Daily, ChainNews, Hongkong Kingwai Group, Xunlei Limited, and Daily Journal Cooperation signed an agreement to form a global partnership with Peoples Daily Online.

Guests also witnessed the launch of Peoples Daily Onlines overseas investment platform, which will later initiate a dollar-denominated venture capital fund.

In addition to the major events mentioned above, Peoples Daily Online has also arranged a series of sub-forums, inviting entrepreneurs, investors, and journalists from both China and US to discuss the latest blockchain achievements and technologies, as well as discuss innovative solutions for overcoming current obstacles in the industry.

The summit was warmly welcomed by US business leaders, with Stephen Koziol, Regional Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in Silicon Valley, calling for deeper and stronger connections between China and US in patent protection.
GOSHEN, Ore. -- The Garner Complex Fire is burning fast and crews from Lane, Douglas and Coos Counties are helping to fight the wildfire.

Crews from from Eugene-Springfield Fire, Coburg Fire, McKenzie Fire, Siuslaw Fire, and Roseburg Fire were called as a second task force to assist with protecting homes near Grants Pass on Saturday morning.

The first task force consisted of crews from Linn and Lane Counties to help fight the Substation Fire, burning in The Dalles. The Substation Fire is being investigated as arson. One person, 64-year-old John Ruby, was killed while trying to protect his neighbor's property. It has burned more than 50,000 acres in priceless grass and wheat fields.

RELATED: Local firefighters battling top priority Substation Fire

The Garner Complex Fire is burning more than 6,000 acres and is threatening several homes in the Grants Pass area.

Lane Fire Authority Chief Ney said a collaborative effort is essential to fighting fires.

"It's the way the system works in Oregon," said Chief Ney. "You know, we help the areas that need help and let them know if it needs to be reciprocated, it will be."

With crews in Lane County at the Garner Fire, Chief Ney said the only concern would be a major fire event breaking out in Lane County. He said if this were to happen, they can call in resources from other counties.

Chief Ney said it's uncertain how long crews will be needed in Grants Pass, and said there's still enough resources to keep Lane County covered.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - Just days after a trailer burned down from suspected arson, the neighborhood is coming together to beautify their community.

As of last October, the neighborhood purchased the park. Now, everyone who lives there becomes part-owner of the property.

"Our hope for the park is to have more people come and live with us... We also know that with 20 years of deferred maintenance from the previous owners, that we, as owners that are here now, have a lot of work ahead of us," explains operations manager and 20-year resident of the park Allie Lechner.

Those 20 years of deferred maintenance include trimming back trees, pulling weed, mowing grass, and planting flowers.

Now that the residents own the park, the community has its own park board, but Lechner tells KIMT that everyone in the community are viewed as equals. "They're not just renting a piece of land so to speak. They are part-owner of the park and they have a say as to what happens in the park. We listen to everybody."

As Rochester is facing an affordable housing crisis, residents of the park think trailer homes are overlooked as an affordable housing option. Additionally, they think mobile home parks face an unfair stigma, giving them a bad rap.

"I feel that mobile home parks get a bad rap as far as mobile home trash," explains Lechner. "We are not that... We want our community to be a happy, home-loving community."

The park currently has single and double units available.
Egypt commemorates on Monday the 62nd anniversary of the 23 July Revolution, which turned the country from a hereditary monarchy into a republic, sending waves of change across the Middle East and Africa.

On 23 July 1952, a group of ambitious Egyptian army officers led by a young Gamal Abdel-Nasser and veteran General Mohamed Naguib forced King Farouk I to abdicate the throne to his son, infant Crown Prince Ahmed II.

The ousted king and his immediate family left the country on the famous Mahrousa Royal Yacht for one last voyage to Capri, Italy, where Farouk I would live in exile until his death in 1960.

Back in Cairo, the young officers and their movement turned Egyptian society upside down with their political and economic changes. Despite its many ups and downs, the 23 July Revolution has survived as the mother of the modern Egyptian republic.

The young officers aimed to gain full independence for Egypt, reform the corrupted political life in Egypt, ensure social justice in the highly classist society by ending feudalism, and set up a powerful army.

In June 1953, General Naguib declared that Egypt was a republic, briefly becoming the countrys first president and forever ending the rule of the royal family of Mohamed Ali Pasha.

In early 1954, political parties were disbanded and the Muslim Brotherhood group was officially banned in the country.

In March 1954, the country would witness the so-called March Crisis, where the revolution's leadership council was divided over the democratic political reforms to be implemented. The council was divided between old veteran Mohamed Naguib and the young ambitious Abdel-Nasser.

In November 1954, General Naguib was ousted from his position and officially accused of plotting with members of the Brotherhood against the Free Officers government. Naguib would spend the next two decades under house arrest.

Abdel-Nasser was the true force behind the army movement, which comprised young army officers who did not like how Egypt was suffering under the Mohamed Ali royal family rule and British occupation following Egypt's defeat the 1948 war against Israel.

There were others who played very important roles in the Free Officers Movement, such as Anwar El-Sadat  who would later become president  Zakira Mohi El-Din, Gamal Salem, Saleh Salem, Hassan Ibrahim, Youssef El-Sadik, Abdel-Latif Boghdady, Kamel El-Din Hussein, Khaled Mohi El-Din and Abdel-Hakim Amar.

The year 2018 witnessed the departure of the last living member of the original Free Officers Movement, veteran leftist politician Khaled Mohi El-Din.

Mohi El-Din, who died at the age of 95 after a long struggle with illness, spoke candidly about his experience with the Free Officers in his 1992 best-selling memoires 'Now I speak,' which were translated into English in 1995 by the American University in Cairo under the title 'Memories of Revolution: Egypt 1952.'

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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  Minnesota prison officials say three correctional officers have resigned after the killing of one of their colleagues.

Officials say Officer Joseph Gomm was attacked Wednesday at the state's flagship prison in Stillwater by an inmate serving time for homicide. Authorities haven't released details about the assault.

A spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections tells the Star Tribune that three officers later resigned, but that the reasons for their resignations won't be made public. They worked at either the Stillwater prison or a facility in Oak Park Heights.

Gomm's relatives said in a statement that they were devastated "by the senseless and tragic loss." They also thanked Gromm's colleagues and others offering support.

More than 1,600 inmates are housed at the century-old Stillwater prison. About a third of the prisoners are serving time for homicide.
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is not trying to influence currency markets, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Saturday, reiterating that a strong U.S. dollar reflects a strong U.S. economy and is in the United States long-term interest.

Mnuchin told reporters in Buenos Aires for the G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors that both he and Trump fully support U.S. Federal Reserve independence. Trump has broken with precedent in recent days with comments criticizing the U.S. dollars strength and the Feds monetary policy.

Reporting by David Lawder; Writing by Luc Cohen; Editing by Andrew Heavens
Egypts dilapidated railway network makes headlines once again following the derailment of three carriages in Giza

Sixty-one people were injured when three carriages of a passenger train heading from Cairo to Qena derailed on Friday 13 July in Marazik village, close to Badrashin station.

Prosecutor-General Nabil Sadek immediately confiscated the trains black box and formed a technical committee to investigate the derailment.

The prosecution also issued a four-day detention order for the driver of the train, his assistant and four other railway employees pending investigations.

On Monday the investigating judge extended the detention for a further 15 days.

The technical committee formed by the prosecution includes specialists from the Armed Forces Engineering Authority and the Ministry of Transport. After inspecting the scene of the accident, it was revealed the number of casualties would have been much higher had palm trees not prevented the train from falling into a canal adjacent to the rails.

The cause of this weeks accident is being investigated. As yet it is too early to reach any conclusions, said Minister of Transport Hisham Arafat.

Arafat has already referred 15 railway officials to the Administrative Prosecution for interrogation.

Badrashin in Giza is a notorious black spot for accidents. Last month a train collided with a truck. No injuries were reported.

In May 2017 a cargo train derailed in the area leaving 27 injured. In September 2015 two carriages overturned resulting in the death of five and injuring 27.

In January 2013 a train carrying soldiers derailed, killing 19 and wounding 117. In November of the same year a train collided with two vehicles at a crossing point killing 27 and injuring 30.

Railway officials come and go. Every new comer says he will fix the problems and develop the railway network and then nothing changes.

The problem is there is no accountability, says Osama Okail, professor of road and railway engineering at Ain Shams University.

The real problem, Okail told Al-Ahram Weekly, is that the entire domestic railway network is moribund and needs to be radically upgraded.

According to the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS), 13,539 train accidents occurred between 2004 and 2016. In 2017 alone, 1,793 accidents were reported on the railway network.

Eighty per cent of the accidents in 2017 involved collisions at crossing points.

The sector desperately needs updating. Modern electrical signals need to be installed and diesel engines replaced with electric ones, says Okail.

Eighty-five per cent of the network still uses mechanical signalling systems, he says, and the signal system at crossings still depends on the telephone. Ninety per cent of engines run on diesel.

Egypts railway network is among the worlds oldest. It transports 500 million passengers annually, an average of 1.4 million passengers each day, according to the Egyptian Railway Authority (ERA).

Earlier this year Arafat announced a five-year overhaul programme, including the installation of a fully automated signalling system, costing LE55 billion.

ERA head Sayed Salem said that an emergency plan to reduce accidents is currently being applied pending the completion of the long-term upgrade.

In an interview with DMC channel he said emergency plans include taking 40 trains out of service, cancelling stops at some stations and increasing the number of carriages per train to avoid overcrowding.

We have already removed 199 carriages more than 45 years old from service and all workshops now have quality control panels to ensure trains are rail worthy before each journey, said Salem.

The ERA has also implemented intensive staff training programmes.

According to the governments own studies, 69 per cent of accidents on the railways between 2007 and 2011 were a result of human error, 25 per cent were caused by a combination of human error and technical malfunctions and six per cent were the result of technical failings.

During the inauguration of the first phase of the New Alamein City in March President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi said upgrading Egypts railway network will cost between LE200 and LE250 billion.

Later the same month MPs approved amendments to the law governing the ERA, giving a green light to private sector companies to build, manage, operate and maintain the railway network.

The amendments allow the ERA to establish joint-venture companies that can be listed on the stock market.

Parliamentary Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal described the move as a crucial step in relieving the problems  huge debts, outdated operating systems and dilapidated locomotives  crippling the ERA.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 19 July 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Emergency rail plan

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Twelve people were killed and 28 wounded Thursday when a truck carrying cement lost control and smashed into another vehicle and a two-storey building in Minya governorate

Prosecutors in the southern Egyptian governorate of Minya ordered Sunday the driver of a truck involved in a deadly road accident last week be detained for 15 days pending investigations.

Twelve people were killed and 28 others wounded Thursday when the driver of a truck carrying cement lost control and smashed into another vehicle and then a two-storey building along a major thoroughfare near Minya's Sharfa village.

The 25-year-old driver fled the scene of the accident but was captured by police a day later.

Deadly road accidents take place on a near daily basis in Egypt, which is notorious for poor road safety, badly maintained infrastructure, and loosely enforced traffic regulations.

The country's official statistics agency said in April that more than 11,000 road accidents took place in Egypt in 2017, down from around 15,000 accidents in the previous year.

Minya witnessed another major road accident earlier this month when 12 people were killed and seven others injured in a bus collision on a desert road in the governorate.

Ten days ago, 10 people were killed and 25 injured when a bus crashed into a truck on a highway connecting the northern coastal cities of Alexandria and Marsa Matrouh.



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Ven. Seoljo, 88, in Jogye temple in central Seoul, July 18. He has been on a hunger strike since June 20. / Yonhap



By Park Si-soo



A senior South Korean Buddhist monk has been on a hunger strike for more than a month, calling for the ousting of the "corrupt" chief of the nation's largest Buddhist sect Jogye and for the reform of the sect.



Ven. Seoljo, 88, started the hunger protest in the compound of the Jogye temple in central Seoul on June 20. Sunday marked the 34th day of his protest.



His health is reportedly satisfactory, but his supporters want him to end the protest because of his "declining vigor." Many of the monk's followers have been staging candlelit vigils with him every Thursday and Friday.



Jogye temple and its scandal-hit chief, Ven. Seoljeong, remain calm.



Jogye has fallen into an internal dispute since October with allegations that Ven. Seoljeong, who was then running for Jogye sect's top job, had fabricated his academic background and even had a "hidden" daughter.



After being elected as Jogye chief, Ven. Seoljeong admitted a "partial" fabrication of his academic background and apologized. He was in trouble again in May after a close aide was embroiled in a sexual scandal, which reignited campaigns against Ven. Seoljeong.



Also in May, a Buddhist activist and a former journalist accused the Jogye chief of having transferred about 194 million won since 2009 to two people suspected of being his secret daughter and her mother.



Last week, Lee Yong-sun, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, talked with Ven. Seoljo at the protest site. Lee also talked with the scandal-hit Jogye chief. During the talks, the chief monk asked the government to stay out of the dispute.



The presidential secretary reportedly said the government had "no intention of intervening" in the case," highlighting the importance of keeping politics separate from religion.




By Lee Kyung-min



More human fatalities and livestock loss are expected in the coming weeks as the scorching hot weather continues to blanket the peninsula.



The Korea Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said a total of 723 people have fallen ill due to the heat wave including six who died due to heatstroke. It said 180 people were reported to have fallen ill last week, a 3.5 percent increase from the week before.



The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said 790,000 livestock have died, incurring 4.2 billion won ($4 million) in financial damage, a 28 percent increase from last year. A total of 750,000 chickens, 26,000 ducks and 3,500 pigs have also died.



According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), midday highs reached 34 degrees Celsius in Seoul, 35 in Daejeon, 36 in Gwangju and 37 in Daegu, Friday.



The figure in the capital, on a gradual increase over the past week, stood at 31.9 degrees, Tuesday, nearly 4 degrees Celsius higher than the previous highest average temperature in mid-July of 28.2 degrees Celsius. The mercury is likely to surpass 36 degrees Celsius, it added. A heat wave alert was issued in Seoul, Daejeon, Gwangju, Daegu and Sejong, and Gyeonggi, South Gyeongsang, South and North Chungcheong and South Jeolla provinces.



Korea will continue to experience tropical nights where temperatures will not drop below 25 degrees. The KMA said the current heat wave is expected to continue through the end of the month due to hot and dry air flowing onto the Korean Peninsula from Tibet. No sporadic rain showers are expected in the country for the time being, and if it does rain, the amount will not be enough to bring down temperatures, the KMA said.



Meanwhile, the KCDC advised people to refrain from outdoor activities, especially between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., the hottest part of the day, adding that extra caution is needed for those who work outside including construction workers, as well as children and the elderly.



"It is important to keep the body temperature cool by frequently washing hands and face with cold water, and to stay in an air-conditioned room," a KCDC official said. "When outside, limiting one's exposure to the sun is strongly advised by using an umbrella or resting in the shade. While drinking a lot of water and sports drinks with sodium are advised, it is recommended to avoid alcohol or caffeinated beverages."






Bangladeshi Ambassador to Korea Abida Islam, sixth right, joins a ribbon-cutting ceremony with other dignitaries on the opening day of the Bangladesh Film Festival at the Arirang Cine Center in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, July 20. / Embassy of Bangladesh



By Yi Whan-woo



Korean and Bangladeshi movie lovers sat together and watched the award-winning "Haldaa" and other Bangladeshi movies during the Bangladesh Film Festival that ended its three-day run in Seoul on July 22.

The festival at the Arirang Cine Center in Seongbuk-gu took place as Bangladesh steps up a campaign to promote the country as "a land with huge untapped potential."

The festival is expected to have served the country's goal of promotion faithfully, according to Bangladeshi Ambassador to Korea Abida Islam.

"She stated that the audience could easily connect themselves with the history, culture, life and social fabric of Bangladesh after viewing the films, as the challenges are common and universal in nature," the embassy said in a statement.

"It is expected that the film festival will further strengthen the bilateral cultural relationship between Bangladesh and the Republic of Korea."

Liberty Korea Party lawmaker Kim Ki-sun, chairman of the Bangladesh-South Korea Parliamentary Friendship Group, said there were many similarities in culture between the two countries.

Ambassadors of Sri Lanka, Nigeria and Zambia, embassy staff from Russia, Italy and Rwanda and officials from the Korean Culture Association, the Korea Importers' Association (KOIMA) and the Hana Multicultural Center participated.



Visitors look around Bangladeshi traditional handicrafts on the sidelines of the Bangladesh Film Festival at the Arirang Cine Center. / Embassy of Bangladesh



It was the third festival of its kind following the ones in February and July 2017.

It was organized in cooperation with the Korean Cultural Association and the Bangladesh Cultural Association in Korea and Seoul-based film distributor M&M International.

The festival featured four widely acclaimed and popular movies.

"Haldaa," winner of the eighth SAARC Film Festival, opened the festival.

Directed by Tauquir Ahmed, the movie is named after a river in southeastern Bangladesh, and tells of the struggles in fishermen's lives.

The three others were _ "Doob" (No bed of Roses), "Khacha" (The Cage) and "Swapnajaal."

Directors Giasuddin Selim ("Swapnajaal") and Akram Khan ("Khacha") gave guest talks.

All the films were subtitled in Korean and English.

Bangladeshi traditional handicrafts were on display at the screening venue.
By Lee Kyung-min



Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung is under growing suspicion that he maintained a close relationship with an organized crime gang, following a documentary which confirmed he defended one of its members in 2007. The year was when he said his "human rights lawyer" activities were at its peak.



The report by local broadcaster SBS, Saturday, raised the allegation that its previous documentary about the suspicious death of a young Korean, surnamed Lim, in Pattaya, Thailand in 2015, uncovered suspected close relations between then Seongnam Mayor Lee and an international organized crime gang base in the city. Lee's successor, current Seongnam Mayor Eun Soo-mi, was also involved in the suspicious relations, SBS added.



The TV station said it received a tip involving the suspected killer in the death of Lim, who was brutally murdered in November 2015, shortly after leaving for Thailand for a high-stakes, high-paying money making scheme orchestrated by the gang. The suspect, Kim Hyung-jin, was one of the city-based gang members who was loyal to the leadership, among whom was Lee Joon-seok, the CEO of a Seongnam-based wholesales company mostly dealing in Chinese-made electronics devices.



SBS said the CEO was among many defendants defended by Governor Lee in a trial for alleged organized criminal activities including illegal gambling in 2007, raising questions over why the supposed human rights advocate defended such criminals.



The CEO's company, which signed a memorandum of understanding with the city, set up air filtration systems in long term care facilities for the elderly, sponsored banks and football clubs, all of which were city-run. In return, the report said, then Mayor Lee took a selfie with the CEO which was posted online as promotional material for the firm.



The city government also selected the firm as the winner of a city-organized award which included financial support for overseas business expansion and tax audit exemption for three years. One of the company officials was "illicitly" hired by the city government and the official's wife was also hired by a city-affiliated organization.



The report alleged Governor Lee had undue influence in granting tens of thousands of won in a subsidy to an international martial arts organization. This amount was reduced following an evaluation procedure from a review board that determined it was "too excessive."



In response, Lee claimed the report was a deliberate attempt to seek his "downfall" by misleading the public. In a Facebook message posted only hours before Saturday's show aired, Lee said he would seek the public's sound judgment against a "conspiracy masterminded by the establishment."



Lee said the defendants were among over 4,000 cases he took until June 2010 when he was elected Seongnam mayor. "I decided to defend the suspects and received 3 million won ($2,700) per person as a retainer after their families pled with me stressing they were not members of organized crime gangs and were arrested on baseless grounds." He also dismissed other allegations as "groundless," and designed only to hurt his reputation.


The reported wreckage of the Dmitrii Donskoi and an undated photo of the Russian ship. / Courtesy of Shinil Group



By Park Si-soo



South Korean treasure-hunting company Shinil Group will host an international press conference in Seoul on July 26 over its recent discovery of the Russian "gold ship" Dmitrii Donskoi.



The company fixed the date in a notice posted on its website ( http://donskoi.kr/main/main.php ) on July 19. The location was not included.



"We will unveil things that will surprise the world in the July 26 international press conference in Seoul," the post said. "Everything is unfolding smoothly. We will make our dream comes true."



Shinil said it had signed a contract with China's salvage company Yantai Salvage to hoist the wreckage found off Ulleung Island.






By Baek Byung-yeul





Samsung Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong
A passenger jet of Asiana Airlines Inc. departing from Japan has flown back due to a landing gear problem, causing an around eight-hour flight delay, the company said Saturday.



The A350 plane bound for Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, took off from Fukuoka Airport at 11:28 a.m. but returned for repairs as problems were discovered in the landing gear shortly after takeoff, South Korea's No. 2 full-service carrier said.



Asiana Airlines said it will send an alternative jet to Fukuoka to take over 200 passengers to Incheon at around 7:30 p.m.



The air carrier has recently faced rising customer complaints over a series of flight delays caused by problems in airline meal services and technical problems with its aircraft. (Yonhap)




Related Egypt to partially cut natural gas subsidies in August

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi warned on Sunday that attempts to provoke chaos and instability in Egypt by fuelling discontent is the most serious threat the country has faced in recent years.

"The real threat our country is facing is being undermined from within; the pressure, the rumours, the terrorist acts, hopelessness and discontentment," El-Sisi said in a televised speech at a military graduation ceremony.

President El-Sisi urged Egyptians to stay alert to such attempts, which he said are part of a plot aimed at "inciting people to destroy their country."

The president said that the rumours circulating among Egyptians over the past three months amounted to 21,000.

El-Sisi's government is pushing ahead with painful economic reforms aimed at stabilising an economy that has struggled since the 2011 uprising, which include fuel and electricity subsidy cuts, a value-added tax, as well as a currency flotation.

El-Sisi reiterated that the austerity measures were necessary to improve the country's battered economy.

He says the struggle to overcome the tough economic conditions, which have left many struggling with soaring living costs, cannot be compared to the "destruction of the country and the spread of chaos."

On Saturday, the government said it was raising the price of natural gas for home and commercial use by up to 75 percent.

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The Alaska Theatre of Youth hosted Cirque Week, a week-long camp teaching Circus Arts and skills every day to campers between the ages of 7-19.

Marcus McDaniel said his favorite circus skill to learn was Poi. Something he described as a skill that requires spinning a performing arts equipment that lights up or is on fire.

Campers learned circus art skills like juggling, hooping, aerials and how to perform in costume as a clown. On Saturday, campers showcased their skills during their own Circus performance.

Collin Korver said the camp is a fun way to get active and try something new."My favorite part of the whole week was dressing up as a clown and being funny and trying to make other people laugh," Korver said.
Egyptian MPs have renewed demands to impose taxes on foreign social media companies.

Last month, parliament's media, culture and antiquities committee approved a proposal to impose taxes on advertising revenues made by platforms including Facebook and Google in the Egyptian market.

On Sunday, MP Mohamed El-Akkad said that social media platforms make billions of dollars without any return for the Egyptian economy, and demanded an end to what he described as a "farce."

El-Akkad praised an announcement by the finance minister that a study will be conducted to evaluate the issue, adding that legislation will be introduced in October on the matter.

El-Akkad stressed the need to impose taxes on transactions conducted on e-commerce platforms, as well as on advertisements on social media platforms and foreign companies that post ads online for the Egyptian market.

John Talaat, parliament's communications committee vice-chairman, said that the committee is still in the process of considering taxes on ads on Facebook and Twitter, though he stressed that these platforms do not have offices in the country.

"The committee is focused on paid advertising on YouTube, Facebook and Google," Talaat said.

"Parliament is considering imposing taxes on Facebook and Google and we have not entered the implementation stage since a Ministry of Finance committee is studying the mechanism of collecting these proposed taxes," Talaat added.

The MP said that over 10 countries collect taxes from social media platforms, stressing that these taxes, if imposed in Egypt, would be collected directly from social media companies, not consumers.

In 2017, a report by the European Union commission said that it is working on legislative proposals to increase taxes on multinational digital companies that are accused of paying too little in the EU by filing profits in low-tax countries where they have their EU headquarters, such as Ireland and Luxembourg.

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A woman who had been among the hostages inside a Silver Lake Trader Joe's has died.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the fatality during a news conference following the end of a tense standoff with a gunman, described as a male in his late teens, that lasted more than two hours.

LAPD Chief Michel Moore said the woman had been shot. Police were able to remove her from the store prior to the end of the standoff but she did not survive her injuries. Garcetti said it was not immediately clear who shot her.

Moore called the incident a "horrific ordeal."

"I'm hurting because of the loss of life," he said, before thanking law enforcement officials for their work to bring the standoff to an end.

He said as many as 40 to 50 people were in the store when the standoff began. Moore said police were still working to make sure no customers or staff remained inside the store in the 2700 block of Hyperion Ave., noting that some people hid or barricaded themselves during the incident.

Anyone wanting information about loved ones who may have been at the store is asked to call 323-561-3211. A reunification center is located at 3353 North San Fernando Road.

"Our hearts go out to everyone who has been traumatized," said Mayor Eric Garcetti said, noting that he and his family have shopped at that store in the past.

The incident began in another part of the city.

Garcetti said the suspect taken into custody is believed to have shot his grandmother as many as seven times in the Newton police area. The grandmother was reported to be in critical condition after surgery.

That shooting took place about 1:30 p.m. Authorities said after shooting his grandmother the suspect kidnapped another woman and fled the scene in his grandmother's car. Officers responding to that shooting pursued him.

Live television coverage of the scene showed a man in a tank top being handcuffed and led away.

As the standoff unfolded, a heavy police presence descended on the area and onlookers were warned to stay clear of the area. Authorities actively trying to get the barricaded gunman to surrender.

Earlier, LAPD Sgt. Barry Montgomery told reporters at the scene that the suspect, described as a male in his late teens, had been involved in a family dispute. He allegedly shot his grandmother and possibly another woman before fleeing in his grandmother's car.

That chase ended when officers fired at the suspect, he crashed the vehicle and then fled into the Trader Joe's.

Authorities started warning people to stay away from a Trader Joe's store in Silver Lake shortly after the incident began. They also responded to a tweet from President Trump saying he was watching as the situation unfolded.

UPDATE: Earlier today, officers went in pursuit of a suspect wanted in connection to a shooting. At the termination of the pursuit, an officer involved shooting occurred, and the suspect has barricaded himself inside a #TraderJoes in #Silverlake. https://t.co/fLAowNpgYL  LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) July 22, 2018

#LAPD Officer Involved Shooting in Northeast Division. Media staging on Rowena n/o Hyperion.  LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) July 22, 2018

UPDATE: We can confirm that there is an active barricaded suspect within a #TraderJoes in #Silverlake. An active tac-alert has been declared to ensure all resources necessary will be available. Please continue to stay clear of the area.  LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) July 22, 2018

Witnesses near the scene described terrifying moments after shots were fired, including people scrambling for safety out of second story window

Window was shot out, cops trying to see inside with mirror #traderjoes pic.twitter.com/8ankykbATi  ChristianD (@ChristianDunlop) July 21, 2018

NBC LA video reported children being carried from the parking lot and a young hostage being released.

Officers rescued a group of children after an armed suspect opened fire and barricaded himself inside a Trader Joes in the Hollywood area. Live updates: https://t.co/tbjgPmD5iq pic.twitter.com/873SgyQwsj  NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) July 21, 2018

A young hostage is released from the Trader Joe's shooting/barricade in Silver Lake. Live Updates on NBC4 News Now: https://t.co/pMgERwjqyD pic.twitter.com/rbyQn5tJ4j  NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) July 22, 2018

News happens every day. Here at LAist, our goal is to cover the stories that matter to you and the community you live in. Now that we're part of KPCC, those stories (including this one you're on right now!) are made possible by generous people like you. Independent, local journalism isn't cheap, but with your support we can keep delivering it. Donate now.
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Authorities have arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of murder following a tense standoff Saturday with police that left a woman dead. For hours, the incident at a Trader Joe's in Silver Lake paralyzed part of the city and even captured the attention of President Trump.

Gene Evin Atkins was booked into jail shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday morning, according to jail records.

LAPD Spokesman Drake Madison said Atkins is being held on $2 million bail. Authorities had initially described the suspected gunman as a male in his late teens.

Atkins fled into the crowded neighborhood grocery store Saturday afternoon, barricading himself with hostages. He had just crashed his car outside the store after leading Los Angeles police officers on a chase through city streets. He'd allegedly shot his grandmother multiple times before the car chase began.

A day later, the area near the Trader Joe's is still being treated as a crime scene.

One woman was shot and killed during the chaos. Family members identified her as Melyda Corado, 27. She was a store manager. Her brother and sister had reached out on social media during the standoff for help finding her.

"My sister works at the #traderjoes in #silverlake I can't get a hold of her and I'm not sure if she was able to get out or is one of the hostages," her brother, Albert Corado, wrote on Twitter. "If anyone with any information could help me out it would be much appreciated. I feel helpless and I'm scared for my sister."

About three hours after asking if anyone had information about her, Albert Corado told those who had tried to help his family that they'd heard the worst.

"I'm sad to say she didn't make it, " he wrote. "My baby sister. My world."

Im sad to say she didnt make it. My baby sister. My world. I appreciate the retweets and the love. Please respect my familys privacy as we are still coming to terms with this. #TraderJoes #SilverLake  Albert Jaragua Crad (@digitalurn) July 22, 2018

LAPD officials have so far declined to confirm the identity of the person killed.

Trader Joe's employees comfort each other after the gunman surrendered. (Damian Dovargenes / AP)

Authorities said Atkins fired at officers during the pursuit and that they returned gunfire after he crashed and ran into the Trader Joe's.

It was not immediately clear who fired the fatal shots. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to LAPD officials, who said the woman had been "struck by gunfire." Regardless of who fired the shots, Atkins could be prosecuted for murder because her death stemmed from his alleged crimes.

Trader Joe's said in a statement last night:

"Our hearts are broken over what happened today. This has been an incredible trauma, and our thoughts are with our Crew Members and customers. Our focus is on doing whatever we can to support them at this time. We appreciate everything Los Angeles law enforcement did to ensure an end to this ordeal."





The tragic incident began Saturday afternoon in another area of the city. Atkins allegedly shot his grandmother as many as seven times about 1:30 p.m. The grandmother was reported Saturday to be in critical condition after surgery.

Authorities said he then forced another woman, believed to be his girlfriend, into a car and drove away. Police officers gave chase through Hollywood, ending with the man crashing his car outside the Trader Joe's, and barricading himself inside the store.

Officials said about 40 store employees and customers were inside.

Witnesses shared harrowing stories. Don Kohles, 91, was just walking into the store when it all began.

"Just as I turned, I heard all these gunshots and I turned around and this car crashed right in back of me," Kohles said. "He ran right behind me. I went in the first door, where you come out, he went in the second door where they all go in and that's a double door."

Kohles said he was "scared stiff" as a staff member made him to lay flat on the floor.

"Then the police shot out both windows where you go in," he said.

He waited half an hour on the floor before police were able to get him to safety.

A woman is helped in the triage set up outside the Silver Lake Trader Joe's on Saturday. (Damian Dovarganes /AP)

Authorities actively tried to get the barricaded gunman to surrender, as other hostages escaped from windows.

One employee, Sean Garace, was working in the back room when he heard screaming and gunfire. He ran upstairs, seized a couple of his co-workers with him, and made his way into a storage area.

"I grabbed an emergency ladder, barricaded the hallway, grabbed a weapon, put the ladder out the window, and just tried to get the attention of a SWAT officer," he told NBC4.

Once he got the attention of officers outside the building, he and several co-workers were able to climb down the ladder to safety.

The standoff ended as live TV coverage of the scene showed a man in a tank top and four hostages emerging from the store with their hands in the air. The man was surrounded by police officers, and pinned against a wall. Authorities said he asked for handcuffs prior to exiting the store. He was taken away in an ambulance.

Police are still investigating the initial shooting, which took place in the Newton Division. The area around the store is still being treated as a crime scene. The LAPD said Hyperion Avenue, between Griffith Park Boulevard and Ettrick Street, will be closed until noon Sunday.

John Rabe and Elizabeth Munoz contributed to this report.

UPDATES:

10:51: This article updated with the eyewitness account by Kohles.

This story originally published at 10:38 a.m.

News happens every day. Here at LAist, our goal is to cover the stories that matter to you and the community you live in. Now that we're part of KPCC, those stories (including this one you're on right now!) are made possible by generous people like you. Independent, local journalism isn't cheap, but with your support we can keep delivering it. Donate now.
The border crossing will be closed for 24 hours and reopened Tuesday.

Egyptian authorities are going to close Rafah Crossing on the border with Gaza on Monday for 24 hours, Egypt's state-owned news MENA reported.

According to MENA, the closure comes on the occasion of the anniversary of the 23 July revolution, which is a national holiday for the public and private sectors in Egypt.

The border crossing will be closed for 24 hours and reopened Tuesday.

Rafah Crossing is the main gateway to the outside world for 1.8 million Palestinians living in the Israeli-besieged Gaza Strip, and is the only crossing point not controlled by Israel.

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My earliest memory of Jonathan Gold involves stalking him.

About six years ago, I was a freelancer  working on a chapter about the history of Peruvian restaurants in the Western United States for a small academic press in Lima.

I had spent countless hours sorting through mountains of articles on Peruvian food from West Coast newspapers dating back to the 19th century. Most of the writers were clueless. (One critic took issue with the quality of the bread at one Peruvian restaurant  perhaps unaware that Peru isnt a wheat culture.)

And then there was Jonathan Gold. His reviews of Peruvian restaurants were not just well-informed (he understood the highly regional nature of the cuisine), they were lucid and funny.

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Chicharron de pollo is something like Peruvian Chicken McNuggets, he once wrote of Marios Peruvian Seafood in the LA Weekly, heavily breaded chunks of bird fried hard to resemble pigskin and served with an herbed, citric dipping sauce as vividly yellow as a happy-face emblem.

I was determined to interview him.

At the time, I knew Jonathan through his work but the closest I had come to meeting him were the exchanges wed had on social media about L.A. hot topics such as the porno burrito  the forearm-sized Super Burrito dispensed by the now-defunct El Atacor #11 in Glassell Park.

When I reached out about an interview hed responded with graciousness, but I could never pin him down on a time (a phenomenon his editors were intimately acquainted with). One day, a friend who worked at KCRW gave me a heads up  Jonathan was due at the station the following Monday to record a segment for Good Food.

On that day, I parked myself in a basement corridor for hours until he showed up.

Little did I know then that hed serve as an informal reference when I was hired by The Times 18 months later  by his wife, editor Laurie Ochoa.

With Jonathans death, we lose a piece of Los Angeles, but we also lose a role model critic  whose influence and influences extended well beyond the world of food.

Jonathan was a punk cellist who studied music at UCLA. He was a performance artist who once got naked with a chicken. He was an assistant to seminal Los Angeles conceptualist Chris Burden. He was a prolific music writer  Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre dubbed him Nervous Cuz. And he just happened to like food. Very much.

He was also a writer who had a way of busting through criticisms most self-referential tendencies to draw the larger world in.

Of the Hollywood hangout Chasens, he once wrote that it was a swell place to celebrate a 75th birthday or a Contra incursion.

In a review of a dessert sampler that featured high-end versions of Rice Krispie treats and Hostess Sno Balls, he remarked, Many of the finest artifacts of American culture in the last decades have come from the collision of formidable technique and trivial obsession. Bill Irwins juggling comes to mind, as do Jeff Koons sculptures and Peter Sellers setting of Don Giovanni outside a Harlem crackhouse.

In one sentence about food, a reference to a clown, a sculptor and an opera director.

Jonathan was the deft wordsmith who knew how to pry criticism out of its stuffy silos. He was never just writing about food. He was writing about culture. He was writing about Los Angeles. He was writing about who we were at a given moment in time. And he did it in ways that that were both erudite and joyous  his glee over a good dish was always infectious.

Starting 2016 with a bowl of Jonathan Golds homemade Hoppin John. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

He was a writer who had a way of busting through criticisms most self-referential tendencies to draw the larger world in.

Over the years, I had the good fortune to get to know Jonathan on a more personal level. I tagged along on trips that became restaurant reviews of farm-to-table French and Filipino halo-halo. I got to participate in the dinners he and Laurie regularly held in their home  meals stocked with a fascinating crew of journalists, novelists, photographers, chefs, critics and environmentalists, for whom Jonathan would whip up vats of post-Thanksgiving turkey gumbo or New Years Day Hoppin John. Somehow I ended up talking about Jonathans work in Laura Gabberts documentary on him, City of Gold.

Being a writer in Los Angeles means continuously contending with the words of Jonathan Gold.

What made Jonathan truly remarkable was the way he quietly advocated for other writers  for me and for others  pushing us to our best tendencies.

When I was first hired at The Times, he pulled me aside and told me that criticism wasnt just about writing about what you see  its about writing about what youd like to see.

Those are words I continue to take to heart every day.

This month, as The Times prepared to leave its downtown building for El Segundo, I spent several days combing the buildings for an architectural piece. One afternoon, I ended up in the food department, where a list of banned words had been scrawled on the wall in marker: veggie, eatery, yummy, foodie  all verboten in Times food stories.

Also on the list was tasty. Written in parentheses next to it, however, was the phrase: except for JG.

Tasty can now be retired. Things certainly wont taste as good without Jonathan Gold.

The walls of the old food department at The Times contained a list of banned words: Tasty was not allowed, except by Jonathan Gold. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

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Riverdale may have just kicked off production for its third season last week, but the hit CW series still had some new footage to share at its debut Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con on Sunday.

Fans who packed the 6,500-capacity room at the San Diego Convention Center were treated to a highlight reel that included some brand new footage from Season 3.

I just watched that and I am shook up, said Riverdale superfan Kelly Ripa, who was on hand to moderate the event.

Joining her onstage were cast members Luke Perry (Fred Andrews), Marisol Nichols (Hermione Lodge), Mark Consuelos (Hiram Lodge), Vanessa Morgan (Toni Topaz), Madelaine Petsch (Cheryl Blossom), KJ Apa (Archie Andrews), Camila Mendes (Veronica Lodge), Lili Reinhart (Betty Cooper), Cole Sprouse (Jughead Jones), Casey Cott (Kevin Keller), Ashleigh Murray (Josie McCoy), Madchen Amick (Alice Cooper) and Skeet Ulrich (F.P. Jones), as well as Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and fellow executive producers Sarah Schechter and Jon Goldwater.

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FULL COVERAGE: San Diego Comic-Con 2018 

Aguirre-Sacasa reassured a worried Ripa that viewers would actually see the high school students do actual high school stuff next season, like worry about colleges, jobs and friendships. While he teased that the first few episodes would focus on the shows established characters assembled onstage, he did acknowledge that there are new characters on the way, including Jugheads mother and sister (to be introduced in either Episode 8 or 9) and Edgar Evernever (leader of the Farm).

Also in store for Season 3? A flashback episode where the actors playing the kids will play their parents  an episode that has been on the crews wish list since Season 1.

Season 3 will also pick up right where the second season cliffhanger left off after Archie was arrested in the murder of Shadow Lake resident Cassidy.

The first episode starts off with Archie being on trial for the murder of Cassidy, said Apa.

But many fans, including Ripa, were there to learn about whats next for the characters various romantic entanglements in Season 3.

Ripa, who admitted she didnt understand what a ship was when she first started watching the series, showed off how she is now very much fluent in the lingo of the fandom during the presentation.

She asked Morgan, who will be returning as a series regular for Season 3, whether she shipped Choni (the relationship between Cheryl and Toni).

I ship the Choni harder than I ship anything else, replied Morgan said.

Also on Team Choni, of course, is Petsch, who shared her thoughts on Cheryls journey so far. She finally got to come out, Petsch said when asked about the root of Cheryls transformation in the last two seasons.

It was really huge for her, she added, because of how her mother reacted to her coming out the first time. She explained how that pressure from her mother contributed to some of her Season 1 behavior.

She was scared to come out, added Petch. But shes living her truth now. Thats why she changed so much.

In other relationship news, Reinhart and Sprouse reassured fans that things are looking pretty solid for Bughead, while Amick let it be known that shes also ready for Falice to happen.

Kevin and Moose definitely are a thing in Season 3, said Cott. Aguirre-Sacasa also teased that there will be an unlikely romance for Reggie starting in Episode 3.

Riverdales Season 3 is scheduled to kick off on Oct. 10.
Hello! Im Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.

The UCLA Film and Television Archive will be launching a retrospective of the work of filmmaker, choreographer and dancer Bob Fosse that goes well beyond his greatest hits. The series will include not only the rightfully celebrated Cabaret and All That Jazz, but also the television concert film Liza with a Z, his features Sweet Charity, Lenny and Star 80 plus numerous films Fosse choreographed or danced in. I took a look at Fosses legacy, talking to his editor Alan Heim, stars Shirley MacLaine and Liza Minnelli and biographer Sam Wasson.

The new digital restoration of Agnes Vardas 1977 film One Sings, The Other Doesnt will have its Los Angeles premiere Tuesday at the Downtown Independent thanks to Acropolis Cinema. J. Hoberman recently called the film a fairy-tale French musical and, honestly, do you need to hear anything more?

LACMA will be showing Edward Yangs 2000 movie Yi Yi, which was No. 6 on the New York Times list of the 25 best films of the 21st century so far. Its a rare chance to see the film screen in a 35 mm print.

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And on Tuesday, well have a screening of The Wife, starring Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce. Screenwriter Jane Anderson and novelist Meg Wolitzer, on whose book the movie is based, will be there for what should be a very exciting Q&A.

Well have more screenings and Q&As to announce soon, so for info and updates, go to events.latimes.com.

From left, Rafael Casal, Daveed Diggs and Jon Chaffin star in Blindspotting. (Lionsgate)

Blindspotting

Though its being received as part of the new renaissance of movies coming out of Oakland, Blindspotting is wholly original. Created by and starring Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal and directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada, the film combines drama, music and spoken word in a powerful tale of the emotional stains of police violence and the disorienting sweep of gentrification.

Reviewing for The Times, Justin Chang wrote, There is something about the calculation of Blindspotting, a movie all too aware of its own impressive ambition, that somehow resists the poetic abandon, the electrifying spontaneity that Lopez Estrada and his collaborators are trying to pull off. You can see and admire what its doing, even as your better judgment, and the movies own egalitarian sensibility, compel you to believe there might be another way to do it.

I spoke to Diggs, Casal and Estrada about the film when it premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival.

At the Village Voice, Alan Scherstuhl called the movie  a thrilling, riotous, language-drunk elegy and celebration for this most unfixed of cities. The film, like Oakland itself, is forever evolving, always becoming some new thing just when it at last seems to have revealed its full self.

A scene from the documentary McQueen. (Ann Ray)

McQueen

The new documentary McQueen examines the life and career of celebrated fashion designer Alexander McQueen, who made his way to the top ranks of a world in which he was entirely an outsider. Directed by Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui, the movie examines McQueens rise and the little-known, behind-the-scenes struggles leading to his suicide in 2010.

In his review for The Times, Kenneth Turan wrote, The designer, and the documentary, bear a resemblance to Kevin Macdonalds Whitney, another illustration of the reality that great ability does not ensure happiness; both feature individuals everyone knew were in trouble but no one was finally able to help.

For Vulture, Emily Yoshida honed in on the way the film plays with the skull motif that was so prevalent in McQueens work, noting, Its an endlessly pliable canvas, from the first frame of McQueen and throughout, in evocatively animated chapter markers. Bonhote and Ettedgui find new dimensions in the skulls contours, covering it in creeping gold filigree or reflecting the misty Scottish highlands off of it, letting it be both chilling or gorgeous depending on the context of their subjects tumultuous life. Its a brilliant, evocative touch that demonstrates early on how deep the film is willing to go in its appreciation.

Christine Baranski is Tanya, Amanda Seyfried is Sophie and Julie Walters is Rosie in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. (Jonathan Prime / Universal Pictures)

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

No one would have expected one of the most divisive films of the summer to be the effervescent ABBA-inflected musical Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, but here we are. Folks seem split on whether the new film is better than the original. Likewise, the structure of the new film works along two timelines, one focusing on Lily James as the younger version of the character played by Meryl Streep in the original and the other focusing on Amanda Seyfried reprising her character in the films present day. Even fans of the new film seem to be taking sides on which works better. But regardless of where people fall, the addition of Cher to the new movie has been widely hailed.

For The Times, Justin Chang (who prefers the new film) wrote that the movie is the rare sequel so unexpectedly enchanting that it plays less like a rehash than a reclamation. It may take you a moment to understand why, or how, this could be the case. The title alone feels like a winking admission that, as with nearly every Hollywood cash cow that suddenly fancies itself a franchise, were basically in store for more of the same.  We are and we arent.

Taking a counterposition in the New York Times, Wesley Morris (who prefers the previous film) notes, Most of the musical sequences are creaky, but not that far from some of what Damien Chazelle was going for with the singing and dancing in La La Land: passionate amateurism. But thats some of what made the first movie such a kick. Nobody was Barbra Streisand. None of the songs were Stephen Sondheims. You were watching very good actors do karaoke in an Anglo-Nordic telenovela. Now youre watching them do it in a sequel, which means youre also watching something more inscrutably sad: karaoke of karaoke.

For The Times, Emily Zemler spoke to Judy Craymer, creator of the Mamma Mia stage musical and producer of the new film. Of the surprising emotional turn of Here We Go Again, Craymer said, Im very pleased that it has a weight to it that I think will surprise people. ABBA songs  theyre great pop songs and a gift in themselves, but its fun to have explored them even more and brought a heft to the lives of those people onscreen.

Reviewing the film for the Chicago Tribune, Katie Walsh added, Much like its predecessor, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is escapist fluff of the highest order  joyful, filled with beloved pop songs and incredibly bizarre.

Email me if you have questions, comments or suggestions, and follow me on Twitter @IndieFocus.
Perhaps no one knew the restaurant scene in Los Angeles quite as well as our own restaurant critic, Jonathan Gold. From Michelin-starred white-tablecloth establishments to tiny strip-mall favorites, it was all about the food for Jonathan  well, the food, the hands that make it, and the way it nurtures and reflects the community surrounding it. Reading a Jonathan Gold review didnt just make you hungry, it was a masters study in gastronomy and cultural anthropology.

But as much as he appreciated the chefs and establishments that define the culinary landscape of Los Angeles and Southern California, Jonathan also loved to cook. I cant count all the times we discussed various recipes wed made in the Los Angeles Times Test Kitchen, or argued over the best cut of meat to use for a steak or the various ways we might execute a particular dish (Jonathan was very particular when it came to making fried chicken). The primary cook in his family, Jonathan would often talk about the dinner he fixed for his kids before going out to eat at a restaurant he was considering for a review, or the inspiration hed found at the farmers market and how it influenced a weekends worth of meals. Jonathan also loved entertaining and cooking for the holidays. The recipe Jonathan used for latkes  light, crisp and perfectly-seasoned  is still my go-to favorite.

Im sure he would argue that one cant write restaurant criticism without having the passion and hands-on experience it takes to be a cook. At the end of the day, Jonathan might have been most at home in the kitchen, pleasing those closest to him with food as he pleased so many of us with his words.

Following are some excerpts from Jonathans essays over the last few years, along with some of his favorite recipes:

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BROWN SUGAR KITCHENS CORNMEAL WAFFLES WITH APPLE CIDER SYRUP

Brown Sugar Kitchens cornmeal waffles with apple cider syrup. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The best waffles commercially available, I am prepared to state, come from Brown Sugar Kitchen, a small, fragrant breakfast diner on Mandela Parkway in West Oakland. The waffles, Tanya Hollands cornmeal-enhanced riff on Marion Cunninghams famous yeasted waffles, are crisp, light and so violently leavened that they threaten to leap from the waffle iron in which they are cooked. If you drive up from Los Angeles about 6 a.m., you can be at Brown Sugar Kitchen by noon. The hour you spend in line on a weekend morning will be the longest hour of your life.

Holland includes a splendid recipe for these waffles in her book Brown Sugar Kitchen, and it works as well in my battered old waffle iron as it does at the restaurant. You mix the batter the night before, chill it in your refrigerator while you sleep, and stir in a bit of baking soda just before you pour it into your hot iron. (Remember to grease the iron well, or your first waffle will tear into delicious waffly shards when you attempt to lever it out onto a plate.) At the restaurant, Holland serves it with a sticky syrup made from boiled-down cider, but I always end up using Grade B maple syrup instead, because I am lazy and I am a barbarian. They are the best waffles you will ever taste.

CLASSIC POTATO LATKES

Classic potato latkes. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

You can always tell the cook at a Hanukkah party. Because he or she will be the one whose oniony fragrance can make your tear ducts swell, whose knuckles are scraped raw from the box grater and whose eyes have the glazed look of one who has spent the last two hours hunched over pans of bubbling oil, jiggling spheres of loose batter that threaten at any moment to explode into disfiguring sprays of hot grease.

You are eating hot latkes  potato pancakes  with sour cream and warm, buttery applesauce; drinking red wine; and perhaps watching small children cheat at dreidel games. If you are at certain houses, there will be warm sufganiyot, Hanukkah jelly doughnuts, straight from the fryer, although substituting product straight from the closest Winchells is not unknown. Perhaps there will be brisket later  we Jews are programmed to make brisket on all festive occasions  although it is not guaranteed. You are happy. We, the cooks, are probably in the kitchen, grumbling through the 13th batch of latkes, but in our way, we are happy too. We dont want you to starve.

I will not be cooking sweet-potato latkes, or latkes with refried beans and caviar, or Paula Wolferts Gascon potato pancakes stuffed with leeks. I will not sneak cranberries into the applesauce or replace sufganiyot with pumpkin pie. If there is meat, it will be brisket, as the great rabbis intended.

And I will stagger into the dining room, knuckles bloodied, and hand you another platter of latkes. You will eat them until you plotz. This is the bargain we have made.

CREAMED LEEKS

Creamed leeks. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

I was making Paula Wolferts straw potato cakes stuffed with braised leeks for a dinner party one night when the giant pancake, which had always been so reliable, shattered into a dozen pieces when I tried to flip it in the pan. The crisp, brown shards would not go back together. In a panic, I served the stuffing by itself as a side course. And the dish of plain, rich creamed leeks zapped with quite a lot of freshly ground pepper turned out to be more popular with my friends than the more complicated version ever had been. I think the slight sweetness and the autumnal flavor fits perfectly in a Thanksgiving dinner, halfway between a vegetable and a condiment, right in the place where some of my fancy acquaintances like to serve elaborately prepared pearl onions. Some Thanksgivings I like the leeks even more than I do the well-garlicked string beans and the caramelized Brussels sprouts with bacon.

HOPPIN JOHN

Hoppin John. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

As a cook who is rarely happier than when roasting a huge joint of meat, I tend to measure out my year in holiday feasts, the same meals every year. Christmas dinner means goose; New Years Eve, rib roast and Yorkshire pudding; Easter, leg of lamb. I sometimes try my hand at odd holidays like Diwali and Nowruz just because  holiday food is always festive and is always an excuse for a party. Christmas Eve tends to revolve around menudo and tamales at my mother-in-laws house, but I yearn to have a go at the Italian Feast of Seven Fishes.

So while I am an Angeleno born and bred, for some reason New Years Day at my house always means hoppin John, the starchy stew of black-eyed peas and rice that is the New Years dish across most of the South, as well as vast pots of collard greens, goose-fat red beans, and the seafood gumbo my friend Jervey makes at my stove. New Years Day leans Southern. Hoppin John is the perfect dish for a lazy, gracious open house. It tastes good with either bourbon or Champagne.

PORK APPLE SAUSAGE STUFFING

Pork apple sausage stuffing. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

In my house, Thanksgiving starts the second I wake up in the morning and start peeling chestnuts, which is the consummate Thanksgiving activity. On the off chance you have never peeled a chestnut  if somebody has peeled chestnuts for you, they love you very much  you stab a little X in the chestnuts flat bottoms, you stick them in the oven, and you must take them out to peel while they are hot enough to scorch your fingers or the tough inner skin never quite comes off quite right. The sharp, little edges of shell will prick you. You may have read a million tricks for peeling chestnuts more easily, but I can assure you that none of them works. And when you do finally pry a perfect, steamy, ivory-white chestnut whole from its prison, you end up chopping it anyway. Its tragic, really; the holidays lash of atonement.

The recipe I use is based on one from Bruce Aidells Hot Links and Country Flavors  a really good cookbook, his first, which collects sausage recipes from across the United States. You simmer the chestnuts in a bit of turkey broth  you have made your turkey broth, havent you?  you tear a loaf of bread into rough cubes and toast it on a sheet pan in your oven, and you mix the steaming-hot chestnuts into the bread with your hands. Meanwhile, youve been sauteing great heaps of onions, celery and crumbled apple sausage  not the kind made with chicken, but the loose, sagey, sweetly spiced pork apple sausage you can get at Bristol Farms or, better yet, Huntington Meats in the Original Farmers Market. To me, those sausages just smell like Thanksgiving. Then you fold that mixture into the bread and chestnuts, moisten with a little broth, and smooth it into a gratin pan, dot with butter, and bake. You can stuff it into the bird too, if you are of that persuasion, but the turkey cooks more evenly when you dont, and the crispy buttery bits that you get when you cook the stuffing separately are always the best part.

Whenever I think of chestnuts, I think of a story the chef Mark Peel sometimes tells, about the time, right after he started at Ma Maison, when somebody told him that the way to peel chestnuts was to pop them first into a deep-fat fryer. What they forgot to mention is that you have to cut those little Xs in the chestnuts first, to release the steam. Anyone who has ever worked a restaurant line can tell you what happened next. The chestnuts exploded one by one like fragmentation grenades, splashing geysers of boiling oil all over the busy kitchen.

View all our coverage of Jonathan Gold | 1960  2018 

noelle.carter@latimes.com

@noellecarter
Jonathan Gold was the most maddening person Ive ever met.

Ask anyone.

His friends all knew that when he called you, 20 minutes after hed promised to join you for dinner  at a restaurant or your house  to say hed hit terrible traffic, it probably meant he hadnt even gotten into his car. He was always late.

If you were his editor you gave him fake deadlines, hoping that if you could convince him that you needed it before you actually did, you might get the copy on time. Good luck. To Jonathan, deadlines were merely a suggestion.

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Jonathan reveled in flouting the rules. In the 80s, when I first met him, he cheerfully drove around without a drivers license. He wore what he wanted  in the early years his constant costume was a slightly too small black motorcycle jacket  lived where he wanted, and spent his time indulging in the pursuits that interested him. Those included music of all kinds, a voracious appetite for books, and a deep interest in art of the weirdest sort. (If you havent heard the chicken story, ask me some time.)

For someone like me, whos always been a very good girl, the fact that he spent his life doing exactly what he wanted  instead of what was expected  could be extremely irritating. But just when you were ready to explode hed write something so wonderful, or do something so endearing, that youd forgive him.

I met Jonathan right after I arrived in Los Angeles in 1984. On our first meeting he annoyed me by saying hed eaten in every taco stand in the city, which struck me as an absurd bit of hyperbole. It turned out to be true. At the time he was employed as a music critic, and hed casually drop names like Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, saying they were important musicians. How annoying when he turned out to be right about that.

But what we bonded over was food; Id never met anybody with such deep knowledge of Korean and Thai cuisine, and he slowly initiated me into the mysteries of pupusas, arepas and tortas. He was a veritable encyclopedia of Los Angeles food, and when Laurie Ochoa (who became his wife) and I took over the Food section of this paper, the first thing we did was ask Jonathan to write for us. His copy, of course, was always late.

I know it drives you crazy, he said during one memorable argument, but Im worth it. And of course, he was. In fact, the first thing I said when Conde Nast asked me to become the editor of Gourmet Magazine was, can I bring Laurie and Jonathan with me? Because although I knew Jonathan was going to be impossible, I couldnt imagine trying to make the best epicurean publication in the country without their help.

Now, looking back, it seems to me that much as I respected Jonathan, I never really appreciated how much he gave us  or how much he changed food journalism. Long before anyone had used the words social gastronomy, long before Tony Bourdain stepped out of the kitchen and onto the television screen, at a time when nobody in America  and few people in the world  understood the power of food, Jonathan got it.

From the very beginning he used restaurant criticism as a way to talk about more than where you should eat. He understood, in his bones, the many ways that food is a powerful way to create community.

When I first arrived in L.A. a Thai chef told me that he could live his whole life in this city without learning English simply by staying inside the boundaries of the Thai community. He presented this as a sad thing, but what Jonathan understood is that it is precisely this insular quality that makes Los Angeles food so compelling. This is the one place in America where chefs from all over the world are cooking for a discerning audience of their own people.

But Jonathan didnt want us to go out to Monterey Park simply to eat Sichuan pickles. He didnt lure us out to El Monte or the worlds best birria burritos for their mere deliciousness. He wrote enticing prose designed to take us out of our safe little territories to mingle with other people because he knew that restaurants arent really about food. Theyre about people.

He gave us the keys to a hidden city, introduced us to folks wed never have known. And the city changed. It is nothing like the city I found when I first came here in 1984.

But he did it his way. Other food critics hire baby-sitters and leave their children at home. Not Jonathan. When he had a family, he wanted them with him wherever he went, and as a result Izzy and Leon have eaten more arcane food in more unusual places than any other kids on earth. I dont think Ive ever met better parents than Jonathan and Laurie  that family has been such a tight unit. Its been awe-inspiring and pure pleasure to watch.

Selfishly I lament Jonathans loss because I want to read all those stories hell never write. And Im sorry for the city because L.A. without Jonathan just wont be the same. But its when I think of the Ochoa-Gold family as three instead of four that my heart really breaks.

Ruth Reichl was a food critic and food editor at the Los Angeles Times from 1984 to 1993.

food@latimes.com
On a recent morning at the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles, people clutched manila folders swollen with documents. Others shuffled through papers cradled in their laps.

Surrounded by dull orange walls, they faced numbered counters and listened for their names to be called.

It seemed like a typical scene of bland, plodding bureaucracy. Until a woman stepped to the front of the room, got the crowds attention and asked whether anyone could name a sexually transmitted disease.

Syphilis, gonorrhea, a man called out from the front row.

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The woman then explained that if they wished, consulate visitors could get tested for STDs, including HIV, on the spot, while they waited. The results would be available immediately.

Today, we have this marvelous resource, said Lorena Ojeda, who works for Planned Parenthood Los Angeles. Everything is accessible here.

The Mexican government has turned monotony at the consulate into a chance to teach immigrants how to navigate the healthcare system. This education is particularly vital at a time when many immigrants are avoiding medical care due to fear of deportation, experts say.

At each of the 50 Mexican consulates in the United States, representatives from local clinics and other health organizations give talks about topics such as diabetes or domestic violence to people waiting to receive passports or renew identification cards. The captive audience is offered flu shots, diabetes screenings or referrals to nearby clinics.

Mexicans are the largest immigrant group in the U.S. by far, with nearly 12 million living here nationwide in 2014, according to the Migration Policy Institute. But half of them lack health insurance, compared with a quarter of all immigrants and 9% of people born in the U.S., according to the center.

Immigrants from Mexico are much less likely to visit a doctor than others, experts say, in part because of cost and language barriers.

The program offered at the consulates is called Ventanillas de Salud, or windows of health, because the services give clients a peek into the vast and complex healthcare system.

That initial connection with a health worker can go a long way, experts say, especially as immigrants increasingly report avoiding clinics.

Weve all heard these attacks on immigrants, said Fortina Hernandez, who supervises Planned Parenthood L.A.s outreach workers. These attacks have created a culture of fear in our communities, and thats why its important for us to be here telling them that their health is important, taking care of their health is important.

Mayra Alvarez, head of an L.A.-based advocacy group focused on underserved communities called the Childrens Partnership, said immigrants may be unable to determine which doctor or hospital to visit on their own.

How do you know which one is safe for you go to? Or which one is going to speak your language? You dont, she said. More than ever, families need a trusted source of information when it comes to healthcare.

Maria Olvera, after hearing a Planned Parenthood presentation while doing business at the Mexican Conulatte, said, We, as Latinos, dont know about sexual protection ... [but] our lives can depend on it. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

During her presentation earlier this month, Ojeda talked about male and female condoms. She raised her voice while explaining HIV infections so she could be heard over announcements being made over the public address speaker.

At one point, a woman in the front row piped up.

I have HIV and Im not ashamed to say it, said Maria Olvera.

Olvera was at the consulate that morning renewing an identification card for Mexican nationals.

She said later that she had lived on the street after she emigrated from Mexico City and began using drugs. In 2005 she learned she had contracted HIV, she said.

We, as Latinos, dont know about sexual protection, Olvera said in an interview. To protect ourselves from infections is so important  our lives can depend on it.

The Ventanillas de Salud program was created to help people like Olvera who may not be able to afford a trip to the doctors office or even think to make one, said Xochitl Castaneda, director of the Health Initiative of the Americas at UC Berkeleys School of Public Health. Not every member of the Mexican diaspora visits a clinic, but most of them come to the consulate, Castaneda said.

They dont go because they need a vaccine, said Castaneda, the architect of the program. They go because they need a passport.

In the early 2000s, Castaneda was brainstorming how to make healthcare more accessible for Mexicans in the United States. Her initial idea was to import the Mexican healthcare system to the U.S. by providing health services at the consulates, which are technically Mexican land.

We thought we could bring brigades of Mexican doctors and we can put free vaccines from Mexico, and we realized that it was not permitted, she said.

Instead, her group opted for consulates to partner with local healthcare organizations.

The L.A. consulate regularly brings in representatives from more than 30 nonprofits and government health agencies who discuss topics such as substance abuse and birth control and offer screenings for high blood pressure and depression.

On the day Planned Parenthood did presentations at the L.A. consulate near MacArthur Park, a health worker from the L.A. County Department of Mental Health also talked about mental illness and therapy.

Ventanillas de Salud was launched 15 years ago at the Los Angeles and San Diego consulates and has since been expanded to all 50 Mexican consulates nationwide, from Seattle to Miami.

Fully funded by the Mexican government, the program reaches 1.18 million people each year, with the L.A. office its busiest location, according to a recent study. The study also found that immigrants from other countries, most often Latin American and Carribean, also use the services, since the consulate doesnt turn anyone away.

Recent surveys have found that immigrant families are skipping doctors appointments or scheduling fewer visits in recent years, in part because of fear of drawing attention to their immigration status.

Thats particularly important today, to know you can go into this clinic, youre not going to be asked a bunch of questions about your immigration status, Alvarez said. Youve got that stamp of approval.

But even still, fear lingers.

In an examination area set up at the Mexican Consulate, Planned Parenthood nurse practitioner Teresa Arellano, left, speaks with outreach director Fortina Hernandez and Lorena Ojeda, who gives presentations at the consulate. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

On the morning Ojeda delivered her presentation, Isidro Barajas, a medical assistant with Planned Parenthood, took patients to an exam room at the consulate to administer STD tests. Inside hung a poster listing STD names in Spanish, along with the consequences if the infections go untreated.

Barajas said he asks patients for some personal information, such as their name and address. But even after he reassures them its simply to identify their sample and test results, some still refuse.

With this political climate, theyre more hesitant to give us information, he said.

He cant administer the test without it, so he gives them the address of a nearby Planned Parenthood office, hoping that a visit to the clinic will make them more willing to provide their name.

Castaneda said several Latin American countries have tried to copy the program but havent been able to sustain the funding. She said she was recently approached by representatives from Vietnam about starting a similar program.

Arturo Cabezas, 52, took in Ojedas presentation as he waited for his passport.

Latinos dont talk enough about sexual health, he said. His wife struggles to broach the topic with their three daughters.

I loved where they did this  youre seated and have to listen, said Cabezas, laughing. They have no option. Its a perfect spot.

soumya.karlamangla@latimes.com

Twitter: @skarlamangla
California hit its target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels four years early, a milestone regulators and environmentalists are cheering as more proof that you can cut pollution while growing the economy.

But a closer look at data released by the state Air Resources Board shows that while emissions from electricity generation in California have plunged, other key industries are flat and transportation pollution is increasing.

Further complicating matters is a Trump administration plan to weaken fuel economy standards and revoke Californias power to set its own, stricter rules  a move that could cause vehicle emissions to rise even more.

The uneven progress shows the big challenges that loom as California advances toward its more ambitious goal: slashing planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions another 40% by 2030.

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(Julian H. Lange / Los Angeles Times)

Growth in renewable energy was the main reason California met its 2020 climate goal in 2016, the emissions report released this month shows.

Weve seen a substantial increase in solar and wind power, particularly rooftop solar installations, says Dave Edwards, chief of the Air Resources Boards greenhouse gas and toxics emissions inventory branch.

Driving the shift is early compliance with the states mandate that 33% of electricity come from renewable sources by 2020 and the falling cost of solar panels, which has spurred more commercial and rooftop installation. By 2016, the state was already at 46% renewable electricity. Solar electricity grew 33% in 2016, while natural gas decreased by more than 15%.

California also got an assist from the weather. After five years of punishing drought, rains swelled rivers and generated more hydroelectric power. During drier years, the state relied more on natural gas.

Overall, the growth in renewables combined with waning imports of coal power to send emissions from electricity generation plunging 18% in 2016 compared to 2015.

(Julian H. Lange / Los Angeles Times)

Now for the downside.

Emissions from cars and trucks, already Californias biggest source of greenhouse gases, have been on the rise for the past few years in step with post-recession economic growth. Increased driving is the main reason why transportation pollution ticked up another 2% in 2016.

The deep reductions from electric power generation are compensating for lackluster performance in other sectors of the economy, including an uptick in the transportation sector where we know we have our work cut out for us, said Alex Jackson, senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council who tracks California climate policy.

To blame for the increase in vehicle pollution is a combination of low gas prices, a growing economy, consumers preference for roomier, less efficient vehicles and a slower-than-anticipated transition to electric models. Those factors are essentially wiping out gains from the states emissions-cutting regulations.

In another impending obstacle, the Trump administration is expected this week to release its plan to scrap aggressive Obama-era fuel economy standards, according to sources familiar with the proposal. The administrations move would also take away the authority granted to California and other states under the Clean Air Act to continue pursuing those stricter standards.

The rollback would be an enormous hit to the states efforts to clean its air and slow global warming by eliminating the current goal of getting cars and SUVs to meet fleet-wide averages of more than 50 miles per gallon by 2025. Instead, gas mileage targets would be frozen in place in 2020.

A drawn-out legal battle is likely. California and other states have already sued the administration to prevent the weakening of clean car rules.

(Julian H. Lange / Los Angeles Times)

Slashing car and truck pollution is crucial because other key sectors of the economy, such as oil refineries, residential heating and agriculture, saw greenhouse gas emissions remain relatively flat or even rise slightly in 2016.

State regulators say that in itself is a triumph. Pollution from transportation and industry, they contend, would have been much higher without Californias climate change policies, which functioned as a lid keeping emissions in check even as its economy grew.

Air Resources Board officials played down the significance of rising car and truck pollution. Instead they are crediting measures such as cap-and-trade and the low-carbon fuel standard  market-based programs the state is using to push industry to cut pollution and shift to cleaner transportation fuels  with preventing emissions from rising even higher.

All the indicators were looking at are moving in the right direction, Edwards said. We think that were on the right trajectory right now toward 2030.

(Julian H. Lange / Los Angeles Times)

For now, Californias reductions in greenhouse gas emissions remain modest, and are broadly consistent with a nationwide decrease in recent years. The trend across the U.S. is the result of an economic shift: Were getting less electricity from dirty, coal-fired power plants and more from cheaper, lower-polluting natural gas.

Yet while Californias greenhouse emissions dipped below 1990 levels in 2016, the national rate remained 2.4% above 1990 levels, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

And though Californias electricity grid is powered increasingly by renewables, it was cleaner than the nations to begin with. Californias per-capita greenhouse gas emissions today are about half that of the nation as a whole. And they keep dropping, from a peak of 14 metric tons per person in 2001 to 10.8 in 2016.

That was viewed as an obstacle when California adopted its landmark 2006 climate law, AB 32, which enshrined the goal of cutting greenhouse gases below 1990 levels by the year 2020. At the time, industry and other critics argued that Californias relatively clean power grid would make its climate goals painful and prohibitively costly to reach. That fear, regulators and environmentalists say, has now been proven wrong.

To reach its tougher 2030 goal, however, California will have to pick up the pace and roughly double its greenhouse gas reductions. That feat, environmentalists say, will require not only a cleaner electrical grid but a rapid shift to zero-emission vehicles powered by it.

Looking at the electricity sector 10 years ago, solar in that time went from exotic to conventional, says Jimmy ODea, senior vehicles analyst for the Union of Concerned Scientists. And thats where were at with electric vehicles going forward. Theyre going to go from exotic to conventional in a short period of time.

tony.barboza@latimes.com

@tonybarboza

Times Staff Writer Evan Halper in Washington, D.C. contributed to this report.

UPDATES:

4:25 p.m., July 23: This article was updated with information on a Trump administration plan to roll back vehicle fuel economy standards.

This article was originally published at 3 a.m. on July 22.
A truce between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip, largely held on Saturday a day after one of the most fierce flare-ups along the volatile border in years.

Hamas said it had agreed to the truce with Israel, a day after clashes killed an Israeli soldier and four Palestinians, three of them Hamas fighters.

A senior Israeli official confirmed a truce was in place. The Israeli occupation army declined to comment on the ceasefire but a military spokeswoman said civilians could resume normal activities.

In what appeared to be an isolated incident, with no reports of casualties, an Israeli tank fired on a Hamas post in Gaza after Palestinian suspects breached the border fence and entered Israeli territory before retreating back into Gaza, the military said.

There were no other reports of unrest in the area by 1300 GMT on Saturday.

The ceasefire is the third between Israel and Hamas to be brokered by Egypt this year and the second truce to be agreed this week after a day-long fighting last Saturday.

"With Egyptian and United Nations efforts it has been agreed to return to the era of calm between (Israel) and Palestinian factions," said Fawzi Barhoum, spokesman for the Hamas Islamist group that controls Gaza.

Israel besieged Gaza since 2007, waging three wars 2008, 2012 and 2014 against the Palestinians, leaving more than 3000 killed, thousands injured and infrastructure in shambles.

Gaza, home to 2 million people, most of whom depend on foreign aid, has been under Israeli economic sanctions for 12 years.

On Friday, Palestinian gunmen killed an Israeli soldier and the Israeli military launched dozens of strikes that killed three Hamas fighters. A fourth Palestinian was killed by Israeli gunfire during a protest near the border.

The soldier was the first member of Israel's army to be killed on the Gaza front since a seven-week 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, a military spokesman said.

Israeli occupation troops killed 140 Palestinians since protests broke out on March 30.

The Israeli strikes shook buildings in Gaza and fire lit the night sky. Pillars of thick smoke rose from the sites that were bombed. The sounds of sirens from ambulances racing through the streets were heard by residents bracing for an escalation.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online

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Burton Richter, an American physicist who shared the 1976 Nobel Prize for discovering a subatomic particle  the curiously named charm quark  that became a foundation stone of the modern understanding of matter at its deepest levels, has died. He was 87.

His death in Palo Alto on July 18 was announced by Stanford University, where he was a longtime professor. Other details were not immediately available.

In addition to serving as director of a major Department of Energy laboratory, Richter also became known in his later years for other contributions to academic and public life. Along with exerting influence in government on science matters, he published a book on climate change.

At Stanford, by first designing and financing, then building and finally using a high-energy particle accelerator and an advanced particle detector, Richter made a discovery that startled science.

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On Nov. 10, 1974, in a groundbreaking discovery in physics, he found the particle that confirmed the existence of what was known as the charm quark. It was the missing piece needed to adopt a new theory of the structure and composition of matter at its most fundamental level.

His discovery, and the reassessments that it prompted, became known as the November Revolution, recalling the October Revolution in Russia that changed 20th-century history.

At the same time that Richter made his breakthrough, physicist Samuel C.C. Ting of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology made a similar discovery. Richter called his particle, known to physicists as a meson, by the Greek letter psi. Tings particle was dubbed J. Together, they were known as the J/psi meson.

The suddenness of the discovery coupled with the totally unexpected properties of the particle are what make it so exciting, Richter and Ting jointly wrote in 1974. It is not like the particles we know and must have some new kinds of structure.

Each scientist had found the first experimental traces of a sort of physicists grail: the eagerly sought charm quark. In particular, they had found a particle composed of a charm quark bound together with an anticharm quark.

Its something that everybody hopes theyre going to do, Richter later said, and I was a lucky one because it happened.

Richter and Ting shared the 1976 Nobel Prize for Physics.

It was clear from day one that J/psi was a major discovery, physicist Thomas Appelquist said in 1974. It almost completely reoriented the theoretical community. Everyone wanted to think about it.

Before their discovery, science had come to accept the existence of three of the quarks that were considered to be the underlying constituents of the particles once viewed as the basic building blocks of matter. Other scientists had proposed that a fourth quark must exist, but it was not confirmed until Richters and Tings discovery. It was adopted as part of the Standard Model of particle physics, describing how subatomic particles interact.

The name quark had no particular scientific significance. It was chosen with a degree of whimsy from a line in James Joyces Finnegans Wake: Three quarks for Muster Mark! In the same way, the term charm in the charm quark speaks not of any particular attribute of the particle, but is one more expression of whimsy.

What lots of people have been trying to do ever since is find whats beyond the current Standard Model, Richter said in 2014. So far, it has stood impervious to all attacks.

Burton Richter was born in New York City on March 22, 1931. His father was a textile worker; his mother, a homemaker.

Blackouts imposed early in World War II made it possible to see the Milky Way and fostered Richters interest in science.

He received a bachelors degree from MIT in 1952 and a doctorate in 1956. He then went to Stanford, where he became a full professor in 1967. He directed the Department of Energys SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford from 1984 to 1999. He received the nations highest scientific honor, the National Medal of Science, in 2014.

Richter was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Assn. for the Advancement of Science, and former president of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics and the American Physical Society. He was also a member of JASON, an independent group of scientists who advise the U.S. government.

He is survived by his wife of 58 years, the former Laurose Becker, two children and two granddaughters.
Facing condemnation from allies and foes alike on Capitol Hill, President Trump was outnumbered even in the Oval Office. Top aides gathered to persuade the president to issue a rare walk-back of the comments hed made raising doubts about U.S. intelligence conclusions of Russian election interference as he stood alongside Vladimir Putin.

Vice President Mike Pence, national security advisor John Bolton and Chief of Staff John F. Kelly stood united in the West Wing on Tuesday in their contention that Trump had some cleanup to do. They brought with them words of alarm from Defense Secretary James N. Mattis and Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, as well as from a host of congressional leaders and supporters of the president for whom Trumps public praise of Putin proved to be a bridge too far.

Even for Trump, a leader who has increasingly come to cast off the constraints and guidance of aides, the him-against-the-world position proved untenable. Trump may like doing things his way, eschewing advice and precedent like no president before, but he never likes being alone.

Walking off stage with Putin after their joint news conference in Helsinki, Trump was riding high after his second summit with an adversarial leader in as many months. The highly choreographed affairs had been sought out by the U.S. leader as a way to boost his credibility abroad and his favorability at home, and he believed the latest one had accomplished the task.

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But as Air Force One took off into Finlands endless sunlight on Monday night, Trumps mood darkened.

The president began dialing around to allies and aides and started to stew about negative media coverage, even from usually friendly Fox News, according to five outside allies and Republicans close to the White House not authorized to speak publicly about private conversations.

The reviews he received were muted  Trump rarely takes kindly to direct confrontation  but it was a taste of what awaited him on his return in Washington, where stalwart allies like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich were speaking out.

By the time he arrived home, the parade of critical statements had become a stampede, leaving Trump the most isolated hed been in the White House since last years controversy over white supremacist protesters in Charlottesville. Some in the presidents circle saw parallels in the response to that incident, when the president walked back his August comments critical of both sides for protests in the Virginia city, only to later revert to his initial position  that both white supremacists and their detractors shared blame for the violence.

Trump waited 27 hours, sent five tweets and sat for two television interviews after his initial comments in Helsinki before declaring hed used a confusing double negative and mistakenly said would instead of wouldnt in a key sentence at his news conference about who was responsible for election meddling.

The sentence should have been: I dont see any reason why I wouldnt  or why it wouldnt be Russia, the president said Tuesday before a meeting with Republican members of Congress.

The next day brought a fresh challenge. Trump appeared to answer no to a reporters question asking whether Russia was still targeting the U.S. Hours later, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders emerged to say Trump had merely tried to put a stop to the questioning by saying no, although he continued discussing Russia after that.

As each White House effort to clean up the situation failed to stem the growing bipartisan backlash, Trumps mood worsened, according to confidants. He groused about his staff for not better managing the fallout. He was angry at the two American reporters, including one from the Associated Press, who asked questions at the Helsinki news conference. And he seethed at the lack of support he believed he received from congressional Republicans.
When Californians elect a governor this November, they will be choosing someone to run the state for the next four years. Or will they?

Gavin Newsom is almost sure to win, and he will immediately move into the top tier of Democratic presidential contenders. (Sen. Kamala Harris is already there.) Newsom has sworn off interest in the 2020 White House race  That is not my aspiration, he told one interviewer  but the history of politics is full of such promises made and broken. At 50, Newsom is poised to lead the biggest state in the union. Ambition breeds ambition, not contentment.

A presidential bid so soon after being elected governor may seem implausible, but in fact it has been done before, by the younger incarnation of Jerry Brown. (In any discussion of California politics, it is generally safe to cite Brown as an example, since his is such a long and winding career that he has done just about everything at least once.)

In 1974, Brown was elected governor at just 36 years old, the states youngest chief executive in more than a century. He was much less experienced than Newsom is now  Browns elective resume featured only a brief stint on the Los Angeles Community College Board and then a single term as Californias secretary of state  but still he jumped into the 1976 presidential race as a candidate in the Democratic primaries. He did surprisingly well, winning nearly every state in which he campaigned seriously, and eventually receiving more popular votes than any candidate save the nominee, Jimmy Carter.

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Republicans simply arent a threat now: They havent won a single statewide election in more than a decade.

Newsom likes to cite Browns experience as a cautionary tale, saying that Brown achieved more during his second gubernatorial tenure than his first because he was focused on California rather than Washington.

But the real lesson of Browns 1976 bid isnt about political focus; its about timing. Brown hastily entered the 1976 race barely a year after taking the oath as governor, but he was still too slow. Even with wins in Maryland and Nevada, an amazingly strong write-in campaign in Oregon, and the victory of Brown-leaning delegates in Rhode Island and New Jersey, Brown couldnt overcome the lead in delegates Carter had already built.

Newsom would have to start sooner than Brown did, especially because campaigns are longer now. By July 1, 2015, all the major players had declared their 2016 candidacies, including both parties eventual nominees. The wide-open Republican field  the best analogue to the Democratic campaign in 2020  had 14 declared candidates.

Lets say Newsom joined the race by July 1 of 2019, just six months after taking office as governor. Its not as unrealistic as it seems. The new governor and the Legislature could wrap up an on-time budget along with some other policy achievements in Newsoms first few months, and then he could launch his White House campaign by saying: I never wanted to be president, but Donald Trumps latest outrage against decency and democracy means that all of us must join the fight. As the leader of the state that leads the resistance, I have a unique perspective, a unique experience, a unique voice. And so today I am announcing that I will be a candidate. Ive seen far crazier moves from politicians.

Nor, from Newsoms perspective, are there many downsides to running. He might win, and even if he loses, he would raise his national profile and further cement his standing with the Democratic base by waging a Trump-bashing primary campaign.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

Newsoms belief that Potomac fever weakened Brown, and could weaken him in Sacramento, hangs on thin evidence. Its not at all clear that Brown lost support in California because of his 1976 campaign, and his greater success as governor 2.0 seems to have had less to do with a strict focus on California than with his own long evolution from youthful flake to elder sage  a journey that included working with Mother Teresa in India, studying Zen Buddhism in Japan, hosting a left-wing radio talk show and finally returning to elective politics as Oaklands mayor and California attorney general.

Even if Newsom were to fade a bit at home as his national profile rose, the states overwhelming Democratic majority means he would be safe for reelection  a security blanket that Brown did not enjoy in the 1970s when California was still a two-party state. Republicans simply arent a threat now: They havent won a single statewide election in more than a decade. (Recently a Republican politico told me he expects GOP gubernatorial candidate John Cox to do well, which he defined as equaling the performance of Neel Kashkari four years ago. Kashkari lost by 20 percentage points.)

California governors once regularly eyed the White House, but in the last few presidential election cycles, foreign-born Arnold Schwarzenegger was ineligible and 1938-born Brown was too old. Regardless of what Newsom says now, dont be surprised if he revives the tradition.

Ethan Rarick is the author of California Rising: The Life and Times of Pat Brown.

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UPDATES:

This piece originally said that all the major players had declared their 2016 candidacies by Jan. 1, 2015. The correct date is July 1, 2015.
Justice Anthony M. Kennedys retirement from the Supreme Court offers President Trump and the conservative legal movement an opportunity to shift the Supreme Court rightward and affect American politics and law for decades to come. Whats most at risk  if you listen to Democratic leaders and progressive advocacy groups  are abortion rights and Roe vs. Wade.

In fact, based on the rhetoric of the past few weeks, you could be forgiven for thinking that abortion was the only issue the high court dealt with. This is not entirely progressives fault; conservatives are primarily responsible for making Supreme Court another term for abortion politics. Now, Democrats are approaching the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh with the same singular focus. As MoveOns Washington director told the Associated Press, when it comes to Trumps nominee, the essential message is Roe.

And yet voters and Democrats constituents have a broader set of constitutional concerns: Voting rights, immigration, workplace protections, environmental law and affirmative action are going to be at the mercy of the justices. Out of all the pressing issues the Supreme Court confronts, why should abortion  an issue that divides the Democratic Party as well as the country  marshal such attention? Does it help the party to make abortion rights such a predominant subject? Does it even help the pro-choice cause?

Out of all the pressing issues the Supreme Court confronts, why should abortion marshal such attention?

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Until 2016, Democrats approached abortion as a tragic choice that nonetheless should remain generally legal and accessible out of deference to womens health and autonomy. This posture left room in the party for those who support something less than an absolute right to terminate any pregnancy for any reason. A decade earlier, Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) had affirmed the wisdom of that strategy in his book Positively American, a manifesto about how Democrats could permanently win back the middle-class majority. His single chapter on a womans right to choose was titled Reduce Abortions by 50%.

That platform helped Democrats achieve majorities in Congress in 2006 and helped put Barack Obama in the White House after eight years of George W. Bush. But the architects of the modern pro-choice movement wanted more.

When Hillary Clinton was nominated in 2016, Planned Parenthood, NARAL and other groups saw a chance to push a much more aggressive pro-choice position. A Washington Post profile of Cecile Richards, the former head of Planned Parenthood, described the plan this way: Gone is the vaguely conciliatory mantra of the past, the ideal of keeping abortion safe, legal and rare once advocated by Bill and Hillary Clinton. ... [The] party platform  is pushing, for the first time, for full Medicaid funding for abortions. Its a bold move that positively courts controversy.

In Clintons campaign, perhaps the most significant political marker of the new aggressive strategy was displayed in the third presidential debate. When she was asked about late-term abortion, Clinton did not call for abortions to be rare or note that under Obama, the abortion rate was at its lowest point since Roe was decided in 1973. Instead, she launched into an extended defense of late-term abortion that received rapturous praise from some quarters, with Vogue proclaiming that Clinton awesomely defended abortion rights.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

But what pleased Vogue didnt do much for Clinton or the Democrats in some important states. It didnt help Katie McGinty, for example, a candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, a state with a tradition of victorious pro-life Democrats. When the AP reported on the late-October campaign swing in 2016, the story noted that the battle to persuade swing voters in Pennsylvanias close U.S. Senate race includes a heavy emphasis on abortion rights. McGinty lost by a hair, and it is likely that her opponent, Sen. Pat Toomey, will cast the deciding vote in favor of seating Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court.

Instead of cementing liberal abortion rights and winning governing power for Democrats, the partys aggressive abortion strategy may have set back womens right to choose. Since Trumps 2016 victory, and especially with Kennedys retirement, the same groups that have controlled Democratic strategy on these issues are now fundraising off the fact that womens rights are at greater risk than ever before.

Kavanaughs confirmation battle may only make matters worse for Democrats. If the message the party delivers during the Senate hearings is single-mindedly focused on Roe and abortion rights, it may discourage support and turnout in many competitive districts crucial to switching the House and Senate from red to blue. (Im thinking about states in the Southeast, the Rust Belt and Midwest, and even the Mountain West.)

Senate Democrats should forcefully test Kavanaughs fitness for the bench. But to the extent the Kavanaugh hearings are going to be a policy referendum, lets be sure the nation hears from a party that is interested in more than just the fate of Roe vs. Wade.

Michael Wear, who directed faith outreach for the Obama campaign in 2012, is the author of Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America.

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President Trumps disgraceful performance in Helsinki, Finland, and in the days since is an indication that he is not fit to remain in office. Trumps 2016 America First platform might be more aptly named Russia First after the disaster that occurred last week.

Trumps turn toward Russia is indefensible. I am a lifelong Republican. I have campaigned and won as a member of the party, and I have served more than one Republican president. My Republican colleagues  once rightfully critical of President Obamas engagement strategy with Russian leader Vladimir Putin  have to end their willful ignorance of the damage Trump is doing both domestically and internationally. We must put aside the GOP label, as hard as that may be, and demonstrate the leadership our country needs by calling on the president to step down.

Trumps sycophantic relationship with Putin is unsurprising given his previous comments about Russia and its dictator. What is shocking is how long he has possessed  and disregarded  hard evidence of Putins direct role in undermining our elections. According to New York Times reporting, he saw dispositive emails and texts early in January 2017.

Trumps repeated public dismissals of the intelligence coming from his own deputies is deeply disturbing. Along with his walk back of statements last week, and then walking back the walk backs, its impossible to keep up, and his behavior warrants a fresh evaluation of whether the president can be trusted with the future of the United States. His apologists will argue that the current outcry is just another attempt by moderates and establishment Republicans to discredit the president. But what does this man have to say or do for his supporters to finally see that his actions are detrimental to the country?

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We must put aside the GOP label, as hard as that may be, and demonstrate the leadership our country needs.

Trumps avowed respect for the word of a dictator who has spent decades undermining the U.S. and its allies is utterly dangerous. Putin is not our ally. Despite the presidents dismal attempt to change the narrative by explaining that he misspoke in Helsinki, the pattern is clear: As a candidate and as president, he has constantly praised Putin just as he has constantly undercut the core institutions of our democracy  the courts, the media and the FBI. He has a history of discrediting members of his own Cabinet and the agencies they lead. These are not the actions of someone who should be navigating delicate diplomatic discussions and setting foreign policy.

If the president did genuinely misspeak on Monday, it demonstrates his inability to articulate accurately U.S. foreign policy at the highest level, for the highest stakes. As the leader of the free world  as ridiculous as that title sounds when applied to Trump  his words matter. If he cannot take his place at a podium next to an adversarial foreign leader and stand up for Americas interests and principles, he should not be president.

Trump has alienated our true allies in Europe and undermined the United States reputation as a consistent, reliable moral force for good in the world. He disdains democracies and admires dictatorships. What appears to matter to him is not what leaders represent but how they flatter him. North Koreas Kim Jong Un and Putin have cracked that code and fan Trumps ego in a way that respected heads of state do not.

Yet many Republicans continue to defend him. In this election year, opposing Trump is risky for GOP candidates. Invoking the need to choose country over party is an overused trope. But it is essential now.

The Republican majority in Congress can fully implement promised sanctions against Russia to show its opposition to Russias meddling in our election. Putin needs economic growth in Russia because it benefits the oligarchy. Tougher, tangible sanctions would weaken him and hurt those who benefit from his power. House Speaker Paul Ryan indicated earlier this week that additional sanctions were on the table. This would be a start.

Congress can also ensure that the Robert S. Mueller III investigation is not compromised. Any interference in it after this week should raise many red flags. The special counsel and his team, who despite the presidents attacks show every sign of unbiased professionalism, need to finish their work without tampering.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

Finally, even if the Russian efforts to undermine state voting systems were unsuccessful in 2016, this is a vulnerability that may be exploited in the future. With the help of Congress, states must strengthen their processes and security to stop future meddling from Russia or other foreign actors.

Republican voters, including those who supported Donald Trump, have the obligation to demand action from their elected officials. Vocal opposition is expected from Democrats, but it is Republicans disapproval that will have the most sway on Capitol Hill and at the White House.

Those members of the party in Congress who have stood up to the president should be commended. More must follow, with more than private talk and tepid tweets. Only bold leadership can put the United States back on a path that values freedom and democracy, and truly puts America first.

Christine Todd Whitman served as administrator of the EPA from January 2001 until June 2003 and as governor of New Jersey from 1994 until 2001. She is currently president of the Whitman Strategy Group, an energy and environmental consulting firm.

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To the editor: As I read the Los Angeles Times report on Israels new nation-state law, I could imagine the forthcoming letters condemning Israel as an apartheid state.

This bill had to be passed by two votes in the middle of the night because there was so much opposition to it. Israel is a vibrant democracy. The Arabs have their own voting block of parties, and there is a huge opposition to the party in power as well.

In the surrounding Mideast nations, dissent is treated far less permissibly than it is in Israel. This needs to be pointed out every time news outlets report on criticism of Israel.

Paul Zimmelman, Marina del Rey

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To the editor: Israels new nation-state law makes continued United States full-bore support problematic.

The new law rejects democracy and the concept of equal rights for citizens  both bedrock principles of the U.S. government. With Israels new law violating those principles, how can the U.S. continue to shield Israel from accountability at the United Nations, or give Israel about $4 billion in military aid each year?

There is no reason for this law except to bolster Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus status with right-wing voters and to make it clear to the 20% of Israeli citizens who are not Jewish that they will remain second-class citizens.

Jeff Warner, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Heres hoping we see additional articles, until they become a drumbeat, advocating the extremely sensible solution of establishing term limits for Supreme Court justices. This has become the most important issue of our day.

Lets face it: Every difference that appears in society  be it a political question, nuance over child custody or air pollution regulation  ends up in court. Who wouldnt want his or her viewpoint reflected in the court of last resort, the aptly named Supreme Court?

This anxiety has led to a broken system that, amazingly, could really be corrected quite simply with this term-limits proposal. The suggested 18 years is an adequate length of time for a judge to establish a proper judicial legacy, and it would eliminate these take-no-prisoners slugfests that have made the last few years so ugly.

Mark Diniakos, Thousand Oaks

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To the editor: Law professor James Lindgren and sociologist Ross M. Stolzenberg suggest fixed terms for Supreme Court justices. Most Americans would suggest that when something has worked for more than 200 years, it doesnt need anyone trying to fix it.

It would be better for the op-ed article writers to spend their time encouraging Democrats to stop trying to keep the presidents nominee to the court from being confirmed.

Donald Prell, Palm Springs

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To the editor: When Californias early pioneers crossed the Sierra Nevada, they were awed by the massive white pine and fir trees. Those old-growth forests are now gone, fallen to the greed of the timber industry.

The thick bark of these trees allowed them to withstand fires that are part of a natural healthy forest. The lesson for us is that the older forests become, the more fire resistant they become. This is why the U.S. Forest Services goal of increased salvage logging and clear-cutting is wrong.

Healthy forests provide clean water and sequester carbon dioxide. Your article on the Trump administrations push for more logging in burned areas points out the failure of the U.S. Forest Service to protect all Americans by preserving these areas in favor of those interested in taking what belongs to all citizens and turning those trees into dollars for timber companies.

Our national forests should be protected, not degraded by logging.

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Fred Krueger, Santa Rosa

The writer is chairman of the board of the World Stewardship Institute, a religion-based environmental advocacy group.

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To the editor: Despite concerted efforts by powerful interests to promote their financial goals, the Los Angeles Times continues to provide a voice for the truth.

Contrary to what logging advocates claim, nature does not need our help in restoring the fragile post-fire forest habitat created by the Rim Fire in the Stanislaus National Forest. Post-fire forests in the Sierra Nevada need to be left alone so they can carry on as they always have by creating rich opportunities for a wild diversity of plants and animals to thrive.

Despite overwhelming science showing that post-fire logging causes significant ecological damage, advocates for the timber industry ignore the fact and use Orwellian double speak to confuse the public. Humans have already caused enough damage.

Richard Halsey, Escondido

The writer is director of the California Chaparral Institute.

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